Building Trust with Heart and Backbone
Ran across an interview today with Andrea Redmond, co-author of a new book, Business Evolves, Leadership Endures.
I believe her advice applies to anyone interested in winning at working: "Of all the traits we've identified as being important, on the one hand we have heart and the other hand we have backbone. Those traits are not mutually exclusive. To build trust, people around you need to know that you have a heart and that you care about them winning as much as you care about you winning."
Posted by Nan Russell at 09:24 AM
August 27, 2004TIP #2: Pay attention to little things on your resume
When we pick fresh fruits and vegetables, we select out ones that are wilted, with blemishes or irregularities. We select in those that are fresh, inviting, and blemish free.
The same is true with resumes. As a hiring manager shifting through hundreds and hundreds of resumes, the first thing I'd do was narrow the pile by eliminating as many as I possible. I'd select out, not in, and any little reason would do it - misspellings, poor presentation, untargeted response.
Little blemishes cause fruit and resumes to both be rejected.
Posted by Nan Russell at 05:41 PM
August 23, 2004Those Dreaded Words - Can I see you for a minute?
Your best employee stands in your doorway, ready to shut the door as soon as you nod an ok. After two years of a wage freeze, you're not surprised to hear she has an offer. What can you do to keep her?
Find out why. Don't assume it's the money. Is the new position more responsibility? Is she worried about the company's future? Is she unhappy with the work culture? Ask.
Once you understand her reasons, be honest about yours. Tell her how valued she is. Acknowledge her contributions. Give her specific examples of how her work made a difference. Let her know you want her to stay.
Trust matters. Be honest about the business. How is the company fairing? No promises, no sugar coating. Suggest she talk to your boss to get additional perspective.
Check your intentions. This is about her and what's best for her. It's not about you losing her. Help her make a good decision.
Ask what it would take. Acknowledge that you can't meet the salary she's been offered, but find out what you can do to keep her. You may be surprised. People want interesting work. They want to make a difference. Is there a new project or work assignment she's interested in? Does she want more responsibility? Less? Perhaps working from home one or two days a week, or changing her work schedule would make the different.
If it is money. Be creative and look to the future. Once the salary freeze is over, can you make it up? Can you accelerated merit increases or put her on a bonus or profit sharing plan?
Continue to dialogue. Schedule time to discuss the topic further. Ask her to work on ideas about what would keep her, and tell her you will too.
If she stays. More quickly on agreements. It confirms to her she made a good decision. Put future elements in writing and give her a copy.
If she goes. Leave the door open. Follow-up with her in six months and see how the new job is. You never know.
Posted by Nan Russell at 09:22 PM
August 19, 2004Encouraging Mediocrity??!
I got an email today from a reader about direction of supervisory staff encouraging people to do just what is expected, blend with the crowd, or not be outstanding.
I'm confused! Isn't that like a coach asking players not to play any better than their teammates? So if Mark can't catch the baseball, does it mean you shouldn't? Coaches, by definition, should encourage players to play their best. And so should supervisors.
It can be harder to supervise diverse performers, deal with challenging ideas, and appropriately funnel talents of exceptional performers, but it's also more rewarding, raises the bar for others, and positively impacts results.
In my book, you owe it to yourself to perform the best you can even if others do not encourage you. I don't know about you, but being mediocre is not what I'm aiming for. For more thoughts on this, read my column, The Chicken or the Egg?.
Posted by Nan Russell at 08:44 AM
August 17, 2004In-sourcing Jobs
I received an interesting email last week from a person in India looking to become my remote virtual assistant, initiated as a cold-query by the sender. The business proposal was well crafted and targeted my specific online needs indicating the person had done research on my website.
The interesting part was the proposed pay rate at $9.00 per hour. That rate is as high or higher than I could pay to in-source a part-time person in my community or online domestically. In fact, with minimum wage at only $5.15 per hour, the average U.S. part-time rate, as reported in July 2003 averages $9.66.
Since I don't need or want a virtual assistance, the email was a moot point, however the concept seemed a potential for enterprising home-based part-timers.
Posted by Nan Russell at 09:18 AM
August 16, 2004TIP #1: Not motivated today to work? Bored? Tired?
Not in the mood to work today? We've all been there. How do you motivate yourself when your not?
Tip 1: Do something. Anything.
Start something small that you can easily complete. Find something on your to do list that you can accomplish quickly. Do a series of quick hitters. I find once I've flexed my doing-muscles, I'm ready to tackle something else and that tired, bored feeling dissipates. It's like exercising. Once I go I for a walk, I get into walking and start to enjoy the feeling of moving and doing something for my body. Work is like that.
You might want to read, Wishing and Hoping.
Posted by Nan Russell at 12:25 AM
August 04, 2004"Don't work too hard," she told me.
I work for myself. Of course, we all do essentially. But, I'm self-employed. My 83 year old Mom has been visiting the past several weeks and every morning when I go to my office she says exactly the same thing to me as I depart down the stairs, "Don't work too hard."
Her comment got me thinking. What's wrong with working hard? I love what I do. And when you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work. The way I see it, this is my life, and I need to work hard at creating the life I want to live. You'll find more thoughts about this in my column Creating Your Own Luck.
Posted by Nan Russell at 10:08 PM
