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Editor: Dr. Wolf J. Rinke
Publisher: Wolf Rinke Associates, Inc.
(c) 2005 Wolf J. Rinke
Vol. 8 No. 3, June/July 2005
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IN THIS ISSUE
1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
2. DON'T BE TOUGH
3. SPECIAL MONEY SAVING OFFER FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
4. HUMOR BREAK
5. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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REALITY CHECK
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"To be humble to superiors is a duty. To equals, it is a courtesy.
To subordinates, it is nobility."
--Benjamin Franklin
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1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
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Only 14 percent of U.S. workers are very satisfied with their work,
and 50 percent are satisfied, down from 59 percent in 1995, according
to a recent survey conducted by The Conference Board, a New York business
research group. That leaves 36 percent of employees who are dissatisfied.
The biggest decline in job satisfaction is in workers earning $25,000
to 35,000 and those who are 35 to 44 years of age.
ACTION STEPS
Don't be tough--see the article that follows.
Source: The Conference Board, "U.S. Workers More Dissatisfied with
Jobs," Associated Press, www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7045772, Feb 28,
2005.
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2. DON'T BE TOUGH
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Managing people is tough business that requires a tough manager. And
it is true that sometimes managers have to make tough calls. Jack Welch,
former CEO of GE--regarded by many as the most successful executives
of all time--says that GE made a leap forward when they made the tough
call of removing what he calls Type IV leaders: "the manager who
doesn't share [GE's] values, but delivers the numbers; the 'go-to' manager,
the hammer, who delivers the bacon but does it on the backs of people,
often 'kissing up and kicking down' during the process." These,
according to Mr. Welch, are "the toughest to part with because
organizations always want to deliver--it's in the blood--and let someone
go who gets the job done is yet another unnatural act." So make
sure that you do not conduct yourself as a Type IV leader!
From my experience toughness is often confused with arrogance and its
partner in crime ego. Both will lead to disaster as one manager, let's
call him Albert, found out after he had given his team members a very
tough talk explaining why he had fired about 20 percent of their colleagues.
He concluded his "pep talk" by asking those who were left
to "use your drive, your passion, and your desire to win"
to improve productivity because otherwise there might have to be other
cuts.
After this meeting the employees basically went into shock. Instead
of increasing their productivity, it decreased. Morale went into the
tank. In response I was hired to coach Albert to improve his interpersonal
skills and help him rebuild the team.
When I asked Albert the reason for the approach he used during the employee
meeting he told me that he wanted to let them know how bad things had
gotten. "And the only way I was going to be able to communicate
that was to be tough." He simply could not understand why they
took it so personal. "I was just trying to light a fire under them"
were his words.
Subsequent to this meeting I started to coach Albert and we began the
repair process with his team members by calling another employee meeting.
To get him ready for that meeting I convinced Albert that there was
no need to "light a fire" under his employees. "Albert,
I said, your team needs a soft manager, someone who is caring and nurturing."
Since I had found out that Albert's son had taken ill, I advised Albert
to assume that the employees in front of him were just like his sick
son, and that he was to speak to them from his heart, in a caring and
nurturing way as he had spoken to his ailing son earlier that day. I
also encouraged him to make himself vulnerable by talking about the
challenges that he was facing and to use most of his available time
to focus on them, not on himself or the management team. Surprisingly,
Albert did an extremely effective job to the point that the HR representative
told me that "she had never seen that side of Albert before."
Unfortunately the president of SWMC had already put pressure on Albert's
boss to replace him. Enough pressure, that even though Albert's boss
was generally satisfied with Albert's performance, Albert had been reassigned
in less than six months from the time he made the tough comments to
his team.
Even though this situation clearly called for a soft approach, I agree
with management consultant William Peace, who maintains that it is hard
work to be a soft manager. Peace maintains, in his Harvard Business
Review article [79 (11):99-104, 2001] that in addition to the qualities
of intelligence, energy, confidence and responsibility, managers should
also be candid, sensitive and be willing to suffer the painful consequences
of unpopular decisions. Peace concluded: "Being vulnerable to the
give-and-take of ordinary emotional cross fire and intellectual disagreement
makes us more human, credible, and open to change."
SMART STEPS
Develop what Prof. Marty Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania
calls "learned optimism," in the book of the same title, by
developing your "positive explanatory style (PES)." A great
way to develop PES is to start each day with an attitude of gratitude.
Here's how:
o Start softly. Use a clock radio that plays music that is soft and
pleasant to wake you up. Don't use a loud alarm clock.
o Start slowly. Allow yourself enough time to prepare for the day's
activities at a civilized pace. Don't get up at the last possible moment.
o Focus on the good stuff. Think of three specific things you can be
grateful for while sitting on the "throne." Do this every
day! Don't worry about how original you are.
o Start positively. Think about the positive things you expect to accomplish
that day. Don't listen to news of the world's problems or worry about
your own problems while you are getting your day started.
o Make yourself laugh. If you read the paper while eating breakfast,
skip the negative 'stinking thinking' news. Skim the headlines to keep
yourself informed. Read the comics before you put the paper away, and
be sure to make yourself laugh. Yes, I said make yourself laugh!
o Give love. Find something positive to say to your spouse and children
and be sure to tell them how much you love them before they or you leave
home. Don't pick on them as the last thing you do before you leave home.
Continue the process when you get to work.
Another way to develop PES is to master the PIN technique. It's a three-step
mental process to help you find the good in the bad. First focus on
what is positive (P), then on what is interesting or innovative (I),
and last on what is negative (N).
Give more of what you want. It's a shortcut to leadership success,
because life is like a mirror--what ever you put in, comes right back
to you. Help your team members find satisfaction in what they do and
you will be more satisfied. Love team members the way they are, and
you will experience more love. You catch my drift?
Ask team members to make specific commitments and to sign their commitments
and you will get greater compliance.
Be specific and confident when you share with customers how your team
has successfully helped other customers with similar problems.
SOURCE: Based in part on Chapter 6 of my new book Don't Oil the Squeaky
Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve Your Leadership Effectiveness,
McGraw-Hill, 2004.
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4. HUMOR BREAK
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Scott, a real pessimist, wanted to become an optimist. His friend Dennis,
who was an avid skydiver, suggested that Scott learn to skydive. "There
simply is nothing more optimistic than skydiving," said Dennis.
So after taking the requisite lessons, Scott was ready to make his first
jump. Just before taking him up for the big day, the instructor reviewed
what Scott could expect:
1. Once we reach the proper altitude I will give you the command at
which time you will jump.
2. Once you are airborne, pull this cord.
3. In the unlikely event your chute does not open, pull the emergency
cord.
4. After you land, one of my guys will arrive in a pick-up truck and
take you back to your car.
They take off into the wild blue yonder and upon command Scott jumps.
Once airborne he pulls the cord to open his parachute.
Unfortunately, the chute does not open, and Scott says to himself: "Don't
panic, you were taught what to do."
So he pulls his emergency cord and still nothing happens. At which point
Scott says to himself:
"This is just great. And I bet the truck won't be there either."
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5. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
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These full day seminars maybe open to you, especially if your company
is a member of the Institute of Management Studies (IMS). Contact the
Chairperson for additional information.
Winning Management: Building a Peak Performance Workplace
6/23/05 Dallas/Ft. Worth, Mike Godwin, dfw@ims-online.com
10/5/05 Houston, Gail Brichford, houstonims@aol.com
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6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is an internationally recognized keynote speaker
and seminar leader who delivers customized presentations that combine
story telling, humor and motivation with specific "how to"
action strategies that participants can apply immediately to improve
their management and personal effectiveness. He is also a highly effective
management consultant, executive coach and author of 13 books including
Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve
Your Leadership Effectiveness and Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies
for Building High-Performance Organizations available at www.WolfRinke.com
To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services call 800-828-9653 or mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com
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7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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