Director, The Center for Workplace Excellence
Most of the people who???ve worked for me over the years have appreciated the fact that I enjoy laughing at the various problems that inevitably creep up each day. After all, one can get upset about problems, but what good does that do?
Unfortunately, trying to incorporate wit and humor in email often backfires. There???s been a ton already written about this, but after sending someone into a tailspin yesterday while trying in inject a bit of humor, I???m reminded that it would be wise for me to heed my own advice.
Depending on who is conducting the research, numbers will vary, but I tend to buy into the following numbers with regard to communication:
Body Language: 67 %
Voice Tone:?????? ??25%
Word Choices: 7%
???????????????????????????? ??- - - - -??
Total:???????????????????????? 100%
Out of all the studies I???ve seen measuring the impact of these three components, never have I seen word choices higher than 20%. So even if we were very forgiving in the various studies, and offered up a 20% or even a 25% Word Choice factor, that means 75% of true communication (at best) is missing from our email messages ??? and yes, even blog posts!!
OUCH!!
Emoticons help, but they don???t make up nearly as much as the subtle movement of your eyes or the corners of your mouth to indicate you???re joking about something.
So ??? follow Dan as he follows his own advice — Minimize the humor you put in your email unless you are very familiar with the person who???s receiving it ???. And even then, you need to exercise caution and somehow communicate that your humor is indeed just that.
Why? Because backtracking to rectify a misinterpretation is NO fun at all!!
]]>The Treasure Valley Consultants’ Network, run by Justin Beller, meets monthly for a brown bag lunch lecture at the WaterCooler, 1401 W. Idaho Street in downtown Boise (map).??Being a??busy business owner and consultant, my available??time for attending meetings is limited. But I’ve found TVCNet to be one of the most helpful organizations around. If you’re a consultant and you’ve not yet looked into joining, I recommend you do.
The next meeting is this coming Thursday (Nov. 20) from 11:30 am — 1:00 pm.?? TVCNet??member??John Bernardo will be giving a talk on What Sustainability Can Do forYour Business–and Your Clients.
By the way, if you’re a consultant in Idaho’s Treasure Valley and you’re interested in joining TVCNet, you can do so for 1/2-price through the rest of the year, only $17.50.?? If you have questions about the network, you can contact Justin Beller here.
]]>Director, The Center for Workplace Excellence??
The other day I came across an article that said the average US worker spends approximately two hours each day taking care of personal business, such phone calls, e-mail, personal shopping, and the like. If these are eight-hour workdays, that???s a substantial chunk of time, and an equally large cost to employers. In fact, the article stated that employers are shelling out $700,000,000,000 annually to pay for this ???personal time.???
I know a lot has already been written on this subject, but it remains a problem, so it???s not out of line to suggest it deserves continued attention. After all, 25 percent of a workday is a significant amount of time. It first begs the question “why is so much personal business being done at work?”
Perhaps one part of the answer is “because people can get away with it.” An Associated Press article last year reported that the town of Islip, New York saved nearly 14,000 gallons of gasoline over a three-month period after they installed GPS devices on their city vehicles. That???s??? a lot of gasoline, and again, a substantial cost to the employer. Based on typical mileage for city driving, that equates to about 70,000 miles and over $12,000 each month. Ouch!
Another part of the answer is probably ???because it???s reasonable.??? In yet another AP story, a civil servant (also in New York) was let go for spending too much time surfing the Internet at work. A judge ultimately ruled that the worker had to be reinstated, stating that the Internet is now as commonplace as telephones and newspapers. He said, “city agencies permit workers to use a telephone for personal calls, so long as this does not interfere with their overall work performance,??? and, “the Internet has become the modern equivalent of a telephone.”
??
???Back in the day??? (which is a parallel phrase to ???when I was a kid,??? that horrid expression that precedes a lecture), personal phone calls were totally forbidden at work, except in cases of emergency.?? Telephones were commonplace (I???m not THAT old), so it???s not like people couldn???t communicate. What???s changed?
The reality is that times are changing, and so are people???s attitudes of what is considered normal. Today???s technology enables communications and commerce to occur in ways that were unheard of even twenty years ago. A majority of baby boomers are keeping up, but ???keeping up??? is not a problem for Generation Y workers ??? especially those currently under the age of 25. To them, these technologies are commonplace and natural. And in their eyes, restrictions on ???quick and easy??? personal communication is akin to depriving them of food and water.
Let???s think about what that judge said. Yes, the Internet is commonplace these days. In fact, some newspapers and magazines are no longer printing paper versions. After 100 years of continuous publication, the Christian Science Monitor??is dropping??its paper version in favor on a 100 percent online version. Even giants like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times are moving in the direction of an online business model.??
And beyond basic news, the Internet invites personal time spent chatting and even online dating.?? Perhaps the next question ought to be ???what???s reasonable???? What used to be “just a few minutes” running personal errands has expanded into reading blog posts, newspapers, and magazine articles, plus researching new gadgets, scouring e-Bay, scanning personals, and chatting with friends.
In many jobs, restricting this behavior 100 percent would be seen as a Gestapo tactic, which would lead many Gen Y workers to seek employment elsewhere. Still, an average of two hours a day???25 percent of an eight-hour workday???seems a bit excessive.
Yet if employers want to keep these highly talented people around, a blend of personal time and work time is practically essential. Again, the question becomes ???how much is reasonable????
Naturally, what is reasonable will vary from job to job, so no one rule can apply across the board. Therefore, my advice in this matter is this: Employers, have conversations with your employees about this subject. In their hearts, most people know what is reasonable and what is not. By involving them in the decisions of what???s reasonable and what the consequences ought to be for overstepping the agreed decisions, you???re likely to get a lot more cooperation.
What???s more, you can???t just have this conversation once and say it???s a done deal.?? People will waiver every day. Regular, ongoing dialog will keep the matter in the front of people???s minds, and then they are more likely to be self-policing.??
Yes, you might have to hold the line and discipline some people. But the bottom line is that people are being paid to work, not handle their personal affairs. And although times are changing, personal work, on work time, should be kept to an absolute minimum.
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???Given today???s economic situation, we must leverage our resources to strengthen the skills of Idaho???s work force so we can have the greatest impact on our state???s economy,??? said Idaho Department of Labor Director Roger B. Madsen in a press release. ???This summit will advance the cutting edge, strategic concepts in work force and economic development that will keep our economy stable today and foster growth in the future.???
Participants will help develop a regional action plan and priorities for better aligning the skills of Idaho???s work force with industries in which both employment and wages are projected to increase significantly.
For more information on the Summit, contact Elena Duncan at 332-3570, ext. 3318.
]]>The first round of workshops are scheduled as follows:
January 24 & 25:?? Building Effective Teams [workshop details / registration info]
January 26:?? Effective Sales Management?? [workshop details / registration info]
January 31 & February 1:?? The Manager as Trainer???? [workshop details / registration info]
Workshops will be at the Holiday Inn Riyadh Minhal Hotel, Old Airport Road, in Riyadh.?? Local efforts in Riyadh are being coordinated by Leadership Development???s new Middle East associate, Fayez Tamimi.
According to Dan Bobinski, director of the Center for Workplace Excellence, “These workshops address the growing need for management development in expanding economies, but where human resource development is not yet able to keep up with demand.”
Companies with employees in the Middle East who would like more information on the workshops can contact the Center for Workplace Excellence at (208) 375-7606, or if in the Middle East, contact Fayez Tamimi at 009665-53487039.
]]>This past weekend,??a colleague and I were talking about the??upcoming changes at the national and global level. We talked about how major media conglomerates??affected our recent election by burying some stories and misleading people on others [see examples about the BBC, US Media]. And with that, we acknowledged that traditional news sources may no longer be trustworthy to provide the straight skinny on news people??use to make business??decisions!
We walked away from our conversation several thoughts:??
1. Businesses –especially small businesses–??may lose hope by succumbing to the ‘woe’??bombarding us??over the airwaves.?? And losing hope is akin to losing focus.??????????
2. Rather than being brought down by the drama of impending doom, business leaders must sharpen their focus and pinpoint the specific actions needed to improve their company’s success.
3. Business owners and??other organizational leaders??must regularly engage their teams about their sharpened focus, and include in these conversations a welcome expectation of new thoughts or ideas from everyone on the team for how to help make it work.
The key to all this is not get panicky or demanding, but hold steady with a confident sense of this is do-able.?? After all, managers and leaders “create the weather” under which their teams work.??
?? - If managers project the attitude that everything is a dark cloud, and people will run for cover.
?? - If managers project the attitude that a renewed focus on achievable actions will help you stay the course, and people will gain confidence.
So —??despite the headlines, what kind of weather are YOU creating?
- Dan
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Take a few hours on Tuesday morning, November 4 to attend a special presenation by Dan Bobinski on Managing Through Uncertainty: Engaging Change.?? (see flyer)
During the 90-minute presentation you’ll learn why most change efforts fail, plus the three things you need to do to make any change a success.
Also covered will be six things that keep people engaged and focused.
Date:?? Tuesday, November 4, 2008???????? 7:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Locale:?? Meridian School District Bldg, Salmon Room
???????????????????????????? 1303 E. Central Drive in Meridian, Idaho?? (see map)
Cost:???? $15???????? This goes to scholarships for the Idaho Dep’t of Labor Employers Ass’n in Ada County.
Your registration includes continental breakfast, and door prizes will also be given away.
To register, call Alisa Bondurant at (208) 332-3575,?? ext. 3545, or email alisa.bondurant@labor.idaho.gov
Thanks to Best Western, Comfort Inn, and Sleep Inn for sponsoring the event.
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A few weeks back I signed a book deal with Career Press to pen a book entitled “Creating Passion-Driven Teams: How to Stop Micromanaging and Motivate People to Top Performance.”??
This is exciting for me, because after coaching and training managers and management teams for nearly 20 years, I’ll be able to share what I’ve seen and taught that REALLY works.
Also, an added boost to the book: After reviewing my prelimary outline and a few sample chapters, best-selling author Gary Harpst has agreed to write the foreword for my book.?? (If you haven’t??done so yet,??be sure to pick up??Gary’s latest book, “Six Discplines Execution Revolution: Solving the One Business Problem That Makes Solving All Other Problems Easier.”)?? Gary’s got great insights and is another person who can take complex issues and make them easy to understand.?? His contribution will be most appreciated!
Creating Passion-Driven Teams is scheduled for a June 09 release.?? I’ll post more info on how to order a copy when we’re closer to publication.
]]>About the presentation, Dan says “The only thing that stays the same in business is change ??? and with the economy experiencing a major shakeup, every day presents new challenges and opportunities.”??
How managers adapt to the changing horizon is the difference between surviving or thriving. In other words, the tried and true may have worked well up until now, but is it the best way to continue?
Engaging change is now an item on every company???s ???to do??? list, and employers need those changes to work right away.?? In this presentation, managers will learn why most change efforts fail, and the three things they can do to give their efforts the very best chance of succeeding.?? They???ll also learn what to do to keep employees engaged and focused.
For 20 years, Dan Bobinski has worked with business owners, managers, and senior management teams, helping them find ways past workplace challenges. Don???t miss this workshop!??
The cost of this workshop (only $15) serves as a fundraiser for the Ada County Department of Labor Employers Association so the association can award scholarships.
Register by contacting Alisa Bondurant at (208) 332-3575, ext. 3545 (or email at alisa.bondurant@labor.idaho.gov),?? or?? Ken Wilson at (208) 332-3575 ext. 3479 (or by e-mail ken.wilson@labor.idaho.gov).
A continental breakfast is served,??and the??workshop is approved for CEU’s.
Location: The Meridian School District Services Center, 1303 East Central Drive in Meridian, Idaho??(map) in the Salmon Room at the east end of the building.?? The workshop runs from 7:30 am - 9:30 am.
]]>You also??might enjoy this insightful tidbit I received in my inbox today:
Toyota and Ford decided to have an annual canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced hard to reach their peak performance before the first race, but on the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.
Ford decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their initial findings: The Japanese had eight people rowing and one person steering. The American team had eight people steering and one person rowing.
Feeling a deeper study was in order, Ford hired a consulting company and paid a large sum for a second opinion. Their findings were the same.
Ford???s senior management recommended their canoe team be reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 steering directors, and one steering manager. They also implemented a new performance-management system that gave the one person rowing greater incentive to work harder. It was called the ‘Rowing Team Quality First Program,’ with meetings, dinners, and free pens for the rower. There was discussion of getting new a new canoe, paddles, and other equipment, plus extra vacation days for high levels of productivity during practices.
The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American company laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to senior executives as bonuses and the next year’s racing team was out-sourced to India.
Yes, that???s fiction, but sadly, here are some real facts to think about:
FORD spent the last thirty years moving much of its production out of the US, claiming they can’t make money paying American wages.
TOYOTA spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the United States.
The last quarter’s results? TOYOTA made $4.26 billion in profits while Ford racked up $7.8 billion in losses.??
Go figure!?? Granted, the story is fiction, but it illustrates some important points.?? Between that and the piece at management-issues.com, what is it that American companies are not understanding nor doing?
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