Dial Down the Overblown Ego

Narcissus

How often have you heard that our favorite topic is ourself? This is certainly true but a few people go overboard. We call them egocentric. At a neurotic level, they become narcissistic. This comes from the Greek character Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool of water and remained there, mesmerized by his image. But we are managers, not therapists, so let's stay with the egotist. These individuals make terrible managers. They hog all the credit for themselves, … [Read more...]

Dialing the Ego Just Right

Ego-Dial

Ego Problem #1 You've seen this individual many times. The employee who regularly shares with you how great he (she) is, what a terrific job he is doing ("I just made an awesome presentation."), how much he knows ("Sorry to correct you but the research on this says…"). He refutes or deflects constructive feedback ("No, you've got it wrong. People actually do like to work with me. I have an expertise they need.") The sad reality is that these people are often really smart. They have a lot … [Read more...]

(Re)Frame their Job as Something that Matters

The Great Reset

Richard Florida is a provocative thinker around social and economic issues. He first became noticed from his book, The Rise of the Creative Class. In his latest book, The Great Reset, he shares data that the future growth of jobs will be in two areas: (1) knowledge, professional and creative jobs and (2) lower paying, more routine work in the service sector. Citing progressive companies like Wegman's, Whole Foods, REI, Zappos, Nordstrom, and The Container Store, his thesis is that work in the … [Read more...]

Being a Leader is All about the Group

Alex Haslam Photo

Professor Alex Haslam of the University of Exeter, in a recent presentation put on by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, took the following position in answer to the question, "What makes a great leader?" "The traditional models [of leadership] are built around an “I-based” model of identity, where the individual’s personality is so strong that others cleave to the leader out of sheer inspiration and loyalty. The truth is, though, that the most effective leaders draw … [Read more...]

Oh Yeah, That’s Why We Do This Work

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I have been working lately with an organization that serves the homeless population by first finding them a place to live and then attending to their many needs. As with many non-profit enterprises these days, they have their share of frustrations that can tip staff morale down a notch or three: lack of adequate funding, coping with the whims and delays of government funding arms, attracting and keeping good front line people who work effectively with their destitute clients, and so … [Read more...]

Marketing Your Core Message – Internally!

big3_high_five_002-Aug-2006

Not long ago I attended a presentation by Mark Carrier, Senior Vice President of the Hotel Division of the B.F. Saul Company. This company has won a number of awards around excellence in innovation, HR leadership, and Marriott's Spirit to Preserve award. They manage 18 hotels of well-known brands, primarily in the Washington, DC area. Carrier's talk was about how they instilled in every employee's mind and in every corner of their operations their core values that inform how the company … [Read more...]

Time to Tune Your Radar in to Your Staff

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Over the last 18 months you've tried hard to keep as many of your people on the payroll as you could. Perhaps those who were retained felt a measure of gratitude for you heartfelt intention to preserve their jobs. Do they still feel these good feelings? It appears to depend on what you've been demanding from them since. And many organizations have been asking too much for too long. A recent study published by the Employee Engagement Survey company, Modern Survey, has detected a trend that … [Read more...]

The UN Has Them, Why Not You?

High five!

David Neeleman, when CEO of Jet Blue, had three principles by which they ran the company: Flawless execution in everything that touches the customer. Make it right with the customer. Treat employees so well that they become ambassadors of the company's brand. Let's take a closer look at that third one. There are at least four good reasons that are trotted out as arguments for attending to the well-being and for meeting the needs of your employees. I agree with all of … [Read more...]