Is Your Job a TGIF or a GIFT?

How do you look at work right now? Are you in TGIF mode? You know, living for the weekend so you don't have to work or think for a day or two? 

Every Friday, I see hundreds of TGIF proclamations on Facebook and Twitter, not to mention the ones I actually hear people utter in person. Sometimes these expressions begin to appear much earlier in the week. Comments like "I can't believe it's only Tuesday" or "Only 4 more days 'til the weekend" are surprisingly common.

It's a totally understandable attitude. Work sucks sometimes, no doubt about it. It would be great if work was all butterflies and rainbows, but we've all had our share of cloudy, rainy weeks (and we all know butterflies can't fly in the rain...or is that bees? I can't remember).

But what if - entertain me for a moment - what if we can actually CHOOSE our attitude like some of those butterfly and rainbow people believe?

What IF you viewed work right now as a GIFT instead of a TGIF? Call it selective dyslexia if you'd like. Intentionally rearrange the letters. Intentionally rearrange your attitude.

If you have a job right now, it really is a gift. Ok, maybe it's not the gift you would choose, but it's a gift nonetheless. I hate to sound like a mom trying to get you to eat your vegetables, but look around. There are so many people who either don't have a job or don't have a job that's nearly as fantastic as the one you have. Don't believe me? Watch Dirty Jobs or Undercover Boss sometime on TV. You'll change your mind.  

I'd like to challenge you to do something. A simple behavioral change for one month. Even if you can do it for a week I'd be happy.

I challenge you to look at your job as a gift.

If you have a hard time with that, make a list of everything you can think of that's good about your job. Maybe your list will be a mile long, or it might contain a single item like "I've got the only chair in the office that's not broken." 

Maybe your list simply says "I have a job." That's a good start.

When you shift from a TGIF attitude to a GIFT attitude, so many things about your job will change for the better, including the quality of your work and your relationships with your bosses, co-workers, and others.

And if you want to take it to an extreme, take a moment this week to thank your boss(es) for the gift of your job.

Wouldn't it be neat if the meaning of TGIF changed from "Thank God the weekend is almost here" to "Thank God I have another day to work this week!" And that's my final butterfly and rainbow thought for today.  :)

Do You Have "Killer Whales" In Your Organization?

On Wednesday, February 24th, 2010, Sea World trainer Dawn Brancheau was dragged into the water and killed by one of the Orcas she worked with every day.

Sad for sure. A total surprise? Hardly.

Even Columbus' own Jack Hanna was quoted by CNN saying, "What happened is something that happens; it happens in our line of work. They are dangerous animals; they're wild animals." 

"Killer whales." Despite their seemingly playful flips, tricks, and "personality," these are dangerous and deadly wild animals. One look at their teeth should give you a clue. That's not a "Nice to see you" smile. It's more like a gigantic white neon sign that warns you to "keep your distance or I'll eat you...and your little dog, too."

I'm not here to defend animal rights or the capitalistic rights of Sea World. I am here, however, to defend logic and common sense.

What baffles me is that Tillikum, the whale that did the killing, is a 3-time offender. Dawn was the third human "accidentally" killed by this creature.

What baffles me even more is that we are so horrified by an amusement park tragedy, yet we fail to see (or fail to act) on the "killer whales" that swim through our own organizations.

Does your organization have any "killer whales"?

I'm talking about those people who just seem to create damage everywhere they go. Maybe it's through a chronically negative attitude, or gossip, or laziness, or spreading "victim mentality." Killer whales in companies have also been known to be brown-nosers, ladder climbers, big talkers, and otherwise selfishly ambitious snakes (oops, sorry, we were talking about whales, not snakes, weren't we?).

I recently worked with a company that has a killer whale that will literally go from office to office complaining about the latest injustice handed down from "the man." He'll close the door and act like he's talking in confidence to each person, but within minutes he's on to the next office, creating a destructive wake behind him.

Sea World should probably release Tillikum. Just like your organization should probably release its killer whales.

Sea World is reluctant to release whales into the wild because after living in captivity, their street fighting skills are pretty rusty. Many don't survive too long. Even that whale from the Free Willy movie was dead within 18 months after being released. Kind of a bummer for him since they can live to be 35.

And we can't ignore the fact that these beasts cost cost about $2 million. That's a lot of money to toss back into the ocean.

We keep our killer whales for some of the same reasons, though, don't we? Sometimes we honestly feel it's better to keep them than to release them into the corporate ocean. We pretend that we're being good human beings by giving them another chance. Then another. Then another. Then another.

Or we feel like we need them. If we let them go, it will be hard to replace them. Maybe they're big revenue generators for our company. Maybe we've invested a lot of time and money training them and we don't want that to go to waste.

My favorite excuse (meaning the one I've used the most myself) for keeping a killer whale: "I just don't have time to deal with it right now."

But that killer whale is, well, killing your company. Maybe not all in one bite, but certainly one bite at a time. That's probably worse because by the time you feel the damage they've caused, it's pretty significant.

Here's the good news. When you release a killer whale, you organization changes immediately. The wave of relief is felt instantly by everyone. Positivity starts flowing back in. The stress and tension the killer whale was causing quickly dissolves. And all those things you were worried about (replacing them, training someone new, losing revenue, etc.) really don't seem quite as horrible as they did when the killer whale was swimming around.

Are there killer whales that can be rehabilitated? Probably. Setting clear behavioral expectations and providing solid coaching can work wonders on some. This isn't a process that should take years, though. A few months, tops. You usually know pretty quickly if someone is willing and able to change.

That said, you and I both know that sometimes those killer whales have just got to go. Sooner than later. Much, much sooner than later. Honestly, if you have one of those people, it should be on the top of your to-do list. In fact, it should BE your to-do list. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. Take care of it. 

One final thought. I hope you noticed that I never used the word "terminate." I don't think Tillikum should be destroyed. I think he should be given a fighting chance, but outside the walls of Sea World. I don't think you should destroy your killer whales, either. They should get a fighting chance, too, but outside your walls. Treat them with respect, help them make the transition, and wish them well. They'll survive and, more importantly, so will you. 

Get 50% off meeting rentals in March & April

Incredible! sparkspace is offering 50% off meeting space rentals in March & April. This is a very limited time offer - it ends on 3/5. Now imagine the good karma you will create when you share this with everyone you know...

>> Click for all the details

Whoever Wrote The Rule...

Here's a sad, but true statistic:

2/3 of all new restaurants fail before their first birthday.

But not Danny Meyer's establishments. His eateries not only survive, they become culinary icons in the most competitive restaurant market in the world: New York City. His Union Square Hospitality Group owns more than a dozen restaurants, the oldest of which is over 20 years old, and he's never closed a restaurant!

Makes you wonder, "How does he DO that?"

Danny Meyer knows how to re-frame his preconceptions. In his book, Setting The Table, Danny devotes a whole chapter to this key ingredient in his secret sauce for successful business. The chapter is titled "Whoever Wrote The Rule..."

Whenever Danny runs into a challenge or begins a new project, he starts asking questions that begin with "Whoever wrote the rule..." 

For example, when he had the idea for a "drive-in" burger & shake joint inside Madison Square Park, he asked himself "Whoever wrote the rule that said we can't create a drive-in shake joint in a city where nobody drives?" He didn't let his (or anyone else's) preconceptions get in the way. That thinking led to his wildly successful walk-up Shake Shack concept, which has since spun (or should I say, shaken) off two more locations around NYC and created an intensely loyal following.

Re-framing your preconceptions is really what you mean when you try to "think out side the box." What you're doing is re-framing assumptions, rules, regulations, behaviors, attitudes, etc.

I've never run across a better or more simple way to quickly achieve breakthrough thinking. Here's a quick step-by-step guide:

1. Identify your challenge (always, always be as specific as you can). A good challenge to me starts with a phrase like, "Why can't we (insert challenge here)?"

2. List all the rules, parameters, assumptions, criteria, etc. that you can think of around your challenge.

3. Re-frame the rules one by one by asking "Whoever wrote the rule that (insert rule here)."

Here's another example: My wife and I have been trying to plan a trip to Italy to attend a friend's wedding. We originally thought we'd all go, both of us and our two kids. We keep looking for great deals, but lemme tell ya, traveling to the land of lasagna 'aint cheap. It's so expensive that we've pretty much decided that we won't go.

But this wedding is for one of my wife's favorite friends in the whole world. The kind of friend you'd be willing to travel around the world to see get married.

So if I employ Danny Meyer's breakthrough thinking tool and ask, "Whoever wrote the rule that we all have to go to Italy?", then my options suddenly increase, don't they? Maybe she could go alone. Or maybe she could take a once-in-a-lifetime trip with one of our kids. Or maybe we could leave some canned food and pizza coupons on the counter and tell the kids we'll be back in a week (ok, that last one was a joke...really).

What has you stumped? Do you have any challenges that would benefit from a good "Whoever wrote the rule" question or two?

When you master the art of re-framing your preconceptions like this, you open up an amazing new world of possibility.

By the way, the answer to almost every question that starts with "Whoever wrote the rule" is "YOU". Most of the rules you live and work by are rules YOU created, or at the very least YOU accepted/adopted them. That means YOU have the power to re-write many of the rules any time you want.

If you want some great inspiration from some real-life people who are re-writing their rules, don't miss our next free event: The Lemonade Movie Premier on March 9th. 

You're Invited To Our Free Movie Premier!

 

Lemonade
It's not a pink slip it's a blank page

 

Date: Tuesday, March 9th

Time: 7pm-8:30pm

Place: sparkspace in the Arena District

Cost: FREE

 

Click Here to Reserve Your Seat 

 

Come to our FREE movie premier and see this inspiring documentary of real people that reinvented themselves and their career after being laid off work.

 

This is a movie about:

 

- Exploring new dreams

- Believing in yourself

- Finding your passion

- Reinventing yourself

- Losing your livelihood but finding your life

- Taking lemons and making Lemonade

 

With job losses being at a all time high in our country this is the perfect film to see to get inspired to help someone you love or be inspired yourself - even if you are happily (or not so happily) employed.

 

We will watch the film, followed by a dynamic group discussion. It's an evening that's sure to make you think.

 

Check out the movie trailer and reserve your seat now. Space is limited so don't miss out!

 

Click Here to Reserve Your Seat 

 

 

This movie is sponsored and facilitated by:

 

 

 

Carrie is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor and is also certified through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.  She received her training at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City.  In addition, she has spent over 8 years working in corporate environments where she focused on training and development. This included creating curriculum for classes, teaching classes, as well as managing corporate training programs.

 

Carrie inspires individuals to achieve joy and balance by discovering the powerful connection between nutrition, mind and body.  It is important for her to support her clients as they rediscover and accept who they are at this point in their life. She is your personal advocate for living an energized and passionate life.

 

You can learn more about her and read what some of her clients are saying by visiting her website www.CarrieSaba.com. 

Our Next "Creating A Positive Charge Workshop" is April 19th

This is the best workshop we've ever created. Join the hundreds who have already experienced it! More info at http://bit.ly/aFIKQE

Hope to see you there!

We Really Want Your Opinion...As Long As Its Good.

The white-coated pharmacist handed me my drugs at my local CVS this morning. As she did, her eyes grew big and her voice rose like a teenage girl on opening night of the latest Twilight movie.

"Oooh, you've been selected to take our feedback survey for a chance to win $1000," she said. I've never seen a pharmacist so excited. Apparently the thrill of winning a lottery trumps counting pills on the excite-o-meter. Who knew?

Then, she said something that struck a raw nerve somewhere deep inside my customer-service core: "We'd like you to give us all 5's on the survey."

Not "We hope we've served you well." Not "We'd really like your honest feedback." Nope, it was a flat-out directive intended to solicit only great customer satisfaction scores. 

And to seal the deal, she handed me a Reese's Peanut Butter candy bar. BRIBERY! I felt so, so, so...DIRTY. There, I said it out loud.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I took the candy. Think I'm going to pass on free candy? They guy who still dresses up for Halloween? C'mon!

The kicker was the note that accompanied the bribe. It said, "These questions are on a  scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being 'completely satisfied.' If you cannot answer with a score of 5, please contact the Store Manager at the number listed." It said more, but that was the part that made me laugh. 

Ok, let me get this straight. You request me to give you all 5's. Then you tell me if I can't, I need to call the manager. Man, now my free candy bar and potential lottery winnings are beginning to sound like work! I'd better give them their 5's 'cause I don't have time or desire to call the manager. After all, I've got a newsletter article to write.

Customer service evangelist Kevin Stirtz calls this "survey coaching." In his article, "Survey Coaching Can Ruin a Good Customer Relationship," he equates companies who coach your survey participation to a waiter who would dare to hand you your bill and say, "I really hope you give me a big fat tip!"

Imagine asking your boss for feedback that way. "Well, boss, I'd be happy to listen to my annual review...as long as its all positive and I get a raise at the end. By the way, if you can't give me all positive feedback, could you call my spouse and explain why? Thanks. Oh, and here's a candy bar."

I get why companies feel like they need to offer incentives. People don't willingly fill out surveys, especially if they don't feel like it will do any good. What I don't get is why companies don't just straight up ask their customers how they're doing.

We send a survey to everyone who books a meeting at sparkspace. We get about a 25% response rate. If we gave out candy bars, we might get a 26% response rate.

Our survey doesn't ask for high ratings. Our survey gives our guests the opportunity to tell us what they liked, what they didn't like, and how we can improve. We've received some pretty good suggestions over the years through our survey. But, honestly, I think we get better feedback by taking a moment or two each day to just talk to our guests about their experience face to face.

Surveys are great for building statistics and maybe for capturing some trends. But they're far from being the world's best way to identify areas for improvement. So, if you're going to use them, don't blow smoke up your customer's internet connection trying to convince them that the survey will lead to big changes.

And by all means, don't bribe your customers. If they want to tell you something, just give them an opportunity and they'll talk your ear off. As Kevin Stirtz says, incentives "poison the process" because they change the customer's motivation for giving you feedback.

Ok, maybe I won't eat the candy bar after all.