Home
Coaching Resources Goals Journal About Contact Us

Entries for the 'Hard Facts of Working with People' Category

Listen In -> The Hard Facts of Working with People #5: Failure and Taking Risks

Wednesday, September 28th, 2011

Is it dangerous to make mistakes where you work?

Many leaders wish their employees would take the initiative more often, contribute new ideas, point out what’s not working well, and go the extra mile for a customer.

Everyone is happy as long as everything works out.

BUT

When a mistake is made, things don’t work out, the customer gets upset, or the idea flops, there is hell to pay.

All of a sudden, all initiative disappears, no new ideas ever get presented, no critiques are offered, and everyone provides simply the bare bones minimum for customers.

What happened?

You punished risk-taking.

In this week’s episode, Claudia and I discuss building an environment that encourages risk without fear of repercussions. An environment safe enough to put new ideas out on the table without being penalized if they don’t work out.

If taking the initiative or suggesting an improvement feels like putting one’s neck on the line, then people will keep their ideas to themselves.

Far from being a disaster, failure can lead to great innovation. Failure, more commonly, leads to learning.

What about where you work?

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> The Hard Facts of Working with People #4: People Need to Connect and Belong

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

While some people prefer to work alone than in a group, all people need to be a part of a working community of other people.

The rare bird who is a true loner would most likely not work for a company, opting instead for some sort of independent structure.

This week’s show is about the hard fact that people need to connect and belong.

We need to belong to a community with a mission that is larger than ourselves. We need to be an integral part of making that mission succeed. (Remember the hard fact about making a difference?)

There is simply no escaping the reality that this process includes working with others. But working with others runs deeper than the functional necessity of most tasks requiring more than one person to complete them.

Working together involves a process of connecting and belonging that is core to being human.

Keep roles and responsibilities anonymous and impersonal at your own risk. Want to know why?

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> The Hard Facts of Working with People #3: People Need to Learn and Develop

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

People change. Fact.

People are maturing, changing, developing beings. How ironic that we fashion static job descriptions and rigid organizational charts for these dynamic, ever-becoming beings.

This week’s “hard fact” to face about working with people is that people need to grow and develop in their jobs and their responsibilities.

What is boredom at work but the need for something more challenging?

What is criticism but the developing ability to see what’s not working and come up with alternatives?

If positions could grow and develop as the person holding the position grows and develops, we would find ourselves with with more motivated, more invested and more loyal employees.

What opportunities to learn and develop have you incorporated into your company? What opportunities to learn and develop can you find or create for yourself?

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> The Hard Facts of Working with People #2: People Need to Contribute and Make a Difference

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

Many of us, if we were honest, would prefer not to have other people on the team. But we need more arms and legs than we have ourselves!

So we hire beings to function as utilities, which by their nature are anything but utilities. That is, we hire human beings.

Hard fact to face about these creatures known as human beings is that they need to contribute and make a difference.

Take this fact into account as you shape their job descriptions, responsibilities, communication patterns, and performance evaluations, and you will discover the most amazing source of energy, ideas, production and effectiveness imaginable.

Ignore this fact and you will spend a fortune on high turnover, stagnant careers, negative attitudes, and a bare bones work ethic.

You can crack the whip all you like. Yell and scream. Threaten and punish. Nothing will elicit anything more than the absolute minimum in effort.

It’s your choice. Face this hard fact of working with people or not.

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.

Listen In -> The Hard Facts of Working with People #1: Replaying a Timely and Helpful Series

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

“If I had a nickel for every time someone referred to working with people as “the soft side of business” I’d be a millionaire.”

What I said several years ago when this podcast first aired still holds today.

It is precisely because of this disastrous fallacy about working with people that we are replaying this important series during our vacation season at Bold Enterprises.

Far from being the soft side of business, working with people is filled with hard realities that, unless faced, will undermine even the best laid plans.

Just because the human element is difficult to quantify and doesn’t show up neat and tidy in the financial reports, doesn’t mean that it isn’t one of the central keys to success in your workplace.

You invest in state of the art technology. You conduct thorough and ambitious strategic planning. You invest in the best in marketing and sales. You keep a lid on unnecessary costs.

But too many of us are dismissing, ignoring or overlooking the highest impact investment of all… our people.

The Hard Facts of Working with People
Week #1: Facing the Facts about a Timely and Practical Reality
Week #2: People Need to Contribute and Make a Difference
Week #3: People Need to Learn and Develop
Week #4: People Need to Connect and Belong

Listen in.

Just now joining the conversation? Catch up on the entire series here.