At this time of reflection and renewal, bridging from 2009 (not a banner year for so many) to 2010 (with hope and optimism that comes a new year), I thought it would be fun to gather a few crumbs of New Year wisdom from folks wittier than I. Enjoy, and have a wonderful, blessed new year....every one.
"Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go." - Brooks Atkinson
A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other." - Anonymous
"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!" - Joey Adams
"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." - Bill Vaughan
"He who breaks a resolution is a weakling; He who makes one is a fool." - F.M. Knowles
"We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential." - Ellen Goodman
"People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas. - Author Unknown
"The new year begins in a snow-storm of white vows." - George William Curtis
"Cheers to a new year and another chance to get it right." - Oprah Winfrey
And my favorite piece of advice touched my funny bone the other day...
"Dance like it hurts,
Love like you need money,
Work when people are watching." - Scott Adams
Blogging is work, right! Happy 2010 to all!
Brian
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Capture The Flag
This little story illustrates how there often seems to be such a wide gap between what employees know about what their leaders intend, and what the leaders think about what the employees are doing. The excerpt is from Chapter 49 of our book Attract, Engage & Reatin Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best.
"Disconnectedness between leaders and employees is reminiscent of an old game played at summer camps called Capture the Flag. On a typical sunny afternoon at camp, 80 or so rambunctious, pre-teen campers were divided into two teams. Each team was given half of the camp and a flag to plant somewhere in its territory. The goal was to sneak across enemy lines, capture the opponent's flag and carry it back into your territoy without being tagged and put into prison. For those who chose to immerse themselves in the game, the experience was exhilarating and full of intrigue, secretiveness and playful anarchy. For those who were disconnected from the activity, the game afforded the opportunity to sneak off somewhere to enjoy a little peace and quiet. The game was typically won by the intrepid souls who heroically applied their gifts of speed, diversion and guile to foil their opponents' defenses and carry the flag home to vitory. Most participants in the game did not know what they should be doing to help win the game and tended to wander around aimlessly or hide out and wait for it to be over. Some participants were either rankled or grateful to spend most of the time languishing in prison. Some did not learn the game was won until someone told them--perhaps hours later.
Capture the Flag is a metaphor about organizations that do not measure employee perceptions. In these organizations, leaders may not know what the troops are doing or how they are feeling about participating in the game. They may wonder why the troops are not more engaged or feeling a greater sense of urgency. Some leaders may overly rely on the most talented combatants to engage the enemy and come out victorious through speed an innovation. Employees may perceive that their leaders are so focused on beating the competition that they turn a deaf ear to the needs and ideas of the troops. Managers may be unclear how to use resources to gain advantage and wonder what role they should be playing to help win the game. And most organizational members are not clear if they are winning the game or not."
So what is the moral of the story? Disconnectedness is not good, in personal relationships, businesses or society. Since, in my work life, I offer services to leaders and managers who are trying to get the most "out of" their people--it is often best to first look how to get the most "in to" their people, by finding out how they feel, what they perceive and what might be done about it. Choices for profitable, engaging actions range from all-employee engagement surveys (we can help with that) "stay interview" tools (we can help with that) to focused tools for managers to use in having retention and high gain performance conversations with their key people (we can help with that, too).
It's not too late to retain your best, most critical people--and a time of economic upturn is when you are more than ever likely to lose some.
"Disconnectedness between leaders and employees is reminiscent of an old game played at summer camps called Capture the Flag. On a typical sunny afternoon at camp, 80 or so rambunctious, pre-teen campers were divided into two teams. Each team was given half of the camp and a flag to plant somewhere in its territory. The goal was to sneak across enemy lines, capture the opponent's flag and carry it back into your territoy without being tagged and put into prison. For those who chose to immerse themselves in the game, the experience was exhilarating and full of intrigue, secretiveness and playful anarchy. For those who were disconnected from the activity, the game afforded the opportunity to sneak off somewhere to enjoy a little peace and quiet. The game was typically won by the intrepid souls who heroically applied their gifts of speed, diversion and guile to foil their opponents' defenses and carry the flag home to vitory. Most participants in the game did not know what they should be doing to help win the game and tended to wander around aimlessly or hide out and wait for it to be over. Some participants were either rankled or grateful to spend most of the time languishing in prison. Some did not learn the game was won until someone told them--perhaps hours later.
Capture the Flag is a metaphor about organizations that do not measure employee perceptions. In these organizations, leaders may not know what the troops are doing or how they are feeling about participating in the game. They may wonder why the troops are not more engaged or feeling a greater sense of urgency. Some leaders may overly rely on the most talented combatants to engage the enemy and come out victorious through speed an innovation. Employees may perceive that their leaders are so focused on beating the competition that they turn a deaf ear to the needs and ideas of the troops. Managers may be unclear how to use resources to gain advantage and wonder what role they should be playing to help win the game. And most organizational members are not clear if they are winning the game or not."
So what is the moral of the story? Disconnectedness is not good, in personal relationships, businesses or society. Since, in my work life, I offer services to leaders and managers who are trying to get the most "out of" their people--it is often best to first look how to get the most "in to" their people, by finding out how they feel, what they perceive and what might be done about it. Choices for profitable, engaging actions range from all-employee engagement surveys (we can help with that) "stay interview" tools (we can help with that) to focused tools for managers to use in having retention and high gain performance conversations with their key people (we can help with that, too).
It's not too late to retain your best, most critical people--and a time of economic upturn is when you are more than ever likely to lose some.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent
Brian has recently co-authored the book Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent: 50 Plus One Strategies Used by the Best.
From the book's introduction:
"Forward-thinking leaders have discovered that an opportunity exists to thrive in the competitive marketplace by better engaging the hearts and minds of employees--and in Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent we explore a myriad of approaches for doing just that. The ideas within these pages emerge from our experiences and lessons learned from organizations seeking to excel by unleashing the talent of their people. Leadership is both art and science. Building your organization into a prefered employer with an engaged workforce and a culture that retain the right people doing the right things requires inspiration and hard work. We hope that this book will serve as a blueprint or at the very least an idea generator for the creation or recreation of your desired place to work."
Click here to BUY NOW
"Forward-thinking leaders have discovered that an opportunity exists to thrive in the competitive marketplace by better engaging the hearts and minds of employees--and in Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent we explore a myriad of approaches for doing just that. The ideas within these pages emerge from our experiences and lessons learned from organizations seeking to excel by unleashing the talent of their people. Leadership is both art and science. Building your organization into a prefered employer with an engaged workforce and a culture that retain the right people doing the right things requires inspiration and hard work. We hope that this book will serve as a blueprint or at the very least an idea generator for the creation or recreation of your desired place to work."
Click here to BUY NOW
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Humor in the Workplace
Laughter is healthy. Healthy people laugh. Do it at work. As much as you can get away with. And if you don't have the type of people who naturally laugh together while working, that doesn't necessarily mean something is seriously wrong (a pun there, sorry).
Use props to generate some smiles and laughter at the right moments. I like to use quotes from dysfunctional philosophers such as Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of the Universe, So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish), Scott Adams (Dilbert), Larry Kersten (Despair, Inc.) or Jack Handey (Deep Thoughts, Deeper Thoughts, and Deepest Thoughts).
About Interviewing Skills: "When you go for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges." Jack Handey
About Facilitating Q&A Sessions: "If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?" Scott Adams
About Openness and Problem-Solving: "Frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue." Scott Adams
About Punctuality: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams
About Myopic Thinking: "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." Douglas Adams
About Risk-Taking: "Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws." Douglas Adams
Political Commentary: "Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." Douglas Adams
About Inclusion: "I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chooose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas." Jack Handey
"Incompetence - When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do." Larry Kersten
"Procrastination: Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness pays off now." Larry Kersten
Enjoy.... And smile a little! Now.
Or now.
Use props to generate some smiles and laughter at the right moments. I like to use quotes from dysfunctional philosophers such as Douglas Adams (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Restaurant at the End of the Universe, So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish), Scott Adams (Dilbert), Larry Kersten (Despair, Inc.) or Jack Handey (Deep Thoughts, Deeper Thoughts, and Deepest Thoughts).
About Interviewing Skills: "When you go for a job interview, I think a good thing to ask is if they ever press charges." Jack Handey
About Facilitating Q&A Sessions: "If there are no stupid questions, then what kind of questions do stupid people ask? Do they get smart just in time to ask questions?" Scott Adams
About Openness and Problem-Solving: "Frankly, I'm suspicious of anyone who has a strong opinion on a complicated issue." Scott Adams
About Punctuality: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." Douglas Adams
About Myopic Thinking: "It is a mistake to think you can solve any major problems just with potatoes." Douglas Adams
About Risk-Taking: "Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws." Douglas Adams
Political Commentary: "Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job." Douglas Adams
About Inclusion: "I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chooose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas." Jack Handey
"Incompetence - When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do." Larry Kersten
"Procrastination: Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness pays off now." Larry Kersten
Enjoy.... And smile a little! Now.
Or now.
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