Impact Today™

Words often mean different things in different cultures. This video is a comical look at how one word means something different in eastern and western cultures. It gives great insight into the frustration surrounding communication in a multicultural workplace. Of course, proper training can reduce or eliminate the communication problems. Enjoy the video.

Labels: Communication, Diversity, Video

Wouldn’t you love to have a dedicated employee like Jeff Hornagold? He drove for UPS for 20 years before passing away from lung cancer. He loved his job so much his wife, Judy, described often referred to him as “the happiest UPS man alive”

Yet one of Hornagold’s dying wishes showed dedication to his employer far beyond normal. He requested that his body be delivered to the funeral home by UPS as “Special Delivery”.

There is no doubt Hornagold was a huge asset to UPS. Gallup Polling has shown that dedicated employees are so engaged in their job they consistently and decisively out perform non-engaged employees.

Wouldn’t you love to create that kind of dedication?

Labels: Attitude

I’m always intrigued when a client decides to use the Step One Survey II™ to prescreen lower-level employees for Honesty-Integrity issues and then exempts management or executive candidates from the same screening. The rationale usually goes something like this: “Executive Candidates are already so thoroughly vetted, the assessment would be redundant.” Or, alternately, they may reason, “Executive candidates would be offended by the questions on this assessment.”

Assume, for a moment, you hire someone of questionable integrity. At what level in your business could they cause the most damage? Is hiring such a person as an executive or manager really that unlikely? Will the candidates be offended when they discover you are taking extra care in selecting the right people to run your business? As you consider these questions, consider these:

• The president of Chevron West Credit Union in Utah embezzled $168,000 over 8 years, never taking more than a few hundred dollars at a time.
  Another Credit Union president in the same Utah town took $132,000 during the same period.


• Indiana-based Travel Zone Inc. reported charging a former employee with fraud, after he allegedly used his (company provided) login to access their iBank accounts by computer, then deleted the entire records of 17 corporate travel clients.


• A former America Online executive pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding the Dulles-based Internet company of $100,000 through a phony contract for an outside consultant who did no work for AOL.


• A former insurance executive was sentenced to six years in prison on a fraud conviction involving a $5.7 million mortgage fraud scheme.
  

Labels: Assessments, Ethics

On his 76th mission, naval jet pilot Charles Plumb was shot down over enemy territory. Although he survived, he spent six years as a prisoner of war during which he learned many lessons about bravery and leadership.

Today, Plumb lectures to others about these experiences. But the experience most moving occurred after he returned home. A man approached Plumb as he dined in a restaurant prior to a speaking engagement.

“Are you the famous naval pilot Charles Plumb?” the man asked.

“Why yes I am,” replied Plumb. “How do you know me?”

“I packed your parachute,” the man replied.

Plumb was immediately overcome. He realized it was because of this man that that the stories of bravery and leadership were possible. Without his expertise in packing the parachute, Plumb would have perished in the crash.

From that day forward Plumb would challenge his audience with the simple question, “Who packs your parachutes?” He causes people to reflect on those that are behind the scenes, working without recognition to make an organization successful. Plumb confesses he never thought about the person that packed his parachute until that night in the restaurant. He nor any of the other pilots ever spoke to the sailors that packed their parachutes. Yet it is precisely because of people like the packer that others are able to survive.

Life Lesson: you are never to important to shake hands and thanks the people that make you successful.

Labels: Anecdote, Attitude, Leadership, Public_Speaking

The City of Madison Heights, Michigan, has been connected to the global economy thanks to a program from Max Impact’s MBC Global division.

MBC Global had been contacted by Linda Williams of the Downtown Development Association (DDA) and the city’s Department of Economic Development to address their merchants about the city’s rapidly changing demographics. The task was to ignite the imagination of the business community to opportunities available to do business with new local cultures and to open the door to selling their products and services in a global environment.

To read the full case study, click here.

Labels: Case_Study, Strategy

St. Louis, Mo., native Tony Hartl, CEO and founder of Texas-based Planet Tan, describes his 120 employees as "talent." Strategic thinking keeps this forward-moving executive at the top of his game. Planet Tan's awards include Profiles International's 2007 Client of the Year, The Dallas Business Journal's Best Places to Work in Dallas-Fort Worth for 2006 and 2007, and INC Magazine's designation of an INC 500 Company for 2007.

Q. Besides that hard work, what makes Planet Tan successful?
A. There are two points of difference between Planet Tan and our competitors. We established our brand as fun, energetic and relevant. We sponsor three sports teams. We are the official tanning center of The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, The Dallas Mavericks Dancers and the NHL Dallas Stars Ice Girls. We are one of the few businesses to sponsor all three major sports franchises in Dallas and this makes people think we are larger than we are. The second thing is our size. Our average stores have 50 tanning beds, where others might have 10 or 12. We have the largest tanning facilities in the world and we are open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week. We have so many beds that we gain market share very rapidly.

Q. Did you know the business would be successful from the outset?
A. Yes. I never thought I would do something that would not be successful. There is a certain level of optimism, enthusiasm and energy that entrepreneurs bring to the table. There is a real bias for action. It's like a 16-foot speedboat. You think at lightning speed. It's in the DNA – you've got it or you don't. It's not learnable or teachable

To read the complete interview, click here.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study

Walking home from the bus stop an elderly lady spotted two young boys on the front porch of a home along the way. They were still in their school uniforms and were using their backpacks for altitude as they tried to reach the doorbell.

Her heart touched by the lads, she wondered why today’s parents don’t watch for their children when school is out.

So decided to help. Walking up to the house she gave the doorbell a good, solid push.

As soon as it rang the two boys picked up their backpacks and yelled, “Run!” and disappeared around the corner.

Life Lesson: Reacting before you get the facts can lead to embarrassment.

Labels: Anecdote, Behaviors, Conflict_Management

Linda Angér, President of The Write Concept, Incorporated, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, sent me a fabulously interesting tidbit in response to the article about the Tipping Point. She shared the story of a girl who rode to alert the colonists that the British were on the move. As I read her note I thought about how inspiring this story would be to girls everywhere as they would so easily relate to her.

"A 16-year old girl with nerves of steel rode over 40 miles to Danbury, Connecticut, in order to alert the militia of the impending arrival of the enemy. This occurred the same fateful night Paul Revere made his famous ride, though history glorified his actions and barely remembers her journey - which was longer. By the time Revere was able to take his famous ride, Sybil Luddington had already begun her journey warning everyone she came in contact with that the British were on their way."

She tells me, “This story is from "One Day in History: July 4, 1776," published in 2006 by HarperCollins & the Smithsonian. I was the page compositor and editor of the book. This is just one of the "untold stories" from the revolutionary war I learned of while working on this wonderful book.” Learn more by clicking here to go to Amazon.

I have spoken to many a school group and I always hear how history doesn’t relate to them. Now think for a minute. If they heard stories about people just like them wouldn’t it be easier to inspire them? Well then, what kind of stories do you use to relate to the people you inspire to lead? It does cause one to pause!

For you history buffs, Linda also worked on a similar books about December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001.

By the way. Linda is a wonderful author. Contact her about her tremendous experience writing books, employee manuals, brouchures, and much more by clicking here.

Labels: Books, Leadership, Motivation

Having trouble motivating employees? Perhaps what you need are some new ways to effectively delegate work and reward accomplishments. Here are some new ideas that seem to have some merit – or do they?

Labels: Leadership

Do you sometimes feel your team isn’t giving their full potential? Here are ten common clues you might be missing:

1. Members cannot articulate group goals


2. Participants are repeatedly late or absent to meetings


3. Squabbling among members results in tension and prevents frank discussion


4. Meetings are repeatedly cancelled or postponed, and no one asks why


5. The team leader does all the talking


6. Members make no effort to get to know each other


7. The team misses two deadlines in a row


8. Team members criticize ideas offered by others


9. No one gives the team recognition for a job well done


10. Leaders do nothing with data the team presents

Labels: Attitude, Teamwork

With 75 percent of employees believing that workers have more on-the-job stress than a generation ago according to the Princeton Survey Research Associates, stress management programs at work are popular. Studies show such programs are more effective if coupled with organizational change. Stress at work is caused by duties that go beyond a worker’s capabilities or resources. With that in mind, employers should make sure the workload is in line with what an employee is able to do. Other ideas suggested by American Psychologist include:

1. Design jobs to provide meaning, stimulation and opportunities for workers to use their skills.


2. Clearly define roles and responsibilities.


3. Give workers opportunities to participate in decisions and actions affecting their jobs.


4. Improve communications to reduce uncertainty about career development and future employment prospects.


5. Provide opportunities for social interaction among workers.


6. Establish work schedules that are compatible with demands and responsibilities outside the job.

Labels: Stress, Survey

Father O’Reilly announced to his flock that the dinner celebrating his 25th anniversary at the parish would also serve as his retirement party. When the night of the final affair came, the festivities were to be opened by the mayor. Unfortunately city affairs caused the mayor to be late.

Father O’Reilly sensed those gathered for the dinner were becoming impatient for the program to begin, so he decided to take the microphone and share his reminiscences.

“It is hard to believe that it has been 25 years since I first stepped through the doorway of this great House of Worship,” he said. “I still remember the first confession I heard here. It was on the day that I arrived. To this day it remains the most outrageous error of judgment I’ve ever heard.”

“A young man, as I discerned from his voice, was extremely remorseful as he told me about stealing money from his parents so he could have an affair with the neighbor’s daughter. He then used some of the money to get a fake ID and used it to buy alcohol. The liquor left their judgment impaired and sure enough, the night had lead to promiscuity. Several weeks had passed and the boy thought he had contracted a venereal disease and needed money to get tested. He got the money by stealing out of his best friend’s till at work, resulting in the friend being fired. To get to the doctor’s office he stole the neighbor’s car in the hopes that his parent’s would not find out. The car was damaged when he accidentally sideswiped a mailbox leaving scratches on the passenger’s side of the car Since the neighbor rarely walked to that side of the vehicle, the boy did not tell his neighbor about the mishap.

Noticing the arrival of the mayor, the priest concluded. “Since that day I have had many more pleasant memories, for which I thank each and every one of you.”

The mayor, who was also a trustee of the church, took to the microphone to present the parish’s gift for his quarter decade of service.

“Today is a bittersweet day,” the mayor began. “We say goodbye to a wonderful spiritual leader. Although we’ll miss him, it is good to know he will enjoy his retirement.”

The mayor then continued to the astonishment of the crowd. Click here to read what he said.

Labels: Anecdote, Time_management

Malcolm Gladwell does an excellent job explaining how fads become mainstream in The Tipping Point – How little things make a big difference. It is a study of human behavior that is a must read for entrepreneurial, product development, marketing, and human resource professions. Using historical examples, Gladwell shows how small, simple things separate success from mediocrity.

For example, why do we know the name Paul Revere but are unfamiliar with William Dawes? They both made similar horseback rides to alert colonialists about arriving British troops. The reasons for the difference of fame lies in what Revere did differently – things that can be easily replicated when trying to create success in today’s world.

Gladwell also shows how simple things led to a drop in the New York City crime rate, helped Hush Puppies resurge, and many others.

Robert Middleton, author of The Info Guru, says this book gave him new insight into the way word-of-mouth advertising works. He recommends the book and so do I.

To see more reviews, get more information, or to order the book, click here.

Labels: Behaviors, Books, Strategy

Matt Riley, Director of Human Resources, believes in setting the example in using assessments. He reviews his own use of Step One Survey II™ and Profile XT™.

Q. Why did Bruegger’s Bagels begin using Profiles assessments?
A. We wanted to be different from our competition and reverse turnover. Many in our industry believe high turnover in the Quick Casual restaurant market is a part of doing business. But the financial burden of turning over our general and assistant managers inhibited both our financial and team-building goals. Area managers and market directors found they were spending a large amount of time recruiting for vacant positions as well as supporting each of the bakery locations they managed by filling in for missing managers. Turnover also affected teams in every bakery and gave us fewer opportunities to build consistency and teamwork. The turnover at management levels contributed to higher rates of turnover in hourly positions. Higher turnover means less confidence in teamwork and consistency. This inconsistency affects every aspect of our operation, from sandwich makers to regional trainers to our vice president of operations.

Q. How did the company try to solve the problem before turning to Profiles?
A. We tried to hire candidates that were better suited to our concept. We also developed materials that we still utilize today to assist hiring managers in the basic steps of recruiting and hiring. These materials work adequately for sharing hiring skills and work very well when managers have the context of a specific candidate’s behaviors and match to a position. We decided to look for assistance from external tools that could give us information about the candidates and what our business and its culture demanded in the face of growth and organizational improvement. Bruegger’s had worked briefly with Profiles in 2002. At the time, we did not have the capacity to integrate it into our business well, so we set it aside until we could implement it with success.

To continue reading this case study, click here.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study

Using a rolled up newspaper is extremely effective as a training device when used properly. For example, let’s say you are trying to train your puppy not to chew up household items. While watching television one night the young dog is lying at you feet chomping your footwear into an unrecognizable state.
Immediate action on your part is required to prevent future footwear chow-downs. Without hesitation grabbed the dog and the newspaper roll and begin hitting yourself over the head repeatedly sating, “I forgot to watch my pup!”

Life Lesson: When your employees do harmful things, many times you are the one responsible.

Labels: Anecdote, Leadership

Think it’s easy going from front-line employee to supervisor? A supervisor’s boot camp would be helpful. Otherwise you just might see results like we see in this video:

Labels: Leadership, Motivation

Use of temporary, leased, and contract employees is a growing part of daily life in many North American businesses. In fact, according to the American Staffing Association, 90 percent of companies use contract staffing services – to the tune of more than 2 million employees each day.

Unfortunately, despite the many advantages claimed for this practice, it holds substantial risks to employers. They may feel overly secure with their staffing provider, not realizing they probably share joint liability with the agency for the behaviors of temporary workers. In Utah, for example, the State Supreme Court ruled, “even temporary workers have an agency relationship with both the temporary agency that initially employed them and the company that uses their services under arrangements with the agencies. ”[Kunz v. Beneficial Temporaries, 921 P. 2d 456 (Utah 1996).]

To continue ready this article, click here.

Labels: Hiring, Strategy

New research has shown that nearly half of the American workforce has resorted to “Desk Rage”. It is a substantial problem that places employers at risk of a “hostel environment”.

Anger in the workplace ranges from rudeness to abusive behavior according to professor Paul Spector of the University of South Florida.

Research also shows:

• 88 percent feel their workplace is growing less civil


• 25 percent admit they have been driven to tears by desk rage


• 17 percent say company or personal property has been damaged by desk rage


• 11 percent claim physical violence has occurred in their workplace


• 10 percent fear their workplace is not safe


• 3 percent admit pushing, slapping, or hitting a co-worker

Labels: Attitude, Behaviors, Retention, Survey

With productivity falling below their goals, the board of the ABC Widget Company decided to hire a consultant to investigate potential avenues for improvement. The consultant set out right away to tour the plant.

Soon after entering the shipping area he noticed a man standing next to one of the pillars holding up the roof. After introducing himself, the consultant asked the man what his job was.

“I am supposed to stand by this pillar,” the employee said.

Curious, the consultant asked why he was suppose to stand there.

“I don’t know. My boss told me to stand by the pillar so that is what I do.”

Thanking the man, the consultant continued on his tour. When he got to the production line he noticed another man standing next to another pillar.

“Good afternoon,” the consultant said before explaining who he was. “May I ask you what you do here?”

The man by the pillar said, “This is my job. I am supposed to stand by this pillar all day. I’ve been doing it for five years.”

The following month the consultant presented his findings as the board reconvened. A discussion of the board members ensued and soon a decision was made as to how to handle the situation.

When the discussion had concluded, the consultant was tasked with firing one of the two men standing by the pillars.

Why? Click here for the answer.

Labels: Anecdote, Decision_Making

It is so frustrating to hear business people whining about the economy. It is a behavior that exemplifies a growing desire to blame other people for our misfortunes.

When Steve & Barry’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the leaders of a once thriving chain of value-priced clothing blamed the economy. How unfortunate that they would cause others to think the economy is a valid excuse for anything but success.

Steve Shore and Barry Prevor issued a joint statement saying that higher food and fuel prices, combined with the housing market downturn, created a business atmosphere in which they could not drive the volume needed to cover their expenses.

Steve, Barry -- get real. It is not the economy. If the economy were the culprit how do you explain the sales and profit increases at Family Dollar, Wal-Mart, Hollister, Ross Stores, Costco, Sam’s Club, Children’s Place, and TJX.

Face it – your success crumbled when you took your eyes off your original purpose for existence. You dropped the successful university and low-price format for one of cheap undersized garments with little consumer appeal.

Business owners need to stop whining about the economy and start looking at how they can grow business.

I covered this in my white paper article, “You’re Not Running a Vineyard . . . so stop your whining!” It looks at the three most popular invalid excuses for poor business results and contrasts those using the excuses to others that operated profitably in the same circumstances. Click here to get your copy.

Labels: Strategy

The focus of this case study is a gaming operation owned and operated by a Native American Tribe. The operation includes a large casino with restaurant and entertainment venues, a substantial hotel and an adjacent RV park and has expectations of future growth. Located on a major Interstate Highway, the development is in a rural environment with a very limited employment pool. For years, the area’s economy rested on the timber, mill, and mining industries; the collapse of those industries resulted in outmigration and further shrinking of the population of available workers. The challenge for the HR team includes recruiting an adequate supply of workers and finding workers with the qualities required to succeed in the 24-hour, seven day week environment of gaming. In addition, integrity of workers is essential in a cash-rich environment.

The baseline group for this case study consisted of the last 100 employees hired prior to the beginning of the assessment program. In this group, failure rates were compiled for 30, 60, and 90-day cumulative failure rates, as well as total failures over the study period. Failure was defined as leaving employment with the operation for any reason.

To continue reading this case study, click here.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study

A lady walked into the veterinarian’s office to pick up her cat. Apparently the staff was still at lunch as the entire office was empty. Suddenly she was startled by one of the dogs that was busy emptying the trash cans.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you,” said the dog to the lady’s amazement. “This is just part of my job.”

“That’s amazing,” said the woman. “Does the vet know you can talk?”

“No! and please don’t tell her – she’ll have me answering the phones, too.”

Life Lesson: Your employees may have hidden talents. It is up to you to draw out the talent before someone else finds it first.

Labels: Anecdote, Leadership

How are your interview skills? Monty Python shares. Python fails to realize what many HR professionals realize – applicants are also customers. Enjoy the video then contact us to learn today’s best practices in hiring.

Labels: Hiring, Video

Steve & Barry's another tale of losing one’s purpose

Having a clear vision of what your organization is all about, and being comfortable with that vision, is essential to continued success. This is an important business fact that is about to claim, if reports are correct, a new victim.

Steve & Barry’s is on the brink of bankruptcy as it continues to stray away from the formula that only a few years ago made it on of the fastest growing big-box retailers.

Originally billed as a “university store” the chain’s strategy was to sell university logo merchandise at unbelievably low prices. Ski Jackets, jeans, sweatshirt, t-shirts, shorts, jewelry, souvenirs, and more in authentic collegiate colors donned their aisles where nothing sold for more than $14.99. People flocked to their stores to find outstanding values where volume generated the profits to rapidly grow the chain.

However the owners began to resent the large royalties being paid to the NCAA and branched out into generic items. Eventually university merchandise became scarce as did the “Nothing over $14.99” signage.

Other companies lost the vision that made them great. Kmart’s Joe Antonini was uncomfortable telling his country club friends that he presided over a discount chain and sought to upgrade the merchandise sold in its walls faster than the chain could shift its customer base. The result was a Wal-Mart oriented price-centric customer being offered Target oriented trends at Target’s higher prices. The chain has not recovered to this day.

McDonald’s in the 90s shifted from fast, cheap quality to higher priced sandwiches. Unlike Dave Thomas whose Wendy’s chain was able to offer trendy time-limited offerings to offset their under a dollar menu, McDonald’s completely abandoned inexpensive offerings. Customers started driving by the arches without so much as a tap on the brakes. Fortunately McDonald’s was able to come to its senses and returned to its roots, although some franchises could not bring themselves to be happy about a dollar menu, failing to understand the advantages provided by high volume.

Steve & Barry’s does not have the luxury of being even close to their original, successful concept so will have a tough time on the auction block. The vultures are circling and will soon be feeding off unlanded import goods – with college logos.

Life Lesson: Find a vision that you want to marry.

Labels: Strategy

You absolutely have to admire the Japanese for being ahead of the curve. Fifty years ago when the global marketplace was first forming, Japan captured a large segment of the borderless economy by producing inexpensive items at a rapid pace. Then they spotted an emerging global interest in technology and developed some of the most advanced products possible. At the same time they saw a global need for quality inexpensive cars and answered that call, too. With world-respected corporations like Toshiba, Sony, and Toyota the Japanese have marveled the world.

Now comes the next trend, green and guess what. The world once again is turning to the creativity and ingenuity of the small but powerful island nation. They have created a commercial complex in Chiba that generates it’s power from transparent solar panels imbedded in the building’s windows. They discovered a way to harness the heat from the waste of the Taiheiyo Cement Factory in Kumagaya to make generate the factory’s own electricity. And the list of accomplishments goes on.

Engineers from around the world are traveling to Japan to see the marvels the inventive Japanese culture has now introduced to the world.

Labels: Corporate_culture, Creativity, Strategy

According to the Chubb Insurance Group, one in four privately held companies has been sued in the past few years by an employee or a former employee.

In the same report, executives at half the companies surveyed consider it likely they will be sued by employees, and nearly one-third believe they would be likely to lose and their companies seriously damaged by such a lawsuit. Nearly half expected an employee to file an EEOC complaint during the year.

The additional responsibility and pressure such an environment puts on HR staff is obvious, even if the actual numbers turn out to be wrong. The expectation itself provides the pressure!

Labels: Hiring, Survey

Because her niece had offered to manage her small neighborhood boutique the store’s proprietor was able to take her first vacation in years. Trying not to be overly demanding, the aunt left only two instructions. First was to simply maintain friendly, courteous relationships with the customers. The second was, time permitting, she throw out two racks of old hats that the aunt had been meaning to discard but had not had the opportunity.

Upon her return the proprietor noticed the shop had been well shopped and much of the inventory had been sold.

“You must have been very busy,” the aunt inquired.

“Yes, there were a lot of customers while you were gone,” the niece said.

“Did you have to mark anything down?” asked the aunt.

“Oh, no! Everything sold at full price,” the niece reassured the aunt.

Surprised and pleased, the aunt then noticed that not only did the niece sell a record number of items, she had been able to discard the two racks of hats.

“Was there enough room in the trash?” the aunt asked.

“Well, I didn’t actually throw them out,” said the entrepreneurial niece, “I sold them too.”

“How on earth did you manage that, they had been here for a year or more?”

“It was simple,” replied the niece. “All I did was . . .”

To find out what the niece did to sell all the hats at full price, click here.

Life Lesson: When people perceive value, price is not an abject.

Labels: Acronym, Creativity, Sales

The importance of teamwork in today’s workplaces cannot be understated. Today’s most competitive companies have created teamwork cultures to draw talent out of underperforming employees. Here is a motivational video with some great quotes and anecdotes about teamwork.

Labels: Motivation, Teamwork, Video

Jeffrey J. Fox bills this book as the rules for getting and keeping customers and clients. An easy read, many may say, “Its not for me because I’m not in sales.”

Actually that’s not true. Whether you are in sales or not, you will find that Fox lays out principles that will endear you to your customers, clients, and co-workers. You will be amazed how quickly you will get through the 190 pages of this book, which is broken down into 50 chapters, each containing a golden nugget to leadership and relationship growth.

Click here to learn more or order this book.

Labels: Books, Customer_Service

Unless you can clone your top salespeople

A recreational vehicle dealer with a long history of steady growth and success had positioned itself to take advantage of the explosive growth of the RV market over the past three years. The dealer’s primary challenge: identifying salespeople likely to excel in their three stores. The company’s high visibility and reputation for excellence makes it an employer of choice in its markets. The company has a good applicant flow and it can afford to be selective.

An analysis of the company’s sales data, however, shows it suffers from the pervasive 80-20 rule of sales: their top producers are outselling their bottom producers by over 500 percent!

At the same time, turnover is unacceptably high in the sales force, with many new salespeople failing within six months of hire. In an industry where a dealer may spend over $1,000.00 just to provide the opportunity for a salesperson to spend time with a qualified buyer, the lost opportunity cost at this failure rate is enormous.

To read the rest of this case study, click here.

Labels: Assessments, Case_Study, Sales

Much has been written about the advantages of humor at the office. It has been found to increase morale, retention, and productivity. We found the following on several internet sources and found it presents an excellent view of humor in the workplace.

It is reported to be real log entries from the pilots and maintenance workers at Qantas Airlines. You will recall that Qantas is the only airline Rain Man, the autistic older brother of Tom Cruise as portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the movie would fly because they were the only airline never to have had an accident. Perhaps their use of humor is the reason for this success.

Pilot: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
Mechanic: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

Pilot: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
Mechanic: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

Pilot: Something loose in cockpit.
Mechanic: Something tightened in cockpit.

Pilot: Dead bugs on windshield.
Mechanic: Live bugs on back-order.

Pilot: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
Mechanic: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

To read the rest, click here.

Life Lesson: Keep a sense of humor.

Labels: Anecdote, Motivation

Once again our search or relevant videos has come up with a winner. Here is an anecdotal demonstration of change management at work.

Labels: Change, Video

by John W. Howard

It seems like basic workplace behaviors are in short supply. Remember when employees showed up on time, ready to work? Nowadays you are lucky if they show up at all!

A White Paper is now available from author and people skills expert John Howard that takes a look at this important issue of work ethics. Howard offers his view of the impact and potential solution to this profit drain through this White Paper, which is available at no charge by clicking here.

Labels: Ethics, WhitePaper

Labels: Ethics, Survey