http://www.vegasrescue.org/
http://www.calvarydowntownoutreach.org/
http://www.happyfactorylasvegas.org/
http://www.lvhddachshundclub.com/
Thursday, December 17, 2009
When to Disobey the Boss-MSN Money
Recently, the manager of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in Virginia Beach decided to keep, what some deemed, risqué photos of models hung up on his store walls even though local police told him to take the pictures down.
Why didn’t he listen to the cops? Because the manager’s corporate bosses asked him to display the photos.
Read the rest of the article: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1318-Workplace-Issues-When-to-Disobey-the-Boss/?sc_extcmp=JS_1318_msnbc&SiteId=cbmsnbc41318&ArticleID=1318>1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=3486fbd78ef44ec69f7f5a0248adb957-314377224-x2-6
Why didn’t he listen to the cops? Because the manager’s corporate bosses asked him to display the photos.
Read the rest of the article: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1318-Workplace-Issues-When-to-Disobey-the-Boss/?sc_extcmp=JS_1318_msnbc&SiteId=cbmsnbc41318&ArticleID=1318>1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=3486fbd78ef44ec69f7f5a0248adb957-314377224-x2-6
Supreme Court to Rule on Text Privacy-Washington Post
The Supreme Court will decide whether employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy for the text messages they send on devices owned by their employers.
The case the court accepted Monday involves public employees, but a broadly written decision could hold a blueprint for private-workplace rules in a world in which communication via computers, e-mail and text messages plays a very large role.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/14/AR2009121403689.html
The case the court accepted Monday involves public employees, but a broadly written decision could hold a blueprint for private-workplace rules in a world in which communication via computers, e-mail and text messages plays a very large role.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/14/AR2009121403689.html
Business Week: The Year in Innovation
In 2009 the world was no longer flat; much of it was flat broke. Deflated by slumping sales and income, companies roundly did what innovation consultants say they never should—they cut spending on research and development. The U.S. drug industry, historically one of the most lavish spenders on research and development, announced the elimination of a record 69,000 jobs this year, up 60% from 2008. At many companies, quick hits and line extensions replaced more costly, though potentially more rewarding, investments in game-changing inventions.
Still, creativity lives on. Among fresh or fringe approaches that became mainstream tools in 2009: trickle-up innovation, design thinking, and open innovation. And while innovation may no longer be the golden goose it was in flusher times, the penny-pinching has forced companies to break some bad habits—such as wantonly pursuing every new idea—which could help them roll out new money-making products and services as the recession eases and an economic recovery takes hold.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec2009/id20091216_670846.htm
Still, creativity lives on. Among fresh or fringe approaches that became mainstream tools in 2009: trickle-up innovation, design thinking, and open innovation. And while innovation may no longer be the golden goose it was in flusher times, the penny-pinching has forced companies to break some bad habits—such as wantonly pursuing every new idea—which could help them roll out new money-making products and services as the recession eases and an economic recovery takes hold.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec2009/id20091216_670846.htm
Is Optimism Undermining America? -From Psychology Today
Optimism has never had a good name, at least among the intellectually elite. We actually know when the word “optimism” entered common parlance — with the publication of Voltaire’s (1759) Candide and the embodiment of foolish optimism in the annoying character Dr. Pangloss.
Empirical research over the past few decades showing that optimism has many benefits—for achievement, social relationships, and health—is therefore interesting and important (Peterson, 2000). Studies of optimism helped usher in the field of positive psychology by demonstrating the importance of “positive” constructs above-and-beyond the absence of “negative” constructs.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200912/is-optimism-undermining-america
Empirical research over the past few decades showing that optimism has many benefits—for achievement, social relationships, and health—is therefore interesting and important (Peterson, 2000). Studies of optimism helped usher in the field of positive psychology by demonstrating the importance of “positive” constructs above-and-beyond the absence of “negative” constructs.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200912/is-optimism-undermining-america
Team Members Say Temperature in Office Affects Productivity
One-third of workers say office temperature affects their productivity
As winter sets in across the country and companies turn up the heat, they may need to readjust the thermostat to keep their workers productive.
According to a new CareerBuilder survey, when asked if the temperature at work affected their ability to get work done, more than one-in-five (22 percent) workers said that a too hot work environment made it difficult to concentrate. Eleven percent of workers said the same about a too cold work place.
Overall, more than a quarter (27 percent) of workers describe the temperature at their work place as too hot. On the flip side, 19 percent reported that the temperature was too cold, while 54 percent said it was just right.
Differing opinions on what is too hot or too cold for the office can sometimes cause conflict among cubicle mates. In fact, 10 percent of workers said they have fought with a co-worker over the office temperature. Worker disputes over temperature aren’t the only thing affecting work place climate; the economy is also playing a part. In an effort to save money, nearly one-in-five (19 percent) workers feel that their company has turned down the office temperature this year.
There are many factors that can affect work place productivity, said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. Everything from morale, burnout, and as our survey finds, temperature, can have an impact on workers’ ability to get their work done. If temperature is a concern, workers and employers can easily work together to find common ground so productivity does not suffer.
Source: CareerBuilder.com.
As winter sets in across the country and companies turn up the heat, they may need to readjust the thermostat to keep their workers productive.
According to a new CareerBuilder survey, when asked if the temperature at work affected their ability to get work done, more than one-in-five (22 percent) workers said that a too hot work environment made it difficult to concentrate. Eleven percent of workers said the same about a too cold work place.
Overall, more than a quarter (27 percent) of workers describe the temperature at their work place as too hot. On the flip side, 19 percent reported that the temperature was too cold, while 54 percent said it was just right.
Differing opinions on what is too hot or too cold for the office can sometimes cause conflict among cubicle mates. In fact, 10 percent of workers said they have fought with a co-worker over the office temperature. Worker disputes over temperature aren’t the only thing affecting work place climate; the economy is also playing a part. In an effort to save money, nearly one-in-five (19 percent) workers feel that their company has turned down the office temperature this year.
There are many factors that can affect work place productivity, said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. Everything from morale, burnout, and as our survey finds, temperature, can have an impact on workers’ ability to get their work done. If temperature is a concern, workers and employers can easily work together to find common ground so productivity does not suffer.
Source: CareerBuilder.com.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Self Control, Discipline and Regulation
The best definition of self control is resisting the urges to act and speak when not appropriate. This is about holding your emotions, your tongue and desire to behave when you know it is inappropriate or even when you have doubt on the appropriateness of the behavior.
One of the most important concepts for leaders to embrace is that of hot buttons. We all have them. They come in a lot of shapes, sizes and colors. Some even have the names of people attached to them. A hot button is any event, issue, subject, situation or person that will evoke a negative, sarcastic or edgy response from you. A person or event pushes the hot button and you react in an adverse manner.
A critical point about hot buttons is the transfer of power that occurs when pushed and a reaction occurs. The button pusher gains power and situational control when you react. You lose power by reacting to your button being pushed. They win. You lose.
Related to this phenomenon is the learning that occurs by the button pusher. Whoever pushed your button and you reacted will remember this event and return to that newly learned skill again and again. Those of us that are parents understand this circle well.
An effective leader must identify their personal hot buttons and do everything possible to not react when those buttons are pushed. That includes avoiding situations and people that push buttons and confronting button pushers directly and tell them to cease pressing your buttons. Remember, we condition others that button pushing is effective and we can also begin the process of reconditioning them to cease pressing.
One of the most common occurrences in management, leadership and supervision is over-emotionalism. Often labeled with the highly scientific and technical term of crack pot. Effective leadership and over-emotionalism do not work. A leader must be calm and cool in all situations and events and be level-headed in all interactions.
A crack pot leader will fly off the handle and become angry when things do not go his or her way. They often blame that on being passionate about their job but in reality these type of bosses are alienating their followers. They will reduce their approachability and actually have their team avoid any contact out of the fear of an angry reaction. When upset by an event or circumstances, you know it and deal with it by going for a walk, workout, take some time off or get some coffee. Anything to blow off your steam except to interact with your team.
When angry or disappointed it is also important to resist the urge to vent unless to a trusted friend, peer level leader or family member. Venting to a team member is never appropriate and credibility may be lost when venting to your boss.
Another symptom of the crack pot type leader is pouting. Hiding in the office. Avoiding all contact. Sullen and unapproachable. Often occurs when things don’t go quite right or when a leader has suffered a set back. Remember, your team looks to you for tone, optimism and hope and if you pout, you are telling them that things must really be bad.
As a sub-type of the crack pot type leader is the Chicken Little. You remember from either the childhood story or the Disney movie, Chicken Little is the predictor of the sky falling. Chicken Little predicts doom and gloom at every opportunity. As with the character, a leader that loses his or her calm when times are difficult will lose credibility.
Our team members look to us for calm and optimism in time of difficulty. They do not want a leader that commiserates and sees only the negative. They desperately want their leaders to pick them up and pull them through the difficulties.
The concept that we most often teach and coach is battlefield cool. This important leadership skill comes from the American civil war when the government forces under the direction of U. S. Grant camped a little too close to their Confederate adversaries. One particular morning, the command tent of General Grant was overwhelmed with cannon fire. The scene was chaotic and confusing. General Grant’s primary aide was decapitated.
General Grant’s response? To make a pot of coffee. He responded to the most hectic and desperate events by making coffee. When asked about this, he indicated there was plenty of time to withdraw and he was not going to be shaken by immediate events.
His troops response? To rally behind his battlefield calm and rout the Confederates that morning.
Poise under pressure and difficult circumstances is tough but it is a necessary competency of effective leaders.
From Linkage: The Business Case for Mentoring
It is the end of a difficult calendar year for most companies, leaders, and employees. A year when incredibly tough decisions were made—to save money, preserve core assets and talent, and in the most challenging cases to ensure the very existence of the business.
For most professionals, attention is now split between the wrap up of 2009 activities and the planning and budgeting for 2010.
What will 2010 bring? Depending on the economists you follow or media you consult, the timelines vary but most agree that we are in the midst of a slow climb up, out of recession. 2010 will continue to force hard choices. It is a time when talent retention and development couldn’t be more important.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/Kimberly_Vappie_The_Business_Case_for_Mentoring.pdf?CC=TLL09-EM12
For most professionals, attention is now split between the wrap up of 2009 activities and the planning and budgeting for 2010.
What will 2010 bring? Depending on the economists you follow or media you consult, the timelines vary but most agree that we are in the midst of a slow climb up, out of recession. 2010 will continue to force hard choices. It is a time when talent retention and development couldn’t be more important.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/Kimberly_Vappie_The_Business_Case_for_Mentoring.pdf?CC=TLL09-EM12
From Linkage: Improving ROI: Three Leadership Development Practices
Most firms have leadership programs that are highly rated in terms of the experience of participants but have little or no connection to rigorous application of the learning on the job. Despite all the excitement over action learning and connecting classroom experiences to on-the job assignments, this is still the biggest, most common gap in leadership development-often due to the difficulty of coordinating assignments and the discomfort many internal leaders feel when working as mentors and coaches. Training groups rarely determine how participation in the leadership training will integrate with larger talent and succession planning for on-the-job assignments and participation on task forces or initiatives. Even with the advent of communities
of practice and electronic means of connecting globally, most leaders don't know how to build networks among those experiencing common leadership transitions and dilemmas.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/David_Giber_Improving_ROI_Three_Best_Practices.pdf?CC=TLL09-EM12
of practice and electronic means of connecting globally, most leaders don't know how to build networks among those experiencing common leadership transitions and dilemmas.
Read the rest of the article: http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/David_Giber_Improving_ROI_Three_Best_Practices.pdf?CC=TLL09-EM12
Monday, November 30, 2009
Challenges to Integrity
From the Leadership Excellence: Ethics and Integrity Training Program
When integrity lapses, there will be a failure in either ethics or morality. Common challenges to integrity include:
Relativism
• Someone else does it.
• Other people do it all the time.
• It is okay in other environments.
Sense of Invincibility
• Previously has gotten away with an ethical or moral lapse.
• Little or no penalty for prior offenses.
• Organizational position has little control or supervision.
• Well thought of and valued in the organization.
• Enforces laws and codes.
Alcohol and Drugs
• Loosens the tongue and integrity.
• Silences the little voice of good.
• Lubricates away many inhibitions.
Group Think and Peer Pressure
• No one wants to be the lone dissenter.
• Feeling of safety within a group.
• Self doubt about value system when in a minority position.
Sense of Invisibility/Sense of Isolation
• Will never get caught.
• False sense of power based on organizational position or value.
• Geographically isolated or remote.
• Too much available time and resources.
When integrity lapses, there will be a failure in either ethics or morality. Common challenges to integrity include:
Relativism
• Someone else does it.
• Other people do it all the time.
• It is okay in other environments.
Sense of Invincibility
• Previously has gotten away with an ethical or moral lapse.
• Little or no penalty for prior offenses.
• Organizational position has little control or supervision.
• Well thought of and valued in the organization.
• Enforces laws and codes.
Alcohol and Drugs
• Loosens the tongue and integrity.
• Silences the little voice of good.
• Lubricates away many inhibitions.
Group Think and Peer Pressure
• No one wants to be the lone dissenter.
• Feeling of safety within a group.
• Self doubt about value system when in a minority position.
Sense of Invisibility/Sense of Isolation
• Will never get caught.
• False sense of power based on organizational position or value.
• Geographically isolated or remote.
• Too much available time and resources.
WSJ: The Difference Between Leadership and Management
Leadership and management must go hand in hand. They are not the same thing. But they are necessarily linked, and complementary. Any effort to separate the two is likely to cause more problems than it solves.
Still, much ink has been spent delineating the differences. The manager’s job is to plan, organize and coordinate. The leader’s job is to inspire and motivate. In his 1989 book “On Becoming a Leader,” Warren Bennis composed a list of the differences:
Monday, November 23, 2009
Leadership Breakthrough is Here
Two days. Exceptional material. Guest speakers. A personalized focus on your skills and competencies. Individual coaching follow-up. Greater understanding of yourself, others and how the role of the leader impacts performance. Opportunities to interact with other leaders.
That is what you will get from the Leadership Breakthrough from Soaring Eagle Enterprises. Offered only twice a year and with a small enrollment, secure your opportunity in this great program today.
Specific learning elements and skills you will obtain include:
Effective Leadership Communication
Leadership Style and Impact
Building Rapport and Enhancing Relationship Power
Coaching to Maximize Results
Understanding and Building Morale and Team Member Engagement
Strategic Planning and Personal Action/Development Planning
Innovation Enhancement
Emotional Intelligence for Leaders
You will come away with a full tool set to energize your personal leadership mission and passion to set your organization on fire.
Just real leadership skills at a great value. Delivered by professionals. Supported and connected.
Learn more at: www.soaringeagleent.com
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Top Talent, Top Strength
Recently, I've read commentary that forecasts job changes by a surprisingly large percentage of employees when the economy stabilizes. Given this prediction, plus the fact that baby boomers have already begun to retire, it's clear that supply management leaders face a grave threat to business success in the near future. In short, intelligence might walk out the door precisely at the moment when business begins to boom again.
For this reason, it's imperative that we refocus today. Retaining high performers is a top priority. Now more than ever, talent management is critical to our companies' success.
Like so many people with whom I've spoken recently, you might operate under the assumption that, due to the current business environment, your employees are simply thankful to have jobs. You might assume they're not being recruited or looking for the next opportunity. In reality, however, recruiters are actively contacting your high-performing supply management professionals — especially those in leadership roles.
Read the rest of the Article: http://www.ism.ws/pubs/ISMMag/ismarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=19816
For this reason, it's imperative that we refocus today. Retaining high performers is a top priority. Now more than ever, talent management is critical to our companies' success.
Like so many people with whom I've spoken recently, you might operate under the assumption that, due to the current business environment, your employees are simply thankful to have jobs. You might assume they're not being recruited or looking for the next opportunity. In reality, however, recruiters are actively contacting your high-performing supply management professionals — especially those in leadership roles.
Read the rest of the Article: http://www.ism.ws/pubs/ISMMag/ismarticle.cfm?ItemNumber=19816
Friday, November 20, 2009
I am Thankful For . . .
I AM THANKFUL FOR……
I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party
because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
I am thankful for the taxes I pay
because it means that I am employed.
I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means I have enough to eat.
I am thankful for my shadow who watches me work
because it means I am out in the sunshine.
I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows
that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing
because that means I have a home.
I am thankful for the spot I find at the far end of
the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about our
government because it means we have freedom of speech.
I am thankful for the lady behind me in church who sings off
key because it means I can hear.
I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing
because it means my loved ones are nearby.
I am thankful for my huge heating bill
because it means that I am warm.
I am thankful for the alarm that goes off in
the early morning hours because it means that I am alive.
I am thankful for the weariness and aching muscles
at the end of the day because it means that I have been productive.
I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party
because it means I have been surrounded by friends.
I am thankful for the taxes I pay
because it means that I am employed.
I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means I have enough to eat.
I am thankful for my shadow who watches me work
because it means I am out in the sunshine.
I am thankful for a lawn that needs mowing, windows
that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing
because that means I have a home.
I am thankful for the spot I find at the far end of
the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.
I am thankful for all the complaining I hear about our
government because it means we have freedom of speech.
I am thankful for the lady behind me in church who sings off
key because it means I can hear.
I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing
because it means my loved ones are nearby.
I am thankful for my huge heating bill
because it means that I am warm.
I am thankful for the alarm that goes off in
the early morning hours because it means that I am alive.
I am thankful for the weariness and aching muscles
at the end of the day because it means that I have been productive.
Barriers to Delegation and Empowerment
From the Soaring Eagle Enterprises' training program Coaching II-Delegation, Development and Empowerment.
1. Insecurity
Fear of losing control and fear of criticism prevent some leaders from delegating. Ultimately, they are afraid of losing their job.
2. Lack of Confidence in Others
Some believe their team members are not competent to take on a task, but through delegation, they can improve their skills and competence.
3. Lack Of Ability To Train Others
If proper training is not provided, team members will fail and become resentful. Some leaders lack the ability or desire to articulate directions and desired outcomes.
4. Personal Enjoyment
Some things are hard to let go of, but leaders should not retain control of a task simply because they enjoy doing it.
5. Habit
If a task becomes simple and repetitive, it should be delegated to free up your time for more complex issues and responsibilities
6. Reluctance Caused by Past Failures
Determine the cause of failure. Failed delegation is typically due to a poor match, lack of training or poor tracking of delegated tasks. Avoid the mistake, not delegation.
7. Lack of Time
Training, preparation, and delegation require a time investment. While it may take time in the short term, it will be a time saver in the long term.
8. “I Can Do It Best”
Leaders who think that to do something right, they have to do it themselves will achieve very little strategically.
1. Insecurity
Fear of losing control and fear of criticism prevent some leaders from delegating. Ultimately, they are afraid of losing their job.
2. Lack of Confidence in Others
Some believe their team members are not competent to take on a task, but through delegation, they can improve their skills and competence.
3. Lack Of Ability To Train Others
If proper training is not provided, team members will fail and become resentful. Some leaders lack the ability or desire to articulate directions and desired outcomes.
4. Personal Enjoyment
Some things are hard to let go of, but leaders should not retain control of a task simply because they enjoy doing it.
5. Habit
If a task becomes simple and repetitive, it should be delegated to free up your time for more complex issues and responsibilities
6. Reluctance Caused by Past Failures
Determine the cause of failure. Failed delegation is typically due to a poor match, lack of training or poor tracking of delegated tasks. Avoid the mistake, not delegation.
7. Lack of Time
Training, preparation, and delegation require a time investment. While it may take time in the short term, it will be a time saver in the long term.
8. “I Can Do It Best”
Leaders who think that to do something right, they have to do it themselves will achieve very little strategically.
The Cost of Not Developing Your Leaders Now-From HR Esquire
The benefits of developing current and emerging leaders are well known to most senior business executives. What may not be as well known, and what can be more damaging to the organization in the long-term, are the hidden costs of not developing leaders in these economic times, especially after a layoff.
Typically ignored in the planning for a layoff are support mechanisms for those employees who stay. Layoff survivors, both managers and front-line workers, are shouldering heavy, if less obvious, burdens of their own, including an infectious sense of anxiety and the uncomfortable feeling that they ought to be grateful just to have a job.
Read the entire article at: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/article.cfm?externalID=913&shownewswindow=1&mac=HRIQ_Ext_SMO_LI_Q409&SID=LinkedIn&utm_campaign=Linkedin&utm_medium=SMO&utm_source=e-bim&utm_content=Nov16news&utm_term=TEST
Typically ignored in the planning for a layoff are support mechanisms for those employees who stay. Layoff survivors, both managers and front-line workers, are shouldering heavy, if less obvious, burdens of their own, including an infectious sense of anxiety and the uncomfortable feeling that they ought to be grateful just to have a job.
Read the entire article at: http://www.humanresourcesiq.com/article.cfm?externalID=913&shownewswindow=1&mac=HRIQ_Ext_SMO_LI_Q409&SID=LinkedIn&utm_campaign=Linkedin&utm_medium=SMO&utm_source=e-bim&utm_content=Nov16news&utm_term=TEST
Friday, November 13, 2009
November, 2009-Customer Service Rankings
With over 20 years of experience in customer service training and evaluation of customer service systems, we are qualified to rank and comment on some of our interactions during the month. Here are the winners and losers:
The Top Five
1. Fed-X/Kinkos (Lake Mead and Tenaya)
+'s Remembering customers, different service levels for commercial customers, very pleasant greetings.
2. Via Brazil Steakhouse
+'s Remembering regular customers, service level and attention is very good, adds some extras.
3. Ted Wiens Tire and Auto
+'s Rembering customers, very good greetings, explanations very good and no slimy upsells.
4. Southwest Airlines (National)
+'s Pleasant, gets you where you need, three singing flight attendants on the last flight.
5. American Express (National)
+'s Good representatives during the week and daytime, great internet interface, very response.
The Bottom Five
5. United Blood Service
?'s Calls after 9:00pm, what part of I can't don't you understand?
4. Office Depot
?'s How many times do you need to ask about your rewards card?
3. Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
?'s Note to Michelle at Flamingo-Yes you hold the priviledge of driving in your hands but can't you be a little human?
2. Wendy's
?'s Do you really need my money before handing me the drink (that cost you $0.15 to produce)?
1. Bank of America
?'s After nearly 20 years, is remembering me really that big of deal? Why are my three accounts not linked? Could your on-line banking be more complex and less useful?
The Top Five
1. Fed-X/Kinkos (Lake Mead and Tenaya)
+'s Remembering customers, different service levels for commercial customers, very pleasant greetings.
2. Via Brazil Steakhouse
+'s Remembering regular customers, service level and attention is very good, adds some extras.
3. Ted Wiens Tire and Auto
+'s Rembering customers, very good greetings, explanations very good and no slimy upsells.
4. Southwest Airlines (National)
+'s Pleasant, gets you where you need, three singing flight attendants on the last flight.
5. American Express (National)
+'s Good representatives during the week and daytime, great internet interface, very response.
The Bottom Five
5. United Blood Service
?'s Calls after 9:00pm, what part of I can't don't you understand?
4. Office Depot
?'s How many times do you need to ask about your rewards card?
3. Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles
?'s Note to Michelle at Flamingo-Yes you hold the priviledge of driving in your hands but can't you be a little human?
2. Wendy's
?'s Do you really need my money before handing me the drink (that cost you $0.15 to produce)?
1. Bank of America
?'s After nearly 20 years, is remembering me really that big of deal? Why are my three accounts not linked? Could your on-line banking be more complex and less useful?
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Be the Leader that People Want to Follow
From John Maxwell via Steve Forst
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
1. Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
2. Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
3. Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
4. Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
5. Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
6. Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
7. Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
The Kind of Leader Others Want to Follow
The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go. As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:
1. Let go of your ego.
The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, "Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I'll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things."
2. Become a good follower first.
Rare is the effective leader who didn't learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United States Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first - and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.
3. Build positive relationships.
Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today's generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.
4. Work with excellence.
No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.
5. Rely on discipline, not emotion.
Leadership is often easy during the good times. It's when everything seems to be against you - when you're out of energy, and you don't want to lead - that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.
6. Make adding value your goal.
When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership - and its highest value.
7. Give your power away.
One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You're meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Ben Stein on God, Country and Christmas
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me.
I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period.
I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking. Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina).. Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves..Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace. Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it. Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us. Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully, Ben Stein
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Wall Street Journal-How to Develop Future Leaders
It’s a key task for managers: developing the company’s next generation of leaders.
It’s usually less expensive to retain and develop homegrown talent than to hire it from the outside.
Experts recommend creating in-house leadership development programs that single out so-called high-potential employees and put them through multi-year programs, including mentorships, management classes, stretch assignments and coaching. The goal is to elevate candidates above a single function and give them a broader vision of the company.
Read the rest of the article: http://guides.wsj.com/management/managing-your-people/how-to-develop-future-leaders/?mod=rss_WSJBlog
It’s usually less expensive to retain and develop homegrown talent than to hire it from the outside.
Experts recommend creating in-house leadership development programs that single out so-called high-potential employees and put them through multi-year programs, including mentorships, management classes, stretch assignments and coaching. The goal is to elevate candidates above a single function and give them a broader vision of the company.
Read the rest of the article: http://guides.wsj.com/management/managing-your-people/how-to-develop-future-leaders/?mod=rss_WSJBlog
Monday, November 2, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
From CLO: Thriving in a Networked World
Today’s businesses operate within an intricate network of suppliers, partners and customers that requires leaders to manage their processes with integrity inside and outside the corporate walls.
“The ability to build and manage a relationship that produces and maintains trust is the core HR skill that everyone in the company has to develop,” said Jeffrey Word, editor of Business Network Transformation, a book featuring articles from 16 academics and researchers that provides advice for how people can understand and use the growth of business networks to their advantage.
Read the entire article at: http://www.clomedia.com/talent.php?pt=a&aid=2796
“The ability to build and manage a relationship that produces and maintains trust is the core HR skill that everyone in the company has to develop,” said Jeffrey Word, editor of Business Network Transformation, a book featuring articles from 16 academics and researchers that provides advice for how people can understand and use the growth of business networks to their advantage.
Read the entire article at: http://www.clomedia.com/talent.php?pt=a&aid=2796
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Corporate Culture-A Straightforward Approach
Very nice white paper in simple and readable format about corporate culuture:
http://www.trainingindustry.com/media/2448202/meno-culture%20the%20forgotten%20element%20of%20business.pdf
http://www.trainingindustry.com/media/2448202/meno-culture%20the%20forgotten%20element%20of%20business.pdf
Monday, October 12, 2009
Is Coaching Recession Proof-From Training Journal
Many coaches have seen their business grow during the economic downturn, according to research published this week.
A joint survey of more than 600 coaches from the Association for Coaching (AC), European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and International Coach Federation (ICF) found 70 per cent believed that their practice had either grown or stayed the same as a result of the recession.
Read the Article At: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2447.html
A joint survey of more than 600 coaches from the Association for Coaching (AC), European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and International Coach Federation (ICF) found 70 per cent believed that their practice had either grown or stayed the same as a result of the recession.
Read the Article At: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2447.html
Training Journal: Leaders grow during the downturn
A study of more than 1,000 business leaders has found the majority view the recent economic downturn as important to their personal growth.
The results from the survey by not-for-profit training provider, Common Purpose, have led the organisation to claim recessions are not completely negative experiences but can also have a “silver lining”.
Read the Article At: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2492.html
The results from the survey by not-for-profit training provider, Common Purpose, have led the organisation to claim recessions are not completely negative experiences but can also have a “silver lining”.
Read the Article At: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2492.html
From Business Week: Time for a Time Checkup
By Ellen Joan Pollock
This is a tale of obsession, passion, and guilt. You guessed it: The subject is time management.
Six months ago, I embarked on a mission to wring a few more hours of productivity out of my week. I chronicled my work with a coach in an article in BusinessWeek. If you missed it, shame on you. But I'll save you the time of thumbing through past issues or firing up your laptop and recap: I'm the executive editor of the magazine you are holding, and I work a frightening number of hours each week while keeping my fingers crossed that my 11-year-old is eating at least a gram or two of protein and has not taken up smoking.
Read the Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_41/b4150072791166.htm
This is a tale of obsession, passion, and guilt. You guessed it: The subject is time management.
Six months ago, I embarked on a mission to wring a few more hours of productivity out of my week. I chronicled my work with a coach in an article in BusinessWeek. If you missed it, shame on you. But I'll save you the time of thumbing through past issues or firing up your laptop and recap: I'm the executive editor of the magazine you are holding, and I work a frightening number of hours each week while keeping my fingers crossed that my 11-year-old is eating at least a gram or two of protein and has not taken up smoking.
Read the Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_41/b4150072791166.htm
From Business Week: The No-Cost Way to Motivate
Again, some familiar sounding stuff to the people who have attending our Tone Setting, Coaching and EQ 2 programs.
A manager's genuine interest in employees' lives pays off at every level, in every job
By Patrick Lencioni
"Now listen to me, all of you. You are all condemned men. We keep you alive to serve this ship. So row well, and live." Those were the words of Quintus Arrius in the movie Ben-Hur. And while he was speaking to Roman slaves, one can almost imagine a modern version coming from a manager today. "O.K., people, you all know that unemployment is at a 50-year high. You're lucky to have jobs. So work hard, and no more complaining."
Lost amid the justifiable concern about the 9.7% of U.S. workers who are unemployed is the well-being of the other 90.3%, many of whom are miserable. They feel they're out of options and that management has little incentive to make their work lives more meaningful.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149084766472.htm
A manager's genuine interest in employees' lives pays off at every level, in every job
By Patrick Lencioni
"Now listen to me, all of you. You are all condemned men. We keep you alive to serve this ship. So row well, and live." Those were the words of Quintus Arrius in the movie Ben-Hur. And while he was speaking to Roman slaves, one can almost imagine a modern version coming from a manager today. "O.K., people, you all know that unemployment is at a 50-year high. You're lucky to have jobs. So work hard, and no more complaining."
Lost amid the justifiable concern about the 9.7% of U.S. workers who are unemployed is the well-being of the other 90.3%, many of whom are miserable. They feel they're out of options and that management has little incentive to make their work lives more meaningful.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149084766472.htm
From Business Week: Change By Design
For those of you who have attended our Innovation or Change Management programs, this article will sound very familiar. Elements of Object Oriented Innovation, Champion Challenger Method and Managing the Cycle of Change are referenced.
By Tim Brown
As the center of economic activity in the developed world shifts inexorably from industrial manufacturing to knowledge creation and service delivery, innovation has become nothing less than a survival strategy. It is, moreover, no longer limited to new physical products but includes new sorts of processes, services, interactions, entertainment forms, and ways of communicating and collaborating.
These are exactly the kinds of human-centered tasks that designers work on every day, and over time they have evolved a body of skills to help them do it. It is time for this type of thinking—design thinking—to migrate outward and upward into the highest levels of leadership. Business leaders, hospital administrators, university professors, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) need to integrate the methods of the designer, just as designers need to broaden their reach from the crafting of objects to the shaping of services, experiences, and organizations. Design, in short, has become too important to be left to designers.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149054679916.htm
By Tim Brown
As the center of economic activity in the developed world shifts inexorably from industrial manufacturing to knowledge creation and service delivery, innovation has become nothing less than a survival strategy. It is, moreover, no longer limited to new physical products but includes new sorts of processes, services, interactions, entertainment forms, and ways of communicating and collaborating.
These are exactly the kinds of human-centered tasks that designers work on every day, and over time they have evolved a body of skills to help them do it. It is time for this type of thinking—design thinking—to migrate outward and upward into the highest levels of leadership. Business leaders, hospital administrators, university professors, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) need to integrate the methods of the designer, just as designers need to broaden their reach from the crafting of objects to the shaping of services, experiences, and organizations. Design, in short, has become too important to be left to designers.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149054679916.htm
From Business Week-A Little on the Psychology of Cheating
When People Reckon It's O.K. to Cheat
Perhaps because of the cheating uncovered in the aftermath of the financial crisis—the lies told by everyone from mortgage lenders to Bernie Madoff—behavioral economist Dan Ariely has been getting a lot of calls about the nature of dishonesty. Ariely, a Duke University professor and author of the best-selling book Predictably Irrational, has spent years studying the topic.
Ariely says he's not surprised that derivatives—whose values are based on other financial assets—have gotten a bad rap. He has found that people are more likely to cheat if they are a step removed from the cash payoff. In one experiment, he paid subjects (whom he allowed to report their own scores) for correctly solving math problems—some in cash, some in tokens to be redeemed across the room. The second group exaggerated their scores twice as much as the first. Similarly, in studies of real-life expense reports, he found managers pad expenses more when their assistants compile the report. Such detachment, Ariely says, may be what's involved "when you backdate a stock option."
Read the Rest of the Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/c4149btw425927.htm
Perhaps because of the cheating uncovered in the aftermath of the financial crisis—the lies told by everyone from mortgage lenders to Bernie Madoff—behavioral economist Dan Ariely has been getting a lot of calls about the nature of dishonesty. Ariely, a Duke University professor and author of the best-selling book Predictably Irrational, has spent years studying the topic.
Ariely says he's not surprised that derivatives—whose values are based on other financial assets—have gotten a bad rap. He has found that people are more likely to cheat if they are a step removed from the cash payoff. In one experiment, he paid subjects (whom he allowed to report their own scores) for correctly solving math problems—some in cash, some in tokens to be redeemed across the room. The second group exaggerated their scores twice as much as the first. Similarly, in studies of real-life expense reports, he found managers pad expenses more when their assistants compile the report. Such detachment, Ariely says, may be what's involved "when you backdate a stock option."
Read the Rest of the Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/c4149btw425927.htm
From Business Week-Luddites of the World, Relax!
News that Twitter's latest cash infusion values the microblogging site at $1 billion may have confounded twittering's critics, who say nothing worthwhile can be expressed in 140 characters.
To them—and to those who think BlackBerrys enslave us, Facebook supplants real relationships, and texting makes us illiterate—Dennis Baron has this to say: Nonsense. Worries about new ways of communicating, he has found, have existed for millennia. (Socrates objected to writing, in part because this "invention" eliminated the need to exercise the memory.)
Baron, an English and linguistics professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has just published A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution (Oxford University Press). One reason he wrote the book, he says, was to remind today's Luddites of the skepticism that reliably greeted each new communication device in the past.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_41/c4150btw802994.htm
To them—and to those who think BlackBerrys enslave us, Facebook supplants real relationships, and texting makes us illiterate—Dennis Baron has this to say: Nonsense. Worries about new ways of communicating, he has found, have existed for millennia. (Socrates objected to writing, in part because this "invention" eliminated the need to exercise the memory.)
Baron, an English and linguistics professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has just published A Better Pencil: Readers, Writers, and the Digital Revolution (Oxford University Press). One reason he wrote the book, he says, was to remind today's Luddites of the skepticism that reliably greeted each new communication device in the past.
Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_41/c4150btw802994.htm
Business Week-Why it Pays to Aplogize
What's the best way for a company to disarm a disgruntled customer? A simple apology beats a cash rebate, according to a new study.
Researchers at Britain's Nottingham School of Economics worked with a large German wholesaler that sells goods on eBay (EBAY), tracking the lukewarm or negative comments posted on the site by the company's customers over six months.
They then responded to the 632 complaints—about defective salt shakers, say, or the late delivery of a leather belt. Half of the e-mailed responses offered a brief apology. Half offered instead a "goodwill gesture" of a small cash rebate (from $3 to $8). All the e-mails asked the customers to remove the comments they had posted online. For those offered the rebate, it was a condition of receiving the cash.
The result? About 45% of customers who received an apology withdrew their so-so or negative ratings, compared with 21% of those offered money to do so.
Johannes Abeler, a Nottingham research fellow and co-author of the study, says it's worth noting that the e-mailed apologies were effective even though they were brief and impersonal—and asked for something in return. His explanation? Despite the suspicions people might harbor, "apologies trigger this biological instinct to forgive that is hard to overcome."
—Douglas MacMillan from Business Week
Researchers at Britain's Nottingham School of Economics worked with a large German wholesaler that sells goods on eBay (EBAY), tracking the lukewarm or negative comments posted on the site by the company's customers over six months.
They then responded to the 632 complaints—about defective salt shakers, say, or the late delivery of a leather belt. Half of the e-mailed responses offered a brief apology. Half offered instead a "goodwill gesture" of a small cash rebate (from $3 to $8). All the e-mails asked the customers to remove the comments they had posted online. For those offered the rebate, it was a condition of receiving the cash.
The result? About 45% of customers who received an apology withdrew their so-so or negative ratings, compared with 21% of those offered money to do so.
Johannes Abeler, a Nottingham research fellow and co-author of the study, says it's worth noting that the e-mailed apologies were effective even though they were brief and impersonal—and asked for something in return. His explanation? Despite the suspicions people might harbor, "apologies trigger this biological instinct to forgive that is hard to overcome."
—Douglas MacMillan from Business Week
Friday, September 25, 2009
Get Creative to Find Out Whether You'd Fit In-Washington Post
When Marcia Feola wants to know what workers are really thinking, she wanders around and looks for themes to the cartoons they post on computers, bulletin boards or desks.
"Humor is the truth about the culture in those jokes," she says, whether they point to being snowed under with work or finding managers always in meetings.
When Jeffrey Kudisch talks to his MBA students about locating an employer that's a "good fit," he suggests asking questions before and during the interview. "Selection is a two-way street," said Kudisch, who teaches management at the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business.
Read this Article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/09/19/ST2009091901876.html
"Humor is the truth about the culture in those jokes," she says, whether they point to being snowed under with work or finding managers always in meetings.
When Jeffrey Kudisch talks to his MBA students about locating an employer that's a "good fit," he suggests asking questions before and during the interview. "Selection is a two-way street," said Kudisch, who teaches management at the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business.
Read this Article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/09/19/ST2009091901876.html
Fall Semester Professional Development Classes
Very exciting stuff.
We have already received and processed registrations for the fall, 2009 semester of professional development classes offered with CSN.
Beginning in October, these great programs will be offered:
Leadership 1 Certification Series
Customer Service 1 Certification Series
Human Resources 1 Certification Series
Please visit our schedule page at: http://www.soaringeagleent.com/schedule.htm to check dates and to register.
We have already received and processed registrations for the fall, 2009 semester of professional development classes offered with CSN.
Beginning in October, these great programs will be offered:
Leadership 1 Certification Series
Customer Service 1 Certification Series
Human Resources 1 Certification Series
Please visit our schedule page at: http://www.soaringeagleent.com/schedule.htm to check dates and to register.
Training Journal: Staff performance can be boosted a third through improved management says business guru
Businesses willing to improve their management practices could increase the performance of their staff by up to a third, according to Chris Roebuck (pictured), a talent manager who has worked in organisations as varied as London Underground and HSBC.
The ex-British Army soldier was speaking at The People Strategy Forum 2009 yesterday and said many CEOs were missing an opportunity to improve their bottom line and position themselves well for the upturn.
Read the Article at: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2435.html#
The ex-British Army soldier was speaking at The People Strategy Forum 2009 yesterday and said many CEOs were missing an opportunity to improve their bottom line and position themselves well for the upturn.
Read the Article at: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2435.html#
Training Journal: McDonalds Receives Award for Investing in People
McDonalds has become one of the first in a handful of companies to be honoured with a new look Investors in People (IIP) Gold award.The organisation was presented with the award at the Institute of Directors this week, in recognition of its continued investment in talent management and its use of people metrics to identify the impact of development strategies.
Investors in People said McDonald’s employees were able to identify inspirational leaders at all levels and there had been an improvement in people’s view of how they were managed and developed within the organisation.
Read the article at: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2441.html#
Investors in People said McDonald’s employees were able to identify inspirational leaders at all levels and there had been an improvement in people’s view of how they were managed and developed within the organisation.
Read the article at: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2441.html#
Companies that Headhunters Avoid-Business Week
When Revlon (REV) hired Jack Stahl as CEO in 2002, the board thought he'd be a boss who could turn the cosmetics giant around. In his 22 years at Coca-Cola (KO), where he rose to president, the telegenic executive had become a darling of Wall Street for his financial savvy and operational discipline.
Stahl stumbled, however, when he left Coke. While he managed to pare down Revlon's heavy debt load, he lost millions on failed campaigns for new products, most notably an "age-defying" makeup line called Vital Radiance. Industry consultants say he relied too heavily on finance types who made basic marketing errors: The line was overpriced, curiously didn't incorporate the vaunted Revlon name, and used no-name models in its campaign. After four years of losses during which the stock lost roughly two-thirds of its value, Stahl left in 2006. "He didn't know what he didn't know," says Suzanne Grayson, a consultant who worked for Revlon in the 1960s and '70s. "He brought in statisticians instead of marketers, and the decisions they made were atrocious." Stahl and Revlon didn't respond to requests for comment.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_37/b4146042031508.htm
Stahl stumbled, however, when he left Coke. While he managed to pare down Revlon's heavy debt load, he lost millions on failed campaigns for new products, most notably an "age-defying" makeup line called Vital Radiance. Industry consultants say he relied too heavily on finance types who made basic marketing errors: The line was overpriced, curiously didn't incorporate the vaunted Revlon name, and used no-name models in its campaign. After four years of losses during which the stock lost roughly two-thirds of its value, Stahl left in 2006. "He didn't know what he didn't know," says Suzanne Grayson, a consultant who worked for Revlon in the 1960s and '70s. "He brought in statisticians instead of marketers, and the decisions they made were atrocious." Stahl and Revlon didn't respond to requests for comment.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_37/b4146042031508.htm
The Great Trust Offensive-Business Week
Companies as diverse as McDonald's, Ford, and American Express are revamping their marketing to win back that most valuable of corporate assets.
"The spark began where it always begins, at a restaurant downtown, in a shop on Main Street," intones a narrator as the camera lingers in a restaurant, bakery, and bike factory. "Entrepreneurs like these are the most powerful force in the economy. As we look to the future, they'll be there ahead of us." The music swells, and the narrator concludes: "While we're sure we don't know all the answers, we do know one thing for certain. We want to help."
The commercial, which began airing across the U.S. this summer, was developed by Ogilvy & Mather for American Express (AXP). Its mission: to cast AmEx not as a financial titan but as a humble service provider assisting mom and pops—establishments consumers typically like to support. AmEx, its gold-plated reputation tarnished by subprime bets, wants to regain the trust of its customers.
Read the Entire Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148038492933.htm
"The spark began where it always begins, at a restaurant downtown, in a shop on Main Street," intones a narrator as the camera lingers in a restaurant, bakery, and bike factory. "Entrepreneurs like these are the most powerful force in the economy. As we look to the future, they'll be there ahead of us." The music swells, and the narrator concludes: "While we're sure we don't know all the answers, we do know one thing for certain. We want to help."
The commercial, which began airing across the U.S. this summer, was developed by Ogilvy & Mather for American Express (AXP). Its mission: to cast AmEx not as a financial titan but as a humble service provider assisting mom and pops—establishments consumers typically like to support. AmEx, its gold-plated reputation tarnished by subprime bets, wants to regain the trust of its customers.
Read the Entire Article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_39/b4148038492933.htm
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Recharge Technique
Courtesy of Steve Forst and the Author Noted Below:
A lot of people have been feeling “overwhelmed” lately…they have too much to do in too little time and no one to delegate to (due to downsizing within the organization.) Therefore, I am hoping that “Stillpoints” will remind you how to find space in each day to renew yourselves.
A Stillpoint is stopping quickly and doing nothing for just a moment. It is brief and meant to be used any time, all the time (every day, in fact), and many times a day. Stillpoints are essentially very short: a few seconds or a few minutes. They are designed to take advantage of the unfilled moments in life: waiting for the microwave to heat your coffee, brushing your teeth, or sitting at a stoplight. They are also to be used at moments of stress: walking into an interview, during a feeling of anger, or when you know you are going to be late for an appointment… to name a few.
A day with fifteen Stillpoints will make you much more peaceful, satisfied, and calm, no matter how much you have to do, how many people you have to attend to, or how many fires you have to put out. The advantage of Stillpoints is that they can be incorporated into your life with minimal disruption and maximum effect.
What you do during a Stillpoint is simple: you stop doing whatever you are doing, sit or stand, take a deep breath with your eyes open or closed, focus your attention inward, and remember what you need to remember. Stop, breathe, and remember. The remembering part is very flexible: it can mean recalling a belief or event that motivates you. But it can also mean remembering a thought that brings you strength or peace, a message you need to hear at that moment like, “You can do it,” or a self-encouragement like, “You are okay.” Stop, breathe, and remember.
An example of how I use Stillpoints in my work is…in the midst of a tough team facilitation process…I stop, breathe, and remember why I am there: “To help the team have insight or guidance to overcome an obstacle or to make an important change.” This Stillpoint process keeps me energized and focused on what matters most in the moment.
So, Stillpoints have a physical part (being still and breathing) and a spiritual part (remembering what your purpose is, feeling appreciation, or other words that are meaningful for you to hear.) The very essence of Stillpoints is deep, intentional breathing and a moment of quiet recollection. Try it…it can be life changingJ
Excerpt from: Stopping: How To Be Still When You Have To Keep Going by Dr. David Kuntz.
A lot of people have been feeling “overwhelmed” lately…they have too much to do in too little time and no one to delegate to (due to downsizing within the organization.) Therefore, I am hoping that “Stillpoints” will remind you how to find space in each day to renew yourselves.
A Stillpoint is stopping quickly and doing nothing for just a moment. It is brief and meant to be used any time, all the time (every day, in fact), and many times a day. Stillpoints are essentially very short: a few seconds or a few minutes. They are designed to take advantage of the unfilled moments in life: waiting for the microwave to heat your coffee, brushing your teeth, or sitting at a stoplight. They are also to be used at moments of stress: walking into an interview, during a feeling of anger, or when you know you are going to be late for an appointment… to name a few.
A day with fifteen Stillpoints will make you much more peaceful, satisfied, and calm, no matter how much you have to do, how many people you have to attend to, or how many fires you have to put out. The advantage of Stillpoints is that they can be incorporated into your life with minimal disruption and maximum effect.
What you do during a Stillpoint is simple: you stop doing whatever you are doing, sit or stand, take a deep breath with your eyes open or closed, focus your attention inward, and remember what you need to remember. Stop, breathe, and remember. The remembering part is very flexible: it can mean recalling a belief or event that motivates you. But it can also mean remembering a thought that brings you strength or peace, a message you need to hear at that moment like, “You can do it,” or a self-encouragement like, “You are okay.” Stop, breathe, and remember.
An example of how I use Stillpoints in my work is…in the midst of a tough team facilitation process…I stop, breathe, and remember why I am there: “To help the team have insight or guidance to overcome an obstacle or to make an important change.” This Stillpoint process keeps me energized and focused on what matters most in the moment.
So, Stillpoints have a physical part (being still and breathing) and a spiritual part (remembering what your purpose is, feeling appreciation, or other words that are meaningful for you to hear.) The very essence of Stillpoints is deep, intentional breathing and a moment of quiet recollection. Try it…it can be life changingJ
Excerpt from: Stopping: How To Be Still When You Have To Keep Going by Dr. David Kuntz.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Overled and Undermanaged-From Business Week
By Henry Mintzberg
BW Magazine
Have you heard the word "leadership" lately—say, in the last 10 minutes? How about "management"? Remember that word? Let me suggest that you should, because what we've been calling a financial crisis is actually one of management. Corporate America has had too much of fancy leadership disconnected from plain old management.
How did this happen? It became fashionable some years ago to separate "leaders" from "managers"—you know, distinguishing those who "do the right things" from those who "do things right." It sounds good. But think about how this separation works in practice. U.S. businesses now have too many leaders who are detached from the messy process of managing. So they don't know what's going on.
Read the entire article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_33/b4143068890733.htm
BW Magazine
Have you heard the word "leadership" lately—say, in the last 10 minutes? How about "management"? Remember that word? Let me suggest that you should, because what we've been calling a financial crisis is actually one of management. Corporate America has had too much of fancy leadership disconnected from plain old management.
How did this happen? It became fashionable some years ago to separate "leaders" from "managers"—you know, distinguishing those who "do the right things" from those who "do things right." It sounds good. But think about how this separation works in practice. U.S. businesses now have too many leaders who are detached from the messy process of managing. So they don't know what's going on.
Read the entire article: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_33/b4143068890733.htm
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Square Watermelon
Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US counterparts and therefore don’t have room to waste. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lot of space. Most people would simply tell the grocery stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done about it. But some Japanese farmers took a different approach. ”If the supermarkets want a space efficient watermelon,” they asked themselves, “How can we provide one?” It wasn’t long before they invented the square watermelon.
The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn’t nearly as difficult to solve for those who didn’t assume the problem was impossible to begin with and simply asked how it could be done. It turns out that all you need to do is place them into a square box when they are growing and the watermelon will take on the shape of the box.
Read the complete Article: http://www.hardknoxlife.com/2008/06/18/lessons-of-the-square-watermelon/
Favorite Quotes
1. Opportunity is missed by most people, because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
Thomas Edison
2. If three people call you an ass, buy a bridle.
Spanish Proverb
3. The man who complained about how the ball bounces is usually the one who dropped it.
Lou Holtz
4. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him much will be required.
Luke 12:48
5. It is not by whining that one carries out the job of the leader.
Napolean I
6. Great people are those who make others feel that they, too, can become great.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
7. Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.
General George S. Patton
General George S. Patton
8. I have as much authority as the Pope, there’s just not as many people who believe it.
George Carlin
George Carlin
9. Although your customers won’t love you if you give bad service, your competitors will.
Kate Zabriskie
Kate Zabriskie
10. Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.
Bill Watterson
Bill Watterson
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Improving Innovation
Some simple and straight-forward methods to stimulate creative thought and innovation from the Soaring Eagle Enterprises' training program Innovation and Creativity:
Self Manage Your Thoughts
Remove Doubt
Initially Ignore Roadblocks and Risks
Modify Habits and Routines
Change Hours
Change Driving Route
Modify Schedules and Task Routine
Improve Working and Thinking Environment
Comfortable Seating and Working Environment
Use Natural Light
Avoid Harsh Light
Listen to Music
Avoid Mind Numbing Activities (Television and Internet)
Be Comfortable
Comfortable Clothes
Eat Well
Seek Inspiration
Read and Understand Other Creative People
See Where Others Saw Innovation Opportunities
Stimulate Your Physical Side
Exercise
Go Outside
Self Manage Your Thoughts
Remove Doubt
Initially Ignore Roadblocks and Risks
Modify Habits and Routines
Change Hours
Change Driving Route
Modify Schedules and Task Routine
Improve Working and Thinking Environment
Comfortable Seating and Working Environment
Use Natural Light
Avoid Harsh Light
Listen to Music
Avoid Mind Numbing Activities (Television and Internet)
Be Comfortable
Comfortable Clothes
Eat Well
Seek Inspiration
Read and Understand Other Creative People
See Where Others Saw Innovation Opportunities
Stimulate Your Physical Side
Exercise
Go Outside
Deloitte Poll-Accidental Innovation and Other Findings
Business leaders also wrangle over cost reduction or investing in innovation in the 'Innovation Can Wait - or Can It?' Deloitte Debate
NEW YORK, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new Deloitte online poll, 31 percent of executives surveyed believe innovation happens by accident at their company. Meanwhile, only 25 percent of respondents say their companies encourage innovation as a mandate.
"Companies need to build innovation into their DNA instead of relying on chance," said Mark White, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and moderator of the webcast. "Bad times in the economy present opportunities for organizations to refocus on innovation as a difference maker to driving their business performance and being in the best possible position to deliver results. That is why in Silicon Valley cycles of recession are cycles of innovation. Web 2.0 and semiconductors were churned during a recession."
The survey was conducted during a Deloitte July webcast titled, "Vicious Circle or Virtuous Cycle? The Balancing Act Between the Mandate to Innovate and Pressure to Optimize." With more than 450 respondents participating, only 14 percent said innovation is clearly defined within their organization, compared to more than 67 percent who said innovation is either very loosely defined or tackled project to project.
Doug Standley, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, believed the reason for some of these polling results is because most major companies are not organized around innovation. "Companies clearly need direction and a more focused approach to innovation as a basic fundamental building block for success. When only six percent of the respondents say that innovation in their company is funded as a separate entity, there can be a disconnect between innovation and how it impacts a company's performance."
Additional polling results during the Deloitte web cast included:
Approximately 12 percent of the respondents reported the word innovation is not applicable in their company's structure.
Innovation financed via "off the book" funding was reported by seven percent of respondents.
Almost 40 percent of respondents claimed innovation is handled project-to-project.
Dr. John Kao, chairman and founder of the Institute for Large Scale Innovation and a senior advisor on innovation to Deloitte, also recommended the following foundations for success to the executives in spurring innovation:
Develop and communicate a clear organizational narrative of what innovation is, the business purpose it serves and how it relates to organizational vision.
Create platforms, practices and funding pathways to support the work of disruptive innovation.
Link the work of innovation to strategy processes within the firm that illuminate future trends and latent customer needs.
To listen to an archived version of the webcast please visit: www.deloitte.com/us/dbriefs/futurete.
Kao also noted in the latest Deloitte Debate, "Innovation Can Wait -- or Can It?" that business leaders are asking themselves whether they should they stay focused on cost reduction, or is now the time to push even harder for innovation? "In many ways, the choice between cost reduction and innovation is a false one," said Kao. "You can do both at the same time and technology can play a big role in making it work. Just do not substitute innovate technology for the process of innovation itself."
To view Kao's points and counterpoints around these issues, as well as additional perspectives from the public and human capital sectors, please go to www.deloitte.com/us/Debates/InnovationNowOrLater
This topic is one in a series of Deloitte Debates that examine today's pressing business issues from multiple perspectives. New debate topics are added weekly. For a full library of Debates, please visit www.deloitte.com/debates.
About the Polling
The polling responses came from more than 450 business professionals ranging from chief technology officer to consultant across multiple industries who responded to survey questions during Deloitte's July 9 webcast.
NEW YORK, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new Deloitte online poll, 31 percent of executives surveyed believe innovation happens by accident at their company. Meanwhile, only 25 percent of respondents say their companies encourage innovation as a mandate.
"Companies need to build innovation into their DNA instead of relying on chance," said Mark White, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and moderator of the webcast. "Bad times in the economy present opportunities for organizations to refocus on innovation as a difference maker to driving their business performance and being in the best possible position to deliver results. That is why in Silicon Valley cycles of recession are cycles of innovation. Web 2.0 and semiconductors were churned during a recession."
The survey was conducted during a Deloitte July webcast titled, "Vicious Circle or Virtuous Cycle? The Balancing Act Between the Mandate to Innovate and Pressure to Optimize." With more than 450 respondents participating, only 14 percent said innovation is clearly defined within their organization, compared to more than 67 percent who said innovation is either very loosely defined or tackled project to project.
Doug Standley, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP, believed the reason for some of these polling results is because most major companies are not organized around innovation. "Companies clearly need direction and a more focused approach to innovation as a basic fundamental building block for success. When only six percent of the respondents say that innovation in their company is funded as a separate entity, there can be a disconnect between innovation and how it impacts a company's performance."
Additional polling results during the Deloitte web cast included:
Approximately 12 percent of the respondents reported the word innovation is not applicable in their company's structure.
Innovation financed via "off the book" funding was reported by seven percent of respondents.
Almost 40 percent of respondents claimed innovation is handled project-to-project.
Dr. John Kao, chairman and founder of the Institute for Large Scale Innovation and a senior advisor on innovation to Deloitte, also recommended the following foundations for success to the executives in spurring innovation:
Develop and communicate a clear organizational narrative of what innovation is, the business purpose it serves and how it relates to organizational vision.
Create platforms, practices and funding pathways to support the work of disruptive innovation.
Link the work of innovation to strategy processes within the firm that illuminate future trends and latent customer needs.
To listen to an archived version of the webcast please visit: www.deloitte.com/us/dbriefs/futurete.
Kao also noted in the latest Deloitte Debate, "Innovation Can Wait -- or Can It?" that business leaders are asking themselves whether they should they stay focused on cost reduction, or is now the time to push even harder for innovation? "In many ways, the choice between cost reduction and innovation is a false one," said Kao. "You can do both at the same time and technology can play a big role in making it work. Just do not substitute innovate technology for the process of innovation itself."
To view Kao's points and counterpoints around these issues, as well as additional perspectives from the public and human capital sectors, please go to www.deloitte.com/us/Debates/InnovationNowOrLater
This topic is one in a series of Deloitte Debates that examine today's pressing business issues from multiple perspectives. New debate topics are added weekly. For a full library of Debates, please visit www.deloitte.com/debates.
About the Polling
The polling responses came from more than 450 business professionals ranging from chief technology officer to consultant across multiple industries who responded to survey questions during Deloitte's July 9 webcast.
Lack of Trust Between Staff and Management from Training Journal
Worker morale in the UK is at an all-time low as a result of redundancies and a lack of trust in senior management, according to research published today.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey of 3,000 employees found eight in ten believe senior managers need to work on restoring and improving trust in their leadership.
And the research found more than half of employees believed frequent and honest communication would improve trust in organisations but only a quarter said they were consulted by senior managers on important decisions.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2360.html
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey of 3,000 employees found eight in ten believe senior managers need to work on restoring and improving trust in their leadership.
And the research found more than half of employees believed frequent and honest communication would improve trust in organisations but only a quarter said they were consulted by senior managers on important decisions.
Read the Entire Article: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2360.html
Managers Must Practice People Skills-From Training Journal
Managers who are expecting employees to “weather the storm no matter how poorly they are managed” must think again, according to the latest research.
A study by Krauthammer of employees across Europe has revealed that their commitment to their organisations is “worryingly low” and their job satisfaction is “fragile”.
And the coaching, training and consulting company is urging managers to take basic skills like listening to their staff and identifying their talent seriously.
“Senior managers especially should beware of paying lip service to crucial behaviours such as listening to their staff, while dismissing them as ‘too basic’ or by assuming an air of ‘I left all that behind me when I was a junior’,” said Ronald Meijers, co-chairman of Krauthammer’s executive board.
Read the entire article: http://www.trainingjournal.com/news/2368.html
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
MSN Money-43 Things Heard in Interviews
"I'm not wanted in this state."
"How many young women work here?"
"I didn't steal it; I just borrowed it."
"You touch somebody and they call it sexual harassment!"
"I've never heard such a stupid question."
Believe it or not, the above statements weren't overheard in bars or random conversations -- they were said in job interviews.
Maybe you were nervous, you thought the employer would appreciate your honesty, or maybe you just have no boundaries. Whatever the reason, you can be certain that you shouldn't tell an interviewer that it's probably best if he doesn't do a background check on you. (And yes, the hiring manager remembered you said that.)
We asked hiring managers to share the craziest things they've heard from applicants in an interview. Some are laugh-out-loud hysterical, others are jaw-dropping -- the majority are both. They will relieve anyone who has ever said something unfortunate at a job interview -- and simply amuse the rest of you.
Read the Rest At: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1946-Interviewing-You-Said-What/?sc_extcmp=JS_1946_spotlight&SiteId=cbmsnsl41946&ArticleID=1946>1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=8176e95319f24cd09bbd03e43c921a73-302631151-VJ-4&pf=true
"How many young women work here?"
"I didn't steal it; I just borrowed it."
"You touch somebody and they call it sexual harassment!"
"I've never heard such a stupid question."
Believe it or not, the above statements weren't overheard in bars or random conversations -- they were said in job interviews.
Maybe you were nervous, you thought the employer would appreciate your honesty, or maybe you just have no boundaries. Whatever the reason, you can be certain that you shouldn't tell an interviewer that it's probably best if he doesn't do a background check on you. (And yes, the hiring manager remembered you said that.)
We asked hiring managers to share the craziest things they've heard from applicants in an interview. Some are laugh-out-loud hysterical, others are jaw-dropping -- the majority are both. They will relieve anyone who has ever said something unfortunate at a job interview -- and simply amuse the rest of you.
Read the Rest At: http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-1946-Interviewing-You-Said-What/?sc_extcmp=JS_1946_spotlight&SiteId=cbmsnsl41946&ArticleID=1946>1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=8176e95319f24cd09bbd03e43c921a73-302631151-VJ-4&pf=true
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
The Washington Times: Combat Psychology
Shaun Waterman THE WASHINGTON TIMES
An Army pilot project is teaching soldiers techniques drawn from sports psychology such as visualization and bio-feedback to help deal with stress and other mental consequences of combat.
"People that study human performance the most carefully recognize the connection between the physical and mental elements of success ... especially at moments of truth," said Lt. Col. Greg Burbelo.
Col. Burbelo is director of the Army Center for Enhanced Performance (ACEP), a project developed for Olympic athletes - and previously used by trainers with elite West Point cadets and special forces - and applying them to basic training for Army recruits and on-the-job "professional development" for active-duty soldiers.
"We've figured out how to do this for our 4,000 cadets," said Lt. Col. Carl Ohlson of the U.S. Military Academy. "Now we have to figure out the best way to scale and refine that for the whole Army."
The center is also piloting the techniques with injured and maimed soldiers as part of the Army's Warriors in Transition program.
"Even with the best possible physical training, you can't ignore the psychological piece," said Col. Burbelo, "We teach soldiers the relationship between thoughts, feelings and perceptions" on the one hand "and performance" on the other. "There is a mind-body connection. ... They are interrelated. You can leverage your body to perform better."
The center teaches five sets of skills, including goal setting, imagery integration or visualization and energy management, which uses bio-feedback and breathing exercises to help soldiers regulate their response to stressful situations. In bio-feedback training, soldiers are hooked up to medical equipment that shows them changes in pulse rate and blood pressure.
Trainees are taught techniques to get their hormonal response to stress under control. "It's called eliciting the relaxation response," said Col. Burbelo.
"Obviously, when you are entering a building filled with hostiles, your physiology is off the charts," he said. "We teach a routine of self-regulatory techniques that you can use rather than letting your body take you for a ride in response to external stressors."
Col. Ohlson calls it, "training yourself to manage the things that are controllable in an environment that is largely uncontrollable."
"The guys that go through this become your best soldiers," said Army Brig. Gen. Robert B. Brown, deputy commander of the U.S.-led Multi-National Division North in Iraq. "The difference is being able to perform at your very best at the moments when it counts the most."
Gen. Brown went through the original West Point course as a captain in 1990, and has used the techniques he learned there in combat in Haiti, Bosnia and Iraq.
"You train the way you fight," he said. "Traditional training puts soldiers in a stressful situation ... now we can train them how to handle it.
"It surprises me that it's taken so long" for these ideas to get traction throughout the whole Army, he told The Washington Times by telephone from Iraq.
Gen. Brown said he is especially keen on the goal-setting skills that the center teaches, and uses these techniques with the soldiers under his command. "Each soldier has a goals book," he said, in which they record their targets - whether personal, professional, military, or if they wish spiritual - and then break down achieving them into measurable tasks.
"The difference between the best and the worst soldiers is not usually intelligence, it's focus," said Gen. Brown, adding that the mental skills ACEP imparted were essential to create "agile leaders" the Army needed.
In the days of the first Iraq War, "we could overpower the enemy. Now we have to out-think them."
Another of the ACEP skill sets - visualization - produces results Gen. Brown said he has seen firsthand. Here, trainees are encouraged to think about themselves succeeding at a task before attempting it.
At West Point, said Col. Ohlson, trainees write a script describing themselves in great detail succeeding at a particular task - like a physical fitness test. The scripts are recorded so trainees can listen to them over and over again in "numerous rehearsals incorporating a picture of themselves succeeding."
"The real take-away is educating them to ... use that as a skill" to prepare for high stakes situations like combat, said Col. Burbelo, "rather than let their heads get filled with doubts, worries and fear.
"You're not going to be Tiger Woods if you just show up," Gen. Brown said. "Before a great orator gives a speech, he's practiced it over and over in his mind. ... Everyone gets scared, but you have to be confident, in yourself, your team, your equipment.
"A lot of successful people can do this naturally," he added of visualization, "Many have taught themselves; ACEP is institutionalizing that."
The center is running pilot projects at nine Army installations across the country, and Army researchers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center are studying the effectiveness of training by the ACEP project at Fort Jackson, S.C. The researchers' conclusions and their recommendations for the future of the pilot will go to the Army staff at the Pentagon later this year.
The study should provide hard data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the training, Gen. Brown said. "There needs to be more scientific study to get the naysayers" on board.
An Army pilot project is teaching soldiers techniques drawn from sports psychology such as visualization and bio-feedback to help deal with stress and other mental consequences of combat.
"People that study human performance the most carefully recognize the connection between the physical and mental elements of success ... especially at moments of truth," said Lt. Col. Greg Burbelo.
Col. Burbelo is director of the Army Center for Enhanced Performance (ACEP), a project developed for Olympic athletes - and previously used by trainers with elite West Point cadets and special forces - and applying them to basic training for Army recruits and on-the-job "professional development" for active-duty soldiers.
"We've figured out how to do this for our 4,000 cadets," said Lt. Col. Carl Ohlson of the U.S. Military Academy. "Now we have to figure out the best way to scale and refine that for the whole Army."
The center is also piloting the techniques with injured and maimed soldiers as part of the Army's Warriors in Transition program.
"Even with the best possible physical training, you can't ignore the psychological piece," said Col. Burbelo, "We teach soldiers the relationship between thoughts, feelings and perceptions" on the one hand "and performance" on the other. "There is a mind-body connection. ... They are interrelated. You can leverage your body to perform better."
The center teaches five sets of skills, including goal setting, imagery integration or visualization and energy management, which uses bio-feedback and breathing exercises to help soldiers regulate their response to stressful situations. In bio-feedback training, soldiers are hooked up to medical equipment that shows them changes in pulse rate and blood pressure.
Trainees are taught techniques to get their hormonal response to stress under control. "It's called eliciting the relaxation response," said Col. Burbelo.
"Obviously, when you are entering a building filled with hostiles, your physiology is off the charts," he said. "We teach a routine of self-regulatory techniques that you can use rather than letting your body take you for a ride in response to external stressors."
Col. Ohlson calls it, "training yourself to manage the things that are controllable in an environment that is largely uncontrollable."
"The guys that go through this become your best soldiers," said Army Brig. Gen. Robert B. Brown, deputy commander of the U.S.-led Multi-National Division North in Iraq. "The difference is being able to perform at your very best at the moments when it counts the most."
Gen. Brown went through the original West Point course as a captain in 1990, and has used the techniques he learned there in combat in Haiti, Bosnia and Iraq.
"You train the way you fight," he said. "Traditional training puts soldiers in a stressful situation ... now we can train them how to handle it.
"It surprises me that it's taken so long" for these ideas to get traction throughout the whole Army, he told The Washington Times by telephone from Iraq.
Gen. Brown said he is especially keen on the goal-setting skills that the center teaches, and uses these techniques with the soldiers under his command. "Each soldier has a goals book," he said, in which they record their targets - whether personal, professional, military, or if they wish spiritual - and then break down achieving them into measurable tasks.
"The difference between the best and the worst soldiers is not usually intelligence, it's focus," said Gen. Brown, adding that the mental skills ACEP imparted were essential to create "agile leaders" the Army needed.
In the days of the first Iraq War, "we could overpower the enemy. Now we have to out-think them."
Another of the ACEP skill sets - visualization - produces results Gen. Brown said he has seen firsthand. Here, trainees are encouraged to think about themselves succeeding at a task before attempting it.
At West Point, said Col. Ohlson, trainees write a script describing themselves in great detail succeeding at a particular task - like a physical fitness test. The scripts are recorded so trainees can listen to them over and over again in "numerous rehearsals incorporating a picture of themselves succeeding."
"The real take-away is educating them to ... use that as a skill" to prepare for high stakes situations like combat, said Col. Burbelo, "rather than let their heads get filled with doubts, worries and fear.
"You're not going to be Tiger Woods if you just show up," Gen. Brown said. "Before a great orator gives a speech, he's practiced it over and over in his mind. ... Everyone gets scared, but you have to be confident, in yourself, your team, your equipment.
"A lot of successful people can do this naturally," he added of visualization, "Many have taught themselves; ACEP is institutionalizing that."
The center is running pilot projects at nine Army installations across the country, and Army researchers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center are studying the effectiveness of training by the ACEP project at Fort Jackson, S.C. The researchers' conclusions and their recommendations for the future of the pilot will go to the Army staff at the Pentagon later this year.
The study should provide hard data to demonstrate the effectiveness of the training, Gen. Brown said. "There needs to be more scientific study to get the naysayers" on board.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Business Week: Low Grades for Performance Reivews
Some years ago, a human resources manager at Apple Computer (AAPL) got her managers to finish their performance reviews by bribing them with free tickets to San Francisco Giants games.
At North Carolina software company SAS Institute, David Russo, then head of HR, got cheers from employees in the mid-1990s for a bonfire celebration that fed appraisal forms into the flames. Nothing has changed much since then. Managers don't like doing appraisals. Employees don't like getting them. Perhaps that's because they all suspect what the evidence shows: Such performance reviews don't work.
Read the entire article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_31/b4141080608077.htm
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Fall Professional Development Classes
Very exciting stuff.
We have already received and processed registrations for the fall, 2009 semester of professional development classes offered with CSN.
Beginning in October, these great programs will be offered:
Leadership 1 Certification Series
Customer Service 1 Certification Series
Human Resources 1 Certification Series
Please visit our schedule page at: http://www.soaringeagleent.com/schedule.htm to check dates and to register.
We have already received and processed registrations for the fall, 2009 semester of professional development classes offered with CSN.
Beginning in October, these great programs will be offered:
Leadership 1 Certification Series
Customer Service 1 Certification Series
Human Resources 1 Certification Series
Please visit our schedule page at: http://www.soaringeagleent.com/schedule.htm to check dates and to register.
Ten Steps to Building a Service Culture
From the Soaring Eagle Enterprises Service Management and Service Culture training program:
Determine, measure and report service levels.
Recognize and reward excellence in customer service.
Recruit and retain customer driven team members.
Treat fellow team members with the courtesy, urgency, compassion, and respect given to external customers.
Empower customer contact personnel to answer questions and complete common transactions.
Evaluate all personnel on service related job standards.
Define organizational mission in terms of customer service.
Understand customer needs, wants, and expectations.
Devote serious levels of training to customer service.
Build mechanisms for constant improvements in service levels.
Determine, measure and report service levels.
Recognize and reward excellence in customer service.
Recruit and retain customer driven team members.
Treat fellow team members with the courtesy, urgency, compassion, and respect given to external customers.
Empower customer contact personnel to answer questions and complete common transactions.
Evaluate all personnel on service related job standards.
Define organizational mission in terms of customer service.
Understand customer needs, wants, and expectations.
Devote serious levels of training to customer service.
Build mechanisms for constant improvements in service levels.
Lean Management and Performance Metrics
Since late 2007, I have had the good fortune to consult with a number of businesses in all types of industry groups about efficiency and effectiveness.
Overall, most business leaders have a good handle on how to deal with shrinking revenues and the potential of rising costs. However, many managers are completely unfamiliar with using key performance metrics to demonstrate, predict and manage to their results. These key performance metrics are a needed management tool in all environments but more necessary than ever in the current economic climate.
As a 101 level overview, performance metrics are most commonly expressed in the terms of a ratio that compares results to the needed resources to generate results. They are also compared historically and many industries can compare to organizations of the same size and type.
Below is a brief description of the most common and easiest to use performance metrics:
FTE Ratio
This efficiency ratio compares your core business deliverable to the number of people required to produce the product or service. This is an easily created and compared number. In it's most simple form, it is the the number of widgets produced (gallons of water, training hours, cars serviced, parishioners in church, et. al.) divided by the number of people working for you.
If the ratio is improving, your organization is producing more with less. If the ratio is shrinking, you need to look at trimming staffing levels to remain competitive.
Efficiency Ratio
This ratio is more financial in nature but a great tool to manage working units. It is comprised of total revenue divided by total recurring expenses. Simply stated, it measures how much it costs you to generate revenue. As with the FTE Ratio, need for improvement is easy to see.
Service Ratio
Like the FTE and Efficiency Ratios, this formula measures how many people your organization serves and how many people it takes to maintain this service level. This ratio is especially useful when revenue information or revenue itself lags from the point of customer contact or revenue matures over the life of a customer relationship.
As with all management tools, key performance metrics can vary greatly over industry types and sizes. The importance is in the discipline to define, report and manage to the key indicators your organization decides upon.
The Benefits of Positive Feedback
From the Soaring Eagle Enterprises Training Program: Coaching I-Positive and Corrective Feedback.
The benefits of positive feedback are immense and powerful. They include:
1. Performance increases. Team members want to perform to continue to receive praise and positive feedback. Team members that see others receiving positive feedback will increase their performance to receive it as well.
2. Increased engagement. Team members that are regularly and consistently provided with positive feedback will be more engaged and attached to the organization.
3. Reduced turnover. When team members feel appreciated they are much less likely to leave.
4. Potential for improvements are realized. Team members strive harder when they know they will be recognized for their work. Hidden potentials and performance elements previously not seen will be revealed.
5. Satisfaction levels rise. Team member satisfaction will increase when they receive constant and consistent positive feedback.
6. Corrective coaching is better received. Many times, the biggest reason that corrective coaching does not go well is because team members feel picked at or over-scrutinized. When positive feedback equals or is greater in volume than corrective feedback, this feeling is eliminated or reduced.
7. Morale is improved. After receiving positive feedback, the demeanor of team members is raised and collectively, that improves team morale.
8. Fear and avoidance of the boss is eliminated. Many team members avoid any contact or communication with the boss because the only time they hear from him or her is when things are bad or something went wrong. The use of consistent and constant positive feedback eliminates this avoidance.
9. Team and team member apathy is reduced or eliminated. Many team members perform at a good level or achieve something significant and hear nothing about it. Over a couple of occurrences, that team member will develop a “why bother” type of approach. When team members receive positive feedback, the apathy is eliminated.
10. Appearances of favoritism is reduced. When team members see the equal application and distribution of positive feedback, the appearance of favorite treatment is reduced.
The benefits of positive feedback are immense and powerful. They include:
1. Performance increases. Team members want to perform to continue to receive praise and positive feedback. Team members that see others receiving positive feedback will increase their performance to receive it as well.
2. Increased engagement. Team members that are regularly and consistently provided with positive feedback will be more engaged and attached to the organization.
3. Reduced turnover. When team members feel appreciated they are much less likely to leave.
4. Potential for improvements are realized. Team members strive harder when they know they will be recognized for their work. Hidden potentials and performance elements previously not seen will be revealed.
5. Satisfaction levels rise. Team member satisfaction will increase when they receive constant and consistent positive feedback.
6. Corrective coaching is better received. Many times, the biggest reason that corrective coaching does not go well is because team members feel picked at or over-scrutinized. When positive feedback equals or is greater in volume than corrective feedback, this feeling is eliminated or reduced.
7. Morale is improved. After receiving positive feedback, the demeanor of team members is raised and collectively, that improves team morale.
8. Fear and avoidance of the boss is eliminated. Many team members avoid any contact or communication with the boss because the only time they hear from him or her is when things are bad or something went wrong. The use of consistent and constant positive feedback eliminates this avoidance.
9. Team and team member apathy is reduced or eliminated. Many team members perform at a good level or achieve something significant and hear nothing about it. Over a couple of occurrences, that team member will develop a “why bother” type of approach. When team members receive positive feedback, the apathy is eliminated.
10. Appearances of favoritism is reduced. When team members see the equal application and distribution of positive feedback, the appearance of favorite treatment is reduced.
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