Monthly Archives: February 2010

Employee or Friend?

February 26, 2010

I recently received this question on Ask John:

“How do you keep the employer and employee dynamics when overtime the employee becomes a good friend? You want to maintain the separation but don’t want to lose the friendship.”

Excellent question and one that I think a lot of people struggle with at some point in their careers!

Because we spend so much time together with our employees it is inevitable that friendships will develop. We have a lot in common after all because we are working at the same place, doing similar jobs, having similar issues and frustrations.  We often times feel the employee knows us, our feelings and our behaviors, and we depend on them for a sounding board.

One important thing you must keep in mind is that work friendships are usually just that; work friendships.  It is often the case that the friendship will dissolve when the work relationship ends.  After all, you no longer have that common bond, work.

The most important thing is to establish clear guidelines and expectations and to have firm roles established.

It is essential that you clearly establish the “after 5” rule.  You know the saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. It is the same in this situation.  During work hours we work, we are Employer and Employee. After work hours we can be friends. As the Employer it is your responsibility to ensure that this rule is not broken.  If you feel the employee has crossed the line during work hours you need to point that out.  Just saying something like, “that was an after 5 comment,” will remind the employee that they have crossed over into forbidden territory.

I believe that an honest conversation needs to take place. You need to tell the employee that the relationship has developed to include friendship, but that first and foremost they remain an employee.  The friendship has become a secondary benefit of the relationship, but for that benefit to continue the employee role needs to continue to be fulfilled.

I think that if this is shared openly and honestly with the employee they will appreciate the fact that they have also gained a friend, and will do everything possible as an employee to be able to maintain that friendship.

What do you think? Can Employer and Employee be Friends?

How do you keep the two situations separate?

Is it a good idea?

I invite you to post a comment and share your thoughts!

By John | Posted in Employee or Friend? | Comments (2)

What Have We Learned and Who Learned It?

February 24, 2010

First I want to thank everyone who commented or read my “Undercover Boss – Why?” blog. We had about 300 hits to the article!

We learned to no surprise that:

  • Employees have a great deal of frustration.
  • Employees don’t feel appreciated
  • Employees want to work in a Team environment
  • Employees are tired of the Golden Tower running things that it knows nothing about.
  • Too many CEO’s have no knowledge of the day to day operations of their own companies

I belong to a number of groups on LinkedIn. The overwhelming majority of the comments were in support of the fact that too many Top Level Execs are out of touch with reality. I found it both interesting as well as disturbing that some of the top level folks still seem blind to their out of touch status. The philosophy of, “As long as I am making money and big bonuses all is right with the world,” still exists.

Here are some comments from the folks that actually do the jobs:

Kevin Bolles, “One of the most frustrating aspects of the job is corporate implementations that are completely irrelevant or ineffective, simply because employee’s opinions and/or ideas were not considered, or tested first before being rolled out. I believe that top executives need to roll up their sleeves and work alongside their people as a team; not just pointing out what they feel is in their best interest.”

Kelly Ketelboeter, “It doesn’t take much to have a positive impact on your employees. Show that you care by spending time with them. Ask questions, get to know them and understand how they make difference in your company.”

Margaret McMahan, “The Undercover Boss shows just how out of touch and uncaring top level can be or become, without a direct link to all avenues of the business units.”

Michael Barone, “It seems that as some people climb the corporate ladder they forget what they did to get there. They forget that a company is not built on money, power or advertising but built on people, those people are your face to the public.”

So what do we do now? I must say I appreciate the show for getting people to talk, to see the separation of boss and employee. But as I said, what do we do now, where do we go from here? I certainly am not promoting a revolt type situation. I am however, promoting using our voice to express our concern for the way workers are treated. To make certain Top Level Execs, as represented in the show, understand:

  • that if we all worked together
  • if there was open and honest dialog
  • if they showed employees just basic courtesy and appreciation
  • that we would all work that much harder for them and for the company
  • we would enjoy doing so!

It is also essential that we show our appreciation for our Leaders who do understand, appreciate and acknowledge what their employees do for them and for the company on a daily basis. If we want to try to change the way things are being done today in too many companies, we must encourage and appreciate the behaviors that our Great Leaders exhibit!

By John | Posted in What Have We Learned and Who Learned It? | Comments (0)

Undercover Boss – WHY?

February 19, 2010

CBS has a new reality show called Undercover Boss.  Have you seen it?

If not here is the basic premise: A CEO or President of some company goes undercover, working side-by-side with employees in his/her own company to find out what the company is really like to work for. While I found the show somewhat interesting, I mostly found it sad and disturbing in the fact that these upper level Senior Execs were so totally out of touch with their own companies and the day to day operations.

In the first episode Larry O’Donnell, President and COO of Waste Management Inc., was shocked and appalled that the work was hard and dirty (ya THINK?). He was also surprised to find out that he had cut payroll so much that employees were doing the work of 2 and 3 people. While working with a third employee Larry discovered that employees got docked 2 minutes for every 1 minute they were late, punching back in after their lunch break.

Who is running the company that he was so unaware of these things?

The second episode featured Coby Brooks, President and CEO of Hooters. He was surprised that all of the focus was on the ‘Hooters Girls’ and no attention was being paid to the kitchen. Really? Who did he think cooked the food? They have an open kitchen so you can certainly see everything going on, has he never eaten in one of his own establishments? He was also surprised that the t-shirts the women wear were so small. Again I ask, Really?

They showed a scene of one manager who made the girls play the “Reindeer Games” where they were forced to eat beans off a plate with their mouths if they wanted to go home early. What did Mr. Brooks do about that? He made a phone call. A phone call! Any decent, logical person in an Executive roll would have broken from his undercover mode and fired the manager on the spot!  Was Mr. Brooks really concerned about his employees or was he just concerned about his TV ratings and the publicity for his chain?

I understand that as you move higher up in position, the more out of touch you can become with the day-to-day activities of the business, but out of touch is one thing, ignorant, deaf, and blind is something else.

The lack of concern for employees and a lack of understanding for the jobs they perform are not limited to these mega corporations. I once had a VP that I reported to say “I just don’t know what you people do.”  By “you people” he was referring to the group of employees that reported to him.

He didn’t know because he didn’t care. His attitude was if he didn’t do it, then it must not serve any purpose. Nothing or no one could possibly be as important as him. This is unfortunately a disease that plagues far too many Executives.  A big part of an Executive’s job is to grow the business, to make profit. Too many Executives forget that it is the people who will grow the business and make a profit for the company. Profit over people and at the expense of the people will ruin the morale of the team and will result in a lack of loyalty to the company.

Here is a suggestion for all the Larry O’Donnells and Coby Brooks and many other Executives out there: Get out of your Ivory Tower and mingle with the people, your teams, and NOT on TV.

Tour the areas that you have responsibility over. Don’t make it a tour where you travel with your entourage, or camera crew, expecting the red carpet to be rolled out at your feet, really get into the role of the people you are traveling with. Ask questions, absorb and be involved with what your people do. Talk to people. All the people, not just the people that you feel are worthy to be spoken to.

When you have car time from the airports, to meetings or to the hotel take the opportunity to get to know your people, to find out who they are and what they are about. Ask them questions about their job, their likes and dislikes. Try to find out what you can do to help make their jobs easier and what you can do for them to help make them more efficient and effective.

Don’t spend your time on your cell phone talking to friends and family. Don’t spend your time worried about your bowling league or your side business. Don’t fall asleep in the car sending the clear message that your employees are not really worth your time. All of these are real experiences I have encountered over the years with various upper level Executives.

Bottom line; get off your high horse. You can be the leader, but you still need to be a part of the team you are leading.

There are a lot of really GREAT leaders in the world! Why don’t they get as much attention as the bad Bosses of the world? Probably because they don’t follow the “if I yell loud enough and talk long enough, people will think I’m important” policy!

There is a big difference between being a Boss and being a Leader, the following quote by Russell H. Ewing says it best. “A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.”

I have had the pleasure of working with two really great Leaders, John Rossler and Stuart Needleman!

John Rossler is Co-Owner of Pivotal Strategies. Johns’ past experience includes, CEO/President of The Picture Factory, President/CEO of Retail Ventures as well as President/CEO of Shonac/DSW.

Stuart Needleman is the Director at Phoenix Management. Stuarts’ past experience was as CEO/President at Corner Picture Framing, President of Compusa and COO at Casual Male.

What do these two great bosses have in common that makes them great? They have an uncanny ability to effectively communicate and deal with people, all people, at every level regardless of position. They may be above someone in position, but they are never above anyone.

They show patience, they guide and instruct the people in their organizations. They train people to do their jobs and they empower them to follow through. When you are reprimanded you thank them. They don’t yell and scream; they simply have a strict and direct conversation with you. If there is a problem they state it, ask for solutions, and then collaborate with their team to implement. They show concern for their employees, they get to know them. They want to know what they can do to make your job easier and make you more effective.

John and Stuart aren’t on TV; they don’t have a camera crew following them around. They just do what they know is the right thing to do. My thanks to both of them!

If you know of a Great Leader, send me their story! I would love to put together an article featuring more Great Leaders!

By John | Posted in Undercover Boss | Comments (18)

Effective Employee Training

February 17, 2010

I recently asked the question:

“In your opinion, which of the following is the biggest benefit to companies in regards to effective Employee Training?”

  • Happier & more satisfied employees
  • Promotes greater productivity
  • Reduces employee turnover
  • Increases company’s profits

First I would like to thank everyone for your responses and comments! Most of the comments were in regards to Happy Employees and Greater Productivity.

Almost everyone was in agreement that all of the choices were a little like the chicken and the egg, which came first?

  • Are happy employees more productive, they don’t leave resulting in the company having bigger profits?
  • Are productive employees happier, they don’t leave resulting in the company having bigger profits?
  • If a company doesn’t have turnover, does that mean the company will have bigger profits because the employees are happy and productive?
  • Does a company having bigger profits make employees happy and productive, and therefore stay?

One comment by Khurram Mansoor, a Marketing Officer summed it up, “All of these are inter related, and it’s a chain circle. Training results in satisfaction, creating better productivity and fewer turnovers, where by the organization saves its vital human resource and earns more profit.”

Craig Chaplin, a Regional Manager wrote, “Effective training creates an alignment of process, vision and mission for a team. When alignment and clarity exists within a group of people, THEN your “A,B,C,D” happens.”

The Results!

In FOURTH place: Increases company’s PROFIT. 8 people or 6% said that profit was the biggest benefit of effective training to a company. I must admit that I was a little surprised at how low this was, but as most people said, profit would come because of the other choices.

John Prpich, Owner/Employee at Talent Blueprint LLC wrote, “Most organizations are operations driven and clearly one key goal for every organization is to drive revenue and profit. The choices A-C are positive bi-products of training; the real reason is clearly profit.”

In THIRD place: Reduces Employee Turnover. 10 people or 7% said that reducing employee turnover was the biggest benefit to a company.  The general consensus was that effective training would keep folks around, make them happy, increase their productivity and therefore make the company more profit.

In SECOND place: Happier and more satisfied employees. 51 people or 37% felt that effective training resulted in Happier Employees.  37% put an emphasis on “Happy”!  Imagine that!  We want our employees to be happy!

Pawan Agrawal, a Private Banker wrote, “Well, I feel, the first one, Effective Training, results in happier… should be the key for any organization. All others will follow—happier employee means reduced employee turnover that will result in more focus on corporate goals which will lead to more productivity and in turn more profits for the organization.”

Carlyle Smith, a Multi-Unit Luxury Retail Management Professional wrote, “I would say A. because happier and more satisfied employees usually results in achieving the other stated goals. Most people want the tools to be successful at their current job and to acquire skills for the job that follows.”

Lawrence R. Huerta, a Retail Professional followed up with, “It is like the domino effect. Once your staff is happy they have confidence in what they need to do and or sell, creating better productivity and increasing both the company, and their profits, thus no need to look elsewhere for employment, keeping a good team in place.”

In FIRST place and the winner is, with 70 votes for 50%, Effective Training promotes Greater Productivity!

To recap a number of comments I received, employees want to be productive!  When they are properly trained they know what to do and how to do it.  They do not get bored or frustrated. They feel valued, a part of the system. They work harder. Imagine that! They work harder and are happy doing so!

Anu Wakhlu, Leadership Facilitator and Executive Coach wrote, “I believe the biggest benefit of training is ensuring higher productivity and thereby more satisfied and happy employees. This results in the other two automatically. The reason we invest in L&D / Training is primarily to ensure that people have the requisite capabilities for their current and future jobs / roles. When people feel that they are capable and can do their jobs effectively, the motivation, productivity automatically increases. People intrinsically want to contribute to their organizations.”

Outstanding Anu!

No matter which of the four you chose as the biggest benefit it is clear that we are all in agreement that they actually go hand in hand. Effective employee training is essential, at all levels for a company to succeed. Too many companies are neglecting to see the benefits. Too many employees are settling for less than they deserve, to be trained!

I received two more great comments that really sum things up.

The first is from Ian Bartholomew, a Retail Operations Manager who wrote: “I would add that the missing link for most companies is communication—happy employees that don’t talk to each other or share knowledge are only happy. I also believe that training can be at its most effective when the outcome is that the attendee comes away with a greater belief that their role actively contributes to the company’s objectives— i.e.: that they really matter.”

Marie-Louise Jacobsen, Managing Director at RMS-Retail Management Solutions Pte Ltd followed with “In addition to effective training, Employers need to have a clear corporate Vision and Mission; one that makes their staff feel appreciated, one that instills work-pride, one that gives each staff member a sense of responsibility towards the growth and success of the company. People need jobs but will excel in one that makes them feel good and valued hence the building block of company loyalty. So effective training needs to be looked at on all levels of the organization starting from the top.”

By John | Posted in Effective Employee Training | Comments (0)

I’m Bored!

February 14, 2010

So you’re bored at work, are you?

Perhaps you are in the wrong job. Perhaps you are in the right job, but at the wrong company.

The first thing you have to do is analyze why you’re bored in the first place. Is your job that boring? Are you really doing what you want to be doing? Is there a way to start pursuing something better? Or are you already in a great job, but something or someone is holding you back? What can you do to improve the situation?

Here are some ideas for you:

Ask for Training. Often times we are bored because we aren’t really sure what to do or how to do it. So the result is that we do nothing. Doing nothing is bad for you because it makes the day drag on resulting in your becoming bored. It is bad for the business when you do nothing because it is a drain on the organizations productivity.

Take Control of Yourself. Many times we’re bored because we don’t have a challenge; things are too easy or routine. Instead of waiting for someone to create a challenge for you, do it yourself. How can you challenge yourself? Set a new goal at work. Challenge yourself to be more productive than ever. Explore new projects. Ask to be put on a special project. Ask to collaborate with another group. Set personal goals and pursue them.

Analyze your Life Goals. What is it you want to accomplish in your life? Not just with work, but personally? What will make you happy and fulfilled? Now think about what you can do today to move closer to that goal.

Educate Yourself. You can improve your knowledge online, or from books, magazines and articles, or at the library. Take a class, work-related or not. Get your MOL: Master’s of Life.

Improve your Skills. Along the same lines: choose a skill that needs to be improved and challenge yourself to get better at it. It doesn’t matter if its writing, computer skills, dancing, cooking, public speaking or basket weaving. Perfect your skills, you can use it to further your career or get a new job. Just having the satisfaction of knowing you’re the best you can be at a skill will improve your performance!

Create Something Great! If things are boring for you at work, start something new. Be creative and think outside the box. What can you do that has a lasting impact for your company, for yourself and for your career? If you are feeling stuck in your current position, create a new job for yourself. It doesn’t matter if there is no official job description or title. Find something that’s not being done by someone else, something that needs to be done or that hasn’t been thought of yet, but that would really benefit the company. Now take it upon yourself to do it. You might need to talk to your boss, but sometimes you can just start doing something and inform the higher-ups later. If it is good for the company, and if they’re smart, they’ll be happy. It will show your supervisors that you are creative, aggressive and an implementer.

What’s next? If your job is so boring you don’t know what to do with yourself, you may need to move on. Life really is too short to spend 40, 50 or 60 hours doing something that doesn’t challenge you. Look around for openings, network, update your resume, pick up a few applications, and send out some email feelers. Find something you are passionate and excited about and go for it.

If you need help focusing or answering some of the questions above, visit the Your Path page of the web site. This profile will give you a better understanding of yourself; who you are, what makes you happy, what your internal behaviors are and how you can adapt those behaviors to your environment. It will get you started on Your Path.

By John | Posted in I’m Bored! | Comments (0)

How Dysfunctional Are You?

February 10, 2010

We all have dysfunctions; I have them, you have them, yes we all have them!

According to psychologist Janet Kizziar, Ph.D, some examples of dysfunctions are:

  • Difficulty in accurately identifying and expressing feelings
  • Perfectionism, having unrealistic expectations of self and others
  • Having an unwillingness to change
  • Having a constant need for approval
  • Awkwardness in making decisions
  • Feeling powerless and ineffective
  • Avoiding conflict at any price

Some people can’t leave the house on a Tuesday. Some people need to check that they unplugged the iron at least 5 times before they can leave the house. Me? Well I don’t like the food on my plate to touch! Do you remember the compartment trays we had in school? Those are my favorite! They keep everything separate and in its place. No corn touching my potatoes for me!

Whether you consider these things to be a control thing, obsessive-compulsive or just weird and quirky they are all dysfunctions!

Yes we all have dysfunctions. In our daily lives we learn to deal with them. They can be distracting even detrimental to the way we function but we do learn to deal with them.

Dysfunction in the workplace is another matter for here it creates crisis. It is a poison to the Team and will ultimately bring your business crashing down around you!

The definition of dysfunctional is characterized by a breakdown of normal or beneficial relationships between members of a group; functioning badly or incorrectly; a disturbance in the functioning of a group.

Dysfunctional relationships do not work normally and are not happy or successful.

Is this what you want from your Team?

Like it or not, all teams are probably dysfunctional, at least to some degree. This is inevitable because Teams are made up of imperfect human beings. Politics and confusion are more the rule than the exception, regardless of what Team you are on. Facing dysfunction and focusing on teamwork is particularly critical at the top of an organization because the executive team sets the tone for how all employees work with one another.

There IS a cure for dysfunction! Counter to conventional wisdom, the causes of dysfunction are both identifiable and curable. Making a team functional and cohesive requires levels of courage and discipline that many groups cannot seem to muster. Too many executive teams do not want to put the time or energy into improving their Team dynamics. This is a shame because it puts the entire organization at risk.

Addressing the Dysfunctions

To begin improving your team and to better understand the level of dysfunction you are facing, ask yourself these simple questions:

  • Are team members allowed and encouraged to voice their opinions?
  • Are team meetings planned, organized, structured and productive?
  • Does the team come to decisions quickly?
  • Do team members confront one another about their shortcomings?
  • Do team members sacrifice their own interests for the good of the team?
  • Are politics and personal agenda’s kept at bay?

Although no team is perfect and even the best teams sometimes struggle with one or more of these issues, the finest organizations constantly work to ensure that their answers are yes.

The first step toward reducing politics and confusion within your team is to understand that there are specific dysfunctions to contend with.
What are your dysfunctions?

#1: I don’t trust you!

This occurs when team members are unwilling to be honest with one another and are unwilling to admit their mistakes, weaknesses or need for help. Without a certain comfort level among team members, a foundation of trust is impossible.

#2: Conflict is difficult

Teams that are lacking on trust are incapable of engaging in open and honest debate about key issues, causing situations where team conflict can easily turn into personal attacks and back stabbing comments. In a work setting where team members do not openly and freely voice their opinions, inferior decisions can be the result.

#3: Lack of Commitment on everyone’s part

Without honest and open debate, and a sharing of ideas, it is difficult for team members to commit to decisions, creating an environment where the ‘who cares’ attitude can prevail. Lack of direction and commitment can make employees disgruntled.

#4: I’m not accountable, don’t look at me!

When teams don’t commit to a clear plan of action, when the leader won’t step up and take accountability, even the most focused and driven individuals hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that may seem counterproductive to the overall good of the team.

Team members naturally tend to put their own needs (ego, career development, recognition, etc.) ahead of the collective goals of the team when individuals aren’t held accountable. If a team has lost sight of the need for achievement, the business ultimately suffers.

The Functional Team

Having a strong, dedicated, vibrant and cohesive team is one of the few remaining competitive advantages available to any organization looking for a powerful point of differentiation. Functional teams avoid wasting time talking about the wrong issues; assigning blame and revisiting the same topics over and over again because of lack of buy-in. Functional teams also make better, smarter decisions and accomplish more in less time and with less distraction and frustration. Employees rarely leave organizations where they are a viable, important and appreciated part of a cohesive team.

Successful teamwork is not about some elusive theory you read about in a book, but rather about embracing common sense with discipline and persistence. Teams succeed because they are comprised of dysfunctional humans, who have learned how to be functional. Members of functional teams overcome the natural tendencies that make teamwork so difficult.

No team is perfect, I continue to struggle with the food on my plate touching, but by setting up boundaries and establishing guidelines so your Team can accomplish tasks, get results and minimize dysfunctions you are well on your way to creating a Functional Team.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reference
1 When You Grow Up In a Dysfunctional Family by George A. Boyd © 1992
http://www.mudrashram.com/dysfunctionalfamily2.html accessed 02/10/2010.
By John | Posted in How Dysfunctional Are You? | Comments (0)

Difficult People

February 8, 2010

How to Handle Difficult People

A co-worker is difficult for you to face. He is demanding you do part of his job without credit. How do you handle it?

Your boss openly criticizes you in front of everyone.  What do you say to her?

Your co-worker shoots down your ideas before you have finished explaining them. How do you deal with him?

Co-workers are constantly fighting creating havoc in the workplace. What do you say to them?

Difficult situations are part of everyone’s life. Employers and employees can’t get along.

If you ignore these situations, they always get worse. Employees get fired, partnerships break up, projects don’t get completed, everyone is miserable.

Waiting and worrying, the approach many of us take, allows the problem to get worse while giving you stress and creating increased unhappiness in your life.

Don’t attack the person. Attacks, rage or irrational anger gives you a bad name, makes people afraid of you and reduces honest communication.

Disconnecting from the problem or from the person is not wise or practical. Losing employees, supporters and friends because you needlessly disassociate from them may reduce your anxiety, but you might also find yourself the outsider.

The Best Solution Is to Professionally Confront the person, people or situation.

“The ability to stand up to and confront and handle whatever comes the way of the organization depends utterly on the ability of the individuals of the organization to stand up to, confront and handle what comes the individual’s way.” — L. Ron Hubbard

When you face and resolve the problem yourself, you feel wonderful. You are in control. You not only conquer the opposition, you conquer your fear. Few accomplishments are more satisfying than confronting someone who is difficult to face and handling the conflict.

How to Confront the situation.

It is never easy to confront someone.  Certainly not easy to do it in a calm and rational manner, but getting organized and working out a plan of action, confronting and handling people becomes much easier. The key is your preparation.

“THE SUCCESS OF ANY EVENT IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO THE TIMELY PREPARATION.” — L. Ron Hubbard

Follow these steps to prepare yourself for dealing with the difficult people in your life.

1. Make the decision to face up to the person directly and by yourself.

2. Write down the exact problem you need to handle and your goal for the confrontation.

Examples of problems to be confronted that you might write down:

“Tom and Jerry are hurting office morale and causing me stress with their continual fighting.”

“Laura is supposedly telling people that my work is inferior and I am dishonest.”

Once you specifically name or identify the problem, write down a goal for the meeting. “By the end of the meeting, I want . . . .”

Examples of goals or objectives you might want as a result of a confrontation:

“Tom and Jerry stop fighting.”

“Learn the truth about Laura’s comments and if true, get her to stop it.”

In some cases, your objective may also state:

“Figure out if I want this person as a partner/employee/boss/friend.”

3. Write down a Plan or List of Points You Need to Make to Support Your Goal: Facts, Reasons and explanations you may need the other person to understand. List the points in order of priority or importance.

4. Write down objections, reactions or disagreements the other person may have. Include everything you are afraid might happen during the meeting. Putting specific concerns and fears in writing reduces their impact on you.

For each objection, reaction or disagreement you expect will happen, write a solution of how you will deal with each.

5. Organize your notes and gather supportive documents.

6. Arrange the meeting where you will not be disturbed, preferably in a space you control.

7. Start the meeting.

  • Look the person directly in the eye.
  • Explain the specific problem you want to resolve.
  • Go over your first point on the list.
  • Listen carefully to the other person and make certain they feel understood.
  • Hold a position on your points.
  • Use your solutions to their reactions.
  • Continue describing your points and listening to the other person’s side.
  • Do not give up. Communicate and persist for as long as it takes to reach your goal.

The more frequently you confront and handle difficult people, the easier it becomes. The amount of time it takes to prepare for a confrontation decreases.

When you confront and handle everyone around you, people respect you for your courage, your honesty and your control. Your associates, employees or coworkers follow your example and become more productive. Your enemies either become harmless or become friends.

I can help you have a better understanding of yourself and your behaviors as well as the behaviors of those you deal with.  I can give you insight as to how you approach situations, as well as how best to approach others.

View Workplace on my web site.



By John | Posted in Difficult People | Comments (2)

Take Inventory

February 5, 2010

Take Inventory

No matter what your business, if you have goods or products to sell you take inventory.  That is essential to find out what you have and what you need.  We all take inventory in our business.

What few of us do is to take inventory of ourselves!  What do we have to offer?  What are our contributions?  What do we need to do to increase our effectiveness at work and at home?

In our business we would adjust our stock levels; we would reduce the non selling items and increase the popular ones.  Are you doing that in your life?  Are you adjusting your personal stock levels?  Are you reducing, eliminating or changing the behaviors that are not productive?  Are you increasing your behaviors that improve your performance?

In business you usually need help in taking inventory, the same is true in your personal performance.

Start by asking you some simple questions:

  • Are you happy with your performance?
  • Are you working with passion?
  • How does your performance affect those you work with?
  • What behaviors could be detrimental to your career?
  • What behaviors will boost your career?

Getting help from a mentor or coach can be very beneficial in taking inventory of YOU.

If you are looking for some assistance, check out the Your Path page of this web site

If you are looking for a coach or mentor I can help with that too. Contact me today to set up your own personalized Coaching program.

By John | Posted in Take Inventory | Comments (0)