Remember Charles Schultz? He was the American cartoonist whose comic strip, “Peanuts,” proved to be one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium. “Peanuts” is still widely reprinted on a daily basis and continues to share valuable “P2P” lessons about “people (and beagle) philosophy” through those timeless characters! I still love to read it…
When you were growing up, how many times did you hear, Be Nice or Mind Your Manners? Are you still tuning in to that basic “people philosophy” as an adult?
What about in your workplace? It seems like we spend more time with our coworkers than we do with our friends and family these days. So when bad manners and negativity run rampant in our workplaces, it can be even more frustrating. What do you think escalates bad manners even further? You guessed it…like it or not, it’s technology!
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Texting has been blamed for a lot of things – harassment among teenagers, driver distraction, and bad grades among students. Now it’s also being blamed for bad manners at work.”
In a research study of 9,000 U.S. workers and managers by Thunderbird School of Global Management, it was determined that all the texting and emailing interrupting us in meetings and face-to-face conversations at work erodes human civility and make us, well, for lack of a better word, rude! “All the e-conversations steal our attention from the people nearby, amounting to what once would have been a snub,” says Christine Pearson, author of The Cost of Bad Manners.
Here we go again…It keeps coming back to “P2P” (people-to-people) at home and at work! So, let’s make more of an effort to get back to the basics of minding our manners. When we use the phone or any other form of technology, and especially when we’re F2F - to smile more and adopt a “be nice” philosophy.
Novel idea – Practicing a “Be Nice” philosophy might make you and your co-workers actually want to come to work each day! The by-product is a boost in morale, increased productivity, finer customer service and improved results! Good grief!
Showing posts with label workplace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label workplace. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Friday, July 23, 2010
No Dress Rehearsal!
Maybe our workplaces have been in “dress rehearsal” mode for the past couple of years…think about it! The run of a very successful show came to an end (with the recession) and the preparation for a new show (the upturn) now brings change and a “new normal” - new scripts, new roles, a change in directors/producers, renewed focus on advanced ticket sales, realigning budgets, and, above all, working the new and existing cast members very hard – all in anticipation of another opening night and successful run!
Will the cast’s “top performers” stay if they are not led and directed effectively? Asked to play too many roles without the proper training or sufficient number of supporting cast members? Will patrons (customers) continue to buy tickets and refer others if the box office delivers poor service or is closed most of the time due to budget cuts? I think not!
We’re hearing more about the early stages and signs of an economic recovery. One sign of better economic times is when more people start finding jobs. Another is when they feel confident enough to quit their current job - yes, I said quit!
Take a look at some recent findings!
• According to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quits rate — defined as the percentage of people who have voluntarily left their jobs — has crept steadily upward in private industry over the past year. In April 2010, nearly 2.1 million people voluntarily left their jobs, up dramatically from just the prior month, when 1.5 million quit.
• Recent data from the Kenexa Research Institute's WorkTrends database, an annual survey of approximately 11,000 workers, the global rating of leadership effectiveness is 51 percent. Indian and Brazilian workers reported the highest ratings (69 percent and 59 percent, respectively) followed by workers in the United States (54 percent).
• Another survey published in the May edition of the Harvard Business Review, about 25 percent of companies’ top employees said they plan to leave their current job with a year. The survey questioned 20,000 workers who were identified as “high potential” by their employers.
Think about your answers to the following questions…
Can your organization afford to loose you or even one of their top 25% now that we’ve come through the worst?
How have survivor syndrome (doing more with less) and the lack of positive, effective leaders/managers affected performance, results, and growth – personally and organization-wide?
How has the pull back of training dollars for essential skill-building, leadership and professional development programs affected long-term, sustainable growth – employee attraction and retention at all levels, market share, and bottom-line results?
Have we cut back too far? Have we been and continuing to be “penny-wise and pound-foolish?”
The Bottom-Line: Leaders and managers, listen up! You have the power to create a workplace environment that will attract top talent, drive engagement and boost retention. There is a direct link to improved results, higher bottom-line performance, earnings per share and total shareholder return. It’s proven!
Ever looking at the bright side, I see good news in all of this! It’s time to turn up the dimmer switch once again! The “new normal” brings opportunities for all organizations at all levels – it’s time to rebalance and reprioritize – Now! This is “no dress rehearsal!”
• Employees - the #1 asset of any organization - have realized their potential, are willing to invest in themselves and work hard; they will expect more from their employers regarding professional development and career opportunities.
• Managers/Leaders – All Employers will hopefully realize they need to invest in the future of their organizations by reallocating budget dollars for leadership and professional development programs and motivational conferences – for all levels of employees.
• People Looking for New Jobs have worked very hard at getting ready for the upturn! They have re-invested in themselves - created a re-freshed life/career plan; re-built core and technical skills, and more…As others choose to move on, let’s open the doors and windows of new opportunity to these “employees-in-waiting.”
The road to results is through our employees! Having the right people in the right jobs at the right time…This is no dress rehearsal! The show must go on…Now!
Need help? Let’s talk “P2P!”
A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$!®
Will the cast’s “top performers” stay if they are not led and directed effectively? Asked to play too many roles without the proper training or sufficient number of supporting cast members? Will patrons (customers) continue to buy tickets and refer others if the box office delivers poor service or is closed most of the time due to budget cuts? I think not!
We’re hearing more about the early stages and signs of an economic recovery. One sign of better economic times is when more people start finding jobs. Another is when they feel confident enough to quit their current job - yes, I said quit!
Take a look at some recent findings!
• According to numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the quits rate — defined as the percentage of people who have voluntarily left their jobs — has crept steadily upward in private industry over the past year. In April 2010, nearly 2.1 million people voluntarily left their jobs, up dramatically from just the prior month, when 1.5 million quit.
• Recent data from the Kenexa Research Institute's WorkTrends database, an annual survey of approximately 11,000 workers, the global rating of leadership effectiveness is 51 percent. Indian and Brazilian workers reported the highest ratings (69 percent and 59 percent, respectively) followed by workers in the United States (54 percent).
• Another survey published in the May edition of the Harvard Business Review, about 25 percent of companies’ top employees said they plan to leave their current job with a year. The survey questioned 20,000 workers who were identified as “high potential” by their employers.
Think about your answers to the following questions…
Can your organization afford to loose you or even one of their top 25% now that we’ve come through the worst?
How have survivor syndrome (doing more with less) and the lack of positive, effective leaders/managers affected performance, results, and growth – personally and organization-wide?
How has the pull back of training dollars for essential skill-building, leadership and professional development programs affected long-term, sustainable growth – employee attraction and retention at all levels, market share, and bottom-line results?
Have we cut back too far? Have we been and continuing to be “penny-wise and pound-foolish?”
The Bottom-Line: Leaders and managers, listen up! You have the power to create a workplace environment that will attract top talent, drive engagement and boost retention. There is a direct link to improved results, higher bottom-line performance, earnings per share and total shareholder return. It’s proven!
Ever looking at the bright side, I see good news in all of this! It’s time to turn up the dimmer switch once again! The “new normal” brings opportunities for all organizations at all levels – it’s time to rebalance and reprioritize – Now! This is “no dress rehearsal!”
• Employees - the #1 asset of any organization - have realized their potential, are willing to invest in themselves and work hard; they will expect more from their employers regarding professional development and career opportunities.
• Managers/Leaders – All Employers will hopefully realize they need to invest in the future of their organizations by reallocating budget dollars for leadership and professional development programs and motivational conferences – for all levels of employees.
• People Looking for New Jobs have worked very hard at getting ready for the upturn! They have re-invested in themselves - created a re-freshed life/career plan; re-built core and technical skills, and more…As others choose to move on, let’s open the doors and windows of new opportunity to these “employees-in-waiting.”
The road to results is through our employees! Having the right people in the right jobs at the right time…This is no dress rehearsal! The show must go on…Now!
Need help? Let’s talk “P2P!”
A Positive Workplace Means Business! It Just Makes Cent$!®
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