If you do yearly evaluations of employees, and there are surprises in the evaluations, you might want to consider whether you are communicating effectively the rest of the year.
Instead of surprising them in their evaluation and putting it “on the record”, consider doing more informal regular evaluations so they can know where they stand, and hopefully make improvements, throughout the year.
Just a thought
Have a great day!
Lawrence
One of the mistakes people make is they assume that everyone handles stress the same way. We look at others and wonder why they let such small things cause them stress when it seems they should be able to handle things much better.
Business executives might be making multi-million dollar decisions and not find it too terribly stressful so when they hear others stressing out over much smaller issues they don’t get understand what the big deal is
College soccer coaches might be making travel arrangements for their team for the entire season so when they hear a player saying she is stressed out over a quiz for a class.
An attorney might be comfortable arguing a case in front of the state supreme court so find it unusual that a daughter is stressed out over making a presentation in front of her class.
The thing that people have to understand is while different people feel stress over different issues, regardless of the cause of the stress, stress is stress. Whether it’s from speaking in front of 50,000 people or 5 people, if one feels stress, it’s a big issue to them and should not be discounted by others.
When you are around others who are experiencing stress, rather than telling them to relax because it’s not a big deal, it’s important to understand it is a big deal to them and being told to relax doesn’t help at all. Instead, try to help them figure out why this causes them stress and then how they can overcome this.
Remember, it doesn’t matter whether you think something should be stressful or not, if someone else finds it stressful it’s stressful to them and should not be ignored or discounted in any way.
Have a great day!
Lawrence
There is a wonderful book titled “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell (http://www.gladwell.com/tippingpoint/index.html) which discusses how little things can make a big difference. Rather than try to explain the thought behind the book, I would strongly recommend everyone read this book.
While The Tipping Point discusses how change can happen quite quickly and as a result of what might appear to be a small thing, the opposite would be The Saturation Point
We have all experienced the saturation point. It’s when you are told to do the same thing over and over and finally, you get to the point where you end up NOT doing anything because you got so fed up with hearing it.
As children we all experienced the repeated calling by a parent “clean your room, did you clean your room yet?” You hear it so many times that finally you go out of your way to NOT clean your room.
In a work place, people are repeatedly told how important something is to finish yet somehow they forget to do it. Why is that? It’s because they got to the saturation point.
There are soccer coaches who yell all the time during games. In their mind, they are helping the players on the field but in reality, the players are ignoring them (or even worse, are doing the opposite) because they hit the saturation point
There is a fine line between emphasizing the importance of a matter and crossing the saturation point. The person who is about to cross the saturation point should be able to read the non verbal clues of the recipient but unfortunately, most who cross that point, aren’t aware the possibility exists.
Once you have crossed the saturation point, it’s extremely difficult to reverse yourself. Be patient, be aware and be willing to apologize.
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Have a great day!
Lawrence
When dealing with a group, there are three types of people.
* Me
* I
* We
The “me” person doesn’t care about the group at all. All they care about is “me”. If they are on a soccer team and they score 2 goals and the team loses 3-2, they are alright with that result because they scored their goals so they will get the recognition they believe they so rightly deserve (at least in their mind). If they are part of a business group preparing for a presentation, if they get their part of the presentation done, they are satisfied because they did their job.
The “I” person cares about the group but takes on so much responsibility that it’s too the detriment of the group. This person works long hours trying to finish the entire presentation because they truly believe it’s in the groups best interest for them to do alone. In basketball, while the “me” person is happy scoring 20 points an losing, the “I” person wants to take the last shot of the game, not for the recognition but because they think it’s the best chance for the team (regardless of the possibility someone might be wide open under the basket).
The “we” person realizes that the group can accomplish more working together than any individual can working apart. Using the basketball example, the “we” player might have the ball near the end of the game but he will draw two defenders and then pass the ball to the open teammate for the game winning shot.
The “me” player thinks “it’s all about me”. The “I” player thinks “I will do it for the team” and the “we” player thinks “we can do it together”/
Are you a “me”, “I, or a “we” person?
Have a great day!
Lawrence
In the last blog post, I wrote about creating an agenda for all gatherings (in person or virtual). This will make these gatherings much more efficient and effective. However, even when there is agenda and the gathering is run in an efficient manner, there still needs to be the second part which is the summary.
Too often, people leave a meeting and while they all heard the same thing, they might be leaving with different understandings. Because of this, it’s extremely important to have a summation following up the meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page.
This would be a simple review of what was discussed and a review of any agreed upon follow up.
By taking this simple step, it avoids confusion, reinforces what was decided and allows for a natural progression into the future.
Take the time to do a summary and see how much smoother things go for you
Have a great day!
Lawrence
Whenever a group gets together (whether it’s for a business meeting, conference call, team training etc) there needs to be a plan for what will be accomplished during the allotted time. Without this plan, most of what gets accomplished is the wasting of time.
While many people know there should be an agenda for meetings, that doesn’t mean they take the time to create them.
When creating an agenda, start with the general goal. This is so everyone know what is hoped to be accomplished. If people don’t what is is to be accomplished, chances are they will create their own agenda, which might be much different than was originally intended.
Next, list the participants. If there is a set group this wouldn’t be needed but anytime there is someone different (guest speaker, guest coach etc) it’s good to let people know ahead of time.
Next list the tasks you hope to get through in the order you wish to deal with them
Next, allocate the amount of time for each task,
Finally, include the end time for the agenda.
By creating the agenda ahead of time, it allows all involved to know what to expect and how to prepare.
By sending the agenda to people in advance, it gives the people proper time to prepare which will allow for less wasted time to be spent as a group.
While many would see how this applies to a business meeting, couldn’t this actually apply to most non-social gatherings? If you are a volleyball coach and you posted the agenda for the upcoming training session in the team locker room, wouldn’t this allow the players to mentally and physically prepare for what they are going to be doing? If you are going to have a conference call, wouldn’t this apply just as much as a physical meeting?
Preparing an agenda both saves time and allows you to use your time more efficiently
Have a great day!
Lawrence
Problem Solving 101
1. Admit there is a problem
2. Accept you want to do something to fix the problem
3. Define the problem
4. Create alternative solutions
5. Establish criteria for selection the solution
6. Choose the solution
7. Plan how you will implement this solution
8. Execute the solution
9. Reassess the situation
The process of problem solving is actually quite simple. The problem is, if you skip some steps, chances are you wont be as successful as you should be
Have a great day!
Lawrence
One of the most over used cliches in the management and leadership field is “outside the box thinking”. The reality is, most people are incapable of such innovative thinking and for that matter most would be better suited extending the boundaries rather than trying to think completely outside of the box.
When one thinks outside the box, the potential is there to “hit a home run” but there is also a great likelihood of failure or even worse, success that results in nothing. An example of success that results in nothing is if a person creates a new type of search engine but either no one ever hears of it, or even worse, people hear of it and hate it. Their innovative thinking might have created a new search engine but if no one is interested, nothing becomes of it.
The alternative is to extend the boundaries. Be willing to take chances, expand your current capabilities while going in the correct direction. An example would be instead of creating a new search engine, improving on the current one. Instead of creating a new business model, improving the current business model.
While true innovators are a vital part of our growth as a people, not everyone can be the innovator. Instead, the willingness to re-brand, redesign and come up with new uses has made many people and organizations extremely successful.
Examples of expanding the boundaries include:
* Post It Note – First created as a bookmark for Bibles but then expanded into what we currently think of Post It Notes
* Listerine – Over the years it has been used as a surgical antiseptic, mouthwash and cold remedy
* Play Doh – First invented as a wallpaper cleaner than branded as the fun clay we all played with as kids
* Internet – The Internet was first conceived of as a way to exchange information amongst some scientists and has been refitted into what it is today
There are many other examples of products, services, organizations etc which started as one thing and by having someone expand their boundaries, have morphed into something much different.
I do believe there is a need for the truly innovative thinkers but for most of us, expanding our boundaries will get us further along in the right direction
There are times when expanding our boundaries does require one to go against traditional thinking but that is the risk one takes to be successful in the long run.
Expanding the boundaries creates a larger opportunity than staying where you are and also helps to make sure you continue to grow in the future
Some people wont agree with this and think that either you think out of the box or you stagnate. They are certainly entitled to that view but I believe there is the third option of expanding the boundaries
Have a great day!
Lawrence
There is a basic belief be many that it’s easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.
This means, if you have a choice of asking permission to use something or using it without permission knowing that if you get caught you can simply ask for forgiveness, it’s easier to go just do it and then apologize later.
There are three problems with this belief, in my mind.
First, if you choose to live by the “golden rule” you must be willing to accept others doing this to you. You can’t expect others to ask permission when you do whatever you want with the idea you will apologize later.
The second problem is it only works once. If you take something, or use something, without permission and get caught so beg forgiveness, you might be granted this forgiveness one time. However, the second time you do this, you lose all credibility. When you ask permission, and are granted it, people are more willing to work with you again in the future. So the forgiveness idea might work once but if you are trying to establish long term relationships, go with the permission.
The third problem, and to me the biggest one, is the character issue. Just because you can probably get away with something and even if you can’t get away with it, you can beg forgiveness, that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do. Your character shows who you are, and what you do, when no one is watching. If you aren’t in times when you think you can get away with something and honest the rest of the time, you are not an honest person. A persons character is who they really are and if you claim to be a good person than be a good person all the time, not just when you think you can’t get away with things.
Ask permission, treat others as you want to be treated, develop long term relationships and do the right thing….it’s really not all that difficult
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Have a great day!
Lawrence
Many people assume leadership comes from the position a person holds. The reality is, great leaders are able to lead regardless of whether they are in a position of leadership or not.
An example of this incorrect assumption would be on a high school sports team. Players want to be named “captain” so they can be in a position of leadership. Whether the captain’s are chosen by team vote (at which point it’s typically a popularity contest), or the coach assigns the captain (at which point it’s usually the best player assigned to be captain), this does not make the person (or people) named captain a leader.
Looking back in history, there are numerous examples of great leaders who led without being in a position of leadership. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was a tremendous leader long before he was in a position of leadership. While he was the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he didn’t receive his ability to lead from that position, if anything, his ability to lead gave that position power. Dr King didn’t wait for someone to bestow him a position, he went out and led based on his individual qualities, beliefs and abilities.
Mother Teresa led through willpower, example, belief and dedication NOT through the power given to her by someone else.
George Washington didn’t become a leader when he became the first President, he became the first President BECAUSE of his ability to lead.
Are you waiting to be put in a position of leadership or are you being a leader on your own?
Have a great day!
Lawrence
If there is one thing Lawrence Fine is most passionate about it's teaching. From sharing his knowledge about soccer as a soccer coach, he now shares his expertise in the field of human resources and the Internet. (More...)