Change Your Mind

Brian approached me after my presentation today. He gently pulled me aside as it looked like he had something important to say.

"I was a police officer for twenty-five years," he began. "Your story about the September 11 Firefighter made me think about something I want to share with you. Maybe you could use it in your presentation."

He paused for a moment.

"Isn't it funny that before September eleventh, police officers were called pigs, and after September eleventh they were heroes?

What an interesting observation. Have you changed your mind about how you percieve those people who choose to make their livings keeping the rest of us safe?

Thanks Brian. It's about time we finally recognized every profession for the good they do and stopped calling names. Change your mind.
Kevin Burns - The Chief Instigation Officer of Laugh-Long Learning!
http://www.kevburns.com
1-877-BURNS-11

Would You Tell The Truth?

I checked into another hotel today. It's something I've done hundreds of times. How many times have I filled in my address, my car make, model and licence plate number?

Chelsey handed me my room key and said, "You can park in front of the hotel and if I were you I'd take that elevator over there to get to your room," as she pointed past the first elevator.

Something seemed strange in the use of the "if I were you" part. I was curious.

"If I were you? What does that mean?" I questioned laughing.

She started giggling. "Well you can take the other elevator but honestly, it's pretty slow and smells funny. But it's up to you."

I don't think I have ever been warned about a hotel elevator while checking into a hotel. This was a new experience and it was nice to be served by someone who cares about the comfort of guests.

Would you offer your customers the truth about your company even if you had to admit your product smelled funny?

Honestly? It's kind of refreshing to be served that way. Think about it.
Kevin Burns - The Chief Instigation Officer of Laugh-Long Learning!

http://www.kevburns.com

1-877-BURNS-11

You're Being Watched

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column on people who drive company vehicles with advertising splashed all over the vehicle. Some of these people drive like idiots and can ruin a lifetime of goodwill that a company may have established with their customers. I encouraged you to pick up the phone and tell these businesses how their people are doing when it comes to representing their employers. Well wouldn't you know it, this past week, I had to make one of those phone calls.

As I attempted to merge onto a four-lane highway, a large semi-truck pulling two trailers behind it was coming up the left lane. He saw me for a long while as I attempted to ramp up to speed and be able to merge into traffic seamlessly. There was no traffic in the right lane beside the trucker yet he refused to pull over to the left lane - which would have been the courteous thing to do. Instead, he increased his speed to allow himself to cut me off from merging onto the highway and had I not had my wits about me, I would have ended up tangled in the guard rail. Only after forcing me to a near full-stop, did he move over to the left lane.

As I followed a fair distance behind this trucker for several miles, he did not move out of the left lane. As a matter of fact he forced all vehicles behind him to move over to the right lane to pass him. In my mind, his actions were not acceptable.

As I drove past his truck in the right lane, I took note of the name of the trucking company, as well as a phone number, and placed a call to the number on the side of the truck. A woman answered and after I related my story of what just happened, as well as the driver not giving up the left lane, she asked me to hold for a moment. When she came back, she informed me that the actions of the driver were unacceptable. She had informed the driver's dispatcher who was, as we spoke, giving him "what for" on the phone. Just then I looked into my rear view mirror and watched the truck move out of the left lane and into the right lane and severely reduced his speed. Busted - eight hundred kilometers from home.

I believe that no one should even hesitate to correct the actions of idiots especially when personal safety is challenged. You owe it to yourself to be mindful of others. Keep your eyes open and report those things that you know are wrong. People who choose to act like idiots shall be treated in kind.

And also keep in mind that while you're out there driving yourself, remember, you are being watched too.

Employee Tip #4 - Job Satisfaction Isn't The Company's Job

The job will only be as good as the person doing the job. With that said, for there to be a marked improvement in the satisfaction of the job, the person doing the job has to show a marked improvement first.

At some point, you had better come to the realization that the job doesn't get any better, if you don't get any better. Your sales will get better when your sales skills get better. Customer service will get better when you get better at delivering customer service. Your results on the job will get better as you get better.

Every single person in every single job needs to understand that it is not up to the employer to make you better as an employee. Oh no. As a matter of fact, it is your responsibility to improve so that the company can improve. Once the company improves, they are in a better position to pay you more and to reward you more often. But if you’re waiting for the company to fall all over themselves to make you better so you can do a better job for the company, then you have your priorities backwards my friend. You will be sentenced to a lifetime of mediocre and unsatisfying jobs. The performance of an individual on the job is not the responsibility of the organization but in fact is the responsibility of the individual on the job.

The better you get, the better the job gets. It's such a simple philosophy that it escapes most people. You may want to believe that it's harder than that because as long as you believe that it’s harder than that, you have an excuse for not doing any more than you have to. Once you finally understand that it’s up to you to make your job better then you can't complain about it not being your responsibility. It's called being accountable. And my experience is that people just like you don't want to accept the blame (or the responsibility) for their own lousy performance.

But now here’s the real truth: better people offer better service, make better sales, get along better, communicate better, manage better and overall, make your organization better as a whole. But in order for that to happen, you have to be responsible for yourself, your work and the results of your work.

The moment you improve, life (including the job) improves.

When you improve yourself, you improve your thinking, which improves your decision-making, which will improve your choices, which will, by default, improve your results. Once you improve your results consistently you improve your circumstances. Anyone who works this plan at just fifteen minutes a day, one single coffee-break, sees outstanding results at the end of just one year. I guarantee it.

So this doing just enough to not get fired is a no-win plan. As a matter of fact, doing just enough to not get fired is enough in my books to justify getting fired. If you won’t take the initiative to improve yourself and your performance, then why should the company keep you around? You’re a boat-anchor. Think about that as you dust off your résumé.

Boss Tip #10 - Stop Training The Old Way

There's a new breed of worker upon us these days. Colleges and Universities have emptied out for the summer, many of these students have graduated and are about to begin banging on your door looking for work. But there are some things you need to know before you hire them and train them.

The way the new breed of today's workers operate is completely different than from a generation ago. The new generation entering the workforce do not have the same values as the baby-boomer's leaving the workforce. They don't have the same values, appreciation, loyalty, social skills or even work ethic as those who are close to retirement today. So why then, are you using the same training techniques you used years ago?

What worked for the last generation is lost on today's generation. If the new workers aren't even on the same page as the old workers, forget about training them the same way. They don't respond to the same stimuli, the same perks, dress-code or even calling people by Mr. or Mrs. They don't know (or even care about) your last name unless it's written on your office door. They know you by your first name and will call you that. Even Grade 1 students call their friends' parents by their first names. Visit a schoolyard and see what I mean.

Whining about today's generation doesn't fix the difference in the generations. It just makes you look old to the new generation of workers. Training them the same way you trained "lifers" who are retiring now is a complete and utter waste of your money. You don't have that kind of money to throw around.

Today's generation of workers is better-versed in soft-skills training. This is the group of workers whose parents had "Oprah" on in the afternoon and chatted about it over supper. This is the generation of worker who has never seen, let alone can comprehend, corporal punishment in the school system nor will they respond well to threats. This is the same generation who got moved ahead in school for fear that a failing grade might affect their self-esteem. It is a new generation of worker out there. And employers and bosses who want to get the best of the best of this generation better understand what and how they think.

Piercings, tattoos, earings and shaved heads used to be thought of for bikers. But have a look at the colleges and universities these days. This is the new "norm." Today's worker has fewer social skills face-to-face and a greater propensity for using computers, text messaging, cell phones and working alone. Don't even think of trying to appeal to these people with the age-old technical training programs of the past.

The new worker is "self-centered." That is not a bad thing unless you want to count them as nothing more than a number. But if you want the new worker to get you results, you had better be prepared to train them in the soft skills first and let them bring the newly-acquired soft skills across to the technical aspects of work.

For their whole lives, they've been getting things done alone - or at least it seems that way. They know how to use technology at mind-dizzying speeds. This is the video-game playing, MTV-watching, text-messaging, You-Tubing, MSN'ing and skater generation. They bring something to the table you've probably never seen before. Their values are different but their ability is not. They just may do the job differently. Don't try to train them the same way as you've done in past and don't try to make them fit into a tidy little package. They don't work that way.

Respect their talents - because you probably don't have them.

Employee Tip #3 - You'd Better Own The Corporate Values

"How's my driving?"

How many times have you seen a bumper sticker or small sign reading that on the back of a vehicle? You read it but do you ever make a note of the phone number that follows it? I do. And I use those numbers. I tell companies how their drivers are doing - unfortunately most times they're not doing so well.

There are just too many of you in the workforce right now with an "I could care less" attitude. Maybe it's because for your whole life, everything has just been handed to you or you hand it to your kids and expect it should also be handed to you. You think that the company owes you a car, or they owe you for you doing your job or you're entitled to bonuses because you're "special." (Maybe "special" in an Olympic sort of way).

I watch you taking advantage of your employer every day. You sit behind the wheel of a vehicle the company has provided you, you place your materials (brief case, brochures, tools, whatever you got as part of the job) on the seat beside you or on the floor, check the gas gauge of the vehicle to make sure you don't need more (which the company either pays for or reimburses you) then you put the vehicle in "Drive" and drive like an idiot - with the company logo all over everything around you. What's wrong with you? Millions of dollars spent advertising to customers that the company cares about them, and one time being an idiot behind the wheel, one time flipping the bird in traffic, one time making a flippant comment to a customer can undo millions of dollars in advertising and the years of honest and genuine effort from your co-workers.

I sure see more of an "entitlement" mentality today don't you? People think they deserve cars, and to have their expenses paid, and to be catered to and to have everything just handed to them. And when the company hands it all to them to make the job easier for them, they act like a jerk and a prima-donna as though there isn't supposed to be any "work" in going to work. Honestly, most small companies just try to make enough of a buck so they can keep their people around with a job everyday. And then those same people, some of you, go and treat your employers with disrespect because you figure you're owed what you're given. Just because the company gave you something once doesn't mean that they're required to keep giving it to you. Just because someone does something nice for you once doesn't mean you're entitled to have it that way all the time.

Corporations can have values and many do. Most of those values revolve around providing an excellent product at a fair price to solve a problem consumers have and make a profit at the same time. But then there are the jerks that think they are entitled to their jobs and everything that comes with it. It's no longer a privilege to have the job but a right. It's no longer a privilege to serve a customer but instead a customer's privilege to be served by you. It's no longer a privilege to be paid exceptionally well for your work but an expectation. If that's you in any way, then listen up: when the attitude of entitlement runs through the heart of an employee, it's time someone gets a "Gratitude Adjustment."

Gratitude should be not just a personal value, but a corporate value as well. You'd better own that value.

Disney Recycles Part 2

So I spoke with Dave today. Dave is the General Manager of the resort hotel I stayed at in Disneyworld last week. It only took me being on "hold" four times to reach the guy at the very top.

"How can I help you today?" He asked cheerily.

"I stayed at your hotel last week for a whole week. It was my first trip to Disney ever," I started.

"Really! Your first trip? How did we do?" He asked right away.

"Actually, pretty good. As a matter of fact, last Wednesday, we spent the day at Epcot and caught a rather interesting film: The Circle Of Life Eco-film."

"Yes I know the one you mean," he added.

"Well, after the film I noticed all of the recycling bins for bottles and cans at the theme parks, but none at the Disney Resort Hotel. Why is that?" I asked.

"Ahh, well we used to recycle here but it didn't work out real well. People would shove half-eaten burgers, popsicles and even used diapers through the holes meant for bottles and cans, which meant that our staff would have to go through all of the "stuff" to get the recyclables. That was one very messy job and incredibly time-consuming. So we chose to end it."

"So what about small blue or green box bins in the rooms?" I asked. "After all, you deliver USA Today to every room every day. That's a lot of newspapers not being recycled. Bottles, cans and newspapers could go into the bins in the rooms. People like me would bring our recyclables back to the room to be recycled if there weren't bins by the pool for example."

All was quiet for a moment.

Dave spoke again. "You mean put a little plastic tub like those tubs for recycling office paper in offices?"

"Something is better than nothing," I added.

Dave paused, then said, "That's a simple idea that could work. And you're right. We deliver a lot of newspapers everyday."

Before we hung up the phone, Dave committed to making this idea a priority. He took my phone number and vowed to touch base with me in a few days to keep me updated.

Hmm, pretty easy to make a difference when you speak up isn't it?

More as it becomes available.


Kevin Burns - The Chief Instigation Officer of Laugh-Long Learning!

http://www.kevburns.com

1-877-BURNS-11

Not Global Warming - But Still Important

I watched an environmental film this week. It's hard to swing a plastic grocery bag full of used plastic grocery bags these days without hitting onto another film about the environment. But here I was, captured in an audience while a short film played about the hazards of not conserving, the dangers of polluting and the costs of not recycling.

Here's the rub though: the film was made by Disney. Usually that's not a problem. However, after leaving the Disney theme park and returning to the Disney Resort where we were staying, we found absolutely no recycling at the hotel. There was no blue box in the room for newspapers, no plastic/can recycling bins on the grounds and when I asked where I should put the plastic bottle that I was charged a five cent recycling fee, a staffer said, "put it in the garbage."

"You guys don't recycle?" I asked incredulously.

She simply shrugged her shoulders and walked away.

Sorry Disney, but you can't preach to save the planet and then do the opposite. I'll admit that being environmentally conscious is pretty trendy right now. But being "trendy" is not leadership. Leadership is about actions matching words.

I refused to put plastic bottles and aluminum cans in the trash. Instead, I placed them beside trash cans where recycling bins would normally be found. Sorry but it's just not in me to throw recyclables in the trash. I'm not physically (OK maybe mentally) capable of throwing recyclables away.

After I made my protest statement of not using the trash can (it was probably nothing more than a mere annoyance to a staffer to pick up a recyclable and toss it out), I told you and hopefully, together, we can express our desire to make the big players do something so effortless and make their actions match their words.

I will send an email to Disney to express my concerns as soon as I'm back in the office. Feel free to check out your own company's environmental policy and suggest a correction if it falls a little short.

P
Kevin Burns - The Chief Instigation Officer of Laugh-Long Learning!

http://www.kevburns.com

1-877-BURNS-11

Your History Is Up To You

"I am not a crook."

Those are the words made famous by former US President Richard Nixon after being suspected of being involved in the Watergate scandal in United States history. I am told that he made that speech on stage at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

I stood upon that same stage this week addressing a group of association Chapter volunteers. These folks assembled from many different parts of the world in an effort to better thremselves in their volunteer work with their home Chapter organizations.

Now although my words weren't used to claim innocence of a wrongdoing, I did encourage the attendees to continue to better their respective communities through their volunteer work as well as making an commitment to themselves through on-going personal development.

This got me to thinking.

If these people can travel from the four corners of the world in an effort to better themselves personally and professionally, how hard could it possibly be for the rest of us to pick up a book or listen to a learning CD once in a while?

You decide what your history will be by what you do today. Let me know if I'm going too fast here.


Kevin Burns - The Chief Instigation Officer of Laugh-Long Learning!

http://www.kevburns.com

1-877-BURNS-11