I fear your idea because I don't understand it

Posted on November 16, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

Today, the always informative Lifehacker links to a little gem on How to Kill Ideas.

I’m always a big fan of the negative example. And the negative space. And the negative attitude.

Oh wait. I have a negative attitude. I always get so confused.

Where were we? Ah yes.

I always appreciate the negative examples because those actually make me think. They make me self-reflective. And maybe, just maybe, a tad bit guilty about things I’ve done in the past. Like leaving the toilet seat up. And shooting down other people’s ideas.

But here’s what dawned on me for every single one of the responses in the original post, Idea killers: ways to stop ideas:

  1. These are all responses of the fearful.
  2. This fear stems from ignorance.
  3. The respondent is ignorant because I failed to communicate effectively.

Now, here’s the thing. Apart from the fact that I like to call myself a failure (it motivates me), it occurs to me that the breakdown is because I generally assume a level of competence in the listener that doesn’t exist.

See, here’s the thing. And I’ll likely repeat this over and over, in a variety of posts, because it’s really important. You should say it to yourself as a little mantra: No one spends as much time thinking about what I do as I do. Therefore, not everyone has the depth of context that I do to make the intuitive leaps that seem simple to me.

That means it’s my responsibility to communicate more effectively. I have to simplify my approach. I have to provide the context.

So, review the list. And commit it to heart. And when you hear these words, don’t start to sniffle, gentle reader. Instead, start simplifying and revising. And repositioning. Your idea is less likely to be shot down once they understand your genius.

Remember, no one spends as much time thinking about what you do as you do.

Posted in Fear, Ignorance, Simplify, Wrong | 1 Comment

In 90 days, where would you like to be?

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

Here’s another great snippet on goal setting from LifeDev, The 90-Day Rule

The thing that struck me? I am forever hassling people to come up with 18-month plans and 3-year plans. Hassle hassle hassle. But now? Now, I can also hassle people to come up with 90-day plans. Brilliant! More cause for me to be annoying.

Our society is chock-full of a want for “getting better at X”, but we don’t necessarily want to put in the time that it would take to establish a base. We want the quick fix that requires no work. Yet at the same time, we don’t necessarily look at how soon our results can be paid off. Many times we think that success is equivalent to years of hard work. That’s not true at all. You can measure your goals in smaller increments too.

Well worth your time and your consideration.

Ninety days from now, I want to be writing entries with this kind of insight.

Posted in Accountability, Goals, Growth, Motivation, Performance | Leave a comment

Empowered employees versus following the rules

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

From Boing Boing, a piece on Bank of America’s treatment of a customer who was trying to do something right. It’s resulting in a great deal of backlash. To the tune of $50 million withdrawn from accounts (so far).

The summary and a link to the story can be found here, Boing Boing: Bank of America loses $50 million from customers upset by false arrest

When I read this story, after the initial “that sucks” wore off, I started to consider it from a management perspective. To wit, if the employee were empowered to resolve this situation would this have happened?

I mean, if the teller didn’t have a rote routine (ahem) that s/he was expected to follow, would this whole thing have come to a head?

The employee didn’t have freedom. The employee had marching orders: when this occurs, take it to the manager. Then the manager had marching orders: when your employee approaches you with this, call the police.

But see, somewhere along the line, common sense and logic got boiled out of the equation. And everyone got lazy. Because no one was accountable. The process was accountable.

But an objective process can’t deal with a subjective situation. A human can. No humanity in this story.

Put that one in your proverbial pipe and smoke it. And keep on smoking that pipe while you’re outlining the policies and procedures for your organization. And take a few more puffs before deciding how much you want to curtail your employees’ subjectivity for objectivity.

Again, if you hire smart people, you should let them work and let them be accountable for their actions. If you create rules that make smart people dumb and lazy by removing accountability, then you get what you deserve. And if you create inane rules so that you can cut costs by hiring lazy people, then I’m not sure I want you near this blog.

Scratch that. I’m positive I don’t want you around this blog. Unless, of course, you’re working to change.

Posted in Accountability, Management, Rules, Wrong | 1 Comment

Mavericks at Work

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

It just dawned on me that you bright-eyed, happy-go-lucky kids seem like the types who might jump at the chance to read Mavericks at Work.

Well, not to rain on your parade, sunshine. But I wouldn’t recommend it.

If you’ll take me at my word, you’re done reading.

If not, head on over to read the review I posted at hypocritical, entitled Mavericks at Work: I’ll take “Regurgitation of insights I’ve read in more well-written tomes” for 500 Alex.

Posted in Leadership, Motivation | Leave a comment

Do you want loyal employees or happy employees?

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

As usual, the pig got me thinking again.

In this entry, Jack is talking about customer happiness and loyalty, but it got me to thinking about employee happiness and loyalty.

Try reading the quote he cites from Fred Reichheld, “the preeminent authority on customer loyalty”:

Don’t get yourself in a dither about customer loyalty. Studies find that while 85% of the customers say they are happy, only 67% will make their next purchase with the company they’re happy with.

While some may take exception with this assessment, it’s got some truth to it. But here’s something interesting. Try replacing “customer” with “employee”:

Don’t get yourself in a dither about [employee] loyalty. Studies find that while 85% of the [employees] say they are happy, only 67% will make their next [project] with the company they’re happy with.

Now, in my opinion, this tweak rings absolutely true.

Why?

Because I want happy employees, not loyal ones.

Loyal (but not happy) employees generally come in two flavors: embittered and disinterested.

I don’t really want either of those types of people working with me.

Happy (but not loyal) employees, on the converse, are looking for the next big opportunity. They’re enjoying what they do because of what they do. Not for whom they do it. And you’re getting great work out of them because they’re happy, for the time being. They’re not playing it safe. And there’s no fear of making mistakes. They’re being creative.

Loyal (but not happy) employees are making sure they do things absolutely right. That they’re not rocking the boat. That they’re getting their cost-of-living increase year after year. That they’re on the path to getting the gold watch. They’re not being creative. They’re being safe. Because there’s no reward in pushing the envelope. There’s only risk.

That’s a huge difference.

Ideally, you have the opportunity to work with people who are both happy and loyal. But when push comes to shove, I’ll take happy over loyal, any day.

Posted in Employment, Happiness, Loyalty | 1 Comment

Who Values Employees?

Posted on November 15, 2006 by Toby Lucich

Not feeling like employees are valued? Having a hard time recruiting and retaining talent on your teams?

Put this in front of your executive management team:
A study commissioned by Pershing Advisory Services, “A View From the Top: Best Practices in Leveraging Human Capital“, looks at how companies with annual revenue of more than $1M value employees. Among the recommendations:

  • Placing an emphasis on corporate culture and reputation
  • Providing employees with a career path, defined reporting structure, and periodic reviews
  • Segmenting clients to ensure that talent levels align with with client needs to demonstrate value

While focused with an eye toward investment advisory firms, the recommendations should ring true across industries. Ask yourself:

  • Is our corporate culture pervasive, with our values reflected in how we talk about and measure our business?
  • What importance do we place on company reputation, with not only customers but also suppliers and employees (past, present, future)?
  • Are you giving your employees something to work toward? Do they understand their accountabilities? Are you giving them feedback (good and bad) that reinforces positive behaviors and gives them areas for growth?
  • Are you stretching your employees in such a way that they can add more value in the next project than they did in this one?
Posted in Accountability, Corporate Culture, Criticism, Recruiting, Reputation, Review | Leave a comment

It's beginning to look a lot like performance review time

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

Maybe not for everyone, but there are some good points in How To Ace A Performance Review, especially for folks who actually get performance reviews.

I once went more than 5 years WITHOUT ANY ASSESSMENT WHATSOEVER of my performance and…

Oh, I’m sorry. Where was I? I blacked out there for a second, mid-rant.

Ah yes. If you’ve never been through a performance review or if you have but don’t feel that you got all you deserved, How To Ace A Performance Review provides six good tips on making a better impression.

Give it a read. And, if you have time, c’mon back and tell us what you thought.

Posted in Performance, Review, Tips | Leave a comment

If you have that entrepreneurial bent

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

We’re not trying to stop you. Not at all.

In fact, if you think that’s what you’d like to do, then by all means, go get ’em tiger.

Whatever makes you happy.

But before you go? You might want to read this little Seth Godin ditty on When to start.

Posted in Entrepreneur, Exit strategy, Financing, Inspiration | Leave a comment

Parenting versus Babysitting – The Manager's Duty

Posted on November 14, 2006 by Toby Lucich

“I didn’t take them on to raise” is a phrase I’ve heard not just once in my professional career. And the retort is, “well, yes you did.”

Crap managers babysit, good managers parent. (And if you’ve had a really rockstar manager, you probably felt like a prize orchid in a champion’s greenhouse).

Sort the following list to see how great (or crappy) your manager is:

  • Hounds you for your time submission
  • Requires vacation schedules months in advance
  • Takes attendance at worthless weekly team meetings
  • Requires coversheets on all your reports (with specific font size, margin, and composition length requirements)
  • Has never offered inquiry on any of the reports you pour hours into each month
  • Takes attendance at 8am
  • Monitors your coffee and bathroom breaks
  • Offers unrelated advise instead of growthful criticism
  • Spends her day at the coffee machine, in management meetings, or at off-site leadership retreats
  • Has absolutely no idea what you do
  • Finds cuts in your budget year after year (still not knowing what you do)
  • Doesn’t remember your name
  • Has never been to lunch with you

Ok, so you won’t get a rockstar rating if any of these could get put into a sort of any kind. Shame on you if these are tasks showing on your To-Do list. More than 4 of the above on your list suggests that you have some work to do (less than 4, and you’re probably just a bit uptight). Do you really just want hours logged, or do you want results that make you look better up the chain?
To get – and keep – great people, you need to be willing to give them room to move, to innovate. No one grows up thinking, “I want to be COG number 13752 when I grow up, and atrophy in middle management.” People want to do important work. They want to make a contribution. They want to bring their kids to work and say, “Here is where I make a difference.”

The good news is, you can help. It’s not too late to change your ways:

  • Ask your team how you can help them. “Help me help you” is not a bad way to begin your rehabilitation. You will either a) see them pick up the pace knowing they are working toward something, b) know that they have no interest in more than punching the clock and will be with you til death do you part, or c) have a hand in creating the next great leader – in your organization or another.
  • Set stretch goals. This of course means that you need to know what people are capable of based on your first hand observations of their work product (you have been observing, right?) Give your people some room to run, and see what they bring back.
  • Provide Feedback. This isn’t just per HR’s annual or semi-annual process, but on a regular basis. If not weekly, ever two weeks. Let them know that they are/ aren’t hitting the mark. Recognize that good feedback is like a series of markers by which to steer their career – it helps employees stay on track, and lets them know that you know. You know? Criticism doesn’t have to be negative – when thought through, it helps us grow.

That fat salary isn’t just for babysitting. Demonstrate the leadership and accountability you’re being paid for – motivate your team.

Posted in Autonomy, Creativity, Criticism, Motivation, Passion, Results, Wrong | 1 Comment

Understanding what's compromising your productivity (part 2)

Posted on November 13, 2006 by Rick Turoczy

Wasn’t I just talking about the Yin of getting down playing into the Yang of lackluster productivity? Oh, why yes I was, in the previous post.

So what if you could improve productivity (using the previous post) even if you couldn’t improve your mood?

Oh my. I can see you getting more done already.

Trust me. If you’re in a thankless gig, trying to figure out how to cope. You can use all the help you can get. Even if you’re focusing on a way to improve your situation, the negativity is still going to creep into your addled brain.

Why not figure out how to work within the funk instead of against it?

You may feel lazy and guilty, but by taking this approach you will achieve much more than if you disregard your feelings and try and plow ahead on a day that just doesn’t seem to be working.

Read about this approach in How to Beat Down Day Blues.

Posted in Motivation, Productivity | Leave a comment