As a Yankee fan, I am excited for another season here in the Bronx. However, it saddens me to see what appears to be the dramatic decline of skills in the Captain, Derek Jeter. Some reports have blasted him for perennial hitting into a double play (one blog actually said he should change his uniform number to 63 because he always seems to hit into a 6-3 groundout).
Is it age? Is he injured? Or is it just that he happens to be in the right place at the wrong time? These are things many managers have to consider when one of their top performers suddenly declines in performance.
The key in business (and baseball) is to not rush to conclusions when someone who has consistently performed at a high level suddenly drops off. It is important to see what is going on in one's personal life, if there are new stressors at work, or if there are medical or other issues that need to be addressed.
As a fan, it's easy to jump all over Jeter (as my friends and I have in our Yankee discussions), but the important thing here is to look at the person's performance over time and see what adjustments can be made to make that person more comfortable and perform better.
Manny Ramirez has now worn out his welcome with two baseball teams - the Boston Red Sox in 2008 and now the Los Angeles Dodgers this year. However, the issue with Manny could have been averted years ago if the Red Sox took proper disciplinary action.
For years, Manny Ramirez altered between a powerful offensive force on the team to being a negative offender of clubhouse rules and playing field decorum. Until the Red Sox finally traded him, they didn't really make enough of an effort to nip his behavior in the bud or handle the issues as they came up.
Just as in the work place, if someone is a top performer but displays negative behavior towards the organization or to coworkers, not person or player is worth keeping around if they aren't playing on the team or working with others well. If people aren't dealt with early on, they feel like their behavior will be tolerated.
Next time you think someone on your team is just acting that way because they just have a case of "Manny being Manny", you need to ask yourself if this is behavior that can be changed or altered before you have to take drastic action to remove the person from your team or organization.
I'm a stickler when it comes to attendance, and my students and former staff are well aware of how irritated I get when someone is late, wants to leave early, or doesn't show up without notice.
I think it is very important to start people on the right foot by being rigid with your attendance policy. Once employees or students feel you are lax in allowing lateness or frequent unexplained absenteeism to occur, your place of business or classroom will suffer.
Common courtesy around attendance involves informing those who you are reporting late to or not reporting to at all of your situation. I have had several people in both my academic career and professional career who have been late or absent a few times, but there is always a legitimate reason, and they always let me know ahead of time. As well, I have statistical evidence that shows that those who do not give notice of their lateness or absenteeism end up leaving school, failing courses, losing their job, or having further problems at work than the absenteeism.
What strategies have you employed in the workplace or classroom to prevent these situations from becoming problems? I'll share more, as well as reader feedback, in a future column.
The Seattle Mariners recently fired their manager, pitching coach, bench coach, and performance coach about 2/3 of the way through an abysmal season. The management of the organization felt that a drastic change needed to take place to recharge a team that performed below expectations.
What seemed to be so drastic about this move was how many people lost their jobs in one quick cut. In most of the prior managerial moves in the past that occurred mid-season, generally only one coach or the manager has been let go and replaced on an interim-basis by someone else within the organization.
Depending on the source, the blame for the Mariners season is on how the clubhouse character was flawed and that several key players on the team had "quit" on the manager and his support staff.
In the business world, drastic change like this may have to take place as well if performance is not up to par, but rarely does a change involving the removal of several key managers take place all at one time. However, if a change like this did occur, you can believe those working for the managers who were let go would get the message that change needed to take place.
An age-old question I get is about how to land a job without having the prerequisite experience. This often befalls those who have experience in a field but lack management experience in that same field.
For those in college, management internships are a huge opportunity. For those beyond college, that luxury may not be afforded, but that does not mean there aren't possibilities to receive a probationary type assignment as a manager.
Often, companies will hire seasoned managers to senior hourly roles, and then offer them temporary management assignments or projects to help them fill the gaps.
For those who are seasoned hourly employees, taking on more responsibility where you work or seeking an opportunity with a company that is non-management can be the foot in the door to the proving ground you need to demonstrate what you are made of.
Next time you think about whether or not you are qualified, look at other opportunities to join an organization that will help you prove that you are worthy of the risk and the opportunity.
One of my favorite books on management, time management, and careers is the Four Hour Workweek. Check out Tim Ferriss as he shares some information on his book and its premises.
What does using an ATM properly have to do with training, careers or HR? A lot actually.
I hate using ATM's most of the time because people spend so much time at the ATM you'd think they are opening up in account or something. One of my zany ideas that I gave to a couple people who work at banks is that they should have people standing out at the ATM's from time to time to manage crowd control and show them how to use it properly!
One of the exercises I have my students work on in HR class is writing together a training procedure for how somebody who has never used an ATM for can use one effectively. None of my former students have gotten it right so far (at least in my mind).
Here is what I feel is the proper procedure for using an ATM
1. Prior to pulling into the parking lot or approaching the ATM, have all checks signed, your card out of your wallet, and be prepared for whatever transactions you are going to complete
2. Insert card into ATM within 5 seconds of approaching the machine, and enter PIN
3. Complete your transactions
4. Pull away from ATM and replace your card in your wallet.
What my students have always forgotten is #1. Many people, in any situation, forget the preparatory steps that need to take place before an actual procedure begins. This ATM instruction guide is an example of how you can incorporate preparatory steps into any training model.
So the next time you pull up to an ATM, if I am behind you, I hope you are following my guidelines!
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (seen below in its entirety) is an amazing motivational tool for those who need inspiration. Taking inspiration from the Last Lecture, many teachers incorporate a "Last Lecture" into the final class of the semester. Similarly, this same concept can be used in company meetings, seminars, or farewell get togethers.
In the workplace, The Last Lecture can take the form of:
- having an inspirational speech at the end of a day of training
- giving employees leaving a chance to say goodbye to their teammates
- wrapping up a workshop with an inspirational speech or presentation
Watch the Last Lecture below if you haven't seen it already, and get inspired by a man who lived more while dying than many do living.
Sometimes getting out of the office is enough to take the stress out of the organization. Some of my favorite events in Florida were simple, natural events that helped everyone get along better. Others, well...
Taking a walk together outside of the office was often the best recipe for getting some better communication going with the teams I have been on. Escaping the location where the problem took place made the problems go away quicker because problems were solved in the absence of people who didn't need to be involved.
Other times, a company outing for coffee or to a local restaurant for an after-work beverage contributed to getting rid of stress while not even discussing work at all.
One of the worst outings I've been on was ones where we all had to engage in activities in the water; I sink like an anchor in water, and I know some of my colleagues have felt the same, so make sure if you choose an adventurous activity that it is one that the entire team can feel comfortable.
What have you done for an enjoyable company outing?
One of my favorite answers to "Do you have an incentive program?" came in the early 90's when I asked one of my former bosses. He said "Yeah, if you work here 10 years, you get a 12 ounce soda, if you work here 15 years, you get a 16 ounce." (at least he was honest!)
What do you do to incentivize a small business? I'll share some of the best ways to do this, as well as mine, later this week. As well, I will debut my first video blog on this site later this week.
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