• Steps up and can make tough decisions; pulls the trigger.
• Good communicator, good listener, and likes the interaction with people.
• Offers innovative ideas and effective solutions to critical operational problems.
• Understands his/her personal weaknesses and build a complimentary team to fulfill the tasks at hand, covering individual weaknesses.
• Knows how to build trust among the people around him/her; very credible.
• “Vision” seems to be his/her forte; their thought process just seems right for the organization and its future success.
• Has good timing. Seems to know what is right for the organization at the right time; asks penetrating questions and exercises good judgment.
• Has the “Arnold Palmer” factor; the magnetism. Exercises “people skills;” people just want to be around this person as a mentor and as a leader.
• Has a deep understanding of how the company makes money and appreciates the contribution of each individual department to that end.
• Demonstrates “marketing skills” and helps create a “customer focus” in the organization.
• “High energy” person who is results oriented. And, knows how “to keep many balls in the air” but has an excellent sense of priority.
• Is open to new ideas and is willing to change his/her point of view.
• Smart person in terms of I.Q. but, more so, has “street smarts;” intuitively perceives patterns of external change and can adapt “vision” to these changes.
• Has “quick study” characteristics. Is always curious, an observer, who acts rather than reacts.
• Has a track record of personal success. Strong record of extra-curricular activities in college and in career, helping to make her/him a well-rounded individual.
• Understands the concept of “value creation” and the relationship to the top line and bottom line.
• Has high moral/ethical standards and brings a sense of integrity to the company.
• Has a track record of removing “barriers to change” and is not content with the “status quo.” In most cases believes that “sacred cows make the best hamburger.”
• Loves interaction with “stakeholders.” Loves the job, the people, and loves spreading the word.
• Has a ‘life,” not just the work place. Is well read, knows how to get educated well beyond formal education. Is up on current events. Has a handle on what’s happening out there.
• Knows how to balance work life and personal life.

*Excerpted with permission from “Return of the Body Snatchers” by Cary Blair & Ron Watt

Available from www.amazon.com or www.bn.com

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1. I recognize that I am responsible for achieving results through others and that I need them more than they need me.
2. I will strive to produce products and/or deliver services for less than they cost to produce or deliver, thus making a profit.
3. I will be profitable and productive by improving utilization of personnel, material and other assets.
4. I will develop our team based on personal accountability, i.e. each team member will deliver value greater than his or her total cost of employment.
5. I will concentrate on excellence rather than perfection.
6. I will become credible by earning my authority, not demanding it.
7. I will use more influence and persuasion and less authority and control.
8. I will ask better questions to get better answers and results.
9. I will identify and stay in high payoff activities; and, get my team members to do the same.
10. I will improve my ability to delegate and delegate more effectively.
11. I will include people in the decision making process to increase their commitment, ownership, and results.
12. I will use positive confronting to correct inappropriate behavior and I will resist the temptation to use sarcasm, criticism, or any other form of mental abuse.
13. I will invest at least as much time on preventing problems as I spend solving them.
14. I will hire for talent, train for skills, teach for knowledge, and motivate for growth and profit.
15. I will focus on strengths and manage around weaknesses.
16. Being a manager or supervisor can be very rewarding and very challenging at the same time. I will develop a high sense of urgency for outcomes; and, at the same time, I will also be patient with people.

Happy Productive & Profitable New Year!

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One of a manager’s most difficult jobs is dealing with people problems. Most managers have the tendency to ignore these problems and hope they will go away, or spend so much time dealing with them that they neglect those team members who are doing a good job. The ideas that follow will help you overcome these natural tendencies.

People problems fall into a lot of categories, e.g. tardiness, absenteeism, sloppiness, poor interpersonal relations, low performance, lack of cooperation, poor teamwork, insubordination, disruptive behavior, or breaking company rules, just to name a few.

Most minor issues or infractions can be corrected by simply addressing them in a gentle, straight-forward manner. This can often be done in a relaxed, casual setting. The better your relationship with the team member, the easier it will be to get an improvement in behavior.

However, if the problem persists and is having a negative impact on your team and productivity, you will need to let the employee know that some sort of resolution is imperative. This usually requires a more formal setting.

Virtually all employees want to be successful. They do not want to be viewed or considered as “high maintenance” or a problem. Sometimes the underlying problem is a feeling of being under-appreciated, or not being thought of as important to the team or organization.

Perhaps they have personal problems away from the job. Be careful that you don’t think of someone as “high maintenance” or a problem. It is important to focus on difficult or problem behaviors rather than difficult or problem people. This minor distinction can be a major factor in helping you maintain an objective, problem-solving attitude.

The costs of keeping poor performing employees are significant. The direct costs include increased labor, waste, rework, lost sales, poor customer relations, and damage to your reputation, to name a few. Team members who pick up the slack feel resentful and can lose their motivation. It will also be difficult for the manager to get other team members to perform at the desired level. The poorest performing employee usually sets the standards.

At the same time, the costs of replacing an employee can be substantial. The direct costs could include ad cost, placement fees, personnel testing, costs related to interviewing, and training costs. Other, harder to measure, costs could include: the cost of mistakes or errors, customer dissatisfaction or loss of confidence, and low team morale.

The Bottom Line – fixing an existing problem is usually less expensive than recruiting, hiring, and training a replacement employee.

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“No news is good news” is a destructive philosophy when it comes to bringing out the
best in people. Average managers will spend equal time with everyone or, worse yet,
spend most of their time with problem people they call “high maintenance.” Great
managers spend more time with their top producers.

Talent is a multiplier. The more attention and energy you invest in it, the greater the
yield. The time you spend with your best performers is your most productive time.
At its simplest, a manager’s job is to encourage people to do more of certain productive
behaviors and less of other, unproductive behaviors. Manager’s reactions can
significantly affect which behaviors are multiplied and which gradually die out. As a
manager, you are on the stage every day; you are sending signals that every employee
hears.

The less you pay attention to the productive behaviors of your superstars, the less of
those behaviors you will get. Since human beings are wired to get attention of some
kind, if they are not getting attention, they will tend, either subconsciously or consciously, to alter their behavior until they do.

Therefore, if you pay attention to your strugglers and ignore your stars, you can
inadvertently alter the behaviors of your stars. Guided by your apparent indifference,
your stars may start to do less of what made them stars in the first place and more of
kinds of behaviors that might net them some kind of reaction from you, good or bad.
When you see your stars acting up, it is a sure sign that you have been paying attention
to the wrong people and the wrong behaviors.

Keep this in mind. You are always on stage. Your misplaced time and attention is not a
neutral act. No news is never good news. No news kills the very behaviors you want to
multiply.

In a Gallup survey, great managers explained the benefits of spending time with their

best performers as follows: first, it was the fairest thing to do; second, it was the best
way to learn; and, third, it was the only way to stay focused on excellence.
Look at where you are spending your time. If you are spending too much time with
strugglers, make a conscious effort to spend more time with your best performers and
see how they respond. Remember, “no news” is destructive and doesn’t bring out the
best in people. Positive reinforcement is constructive and gets you more of the behaviors
you want.

Excerpted from FIRST, BREAK ALL THE RULES by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman

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