by Tech Support | Oct 20, 2014 | Education, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Performance, Personal
I ran across Mr. Rogers’s quote this morning, and it made me laugh out loud! Once I gathered myself I got to thinking about how true this statement really is. As the leader of a training company you might imagine that I’m obsessed with how people learn. To that end, we are always trying to figure out the best ways to teach, motivate, and inspire ourselves and others.
Some folks, as Will Rogers suggests, only need to read the information. Others need to watch what needs to be done. But I will go so far as to say that until you “do it” (pee on the electric fence), you don’t know that YOU can do the job at hand. You have no belief about what will work because you have no experience. Once you do it for yourself, you have a TON of information about the outcome.
In our company we laugh at each another (I hope), because we know that sometimes it feels like we (I’ve), shoved our own team members into the deep end of the pool. (Please know that I am standing on the side of the pool with a life vest, and will jump into the pool with them if need be.)
The reality is that your team members can only perform when you let them. They do need training. I would say that you need to teach through documentation, observation, hands on training, and then allow them to “sink or swim” as you shove them into the pool. Maybe you will be kinder than me and allow them to wade in the shallow water first! Regardless, you have to let them do the job.
I encourage you to take a “training” break today. Think about what you do to get someone on your team fully up to speed. Are you providing ongoing training? Are you checking in to see who could assume more responsibility? How is your turnover? You know high turnover could be a symptom of inefficiency in training–which results in a lack of confidence and comfort for your employees.
I hope you have a great week. If you are looking to smile, you might look up anything Will Rogers has ever said. It was a great break for me today and inspired me to communicate with you! As always, I would love to hear your feedback, share your thoughts about today’s article.
by Tech Support | Oct 13, 2014 | Guest Services, Leadership, Management, Motivation, Performance, Personal, Service
You’ve Got to Get Out of Your Head and Into Their Hearts. One of the most significant things I’ve learned as a business owner is that your team CANNOT read your mind.
As a business owner we have vision. We understand why we are willing to work until midnight and on weekends and holidays. It’s easy to overlook why you will risk it all. You believe that you are making a difference in the world.
Guy Kawasaki calls it “near obsession”.
We wonder why others might not see it as we do, and honestly, it is because you haven’t taken the time to get it out of your head and into the hearts of the people who serve the guests you are trying to take care of.
Help them understand why you do what you do. Tell them the story of why you are in business. Even if you are not the business owner you probably have a reason WHY you work for this company.
Tell your story. What do you stand for? Why do you show up every day? What do you mean to do?
I don’t care what job you have. If you don’t know why you are there… if you don’t know what difference you make in the world… if you don’t know that what you do matters… then you need to do something else. Remind your staff that they DO matter and they are part of your vision.
We just have this one life… this one chance. It needs to matter. Is what you do important? Do you matter? Does the world count on you showing up every day? We would love to hear from you. Click here and share with us on Facebook.
by Tech Support | Oct 7, 2014 | Sales
Have you ever looked at your day and wondered how you were going to get through it? Sometimes it can be overwhelming and stressful. That stress can create frustration, anger, timidity, or even cause you to feel paralyzed and to procrastinate… (add your words here of what happens to you).
I don’t know about you, but I’ve had times when I just shut down and do busy work that does not require much focus. There is a cyclical impact when you put things off and just worry about what needs to be done. You know what I mean; you do other stuff and the stuff that is causing the stress is still there, needing to be done!
Nike probably has it right with their “Just Do It” mantra. Easier said than done; right?
I actually have a brand new solution that seems to work 100% of the time. Get ready, you may not want to read this. Those of you that know me understand that this year has been a real growth year for my family as my husband battles lymphoma. Many of you have faced cancer in your lives, so I think you’ll know what I mean.
In the beginning of the cancer journey, the Dr. had to fill out paperwork for JD’s employer. There was a line on the form that said Prognosis:_________________________. Crazy enough, I equate prognosis with outcome and can easily relate it to anything that needs to be done. With that in mind, I’ll finish the story.
Our Doc is straight to the point. If she stresses about anything it must be for only a single second. Also, she tells the truth. Here’s how this line on the form read–pretty simple, and extremely stressful!
Prognosis: Remission/Death
If I’m perfectly honest with you I can tell you that the STRESS of this one line on one form made all the other stresses in my life seem pretty minor. Perspective is a phenomenal thing. It might be hard to believe, but it has become the joke with our family. Remission/Death, and “It’s not cancer” have become inside jokes for us. So no matter how bad stuff is; no matter the stress of the day, week, or month– “It’s not cancer” is our mantra. And even then, when it IS cancer, there’s hope and love and a way to move forward.
As an update, Jerry went back to work last week. The doc had to fill out new forms and made some changes.
Prognosis: Good
You see, sometimes you just have to move through the hard stuff to get to the good stuff on the other side. May your days be filled with good stress, and when the bad stress creeps in and you feel immobilized just remember– “It’s not cancer.”
