Impact Today™
Friday, December 12, 2008
Cleaning the elevators
To start out the new office building employee with a seemingly simple task, the supervisor requested the building’s elevators be cleaned. The supervisor did not see the employee again and assumed the job was not a good fit and the employee had left without giving notice.
Several days later the supervisor was on the 20th floor and saw the new employee waiting for the elevator, cleaning supplies in hand.
“Sorry, it is taking so long to get the elevators cleaned,” the employee apologized, “I’ve cleaned both elevators on each of the lower thirty floors and only have a few floors to go. I would be done, but sometimes I have to wait a long time for the door to open.
Life Lesson: it is beneficial to check progress before work has progressed too far.
To start out the new office building employee with a seemingly simple task, the supervisor requested the building’s elevators be cleaned. The supervisor did not see the employee again and assumed the job was not a good fit and the employee had left without giving notice.Several days later the supervisor was on the 20th floor and saw the new employee waiting for the elevator, cleaning supplies in hand.
“Sorry, it is taking so long to get the elevators cleaned,” the employee apologized, “I’ve cleaned both elevators on each of the lower thirty floors and only have a few floors to go. I would be done, but sometimes I have to wait a long time for the door to open.
Life Lesson: it is beneficial to check progress before work has progressed too far.
Labels: Anecdote, Communication, Orientation
¶ 12/12/2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Superior employee orientation example
This video shows an outstanding way to welcome new employees and show they are valued by their employee and their co-workers.
Labels: Orientation, Video
¶ 8/21/2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The First 90 Days
Sunday book review
Have you ever been given a new assignment? Did you realize how much the first 90 days counted toward your long-term success? Do you immediately change those things that are wrong or do you use the entire time to develop a plan to deploy at the end of your first three months?
Michael Watkins reviews some of the important challenges faced by new leaders in his book, “The First 90 Days”. You will probably enjoy the framework Watkins lays out as he looks at the five fundamental propositions and the ten key challenges as he shares the mistakes and successes of others. Click here to learn more or order this book.
Have you ever been given a new assignment? Did you realize how much the first 90 days counted toward your long-term success? Do you immediately change those things that are wrong or do you use the entire time to develop a plan to deploy at the end of your first three months?
Michael Watkins reviews some of the important challenges faced by new leaders in his book, “The First 90 Days”. You will probably enjoy the framework Watkins lays out as he looks at the five fundamental propositions and the ten key challenges as he shares the mistakes and successes of others. Click here to learn more or order this book.
Labels: Books, Leadership, Orientation
¶ 6/29/2008 0 Comments Links to this post
Monday, April 7, 2008
The hotel room without an exit
Life Lesson: New experiences can cause irrational results.
It was the young salesperson’s first road trip and the first time he had ever been in a hotel. After checking in he went to his room. He checked out all the amenities and hung up his clothes before getting ready to go out to dinner. Then he had a problem and had to call the front desk.
“You've given me a room without an exit. How do I get out?”
The desk clerk said, “Sir, that's ridiculous! Have you looked for the door?”
The man said, “Well, one door goes into the bathroom and another is for the closet. The only other door has a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.”
New employees often have the same problem as this man. We know the terminology, policies, and corporate culture yet most businesses do not provide an effective employee orientation program. Employees feel trapped because they do not want to seem stupid by asking. Trapped in their hotel room they try to make sense of things by themselves. Often they fail.
By instituting a best-in-class employee orientation program, an employer gives their new hire the confidence that translates in a long-term commitment to the success of their organization.
It was the young salesperson’s first road trip and the first time he had ever been in a hotel. After checking in he went to his room. He checked out all the amenities and hung up his clothes before getting ready to go out to dinner. Then he had a problem and had to call the front desk.“You've given me a room without an exit. How do I get out?”
The desk clerk said, “Sir, that's ridiculous! Have you looked for the door?”
The man said, “Well, one door goes into the bathroom and another is for the closet. The only other door has a ‘do not disturb’ sign on it.”
New employees often have the same problem as this man. We know the terminology, policies, and corporate culture yet most businesses do not provide an effective employee orientation program. Employees feel trapped because they do not want to seem stupid by asking. Trapped in their hotel room they try to make sense of things by themselves. Often they fail.
By instituting a best-in-class employee orientation program, an employer gives their new hire the confidence that translates in a long-term commitment to the success of their organization.
Labels: Anecdote, Orientation, Story
¶ 4/07/2008 0 Comments Links to this post
