In
1997 prior to founding Grassroots Leadership,
LLC, Mike Abrashoff served as the commander
of the USS Benfold, which was deployed to
the Persian Gulf in support of contingency
operations with Iraq. That same year, the
ship won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for
having the best combat readiness and personnel
retention in the US Navy.
When
you are trying your best to retain good employees,
perhaps the concepts that Abrashoff used might
actually work in your business. In the March
2001 issue of Fast Company, he was quoted
as saying, “Recruit your people every day,
even though your crew is already on board.
More than ever, it’s critical that leaders
figure out how to motivate and energize their
workforce. You have to work at cretaining the
right climate for your organization. Ultimately,
your people will produce the results; you
need to produce the vision and put the mechanisms
in place to support those people.
“Before
I took command on the USS Benfold, I decided
to focus my full attention
on my people. I wanted to treat everyone the
same by genuinely engaging whomever I talked
to. By working at what I call ‘being here
now’ for that person, I began to understand
the awesome power that I hold. I fully realized
my impact on my people. Today, if someone
doesn’t comply with my wishes, I want to figure
out why. I first look inward and ask myself
three questions: Am I clearly articulating
the goal? Am I giving that person enough training
to accomplish the job? Am I giving that person
enough time and tools to get the job done?
When I don’t get my desired result, I’ve found
that 80% of the time the answer to one of
those three questions provides me with a reason
why.
“Recruit
your people every day, even though your crew
is already on board. You have to grow your
people to grow your business – especially
in sluggish times. I’m not some charitable
organization. Growing my people is a cold,
hard business decision to compete in today’s
rapid-fire economy. We play to win.”
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10
Proven ways to Improve Employee
Productivity and Morale
Begin
bymeeting with your employees in a group. Explain that you
want them to get organized by spending their time properly.
Emphasize that proper time management will reduce stress,
help them focus on department goals and give them a feeling
of accomplishment
Hold
abrainstorming session for ideas on how to increase productivity.
Ask what tasks you can eliminate or combine. Find out what
procedures you can change to help productivity and morale.
Conduct
atime-management workshop using experts. If you don't know
any, contact your professional association for a name ¾or
call a nearby college's school of business.
Have
employeesrate your time management habits; you may be doing
something that delays their work and prevents them from using
their time wisely. Example: not passing on needed information ¾or holding up a project
by not giving prompt approval.
Ask
employeesto help set department goals. Reason:
Once they understand the goals, they'll know how to plan their
activities.
Meet
witheach employee regularly and ask him or her to develop
long- and short-term goals. Review the goals to see
if you agree. Change them if necessary. Agree on what each
employee is to do and when to do it. Base the employee's evaluation
on the goals you set together.
Delegate
properly. Give people specific instructions ¾in writing if
you must ¾outline what you want them to do. And give the employees
the authority to do it. Check back periodically ¾ without
looking over their shoulders ¾to see how they're doing.
Train
employeesto delegate or ask for help. By delegating, your
staff will be able to concentrate on those jobs that require
more energy and attention. They'll feel more confident in
making decisions that help the company.
Ask
for productivity suggestions from employees and reward them
for good ideas.
Give
your staff, and those they supervise, the tools they need
to improve job performance. Examples:
Send them to training seminars or give them access to relevant
books and videos.
Adapted from the
special report, The Best Ideas in Time Management
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Bits
& Pieces
The Three P's of Success
Passion
Persistence
Patience
- Doug Bronson
“It was character that got us out of bed,
commitment that moved us into action, and discipline
that enabled us to follow through.”
Zig Ziglar
Speaker and Author
Test
Before You Hire
Wonderlic©
Personnel Testing - I have been using the Wonderlic©
test as
part of the prescreening process for candidates
since the early 80’s. This particular test gauges
the applicant’s learning ability, problem-solving
abilities, and understanding of instructions.
The test consists of 50 questions, is a 12-minute
timed test, and is a very accurate measure of
a person’s general intelligence. The tests are
$6 each and can be scored immediately upon completion.
The results can then be compared to the minimum
acceptable levels for the particular position
for which you are hiring.
The
reason I am discussing this test is because I
just came across an article in Sports Illustrated,
April 2001, titled Liccing My Wounds
by Rick Reilly. He says, “the Wonderlic© is the
test that NFL teams rely on to help them decide
on which players they’re going to dump tuna boats
full of $100 bills. Every player at the scouting
combine takes the test.”
If
you’d like to read
the entire article, click here. But here are
some interesting tid-bits I thought you like to
know about Wonderlic©.
Ø
Only one person in 100,000 scores a perfect 50
Ø
The average score for an NFL prospect is 19. The
average score overall – hundreds of corporations
use the Wonderlic – is 21
Ø
The average score for Bindery Workers, Drivers
and Mailing Apprentices is 19
Ø
The average score for CSR’s is 22 and 27 for General
Mangers
To
view the list of minimum acceptable scores for
24 different positions you may be interested in,
click
here. Remember, these are the minimum acceptable
scores you would want for these particular positions.
For
those of you who know anything about football,
I thought you might be
interested in the following stats.
- Among
quarterbacks Brian Griese is said to have scored
a 39, Drew Bledsoe 37, Steve Young 33, John
Elway 30, Troy Aikman 29, Cade McNown 28, Mark
Brunell 22, Tim Couch 22, Trent Dilfer 22, Brett
Favre 22, Daunte Culpepper 21, Vinny Testaverde
18, Dan Marino 16, Randall Cunningham 15 and
Jeff George 10.
Now,
out of that entire list, I only know 2. Oh well.
The point of this story is to remind you that
the Wonderlic© is a valuable tool for hiring and
also for finding out more about your current staff.
If you have a person you want to promote, please
test them first. Sometimes hiring managers spend
a lot of time and money training someone to take
on more work and/or responsibility and it never
quite works out because they don’t have the mental
ability to actually do the job. On the other hand,
you may be pleasantly surprised to find out that
you have a person who is very smart and definitely
worth the investing of time and money.
For
more information
about the Wonderlic© test or to order, click here.
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Recommended Reading
I just finished
a very inspiring book with many great lessons. I highly recommend
that everyone read The Four Agreements, by don
Miguel Ruiz. In this book Miguel reveals the source of self-limiting
beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering.
Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offers a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly
transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness
and love.
In brief The
Four Agreements are:
- Be
impeccable with your word – Speak with integrity. Say
only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against
yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your
word in the direction of truth and love.
- Don’t
take anything personally – Nothing others do is because
of you. What others say and do is a projection of their
own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the
opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim
of needless suffering.
- Don’t
make assumptions – Find the courage to ask questions
and to express what you really want. Communicate with others
as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness
and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely
transform your life.
- Always
do your best – Your best is going to change from moment
to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as
opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your
best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.
I believe
that by adhering to these Agreements, we will be much more
successful in both our business and personal lives. The book
is 138 pages, is an easy read, and
sells for $12.95. After you read it, pass it around.
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Debra’s
Schedule through June 2001
Check out our
website www.tgassociates.com
to see Debra’s entire calendar for this year and even check
out where she was in 2000.
7-8
Minneapolis, MN
Insty-Prints Annual Reunion
Speaking: Closing
the Gap - Diversity at Work
9-10
Indianapolis, IN
PIP Regional Conference
Speaking Twice:
People Management - The Critical Skill
Finding,
Hiring & Keeping Top Performers Is the Key to Your Success
19-22
Philadelphia, PA
Mail Advertising Service Association (MASA) Annual Conference
Speaking: Employees!
You Can't Live With 'em & You Can't Live Without 'em
If I'm heading
your way and you would like to schedule your own presentation,
team building session or consulting, click here to check out
my "On
The Road Fee Schedule." This schedule will be in
effect for all areas followed by **. You can also call toll
free 1-877-842-7762 or email debra@tgassociates.com
and I will send you my "On The Road Fee Schedule"
for your review. It's a great opportunity!
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
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