Use Star Profile to Avoid Peter Principle Promotions

Author Jathan Janove says he's had a ringside seat for innumerable employee/employer battles that led down a path of frustrated desires and expectations. To make that relationship work better, he developed the "Star Profile."

Janove developed the "Star Profile" to provide a basis for mutual understanding between direct reports and their supervisors. One of its benefits, outlined in Janove's recently released book, The Star Profile, is that it helps management avoid dreaded "Peter Principle" promotions.

Peter Principle Promotions

Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull's 1968 book, The Peter Principle, theorized that, "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." And they offered a disturbing corollary: In time, every job tends to be filled by an employee who is incompetent to carry out his or her duties.

To fight against that not-unlikely possibility, Janove offers the Star Profile, essentially a statement that captures—in 100 words or less—what's most important in a supervisor-employee relationship. It goes to the heart of managers' or executives' performance expectations and creates a concise picture of what it takes to succeed in a particular job, department, or work function.

Using the Star Profile to Avoid Peter Principle Promotions

It's very natural to fall into the Peter Principle trap, Janove says, because, at first glance, it's logical: You need someone to manage your engineers? You pick your smartest, hardest-working engineer. If you need a sales manager, who do you pick? Your number one salesperson.

Management tends to equate ability to do a job with the ability to manage that job, says Janove. Unfortunately, as victims of the Peter Principle can attest, the one does not necessarily follow from the other.

To illustrate how a star profile approach can help, Janove poses a hypothetical case: Assume that you are the director of sales and need a new sales manager. You want to promote from within. If you're a Peter Principle manager, you'll just promote the best salesperson. However, says Janove, if you use the Star Profiles below, here's what happens:

Star Profile—Salesperson

• Continually stokes the pipeline, identifying and pursuing prospects and leads
• Becomes a better closer by understanding customers' needs—and the need behind the need
• Tracks and reports all sales and expense data promptly and accurately
• Works as a team with customer service and accounting so that customer accounts get handled properly

Star Profile—Sales MANAGER

• Coaches and gives feedback to sales staff so that they achieve their goals
• Promotes a team-oriented interface with sales, customer service, and accounting departments
• Keeps a constant eye on how we function, how our competitors function, and what's happening in the industry in order to sharpen our competitive edge.

Assume that Sara produces the highest sales numbers. She works her pipeline untiringly and is your most effective closer. Yet, as is true of many brilliant salespeople, her paperwork often leaves something to be desired.

This deficiency, abetted by Sara's top-salespeople-don't-do-paperwork attitude, periodically leads to conflicts with accounting and customer service.

Now, compare Sara's behavior with the sales manager star profile. That reveals a problem. Sara's intense focus on the next deal makes her a valuable salesperson, but it raises red flags when you consider her for a position that requires her to coach others, and to create a positive team spirit among the sales staff and employees in the other departments with which sales interfaces, Janove says.

By contrast, he notes, Mike does not produce sales at Sara's rate. But he does place a great value on relations with other employees and other departments and he shows more interest in the bigger picture. You believe his behavior is a better match with the characteristics of the sales manager's profile, and he gets the promotion.

By taking the Star Profile approach, says Janove, you avoid the Peter Principle. But what about Sara's expectations? She had the best numbers, so why didn't she get the promotion? In tomorrow's Advisor, we'll answer that question and learn how to handle another tough comp question—how to handle the "no raise this year" talk.

Thanks to BLR HR Daily Advisor

Top 10 Reasons Newly Promoted Employees Fail

Before they have time to savor the arrival of overdue recognition, newly promoted employees could be in danger of losing their higher-level positions, and even their jobs, particularly if they were promoted to replace others who were laid off during cutbacks, OI Partners, a global career transition and coaching firm, reports. Approximately half of newly promoted employees could lose their recently acquired promotions due to their inability to properly manage, motivate others, and achieve critical goals and objectives. Here are the top 10 reasons, according to OI Partners, why newly promoted employees fail in their jobs, and can wind up hurting their companies' bottom lines: 

1. They do not know how to progress from being individual performers to managing others. They have not acquired the leadership skills they need to succeed.

2. They are unsure of exactly what their bosses expect them to accomplish. They are unclear about the two or three most important goals they need to attain.

3. They do not achieve desired results within an acceptable time frame. They don't fulfill objectives within a deadline that can be as short as three to six months, or don't even realize what the deadline is.

4. They lack adequate skills to manage others. They may be first-time managers, or never had their leadership capabilities assessed.

5. They are unable to motivate others and keep them fully engaged in their jobs. They don't reach out to people and find out what will keep them interested in doing their jobs.

6.  Their ability to relate interpersonally with others is poor. They may exhibit toxic management behaviors such as being too critical, abrasive, unpredictable, self-centered, arrogant, close-minded, or volatile.

7. Their verbal and written communications skills are sub-par. OI points out the ability to communicate well, both verbally and in written communications, is an important foundation of good management.

8. They are not able to build good relationships with direct reports, colleagues, and other departments. They don't enlist the support of subordinates and peers to build commitment to their strategies.

9. They fail to recognize contributions. Managers need to acknowledge the achievements of others and share their successes.

10. They do not determine and use the communications methods preferred by their bosses. They don't find out whether their bosses prefer e-mail, weekly reports, facts and figures, or just informal face-to-face meetings.

Thanks to Inside Training Newsletter

Why Should We Hire You?

This is another broad question that can take you down the wrong road unless you've done some thinking ahead of time. This question is purely about selling yourself. Think of yourself as the product. Why should the customer buy?

The Wrong Track

Spencer answers by saying, "Because I need and want a job." That's nice, but the bottom line here is, "What can you do for us?"

Mariana says, "I'm a hard worker and really want to work for this company." The majority of people think of themselves as hard workers -- and why this company?

The Right Track

Tom's answer to this question is, "Because I'm a good fit for the position." Getting warmer, but more details, please.

Sharon answers, "I have what it takes to solve problems and do the job." This is the best answer so far. Expand on this, and you've got it.

Develop a Sales Statement

The more detail you give, the better your answer will be. This is not a time to talk about what you want. Rather, it is a time to summarize your accomplishments and relate what makes you unique.

Product Inventory Exercise

The bottom line of this question is, "What can you do for this company?"

Start by looking at the job description or posting. What is the employer stressing as requirements of the job? What will it take to get the job done? Make a list of those requirements.

Next, do an inventory to determine what you have to offer as a fit for those requirements. Think of two or three key qualities you have to offer that match those the employer is seeking. Don't underestimate personal traits that make you unique; your energy, personality type, working style and people skills are all very relevant to any job.

The Sales Pitch: You Are the Solution

From the list of requirements, match what you have to offer and merge the two into a summary statement. This is your sales pitch. It should be no more than two minutes long and should stress the traits that make you unique and a good match for the job.

Example: "From our conversations, it sounds as if you're looking for someone to come in and take charge immediately. It also sounds like you are experiencing problems with some of your database systems. With my seven years of experience working with financial databases, I have saved companies thousands of dollars by streamlining systems. My high energy and quick learning style enable me to hit the ground and size up problems rapidly. My colleagues would tell you I'm a team player who maintains a positive attitude and outlook. I have the ability to stay focused in stressful situations and can be counted on when the going gets tough. I'm confident I would be a great addition to your team."

What Makes You Unique?

Completing an exercise around this question will allow you to concentrate on your unique qualities. Like snowflakes, no two people are alike. Take some time to think about what sets you apart from others.

• "Never miss deadlines."
• "Bring order to chaos."
• "Good sense of humor."
• "Great attention to detail."

Let the interviewer know that you have been listening to the problem and have what it takes to do the job -- that you are the solution to the problem.

By Carole Martin, Monster Contributing Writer

Who's Responsible for Quality of Hire?

Over the past few months I've been describing a new approach for determining quality of hire, and using changes in this to justify any new expenditures on an ROI basis. While the methodology is pretty slick, the pushback is coming not from the process, but from the idea that HR/recruiting is responsible for quality of hire at all.

If not HR/recruiting, then who?

Most HR/recruiting execs would suggest hiring managers themselves as the likely assignee. Others would contend that HR/recruiting is responsible for the quality of the candidates, but managers are responsible for the quality of hire. Others would suggest there are too many variables to assign it to anyone.

Further confusing the issue is determining when quality of hire should be measured. If you do it before the person starts, you're measuring the sourcing and selection process. After the hire, you're measuring the hiring manager's management and leadership abilities as much as you are the candidate's ability to perform the job needs. Compounding the time variable is the measurement standard. If you use a different measurement technique for before and after, then you're left with a comparison between oranges and cell phones, or more likely, experience and qualifications vs. performance.

It's because of these complex issues that I believe that HR/recruiting must take responsibility for quality of hire. If not HR/recruiting, then who?

Here's my rationale behind the nomination.

1. Maximizing quality of hire is the most important strategic role HR/recruiting can play. Other than maximizing on-the-job performance and retention, there is no more important role for the HR/recruiting department. Not wanting responsibility for this seems odd to an old recruiter like me. All the executives I've placed thrive on this type of challenge. Why would HR/recruiting be reluctant to take on — even demand — this responsibility?
   
2. The CFO is responsible for the capital acquisition process, so why shouldn't HR/recruiting be responsible for the talent acquisition process? While the financial department doesn't select, install, and run the capital equipment it approves, it still manages the approval process and strongly influences the ultimate decision. This parallels the role HR/recruiting should play in the talent acquisition process.
   
3. Having responsibility means the process is adhered to, not the decision itself. Developing and monitoring the hiring/selection process is the role of HR/recruiting. This means developing and implementing processes that ensure that the best candidates are seen and hired. There should be an audit process as part of this to ensure that the best decision has been made, and that if it has not been, the process is modified.
   
4. There is a huge tactical and strategic cost to making mistakes. HR/recruiting needs to deal with all the mistakes, including finding replacements and dealing with the legal and employee relations issues. The opportunity costs of bad hires alone provides the rationale for some type of vigorous and auditable selection process. Who else could possibly lead this type of cross-functional effort?
   
5. If not HR/recruiting, then who? Hiring managers should police themselves on quality of hire. Some do it, most don't, and even those that do, don't do it well. Regardless, there should be one standardized process that works and is used company-wide. This is the primary reason why hiring managers can only be held responsible for the successful performance of the person hired, not the process used. If some managers want to use their own process, they need to be held 100% responsible for mistakes, including the costs associated with this. This is one way to convince them they should use the approved process.

Of course, if HR/recruiting is given the responsibility for maximizing and measuring quality of hire, there comes some programs that need to be implemented to pull it off. Here are some quick recommendations:

1. Stop using job descriptions to source and select candidates. If you describe the work that needs to be done and assess candidates on this, before and after the hire, you'll solve the dual measurement problem and reduce turnover dramatically. The primary reasons new hires underperform and/or leave is lack of understanding of real job needs and a poor fit with their hiring manager.
   
2. Develop sourcing programs that target high-quality candidates, rather than eliminating the worst to see who's left. This is not insignificant. It means you must stop asking knockout questions and stop posting boring ads. The only reason companies ask knockout questions is to eliminate weak candidates who apply. If you change the sourcing paradigm to target great candidates, rather than hoping great candidates fall through the cracks, you eliminate the "eliminate the weak candidates" problem at the strategic level.
   
3. Use a performance-based talent scorecard and evidence-based assessment system to measure pre-hire quality. Competency models and behavioral interviews are too generic and do not measure a candidate's ability and motivation to perform the actual tasks required for success. Instead, candidates should be evaluated across all real jobs, including their ability to work effectively with the hiring manager. Quantifiable evidence of consistent and comparable past performance needs to be the basis of the yes/no decision.

With this type of process in place, HR/recruiting's role then becomes one of ensuring that the process for maximizing quality of hire is being followed — not making the hiring decision. This is comparable to the authority given, or taken, by the CFO, in ensuring that capital expenditures are justified in some reasonable fashion. Maximizing the quality of every single hiring decision is the primary strategic role of the HR/recruiting department. If HR/recruiting wants a seat at the strategic table it should demand this responsibility.

By Lou Adler / ERE.net

Problem Solving

"Don't find fault, find a remedy." -- Henry Ford

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." -- Art Linkletter

"The best way to escape from a problem is to solve it!" -- Alan Saporta

"Highly motivated achievers are looking not to receive but to contribute. They are looking for problems that are personally satisfying to solve." -- Denis Waitley

The Seven Deadly Sins of Leadership

Drucker set very high ethical standards for all leaders. To Drucker, management as a profession practiced by leaders was a "calling" regardless of the environment in which it was practiced. So he saw leaders as being special people entrusted with special organizational, as well as societal responsibilities. Drucker knew that leaders are human and sometimes err, and he was well aware that there were leaders who did not live up to the high standards he felt not only were necessary, but were part of the code that they accepted when they made the decision to accept the mantel of the leader. Some leaders failed their profession, the organizations and individuals they led, and society. Some lost sight of the real goals expected of them and the reason they were in their positions of responsibility. Others didn't understand the implications of the responsibilities they had accepted, and put their own interests above those they led. Others yet were seduced by the power and the privileges that leadership brings. All of these failings pained him, and he frequently wrote about them. Drucker hoped that by making these explicit he could help leaders avoid falling into these traps.

Categorizing Drucker's Teachings

To categorize these potential failings, I sought a number of different frameworks, including abuse of special privileges, abuse of power and corruption. None seemed to fit all of the cautionary tales through which Drucker warned leaders of all stripes. One morning I awoke with words the "Seven Deadly Sins" on my mind. Clearly this was my subconscious at work while I was asleep. It seemed to fit perfectly.

The development of the "Seven Deadly Sins" is clouded in mystery. Some say they were based on an interpretation of Israel's fight against the seven Canaanite tribes after fleeing Egypt. They and their interpretations have changed little as originally conceived.

Comparing The Seven Deadly Sins against my notes of where Drucker saw executives go awry, I was surprised to discover that these were the very vices that Drucker had cautioned leaders to avoid. They might have saved otherwise outstanding leaders and the organizations they led from disaster.

The Sin Of Pride

The Sin of Pride is almost always considered the most serious of the Seven Deadly Sins. Yet it seems so innocuous. My wife calls it "being full of oneself." I believe feeling proud of what a leader has accomplished or is accomplishing is perfectly acceptable. The problem comes when one feels this pride to the extent that the leader believes himself so special that ordinary rules no longer apply to him. That's where many leaders go awry.

The Sin Of Lust

I once heard a retired leader of a large organization of almost a million members speak about his challenges of leading this organization. "One of the biggest problems," he said, "was newly promoted senior executives. I may be exaggerating a little," he continued. "But it seemed almost that as soon as we promoted a man to be a senior executive, he suddenly decided that he was God's gift to women."

This individual spoke at a time when almost all senior executives had been male. However, I do not think that one would find much difference with female executives. There is unfortunately a feeling among some leaders that they have "arrived" and are "entitled" to additional sexual gratification as some sort of fringe leadership benefit. In one online survey done by the White Stone Journal, The Deadly Sin of Lust was the most frequent of the Seven Deadly Sins self-reported as "my biggest failing." So this sin is hardly uncommon. However, it can have very unfortunate consequences. In any workplace it creates jealousies, feelings of favoritism, a lack of trust, damages people and relationships and more.

The Sin Of Greed

The Sin of Greed is a sin of excess. It frequently starts with power. Leaders have power, and unfortunately having power has a tendency to lead to corruption if the leader isn't careful. This may start with the acceptance of small favors and grow into vacations, loans and worse. How do these things happen? A leader sees others with more than he has. Questions may be raised in the leader's mind as to why others have so much more, yet (in the leader's mind) are far less deserving. Maybe a small bribe is accepted. It may not even be seen as a bribe, just a favor between friends. If the leader allows himself to be seduced in this way, greed can take over. Unlike the movie, greed is never "good," even as a motivator, and though Drucker analyzed and approved many motivations, greed was not one.

The Sin Of Sloth

The Sin of Sloth has to do with an unwillingness to act. Sometimes this is due to laziness. More often it is an unwillingness to take on work that the leader considers is beneath him. I have many times seen leaders watching critical work that must be completed and for which they were also qualified to do. Yet they stood around "supervising" when they could have given real help to their subordinates and to the mission that they were responsible for accomplishing. In too many cases, good men and women fail because their leader failed to help or take action in other ways. Make no mistake about it, The Sin of Sloth leads to disaster. Leaders must be proactive and they must take action.

The Sin Of Wrath

This sin has to do with uncontrolled anger. There is a time for anger in leadership when it serves a definite and useful purpose. As Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson taught us, you can take one minute to make a correction and include the words "I'm angry" and then tell the recipient why. Moreover, anger does have a useful function in that it can mobilize psychological and physical resources to do something about a problem.

However, leaders need to avoid repeated and uncontrolled anger because it can have negative impacts on their leadership. It can destroy morale, does not guarantee a lasting effect in correcting problems, and in effect requires surrendering anger as a tool for the times when expressing it is really useful and appropriate. Moreover when in an angry state, anger causes the leader a loss of self-monitoring capacity and the ability to observe objectively.

Drucker taught leaders to analyze their environment and to determine what actions that have already occurred mean for the future before taking action. Using anger as a single response to all leadership challenges prevents us from doing this analysis. It prevents the leader from making good decisions and may prevent the leader from taking the correct action appropriate to the situation. Actions taken during uncontrolled action are frequently in error and require additional work to undue the consequences of these mistakes later.

The Sin Of Envy

With the Sin of Envy, the leader is envious of what is enjoyed by someone else. This may or may not be incorporated with greed. The sin usually leads the leader to make decisions and to take actions that will be to the disadvantage to the object of his envy. So a leader who falls victim to this sin may deny an earned promotion to a qualified subordinate, attempt to destroy another's reputation or in other ways attempt to make himself feel better by lowering the situation of another. This is obviously harmful to this other individual, hurts the organization and is probably harmful to the leader who perpetrates these actions.

The Sin Of Gluttony

Most think of food or drink with this sin, but for the leader it has a far more ominous connotation. The Sin of Gluttony was the one that most frustrated Drucker. Expensive food or drink is scarce. Therefore excessive consumption can be seen as a sign of status. But gluttony need not apply only to food.

Drucker knew how hard managers had to work to do their jobs as they needed to be done, and he had defended high salaries for top managers early in his career. However skyrocketing executive salaries caused him to drastically alter his opinion. Drucker said and wrote that executive salaries at the top had become clearly excessive and that the ratios of the compensation of American top managers to the lowest paid workers were the highest in the world. Moreover, this difference wasn't slight, but differed by magnitudes. He said this was morally wrong. The ratio of average CEO compensation in the United States to average pay of a non-management employee in the United States hit a high in 2001 of 525 to 1. Drucker recommended a ratio of no more than 20 to 1.

The Sin of Gluttony was to be avoided for good leadership. Interestingly, Drucker drew a parallel of high executive salaries with the demands of unions for more and more benefits without an increase in productivity. He said we would pay a terrible price for these examples of gluttony and that "it is never pleasant to watch hogs gorge." As I write these words, we are paying this price.

There are things that a leader must do, and things he must not. The Seven Deadly Sins are those that Drucker maintained that leaders must not do.

Adapted from the book Drucker on Leadership, to be published by Jossy-Bass in November, 2009.

How to Answer Key Interview Questions When You're Overqualified

Especially in times of high unemployment and financial distress, many candidates will apply for jobs for which they are, by conventional standards, overqualified. Does overqualification mean you'll be disqualified if you're lucky enough to face an interviewer? Not if you handle the interview wisely.

First, calm yourself with the thought that it's normal for candidates who are something more or less than a 100 percent match to be considered as finalists. "You never find the perfect candidate," says Paul Falcone, an HR executive and author of 96 Great Interview Questions to Ask Before You Hire. "Everyone's too heavy or too light in qualifications."

If you're lucky, you may even find that your prospective employer is pleased that your wealth of skills and experience exceeds the position at hand. "Sometimes my clients like to hire an overqualified candidate," says Greg Gary, managing director of Technisource, an IT recruiter. "The theory is that a great manager surrounds himself with people who know what he doesn't know."

Next, acknowledge that the depth of experience you may have glossed over in your resume cannot be denied in the interview. "You're not going to sell yourself if you're misrepresenting yourself," says Sylvia Lafair, a consultant and author of Don't Bring It to Work: Breaking the Family Patterns that Limit Success.

Indeed, "it's better for the candidate to take the objection of overqualification and hold it up under the light from the beginning of the interview," says Falcone. In that spirit, take a look at some interview questions the overqualified candidate is likely to encounter and suggestions for how you can respond effectively.

What will motivate you in a job that won't make use of many of your qualifications?

The first thing an HR or hiring manager has to worry about is that the open position won't stimulate you enough to keep you motivated. Since you can't successfully argue that the job requirements will offer a healthy stretch of your capabilities, try a different approach.

"You can never be overqualified in your enthusiasm, your thirst for learning and desire to mentor," says Lafair. "You're selling you, not your skills."

Given our company's sluggish near-term outlook, you can't expect a promotion anytime soon. Is that OK with you? Why is it OK?

Clearly you don't want to say, "It's OK. I'm happy to languish in a job that rarely challenges me, for however long." Better to say: "I'm excited to learn as much as possible about your organization while I do my job every day. I'm confident that after the economy turns around, your company will offer further opportunities for me."

Frankly, I'm concerned with this organization's ability to keep you here. Aren't you going to get bored or frustrated?

Interviewers' next concern about overqualified candidates is that they'll leave for greener pastures at the economy's first uptick. "The hiring manager has to recognize that if the hire is overqualified, [he] will continue to look," says Gary. Counter this fear by offering examples of how you found opportunities for professional growth in previous positions you held for considerable periods.

Why should I believe that you're going to stay with our company?

Savvy interviewers are likely to challenge you on your contention that you'll stick with the company even if you're "underemployed" for an extended time. The trick, again, is to demonstrate you have a professional history of sticking with it. "If your resume is tenured rather than choppy, point this out to the interviewer," says Gary. "Point out how long you were at your last job, and say that what matters to you is fitting in."

Starting out at the level of this position, what future do you see for yourself with our company?

When you talk about the future, keep talking about yourself and your prospective employer as business partners. "Emphasize that you are excited about the company and see good opportunities that can keep you there for a long time," says Rodney Capron, CEO of Pongo Resume. The trick here is convince the interviewer that you're looking for steady advancement in the long run, not a rapid series of promotions.

What would you tell an employer in five years about why you took this job? How would you justify it?

This is a tough question, because you've got to portray yourself as ambitious and yet realistic about your prospects. Work to persuade the interviewer that you've got a talent for making the most of any professional opportunity, and that you're confident that after five years you will have notched substantial achievements with the company.

 

By John Rossheim, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

What Are The Odds Your Kid Will Grow Up to Be in HR?

The website BookofOdds.com had an interesting article recently titled "Hey Kids, Pick A Career", in which they give certain odds on what occupations your child (or any child born for that matter) will become a certain profession.  As you can imagine they give you some of the obvious first, like odds my kid will be a:

• Surgeon: 1 in 2,872
• Professional Athlete: 1 in 9,684
• Fashion Model: 1 in 81,440
• Fire Fighter 1 in 452
• Elementary Teacher 1 in 87

Because you know, we all thought we were going to be one of those when we grew up!

I don't know about you, but I when I took the career interest assessment in my junior year of high school it didn't say I was going to be a HR Pro (I think mine gave me my top 3 "best" career choices, which honestly in order were 1. Teacher; 2. Floral Designer; 3. Sales).  Not sure how the Floral Designer got in there, but to this day I love working out in the yard - so there must be something to those assessments. There wasn't even a category for HR or Personnel or Hiring Guy or anything. 

So, Book of Odds really got me thinking about what my 3 son's will be when they grow up. I know their personal choices right now (oldest to youngest) are: 1. Pro Athlete, 2. Pop Star, 3. Stay at home with Mom.  Sounds like I would expect, pure and innocent, anything is possible - including spending the rest of my life at home in my pajama's watching Cartoon Network in Mom's bed as Dad goes to work.  In reality they are more likely to be:

• Administrative Role: 1 in 5
• Sales: 1 in 9
• Food Service:  1 in 11
• Healthcare: 1 in 19
• Education: 1 in 16

What about HR? 

• Human Resources: 1 in 656.9 
• More interesting: 1 in 10 HR Pros make under $28,030 per year (ouch!). 

Well, I'm not 1 in a 1,000,000 - but hey only about 304M people are in the US.

Thanks to Tim Sackett, SPHR is the Executive Vice President of HRU Technical Resources in Lansing, MI.

The Art of Subtraction: Less Order, Better Organization

Great designers understand the role subtraction plays in creating elegant solutions. What can leaders learn from this organizing principle? Look at the example of FAVI, an autoparts supplier that manufactures copper alloy components. 

Conventional wisdom says that to be successful, our ideas—be they strategies, products, performances, or services—must be concrete, complete, and certain. And when it comes to leading people, we need organizations to be highly ordered, with a strong and well-defined structure. But what if that's wrong? What if we can gain through loss? What if we can add value by subtracting? 

Take the case of French company FAVI, an autoparts supplier that manufactures copper alloy components. CEO Jean-Francois Zobrist eliminated the personnel department immediately upon taking the helm of the company in 1983. But that wasn't all he got rid of.  Says Zobrist: "I came in the day after I became CEO, and gathered the people. I told them tomorrow when you come to work, you do not work for me or for a boss. You work for your customer. I don't pay you. They do. Every customer has its own factory now. You do what is needed for the customer." And with that single stroke, he eliminated the central control: personnel, product development, purchasing…all gone.

Twenty teams were formed on the spot, based on knowledge of the customer: Fiat, Volvo, Volkswagen, and so forth. Each team was responsible not only for the customer, but for its own human resources, purchasing, and product development. There are two job designations in the team: leader and compagnon—or companion—which is an operator able to perform several different jobs.

Every customer has a single FAVI linchpin, who oversees all aspects of the relationship, which are handled by the team, including all of the technical requirements, cost negotiations, purchasing, product development, quality control issues, scheduling and delivery, meeting organization, and information coordinating. The linchpin is a critical position of high strategic importance, so Zobrist handpicked each one. In effect, what happened at FAVI was that it moved from being one big plant to being a couple of dozen entrepreneurial mini-plants housed under one roof.

Zobrist's redesign added by subtracting.

The lack of hierarchy solves a number of problems. With work at FAVI organized into horizontal customer teams, job titles and promotions become irrelevant, so they are no longer a distraction. All energy is channeled into the work itself, which at FAVI is of the highest quality. Employees are accountable to the customer and to the team, not a boss—and they are free to experiment, innovate, and solve problems for customers. Equipment, tooling, workspace, and process redesign all rest in the hands of those doing the work.  FAVI people are encouraged to make decisions and take quick action to improve their daily work and respond to the needs of their customers. They're known for working off-shift to serve customers or to test out new procedures. Control rests with the front lines, where it adds the most value.

It works. Still, customers visiting FAVI are often astounded at what they perceive to be a total lack of control. A favorite story Zobrist tells involves a customer's site inspection at FAVI: "They asked to audit our procedures," he says. "They were not pleased because we had no measurement system for tracking late orders—nothing in place, no plan, no process, no structure in case of delay. They are a customer for over ten years, so I say, 'In that time, have we ever been late?' They say, 'No.' I say, 'Have we ever been early?' They say again, 'No.' And so I ask them why they want me to measure things that do not exist."

Zobrist's management reveals a different way of thinking, one driven by questions like: What would my customers love for me to eliminate or reduce or stop adding? What is it that my competition would struggle with if I were to cease? What would my most highly valued people love for me to stop doing?

In other words, the key to applying design thinking in management may be as simple (not easy!) as understanding the art of subtraction.

Thanks to AMA

Depression: Recognizing the Physical Symptoms

Most of us know about the emotional symptoms of depression. But you may not know that depression can cause physical symptoms, too.

In fact, many people with depression feel pain or other physical symptoms. These include:

• Headaches. These are fairly common in people with depression. If you already had migraine headaches, they may become worse if you're depressed.
  
• Back Pain. If you already suffer with back pain, it may get worse if you become depressed.
  
• Muscle Aches and Joint Pain. Depression can make any kind of chronic pain worse.
  
• Chest Pain. Obviously, it's very important to get chest pain checked out by an expert right away. It can be a sign of serious heart problems. But chest pain is also associated with depression.
  
• Digestive Problems. You might feel queasy or nauseous. You might have diarrhea or become chronically constipated.
  
• Exhaustion and Fatigue. No matter how much you sleep, you may still feel tired or worn out. Getting out of the bed in the morning may seem very hard, even impossible.
  
• Sleeping Problems. Many people with depression can't sleep well anymore. They wake up too early or can't fall asleep when they go to bed. Others sleep much more than normal.
  
• Change In Appetite Or Weight. Some people with depression lose their appetite and lose weight. Others find they crave certain foods -- like carbohydrates -- and weigh more.
  
• Dizziness Or Lightheadedness.

Many depressed people never get help, because they don't know that their physical symptoms might be caused by depression. A lot of doctors miss the symptoms, too.

These physical symptoms aren't "all in your head." Depression can cause real changes in your body. For instance, it can slow down your digestion, which can result in stomach problems.

Depression seems to be related to an imbalance of certain chemicals in your brain. Some of these same chemicals play an important role in how you feel pain. So many experts think that depression can make you feel pain differently than other people.

Treating Physical Symptoms

In some cases, treating your depression -- with therapy or medicine or both -- will resolve your physical symptoms.

But make sure to tell your health care provider about any physical symptoms. Don't assume they'll go away on their own. They may need additional treatment. For instance, your doctor may suggest an antianxiety medicine if you have insomnia. Those drugs help you relax and may allow you to sleep better.

Since pain and depression go together, sometimes easing your pain may help with your depression. Some antidepressants, such as Cymbalta and Effexor, may help with chronic pain, too.

Other treatments can also help with painful symptoms. Certain types of focused therapy -- like cognitive behavioral -- can teach you ways to cope better with the pain.

Thanks to WebMD / Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

A Successful Service Culture Begins With Education, Not Mere Training

Service training teaches someone how to "do" something: provide quality in a specific situation. Training, by its nature, is tactical, prescriptive and usually differs between functions and departments.

This approach can result in a fragmented understanding of service inside the organization. It can also leave employees unsure about what to do when they encounter a situation or request that they have not been previously trained to handle. This leads to an inability to meet customers' needs and to frequent escalations that take time and resources to resolve — with no guarantee of a desirable outcome for the customer. Many organizations spend heavily on role-specific service training and then wonder months later why no substantial improvement has been achieved.

By contrast, service education teaches fundamental service principles that everyone can apply to his or her own job — regardless of role, function or level within the organization. With service education, employees learn to think proactively and responsively, and then act in an empowered manner to create value for their customers and colleagues.

How Effective Is Service Education?

Service education leads to the development of a common service language, a key foundation to building a sustainable service culture. Organizations also need to create an environment that motivates, supports and recognizes employees for consistently taking action to create value for customers and colleagues. This approach is scalable and engenders a shared understanding of fundamental service principles and a common service language.

Another component of a successful culture-building effort is service leadership, including the responsibilities and role modeling that are crucial to success. As an example, many organizations accumulate lagging measures and metrics to track sales, productivity and service performance over time. Often these legacy measures incentivize behavior that is short term or relevant only to a specific department or silo, but may be disconnected or misaligned from producing a positive customer experience. This disconnect is exacerbated when the measures are linked to pay and promotion. Elimination of such nonaligned metrics addresses this disconnection.

Middle Management in a Service Culture

Middle managers can make or break a service culture. They are the essential link between senior leadership and the rest of the organization.

Middle managers must translate and explain service strategy, then clarify service goals and objectives so that everyone understands how their immediate next actions will contribute to the customers' and the organization's success.

Middle managers also have responsibility to listen for service suggestions and ideas from front-line staff and bring these up for support at the highest levels of the organization.

Service and Strategy

The commoditization of products and services makes competing on price or features hard to sustain. Customers have more choice than ever before, and it is easier than ever to switch suppliers. Organizations must work smarter than ever to create relationships and sustain loyalty.

Globalization, connective technology and maturing markets also mean customers are increasingly sophisticated and expectations of superior service are rising. Organizations must continuously innovate and improve to create more value for customers, colleagues and partners. Organizations that successfully differentiate based on service can stand out sustainably from the competition.

A service culture also creates a better place to work. This engages and motivates employees to improve performance and helps organizations attract and retain superior talent.

Finally, focusing on service means an organization can create more unique experiences that customers value. This leads to opportunities for higher margins and helps create relationships with customers that last longer — and become more profitable over.

 

Thanks to Ron Kaufman (Author of UP Your Service! and the founder of UP Your Service! College)

Bipolar and Depression: What's the Difference?

Bipolar disorder is easily confused with depression. Read on to learn what distinguishes one condition from the other.

The main difference between bipolar disorder and depression are the mania symptoms — characterized by excessive excitement or irritability, extreme elation, and delusions of grandeur — that are associated with the bipolar condition. In fact, until fairly recently, bipolar disorder was often called manic depression, a term that highlights both poles of the illness — mania and depression. To clarify the differences between straightforward depression and bipolar disorder, it's helpful to understand the specific symptoms of each.

Depression Symptoms

While mood swings, or cycling back and forth between manic and depressed states, are a component of bipolar disorder, depression is unipolar — meaning that there is no "up," or manic, part of the condition. Instead, depression is characterized by an intense, prolonged "down" state of mind that interferes with a person's daily life, as well as his or her ability and desire to engage in relationships and regular activities. Symptoms of depression include:

• Pervasive sadness
• Extreme fatigue or loss of energy
• Inability to make a decision
• Lack of interest in activities that are normally enjoyable
• Appetite changes
• Sleep problems
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Bipolar Disorder Symptoms

Although bipolar disorder includes the depressive symptoms described above, it also includes manic symptoms. Bipolar disorder is characterized by uncontrollable dramatic mood swings that fluctuate between depressive lows and manic highs. Manic symptoms may include:

• Irritability
• Anger
• Excessively high energy; rapid speech and thoughts
• Decreased need for sleep
• Overinflated sense of self-importance
• Difficulty concentrating
• Disturbed judgment
• Increased recklessness (usually involving money, drugs, alcohol, or sex)

Bipolar Disorder: Understanding Different Types

Knowing about the different types of bipolar disorder can also help you distinguish between this condition and depression. There are two types of bipolar disorder: Bipolar I disorder is diagnosed when a person has experienced at least one manic episode, regardless of whether or not the individual has also had a previous bout or bouts of depression. Bipolar II disorder is the diagnosis given when a person has experienced at least one bout of depression and an episode of elevated mood that is called hypomania. Episodes of hypomania are not as intense or extreme as actual mania and are shorter-lived. People with bipolar II usually experience longer periods of depression and relatively shorter states of hypomania. Sometimes people also experience rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, which means that a person reports four or more dramatic mood swings throughout the course of a year, and the shifts can occur in as little time as just a few hours or multiple times a week. It is also possible for the manic and depressive symptoms of bipolar disorder to occur simultaneously; this is called mixed-state bipolar. In some cases, people experience a milder form of bipolar disorder, known as cyclothymia, which is characterized by minor mood swings that don't significantly interfere with a person's ability to function but may significantly interfere with his or her ability to enjoy life and maintain significant relationships.

Making the Correct Diagnosis

Everyday Health's Emotional Health Expert, Ruth Wolever, PhD, a clinical health psychologist and the research director at the Duke Center for Integrative Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, explains that an accurate medical history is the most important tool for distinguishing between depression and bipolar disorder. "The cyclical pattern of bipolar is distinct from depression, and the chemical signatures, or profiles, of the brain are different as well." However, adds Dr. Wolever, "clinically, the depression phase of bipolar disorder and of major depression look the same. Therefore, unless the person with bipolar disorder is in a manic phase at the time he or she seeks medical help — or a hypomanic state, in the case of bipolar II — it's through the medical history that a clinician will be able to distinguish between the two mood disorders."

Getting Help

If left untreated, both bipolar disorder and depression can have serious consequences in people's personal and professional lives — and can even result in suicide. For this reason, it is crucial to remember that these mood disorders are treatable. Both "talk" therapy and medication — or a combination of the two — can go a long way in managing symptoms of depression and mania, stabilizing mood swings, and helping people with these conditions deal with related problems, such as addiction, poor performance at school or work, and difficulty with relationships. If you think you may have bipolar disorder or depression, a professional diagnosis is the first step toward getting help.

Thanks to Waterfront Media, Inc. / Everyday Health

Will Face Masks Save Employees from Swine Flu?

The swine flu predictions are flying in all directions—from "no worries" to "half the population will be infected." If you assume the middle ground is likely, should you be breaking out respirators or other protective gear for employees? CDC's not sure.

It might seem like a no-brainer to get everyone in face masks or respirators if the H1N1 flu is around, yet the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) says that information on the effectiveness of face masks and respirators for decreasing infection in community settings is extremely limited.

In the absence of clear scientific data, CDC has developed interim recommendations on the basis of public health judgment, the historical use of face masks and respirators in other settings for preventing transmission of influenza and other respiratory viruses, and on current information on the spread and severity of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus.

In areas with confirmed human cases of H1N1, the risk for infection can be reduced through a combination of actions. No single action will provide complete protection, but an approach combining the following steps can help decrease the likelihood of transmission, CDC says. These recommended actions are:

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand cleaner when soap and water are not available.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

If you are sick with an influenza-like illness (ILI) (fever plus at least cough or sore throat and possibly other symptoms such as runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, vomiting, and diarrhea):

• Stay home.
• Keep away from others as much as possible, including avoiding travel, for at least 24 hours after fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Fever should be gone without the use of fever-reducing medicine).

If you must be near a person with ILI, avoid close contact (i.e., being within about 6 feet).

Face Masks and Respirators

What's the difference between a face mask and a respirator? Face masks do not seal tightly to the face and are used to block large droplets from coming into contact with the wearer's mouth or nose. Most respirators (e.g., N95) are designed to seal tightly to the wearer's face and filter out very small particles that can be breathed in by the user.

The use of a face mask or respirator is likely to be of most benefit if used as early as possible when exposed to an ill person and when the face mask or respirator is used consistently.

community and home settings, the use of face masks and respirators generally is not recommended. Nor is the use of N95 respirators or face masks generally recommended for workers in nonhealthcare occupational settings for general work activities.

For specific work activities that involve contact with people who have ILI, such as escorting a person with ILI, interviewing a person with ILI, providing assistance to an individual with ILI, the following are recommended:

• Workers should try to maintain a distance of 6 feet or more from the person with ILI.
• Workers should keep their interactions with ill persons as brief as possible.
• The ill person should be asked to follow good cough etiquette and hand hygiene and to wear a face mask, if able (and one is available).
• Workers at increased risk of severe illness from influenza infection should avoid people with ILI (possibly by temporary reassignment).
• Where workers cannot avoid close contact with persons with ILI, some workers may choose to wear a face mask or N95 respirator on a voluntary basis.

In the occupational healthcare setting, respiratory protection is recommended. Because infection control precautions, including respiratory protection, are imperfect, workers who are at increased risk of severe illness from influenza, and who are caring for a patient with known, probable, or suspected H1N1 or ILI, may consider temporary reassignment to avoid exposure.

Thanks to BRL HR Daily Advisor

How to Set Appropriate Conduct Rules

Behavior or conduct policies aren't particularly exciting, but they are necessary. They alert employees to important workplace guidelines
explaining what behavior you expect and what conduct is prohibited. Most employers develop these rules based on internal factors such as
the nature of their business, number of employees, organizational culture, and the work performed.

But, how much detail is too much when it comes to a conduct policy? Some organizations prefer a very general statement regarding
appropriate employee behavior, while others like to provide more specific examples of prohibited conduct.

Whichever approach you use, your policy should meet two goals. First, it should be flexible enough to allow appropriate discipline for misconduct that is not specifically mentioned in the policy. Second, it should not include any language that can unintentionally restrict your actions or be interpreted to create a contract. Here are some tips for drafting your policy.

 

Explain Best Workplace Behavior

Many organizations begin their behavior rules by pointing out that they expect employees to have a "positive attitude" to promote the best
interests of the employer. Appropriate conduct to produce this attitude includes:

1. Treating all customers, visitors, and coworkers in a courteous manner;
2. Performing assigned tasks efficiently and in accord with established quality standards;
3. Giving proper advance notice whenever unable to work or report on time;
4. Reporting unethical, suspicious, or illegal conduct; and
5. Maintaining cleanliness and order in the workplace and work areas.

* Clear Rules Help Define Expectations *

Next, a clear policy statement outlining the conduct that will lead to discipline helps everyone know what to expect. So, it is a good idea to
include a general list of prohibited behaviors, which can range from serious misconduct to relatively minor violations of day-to-day work rules.

For example, many employers specifically prohibit these serious offenses:

1. Bringing weapons into the workplace;
2. Threatening, intimidating, or assaulting coworkers;
3. Fighting in the workplace;
4. Engaging in any form of sexual or other harassment;
5. Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol at work;
6. Falsifying company records; and
7. Stealing or misusing corporate property.

You also should consider including several less serious, but disruptive, violations, such as:

1. Insubordination;
2. Failing to abide by minor safety rules;
3. Smoking where prohibited;
4. Using inappropriate (profane) language;
5. Wearing improper attire; and
6. Engaging in inappropriate horseplay.

Maintain Flexibility, Avoid All-Inclusive Lists

While examples of inappropriate conduct are helpful, your policy wording still needs to be flexible enough to allow for discipline not specifically
covered in your policy. To this end, you should not try to present a complete or exhaustive list of prohibited conduct.

Many courts have determined that employer lists of prohibited conduct can limit your right to discipline for any unlisted reasons, unless you state that the list is merely illustrative of prohibited behavior and not intended to be all-inclusive. 

Careful Drafting Can Preserve Your Rights

Your goal in developing and distributing a work conduct policy should be to prevent employee misconduct by clearly communicating what is
expected. But when misconduct occurs, you don't want to be limited by something you've put in, or left out of, your policies. To prevent this
result, you should:

1. List offenses only as examples of behavior for which employees will be disciplined, and not as being all-inclusive. State specifically that, at
management's discretion, any violation of your policies or any conduct considered inappropriate or unsatisfactory may subject the employee to
disciplinary action.

2. Do not assert that employees will be disciplined or terminated only for "cause," "good cause," or "good reason." Again, this restrictive
language compromises your ability to discipline for any reason other than "cause," a term that is subject to interpretation.

3. State in your discipline policy that you reserve the right to discipline as you consider necessary. In addition, point out that you may impose
more severe discipline for any infraction, up to and including termination.

4. Make sure your handbook also contains a separate at-will statement. The statement should explain, in plain English, that employment is at will, i.e., that employees may quit at any time or be terminated for any lawful reason, and that policies are intended as guidelines and not as contracts that must be followed.

A clear conduct policy carefully drafted to include these elements enhances your ability to prevent employee misconduct and to deal with it
effectively when it does occur. In addition, when you combine these behavior rules with effective at-will statements and disciplinary
procedures, you can help ensure that you have preserved management flexibility and that your policy will not be used against you as a binding
contract.

Thanks to HR Matters E-Tips

5 - Minutes Management Lessons

Lesson 1:

 

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

 

Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel. "

 

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

 

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?"

 

"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.

 

"Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

 

Moral Of the Story:

 

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lesson 2:

 

A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

 

The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.

 

The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"

The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129

It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."
 
Moral Of the Story:

 

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lesson 3:
 
A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out.
 
The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."

"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."

 

Puff! She's gone.

 

"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life."

 

Puff! He's gone.

 

"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.

 

The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

 

Moral Of the Story:

 

Always let your boss have the first say.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lesson 4:

 

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"

The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."

 

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral Of the Story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lesson 5:

 

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."

 

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients."

 

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
 
Moral Of the Story:

BullShit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.
 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Lesson 6:

 

A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

 

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

 

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

 

Moral Of the Story:

 

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

 

Thanks to Shomaila Saleem

Pull the Plug on Self-Created Pain

Dwelling On Any Unhappy Moment In Life Is Like Channel Surfing through a Thousand Possible TV Shows, Selecting the One that Troubles You the Most, and then Blaming Your TV Set for the Pain You're Feeling. ~~~ Guy Finley

Keep Your Job By Becoming A Leader

In seven years of studying the process of leading from below in hundreds of companies around the world, James Kelly and Scott Nadler of ERM, a global consulting firm focused on environment, health, safety and social management, identified clear patterns in how managers succeed---and fail---in facing their own mana gement constraints.

These patterns suggest for the vast majority of business managers who are not CEOs, there are practical ways to play a leadership role that helps their companies, helps improve the impact their companies have on the world, and helps improve their career prospects at the same time.  The clear majority of managers studied found themselves stuck in predominantly service and/or governance roles performing standards enforcing tasks or providing resources for people to meet those standards.  Many expressed a desire to take on a leadership role but didn't see a clear way to do so.

Making the Decision To Be a Leader

There are three painful realities about moving from service and governance roles to a leadership role:

1.  No one will tell you to do it.

2.  There will always be people who tell you to stick to the role you are now playing. 

3.  You have to earn the right to play a leadership role, often by succeeding in your current role first--which in turn only increases the expectation that you will keep playing that role.

In every case of successful leadership from below that Kelly and Nadler studied, the manager made a conscious decision to move beyond the service and governance roles, without waiting to be told to do so.  Two key ways to leadership roles are to reorganize your group to make yourself less essential (so you can free up time and energy for leadership) and open yourself up to influences from outside the company (by listening to customers, competitors, suppliers, the media and your personal business coach).

In deciding to take on the risks involved in a leadership role, it helps to understand that failure to lead is also dangerous.  In an age when job cuts are common at even the most successful companies, being a good manager who doesn't make waves is increasingly risky.  Those who take risks are more likely to keep their jobs and to be promoted.

Source: Leading from Below, The Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2007 / John G. Agno, Certified Executive & Business Coach

Don't Wait Another Minute

Do you put off tasks that you don't want to do or don't like to do? Do you say 'I'll just do it tomorrow?' Procrastination, for one reason or another, happens to the best of us. There are ways to help alleviate it.

1) Plan your day according to your most productive time. Are you a morning person? Plan the most difficult or unpleasant activities during the morning when you are least likely to procrastinate and have the most energy. Or are you an afternoon person? Then do the most difficult or unpleasant activities after noon.

2) If you find you are putting off even beginning a project because you find it too overwhelming and intimidating, break the project down into smaller steps until they are manageable. Write the steps down and be specific by putting a date on each one as to when it will be completed. To remind ourselves of our goals, it is helpful to write reminders that can be posted in different places (i.e. mirror, refrigerator, front door). The more we remind ourselves of our goals, the more likely we will follow them.

3) Prevent distractions and interruptions from occurring. When you have something that needs to be done, turn off the cell phone. Do not answer the door. Turn off the television. Remove whatever it is that distracts you from doing the job at hand.

4) Eat healthy, exercise, and get enough sleep. Exercising will help you to create more energy and you'll be less likely to procrastinate. Eat complex carbohydrates instead of simple sugars. This will provide a steady release of energy instead of a short boost. Getting a good night's sleep, at least 8 hours, will help you re-energize and you'll be able to maintain more energy during the day.

5) Get organized. Being disorganized causes chaos and is very distracting. When you are organized, you are better able to focus on a task instead of the clutter. While in the office, close the door and clean up the clutter on your desk. Have all the necessary equipment and supplies on hand before you begin your work.

6) Ask for someone's help to stop you from procrastinating. Ask this person to hold you accountable for the completion of a task you have been putting off.

 

) It is perfectly fine to make mistakes. If you demand perfection from yourself, you are probably going to put off beginning something until the perfect moment. Nothing is perfect, so it is not going to happen. The most important thing is to let go of perfection and start something. Realize that perfection is impossible to obtain. It is important to do your best, but you do not have to be perfect. Praise yourself for what you have accomplished.

8) Create a mental picture of the project you wish to complete. Maintain your focus on the end result as well as the process to get there. Keep in mind how good it is going to feel when you finish the project. Remember this feeling when you begin a new project.

9) Reward yourself when you have completed a boring or unpleasant task and even when you have achieved a small task on time. If you know a Starbucks coffee or other treat is waiting for you if you succeed, you will be more motivated to get the job done. The more positive reinforcement, the less likely you will procrastinate. Focus on what you have done rather than what is left to do. Do you feel a surge of energy and enthusiasm when you finish an important task? It is a good feeling, isn't it? On the flip side, consider penalizing yourself if you have not completed a task. For example, miss a television show if you do not complete a task on schedule. You will probably not want that to happen again and will strive to get the good feelings that come with completing a task.

10) Avoid overextending yourself. Evaluate your obligations and then prioritize them. Is there anything you can omit, delegate or move to a different time frame? Set realistic goals. As the saying goes, 'bite off only as much as you can chew.' Make a list each day of every task you need to complete in order of importance. Finish each task before starting the next task.

11) Make the task at hand as pleasurable as possible. When you are doing a task, ask yourself a question. Is there a fun way to do this job? Try to make a game out it. Be creative. Give yourself points or prizes as you do the task.

12) Plan for setbacks because they are bound to happen. Planning will prevent you from slowing down because of a setback. And finally, do not give up.

 

Thanks to Get Organized Now!

10 Strangest Jobs in History

Listverse.com proposes these "Top 10 Strangest Jobs in History," which now are mostly extinct due to the advent of technology. So those who aspire to these professions may want to go for career counseling--well, unless you are Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe.

10. Jester. The advent of sitcoms and the Comedy Channel seems to have made this job unnecessary. No one hires a private comedian these days, says Listverse, which reports that the last known full-time jester was employed on the island of Tonga. Unfortunately, the job was victim of a ROI in 1999.

9. Toshers and Mudlarks. While these jobs sound fanciful, they are actually synonyms for Victorian scavengers. Toshers went down into the sewers, while mudlarks dredged riverbanks, looking for things to sell. EBay may bring this profession back.

8. Knocker-ups. No, it doesn't mean that! Before the invention of reliable and affordable alarm clocks, knocker-ups went from building to building using long bamboo poles to loudly tap on the windows of their clients to awake them so they wouldn't be late for work. The diligent knockers wouldn't leave until assured their clients were indeed out of bed. Of course, Listverse asks the obvious question, Who knocks up the knocker-up?

7. Toad doctor. Before dermatologists--and late-night infomercials--toad doctors traveled around Europe curing skin diseases and other ailments by applying toads to clients bodies. Sometimes they hung the toads from a muslin bag around the sick person's neck. The job, says Listverse, requires knowledge of traditional medicinal folk magic; no advance degrees required.

6. Dog Whipper. Predecessor to our dog catchers, but with a twist, dog whippers were employed outside of churches in the 16th to 19th centuries to chase away pooches that had followed their masters, so the dog packs wouldn't yelp during services. Though today the practice would be considered cruel, the churches paid for this service, according to their records, says Listverse.

5. Resurrectionists. Today we would classify these workers as body snatchers. They would seek out shallow graves, open caskets, and remove the bodies, which they would sell to the newly opened medical schools of early 19th century Europe. They were careful not to take any jewelry or valuables from the coffins to prevent them from being charged with felony theft. The Anatomy Act of 1832 ended this profession, according to Listverse.

4. Fullers. Like cooper, this is a profession that has become a common surname. But the job description is more distasteful than making barrels. Fullers were workers in the fledgling woolen textile industry, and they processed the newly woven cloth to degrease it and make it whiter and softer by dunking it in vats of urine (which contained ammonium salts), usually by standing in the tubs themselves. Luckily, says Listverse, the discovery of a process to extract "fuller's earth" having the same properties from common clay took urine out of the job description.

3. Whipping Boy . In the 15th and 16th centuries, royals were thought to have divine rights and could not be physically punished. Therefore, sons of nobles were brought up alongside royals so they developed a close bond. Then, when the young royal misbehaved or failed in studies, the whipping boy was beaten instead. This was supposed to upset the royal so much that he would not misbehave again to keep his friend from being punished. Yes, we hear you saying this profession is not extinct, at least in your company.

2. Groom Of the Stool. Yes, we mean stool. This was the name given to the person who cleaned the king's "privy chamber" and more (think Wet Wipes^®). This actually was considered a prestigious profession for the son of a nobleman. Other job duties, says Listverse, including carrying out a variety of administrative tasks within private rooms. Perhaps this profession still exists--as personal assistant--but the excrement may be only verbal.

1. Gong Farmer. In Tudor England, there were chimney sweeps, and there were cesspool cleaners who dug out the dung. By law, "gong farmers"--perhaps the first euphemistically named profession--did their jobs at night and hauled the refuse to outside the city limits. The workers, definitely not a protected class, were also prohibited from living in certain neighborhoods due to noxious odors emanating from their homes. Listverse says this was "a real sh## job to have."

Source: Listverse.com

Six Ways to Clean House When You're Depressed

A Clean House Can Help a Depressed Mind. Learn Coping Skills that Can Help You Stay On Top Of Your Housework.

One of the key signs of depression is when you suspend taking care of day-to-day chores, like cleaning your house. Depression leaves you feeling so down and tired that you just let things go. Unfortunately, a messy house can add to those feelings of depression — creating a destructive cycle that feeds on itself. Once the mess gets too large and chaotic, people with depression can't imagine how to begin tackling the household duties. They feel hopeless and helpless against the clutter and dirt, which reinforces depression.

How to Keep It Clean When You're Depressed

A recent study found that performing at least 20 minutes of daily physical activity, including domestic housework, benefited mental health and lowered risks of psychological problems. Don't let depression force you to live in a messy house. Here are some ways to cope:

• Clean As You Go. Sometimes keeping your house clean is as simple as not cluttering it up in the first place. Wash your dishes right after using them, rather than letting them sit in the sink, and store your tools once you're finished with a project. By putting things away right after you've used them, you can prevent clutter from occurring in the first place — or from getting even worse.

  You can get further ahead by taking care of chores that will prevent dirt and grime from forming. For example, brushing your dog or cat once a week cuts down on all the tumbleweeds of fur rolling through your house, which you'll eventually have to vacuum.

• Don't Procrastinate. When you have depression, it's easy to shrug chores off and say you'll do them later — fight that urge and live in the present. If you take care of things now, it will cut down on the time and effort needed to clean up after the fact. Wiping up a spill right after it occurs is a lot easier than scrubbing a hardened, crusty stain once it's dried. Depression might make you feel sad or sluggish, but taking care of these little tasks can offer you a sense of accomplishment and pride.

• Break It Up. Devise a schedule so you're only cleaning one or two rooms every day vs. having to clean an entire house, which can seem like an enormous and daunting task.

• Store Your Cleaning Supplies Wisely. Not being able to find the necessary cleaning products gives you a chance to throw up your hands and say, "Why bother?" Don't become frustrated — make sure you have what you need close at hand. Keep bathroom cleaners in the bathroom and kitchen cleaners in the kitchen. If you've got hardwood floors on the first floor and carpeting on the second floor, store your vacuum cleaner upstairs for easy access.

• Pay Attention to Busy Areas. If you're feeling particularly tired or depressed, focus on cleaning the rooms where your family spends most of its time. Vacuum well-traveled hallways or clean up clutter in the kitchen and living room. Spend your energy where it will do the most good.

• Rope Your Family In. Why should you have all the fun? Give family members specific housekeeping tasks to complete. Be sure to let them know that by helping with the housework, they are helping you cope with depression.

Keep in mind that things may not be bad as you think. Eighty percent of people with depression improve with the proper treatment, often within a few weeks. You don't have to resign yourself to a messy house while you deal with depression — by getting your home in order, you will also rid yourself of a source of stress.

Thanks to EveryDayHealth