Posts Tagged ‘effective managers’

Look Around, Recognize, and Celebrate Great Work!

Monday, November 1st, 2010

One challenge that I continually see with managers and supervisors is that recognition and celebration for great results is limited. While most managers and supervisors understand the importance of and are open to

Did you watch the video or did you rush ahead to continue reading? Hopefully you took the time to watch Joshua Bell, an internationally recognized, Grammy award winning violinist. He made an unexpected appearance at a Washington DC metro station. For approximately one hour, he played some of the greatest and most demanding classical music for nearly 1,100 people. He played these fine pieces of music on his rare and coveted Stradivarius violin, worth close to $3.5 million dollars. Of those 1,100 people, only 7 individuals stopped long enough to listen. The entrance fee for this rare and intimate performance was simply time and recognition of great work.

As leaders, managers, or supervisors, who get results, do you acknowledge who those who put forth a great performance? It is my belief that if we paused long enough to recognize great work and reinforce the behaviors of those with great performance, it will be repeated. Conversely, if we don’t see the value of people who are improving, or give lack luster recognition and celebration, organizations will continue to be average, often in survival mode with little drive and motivation from employees.

IF A GREAT MUSICIAN PLAYS GREAT MUSIC BUT NO ONE HEARS . . . WAS HE REALLY ANY GOOD?
It’s an old epistemological debate, older, actually, than the koan about the tree in the forest. Plato weighed in on it, and philosophers for two millennia afterward: What is beauty? Is it a measurable fact (Gottfried Leibniz), or merely an opinion (David Hume), or is it a little of each, colored by the immediate state of mind of the observer (Immanuel Kant)?

The full article, written by Gene Weingarten titled Pearls for Breakfast was published in the Washington Post. To read the article in its entirety, click here.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html\

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Posted in bottom line performance, bottom line results, recognition, relationships | 2 Comments »

Do Your Employees Dial 911? A True Story About Conflict and Problem Solving.

Thursday, March 5th, 2009

Do your employees dial emergency services in your organization when problems or conflict is encountered?On March 4th I opened my MSN internet homepage to see an interesting headline in the news section.  Woman has 911 meltdown over McNuggets, grabbed my attention and I clicked the link to read more.  This feature described a woman who was very upset when she ordered and paid for some Chicken McNuggets at McDonalds, and was then told that the store was out of McNuggets and that she would have to order something else from the menu.  The woman apparently had a craving for McNuggets and just wanted a refund.  When the cashier told her all sales were final and she had to pick an alternative choice, she apparently panicked and called 911 for assistance.  The woman was quoted saying “This is an emergency.”  If I would have known they didn’t have McNuggets, I wouldn’t have given my money, and now she wants to give me a McDouble (referring to a sandwich), but I don’t want one.”  As you may have guessed, despite calling 911 three times the police didn’t see the situation as one that required their help and left the woman to resolve it herself.

Although this news story seems hilarious and far-fetched, I can relate it to happenings in the workplace.  Co-workers often find themselves in the middle of legitimate conflicts and problems.  Rather than solving these conflicts and problems themselves, co-workers commonly run to their managers in hopes that they will make everything all better.  This occurs for a variety of reasons.  Employees may lack the skills to problem solve, they may feel uncomfortable with conflict, or they may lack the confidence to confront issues head on.  Like the police, effective leaders don’t come to the rescue.  Rather, they arm their employees with the ability to overcome such challenges.  Like the police, effective managers have bigger and more important situations to deal with and can’t waste time on situations that can be handled without them.  If you are a manager and feel like your employees are constantly dialing 911, you may need to to provide some training or skill development around problem solving, decision making, and conflict management.

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Posted in conflict, learning, problem solving, training others | No Comments »