Start teaching others what you know,
you may end up learning more
Somewhere we’ve cottoned onto the notion that to critique people’s best ideas leads to progress, excellence, and advantage. Have you found that to be true?While the intention initially may have been to assist others and reach higher performances, reality has degraded critique into a one-upmanship match. When critics put down, stomp out or ridicule others’ ideas as a way to showcase or support their own, talent suffers and profitability goes down. Does it happen where you work?Increasingly, people tell us that it’s people in power, with advanced degrees and tenured in esteemed positions who tend to take more potshots. I’m not sure if that is so, because I have not seen the research. I do know a few things about critique after years of studying it’s effects in workplaces though.People who jump on other’s offerings have yet to discover how criticism works against the human brain’s ability to create.
Marked distinctions separate critics from creators: 1. Tone for a critic adds cortisol at work, while serotonin accompanies creators. 2. Laughter for the critic takes down others … for creators is self-deprecating 3. Curiosity that’s lost to the critic remains alive to the creator. 4. Questions from critics diminish others yet engage and extend ideas for creators.5. Negativity that’s central to critics is fled by creators. 6. Words that whack for the critic tend to win for the creator.7. Monologues for the critic become learning exchanges for the creator.8. Intelligence is often fixed in the critic’s mind while growing in the creator’s.9. Neuron pathways lead to blame for the critic and to reflection for the creator.10. Problems abound for the critic while innovative solutions come from creators.Simply put … creators tend to move beyond criticism with terms such as: Could you elaborate a bit more to help me understand?Added to your ideas … I wonder if…? In addition to that concept … have you thought of…? Are there more critics or creators where you work? If your firm treats employees well, and finds success in the marketplace … the answer is obvious. If not … it takes an innovative leader to discuss the ten indicators above and carry on a discussion to collaborate doable steps for creativity at work.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Friday, July 4, 2008
A New Pair of Shoes
Do the New
An old pair of shoes
Do you have a really comfortable pair of shoes? They may be slippers or tennis shoes. It doesn't matter what kind of shoes, just so comfortable that you can slip into them like an old habit. These are the kind of shoes that you can't wait to get into after a hard day of work. Like Mr. Rogers slipping on his blue pair of Keds. Won't you be my neighbor?
I have a pair of shoes like that. They are so comfortable that I could probably fall asleep in them. And that may be the problem.
A new pair of shoes
Do you remember when you were a kid and got the new pair of tennis shoes? I bet you felt like you could run faster and jump higher when you put them on. We recently bought my son a new pair of Batman tennis shoes. He took off! I didn't even have to wind him up.
How do you feel when you are dressed to the hilt and you are wearing a brand new pair of quality dress shoes? You are invincible aren't you?
Comfortable habits like comfortable shoes are nice to have, but I want to encourage you to try on a new pair of shoes every once in a while. Trying something new, like a new pair of shoes, may be uncomfortable at first, but it will make you feel like you can run faster, jump higher and be just plain invincible.
If this new thing stretches your comfort zone and your imagination, do it. If this new thing is a little uncomfortable, do it. If this new thing ir very uncomfortable, do it NOW!
No one ever grew by staying put and staying comfortable. Go get a new pair of shoes today.
Steve Brummet is a communication expert, writer and speaker.
An old pair of shoes
Do you have a really comfortable pair of shoes? They may be slippers or tennis shoes. It doesn't matter what kind of shoes, just so comfortable that you can slip into them like an old habit. These are the kind of shoes that you can't wait to get into after a hard day of work. Like Mr. Rogers slipping on his blue pair of Keds. Won't you be my neighbor?
I have a pair of shoes like that. They are so comfortable that I could probably fall asleep in them. And that may be the problem.
A new pair of shoes
Do you remember when you were a kid and got the new pair of tennis shoes? I bet you felt like you could run faster and jump higher when you put them on. We recently bought my son a new pair of Batman tennis shoes. He took off! I didn't even have to wind him up.
How do you feel when you are dressed to the hilt and you are wearing a brand new pair of quality dress shoes? You are invincible aren't you?
Comfortable habits like comfortable shoes are nice to have, but I want to encourage you to try on a new pair of shoes every once in a while. Trying something new, like a new pair of shoes, may be uncomfortable at first, but it will make you feel like you can run faster, jump higher and be just plain invincible.
If this new thing stretches your comfort zone and your imagination, do it. If this new thing is a little uncomfortable, do it. If this new thing ir very uncomfortable, do it NOW!
No one ever grew by staying put and staying comfortable. Go get a new pair of shoes today.
Steve Brummet is a communication expert, writer and speaker.
I am the BOSS
When I Take a long time to finish, I am slow,
When my boss takes a long time, he is thorough
When I don't do it, I am lazy,
When my boss does not do it, he is busy,
When I do something without being told, I am trying to be smart,
When my boss does the same, he takes the initiative,
When I please my boss, I am apple polishing,
When my boss pleases his boss, he is cooperating,
When I make a mistake, I' am an idiot.
When my boss makes a mistake, he's only human.
When I am out of the office, I am wondering around.
When my boss is out of the office, he's on business.
When I am on a day off sick, I am always sick.
When my boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.
When I apply for leave, I must be going for an interview
When my boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked
When I do good, my boss never remembers,
When I do wrong, he never forgets
When my boss takes a long time, he is thorough
When I don't do it, I am lazy,
When my boss does not do it, he is busy,
When I do something without being told, I am trying to be smart,
When my boss does the same, he takes the initiative,
When I please my boss, I am apple polishing,
When my boss pleases his boss, he is cooperating,
When I make a mistake, I' am an idiot.
When my boss makes a mistake, he's only human.
When I am out of the office, I am wondering around.
When my boss is out of the office, he's on business.
When I am on a day off sick, I am always sick.
When my boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.
When I apply for leave, I must be going for an interview
When my boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked
When I do good, my boss never remembers,
When I do wrong, he never forgets
Stealing Office Supplies
by Bob Calandra HRE Online June, 30, 2008
Most workers who help themselves to company supplies know they are doing wrong -- but they do it anyway. A lack of engagement and work/life balance may contribute to the reasons underlying the thefts.
Lock the supply-room door and hide the key. A new survey says that nearly 20 percent of American workers are pilfering company supplies.
The survey, conducted by Spherion, a Florida-based recruiting and staffing company, found that employees expropriate everything from pencils, pens and paper to BlackBerries and laptop computers.
Moreover, the study reported that only 22 percent of those who admitted filching office provisions felt guilt or remorse. Yet, three-quarters (74 percent) said they know that stealing from the company is wrong, a 5 percent increase from last year.
"Stealing office supplies is a great challenge because there is virtually no way to secure office supplies in an economic way," says Clinton Korver, co-author of Ethics For The Real World.
The most common supplies lifted by employees, according to the Spherion study, are pens, pencils and rulers (67 percent), paper and Post-Its (57 percent), and calculators, staplers and tape dispensers (11 percent).
While a tape dispenser here and a box of pens there may not seem like much, the number of employees swiping laptops, PDAs or cell phones has increased in the last year from 5 percent to 8 percent.
"I don't think people are malicious," says Aleicia Latimer, associate general counsel and human resources services manager for Florida-based AlphaStaff Group, Inc., a human resource outsourcing company.
Office supplies are "like a buffet," she says. "You take all you can because it is there for you."
Such theft is hardly a new phenomenon. Plundered supplies add up to billions of dollars a year in losses for small businesses, according to a 2006 Lawyers.com online survey performed by Harris Interactive.
So what can a human resource manager do to help curb office lifting? The short term answer is to step up security. Latimer suggests making people sign for each item they take or limit access to supplies by assigning a gatekeeper.
"People are less likely to take more than they need because they have to see someone face-to-face," she says.
It is also imperative that HR develop and enforce a policy for people caught poaching company stores.
"It gives people parameters," she says. "If someone does step over the line you can say, 'Here is the policy and you can't say you didn't know.' You can enforce your rules and regulations appropriately. But if you are going to discipline someone, you have to do it consistently."
Having a policy is important. But it won't solve office-supply theft alone. To significantly curb stealing, human resource leaders must delve deeper to understand why employees do it.
"I think the main reason people do this is because they feel that the company is doing well and making money and these are just supplies and do not cost a great deal to the bottom line," Latimer. "It is theft if you are not using it for work."
Certainly many employees don't equate personal use of office supplies with stealing. Others, however, know exactly what they are doing.
A 2006 Vault survey found that 60 percent of the employees who admitted stealing office supplies said they did so because they felt they were not fairly compensated for overtime.
A 2007 Harris Interactive survey for Deloitte & Touche found that "stress, long hours, and an inflexible schedule" contributed to employee bad behavior, including stealing office supplies.
That same study reported that 91 percent of the respondents said people were more likely to act ethically if they had a healthy work/life balance.
"It is important that the company says 'thank you' to its employees," Latimer says. "If employees feel valued and that they are part of the team, then if (stealing) is hurting the company, it is hurting them.
"If they feel like a cog in a wheel, then sure, 'you don't care about me and I don't care about you.' Being part of the team makes a difference," she says.
The Deloitte & Touche survey also noted that employees look to set the tone in the offices. They expect managers and supervisors to "live the values they preach" and maintain a "culture of ethics" in the office.
"Managers and supervisors need to reinforce the corporate culture," Latimer says.
"If there is a behavior you don't want exhibited in your staff, it is a behavior that you should not exhibit," she says. "It is very important for management to live up to the values of the corporate culture."
Most workers who help themselves to company supplies know they are doing wrong -- but they do it anyway. A lack of engagement and work/life balance may contribute to the reasons underlying the thefts.
Lock the supply-room door and hide the key. A new survey says that nearly 20 percent of American workers are pilfering company supplies.
The survey, conducted by Spherion, a Florida-based recruiting and staffing company, found that employees expropriate everything from pencils, pens and paper to BlackBerries and laptop computers.
Moreover, the study reported that only 22 percent of those who admitted filching office provisions felt guilt or remorse. Yet, three-quarters (74 percent) said they know that stealing from the company is wrong, a 5 percent increase from last year.
"Stealing office supplies is a great challenge because there is virtually no way to secure office supplies in an economic way," says Clinton Korver, co-author of Ethics For The Real World.
The most common supplies lifted by employees, according to the Spherion study, are pens, pencils and rulers (67 percent), paper and Post-Its (57 percent), and calculators, staplers and tape dispensers (11 percent).
While a tape dispenser here and a box of pens there may not seem like much, the number of employees swiping laptops, PDAs or cell phones has increased in the last year from 5 percent to 8 percent.
"I don't think people are malicious," says Aleicia Latimer, associate general counsel and human resources services manager for Florida-based AlphaStaff Group, Inc., a human resource outsourcing company.
Office supplies are "like a buffet," she says. "You take all you can because it is there for you."
Such theft is hardly a new phenomenon. Plundered supplies add up to billions of dollars a year in losses for small businesses, according to a 2006 Lawyers.com online survey performed by Harris Interactive.
So what can a human resource manager do to help curb office lifting? The short term answer is to step up security. Latimer suggests making people sign for each item they take or limit access to supplies by assigning a gatekeeper.
"People are less likely to take more than they need because they have to see someone face-to-face," she says.
It is also imperative that HR develop and enforce a policy for people caught poaching company stores.
"It gives people parameters," she says. "If someone does step over the line you can say, 'Here is the policy and you can't say you didn't know.' You can enforce your rules and regulations appropriately. But if you are going to discipline someone, you have to do it consistently."
Having a policy is important. But it won't solve office-supply theft alone. To significantly curb stealing, human resource leaders must delve deeper to understand why employees do it.
"I think the main reason people do this is because they feel that the company is doing well and making money and these are just supplies and do not cost a great deal to the bottom line," Latimer. "It is theft if you are not using it for work."
Certainly many employees don't equate personal use of office supplies with stealing. Others, however, know exactly what they are doing.
A 2006 Vault survey found that 60 percent of the employees who admitted stealing office supplies said they did so because they felt they were not fairly compensated for overtime.
A 2007 Harris Interactive survey for Deloitte & Touche found that "stress, long hours, and an inflexible schedule" contributed to employee bad behavior, including stealing office supplies.
That same study reported that 91 percent of the respondents said people were more likely to act ethically if they had a healthy work/life balance.
"It is important that the company says 'thank you' to its employees," Latimer says. "If employees feel valued and that they are part of the team, then if (stealing) is hurting the company, it is hurting them.
"If they feel like a cog in a wheel, then sure, 'you don't care about me and I don't care about you.' Being part of the team makes a difference," she says.
The Deloitte & Touche survey also noted that employees look to set the tone in the offices. They expect managers and supervisors to "live the values they preach" and maintain a "culture of ethics" in the office.
"Managers and supervisors need to reinforce the corporate culture," Latimer says.
"If there is a behavior you don't want exhibited in your staff, it is a behavior that you should not exhibit," she says. "It is very important for management to live up to the values of the corporate culture."
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