Put Your Brain In...
Knowledge is today's currency. Be the one with the most knowledge, and you'll be more valuable as organizations move forward.
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Excerpt from the new book, Put Your Whole Self In! Life and Leadership the Hokey Pokey Way.
Available for $9.95
Click here for more information
Kelly Tyler posts experiences and stories which help readers improve their workplace performance.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
If you lie, you are a liar
Q: When is it acceptable to lie on an expense report?
A: Choose one...
A: When you are the CEO
B. When you are in Sales
C. When you are a new employee and can claim not to know better
D. Never!
If you are over the age of three, the "D" answer should be the obvious choice. Apparently, even beyond age three, some people think they are the exception to the rule.
If you lie on an expense report, you are a liar. It does not matter if you are the CEO, top salesperson, or newest member of the team. Even if the lie goes uncovered, you know the truth and you know you lied.
Once the lie gets discovered, your reputation is ruined. We're talking about lies, not mistakes here. You can recover from an expense account mistake, but a lie, especially a pattern of lies, does irreparable, often career-ending, harm.
For example, would you be embarrassed to learn an attorney called a fellow CEO in town to verify her attendance at a dinner you said you hosted? The attorney asked about a specific restaurant, date, time--there was no confusion about the occasion. But, the fellow CEO was not at that small dinner party. She was out of town. Now, the attorney knows you lied, the fellow CEO knows you lied, and anyone the CEO wants to tell knows too. Additionally, the people paying the attorney to investigate your expenses know you lied too.
Would it be worth it?
No matter what else you do, all of those involved--and many not involved but who find out--would know you are a liar.
Don't kid yourself, every interaction with them going forward would be tarnished by their lack of trust in you.
Don't kid yourself, some of those people would have suspected you were a liar for years.
Don't kid yourself, you would know you're a liar too.
Whether you are the CEO, top producer, or newest employee, lying makes you a liar.
A: Choose one...
A: When you are the CEO
B. When you are in Sales
C. When you are a new employee and can claim not to know better
D. Never!
If you are over the age of three, the "D" answer should be the obvious choice. Apparently, even beyond age three, some people think they are the exception to the rule.
If you lie on an expense report, you are a liar. It does not matter if you are the CEO, top salesperson, or newest member of the team. Even if the lie goes uncovered, you know the truth and you know you lied.
Once the lie gets discovered, your reputation is ruined. We're talking about lies, not mistakes here. You can recover from an expense account mistake, but a lie, especially a pattern of lies, does irreparable, often career-ending, harm.
For example, would you be embarrassed to learn an attorney called a fellow CEO in town to verify her attendance at a dinner you said you hosted? The attorney asked about a specific restaurant, date, time--there was no confusion about the occasion. But, the fellow CEO was not at that small dinner party. She was out of town. Now, the attorney knows you lied, the fellow CEO knows you lied, and anyone the CEO wants to tell knows too. Additionally, the people paying the attorney to investigate your expenses know you lied too.
Would it be worth it?
No matter what else you do, all of those involved--and many not involved but who find out--would know you are a liar.
Don't kid yourself, every interaction with them going forward would be tarnished by their lack of trust in you.
Don't kid yourself, some of those people would have suspected you were a liar for years.
Don't kid yourself, you would know you're a liar too.
Whether you are the CEO, top producer, or newest employee, lying makes you a liar.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Shiny Happy People Laugh all the Way to the Bank
REM knew what they were talking about in the song Shiny Happy People. They sing of happy people being loved by everyone around. They sing of putting happiness in your heart. They sing of gold and silver shining. Shiny happy people holding hands; shiny happy people laughing...
Shiny happy people laugh all the way to the bank!
Research has continuously shown that happy employees yield positive results. Research in 2001, 2004, and 2005 conducted by the American Behavioral Scientist, the University of Michigan, and the Psychological Bulletin all show that when employees are happy, their companies benefit. Benefits include increased profits, higher customer satisfaction ratings, lower absenteeism, and more creative problem solving. The happier employees benefit by missing work less and receiving high performance evaluations (thus, raises) more.
The research has been around for years, yet some company leaders considered it fluff in the past.
What has changed lately is companies are running out of ways to get more out of people. They have milked their cash cows (their people) dry, so to speak. And, employees are miserable because of it. Job satisfaction is declining, which leads to declining productivity as well. "Why give my all to a company who doesn't care about me?" is often asked by high caliber employees. Why, indeed?
The way out of the recession, the way to improved financial performance, the way to long-term survival and success is through the people. Showing more understanding and genuine concern for people is profitable. Show your people they have a reason to give their all. They won't do it so you can have a bigger raise, fancier home, or special car. If you don't know their reason, get help to figure it out.Your competitors are.
Shiny happy people laugh all the way to the bank because their bosses figured it out--people before profits. Take care of your people and profits will come. Then, you too can laugh all the way to the bank.
Shiny happy people laugh all the way to the bank!
Research has continuously shown that happy employees yield positive results. Research in 2001, 2004, and 2005 conducted by the American Behavioral Scientist, the University of Michigan, and the Psychological Bulletin all show that when employees are happy, their companies benefit. Benefits include increased profits, higher customer satisfaction ratings, lower absenteeism, and more creative problem solving. The happier employees benefit by missing work less and receiving high performance evaluations (thus, raises) more.
The research has been around for years, yet some company leaders considered it fluff in the past.
What has changed lately is companies are running out of ways to get more out of people. They have milked their cash cows (their people) dry, so to speak. And, employees are miserable because of it. Job satisfaction is declining, which leads to declining productivity as well. "Why give my all to a company who doesn't care about me?" is often asked by high caliber employees. Why, indeed?
The way out of the recession, the way to improved financial performance, the way to long-term survival and success is through the people. Showing more understanding and genuine concern for people is profitable. Show your people they have a reason to give their all. They won't do it so you can have a bigger raise, fancier home, or special car. If you don't know their reason, get help to figure it out.Your competitors are.
Shiny happy people laugh all the way to the bank because their bosses figured it out--people before profits. Take care of your people and profits will come. Then, you too can laugh all the way to the bank.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Good sportsmanship or soft competitor?
As the winningest player in Kansas University basketball history walked off the court of his final home game last night, the arena chanted and cheered their love for the team leader. Senior Sherron Collins said he didn't want the game to end. As he was leaving the court to an ovation from his home crowd, a player on the court for the opposing Kansas State team clapped along with the crowd.
Kansas State was losing by 20 points, so it was not a close game by the time the final thirty seconds ticked away. If you were still in the game, would you have cheered then or waiting to shake Collins's hand after the game? Does being on the floor matter?
Do you think the Kansas State player clapping showed good sportsmanship? Or, do you think the clapping showed weakness?
If you were the coach of the Kansas State player, what, if anything, would you say to him in the locker room after the game?
What are your thoughts: good sportsmanship or soft competitor?
Kansas State was losing by 20 points, so it was not a close game by the time the final thirty seconds ticked away. If you were still in the game, would you have cheered then or waiting to shake Collins's hand after the game? Does being on the floor matter?
Do you think the Kansas State player clapping showed good sportsmanship? Or, do you think the clapping showed weakness?
If you were the coach of the Kansas State player, what, if anything, would you say to him in the locker room after the game?
What are your thoughts: good sportsmanship or soft competitor?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The Arrogance of Poor Service
It's only Wednesday but two examples of poor service have been brought to my attention already this week. These are beyond the usual rude checkout clerks we've come to anticipate but are surprised are rare occasions not to encounter. Being top-notch companies who proclaim themselves as service providers, their lack of service comes across as arrogant to me. What do you think?
The first example is at a highly regarded vision center. For the second time in a row, the patient was kept waiting for more than 30 minutes without being spoken to. After 45 minutes and an inquiry to the front desk, the patient was taken to a room in the back for a routine blood pressure check. He was told the doctor would be "right in." But, the doctor did not come right in. After 30 more minutes, the patient opened the door, put on his coat, and began to leave. A nurse asked if he would like to reschedule. He did not. It has been more than 48 hours and no one from the doctor's office has been in touch with this long-time patient.
Is the doctor's time more valuable than the patient's?If two incidents are the norm, which they might not be, it appears that blatant disregard for patients' time is the culture of this organization.
Have we all come to expect less of people who disrespect our time?
The other example is from a contemporary museum. A couple met with the catering/event manager about hosting a 70-person event at the museum. The manager was told budget is no issue and she promised to send a proposal. It's been more than two weeks since the promise was made and none was sent. She has not followed up in any manner about the event.
Perhaps rather than being arrogant, the event manager is overly busy tending to all the events being held. From what I gather around town, however, there is event space to be had and most restaurants appreciate a 70-person booking with an unlimited budget. Apparently the contemporary museum is disinterested in such an event.
Does the disinterest, lack of follow-up, and broken promise indicate arrogance? If the manager thinks the customer is going to call up begging for a proposal, that's about as arrogant as it gets.
Poor service is disrespectful to customers and coworkers who rely on you to build the business. If your business is not enjoying and endless supply of profitable clients, as the two companies here clearly are, make sure service is impeccable. Start by making sure the people with direct contact with customers are not arrogant and work from there.
The first example is at a highly regarded vision center. For the second time in a row, the patient was kept waiting for more than 30 minutes without being spoken to. After 45 minutes and an inquiry to the front desk, the patient was taken to a room in the back for a routine blood pressure check. He was told the doctor would be "right in." But, the doctor did not come right in. After 30 more minutes, the patient opened the door, put on his coat, and began to leave. A nurse asked if he would like to reschedule. He did not. It has been more than 48 hours and no one from the doctor's office has been in touch with this long-time patient.
Is the doctor's time more valuable than the patient's?If two incidents are the norm, which they might not be, it appears that blatant disregard for patients' time is the culture of this organization.
Have we all come to expect less of people who disrespect our time?
The other example is from a contemporary museum. A couple met with the catering/event manager about hosting a 70-person event at the museum. The manager was told budget is no issue and she promised to send a proposal. It's been more than two weeks since the promise was made and none was sent. She has not followed up in any manner about the event.
Perhaps rather than being arrogant, the event manager is overly busy tending to all the events being held. From what I gather around town, however, there is event space to be had and most restaurants appreciate a 70-person booking with an unlimited budget. Apparently the contemporary museum is disinterested in such an event.
Does the disinterest, lack of follow-up, and broken promise indicate arrogance? If the manager thinks the customer is going to call up begging for a proposal, that's about as arrogant as it gets.
Poor service is disrespectful to customers and coworkers who rely on you to build the business. If your business is not enjoying and endless supply of profitable clients, as the two companies here clearly are, make sure service is impeccable. Start by making sure the people with direct contact with customers are not arrogant and work from there.
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