Randy Clark's Blog, page 47

Who Should You Hire Next?

If you own or manage a growing small business one of the dilemmas for many small business professionals is who should you hire next? And not only who should you hire next but when should they be hired. Should your next hire be a sales manager, CFO, or Marketing Director, and should you bring them aboard when the business has risen to a new level or add them to the roster before you get to that point? Good questions and ones that I can’t entirely answer because it depends on your business, the position to be filled, and the circumstances. What I can do is share a piece of sage advice a past head of Kelley Business School shared with me at a seminar many years ago

The Presentation

The presentation was at IUPUI in Indianapolis. The venue was standing room only and filled with local business leaders – owners, managers, and leaders. The presenter was an academician and a businessperson. He not only taught business he owned businesses. He shared more than one example of his business successes and failures that could be lessons for everyone in the room, but one stood out for me.

Should You Replace Yourself?

Near the end of his talk, he asked the group this question, “If your business is growing and it’s time to hire a new position do you hire someone that has expertise outside of your knowledge or someone to do what you’re doing now?” The majority of the room said to hire an expert outside of your knowledge. The Presenter answered that sometimes you have to hire someone outside of your skill set such as an attorney, engineer, or accountant. However, he went on to say that whenever possible hire someone who does what you do. His reasoning was as follows:

It will force you to manage your business rather than do it yourself. Learning to work on the business promotes growth. Working in the business stunts growth.
When you know what to do, how to do it, and why, then you can competently manage, train, and mentor. You can make an impact.
It allows you to learn other aspects of your business and continue your growth as a leader.

So, Who Should You Hire Next?

As the speaker said you can’t always hire your replacement, but when you do, it can make a positive impact. It forces you to lead rather than do the work, it opens up growth opportunities for you and your new hire, and it puts you in a position to train someone your way. So, who are you hiring next?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

 

 

 

The post Who Should You Hire Next? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Hacking Past a Boomer Block: A Hack for Young Business Professionals

I’m an old guy, a boomer. Generally I abhor categorizing people by the year they were born. However, I love alliteration, hence Boomer block. So shoot me. Hacking past a Boomer block is something you may need to use.

To categorize and stereotype people born in the same era isn’t much different than saying all people born in Indiana are the same, or all Asians act alike, or…well, you get the point. I hope.

People Aren’t all the Same

People are a product of the technology they’ve been introduced to and accepted. They’re informed by their culture and shaped by their environment. And they’re affected by life stages. However, too many people buy into the idea that Millennials are all alike, as well as all Boomers are the same. Social media broadcasts this propaganda in blog posts, surveys, and infographics. People aren’t all the same just because of their birth date. It’s a lie.

My Generation

Some in my generation have bought into the falsehood that Millennials are all the same—self-centered, lazy, spoiled, tech savvy, and cold. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? But what if you’re a younger person working for an older one who is one of those who believe these misguided opinions? What do you do?

4 Hacks to get Past the Boomer Gate


Get to know your Boomer boss

Take the time to ask about them. Ask about their interests, such as music, travel, and books they recommend. People are people. No two are the same. However, most people appreciate others who ask questions and listen.

Seek the Boomer’s opinion and advice

Call on their years of experience. Ask what they’ve learned and what pitfalls you should avoid. Ask to be mentored. You may learn something, and it will be appreciated.

Offer to help

For example, although I manage twenty social media accounts  not everyone my age understands social media. Ask where they might use your help and give it freely.

Remind them

Once you get to know your older co-worker or boss remind them what the Greatest Generation (Boomer’s parents) said about them. The Greatest Generation said Boomers were self-centered, lazy, spoiled, cold, and tech savvy (New-fangled answering machines, faxes, and beepers). Sound familiar? I know—I was there.

Break the Stereotype, Hacking Past a Boomer Block and Make a Difference

If you want to make strides in the workplace, then break the stereotype. Get to know your co-workers regardless of the age difference. Ask for their help and advice, offer to help, and remind them how older folks treated them when they were young. To quote Neil Young (Boomer songster), “Old man take a look at my life I’m a lot like you were.”

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Abby Savage on Unsplash

 

The post Hacking Past a Boomer Block: A Hack for Young Business Professionals appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

How to Demolish Silos and why You Should

Driving through the Midwest, you’ll see grain silos standing alone. Each silo is designed for a specific type and amount of grain. Departments within organizations are designed to accomplish specific tasks. Silo thinking is when a department or a team member stands alone, and focus is placed on the department instead of the organization. Often, the department becomes more important to its members than the organization, as a whole. It is difficult to improve the organization, implement new procedures, or change the culture, until the silos are removed. Here’s a few tips on how to demolish silos.

Have you ever heard, said, or thought the following?

It’s not my problem
They don’t work in my department
That’s what they said to do, so I’m doing it
I don’t have time to deal with things outside of my team
Let them figure it out

If you’ve observed any of these bullet points in your workplace, you have seen a silo in action. Silos are everywhere. They are in every organization and on most teams. Silo thinking destroys teams and undermines organizations. You must constantly uncover, discover, and bust the silos down! It’s critical to your organizations success to know how to demolish silos.

A Valuable Lesson In Silo Thinking

In 2008, a police department ordered decal shields for its squad cars from a graphic provider I worked with. The artwork from the customer was of poor quality, but the customer and sales person signed off on the artwork. They assumed if there were a problem, creative would let them know.

1. The creative dept. thought it would look bad, but passed it to the print operator because the customer and salesperson had signed off.

2. The print operator thought it was bad, but produced it anyway. Creative had OK’d it.

3. Installation thought it looked bad, but installed it on the squad cars. It was not their job to make a no-install decision.

4. The police department would not pay for the work and asked for it to be removed. The graphic’s president visited the police chief and convinced him to give them another chance.

Bottom line—the graphic provider lost time, money, and reputation… All because of silo thinking. Your entire team needs to know how to demolish silos.

This Sounds Obvious, Doesn’t It?!

Open your eyes—it’s everywhere. I was recently at a company when a TV call-to-action ad aired. The ad exploded, and the department charged with taking the calls could not handle the call volume. Though the department repeatedly asked for help, I observed a dozen people not attempt to help. It wasn’t their department! I imagine some of you reading this are thinking, “I wouldn’t have time for that either; it’s not my job.” Are you working for the good of your department at the expense of the organization? Does your business  know what a silo and how to demolish silos? Should they?

Social Media & The Silo Expose’

Have you found it difficult to gather support for SM? Resistance to social media is not always about SM knowledge and belief. It may be about self-centered turfism, not seeing the big picture, and not working for the good of the entire organization. To successfully engage team members in social media, you may have to tear down silos (more on blowing up silos in the next post). Social media can benefit an entire organization.

It can be a marketing tool, PR source, lead generator, customer satisfaction gauge, and much more. Have you ever wondered why everyone doesn’t see this? Co-workers siloed in one area may not understand the importance of SM, regardless of how well it is explained, until the silos are gone.

Symptoms of The Silo Effect

Not long ago, there were major fires in a California municipality. Navy helicopters were available and equipped to fight fire. Trained personnel were waiting to respond, however, the trained personnel had not attended the local municipality’s fire prevention training and accreditation. They were not allowed to participate. Thousands of dollars of property was destroyed.

While consulting for a company, I observed a shipping manager refuse to ship a parcel that was not 100% to policy. Rather than fix it, ship it, and work with the department on improving, he sent it back. The shipping manager’s answer was, “It’s the only way they learn.” No, it may be one way they learn, among many training options, or they might retaliate. The facts are, the shipping was delayed, customers were put off, and animosity was created within the organization.

Self-centered Turfism defined as misplaced loyalty to a department rather than the organization. This is a root cause of dissention, which hinders performance. Any time the priorities of a department overshadow the priorities of the organization the vision and mission of the entire team are jeopardized.

During a silo-busting seminar, I told a group of hard-working managers that most of them exhibited poor work ethic. They disagreed. I asked them to consider the following:

1. Had they ever said, “It’s not my job, my department, or my responsibility,” when they could have helped?

2. Have they ever observed detrimental behavior, procedures not followed, or policies broken, and did nothing because it was not their department?

3. Have they ever advised a team member—capable of helping—to let the other department handle it?

I asked the group to consider how to grade anyone’s work ethic if they did not help the whole team. They were very quiet.

Causes of Silos

Poor communication between departments or team members
Spending more time on planning than working with people
Training delegated to those with poor training skills
Management confusing talks with influence
No plan for long-term people development

My hope for this post is to define and explain Silo Thinking. Bloomberg Businessweek discloses how Silo Thinking let us down in the financial crisis of 2008.

How to Demolish Silos

How to demolish silos begins with acknowledging they exist in your organization and then fighting against them.

Cross Training

An organization I know has included basic, one-day, interdepartmental cross training for new employee orientation.

Observation

Shadow employees from other departments; one day of observation could change a year!

Shared Meetings

Conduct interdepartmental group meetings for recognition, state of the company, vision, and monthly status meetings. Invite other managers and departments to these meetings.

Seminars

Hold a seminar on team building after hours, or at lunch, and invite all departments.

Give Team Recognition

Look for opportunities to recognize how the team worked well together.

Influence The Influencers

Whom do their peers hold in high esteem? (It’s not always who management thinks it is.) Determine the influencers and get them on your side. You do not have the time or ability to influence everyone, so use the help available to you.

Go Public

List commitments, or post company standings in a public area. For example, the graphics company I worked with instituted a waste tracking board, by job, in a work area seen by most departments. This helped reduce waste throughout the company, and fostered interdepartmental teamwork.

Use Ad-hoc Instead of Bureaucracy

In a bureaucracy, a broken machine would require specific channels be communicated through for repair. The repair order would be sent from the machine operator to the supervisor, and then to the supervisor of repair, and finally, to the repair person. This is time-consuming and increases the chance of miscommunication. In the adhocracy, the machine operator would go directly to the repair person.

Teach Information Gathering and Problem Solving Techniques

Michael Brown, who headed FEMA when hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, had the nearly impossible task of gathering correct information to make informed decisions. As information was processed within FEMA, it was diluted, fitting the realities of various agencies or individuals handling the info. The bigger the organization, the more difficult information gathering becomes; by the time it gets to the war room, the information is often wrong. Decisions made on faulty information often fail. For example, not sending busses to evacuate the dome was based on faulty and diluted information. Learn to gather information until you fully understand the situation.

Apply Activities Management

Although the final results are very important, they are HISTORY, once achieved.  Activities are a continuing opportunity to coach, educate, and impact the results. Manage the activities, not the results. Recognize the  activities that need improved, reinstated, added, discontinued, or strengthened.

Institute Character First

Character First is the philosophy of character before ability, skill, or knowledge.

Use Many Techniques

Bulldozing the walls of silo thinking takes a team and many tools. Don’t just rely on one easy answer, one email, one PowerPoint presentation, or some posters. A single 1-hour seminar, alone, will not break the silo. There is not one easy answer. It’s all the above and more. During a silo-busting seminar, I assigned a group the task of choosing and implementing a silo-busting technique. I provided ideas and examples of silo-busting methods, but told the group they could devise their own. One of the participants outlined a plan tracking a customer order from start to finish, recognizing every department’s contribution to the completed job! What a great idea! I don’t have the best ideas for your organization — you do!

In the last paragraph of this Newsweek interview with CEO of Cisco Systems, John Chambers, he discusses their leadership’s silo-busting plan.

“So we’ll have a sales leader go run engineering. A lawyer go run business development. A business development leader go run our consumer operations. We’re going to train a generalist group of leaders who know how to learn and operate in collaboration teamwork. I think that’s the future of leadership.”

Let me know what silo busters you’ve used, or plan to use — what has worked for you? How do you tear down the walls of silo thinking? Do you know how to demolish silos?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Intricate Explorer on Unsplash

The post How to Demolish Silos and why You Should appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

How to Develop the Discipline to Write

How to develop the discipline to write isn’t the same for all. However there are some basics that fit most writers. Writing is a very personal and developing the discipline to write—even more so. What may work for some may not work for others. However, I’ve found one common activity shared by disciplined writers. They follow a routine.

Some writers follow nearly unvarying routines

“I like to get ten pages a day, which amounts to 2,000 words. That’s 180,000 words over a three-month span, a goodish length for a book — something in which the reader can get happily lost, if the tale is done well and stays fresh.”

–Stephen King

“I awake at 5:30, work until 8:00, eat breakfast at home, work until 10:00, walk a few blocks into town, do errands, go to the nearby municipal swimming pool, which I have all to myself, and swim for half an hour, return home at 11:45, read the mail, eat lunch at noon. In the afternoon I do schoolwork, either teach of prepare.”  –Kurt Vonnegut

Others vary their routine to fit the circumstances

I usually get up in the morning and write for four hours, and then I eat lunch, and then in the afternoon I do web and youtube and businessy stuff for five hours. My work day is eight AM to six PM with an hour for lunch. I don’t always stick to this schedule–I travel a lot and some days I have to do non-writing stuff all day. But I am pretty good about the schedule.”

–John Green

“When I’m writing a book I get up at seven. I check my e-mail and do Internet ablutions, as we do these days. I have a cup of coffee. Three days a week, I go to Pilates and am back by ten or eleven. Then I sit down and try to write. If absolutely nothing is happening, I’ll give myself permission to mow the lawn. But, generally, just sitting down and really trying is enough to get it started. I break for lunch, come back, and do it some more. And then, usually, a nap. Naps are essential to my process. Not dreams, but that state adjacent to sleep, the mind on waking.”

–William Gibson

…But each finds their own routine

“I have kept a hotel room in every town I’ve ever lived in. I rent a hotel room for a few months, leave my home at six, and try to be at work by six-thirty. To write, I lie across the bed, so that this elbow is absolutely encrusted at the end, just so rough with callouses. I never allow the hotel people to change the bed, because I never sleep there. I stay until twelve-thirty or one-thirty in the afternoon, and then I go home and try to breathe; then I look at the work around five; I have an orderly dinner—proper, quiet, lovely dinner; and then I go back to work the next morning.” –Maya Angelou

“When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as you write.” ‘A working habit he has had from the beginning, Hemingway stands when he writes. He stands in a pair of his oversized loafers on the worn skin of a lesser kudu—the typewriter and the reading board chest-high opposite him’”

–Ernest Hemingway

Developing a writing routine

Make a Schedule – Pick a start time, break times, and time to eat. The end time may be fixed or tied to production.

Set a Goal – Begin with the minimum. How many words, blog posts, or pages will you write today?

Take breaks – While researching this post, I found most writers planned breaks from writing, whether it was mowing the lawn or walking to the public pool, you need to get away.

Create a plan – Write an outline, use an editorial calendar, or jot notes on a pad, but have an idea what you’re going to write, why you’re writing it, and how you will write it.

Many established authors have shared that if you want to be a writer you have to write—a lot. The best way to write a lot is to develop the discipline to write and the most productive tool in the writing arsenal may be developing a routine. Do you want to be a better writer? Stick to a routine. What writing routine do you follow?

But wait there’s more! 

If this post struck a nerve, you might want to check out my book, How to Stay Ahead of Your Business Blog Forever. The book is full of action plans for you to create a blogging/writing system that works for you.

If you enjoyed this post you may also like, How to Defeat Writer’s Block.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

The post How to Develop the Discipline to Write appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Six ingredients of a Goal

Six ingredients to a goal is a follow up to my post You Cannot “Do” A Goal – You Can Do Activities. In this post I share a few more ingredients of a goal. If you want goals taken seriously, it starts with the team leader. Because if a leader wants team members to take goals seriously it starts with the leader. So, how do you take goals seriously? Through research, analyzation, review, and sharing. It’s not easy, it’s time consuming, and a lot of thought must be put into it.

So, it is worth it? I asked my friend, Greg McMullen, who coaches a high school swim team, what actionable ideas he got from my post last week. He quoted, “Ask yourself every day—what have I done to help the team? Could the team have done it without my help?” Proper goal setting will give you direction, and will help improve your team daily. Goal setting can be the foundation for everything you do to improve your team and teammates.

1. Difficulty: The goal must be challenging, yet not impossible. 

A team member I once worked with proudly showed me his previous month’s goals. He had listed goals and activities on a sheet. His team leader had crossed off the individual monthly production goals as unrealistic. However, he beat the original crossed out production goal by more than 10%! The moral here is to be careful not to clip a team member’s wings by limiting achievable expectations. If they believe it can be achieved, and have a plan of activities to reach the goal, support them. BTW, I’m not so sure it was poor leadership to cut the goal, because the marketer told me he was highly motivated to show his manager he was wrong!

2. Measurable: Base goals on measurable performance to avoid vague goals.

Goals must be based on objective criteria, observable behavior, which can be compared, tracked, and paced. To pace a goal, take the results-to-date, divided by a unit of time (hour, day, week, or month), multiplied by the unit of time for the entire goal. For example, let’s say the goal for a team member was to produce 300 widgets in a month (21 work days). 5 days into the goal, 60 widgets were completed, or 60÷5=12 widgets per day. Now, take the sum of 12 per day, × 21 workdays, and the sum is 252, which is 48 widgets short of the goal. So, with 16 days remaining, how many widgets, per day, will need to be made to hit 300?

3. Activity Driven: Positively reinforce or modify behavior by specifying activities and how they will be modified.

Although every part of the goal is important, IMHO, activities are the most important. Consider what activities to continue, stop, improve, resume, or that need help.

4. Time Limits: Set start dates, periods to review progress, and an end date.

Don’t leave the meat off this sandwich. Review the goals throughout the period. That way, you may modify activities and behavior to help reach the goal.

5. Conditions: Qualifications that influence the goal may be aiding or hindering.

The best example I can recall of hindering conditions was a retail organization’s goal. The east coast based company set a goal to beat its all time one-month volume record. Unfortunately, the month they picked also happened to be the month the stock market plunged to the 800’s, banks failed, and in general, the nation experienced an economic down turn. Undaunted, they redoubled their efforts, reworked their plans, and beat the record! That’s leadership!

6. Rewards: Positively reinforce the behavior and activities.

Often, when I mention rewards, people assume I mean financial rewards—maybe, maybe not. What motivates the team or  team members? A reward could be recognition, time off, lunch with leader, or? So, what motivates you?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

Does your business have a  management training plan? Many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out.

Photo by Alexa Williams on Unsplash

The post Six ingredients of a Goal appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Why Cats Suck at Social Media

There are multiple reasons why cats suck at social media. To begin with, their paws are a problem, they tend to swipe at the screen and scratch it, and they play with the mouse. But the biggest reason is cattiude. They are not social creatures.

Cats are Territorial

Cats don’t like to share and often don’t play well with others. The most successful social media advocates share. They not only share content, but also promote others. It’s important in social media to share the territory, not mark it as solely your own.

Cats are Solitary

Cats prefer their own company to others. This doesn’t work well in social media. If you only talk about yourself, you’ll eventually be the only one listening. Don’t be a loner – join the conversation.

Cats Want to Dominate

Cats want to be on top looking down on the world — again, not much good in social media. If you set yourself above others, sooner or later, you’ll be alone. Open your heart and mind to the world — there’s a lot to be said for listening.

Cats Sleep… A Lot 

Cats sleep 16 hours day or more. Social media is now, not later. Oh sure, you can schedule posts at the most optimum time — until the conversation finds you out. Don’t spend days away — stay in the game.

Cats Can be Mean and Aggressive

Cans are mean. They attack others, which is not conducive to making friends anywhere. This is easy to forget while hiding behind a keyboard, but social media is not the place to be anti-social. Make friends, not snark.

Let’s face it — cats don’t care about socializing unless there’s something in it for them. Social media should not be a me-first place. It’s a place to be social. Don’t suck, and don’t be catty. Be nice. Just be kind on social media.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

Photo by Trà My on Unsplash

The post Why Cats Suck at Social Media appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

The Motivation of Accomplishment

What is motivation? A young sales manager asked me for advice on motivating his team. I asked a few questions about his team and then asked if he knew what motivated his teammates individually. He told me that was easy. Since sales generated commissions, they were all motivated by money. And since he considered money his primary motivation it made sense that his team felt the same. He added that no one on his team had won the lottery, so they all needed to work because, well money.

I asked the young man he if had ever left a position and taken another at a lower pay rate. He said he had and I asked why. He told me he disliked his boss and explained the manager was a bully. I replied with, “So, money wasn’t your primary motivation then?” He looked at me for a few seconds and thoughtfully answered no.

Surveying the Team

I suggested he interview his team individually and give them a chance to share their motivators.

Two weeks later he contacted me with the results of his survey. Of his six employees, one said his primary motivation was money, three said recognition, another said being part of a team, and the last told his manager a feeling of accomplishment was what motivated him to dig deeper, go further, and commit to excellence. This last team member was the top producer on the team.

All of these motivators are important, money, recognition, being part of a team, and a feeling of accomplishment. However, I don’t think leaders look at how important the last motivator is to building a successful staff.

Are Some Motivators Stronger?  

According to Psychology Today, The Key to Self-Esteem: Accomplishment, “A look at accomplished individuals who regularly win prizes and awards are more driven by the effort rather than the result.” The article explains that the positive effects of rewards are often short-lived. Dopamine floods into the system and brings a feeling of contentment. However, it’s gone in a flash. Those motivated by accomplishment are driven by the effort as well as the commitment to applying oneself to the task. This is a lifestyle choice, not a fleeting feeling.

A Lesson for me

The young manager and I discussed the results of the survey, what he’d learned, and how he planned to use the knowledge. And I walked away with a lesson. Striving for accomplishment may be the most productive of all motivators. People who live for the feeling of accomplishment may work harder, smarter, and be more committed to excellence than workers motivated in other ways.

Regardless whether this is always true or not. I’m adding a question or two to my employment interview checklist. Maybe I’ll ask,

How important is a feeling of accomplishment to you?
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond to accomplish a task?
What’s your proudest workplace achievement and what did it take to accomplish it?

What Motivates Your Team?

Is anyone on your team motivated by accomplishment more than recognition, money, and other rewards? If so, are they a top producer? Let me know. I’d like to hear your answer.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

Photo by Razvan Chisu on Unsplash

The post The Motivation of Accomplishment appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Top Ten Questions not to Ask Your Boss

Questions not to ask your boss sometimes just slip out. We’ve all done it — opened our mouths before our brains engaged and asked our boss a question that undermined our career (or could have). Like the time I asked my boss what motivated him (do you think that’s not a bad question, wait until you see where I took it). His answer was “money”. Of course, he asked what motivated me, and I said, wait for it — not money.

“Money doesn’t motivate me! I’m motivated by recognition!”

He asked me, “Why in the HELL am I paying you bonuses?” I quickly said, “Ah — a-a-ah to, to, to, a-a-a… recognize me?

He recognized an opportunity to help the bottom line, and I was taken off of all bonuses for a year. I’m not making this up.

The Top Ten Questions Not to Ask Your Boss 

10. I’m thinking about a second job; can I use you as a reference?

9. Can you help me with my garden on Facebook?

8. Have you gained weight?

7. How did someone like you become boss?

6. Was that you at the game yesterday when I called in sick?

5. Can we talk politics?

4. So, what do you do around here?

3. Does anyone time our lunch breaks?

2. Is it true people can’t smell vodka on your breath?

And the number question not to ask your boss is…

Do you care if I leave early? I have an interview.

Bonus questions not to ask the boss

Are you pregnant?
What’s your best remedy for a hangover?
Is it okay to have a few drinks at lunch?
Is it alright if I catch up on Game of Thrones while I work?
I’m out of vacation days so how do I take sick days if I’m not sick?

I know there are great stories out there — so share them with me, please. What’s the worst conversation you ever had with a boss? Or the silliest question you were asked as the boss.

I like to have fun here, but I can be serious too. So, how can I help you?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

Photo by Icons8 Team on Unsplash

 

 

 

 

 

The post Top Ten Questions not to Ask Your Boss   appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

Can a Boss Be a Friend?

Good question. Can a boss be a friend? Have you been told not to be friends with your employees? If I asked, should a boss help his or her direct reports, would your answer be absolutely? However, isn’t that what true friendship is, helping and supporting one another? Too often managers are advised not to be friends with employees despite countless examples to the contrary not the least of which is Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, if you haven’t read his book Delivering Happiness add it to your shortlist. Not only can you be friends with direct reports—you should be. I think people may be confused by their definition of friendship. Let me explain.

Friends Don’t Encourage Negative Thinking

I’ve been advised not to be friends with direct reports because, “You’ll complain about work to each other.” Negativity doesn’t help anyone. Complaining to each other doesn’t help inside or outside of work. There’s no place for complaining about the job or gossiping about other employees in the employee-boss relationship. Offering positive suggestions to improve the workplace—you bet. Indiscriminately griping without offering a solution—not what friends do.

Friends Do More for Friends

I’ve been warned, “Employees will take advantage of your friendship.” Anyone who takes advantage of another isn’t their friend. Friends help each other by learning their needs, wants, and desires. A boss should know what a direct report wants from a job and help them achieve it. When an employee knows the boss has the employees best interest at heart—they’re inclined to give their best. People will go above and beyond to help their friend, even if he or she is the boss. Leader/employee friendships improve performance, reduce turnover, and support a positive work environment.

Friends Are Honest With Each Other

I’ve been told, “It’s hard to hold your friends accountable.” Maybe so, but true friends don’t lie to each other and the boss/friend can’t either. It may not be easy, but as a boss, and friend, you must honestly evaluate performance, give feedback as needed, and hold friends accountable. Don’t confuse being nice with being a friend. A friend will help a friend be a better person and employee.

Friends Know and Observe Boundaries

I’ve heard, “A boss can’t be friends with his team because it’s outside of business boundaries.” What does that even mean? If I was visiting a friend’s family and they disliked cursing—I wouldn’t curse. It’s not much different in the workplace—there are policies to be followed. Harassment in the guise of friendship isn’t friendship, its harassment. Friends respect boundaries.

Should a boss complain to an employee about the job, hide the truth about performance to protect feelings, or ignore boundaries? No, but neither should any friend. Should a boss help their direct reports, learn their challenges and hopes, and be a transparent mentor? Yes, and that’s how I define friendship—people who help each other. Are you a boss, a friend, or both?

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on unsplash

The post Can a Boss Be a Friend? appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.

My Top Ten Outdated Phrases

Unfortunately, of these top ten outdated phrases I’ve used at least eight of them this year. I occasionally use phrases, slang, and colloquialisms some of my younger friends and colleagues (okay, they’re all younger than me) either don’t understand, or chuckle at because they’re so two days ago. To help boomers, and others who may be out of touch with acceptable modern phraseology, here are my top 10 outdated slang words and phases. Don’t let these words slip past your pie-hole, not cool, fool.

10. ‘Sup, dawg

9. Off the hook

8. Don’t let the bedbugs bite (Duh, there’s an epidemic)

7. Bummed out

6. Wack

5. Dis

4. Rad

3. Gnarly

2. Far out

And Number one, drum roll please:

1. Whateva!

It was, most definitely, difficult to limit this to 10. True dat! So, I’ve kicked a few more phrases to the curb. The expiration date is up on these. You want to be legit? Don’t use them. If you want to be fly and don’t want to sound square, cut these from your vocab, okey-dokey?

Honorable mentions

Oh, snap!
Groovy
Man alive
Totally
In your face
Most definitely
Psyche
Da bomb
Boyeee
In the house
Kewl (in a text) My granddaughter said that was so 2014 when I texted it to her.

Stop this now!

If you’re a male and say “actually” –  you’re probably mansplaining, stop it.
Don’t tell someone to smile, especially if your male and telling a female she’s so pretty when she smiles. That. is. Sexist.
Do not say all lives matter or white privileged doesn’t exist. If you believe these statements I don’t know if I can actually … explain this to you, but stop.
When you say you’re so articulate or you don’t sound Latin, African American, or Asian your racism is showing.
Never ask, “May I touch your hair”.

My top ten outdated phrases is a pretty “bad” list isn’t it? Tubular! It’s dope, dudes. What other phrases would you oust? Holy moley, there are some neat ones to consider. Heavens to Betsey, I know you have some awesome others to share. See ya later alligator—after while crocodile. Tag, you’re it.

I like to have fun here, but I can be serious.

How Can I Help You?

I like to help people and organizations, but I have three criteria I consider before taking an assignment – I believe in what the organization stands for, I know I can help, and it looks like fun. If you have any questions, Contact Me. 

So, does your business have a management training plan? Because, if not, many organizations, large and small, use my book, The New Manager’s Workbook a crash course in effective management, as the basis for their leadership development program. Check it out. It might help you stop putting off what you want to do.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

The post My Top Ten Outdated Phrases appeared first on Randy Clark Leadership Training.