About

The GarbageFactor™ started very simply.  Garbagio (my father’s version of the word garbage thanks to our Italian roots) was how my father referred to everything that was unacceptable.  If my room was a mess it looked like “garbagio,” if my report card was bad, it was garbagio.  If he had to deal with a nasty work situation, it was garbagio.

As I grew older, I used the English version of the word to express the same sentiments as my father.

In 1984, I began my career in training and development.  I started with technical programs in the financial industry and then moved on to communication skills, customer service, and ultimately management and leadership.  After a dozen years in the corporate arena, I ventured out on my own delivering keynotes, seminars, and workshops on both financial topics as well as people skills.

During one one program, I had a particularly stubborn group of managers that were struggling with the concepts of staff motivation.  We’d developed a pretty close relationship after working with them for several days, so I felt comfortable speaking with the frankly.  So when one manager said “but they’re getting paid to do the work, they should be glad they have a job!” I said to him “When you’re employees look at their paychecks, they don’t look at it and think ‘look how lucky I am to get this check!’.”  ”They look at it and ask ‘Was it worth putting up with all this garbage to get this check?’”

I’d not intended to bring the garbage concept into my speaking world, but it resonated with the audience and I was asked to include it in other programs. Thus, the GarbageFactor™ was born.

This blog is about the GarbageFactor™ in the workplace.  It is the things that get in the way of Employee Engagement.  Instead of “to” do to employees to improve engagement, I suggest it’s what leadership needs to “stop” doing to prevent a loss of engagement.

Join me as I share tips, send in comments, and if you have any great stories that people can learn from (whether what “to” do or what “not” to do), I invite you to share them with me.

I look forward to working with you to remove the GarbageFactor™ from all workplaces so we can all feel engaged and perform at a level that makes us feel good first, and the company benefit second.  This is a win-win.

Marian