"If you can snatch the pebble from my hand, it will be time for you to go Grasshopper." (1970's TV Series Kung Fu)
At some point, if the teacher is a good one, the student will surpass the teacher's ability. At that point, it will be time for the student to find a new teacher because the student has achieved Excellence.
So what is the excuse of your organization? How come you don't have a continuous parade of students (employees) who are surpassing the abilities of their teachers (managers)?
The modern-day manager is supposed to be more than a policeman who passes out memos and enforces the rules. The modern-day manager is supposed to be a coach, teacher, motivational speaker, family therapist, conflict diffuser, ally, inspirational mentor and thoughtful friend. Didn't you get the memo on this?
If you're a manager, have you read a book in the last 90 days that will help you be better at any of it? Look, as a manager, you need to lead by example. If you won't do the work to improve, then don't complain when your staff won't do the work either. And, don't be surprised when their ability surpasses yours. You're standing still while they continue to grow every day on the job - regardless of whether you hold them back or not.
Here's the thing though: the moment the student surpasses the ability of the teacher, the student achieves Excellence. That means that the teacher, by comparison, is mediocre - until they learn something new.
C'mon managers, encourage your Grasshoppers. Force them to be better than you - more excellent than you. You will be doing an excellent thing for your organization.
--
Kevin Burns - Excellence Attitude/Culture Strategist
Speaking Web Site http://www.kevburns.com
Creator of Filter-Free Fridays™
Creator of the 90-Day System To A Greatness Culture™
Coming Soon Kevin's 8th Book - "Your Attitude Sucks - Finding Your Excellence In A Wasteland of Mediocrity
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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Showing posts with label attitude of leadership. Show all posts
Showing posts with label attitude of leadership. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Talent Without Skill Is Nothing
I'm not comfortable with attending the social events at conferences because: 1) I am at work when I am at a conference, and 2) I'm really not very good at small talk.
As bad as I may be at small talk, my next door neighbor is, hmmm, let's say he's "inept" at making even the slightest conversation. I have no idea what he does for a living because, well, because communication seems almost painful for him and we've never gotten that far in a conversation. (Yes, I know that's small talk. I told you I wasn't very good at it.)
I hope he's not in customer service or sales. My line of work would probably make him catatonic.
Which brings me to this question: are you skilled in all of the areas you need to be for your work? I have heard far too many people say that they have the gift of the gab and that's why they're in sales. The gift of the gab isn't enough - unless you only want to be a mediocre salesperson. No, being "skilled in the sale" is where I would put my money.
Each person has a natural talent for something. But raw talent alone will only ever allow you to achieve mediocrity. Talent alone is seductive - thinking you don't have to work hard because you have talent. It's why too many with real talent only ever achieve mediocrity. But it is putting skill on top of that talent that drives you right into greatness. That means that even if you have talent, you still need to build skill.
Let me explain. Tiger has talent. Ovechkin has talent. Kobe has talent. So what? Without practice, they'd all be just average players.
You may have talent for whatever it is you do. But if you aren't honing your skill everyday, you're wasting your talent. You're as ordinary as every other mediocre "player" like you.
The quote goes: There's no difference between the man who can't read and the one who won't read. In the same way, talent without skill is lazy - a one-way street to the vast wasteland of mediocrity.
Be better than that. Stop being ordinary. Find your greatness.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
As bad as I may be at small talk, my next door neighbor is, hmmm, let's say he's "inept" at making even the slightest conversation. I have no idea what he does for a living because, well, because communication seems almost painful for him and we've never gotten that far in a conversation. (Yes, I know that's small talk. I told you I wasn't very good at it.)
I hope he's not in customer service or sales. My line of work would probably make him catatonic.
Which brings me to this question: are you skilled in all of the areas you need to be for your work? I have heard far too many people say that they have the gift of the gab and that's why they're in sales. The gift of the gab isn't enough - unless you only want to be a mediocre salesperson. No, being "skilled in the sale" is where I would put my money.
Each person has a natural talent for something. But raw talent alone will only ever allow you to achieve mediocrity. Talent alone is seductive - thinking you don't have to work hard because you have talent. It's why too many with real talent only ever achieve mediocrity. But it is putting skill on top of that talent that drives you right into greatness. That means that even if you have talent, you still need to build skill.
Let me explain. Tiger has talent. Ovechkin has talent. Kobe has talent. So what? Without practice, they'd all be just average players.
You may have talent for whatever it is you do. But if you aren't honing your skill everyday, you're wasting your talent. You're as ordinary as every other mediocre "player" like you.
The quote goes: There's no difference between the man who can't read and the one who won't read. In the same way, talent without skill is lazy - a one-way street to the vast wasteland of mediocrity.
Be better than that. Stop being ordinary. Find your greatness.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Friday, February 26, 2010
What Do You Make?
It's not a question of money. It's a question of how the world is different because you're here.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Thursday, February 25, 2010
McLovin' It
Have you gotten caught up in Olympic fever yet? Watching the thousands and thousands of people on the streets of Vancouver daily, seeing the cheering and flag-waving crowds at the events and even seeing the people wearing Canada clothing in every city across the country makes it difficult not to feel a sense of pride that something special is going on.
At the top of Calgary's Canada Olympic Park, known as COP, where many of the athletes prepared and trained themselves for the Vancouver games flies a lone white flag, the five interlocking Olympic rings.
At the base of COP, the legacy to the '88 Calgary Olympics lies a McDonald's restaurant, the official restaurant of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. But there's nary a sign that the Olympics are being hosted in Canada in the restaurant. There's no signage touting their "official" status even though they look right up the slopes of COP. And on either side of the chalet-style four-sided fireplace on the two thirty-two inch plasma TVs there are no Olympics playing. Just the news from one of the non-Olympic news networks.
There are seven television networks broadcasting the games but not one channel is being shown in the official restaurant of the 2010 Vancouver Games. And until I mentioned it to the manager, no one even seemed to notice that the Olympic spirit had left the building.
For the 2010 Games, McDonalds chose 350 servers from across Canada to work the McDonalds in the athlete's village (which doesn't charge the athletes anything for the food). This is a major promotion for the company and one they take pride in.
By the way, my car dealership had the Olympics on in their customer lounge today. They are not an official sponsor. The electronics store I visited this afternoon had almost 100 televisions all tuned to the Olympics. They are not an Olympic sponsor either. Even the Mongolian restaurant I had supper at had the Olympics on in their lounge. They may have been supporting Team Mongolia if there was one but I don't think so.
Apathy exists even in management. It's missing little details like this that makes it a very mediocre place to work and an even worse place to be a customer.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
At the top of Calgary's Canada Olympic Park, known as COP, where many of the athletes prepared and trained themselves for the Vancouver games flies a lone white flag, the five interlocking Olympic rings.
At the base of COP, the legacy to the '88 Calgary Olympics lies a McDonald's restaurant, the official restaurant of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. But there's nary a sign that the Olympics are being hosted in Canada in the restaurant. There's no signage touting their "official" status even though they look right up the slopes of COP. And on either side of the chalet-style four-sided fireplace on the two thirty-two inch plasma TVs there are no Olympics playing. Just the news from one of the non-Olympic news networks.
There are seven television networks broadcasting the games but not one channel is being shown in the official restaurant of the 2010 Vancouver Games. And until I mentioned it to the manager, no one even seemed to notice that the Olympic spirit had left the building.
For the 2010 Games, McDonalds chose 350 servers from across Canada to work the McDonalds in the athlete's village (which doesn't charge the athletes anything for the food). This is a major promotion for the company and one they take pride in.
By the way, my car dealership had the Olympics on in their customer lounge today. They are not an official sponsor. The electronics store I visited this afternoon had almost 100 televisions all tuned to the Olympics. They are not an Olympic sponsor either. Even the Mongolian restaurant I had supper at had the Olympics on in their lounge. They may have been supporting Team Mongolia if there was one but I don't think so.
Apathy exists even in management. It's missing little details like this that makes it a very mediocre place to work and an even worse place to be a customer.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
How Managers Can Ruin Culture
Three middle managers who worked for the City of Calgary were discovered to have been making money on the side using City technology (email) and contacts and contractors. This information was discovered by audit of the department. A few others were found to be visiting gaming sites on company time and using the City email account to make money while off on disability.
Management is not a right but a privilege. Those who have been elevated to management need to lead by example. It's hard to do when the manager is obviously devoid of scruples, ethics and morals. How do people like this get promoted?
These managers need to be fired immediately. If you don't, you risk giving your own organization a black eye. Being afraid to do the tough thing is exactly how corporate cultures rot from the inside out. If the leaders are corrupt, they will corrupt culture. Those who are easily swayed will come to believe that this sort of behavior is acceptable.
Fire those who can't tell right from wrong - especially if they are in management. Then, gladly pay the legal bill to get rid of the offenders. It will be much cheaper in the long run once you send a message to your people.
If you want to create a culture of Greatness, stop thinking "ordinary." Nothing gets swept under the carpet. Everything is dealt with. Everything is talked about. Everything is in the open. Set a standard for your people to rise to. They will.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Management is not a right but a privilege. Those who have been elevated to management need to lead by example. It's hard to do when the manager is obviously devoid of scruples, ethics and morals. How do people like this get promoted?
These managers need to be fired immediately. If you don't, you risk giving your own organization a black eye. Being afraid to do the tough thing is exactly how corporate cultures rot from the inside out. If the leaders are corrupt, they will corrupt culture. Those who are easily swayed will come to believe that this sort of behavior is acceptable.
Fire those who can't tell right from wrong - especially if they are in management. Then, gladly pay the legal bill to get rid of the offenders. It will be much cheaper in the long run once you send a message to your people.
If you want to create a culture of Greatness, stop thinking "ordinary." Nothing gets swept under the carpet. Everything is dealt with. Everything is talked about. Everything is in the open. Set a standard for your people to rise to. They will.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Just Say NO
Question: How do you say NO with out hurting your relationships? At some point, I realize we have to say no to people who are expecting you to say yes out of obligation. So how do you say no to them without it affecting your relationships?
Answer: The only person who absolutely needs to hear "yes" every single time when they expect something out of obligation is a baby who is expecting to be breastfed. Outside of that, you had better learn to say "no."
If your co-workers are expecting you to nod in agreement and say yes to every request, then you've done a great job of breastfeeding them. You have become the "whipping boy" of your organization saying yes to everyone else's requests and have put them all ahead of your own responsibilities. Are you burnt out yet? You should be.
Say yes too often and you'll eventually find yourself picking up the boss's dry-cleaning during the day and getting your work done at home at night. But say yes too many times and you eventually create a toxic culture, one that has no personal or job boundaries, no respects or any consideration for others.
Most people can't say no because they're afraid that if they do they won't be liked. Who cares if you're not liked? You want to be respected more than you want to be liked.
Develop your Attitude of Leadership and learn to say "no" before you burn out and drop dead of a heart attack. Saying "yes" to everything creates too much weight to carry and trains people to take advantage of you.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Answer: The only person who absolutely needs to hear "yes" every single time when they expect something out of obligation is a baby who is expecting to be breastfed. Outside of that, you had better learn to say "no."
If your co-workers are expecting you to nod in agreement and say yes to every request, then you've done a great job of breastfeeding them. You have become the "whipping boy" of your organization saying yes to everyone else's requests and have put them all ahead of your own responsibilities. Are you burnt out yet? You should be.
Say yes too often and you'll eventually find yourself picking up the boss's dry-cleaning during the day and getting your work done at home at night. But say yes too many times and you eventually create a toxic culture, one that has no personal or job boundaries, no respects or any consideration for others.
Most people can't say no because they're afraid that if they do they won't be liked. Who cares if you're not liked? You want to be respected more than you want to be liked.
Develop your Attitude of Leadership and learn to say "no" before you burn out and drop dead of a heart attack. Saying "yes" to everything creates too much weight to carry and trains people to take advantage of you.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Kinder, Gentler Business Of The Future
This month marked a very important milestone, one that quietly slipped under the radar. The consequences of this milestone are far reaching and it is only going to get bigger and play a far more important role in business in North America.
January officially recognizes that women now comprise OVER 50% of the workforce. Where once women were largely confined to menial jobs, their brain power now outnumbers men in the workforce.
Add to that women dominating in terms of educational performance, volume of university degrees and especially advanced professional degrees and you can see how this can become a tsunami of change down the road.
It's been said that women are better leaders overall than men - largely due to their ability to lead with compassion instead of cutthroat business tactics - and we face a workforce that is about to change. As more women move up the ladder, the old-boys clubs are doomed to go the way of the dodo.
Personally, I welcome a change in the demographics. More women in senior management would mean more women dominating boards of directors as well as shareholders. That means how business gets done is going to change with a heavier emphasis on long-term growth and prosperity for the sake of the employees and loyalty while lessening concentration on jumping into takeover situations, raping and cutting up companies for the sake of profit and not caring about the families that cutthroat business affects.
Maybe by finding a way to be kinder, gentler organizations, we can help employees find loyalty, purpose and pride in their work and the companies they work for.
It couldn't hurt. I can't possibly imagine how much worse employee engagement, diligence and work ethic could get. Maybe we'll see the end of the practice of "company profits first, employee welfare second." Maybe it'll turn into employee welfare AND company success together. After all, you can't have one without the other.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
January officially recognizes that women now comprise OVER 50% of the workforce. Where once women were largely confined to menial jobs, their brain power now outnumbers men in the workforce.
Add to that women dominating in terms of educational performance, volume of university degrees and especially advanced professional degrees and you can see how this can become a tsunami of change down the road.
It's been said that women are better leaders overall than men - largely due to their ability to lead with compassion instead of cutthroat business tactics - and we face a workforce that is about to change. As more women move up the ladder, the old-boys clubs are doomed to go the way of the dodo.
Personally, I welcome a change in the demographics. More women in senior management would mean more women dominating boards of directors as well as shareholders. That means how business gets done is going to change with a heavier emphasis on long-term growth and prosperity for the sake of the employees and loyalty while lessening concentration on jumping into takeover situations, raping and cutting up companies for the sake of profit and not caring about the families that cutthroat business affects.
Maybe by finding a way to be kinder, gentler organizations, we can help employees find loyalty, purpose and pride in their work and the companies they work for.
It couldn't hurt. I can't possibly imagine how much worse employee engagement, diligence and work ethic could get. Maybe we'll see the end of the practice of "company profits first, employee welfare second." Maybe it'll turn into employee welfare AND company success together. After all, you can't have one without the other.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE by Kevin Burns - Corporate Attitude/Culture Strategist
Creator of the 90-Day Strategy to Greatness Culture
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
The Official Kevin Burns YouTube Channel
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Putting The Blame Where It Belongs
As simple as this post may seem, there's a real chance you might miss the profound message - or dismiss it as you do most things in your life with a condescending, "I already know that."
We let me help you understand it better: if others don't see you as the leader you consider yourself to be, if you are not considered the best manager in your organization, if you are not the most requested vendor of any of your competitors or if you think that your workplace could use a little improvement, then you don't know it all. Your results don't lie. They only amplify the truth. So put aside your ego and listen up.
How is it possible to be a genuinely effective leader if you have only ever been a lousy follower? How is it possible to be a good manager if you've only ever been a whiny, self-centered employee? How is it possible to improve your organization if you are no better than the collective average working there? How can you become a vendor of greatness if you have only ever been a customer who accepts sub-standard service?
It's the comparison points that separate the great from the mediocre. You need comparison to achieve anything really great.
You can not be a great leader if you have never been a great follower. You can't know what it is like to follow hence impossible to fully comprehend what it is like to lead.
You can't be a great manager if you view all of your past bosses as morons. Unless you have experience as a model employee you will never know how to be a model manager.
You can not improve your organization if you are not among the best in your organization. Average people have average ideas which bring average results. Exceptional people get exceptional results. If you are not constantly self-improving, then your work is not getting any better which means that your organization is not improving either. Organizations can't possibly improve if the people in those same organizations stay the same.
How can you know what outstanding service is if you have willingly accepted poor service and not voiced your opinions? If you won't set a standard of acceptable service for yourself, how can you serve your customers better? When a customer raises his or her expectations, the selling organization is forced to improve or lose the customer. If you have never helped another organization improve their service then you can not know what better service is exactly. You may have an idea but no proof.
So before you think yourself entitled to be promoted, to be followed, to receive an award or think your organization superior to others, ask yourself, "What have you done lately that makes you a better person, manager, leader or vendor?" If you haven't read a book or attended a seminar that improves you then you are the same delusional person you always were.
Greatness doesn't happen by accident. It requires effort. So how about you change your attitude and admit that you don't know it all and crack open a book for the proof. Blaming the economy, your bosses, your customers and your co-workers isn't going to change your results. You are. The problem isn't everyone else. Never has been.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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We let me help you understand it better: if others don't see you as the leader you consider yourself to be, if you are not considered the best manager in your organization, if you are not the most requested vendor of any of your competitors or if you think that your workplace could use a little improvement, then you don't know it all. Your results don't lie. They only amplify the truth. So put aside your ego and listen up.
How is it possible to be a genuinely effective leader if you have only ever been a lousy follower? How is it possible to be a good manager if you've only ever been a whiny, self-centered employee? How is it possible to improve your organization if you are no better than the collective average working there? How can you become a vendor of greatness if you have only ever been a customer who accepts sub-standard service?
It's the comparison points that separate the great from the mediocre. You need comparison to achieve anything really great.
You can not be a great leader if you have never been a great follower. You can't know what it is like to follow hence impossible to fully comprehend what it is like to lead.
You can't be a great manager if you view all of your past bosses as morons. Unless you have experience as a model employee you will never know how to be a model manager.
You can not improve your organization if you are not among the best in your organization. Average people have average ideas which bring average results. Exceptional people get exceptional results. If you are not constantly self-improving, then your work is not getting any better which means that your organization is not improving either. Organizations can't possibly improve if the people in those same organizations stay the same.
How can you know what outstanding service is if you have willingly accepted poor service and not voiced your opinions? If you won't set a standard of acceptable service for yourself, how can you serve your customers better? When a customer raises his or her expectations, the selling organization is forced to improve or lose the customer. If you have never helped another organization improve their service then you can not know what better service is exactly. You may have an idea but no proof.
So before you think yourself entitled to be promoted, to be followed, to receive an award or think your organization superior to others, ask yourself, "What have you done lately that makes you a better person, manager, leader or vendor?" If you haven't read a book or attended a seminar that improves you then you are the same delusional person you always were.
Greatness doesn't happen by accident. It requires effort. So how about you change your attitude and admit that you don't know it all and crack open a book for the proof. Blaming the economy, your bosses, your customers and your co-workers isn't going to change your results. You are. The problem isn't everyone else. Never has been.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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Tuesday, January 05, 2010
Don't Just Lay Down And Take It
When you forget about your customers, your customers forget about you.
When a restaurant server forgets to bring you your meal, admits that she forgot about you, complains that she feels overwhelmed (even if she only has four tables to handle) but doesn't bother to check how long your salad has been waiting under the hot lamps before serving it to you anyway, you would forget about her when it came time to leave a tip right?
Do not reward bad service. Do not reward anyone who forgets that you are the revenue stream to their business. Do not reward any business that does not earn your business and works hard to keep it. Do not accept sub-standard food, sub-standard service, sub-standard quality or sub-standard standards.
You are in charge. You must set the standard of service. Do not accept less than your standard. If you don't set the standard, you will end up taking whatever they give you. You will be a "pushover" customer who does nothing more than encourage the business to continue offering poor service and products. You ruin it for all of the unsuspecting customers who will follow you because you didn't speak up.
Businesses only offer sub-standard service and poor quality because customers lay down and take it. Don't reward them by giving them money for their poor effort. Stop being a coward and talking about bad service behind their backs. Talk to them face-to-face.
Change your attitude and make the following statement a New Years resolution: I endeavor to offer honest feedback to those whose businesses I frequent. I will not use the word "fine" to describe my experience but will be forthright without being hurtful. I will turn off the filters and just say what's on my mind.
Stick to that resolution and watch your results soar this year.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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When a restaurant server forgets to bring you your meal, admits that she forgot about you, complains that she feels overwhelmed (even if she only has four tables to handle) but doesn't bother to check how long your salad has been waiting under the hot lamps before serving it to you anyway, you would forget about her when it came time to leave a tip right?
Do not reward bad service. Do not reward anyone who forgets that you are the revenue stream to their business. Do not reward any business that does not earn your business and works hard to keep it. Do not accept sub-standard food, sub-standard service, sub-standard quality or sub-standard standards.
You are in charge. You must set the standard of service. Do not accept less than your standard. If you don't set the standard, you will end up taking whatever they give you. You will be a "pushover" customer who does nothing more than encourage the business to continue offering poor service and products. You ruin it for all of the unsuspecting customers who will follow you because you didn't speak up.
Businesses only offer sub-standard service and poor quality because customers lay down and take it. Don't reward them by giving them money for their poor effort. Stop being a coward and talking about bad service behind their backs. Talk to them face-to-face.
Change your attitude and make the following statement a New Years resolution: I endeavor to offer honest feedback to those whose businesses I frequent. I will not use the word "fine" to describe my experience but will be forthright without being hurtful. I will turn off the filters and just say what's on my mind.
Stick to that resolution and watch your results soar this year.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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Saturday, December 12, 2009
Leadership Fad Has Created A Culture Crisis
Too many people want to be perceived as being at the forefront of their niche so they will use the word leadership to describe just about anything that will help them make a few bucks. It's sad really, that the word leadership has been sold out. Authentic leadership, servant leadership, reflective leadership, thought leadership, absolute leadership and transitional leadership are nothing more than vacuous terminologies of self-importance in a desperate attempt to carve out a money-making identity that no one else has yet exploited.
Truthfully, this preoccupation with the leadership fad is so last year. It is time to get your head out of the clouds because it's about to rain - hard. Corporate North America is headed toward a corporate culture crisis in 2010 because, in spite of all of the leadership books and all of the courses available, no one has actually been leading.
The truth is, you don't become a leader in a few days or weeks in exchange for money. (If you need proof, go find out which leadership course Winston Churchill, JFK, The Dalai Llama and Ghandi enrolled in and also find out their passing grades.) So while marginal managers have been off trying to re-shape their personal brands from dolt-manager to leader-of-minions, they have been forgetting (or ignoring) their work: managing. And now because of it, workplace culture is crumbling.
Right Management's recent survey results show that 60% of North American workers will be actively seeking new jobs in 2010. Another 21% are actively networking to see what's out there before they decide to update the resume. That's a total of 81% of North American workers who are not happy with their workplaces. Why aren't they? Because while the economy was crumbling, managers weren't managing and weren't responding to the very real concerns of their people. They were too busy pretending to be visionaries who were above that icky business of managing.
That's what happens when no one pays attention to the very people who make the whole business of business work. When people feel let down, culture follows. And people will quickly exit a crumbling culture. And who was supposed to be looking after the culture? The same people who were trying to getting a passing grade in leadership courses.
North American organizations are about to suffer the largest workplace exodus in decades due largely to, you guessed it, a lack of real leadership.
Your need to be seen as a "leader" has been overshadowed by your inability to lead during tough times. You may have passed the course but you have failed the test.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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Truthfully, this preoccupation with the leadership fad is so last year. It is time to get your head out of the clouds because it's about to rain - hard. Corporate North America is headed toward a corporate culture crisis in 2010 because, in spite of all of the leadership books and all of the courses available, no one has actually been leading.
The truth is, you don't become a leader in a few days or weeks in exchange for money. (If you need proof, go find out which leadership course Winston Churchill, JFK, The Dalai Llama and Ghandi enrolled in and also find out their passing grades.) So while marginal managers have been off trying to re-shape their personal brands from dolt-manager to leader-of-minions, they have been forgetting (or ignoring) their work: managing. And now because of it, workplace culture is crumbling.
Right Management's recent survey results show that 60% of North American workers will be actively seeking new jobs in 2010. Another 21% are actively networking to see what's out there before they decide to update the resume. That's a total of 81% of North American workers who are not happy with their workplaces. Why aren't they? Because while the economy was crumbling, managers weren't managing and weren't responding to the very real concerns of their people. They were too busy pretending to be visionaries who were above that icky business of managing.
That's what happens when no one pays attention to the very people who make the whole business of business work. When people feel let down, culture follows. And people will quickly exit a crumbling culture. And who was supposed to be looking after the culture? The same people who were trying to getting a passing grade in leadership courses.
North American organizations are about to suffer the largest workplace exodus in decades due largely to, you guessed it, a lack of real leadership.
Your need to be seen as a "leader" has been overshadowed by your inability to lead during tough times. You may have passed the course but you have failed the test.
--
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Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Fire The CEO To Shift Culture
Fritz Henderson is gone as CEO of the "New And Improved" General Motors. He was on the job only nine months. Had he done anything wrong? Not really. His removal was due to one simple reason that far too many companies succumb to: complacent culture.
It's hard not to feel sorry for Mr. Henderson, who had little time to prove himself. But his removal was the right move. He is a GM lifer, and job one at the company is to change a management culture.
Once asked about the culture at GM, Henderson said, "It's fine. In reality, it's the only culture I know." Which was precisely the problem. If you're going to try to be different or going to try to shake things up, then you need someone at the helm who isn't a product of the culture that you're trying to change.
I believe it was Einstein who said that you'll never solve a problem with the same thinking that created the problem.
If you're going to to attempt to shift a culture dramatically, it will rarely happen with the same faces running the place. You can make culture shifts gently keeping the same senior management but to do so effectively requires a shift in the senior management's communication, involvement of lower levels of management and inclusion of front-line workers.
Sorry, but you can't sit in the ivory tower and hope things on the ground are going to shift by decree. If you want to institute a culture shift, you have to first shift the attitudes of the employee. Once you can get a buy-in from the employee, only then will you get lasting changes in your culture.
GM wasn't getting that so Fritz is gone. What about you? Are you near the top thinking everyone else's attitude needs to change except yours? The answer to that question might explain your culture.
--
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It's hard not to feel sorry for Mr. Henderson, who had little time to prove himself. But his removal was the right move. He is a GM lifer, and job one at the company is to change a management culture.
Once asked about the culture at GM, Henderson said, "It's fine. In reality, it's the only culture I know." Which was precisely the problem. If you're going to try to be different or going to try to shake things up, then you need someone at the helm who isn't a product of the culture that you're trying to change.
I believe it was Einstein who said that you'll never solve a problem with the same thinking that created the problem.
If you're going to to attempt to shift a culture dramatically, it will rarely happen with the same faces running the place. You can make culture shifts gently keeping the same senior management but to do so effectively requires a shift in the senior management's communication, involvement of lower levels of management and inclusion of front-line workers.
Sorry, but you can't sit in the ivory tower and hope things on the ground are going to shift by decree. If you want to institute a culture shift, you have to first shift the attitudes of the employee. Once you can get a buy-in from the employee, only then will you get lasting changes in your culture.
GM wasn't getting that so Fritz is gone. What about you? Are you near the top thinking everyone else's attitude needs to change except yours? The answer to that question might explain your culture.
--
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
How To Improve Company Morale
Why is it that I have never heard of a senior manager being dragged to work kicking and screaming and bemoaning their job? I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I've never actually seen it. But how many times do you witness an employee or middle manager moaning about their job? You know exactly who I'm talking about in your office don't you?
Why is the practice of whining about work only reserved for those not in senior management?
Also, while we're at it, why is it that two people working in side-by-side cubicles doing the exact same job can view their jobs so differently? One can choose to complain about the job and the other loves the job. Why the difference? It's obviously not the job or both would be either happy or whining. The key to job satisfaction and company morale is to understand and acknowledge the differing attitudes toward the work. Fix the attitude of the one who dislikes the job and you improve the workplace for two people - the complainer AND the person who has to endure the constant complaining in the next cubicle.
And that's how you change workplace morale; by affecting the prevailing attitudes regardless of position. I urge senior management to demonstrate these traits by example and most do when it comes to complaining about their job. But the truth is that those outside of senior management will always do as they please regardless of the example set, always. This leads me to believe that it's not the job that people dislike - it is the perceived lack of control over the job and their own destiny and/or contribution. And that is an attitude of feeling dominated/controlled by another which can be reversed by addressing the underlying attitudes and opinions.
My point is always, if you're not making your conscious choices about making your own life better, then you're going to get whatever is left over from everyone else. If you are not acting to create the results you want then you are, by default, allowing whatever happens to be your choice. If there are more "good-natured" people going to work, then we end up having more good places to work.
Everything starts with the individual. Take the people out of a building and you don't have a business anymore: you have a building with a lot of stuff. There is no business without people. My mission is to improve the people and let the business improve itself. And I mean everyone - regardless of position.
--
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Why is the practice of whining about work only reserved for those not in senior management?
Also, while we're at it, why is it that two people working in side-by-side cubicles doing the exact same job can view their jobs so differently? One can choose to complain about the job and the other loves the job. Why the difference? It's obviously not the job or both would be either happy or whining. The key to job satisfaction and company morale is to understand and acknowledge the differing attitudes toward the work. Fix the attitude of the one who dislikes the job and you improve the workplace for two people - the complainer AND the person who has to endure the constant complaining in the next cubicle.
And that's how you change workplace morale; by affecting the prevailing attitudes regardless of position. I urge senior management to demonstrate these traits by example and most do when it comes to complaining about their job. But the truth is that those outside of senior management will always do as they please regardless of the example set, always. This leads me to believe that it's not the job that people dislike - it is the perceived lack of control over the job and their own destiny and/or contribution. And that is an attitude of feeling dominated/controlled by another which can be reversed by addressing the underlying attitudes and opinions.
My point is always, if you're not making your conscious choices about making your own life better, then you're going to get whatever is left over from everyone else. If you are not acting to create the results you want then you are, by default, allowing whatever happens to be your choice. If there are more "good-natured" people going to work, then we end up having more good places to work.
Everything starts with the individual. Take the people out of a building and you don't have a business anymore: you have a building with a lot of stuff. There is no business without people. My mission is to improve the people and let the business improve itself. And I mean everyone - regardless of position.
--
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Bad Management Creates Disengaged Employees
Employee engagement is already a big enough challenge. And as many solutions as there may be to fixing the employee (since it is widely believed that it is the employee who needs to be engaged - after all it is called "employee engagement"), I believe that an employee will focus and engage when the external forces are right. That means, if there is poor engagement in one department over another, you likely have a management problem. Your managers are disengaging the very people you want to be engaged.
Here's what I mean. A well-meaning and engaged employee shows up to work each day and is constantly pestered by:
Look, I'm a man. I understand that we're not the greatest multi-taskers so why are you interrupting? (Yes, I know the ladies are snickering here.)
Interruptive and ego-driven managers cause attrition to rise. Want to find your own company's worst offenders? Check your own company's attrition numbers by department. The highest attrition usually means the worst managers.
People don't abandon a good manager; a great boss. People leave lousy, awful, terrible and inept managers.
So if you want to engage your employees, give them a manager that encourages engagement. If you've got high turnover in one department, stop listening to the excuses from that manager and do your own due diligence, before you lose more good people. Change your attitude and engage yourself in solving a recurring problem.
--
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Here's what I mean. A well-meaning and engaged employee shows up to work each day and is constantly pestered by:
- Unnecessary meetings,
- "can you come into my office?"
- "what are you doing for lunch?"
- too many surveys,
- talking loudly outside the office or cubicle doorway,
- random verbal announcements (can I have your attention for a minute),
- Christmas party planning,
- managers who really take the MBWA (Management By Walking Around) far too literally,
- and more.
Look, I'm a man. I understand that we're not the greatest multi-taskers so why are you interrupting? (Yes, I know the ladies are snickering here.)
Interruptive and ego-driven managers cause attrition to rise. Want to find your own company's worst offenders? Check your own company's attrition numbers by department. The highest attrition usually means the worst managers.
People don't abandon a good manager; a great boss. People leave lousy, awful, terrible and inept managers.
So if you want to engage your employees, give them a manager that encourages engagement. If you've got high turnover in one department, stop listening to the excuses from that manager and do your own due diligence, before you lose more good people. Change your attitude and engage yourself in solving a recurring problem.
--
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Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Time To Audit Management
Half of all employees don't know if they're doing a good job. A recent survey by Leadership IQ reports 51% of employees don't know if they're doing a good job because they don't receive regular feedback from their managers. 21% actually get regular feedback. 27% have sort of an idea but still aren't really sure.
That means 79% of employees are not totally clear on what they're doing and how they're doing. With all of the management books out there, all of the courses, all of the social networking tools for managers and all of the meetings with other managers, 79% of managers still don't understand that they need to regularly communicate with their people? Really?
Managers are claiming that they don't have the time to sit down with every employee and give feedback. But they do have time to train new employees because of high-turnover rates. They do have time to put out fires because their people don't know what they are doing. They do have time to speak to employees if they make a major mistake. But they have no time to say "good job?"
If you can't find the time to let people know how they're doing, then you're not managing. Your job is to manage and it's people that you manage. There is nothing else to manage. You can't manage the economy, your customer spending habits, the weather, delayed deliveries from suppliers. You manage your people. Period.
Remove all of the people in your company and you don't have a company anymore. You have a building with a lot of stuff in it. Without people, there is no company. The people ARE your job. Let's get that straight right now.
These findings raise the question: what are managers filling their days with if they're not communicating with their people? Senior management needs to audit their middle and front-line managers and find out what they are actually doing if they're not interacting with the very people they're supposed to be managing.
--
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That means 79% of employees are not totally clear on what they're doing and how they're doing. With all of the management books out there, all of the courses, all of the social networking tools for managers and all of the meetings with other managers, 79% of managers still don't understand that they need to regularly communicate with their people? Really?
Managers are claiming that they don't have the time to sit down with every employee and give feedback. But they do have time to train new employees because of high-turnover rates. They do have time to put out fires because their people don't know what they are doing. They do have time to speak to employees if they make a major mistake. But they have no time to say "good job?"
If you can't find the time to let people know how they're doing, then you're not managing. Your job is to manage and it's people that you manage. There is nothing else to manage. You can't manage the economy, your customer spending habits, the weather, delayed deliveries from suppliers. You manage your people. Period.
Remove all of the people in your company and you don't have a company anymore. You have a building with a lot of stuff in it. Without people, there is no company. The people ARE your job. Let's get that straight right now.
These findings raise the question: what are managers filling their days with if they're not communicating with their people? Senior management needs to audit their middle and front-line managers and find out what they are actually doing if they're not interacting with the very people they're supposed to be managing.
--
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Leadership Is Missing The Point
Leadership is NOT the be-all and end-all of the workplace or of personal development. Contrary to what many of the so-called leadership experts may claim, it is not all there is. You do not need to aspire to achieving leadership nirvana before your life becomes complete. In fact, focusing only on leadership is short-sighted. Here's why: leadership is only one of seven equal components within greatness - becoming something remarkable. Greatness is something that both an individual and an organization might aspire to and achieve - without the need for witnesses.
The whole concept of leadership is focused on the individual - not on those who would be affected outside of the individual. It's why you regularly hear about "bad leadership" or "an absence of leadership ability" - things which can not be measured without including those who might be affected by their very existence.
Leadership's major flaw, unfortunately, is that its very nature is self-focused: the purposeful improving of only oneself. One can not be in a position to influence others without focusing all of their improvement attention on themselves first.
Greatness, however, is outward-focused. It is not only about improving oneself but it is also about subsequently improving the world and benefitting those that greatness touches.
Leadership is simply measured by success while greatness is measured by significance. You may want to read that last sentence again so as to not miss its importance.
You can not lead if they will not follow. But you can be great regardless if they are petty, mean or obstinate. Greatness requires no involvement from others. Leadership, by its very definition, requires followers for without followers, there can be no leader. In the same way as a tree falling in the forest, without those to lead, is there a need for leadership?
Greatness requires no one or thing to be present in order to be great. In fact, one can still be great, do great things and leave a legacy or a mark which might only be discovered years later. Greatness is focused on making a difference regardless of whether someone is there or not to witness the act.
Leadership, therefore, is an attitude which, combined with six other attitudes can lead both an individual and an organization to greatness. Greatness is the willingness to act, to improve and to be significant regardless of whether others are involved or not.
Leadership is about the little picture. Greatness is about how one can improve the big picture. One works with the other but unfortunately, once most achieve that leadership nirvana, they stop thinking about how their actions affect the big picture. It's why so many so-called "leaders" will never be great and how leadership almost always misses the point.
--
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The whole concept of leadership is focused on the individual - not on those who would be affected outside of the individual. It's why you regularly hear about "bad leadership" or "an absence of leadership ability" - things which can not be measured without including those who might be affected by their very existence.
Leadership's major flaw, unfortunately, is that its very nature is self-focused: the purposeful improving of only oneself. One can not be in a position to influence others without focusing all of their improvement attention on themselves first.
Greatness, however, is outward-focused. It is not only about improving oneself but it is also about subsequently improving the world and benefitting those that greatness touches.
Leadership is simply measured by success while greatness is measured by significance. You may want to read that last sentence again so as to not miss its importance.
You can not lead if they will not follow. But you can be great regardless if they are petty, mean or obstinate. Greatness requires no involvement from others. Leadership, by its very definition, requires followers for without followers, there can be no leader. In the same way as a tree falling in the forest, without those to lead, is there a need for leadership?
Greatness requires no one or thing to be present in order to be great. In fact, one can still be great, do great things and leave a legacy or a mark which might only be discovered years later. Greatness is focused on making a difference regardless of whether someone is there or not to witness the act.
Leadership, therefore, is an attitude which, combined with six other attitudes can lead both an individual and an organization to greatness. Greatness is the willingness to act, to improve and to be significant regardless of whether others are involved or not.
Leadership is about the little picture. Greatness is about how one can improve the big picture. One works with the other but unfortunately, once most achieve that leadership nirvana, they stop thinking about how their actions affect the big picture. It's why so many so-called "leaders" will never be great and how leadership almost always misses the point.
--
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
Psych Minors and Leadership
Years ago I enrolled in a college Psychology course in the hopes of getting a little bit more information on how the brain processes information. I had no intention of becoming a Psychologist. I just wanted the introductory course information on the mechanics of the brain.
While attending the course, there was a great notion passed around: there is nothing scarier than a Psych minor. Yep. Bang on. Being lumped in with a bunch of other first year Psych students made for some interesting discussions: especially from those who, in their first year, already fancied themselves a Psychologist. Nothing scarier than a Psych minor - except maybe a weekend Leadership grad.
Companies who send their middle managers off to weekend leadership courses need to be open and transparent about why they are sending a middle manager to the course. Is it because you think that a particular middle manager lacks some basic people skills and could use some of the personal development skills found in the course? Or are you actually sending your middle manager to leadership school because you believe that either he or she has the potential to do great things with themselves, to be a great leader of others and potentially achieve top spot in senior management?
No really. Be honest. Tell the truth.
Because if you let a middle manager believe that the reason they are going to leadership school is because they have a shot at becoming CEO one day, then that middle manager could return to work Monday morning and with an ego trip as big as the second coming of the messiah. You will have created the perfect recipe for a staff revolt - putting further distance between management and employee.
Here's why. Just like the notion that there is nothing scarier than a Psych minor, the same is true about many first-time leadership-course grads. If you are not clear why you wish someone to attend the course, they may perceive themselves to be higher up the food chain than they actually are - which means they return full of self-importance. Because that is how they would have attended the course, what they got out of it may not be what you wanted them to learn. They might be thinking themselves a future senior manager. You might be seeing them as a last chance to improve some basic skills or be fired. So be honest.
If you don't think that your middle manager has some basic people skills then don't send them to leadership school to get it. If you do, make sure you are completely forthright in discussing why they are going: to get some basic people skills to be a better person - not because they are being considered for promotion.
Better yet, consider sending your people who lack basic people skills to a personal development course. Save leadership for those who would one day lead. But remember, you don't become a leader overnight in exchange for money no matter what the course-offering claim might be. That leadership course is simply a starting point to a life-long commitment to self-improvement. If you think you can buy your way into leadership then you, after three whole days, still don't understand the Attitude of Leadership - and you wasted your money.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
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While attending the course, there was a great notion passed around: there is nothing scarier than a Psych minor. Yep. Bang on. Being lumped in with a bunch of other first year Psych students made for some interesting discussions: especially from those who, in their first year, already fancied themselves a Psychologist. Nothing scarier than a Psych minor - except maybe a weekend Leadership grad.
Companies who send their middle managers off to weekend leadership courses need to be open and transparent about why they are sending a middle manager to the course. Is it because you think that a particular middle manager lacks some basic people skills and could use some of the personal development skills found in the course? Or are you actually sending your middle manager to leadership school because you believe that either he or she has the potential to do great things with themselves, to be a great leader of others and potentially achieve top spot in senior management?
No really. Be honest. Tell the truth.
Because if you let a middle manager believe that the reason they are going to leadership school is because they have a shot at becoming CEO one day, then that middle manager could return to work Monday morning and with an ego trip as big as the second coming of the messiah. You will have created the perfect recipe for a staff revolt - putting further distance between management and employee.
Here's why. Just like the notion that there is nothing scarier than a Psych minor, the same is true about many first-time leadership-course grads. If you are not clear why you wish someone to attend the course, they may perceive themselves to be higher up the food chain than they actually are - which means they return full of self-importance. Because that is how they would have attended the course, what they got out of it may not be what you wanted them to learn. They might be thinking themselves a future senior manager. You might be seeing them as a last chance to improve some basic skills or be fired. So be honest.
If you don't think that your middle manager has some basic people skills then don't send them to leadership school to get it. If you do, make sure you are completely forthright in discussing why they are going: to get some basic people skills to be a better person - not because they are being considered for promotion.
Better yet, consider sending your people who lack basic people skills to a personal development course. Save leadership for those who would one day lead. But remember, you don't become a leader overnight in exchange for money no matter what the course-offering claim might be. That leadership course is simply a starting point to a life-long commitment to self-improvement. If you think you can buy your way into leadership then you, after three whole days, still don't understand the Attitude of Leadership - and you wasted your money.
--
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Think For Yourself
Soloman Asch, a Polish-born social psychologist, was one of the first to show that people blindly follow others in order to fit in. In fact, the findings from this experiement from the 1950's would probably be even worse today.
Asch chose some 123 unwitting test subjects to, one at a time, sit amongst 8-10 other so-called "test subjects." The 8-10 other were not actually test subjects. They were "plants," planted into the experiment with full knowledge of the details.
Each test subject was shown these test cards below and each was asked to identify the line that looked closest to the Reference line and to voice their choice out loud. The actual test subject would voice his or her choice last.
The 8-10 plants all gave a wrong answer forcing the test subject to either go along with the majority or stick to his or her guns and voice what he or she thought was the right answer. 75% of the test subjects gave into peer pressure and knowingly gave a wrong answer. When asked to explain why they chose the wrong answer, the subjects blamed their poor vision or said, "There were so many against me that I thought I must be wrong."
You know the right thing to do at work. You know how to treat a customer with respect. You know how to show up on time and do your real work during the day. You know how to not take advantage of your employer by checking out early or surfing the Net because you're bored. You know that the customer is the lifeblood of your organization. You know that stealing paper and paper clips is still theft. You know that talking about co-workers behind their backs is petty and mean. You know that whining and complaining about the job affects your co-worker's productivity.
So when you see your co-workers doing the opposite of what you know to be right, how come you sit back and say nothing? Because you are part of the 75%. You will give up what you know to be right so that people will like you. You don't want to cause problems for your co-workers even when they are blatantly doing the wrong thing, treating customers with disrespect, stealing office supplies or backstabbing.
Grow a spine. If you don't speak up you then you, by default, give your blessing to this kind of behaviour. Not speaking up only fosters more of this behaviour. And if you're worried about someone losing their job because you said something, then let me ask you this: are you OK with working with morally bankrupt, disrespectful, backstabbing thieves?
Where's your Attitude of Leadership? Think for yourself. Set a standard. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.
--
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Asch chose some 123 unwitting test subjects to, one at a time, sit amongst 8-10 other so-called "test subjects." The 8-10 other were not actually test subjects. They were "plants," planted into the experiment with full knowledge of the details.
Each test subject was shown these test cards below and each was asked to identify the line that looked closest to the Reference line and to voice their choice out loud. The actual test subject would voice his or her choice last.
The 8-10 plants all gave a wrong answer forcing the test subject to either go along with the majority or stick to his or her guns and voice what he or she thought was the right answer. 75% of the test subjects gave into peer pressure and knowingly gave a wrong answer. When asked to explain why they chose the wrong answer, the subjects blamed their poor vision or said, "There were so many against me that I thought I must be wrong."
You know the right thing to do at work. You know how to treat a customer with respect. You know how to show up on time and do your real work during the day. You know how to not take advantage of your employer by checking out early or surfing the Net because you're bored. You know that the customer is the lifeblood of your organization. You know that stealing paper and paper clips is still theft. You know that talking about co-workers behind their backs is petty and mean. You know that whining and complaining about the job affects your co-worker's productivity.
So when you see your co-workers doing the opposite of what you know to be right, how come you sit back and say nothing? Because you are part of the 75%. You will give up what you know to be right so that people will like you. You don't want to cause problems for your co-workers even when they are blatantly doing the wrong thing, treating customers with disrespect, stealing office supplies or backstabbing.
Grow a spine. If you don't speak up you then you, by default, give your blessing to this kind of behaviour. Not speaking up only fosters more of this behaviour. And if you're worried about someone losing their job because you said something, then let me ask you this: are you OK with working with morally bankrupt, disrespectful, backstabbing thieves?
Where's your Attitude of Leadership? Think for yourself. Set a standard. If you don't stand for something you will fall for anything.
--
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Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Time Management Is A Symptom
How long would you let a workmate pop headache pills for a recurring headache before you said something? Three days? A week? A month? How long would you let it go before you offered your opinion that there's a bigger underlying problem in which he or she should really see a doctor?
Treating a symptom with a few pills doesn't resolve a problem. But that's exactly how most organizations operate: they treat the symptom and not the root cause.
Time management is a symptom. It is not a strategy for addressing a root cause. When an employee is consistently late in meeting deadlines, seems to have a procrastination problem or doesn't seem very organized then the standard thinking is to enroll the employee in a time management program to solve their time management issue. But in actual fact, time management isn't the issue. Self-discipline and attitude are the issues and no amount of time management training will solve it. Why? Because the concept of time management is based on the premise that all people have good self-discipline and strong work-ethic. But if they don't, time management doesn't work.
What if the problem isn't time management, just poor personal management based on a poor self-image? Treating that with Time Management would be a monumental waste of time.
Time management is a symptom of a larger problem. If you want the symptom to go away you treat the root cause. The root cause is usually attitude. And here's how you overcome a time management symptom. You're going to need to address three specific attitudes: an attitude of leadership, an attitude of resilience and an attitude of money, security and safety.
Adopting an attitude of leadership doesn't mean that you have to be in management. It means that you simply have to have enough self-confidence to be able to take control of your own responsibilities. That's part of an attitude of leadership.
An attitude of resilience says that whatever you're facing right now you are able to handle whatever is in front of you no matter what. It's an attitude of resilience that gets you through the tough times and allows you to feel more control and feel less overwhelmed.
An attitude of money, security and safety allows you to feel safe and secure in the performance of your duties. When you feel safe and secure in your abilities you feel less overwhelmed, less stressed and more in control.
Allow people to feel that they have control over a situation and they will rise to an occasion. Time management won't be necessary. Besides, if time management really worked, you would have solved all of your problems years ago.
Time management is a symptom -- attitude is the root cause. Work on attitude and time management solves itself.
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Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
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Treating a symptom with a few pills doesn't resolve a problem. But that's exactly how most organizations operate: they treat the symptom and not the root cause.
Time management is a symptom. It is not a strategy for addressing a root cause. When an employee is consistently late in meeting deadlines, seems to have a procrastination problem or doesn't seem very organized then the standard thinking is to enroll the employee in a time management program to solve their time management issue. But in actual fact, time management isn't the issue. Self-discipline and attitude are the issues and no amount of time management training will solve it. Why? Because the concept of time management is based on the premise that all people have good self-discipline and strong work-ethic. But if they don't, time management doesn't work.
What if the problem isn't time management, just poor personal management based on a poor self-image? Treating that with Time Management would be a monumental waste of time.
Time management is a symptom of a larger problem. If you want the symptom to go away you treat the root cause. The root cause is usually attitude. And here's how you overcome a time management symptom. You're going to need to address three specific attitudes: an attitude of leadership, an attitude of resilience and an attitude of money, security and safety.
Adopting an attitude of leadership doesn't mean that you have to be in management. It means that you simply have to have enough self-confidence to be able to take control of your own responsibilities. That's part of an attitude of leadership.
An attitude of resilience says that whatever you're facing right now you are able to handle whatever is in front of you no matter what. It's an attitude of resilience that gets you through the tough times and allows you to feel more control and feel less overwhelmed.
An attitude of money, security and safety allows you to feel safe and secure in the performance of your duties. When you feel safe and secure in your abilities you feel less overwhelmed, less stressed and more in control.
Allow people to feel that they have control over a situation and they will rise to an occasion. Time management won't be necessary. Besides, if time management really worked, you would have solved all of your problems years ago.
Time management is a symptom -- attitude is the root cause. Work on attitude and time management solves itself.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
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Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Culture Is Your Company's Attitude
As much as one person may want to take credit for the culture of an organization it is impossible. The culture is a gathering of the collective attitudes of the individuals within the organization.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-_hYVAgLI0
As much as you may want to, having meetings to discuss a new culture strategy will fall on deaf ears if the attitudes of the individuals are left unchecked. Culture, is the collection of individual attitudes assembled in your organization. If you don't treat the individual attitudes, you will never successfully change your culture.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-_hYVAgLI0
As much as you may want to, having meetings to discuss a new culture strategy will fall on deaf ears if the attitudes of the individuals are left unchecked. Culture, is the collection of individual attitudes assembled in your organization. If you don't treat the individual attitudes, you will never successfully change your culture.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
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Monday, August 31, 2009
The Separation Of Leadership
Can leadership survive without values? How can leadership takes so many big bonuses for themselves while throwing people out of work? Why is leadership always looking out for themselves?
These are questions that are asked a regular basis on the bulletin boards, articles and blogs. Personally, I think it's just a bunch of people with titles on their business cards that are hoping to be considered leaders purely by their position but they have to lower the bar first so that it's possible for them to slide into a leadership position. They don't want to be called managers anymore. Managers are boring. Managers have to get their hands dirty doing that icky management stuff. Eeeew (yes that's the sound of a 15-year-old girl).
And no matter how many times these questions get asked, the answer is still the same: you don't get to be considered a leader by your position. Yet, so many of the so-called leadership experts are still referring to senior executives as leaders. It's muddying the waters. It's becoming a point of confusion for the average person to try to better understand what leadership really is. Leadership is not a title on a business card.
If it were simply a title on a business card, then we could call up and make appointments for morning coffee with Jeffrey Skilling of Enron, Bernard Ebbers of Worldcom, Tyco 's Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, Computer Associates International's Sanjay Kumar, Adelphia 's John and Timothy Rigas, Daewoo founder Kim Woo-choong or Dynegy's Jamie Olis. Oh, but we can't can we? I almost forgot, these guys are in PRISON. Imagine that, leaders in prison. Based on the widely accepted model of leadership, all of the above listed former CEOs would qualify as leaders because they led their organizations.
Look, if you conive, cheat and steal while you are running the place then you're not a leader. If how you run your organization is illegal, illicit and immoral can you still be considered a leader? No you can not!
These people weren't leaders. They were just greedy CEOs. It was greed and a thirst for power that caused them to let go of what they knew to be right and instead embrace what they knew to be wrong. If you are purposely letting go of your values, morals and ethics in the daily performance of your job duties can you be considered a leader? I would say no.
In fact, the vast majority of the world would agree that the CEOs listed above were not leaders but were criminals: a truth proven once they were caught. When a person knowingly engages in illegal activity in order to advance their own career then they are no longer leading but stealing. As you can see, from this list of CEOs, leader is not a title that should be afforded these criminals.
It's time to start separating the word leadership from those in positions of power. Managers are not leaders even if they have returned from a weeklong leadership course. They are still managers. Elected officials are not afforded the title of leadership simply by the number of votes cast for them. There are as many crooked politicians as there are crooked CEOs. But if you call one politician a leader you must call them all leaders. If you call one CEO a leader you must call them all leaders. There are no sort-of leaders. Leadership is an on-off switch: you either have it or you don't. And you don't get it by achieving a certain position within an organization.
If your organization, during the recession, is choosing not to grow but instead battening down the hatches and pulling in your horns, then you are by the very definition of the word not leading. You are managing. That makes you a manager. Managers manage. (You know, it really pains me to have to explain this. I would have thought that even the worst manager could figure this one out on his own but apparently not.)
It's a real insult to real leaders to have them lumped in with the list of crooked CEOs above. Besides, leader is not something you call yourself: leader is something your followers consider you to be. Leadership is an attitude. Management is a position.
If you are attempting to fleece the company for as much as you can then you're not leading, your "greeding" (I'm not sure if that's even a word but we will go with it). There is a huge difference between a manager or senior executive and a person with leadership ability. Let's not confuse the two. They are not interchangeable. So take down the Jeffrey Skilling poster in the executive washroom and get back to managing the place. We'll see over time whether or not you will be considered a leader.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
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These are questions that are asked a regular basis on the bulletin boards, articles and blogs. Personally, I think it's just a bunch of people with titles on their business cards that are hoping to be considered leaders purely by their position but they have to lower the bar first so that it's possible for them to slide into a leadership position. They don't want to be called managers anymore. Managers are boring. Managers have to get their hands dirty doing that icky management stuff. Eeeew (yes that's the sound of a 15-year-old girl).
And no matter how many times these questions get asked, the answer is still the same: you don't get to be considered a leader by your position. Yet, so many of the so-called leadership experts are still referring to senior executives as leaders. It's muddying the waters. It's becoming a point of confusion for the average person to try to better understand what leadership really is. Leadership is not a title on a business card.
If it were simply a title on a business card, then we could call up and make appointments for morning coffee with Jeffrey Skilling of Enron, Bernard Ebbers of Worldcom, Tyco 's Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, Computer Associates International's Sanjay Kumar, Adelphia 's John and Timothy Rigas, Daewoo founder Kim Woo-choong or Dynegy's Jamie Olis. Oh, but we can't can we? I almost forgot, these guys are in PRISON. Imagine that, leaders in prison. Based on the widely accepted model of leadership, all of the above listed former CEOs would qualify as leaders because they led their organizations.
Look, if you conive, cheat and steal while you are running the place then you're not a leader. If how you run your organization is illegal, illicit and immoral can you still be considered a leader? No you can not!
These people weren't leaders. They were just greedy CEOs. It was greed and a thirst for power that caused them to let go of what they knew to be right and instead embrace what they knew to be wrong. If you are purposely letting go of your values, morals and ethics in the daily performance of your job duties can you be considered a leader? I would say no.
In fact, the vast majority of the world would agree that the CEOs listed above were not leaders but were criminals: a truth proven once they were caught. When a person knowingly engages in illegal activity in order to advance their own career then they are no longer leading but stealing. As you can see, from this list of CEOs, leader is not a title that should be afforded these criminals.
It's time to start separating the word leadership from those in positions of power. Managers are not leaders even if they have returned from a weeklong leadership course. They are still managers. Elected officials are not afforded the title of leadership simply by the number of votes cast for them. There are as many crooked politicians as there are crooked CEOs. But if you call one politician a leader you must call them all leaders. If you call one CEO a leader you must call them all leaders. There are no sort-of leaders. Leadership is an on-off switch: you either have it or you don't. And you don't get it by achieving a certain position within an organization.
If your organization, during the recession, is choosing not to grow but instead battening down the hatches and pulling in your horns, then you are by the very definition of the word not leading. You are managing. That makes you a manager. Managers manage. (You know, it really pains me to have to explain this. I would have thought that even the worst manager could figure this one out on his own but apparently not.)
It's a real insult to real leaders to have them lumped in with the list of crooked CEOs above. Besides, leader is not something you call yourself: leader is something your followers consider you to be. Leadership is an attitude. Management is a position.
If you are attempting to fleece the company for as much as you can then you're not leading, your "greeding" (I'm not sure if that's even a word but we will go with it). There is a huge difference between a manager or senior executive and a person with leadership ability. Let's not confuse the two. They are not interchangeable. So take down the Jeffrey Skilling poster in the executive washroom and get back to managing the place. We'll see over time whether or not you will be considered a leader.
--
Attitude w/ ATTITUDE
Subscribe to Kevin's Attitude with ATTITUDE Blog by Email
Follow Kevin on Twitter @attitudeburns
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