Author Archives: damundson

2 Ways To Show Gratitude At Work This Week!

Posted on by
Reply

In Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, he states that employees must not feel anonymous where they work.  In other words, they must be noticed and appreciated for what they do.   What better time than this Thanksgiving week to show that gratitude?  One way that Patrick recommends leaders do this is by telling their employees the impact they have on them as a leader. Showing this appreciation is often best done face to face but the phone will work as well.  Let me give a few examples of what I mean…

 “Amanda, I want you to know that your role as the front office coordinator makes my job easier because you schedule appointments and screen my phone calls so I can stay focused on my most critical tasks.”  I want to thank you for doing such a great job at this and making my job easier.

With this message you are doing two things.  One is telling them how relevant their work is to you personally and the other is showing your appreciation for them and the work they do.

Here is another example:

“Lance, I want you to know that getting these financial reports to me in a timely manner really helps me make better decisions in both the short and long term for our department.  I want to thank you for doing such a great job at this and making my job easier.”

To make it easier for you to do this just fill in the blanks for you own dialogue:

“(Name of person) I want you to know that when you do (describe their most helpful work) it makes my job easier by (describe the benefit to you).  I want to thank you for doing such a great job at this and having such an impact on me and my work.”

Now, I promised two ways to show gratitude at work this week and the second tip is to go to your boss and let them know how appreciative you are of them as your boss and the work they do.  I bet you are thinking I am crazy here!!!  What if you don’t like your boss?  I believe there is one aspect of your boss that you can show appreciation for and also to be appreciative of a job since there are currently 23,000,000 people still out of work.  So what would this look and sound like?

“Mary, I want to thank you for the extra help you gave me last week on that customer satisfaction survey that I had trouble with.  Also, I want to thank you for the opportunity to work in a job that I enjoy.”

That is it!  It does not need to be any more complicated than that.  Let me give you a fill in the blank statement to get you started:

“(Name of boss) I want to thank you for providing (what have they done over the last few months or years that makes your job easier).  Also, I want to thank you for the opportunity to work in a job that I enjoy.”

Being a boss can be a lonely job and they really need and appreciate any praise coming their way….really!

Question for You:

Do you find it easy to notice what is going wrong with your employees or boss?  Do you find it awkward to sincerely say “thank you” in a specific way?

Action for You:

This week take stock of all that you have in your personal and professional life.  Are there people that have contributed to your success?  Let them know during a week that is meant to reflect on all that you have and are thankful for…..  By the way, these scripts work great with spouses, significant others and children at homeJ

 

3 Ways to Kill Morale At Work

Posted on by
Reply

 Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”

-Anne M. Mulcahy

Can a leader really motivate others?  This is a question that has been asked over the years without a clear answer.  Psychology talks about intrinsic motivators that come from inside an individual, i.e. seeking to go back to school for more knowledge and extrinsic motivators that come from a person’s environment, i.e., bonuses, challenging work, etc.   I don’t believe this is an either/or answer but rather a “both” answer.  In order for a person to be motivated to work at a higher level, they must possess an inner dialogue that wants to improve and an environment that supports that improvement.

While we don’t have much control on the intrinsic motivators that a person needs to succeed, I believe as leaders we can make a big impact on the employee’s environment and therefore their extrinsic motivators.  So what are the three morale killers in an organization?  Read below for the answers:

 

  • Showing favoritism-sometimes it can be difficult for a leader to recognize when they are showing favoritism of one employee over the other.  We don’t always see our actions but clearly going to lunch more often, giving the easier or more challenging work, bonusing one performance more than another, hanging out with a person outside of work hours are all forms of favoritism that kills morale.  Other employees do not see the benefit of going the extra mile when their boss rewards someone else for being a favorite. 

 

  • Not caring for your employees-a great leader needs to know as much as possible about their employees.  Do you know their birthday, work anniversary, and son’s or daughter’s names?  Do you know what sports or hobbies they prefer? Do you know their strengths? Do you show appreciation for their work on a regular basis? When a leader genuinely cares for his or her employees, the relationship begins to feel like a family.  I remember a boss I had years ago who knew my daughter was ill on Friday and asked my Monday morning how she was doing.  Twenty years later I still remember how important and valued her remembering to ask made me feel.

 

  • Lack of challenge- even in small organizations where the promotion ladder is short or nonexistent, employees still need meaningful and challenging work.  Are you able to offer work in an area of strength for the employee? Are highly competent employees able to mentor and train others in their area of strength? Are you able to cross train valuable employees to increase their value to the company?

 

As the economy gains steam and employee options for work increase, it will become even more critical that you eliminate these three morale killers from you team, department and organization as a whole.

Question For You:

Are you currently favoring one employee over others?  Do you do the bare minimum to get to know your employees and the bare minimum to show appreciation for their work? Do employees stay stagnant in their training and work with minimal effort to help them grow personally and professionally?

Action For You:

If you realize that you may be offering more of your time and attention to one employee than another…STOP immediately.  Don’t beat yourself up for this but simply cease doing those things with this employee that you would not do with others.  If you only know your employees superficially, begin creating a list of questions that would help you better understand your employee’s personal and professional life.  Make certain you are not asking any illegal or embarrassing questions like their age or sexual orientation.  Finally do you have continual one-on-one meetings with staff to help you uncover their needs for growing in their positions?  Do you take any steps after these conversations?

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

— Albert Schweitzer

 

6 Tips For Remembering People’s Names

Posted on by
Reply

I recently spoke at a conference on the topic of Networking for People Who Hate to Network and my audience asked if I could help them better remember people’s names.  I realized how important this skill is to communicating more effectively and thought it would make a great topic for this week’s newsletter.

Great reading and remembering!

Diane

 

At some point in my young adulthood I was asked the question, “What are the most pleasing words for a person to hear?” The answer I received may surprise you….it is a person’s name.  If hearing your name is so pleasing and important in a conversation than why is it so hard for us to remember others names in social settings? I have to admit that I must constantly work at this skill because it does not come naturally to me.

We have all been in that situation where we have met someone before and had a conversation with them, but when we meet them again, we do not have any recall as to their name.  And so we do the dance by pretending we know who they are and asking a myriad of questions that might trigger an answer that gives us a clue as to their name.  This is embarrassing, frustrating and time consuming all at once.  So, how can we better recall a person’s name once we hear it?  I have five techniques I have used that help me and hopefully will help you as well.  I am sorry to say I do not remember the source for some of these ideas and some I have created myself:

 

  • Be focused in the moment.  You know when you are about to be introduced to someone…this is not the time to multitask or think of your grocery list waiting for you.  You must clear out all other thoughts and look the new person in the eye so you capture their name and how they say it.

 

  • Once you are introduced, find a way to verbalize their name out loud to help it sink into your memory.  For instance, you just met Bob Jones and so you ask him a question shortly after your introduction by saying, “Bob, did you go to school in this area?”   By using his name quickly in a question, you have now practiced using his name which will lend itself to better recall.  Another great time to use their name again is when you are departing.  Try saying, “Nice to meet you, Bob,” as an example.

 

  • Associate their name with a feature of their physical presence or someone they look like.  For instance, if I am introduced to Tina Smith and she is tall, I may remember her as Tall Tina.  This works especially well if there is a distinguishing feature in their physical structure or mannerisms. By putting a feature of the person with their name, you are creating an emotional marker with their name that helps with recall. If they look like someone famous you may try connecting that Tina Smith has Tina Turner’s hair.

 

  • Ask them to spell their name.  I am a visual learner and by seeing their name spelled, I am often better able to recall it.  This can sometimes backfire when they have a simple name like Mary Anderson but usually there are multiple ways to spell a name and you are trying to make certain you have it accurately.

 

  • Apologize if you do forget their name.  Simply state, “I am so sorry that I have forgotten your name, would you please tell me again?”  Sometimes we would save a lot of time and embarrassment if we would simply do this right away but there are times when it seems so inappropriate if we were just introduced. 

 

  • Help others know your name.  Why not help your fellow socialites by introducing yourself to everyone that may not remember your name.  I like to shake people’s hands that I have seldom met and say, “Hi, I am Diane Amundson; you may not remember me.”  Wouldn’t the world rotate so much smoother if everyone made the assumption that you don’t remember their name?

 

Question for You:

Do you often forget people’s names?  Sometime right after being introduced to them?

Action for You:

Saying a person’s name is one of the most pleasing words for that person to hear. Try to focus and be in the moment when that introduction is made, verbalize their name quickly, find a physical feature or mannerism to assist you and ask them to spell their name if you are a visual learner.  Don’t be afraid to quickly apologize if you forget their name and help other’s remember your name by not assuming they remember you and offering your name first