The Communicator
Volume II, Issue 2/3
February/March, 2000

Editor: Debra Thompson - debra@tgassociates.com
Contributing Editors:
Bill Greif - billg@tgassociates.com
Shari Moore -info@tgassociates.com

TG & ASSOCIATES, LLC
P.O. Box 32601 * Tucson, AZ 85751-2601
Web Site: www.tgassociates.com
Phone: toll free 1-877-TGASSOC (877-842-7762) or 520-751-8922
Fax: 1-520-751-7515

In This Issue:

• Guidelines for Good Service
• Retention Ideas
• Communication Tid-Bit
• You Are Only As Good As Your Worst Employee
• Why We Fail To Delegate
• Tips to Make Life Easier
• Black Jack Meetings
• Debra’s Schedule

GUIDELINES FOR GOOD SERVICE

Be proud.

Be professional.

Be polite.

Be prompt.

Be personal.

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RETENTION

What it Takes to Keep Workers These Days

Question: How important are wages and bonuses in retaining talented employees?

Answer: Not as important as other benefits, according to a survey by the American Management Association.

Here are the four most cited incentives:

1. Sending employees to conferences and seminars.

2. Tuition reimbursement.

3. Skills training.

4. Pay for performance.

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COMMUNICATION TID-BIT

Remember the three F’s of employee communication:

Make it Fast, Frequent and Factual.

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YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR WORST EMPLOYEE!

I heard this from one of the attendees during my seminar at the Mid-Winter Conference. I thought it was so appropriate. There are many shops out there that will never be as good as what the owner desires, because they continue to put up with underachievers or bad-attitude employees. Even though finding a replacement for this type of individual is a top concern for owners throughout the nation right now, these employees must be addressed.

The first recommendation is to “Coach Your Underachievers.”

The second recommendation is to “Get Rid of Them.”

Underachievers come in every shape, size, educational background and ethnic group. The only thing they have in common is that they are not living up to the potential that you are sure they possess or what the position requires. Below are a few suggestions to help you try and raise the standards for an underachiever:

¨ Expect more from them. What you expect from people is often what you get. If you write off an underachiever, he is likely to live up to your low expectations. Underachievers need more, not less, responsibility.

¨ Boost their self-esteem. Many underachievers desperately need acknowledgement and support. They especially need you to recognize their intelligence and professionalism. You need to “pump them up.”

¨ Use cross-training. Train your underachiever to train someone else. This is a great morale-booster, and when people are responsible for training others, they will have to master the subject matter themselves. Caution: Don’t allow the underachiever to begin training others until you are certain the person has mastered the task.

¨ Don’t be afraid to discipline the underachiever. Most of the time these people need discipline and structure. They need to know someone is watching. Sitting with this person on a regular basis and discussing the progress of their performance is absolutely critical. The first conversation needs to revisit the job description. Have it in writing and also have them sign the job description after they have reviewed it with you to confirm that they do understand what they are to be doing. Next, create a plan to help them achieve the expectations. Then you need to meet with them daily/weekly/monthly, whatever it takes, to have open discussion about their progress.

After you have followed the steps mentioned above and it is still not improving, it’s time to let this person go – NOW!

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WHY WE FAIL TO DELEGATE

Common excuses:

1. I can do it better than anyone else.

Don’t expect a team member to do a task as well as you do. Think back to when the task was new to you. With time, your team members will improve. Until then, remind yourself to accept less than perfection.

2. It’s force of habit.

Habits can be broken. Form a new habit: Every day, spend 15 minutes training a team member for a newly delegated task.

3. My people are too busy already. What are they busy doing? Reevaluate their workloads. Don’t let them waste valuable time on minor tasks. Don’t think you’re giving them more work – you’re giving them better work.

4. My boss told me to do it.

More than likely, your boss really told you to get it done, not to do it yourself. A busy leader’s responsibilities usually exceed his capacity to see to them personally. Delegation is your only option.

5. I don’t want to dump jobs onto anyone.

You are not dumping, you’re delegating. As long as you assess a team member’s current workload and abilities, and as long as you delegate evenly, it shouldn’t be a burden for anyone.

Reprinted from Delegate, Harold L. Taylor, Warner Books.

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TIPS TO MAKE LIFE EASIER

If you’re burning a lot of energy and concentration on a task, you should take more breaks, not fewer, for this reason: Even a few minutes away from the task will increase your overall productivity by easing tension, keeping your upbeat and focusing your mind.

If you find that hard to accept, consider this: you can work for two hours at an unforcused 75% to 80%, but a 15 minute break will allow you to work for an hour and 45 minutes at 100%.

- Adapted from CatchFire: A Seven-Step Program to Ignite Energy, Defuse Stress and Power Boost Your Career, by Peter McLaughlin.

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BLACK JACK MEETINGS

Are you having Blackjack Meetings?

Daily Production Meetings that last no more than 21 minutes. Period.

If they are longer than 21 minutes, everyone loses.

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Debra’s Calendar

March 9 – International Cast Polymer Association – Phoenix, AZ,Speaking: “Finding & Keeping Good Employees”

March 14 – Printing Industries of New England – Southborough, MA,Seminar: “Customer Service That Will Make Your Customer Stand Out”

March 15 – Printing Industries of New England – Southborough, MA, Seminar: “Hiring Top Performers, Managing Them Well & Keeping Them”

March 21 – Printing Industries of America – Scottsdale, AZ, Keynote: “Bringing People & Systems Together”

March 22 – Printing Industries of America – Scottsdale, AZ, Seminar: “The Role of HR In Cultural Change”

April 7 – SMUG – PrintImage, Cleveland, OH, Seminar: “Building a Winning Team” with John Giles

April 8 – SMUG – PrintImage Seminar: “Finding & Keeping Top Sales Performers”

April 15 – Print Resources Network – Bridgewater, NJ Seminar: “Developing A Dynamite Team”

April 19 – PrintImage Seminar-by-Phone “How to Get a New Employee Off to a Good Start” Call Christina Vargas at 800-234-0040 to sign up.

April 26 & 27 – Detroit, MI, Consulting with a Client

May 5 – Boston, MA – American Speedy Printing, Seminar

May 22 & 21, Cashiers, NC – PrintImage, Carolinas Chapter, Seminar

July 28, Sir Speedy Annual Conference, Reno, NV, Seminars

Aug 5, Signal Graphics Annual Conference, Lake Tahoe, NV, Seminar

September 16 – PrintImage Dallas Chapter, Seminar

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If you have anything you would like discussed in The Communicator or with Debra Thompson directly, feel free to contact her via e-mail at debra@tgassociates.com or call 520-751-8922.

The Communicator is intended to provide accurate information in regard to the subject matter covered. Advice received from here should be with the understanding that TG & Associates, LLC, is not engaged in rendering legal or other equivalent professional services. If legal advice or other professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. TG & Associates, LLC, is not responsible for misrepresentation, misinterpretation, or misuse of the data contained in or derived from this system.

1999 Copyright - TG & Associates, LLC.
Bringing Systems & People Together for Profit
All rights reserved


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