The GarbageFactor™ » admin

If you don’t eat, then you’re not a team player!

admin — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:11:12 +0000

While working out with my new trainer at the gym, we started talking about the GarbageFactor™. He shared with me a story about a client (I’ll call her Sara) who was working really hard to lose weight. Sara had made a serious commitment to her weight loss and was watching everything that she ate to be sure that it was healthy.

At work one day, Sara joined her co-workers for a luncheon that her boss had planned for her team. The menu that Sara’s manager chose left her with no healthy options for eating. Committed to her goal, yet also wanting to be a part of the festivities, Sara ate a few bites and spent the rest of her time socializing with her co-workers.

When they returned to work, Sara’s boss called her into his office. He immediately ripped into her accusing her of “not being a team player” because she “refused to eat at lunch today.”

I can think of lots of things that would be legitimate complaints about someone not being a team player. This isn’t one of them. This manager needs to go back to training to learn about what teamwork is and isn’t. He also needs to learn how to deliver feedback. You don’t rip into people.

This is garbage and no one needs garbage at work.

Just wait for this economy to turnaround. Everyone with toxic levels of garbage being dumped on them at work now will be doing the dumping later. They’ll be dumping high levels of turnover. How do you like that garbage?

By the way, Sara got even in the end. She lost the weight and the job. No more garbage for Sara!

How is Waiting affecting Employee Engagement at your Workplace?

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:00:00 +0000

I love reading USA Today’s “Snapshots.” They are quick little bits of information that stop and make you think. One that caught me was titled “When is Waiting Most Frustrating?” 43% of people responding answered “Awaiting approvals at the workplace.”

We are a rushed society doing everything at breakneck speeds. We want everything now, and and our bosses and peers want everything yesterday. So why is it we are made to wait when we need approval? Is the approval process inhibiting enthusiasm and engagement? Is the length of time to wait for an approval sending the message that “you or what you need isn’t important?”

I remember one place where I worked where traveling 50% of the time was a requirement for my job. In fact, the only way to do the job was to get on a plane. I taught seminars in client locations and held conferences 10 times a year across the country. Yet even though the travel was required to do the job, I had to go through a requisition process that required no less than 5 approval signatures. 4 of those people were wasting their time with redundant activity. Worse, I had to follow up with each level to make sure it was getting passed on to the next level. So much of my time was wasted as well. I can certainly understand wanting a second set of eyes to make sure I was going to St. Cloud, Minnesota and not St. Croix, Virgin Islands. But after that, the messages are things like “we don’t trust you” “we’re inefficient” “what you are doing is unimportant so we can take as long as necessary for approval.”

Take a look at your workplace. Where can you eliminate people waiting unnecessarily long?

The Science of Motivation by Dan Pink

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:11:17 +0000

Have you seen Dan Pink’s talk called “Drive” about the science of motivation? If not, it’s a must see. Here’s an adaption of the talk with animation. You’ll hear Dan’s talk while watching an animator bring the talk to life. The original Dan at the TED talks is below it if you’d prefer to see it without animation.

If you are involved with Employee Engagement, study this. If you can get every manager and supervisor on every level within your organization to understand these fundamental principles, you will have the Engagement you need.