Criticism...Embrace it.

I'm on to another post based on a quote that I read and found thought-provoking. Here is today's quote: “To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” ~Elbert Hubbard

None of us likes being criticized. We want people to like us or, at least, to respect us. We often identify our ideas and our work with our self-worth. Therefore, when they are being criticized, it can sometimes make us feel like we're being personally attacked.

What do so many of us do when we're being attacked? We either seek to deflect the attacks or we fight back. Mr. Hubbard's quote seems to be focusing more on the "avoidance" or deflection reaction to criticism.

Criticism, even if it isn't positive, can still be such a positive event for us because it can be a catalyst of change or at least a catalyst of evaluation and circumspection. How can we ever improve if we get no feedback -- positive or otherwise -- about how we're doing? Plus, as Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill us makes us stronger". Criticism, and the growth that can come from it, certainly can make us stronger.

I would much rather be known for looking at my criticisms mostly objectively (even if I do take some of them a little personally) and growing from them, than someone who is so afraid of what others might think that I am either paralyzed into total nothingness, being just a lump of a person, or that I become Yes Man, constantly working to agree with everyone. The result is the same: a lost identity. No, thanks.

What do you think about criticism, even when it is negative? Can it still be useful if it's not as nice as we'd like?

Don't borrow trouble

"The reason why worry kills more people than work is that more people worry than work." ~ Robert Frost

Companies and other organizations are all rumor mills, aren't they? Some places are better or worse than others. Gossip and rumors are bad, in general, when they hurt others and diminish productivity.

With a bad economy and so many companies and shops struggling to survive, the rumors, gossip, and fear can get really out of hand. How can bosses overcome such negativity as it tries to creep into their teams?

• Don't join in the rumor mongering. Everybody likes to talk. If a manager needs to talk about things on his or her mind, he should speak to a colleague or mentor (bosses don't want to hear it).
• Focus the troops on the affirmative nature of the team or department. Regardless of what's happening on the outside, there ought to be something positive going on with the group.
• Keep the people anchored in the reality of the moment. Don't let them go down the "what if" path. The worst thing to do is "borrow trouble". They don't know what's going to happen in the future and it's a waste of time to trying to figure it out.
• Remind the team that they can't control what's going on around them. What they can control is themselves and how they perform their duties. I tell my team members the same thing I tell myself: "put your head down and work". That's what each of us can control.

What other ways are there to keep team members focused on positive attitudes and productivity, regardless of the situation?

Glass 1/2 Full

Recently, I wrote about how bosses are responsible for the mood of the teams they lead (see post here). Then, the quote that showed up on my blog yesterday (9/19), from Norman Vincent Peale, said: Change your thoughts and you change your world. That quote, from the king of positive thinking, also reminds me of my post "if you wanna be somebody else, change your mind."

It's great to have positive thoughts, read positive ideas, and work to exude a positive attitude. You know what is absolutely priceless? It's having other people on your team who understand and live the "positive" perspective of life.

I was very blessed to work with a person on my last team who was all about the positive. It's not that she was all "Pollyanna" and looked at the world in an unrealistic manner. She just chose to react to both her and the team's situations with a positive outlook most of the time.

Her mantra was "glass 1/2 full, glass 1/2 full" when anyone else on the team responded to situations in a less than positive manner. In fact, my colleague's words and attitude were such a good example, that I've even gotten into the habit of saying "glass 1/2 full" when I encounter negativity.

A positive attitude doesn't fix all the ills of the world or of the situations around us, but it sure can help us cope with them better.

Team Members or Customers...who comes first?

Conventional wisdom in business is that customers come first. Let's face it; if you didn't have customers, you wouldn't have a business, right? Therefore, we make statements like "the customer is always right." I've even told team members that the only "unforgivable" sin, as far as I was concerned...the action that would get them fired immediately, was being rude to a customer.

Lately, I've read that a few organizations out in the business world put their employees ahead of their customers. Now, I have heard about instances in just about any business where really horrible customers were encouraged or invited to find a new store or business to visit. This "putting the employees first" idea is more proactive than letting a customer move on. It sounds like a strategy or basic tenet of that organization.

The justification is that, if you hire properly and have the right culture, along with training, encouraging, challenging, and rewarding your team members, an almost automatic by-product will be an unparalleled customer experience. If companies ensure they have the best teams in the world, then customers will stand in line to do business with them.

That's an interesting thought. I guess I can see that. It's kind of a tangent off what I've always said, "if you take care of your people, then the projects, tasks, and mission take care of themselves."

What do you think? Who comes first: customers or employees?

Culture versus Pay

As I am reading "What's the Secret?" by John DiJulius, an outstanding book on how to provide a world-class customer experience for an organization's patrons, I come across quotes and thoughts that make me think. One quote is "the better the culture, the less pay becomes an issue."

What do you think that means? I think it means that if people work at an organization where they like to be, where they:

• feel good about what they and their company are doing
• know that their bosses are focused on helping them flourish
• are surrounded by positive, professional colleagues

then they are more focused on the positive culture than what their paycheck looks like.

Most people want to believe in something bigger than themselves. Most people want to feel good about what they're doing and about their circumstance. In these instances money, while still important, takes a back seat to how their company and their job make them feel.

Conversely, if someone works at an organization where the culture is very much "dog-eat-dog" and no one cares about the mission or about anybody else, then they'd better be getting top dollar. Otherwise, they'll be looking for the first opportunity to move on to an option that's better and brighter.

What are your thoughts on the quote? What examples can you give of places where culture beats cash hands down?

All Work and No Fun

Don't you love it when a boss makes one of those "encouraging" presentation to the troops? It seems that one of the obligatory bullet points is about having fun: "Work has to be fun!" "One thing we have to be sure we do...is have FUN!" In fact, if workers aren't having fun, they should find another job. Wow, that's such an empty statement. How out of touch or disingenuous are these bosses?

I've never heard one person say "I'm going to fun now" when heading to the office. Work is work and fun is fun. While sometimes they are the same thing (and that's great for those people who feel that way...although one could wonder what the rest of their lives are like if work is the best part of the day), most often they are two very distinct concepts.

While I have trouble with the "work is fun" concept, I do believe we can have fun with our co-workers as well as have rewarding experiences while at the office. I also believe that it's the boss's responsibility to help build an environment where positive events can happen. Two ways I'd like to share are:

1. Do Fun Stuff: I'm not talking about our tasks being fun. You can't count on that. What I am referring to is doing things that will put a smile on the faces of your team:

• Start off your daily huddle, weekly staff meeting, or other event with an activity to get people up and moving. One time, one of our team members made me sing a song because I was called away at the last minute and was "late" for our meeting. I sang "I'm a little teapot" with the motions to go with it. As a boss, you've got to be ready to shed any shred of dignity you have, every once in a while, to show you're human.
• Tell a joke whether it's good or bad (not off-color, though). I used to be known as the Chuck Norris jokester, with a list of really bad jokes that I shared. I can't tell jokes very well and the team heckling me was part of the fun.
• Leave them with a memorable quote. One of my team members always had a quote ready for the end of every meeting. Sometimes they were really memorable and sometimes they weren't, but it was still a positive way to send us back to work.

2. Build on Accomplishments: I always want my team to have a sense of purpose and be proud of what we do. I find it very fulfilling to be part of a team that works hard, meets tough goals, and then gets to see how meeting the goals helps another group or even the entire organization. The key is for the boss to make a big deal about what the team accomplished and let everyone know he or she is proud of them (it's good if you can get your boss to acknowledge the efforts and results, too).

Just like parents telling their kids they love them, bosses can never tell their team members too much that they are winners and that they are proud of them. The key here is to be sincere. If you don't mean it when you praise your people, they'll know.

Am I totally off base about work being fun? What other actions can bosses take to help themselves and their teams have fun at work?

Talent and Hard Work

Eric Zorn, columnist for the Chicago Tribune, wrote a piece a while back called "50 Things I've Learned".

One of his top 50 is "in everyday life, most 'talent' is simply hard work in disguise". Don't you think the main point he's trying to make is regarding hard work? "Wow, she's really good!" "Amazing; did you see how much he accomplished?"

Talent can only take you so far, because you still need to get results. Most of the time, getting results means working hard.

So, when it comes down to it, I'd rather have a hard worker with average talent than a talented worker with average drive. What do you think?