Don't be afraid of trying to find what you love to do...

·      Many fear the challenges of growing up.

·      Taking on added responsibilities.

·      Sounds like Peter Pan.

 

I was talking with a client recently about the challenges of leadership development, and how it’s not for everyone. Many do want to grow into leadership roles, but many others like what they already do, and experiencing the thrill of further developing their professional competencies and reaching their full potential. It’s really about what each person wants and that’s what we as leaders should value, honor, support, and help them achieve. As I’ve often said here, the best job is often the one you have – the challenge, is making it the one you love. Leaders can help their employees discover the things they love and finding fulfillment in the challenge of being their best. And that’s nothing to be frightened of. Catch your peeps doing the things they love well; make them feel great about advancing their competencies. The young people today thrive on this kind of support – speaking openly about their loves and fears, being coached to help discover what they seek, and finding mentors to help them learn and grow.  Help people accept the responsibility of finding what they love today.

 

Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939): Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies through dialogue.

Don't ignore the growing demand for flexible scheduling...

·      The notion of personal responsibility seems to have lost its importance. 

·      Time off is a great benefit – but only if managed appropriately. 

·      Flexible schedules may be part of the answer.

 

Ask any manager about his or her biggest problem with today’s workforce – it’s not so much that they can’t find employees, but rather that the ones they have often don’t come to work. While many grumble about the problem, nobody seems to know what to do about it. I don’t begrudge people wanting time off, but without flexibility in scheduling, it’s a logistics problem that’s only going to get worse as the age of the workforce continues to decline. While skills and abilities factor into scheduling, more emphasis could be put on continuous training and coaching to limit the substantive differences from one employee to the next. If some level of parity is achieved, managers could consider posting schedules on a bi-weekly basis and letting employees choose each time. Additional staff could also help: these would seem to be better than the disruptions of unexpected absenteeism. When recruiting for new employees, discuss the concept of responsibility in showing up when scheduled, and get their opinions and understanding for how you plan to manage. I’m only scratching the surface on this issue, but it’s one that needs to be addressed and resolved if production and service standards are to be maintained. Start talking to your employees about their responsibilities today.

 

Stewart Brand (born 1938): American project developer and writer, best known as the co-founder and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog.

Don't under-estimate the importance of core values...

 

·      People are loyal to the things they believe in.

·      Skills can be taught, attitude and values not so much.

·      Focus on recruits that are aligned with your core values.

 

Most hiring managers study resumes to find applicants who have the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to do the job – that’s the first thing they screen for. I think that’s relatively appropriate, but consider this: aren’t you going to train your employees to do the things they need to do? If that’s the case, then maybe you only need to check if they’ve previously done the job they’re being considered for; with that, a few key questions will tell whether they in fact know the key elements of the job. Skills you can teach. If that’s true, maybe the first thing you should screen for is if they share the company’s values: are they willing to learn, are they flexible and open to change, are they optimistic and hopeful, do they accept responsibility and accountability, are thy passionate about the things they do, and will they care enough to bring their best selves to work every day. Values can’t be taught – people have them or they don’t. If your core values and theirs aren’t aligned, you and your new employee probably won’t be happy; but when they are, you can continually recognize and reinforce them to let them know they’re in the right place. And that promotes satisfaction and retention. Focus on making hiring and promotion choices when someone’s core values are aligned with yours. I’m not saying to ignore the skills, knowledge, and abilities, only that you hire for attitude and values and train for skills and competencies today.

 

Roy T. Bennett (1958-2018): Author (The Light in the Heart), motivational speaker and thought leader.

Anything good is a never-ending process: and it starts with a smile...

·      Getting someone to try something once is relatively easy.

·      Getting them to come back again is much harder.

 

Buying clothing online, going to a casino or restaurant for the first time, watching the first episode of a series, shopping at a new store, or meeting a new friend. The firsts are usually interesting and often exciting, but the trick for any of them is to get you back for a second. That was always our worry in the new casinos we opened, and even when one that wasn’t ours opened. But it had nothing to do with the first time – it was always dependent on all the other times we engaged with our guests, and every experience they had with every employee they encountered. It’s not about any scripted interactions – it’s not that complicated. It’s about smiles, eye contact and focus, and being genuinely interested. Companies spend a lot of time and money on developing customer service and loyalty programs, most of which are unnecessary. Talk to your employees, ask them what makes them comfortable at the stores, restaurants, casinos, bars, and websites they visit. And then ask them to do those same things with their customers. It doesn’t happen in one day. It happens every day, over and over. That’s how to build real loyalty today.

 

Jeffrey Gitomer (born 1946): American salesperson, author, and speaker who writes and lectures on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development.

Happy Valentine's Day...

On a day like this day, there’s nothing more for any of us to say, than the love that we have is all we need to have a very wonderful and Happy Valentine’s Day. So, make the most of today by staying wide awake all day, knowing your reality is way better than any of your dreams could be today.

 

Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904 – 1991): American children's author and cartoonist known for his work writing and illustrating more than 60 books under the pen name Dr. Seuss.

Don't forget your day job...

·      It’s fun to be in the spotlight.

·      But it’s better to be trustworthy and trusted.

 

In the years after the Mirage opened, my colleagues and I were inundated with requests to talk about our experiences in public forums, both big and small. It was a heady feeling. But upon reflection, not something to be overdone. Schools wanted to know what we’d done and learned from an academic viewpoint, and also to give their students a clearer view of where the industry was headed. Trade associations wanted to provide their members with information to help in their professional development. And local agencies wanted to learn from our experiences. But at the end of the day, there was a job to be done, and fulfilling that role for our company or colleagues was Job #1: everything else was secondary. It’s nice if you can do the extracurricular stuff, as long as you don’t lose sight of your day job. And I can say from personal experience it’s easy to get lost in the fun and famous stuff. But like the quote says: it’s better to be faithful than famous today.

 

Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (1858 – 1919): American politician, statesman, conservationist, naturalist, and writer who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909. 

Keep everyone focused on the goal...

a·lign·ment

/əˈlīnmənt/

noun

1. 

arrangement in a straight line, or in correct or appropriate relative positions.

"the tiles had slipped out of alignment"

2. 

a position of agreement or alliance.

"every member of the team was focused on winning the championship"

 

Last night’s Super Bowl showed how true today’s quote is. Both teams were focused on only one thing – to win. Evenly matched. Back and forth. It came down to which team was focused more. The kind of game where it’s too bad there had to be a loser. Two superb teams, each playing with a single mind and purpose. To the very end. Let that be a lesson for your team today.

 

Tom DeMarco (born 1940): American software engineer, author, and consultant on software engineering topics.