Impact Today™

Superior employee orientation example

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 08:10:00 +0000

This video shows an outstanding way to welcome new employees and show they are valued by their employee and their co-workers.

10 ways to keep talent through tough times

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:19:00 +0000

Even though there are plenty of people looking for jobs, finding skilled, talented workers is harder than ever before. Therefore it is essential you retain your current talent. Here are ten easy, practical ways you can hold on to those individuals you do not want to lose.

Give top performers opportunities to develop. Providing additional training and responsibilities helps you see what they can do.

Reward your top performers to retain them. Rewards should be consistent with the value they provide. However do not fall into the trap that rewards must be cash or merchandise. There are hundreds of creative ways to reward talent without spending a dime.

Keep your door open. Be accessible to your people when they want to talk.

Provide mentors. Veteran employees can help young talent learn the culture.

Cross-train top performers so that you can move them around where needed. Younger employees appreciate this as it gives them broadened expertise.

Show you value talent by treating employees fairly.

Find ways to help your top performers understand themselves. This will help them manage change better.

Develop your own standards for top performance. Don't copy someone else's unless mediocrity is OK. Make sure your talent understands the standards and are equipped to achieve the goals.

How many top performers are enough? Mine for talent all the time, not just when talent leaves or changes jobs.

Maintain relationships even when people move on. Some talented people return quickly when they find out they do like the new employer. Welcome them back.

Why talented employees quit

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:57:00 +0000

When Calvin Coolidge announced he would not run for re-election to the Office of the President of the United States he surprised many people. No reason for the retirement was given so one reporter felt duty bound to ascertain the reason.

Coolidge replied, “I’m leaving the office because there is no room for advancement.”

As odd a reason as this may be it is precisely one of the leading reasons people leave an organization according to a recent survey by Right Management. If the resignation is from someone that is overrating their own performance it is not necessarily bad news. However if the resignation is from one of your talented or skilled employees, they will be hard to replace.

To read the rest of this article, click here.

Vice

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 07:59:00 +0000

Young Johnny had just returned home from school when he ran up to his to ask a question that had been bothering him almost all day.
“What does ‘vice’ mean,” he asked.

“It refers to all sorts of bad things,” Johnny’s mother said. “It means smoking and drinking and taking drugs and sometimes it refers to gambling or other bad things.”

“Oh, no!” exclaimed Johnny. “I guess I may be staying after school a lot this year.”

“Why?”

For the reason, click here.

Practice Creative Procrastination

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:33:00 +0000

An Excerpt from Eat That Frog! By Brian Tracy

Creative procrastination is one of the most effective of all personal performance techniques. It can change your life.

The fact is that you can't do everything that you have to do. You have to procrastinate on something. Therefore, procrastinate on small tasks. Put off eating smaller or less ugly frogs. Eat the biggest and ugliest frogs before anything else. Do the worst first!

Everyone procrastinates. The difference between high performers and low performers is largely determined by what they choose to procrastinate on.

Since you must procrastinate anyway, decide today to procrastinate on low-value activities. Decide to procrastinate on, outsource, delegate, and eliminate those activities that don't make much of a contribution to your life in any case. Get rid of the tadpoles and focus on the frogs.

Learn To Say...No!
One of the most powerful of all words in time management is the word no! Say it politely. Say it clearly so that there are no misunderstandings. Say it regularly as a normal part of your time management vocabulary.

Say no to anything that is not a high-value use of your time and your life. Say no graciously but firmly to avoid agreeing to something against your will. Say it early and say it often. Remember that you have no spare time. As we say, "Your dance card is full."

For you to do something new, you must complete or stop doing something old. Getting in requires getting out. Picking up means putting down.

Creative procrastination is the act of thoughtfully and deliberately deciding upon the exact things you are not going to do right now, if ever.

Financial Group Matches Top Performers

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:54:00 +0000

Low employee productivity hampered the progress of a financial services organization located in the Southeast. An examination of the issue focused on the relationship between employee performance and “Job Match” to the ProfileXT™. Using study information, the company developed a “Job Match Pattern” to select more productive employees.

Participants
The study went forward with 36 mortgage bankers. The evaluation of each participant’s performance included a sales goal ratio and a supervisor’s performance rating on a three-point scale, where 1 equaled a top performer, 2 an average performer and 3 a marginal performer. The company rated 11 participants’ top performers, nine participants as average performers and 16 as marginal performers. The average top performer met 97.2% of their sales goals, while the average marginal performer met 32.7% of their sales goals.

To continue reading this case study, click here.

The Great Zumbrati

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:20:00 +0000

If you visit Niagara Falls in Canada you are certain to hear the story of The Great Zumbrati. Legend has it that Zumbrati was able to walk across the falls on a tightrope on a particular windy, rainy day.

Once on across an enthusiastic fan approached him, encouraging him to return to the other side while pushing a wheelbarrow.

Despite his reluctance in the poor weather, the fan kept encouraging him. “Do you really think I can do it,” he asked.

“Yes, definitely! You can do it,” the spectator exclaimed.

“Okay, I’ll do it" said Zumbrati to his fan. "You get in the wheelbarrow.”

Life Lesson: do not say something you are not prepared to back up with actions.

Birds or people, a teamwork example

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:13:00 +0000

Here is an amazing video of how people, using teamwork, come together for some great visual images.

Challenges from our aging workforce

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:16:00 +0000

As the workforce ages, impacts across the business landscape are powerful and pervasive. This is change — change unplanned and forced upon us by the relentless march of time and demographics. Business leaders need to determine where we are heading, and plan for these changes before they occur. If we do too little, or are too late, our businesses will pay a painful price as our knowledge workers retire, our leaders suddenly disappear from the scene and their replacements are few, far between and expensive.

Here are three challenges employers are facing:

Recruiting efforts are already beginning to change.

Hiring of new workers becomes more problematic as shortages develop.

Succession planning becomes even more important.

To read details of these challenges, click here.

10 ways to coach by example

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 08:49:00 +0000

Coaching employees, especially the talented ones you want to keep and grow, becomes much easier once you practice these traits:

Envision good performance and communicate your vision.

Don't just nod your head; listen to your direct reports.

Don’t ask employees to do something you are not willing to do yourself.

Treat everyone with fairness.

Recognize and reward exceptional performance.

Never assume; always ask.

Say please and thank you.

Under-promise and over-deliver.

Leave the frown behind when you enter the office door.

Keep your sense of humor in good repair.

The meat market

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:45:00 +0000

Mrs. Smith was very excited as tonight she was going to be able to use her new kitchen for the first time. Just yesterday she had finished unpacking from their move to this quaint rural town from the big city. She ventured into town and found a neat little market. She was surprised that behind the meat counter their only two trays of beef and they looked oddly the same.

“What is the price of that meat?” she asked the butcher as she pointed to the tray on the left.

“Its three dollars a pound,” the Butcher replied.

“And what about the other?” she inquired as she pointed to the tray on the right.

“That tray is five dollars a pound,” the butcher informed her.

“Wow, they look the same,” she said in amazement. “What’s the difference between the two trays?”

“Nobody’s ever asked before,” said the butcher. “They are exactly the same.”

“Then why is one $2 more per pound?”

For the Butcher’s answer click here.

Penalty avoidance becomes income

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:55:00 +0000

The publisher made a startling discovery moments before 3 million copies of Teddy Roosevelt’s 19 full convention speech were to be printed. It seems permission had not been obtained to use a picture of him and his running mate, Governor Hiram Johnson, of California. Under copyright laws photographer would have been entitled to one dollar per printed copy.

The chairman of the campaign committee knew they needed an immediate release so decided to try little creativity. He sent a telegram to photographer’s Chicago studio that read, “Planning to issue 3 million copies Roosevelt speech with pictures Roosevelt and Johnson uncover. Great publicity opportunity for photographer. Will you pay us to use your photographs?”

Within the hour the photographer replied, “Appreciate opportunity, but can only pay $250.”

Life Lesson: creativity has its rewards.

Burning Tree Programs HR Manager Finds Insight in SOSII™

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 12:40:00 +0000

The human resources manager for two Texas drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities offers her employees a different perspective on Profiles’ Step One Survey II™ assessment. She has seen it from the other side of the desk, as a candidate being interviewed for her current position.

“I was grateful that I got to take it,” said Tabbitha Anderson, the HR manager for Burning Tree Programs, which has facilities in Kaufman and Elgin, Texas. Because she can talk about the assessment as a job applicant who completed it before she was hired, her support gives it more weight when she talks to managers about what the assessment will help them accomplish.

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

This man’s mediocre life

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:08:00 +0000

A man finds himself standing before St. Peter at the gates to Heaven.

“Looking back at your life I cannot find any examples of you doing anything really good for others,” said St. Peter. “But at the same time I cannot find that you did anything really bad. I’ll tell you what, if you can give me just one example of how your life benefited someone else, I’ll let you in.”

Without hesitation the man said, “I was having breakfast at a small restaurant just outside of town when a gang of hoodlums started to abuse the waitress. I quickly grabbed the butcher knife the cook had left at the end of the counter and yelled at the apparent leader of the gang to leave her alone or I’d teach them a lesson.”

“Wow,” said St. Peter. “I do not know why that isn’t in my book. When did it happen?”

The man replied, “Oh, just a couple of seconds ago.”

Life Lesson: as Clint Eastwood once said, a man’s gotta know his limitations.

Teamwork

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:05:00 +0000

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.

Learning from the music teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 07:59:00 +0000

Have you ever attended a management training workshop?

Look at your bookshelf, your credenza, that pile of three-ring binders in the corner, or the box in your basement. How many pages of training supplements, exercises, guides and follow up material are in those places? When was the last time you looked at one? How many hours have you spent in trying to reinforce, apply and utilize the things you learned in the training? How much real benefit have you received in the process?

Quit hanging your head: you are hardly alone. Despite our best intentions, we return from training excited, energized and full of things we intend to change — and then the world crashes in around us, and the books and binders go on the bookshelf, potential unrealized. If you are a trainer charged with the difficult task of improving managers, or if you are a manager dedicated to improvement: You must insure practice of changed behaviors following training or your efforts will be wasted.

Train, practice, reinforce, measure change, train…

If this mantra makes sense to you, manager or trainer, investigate the process involved in our Checkpoint 360™ and Skill Builder™ systems.

The love-hate of social networks by employers

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:30:00 +0000

Many companies seem to have strong feelings about social network website access at work. The websites, such as Facebook, My Space, and Linked In, are seen as an asset by 8 percent of the companies participating in a recent survey by Challenger, Gray, and Christmas.

These companies see the sites as a way employees can network with others to enhance their skills, market their products, and reach colleagues.

However 22 percent felt strongly the sites are a waste of time and distraction to productivity so they block the sites.

Creativity leads to sales record

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 12:23:00 +0000

With a tough economic environment and stiff competition, New York City florist Max Schling knew he had to try something unique. Simply telling people about his fresh-cut flowers in inventive and exciting arrangements wasn’t enough. He needed a way to get his message to the decision-makers.

After giving the situation much thought he decided on a solution that was extremely unconventional. He took out an ad in the New York Times entirely in shorthand.

The business men riding the subway into Manhattan were intrigued by the ad, which appeared in the mid-1960s. Max’s ad aroused their curiosity but they were unable to read the ad because they did not know shorthand. When they got to their offices thousands asked their secretaries to read the ad to them.

Max began receiving orders almost immediately because of what the secretaries read in the ad.

Read what the message by clicking here.

Foreclosing on an Extreme House

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:59:00 +0000

I was reading that a home built by television’s Extreme Home Makeover stars is in the process of being foreclosed. It was the first major home they had built when the show shifted from a “fix-up” format to the razzle-dazzle just build a new one format.

The recipients of the home were given a mansion deadhead its mortgage already paid off. In addition they have received college tuition for their children and a fund for the upkeep of the house.

Rather than take advantage of being debt-free the family decided to mortgage the home. Unable to make the payments the bank is selling the house.

This reminds me of the great Andrew Carnegie. Having gathered a lifetime’s wealth in the steel industry Carnegie believed he needed to get back to the community. He announced that he would build a library for any community that wanted one. While the community had to do was contribute 10 percent of the cost to establish a maintenance fund.

When asked why Carnegie replied, “you cannot push anyone up a ladder unless they are willing to climb a little themselves.”

Carnegie realize that it is one thing to give things of value but even better if that thing of value includes financial lesson to make a successful.

Don’t just move the cheese

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 13:29:00 +0000

Since mid-June Sunday has been reserved for book reviews. It is my way of answering a question that is raised to me often, “What is a great book on leadership?” The truth is there are many. My favorite is Life’s Leadership Lessons, not just because I wrote it, but because it offers quick anecdotes and lists to help readers deal with the many challenges faced by today’s leaders.

Using anecdotal stories is a way authors can capture someone’s thoughts to make a point that will long be remembered through the pictures the characters leave behind. When dealing with change, Who Moved My Cheese is a classic example. Had not Spencer Johnson, the author, created the little mice, given them names and personalities, we would not have driven ourselves mad trying to compare each person we knew with a particular mouse. This is the power of anecdotes and shows yet again why leaders need to develop a skill of creating anecdotal examples when exposing the talents of their people. If you have not already read this wonderful book, click here to learn more or to subscribe.

3 tips for better listening

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 17:47:00 +0000

Okay, I admit it -- I am very bummed this morning. I just read an email from someone with whom I have met at many networking meetings and even met with at their office – not to sell them, but to learn more about what they do and determine the kind of person they are. I have always been extremely impressed.

Today I feel much different.

A couple of days ago they contacted me about a seminar they are working on which will look at workplace tragedies. The person knows who my prospects are and thought the seminar would be a good fit.

There is one aspect of my life I do not openly share on a one-to-one basis because of the emotions and mental images it evokes in me and others. But I felt it could be a great message so I replied that one of my keynote address is “Overcoming Life’s Disappointments”. In it I relate the story about when I learned my 2-year old son had been killed. I share the personal aspects of overcoming tragedy as well as the support that was beneficial (and not so helpful) from my boss, employer, staff, and co-workers.

The reply I got was very stark: “We are all set with speakers for this year but I will keep that in mind for sure for next year. Are you interested in exhibiting though?”

Not a word such as “Sorry about your loss”.

Just an attempt to sell me a booth.

I was not looking for pity or sympathy but a little empathy would have been appreciated.
Rather than sit here and wallow in pity I thought I would share with you what life has taught me about reacting to unexpected, surprising, or tragic news. We may not hear such things the first time we network with someone, but as relationships build, they come up.

Listening is the art of multitasking. Always listen with both your heart and your head. Networkers are usually good about listening with their head, but skip the heart part. This is the aspect of learning about the other person from a level that will reveal if you can truly work together and how they will relate to those to whom you refer them.

Empathy begins with listening. Empathy is the ability to get into another person head and better understand them. It is the key to long, strong relationships, life-long customers regardless of price, and knowing how you can provide true value within a business or personal relationship. It starts by listening with your ears and eyes. Do not focus on mere words. See the body language that goes with the words.

Listening requires a response. When you here something surprising, funny, or tragic do not discard it. Sure you may not know the perfect words to say but saying nothing is even worse. A simple “I’m never knew that” or “I’ll keep you in my prayers” or “Tell me more” are all ways to show you are about more than just money.

I hope this posting is beneficial to you and that it reinforces your commitment to fully listen to those with whom you network, sell, or employ.

The troublesome foursome

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 08:17:00 +0000

A minister, doctor, and consultant were playing golf one day and had the misfortune of playing behind a very slow foursome. The consultant inquired, "What's with these people? We've been waiting more than 30 minutes! This is ridiculous." The doctor quickly agreed, "They're hopeless, I've never seen such a lack of consideration."

Just then the minister spotted one of the ground crew approaching. He called him over to complain about the group.

The ground crew member told the trio the slow foursome was a group of former firefighters that had been blinded when putting out an inferno in the clubhouse. The course’s owner lets them play whenever they want.

With this new information the minister committed to pray for the sightless foursome.

“That’s nice,” added the doctor. “I know an optometrist that might be able to help them. I’ll call him tomorrow morning and see what he can do.”

Meanwhile, the consultant wondered why the former firemen couldn’t play at night.

Life Lesson: different people look at things differently.

Words, cultures, and communication

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:08:00 +0000

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.

Outsourced - "Rubber"
Uploaded by Outsourced

UPS delivers to funeral

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 05:06:00 +0000

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?

So, You Don’t Screen Executives for Integrity?

noreply@blogger.com (Rick Weaver) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 05:18:00 +0000

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.