Archive for June, 2009
Do you work to live?
Jun 27th
Have you checked out today’s Dilbert cartoon?
(Cartoon dated 27th June 2009)
It does pose an interesting question, why do we go to work?
The obvious answer is for the money, but I think people go to work for a variety of reasons.
I once did a spell working in a factory where they made, amongst other things, dried mashed potato. Back in those days they peeled the potatoes by hand and one of the guys there had worked at the factory for 20 years, and he was very proud of the fact he could peel a potato in 2 seconds flat. He used to work as much overtime as possible and he did this he told me, so he wouldn’t have to go home and talk to his wife. I remember thinking that it was a bit sad that he chose peeling potatoes over spending time with his wife, but convinced myself he was joking…… he did do a lot of overtime though. 
Many studies have been carried out which show that people tend to spend more time with work colleagues than they do at home, so I think it is important that we have a clear idea of the reasons that we go to work and what we want to achieve from turning up at the office/factory/shop each day.
For some people work is the means to an end, for others it is an end in itself and their work is what defines them.
So do you work to live, or do you live to work? why?
Attitude is everything….
Jun 26th
When I first started in sales the catchphrase that was drilled into me was PMA, positive mental attitude. If you wanted to be successful in sales PMA was vital. If you expected to be successful you would be.
Equally if you expected to fail it would become a self fulfilling prophecy, as you would start looking for reasons as to why you wouldn’t be successful.
I’ve seen many examples during my career in management, sales and coaching where an individuals attitude and beliefs have dictated outcomes and progress towards goals. However, I don’t think I’ve seen PMA have such a dramatic effect as in the video below:
I’m always lost in admiration for people who can overcome obstacles like this. A lesson to us all I think.
Openness and honesty
Jun 10th
I’ve been doing some coaching with a client recently. He is a potential leader in his business and he is unsure of how he is progressing.
One of the reasons he is unsure is because of the relationship he has with his manager. Neither of them appear to be capable of asking for and receiving feedback from each other. In our last session we talked about the benefit of asking questions such as;
How do you think I am doing?
What do you think I do well?
What do you think I could do better?
What do you think I need to do differently?
These are just a few examples, but it is surprising how many people are worried about asking these types of questions, and are even more concerned about what kind of answers they will get!
However, the advantages of asking such questions far outweigh the potential downside of the negative responses you may receive. Being open and honest with each other about your thoughts and feelings will lead to a greater level of trust and a stronger working relationship.
Many years ago I used to sell double glazing and was paid on a commission only basis. I went through a period when I first started when I wasn’t selling anything and was concerned that I was going to get the sack. One thursday the MD came over to our office and held a meeting with us all. Results across the office were poor he said and things needed to improve. He went on about how disappointed he was with us and told us he would be back in two weeks time. He said on that Thursday morning as we were about to get out of bed he wanted us to stop before we put our feet on the cold floor.
If we had sold two orders in the last 2 weeks he wanted us to get up, get dressed and make our way to work where he would be happy to see us. On the other hand if we hadn’t sold two orders in the previous 2 weeks he wanted us to get back in bed and have a lie in, as we no longer had a job.
In the next two days I sold 3 orders. Why? Because the uncertainty about my situaton had been removed. I knew exactly what was expected of me. I needed to sell a minimum of 2 orders in two weeks, simple. The message was very clear. very easy to understand and very easy to measure.
People like to know where they stand, they like to know what they need to do, this knowledge brings with it security and a clearly defined path to follow.
The guy I am working with needs to ask these questions to gain a clear picture of how well he is doing and where the gaps are in his performance and development.
Equally his manager has a responsibility to provide this sort of feedback if he is going to develop his successor as well and as quickly as he can.
How open and honest are you with the people around you?
Producing excellence in team performance.
Jun 5th
Gladiator Josep Guardiola inspires epic win in Rome
HIDDEN in the “home” dressing-room at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico as of last Tuesday afternoon was a giant television set. It was the one on which Barcelona’s footballers usually watch DVDs of previous games and future opponents. Their head coach, Josep “Pep” Guardiola, was insistent when he took his first senior job as a coach, in charge of Barcelona, that he could call on state-of-the-art hardware for the supplementary aspects of his job. He had the set flown to Rome in case the facilities there were not up to standard.
Guardiola got together with a friend who works in television to script and produce a seven-minute film with which he would surprise, and, he hoped, motivate his players immediately before kick-off. It was a carefully paced combination of sequences from the Oscar-winning movie Gladiator, starring Russell Crowe, and images from Barcelona’s season: the craggy features of Crowe, the defiant Roman warrior, would cut to the delicate Andres Iniesta, volleying the late goal that hauled Barça from imminent defeat against Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final to a place in the final.
Hollywood interpretations of ancient Rome would merge into pictures of Samuel Eto’o scoring one of his 35 goals this season or Victor Valdes making spectacular saves. There was schmaltz, too. The film featured images of absent teammates such as Gabriel Milito, the centre-half who has been injured all season: the message was that those who could play had a responsibility to others who could not.
The players, expecting nothing like this when they were told by their fitness coach to return to the dressing-room from their warm-ups, sat in the dark to watch the film. Each one had a few frames devoted to him personally. Naturally, a prominent spot was given over to last month’s 6-2 win over Real Madrid. Then came footage taken from a promotional video made by Barcelona’s kit sponsor, Nike, over which the voice of Guardiola spoke of “strikers who defend, defenders who attack, we are speed, we are strength, we are effort, we are precision, we are as one”. The climax featured Puccini’s rousing Nessun Dorma, sung by Luciano Pavarotti.
As the lights came on in the dressing-room, some players were said to have wiped away tears. Soon they were shouting, motivating one another. Guardiola, apparently, said nothing but motioned his players to the door and to the tunnel, ready to step out into the arena.
What do you want to achieve this month?
Jun 1st
A hot day and a new month. Have you written down what you want to achieve this month, and how you intend to achieve those goals?
A survey in the 60′s at Harvard university asked students about to graduate whether they had goals. Unsurprisingly a large proportion of them did. However when asked how many had actually spent time committing them to paper and putting down a plan to achieve those goals only 2% did. This study was followed up 30 years later to see what had happened to all of these individuals. The results were significant as the 2% were all financially independent and worth more than the other 98% combined.
When you sit down with people in business, at all levels, it is surprising how many pay lip service to the idea of goal setting. Not much point in getting on the bus if you don’t know where it is going!
