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Editor: Dr. Wolf J. Rinke
Publisher: Wolf Rinke Associates, Inc.
(c) 2009 Wolf J. Rinke
Vol. 12 No. 5, October-November 2009
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1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
2. AN INEXPENSIVE ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAL FOR TOUGH TIMES
3. PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES FOR TOUGH TIMES-PART II
4. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
5. HUMOR BREAK
6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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REALITY CHECK
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"Always make other people look better than you."
--Wolf J. Rinke,
Source: Make it a Winning Life Perpetual Desk Calendar, see paragraph
#2.
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1. NEWS YOU CAN USE
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THINK PEAK PERFORMERS WON'T LEAVE YOU DURING TOUGH TIMES?
Think again. In a survey of high potentials 21% of men and 16% of woman
decided to change organizations during this recession.
ACTION STEPS
Read the next article and take action.
Source: High Potentials in the Downturn: Sharing the Pain, HBR 87 (9),
2009: 25, for the full report go to www.catalyst.org/publication/332/hipo.
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2. AN INEXPENSIVE ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLIDAY GIFT IDEAL FOR TOUGH TIMES
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3. PERFORMANCE INCENTIVES FOR TOUGH TIMES--Part II
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In the last issue of this eNewsletter
(http://wolfrinke.com/WMNEWSLETTER/wm0809.htm) you discovered the
first five rules that will lead to peak performance even in tough times:
Rule #1: Practice Management by Appreciation (MBA)
Rule #2: Tie rewards to performance.
Rule #3: Tie rewards to needs
Rule #4: Do it in public.
Rule #5: Be fair.
Here are the other seven:
Rule #6: Do it in a timely manner
Receiving a reward or recognition six month after an employee has gone
the extra mile loses its impact. So do it now! And don't worry if not
all employees are present. A CEO comes to mind who would upon catching
employees doing something right, randomly take out a crisp new twenty
dollar bill and give it to the employee in front of her peers. (Yes,
money-if used this way-does result in increased performance. Plus it
has the added advantage of addressing Rule#2 since it can be converted
into many neat things that employees want.)
Rule #7: Do it randomly
B. F. Skinner figured this out some time ago. Random rewards are more
powerful than recurring ones. You are violating this rule if employees
get upset every time you are not rewarding them. Recognizing team members
randomly causes the desired behaviors to be more likely repeated and
reduces the WIIFM-what's in it for me-entitlement effect.
Rule #8: Tell stories
Get extra mileage out of your rewards and recognitions by becoming a
storyteller. Telling stories about how Jolly Joe went out of his way
to cheer up a depressed patient who was on the verge of taking his life,
or how Super Sue went the extra mile to insure that the customer got
his order on time helps employees internalize what's important around
here, and begins to shape behavior and performance more effectively
than even the best policy you have ever written.
Rule #9: Be specific
When recognizing team members be very clear about what is being rewarded
or recognized. Instead of saying "Great job," say instead:
"I'm really impressed that you stayed late just to make sure that
the customer gets his order on time. That's what I call delivering excellent
customer service!" That level of specificity allows everyone who
hears it to emulate the behavior and increases the probability that
similar actions will be repeated.
Rule #10: Recognize three-quarters of employees
Two common dilemmas managers face is that those who do not receive a
reward get jealous or that the same people get recognized all the time
and the others give up. If that happens in your team, it means you are
being too stingy. Your goal should be to reward or recognize at least
three-quarters of all your employees over the course of a year. That
way all team members are more likely to continue to strive for peak
performance all year long.
Rule #11: Offer lots of variety
Since it's difficult to adhere to Rule#2, and since once a reward is
received it becomes an expectation, introduce lots of variety all of
the time. (Bob Nelson's book: 1001 Ways to Reward Employees is a great
resource.) For example many managers love to recognize extraordinary
performance with our 111% lapel pin. However once an employee has received
a 111% pin the second one has a much lower perceived value. That's why
one of my clients reverted to the old "Green Stamp" approach
that allows employees to exchange a specific number of pins for increasingly
more valuable prizes.
Rule #12: Get employees involved
This rule saves you lots of time and dramatically increases your overall
management effectiveness. Get in the habit of always pushing decisions
down to the lowest level especially when you make decisions that directly
impact on your employees' welfare. Otherwise you are likely to achieve
the BOHICA effect: "Bend Over Here It Comes Again." Ask five
volunteers to serve on the rewards and recognition team. (Please, no
more than one manager or supervisor on the team.) Give the team a budget
and provide them with the fewest number of rules to make you feel comfortable.
Then take your hands off. You will be surprised at the number of creative
and cost-effective ideas the team will generate. (Suggestion: use this
same approach for most of the decisions you currently make-it works!)
Follow these 12 rules and you and your team members will have more
fun and get more done. What else could you want?
SOURCE: Based in part on "Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other
Contrarian Ways to Improve Your Leadership Effectiveness," available
at http://www.wolfrinke.com/squeakywheel.html.
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4. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
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Want your team to achieve peak performance? Why not invite me to speak
or consult with you and your team members and achieve dramatic improvements
in performance, productivity and profitability.
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5. HUMOR BREAK
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How to fire someone diplomatically:
Mr. Brown, I really don't know how we're going to get along without
you, but starting Monday, we're going to try.
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6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is a highly effective management consultant and
executive coach who specializes in building peak performance organizations,
teams and individuals. He is the author of 14 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.
Wolf is also an internationally recognized management/leadership 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 leadership effectiveness. Preview a live
demo at www.WolfRinke.com. To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services
contact us at 800-828-9653 or WolfRinke@aol.com
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7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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