So the conversation goes something like this:
“I think we might have an employee morale issue here at ABC Company” says someone high up the food chain.
“Let’s get a task force together to look into the issue. Perhaps they can hire someone to do a study and identify if this is an issue and suggest what actions should be implemented” says someone else up the food chain.
STOP!!!!!! Brutal release
RIGHT NOW!!!
You don’t need a task force or a study. Save your money.
If you’re questioning an issue there is clearly an issue. As my good friend Lynn Robinson (Trust Your Gut) says; use your intuition. Now take the financial resources you were going to invest in that STUDY and do the following:
- Put a recognition program in place
- Hold a special event for staff
- Give them some well-deserved training; hire a speaker/trainer on a host of topics and give them a fun learning experience
- Host a Communicate-a-thon where you share information about what is going on in the company
- Consider changing people’s roles
- Hold a Recess of sorts – a team building opportunity to increase morale, productivity and wellness
- Host a breakfast or lunch where the directors/officers serve the employees
The bottom line is this…….If you think there is a problem there probably is. Spending money to find out makes no sense; when the time and money spent on the above items would most likely be less and can only improve morale; even if morale is already high. And studies mean people are poking around getting your staff anxious, upset and crazed.
So even if your intuition was wrong, the money was spent keeping the people happy who drive your daily business operations.
Now take this one step further. What other issues/ideas are you “studying” when you could actually be making advances in products, services and/or people.
Make sense to you?
Think about this:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments
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COWS
buy The Hot Chick Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls; but they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.
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THE CONSTITUTION
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq …. Why don’t we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we’re not using it anymore.
———————————————————————–
THE 10 COMMANDMENTS
The real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse or Congress is this — you cannot post ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’ ‘Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery’ and ‘Thou Shall Not Lie’ in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians …. it creates a hostile work environment.
————————————————————————
Also, think about this … if you don’t want to share this this for fear of offending someone — some would say you are part of the problems. It is time for America to speak up!
Okay, it’s worth a laugh. But let’s face it; there is a lot of truth to it.
In my post of August 5th you read about the UPS Man and Big Brother. If you haven’t go read that first before continuing.
So yesterday afternoon I see the UPS Man backing down the street. As Dave got out of the truck I congratulated him on breaking the rule of no backing up; the rule that he shared with me just two days earlier. Dave just laughed.
Well I guess Big Brother (Dave’s Supervisor and/or the Powers That Be at UPS) learned that they were wrong. Dave was told that he is spending too much time out of the truck and it is taking too long to make deliveries. Start backing up again was the new directive. Seemed like a game of Simon Says; or in this case UPS says. UPS says back up. UPS says don’t back.
Really!!!!! No kidding!
Once again Dave just laughed at the whole situation. I really love this guy; I love his attitude. He just finds the amusement in the ever changing directives of his job. Or maybe he found a customer with whom he can laugh?
But it did get me thinking about how employees are constantly asked to adapt and change; and how some deal with as if their right arm was just blown off by a hand grenade while others look for the humor and laugh at the situation as companies try ever so hard taking steps to keep the business profitable and perhaps keep employees employed. Some take it in stride; others look for the opportunity to become a toxic employee and decrease employee morale. It reminded me of the companies who hire me and give me green light to poke fun at the craziness and chaos – to make fun of it; while at the same time offering tools and techniques to gain understanding and buy-in of staff. It offered another case of companies realizing that going back to basics – in the way we think and operate – is often times a good thing. I guess sometimes the only thing that is constant is that change is always occurring.
So what about you………..Are you laughing or whining at the never-ending change within your organization?
This new policy for printer paper was sent to me by a friend. I don’t know whether to applaud it or laugh at it? I applaud the idea; the concept. I laugh that someone on the staff actually had to write instructions on how to recycle paper. Perhaps the budget problem is not printer paper; but having too many people on the payroll with way too much time on their hands?
Here goes………
Upon suggestion from our Chief Fiscal Officer, we’d like you all to adopt the following practice to save paper, which in turn will save the agency money, important in this time of extreme fiscal austerity, and save some trees, important always.
Begin immediately to use the blank back side of your recycled paper in the LAN computer printers. To do this, simply
* Collect your discarded, single side printed paper rather than recycle it immediately
* Draw a line or two through the printed side of the paper with either a pen or hi-liter to show that its the ‘old’ side
* When you’ve collected a reasonable amount of such paper, place it blank side up in your LAN printer
* Once the now two sided page has served it’s purpose, the please recycle the sheet
This way you’ll be fully using the paper before sending it on its way.
Note that this is not a suitable practice for the agency photocopiers, even if they’re also used as LAN printers. That’s because they’re already defaulted to do 2 sided copying to minimize paper use and maximize cost savings and efficiency.
If there are any questions about this, please contact me.
You have no idea how I want to include his name and contact information here
Walking out of my door the other day I ran into the UPS Delivery Man. It was 5:00 PM. He was delivering the next two books on my reading list: Play, by Stuart Brown and Who’s Got Your Back Trauma film by Keith Ferrazzi.
I asked him where his truck was parked. It clearly was not in front of my house. He laughed.
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I live on a cul-de-sac; aka a dead end street for those of us who aren’t pretentious; a narrow dead end street. UPS is now not allowing their drivers to back up more than 50 feet. My street is more than 50 feet long. No U-Turns either unless they meet a certain criteria. Yep, he must now walk the packages down the street for delivery to the seven homes.
Yikes!
“Would they really know if you backed up or made a U-Turn”, I asked.
Eight Days a Week buy Virus Apparently so. Seems that these trucks are monitored to watch every move the truck now makes. Dave, the UPS Man, shared how there are wires all over the truck and that a Real-Time Google Earth like package is used to monitor a driver’s every move. I guess no more hanky-panky or taking naps in the truck either?
I started to walk up the street with Dave. I was really curious about this. “So like I could be getting you in trouble because you’re talking to me rather than delivering packages” was my next question. He chuckled and remarked well if someone really wanted to make an issue I guess so.
Born Yesterday hd This blew my mind. But I really loved Dave’s spirit and attitude about the whole thing. You could tell some of it didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but he was just being a good UPS Soldier. Companies are always trying new things. Some work. Some don’t. Some ideas are innovative; some are not. Some increase employee morale; some throw employee morale off a bridge. Some lead to layoffs; others lead to layoffs followed by scrambling to hire people.
Now I know that the folks at UPS will say it is about driver safety, keeping rates down, being a Greener Company, blah, blah, blah. And I know that women (and some men) who lust after their package delivery man might find this nice as these men in shorts parade through neighborhoods for longer periods of time. But this really is Big Brother watching at its finest.
I’ve also got to wonder if there really is a savings here? The UPS Man used to arrive in my neighborhood about 2:30PM. Now he arrives over two hours later? I guess I also wonder, how you the reader, adapt to change when it seems to make no sense?
In the past couple of months I’ve been asked on several occasions how I seem to not let things bother me when they don’t end up as I would like. After spending way too long being mad at the world; plotting evil against the offender; getting disappointed every time something did not turn out as expected; I realized I had a couple of options:
- I could remain angry and upset
- I could move on
Now don’t get me wrong; I do get disappointed; which is why I used the word remain. We all do. And if anyone tells you they don’t I have two words for them…………………………YOU LIE!
But then I ask myself how healthy is it to stay in that state of disappointment? What benefit is there? So as I write this I think about you, the reader, you who probably have had setbacks and disappointments from time to time. I thought I would pass these thoughts along:
- If a prospect did not hire you or retain your services; it is not about the next client that will be knocking on your door; it is about WHO is the next client that will hire you. Go after them. NOW.
- If your idea was not accepted by your boss or ”The Committee”, what other great idea is in your head that needs to be presented to them right now. Tap into your inner creativity and innovative thinking immediately.
- If you didn’t get the job, it’s not about there will be another or better job, but what or where is that other or better job and what are you doing right now to go after it?
- If your yearly performance evaluation was less than stellar start looking at how to improve rather than trying to validate why the evaluator is wrong. And once you’ve done that, get even with these: http://shop.nevergrowup.com/product.sc?productId=30&categoryId=1
The other day I was notified by a prospect that I was not chosen as their closing keynote speaker. They decided to go in “another direction.” I love that phrase; especially when you inquire about the other direction and they don’t respond. I can sit there and wonder why I wasn’t chosen; was it fee, style, topic, etc? I don’t get it; they said they wanted something fun. Something motivational? That’s me??? I used to do that. But no more. No more inquiries. No more trying to figure out why; instead I just offer to be a resource for contacts to help them find their other direction.
America’s Best Dance Crew: Top 10 Performances of All Time movie download We seem to live in a world where people think that things happen for a reason. Soemthing better is supposed to happen. Something bigger is coming along. To a degree I agree. A small degree.
My question for you is what are you doing to make what happens after the disappointment occurs. Disappointment and rejection only lead to bigger and better things if you look forward not backward; and take immediate action to get as far away from the disappointment as possible.
Or you can wallow in pity while the rest of us stampede across your head.
I hate cold calling. Nothing worse. I’d rather shoot myself in the eye, eat poop, or torch myself with gasoline. But more importantly I hate people who love cold calling.
I remember my first cold call sales job at 18 years of age. They described it as fun marketing. I lasted one week. Getting on the phone and saying, “Hi this is Rich calling from MCI, the Nation’s Long Distance Phone Service” got me sick. I would pray that no one answered; or an answering machine picked up. Yes, answering machines – the ones that had to wind and rewind before you got to leave a message. Remember those? And when someone did pick up………….
PUKE!
Okay hate is the wrong word. I don’t really hate those people. I’m jealous. Envious. Fascinated. Anyone who can get on the phone and try to sell something to someone they do not know, someone who they have no relationship with – and enjoy it – is a godlike person in my book.
I like those warm calls. Or the hot leads. But cold calls………..Can you see me running past you now?
The Score film So this guy Ulysses keeps calling me and leaving messages that he wants to talk with me about working together. That’s all he says and leaves a return phone number. No last name. No company name. Just Ulysses. He called Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of last week as well as yesterday. He called about the same time and left the same cryptic message. UNKNOWN came up on my caller ID. I don’t answer those calls.
So today the phone rang about the same time. I decided to pick up the phone. I am certain it was Ulysses. It said unknown. I said hello. The person hung up.
And then I started thinking about people who make cold calls. I really do believe the ones who do it as a job and not as a livelihood are secretly glad we’re not available. I know I was.
Hey Kids!
My client is allowing me to invite some friends to this Fun & Funny Leadership program this coming Wednesday. If you and or anyone in your organization is looking to escape the office for a bit, learn something and have a heck of a lot of fun doing it Get In Touch
Are You The Weakest Leader?- 1 Hour Workshop
With Rich DiGirolamo
A fun interactive session in game show format.
Come find out what people REALLY know about leadership, their peers, and their organization.
This interactive, entertaining, competitive, and at times humbling session ultimately lays the foundation for turning non-managers into managers; non-leaders into leaders.
It also gives current leaders an opportunity to become even better in their roles.
Key outcomes will be:
· Identifying the Celebrity Leader in Everyone
· Designing the Perfect Leader
· Whitesnake: Live… in the Still of the Night release How Creativity sparks leadership
Wednesday, July 29th from 11am to Noon
Valley Chamber of Commerce, 900 Bridgeport Avenue, #2, Shelton
CBS Sunday Morning News will be on-site filming this workshop!
CONTACT Rich to register:
203.879.5970
Website: http://richdigirolamo.com
I walked into Pier 1 the other day. Three employees were seen near the door. Not a hello. Not a smile. Nothing. I’m pretty sure I was the only one in the store. For crying out loud folks, we’re in a recession. Money and credit cards just walked in your door. You should be offering me cocktails; be willing to wash my car while I shop. But it makes you wonder if employee morale is so low and fear of losing jobs is so high that people cannot focus on their work.
Rosemary’s Baby movie download Now if you’ve ever been inside a Pier 1 you know that there is crap (in a good way) all over the place and unless you have time to browse it is just better to ask. So I asked for help. The response was “I don’t know.” That was it. No, let me see or let me ask someone else. I didn’t think it was my job to tell her how to do her job; although if the folks at Pier 1 Corporate want to talk with me about a Customer Service/Employee Morale presentation click here. I walked out.
Yesterday I received a statement from my disabled uncle’s landlord (Westchester Property Mgmt, Hartsdale NY) . All it says was his June rent was not received (July was). There was no contact information on the ledger record printout. No business card in the envelope. Nothing. First I checked to see if the check cleared. It did. Then I searched the Internet for a phone number. I called and spoke to Adele. During our conversation I offered Adele a suggestion…….Perhaps putting some contact information on documents they send out would be helpful. Her response to me was that I was lucky (yes lucky!) that she even sent out the form. Nice!
Well the witch said she would do some research and get back to me. I shot off the following email to the CFO; who I had to deal with in the past when their office screwed up.
Hi Paul,
Once again your office gives me a poor example of customer service which I can’t wait to use in my next customer service presentation. I’ve already Tweeted about it.
I offer a suggestion, like putting some contact information on documents that you send to a tenant (to make it a bit easier to follow-up), and Adele gives me a response that I am lucky she did me a favor by even sending the information. NICE!
How about “good idea.” Or “thank you.” Or “we’ll look into it.” Did you folks ever hear of just making the customer feel better and agreeing; even when you do nothing.
Quite the organization you have there; I’m glad my only dealings with the staff have usually been with them fixing their own internal errors/bookkeeping. Keep up the great work. Superman II: Director’s cut release
Assuming she needs a copy of the lost/misapplied check for Mr. Singer’s Account, XXX River Road, maybe you can let me know, instead of her contacting me. I have no time or patience for arrogance. You have been quite helpful in the past which is why I am sending this to you.
Of course it was their error. Again – by the way. Not that I’m counting. But this time I put the phone number in my contact database. Paul laughed off the witch’s comment when he called me.
We can argue whether employee morale and customer service are getting better or worse in these tough economic times. I’ve seen surveys that show both are true. And we all know how surveys can be skewed or falsely interpreted. But here is what I do know………If your employees are unhappy it clearly is going to impact your level of customer service; and usually not in a good way. Keep your eyes and ears open and most importantly keep communication, team meetings and training opportunities in your plan now more than ever. You have the resources for this. You do.
The property management company has me by the you-know-whats. I’m not about to move my uncle; but in most cases, especially retail, people have options. And for those reading this in a business where there are options, what can you do today to make sure morale and service are improving?
Just received the following email from a client:
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Hi Rich - Please find your speaker contract and fax a signed copy back to me at your earliest convenience. Thanks Houseboat
Nothing was attached to the email. So I sent her this:
So was something supposed to be attached or do I really have to FIND it?
I hope she has a sense of humor.
