The Slacker

The slacker always looks like he’s overwhelmed with work, but it’s a carefully orchestrated act. In reality, he doesn’t pull his weight. But he has talent to burn. And that’s something he proves every time he actually completes a task.

On managing The Slacker

You call him in, tell him he’s got a lot of talent—and that’s the good news. Then you tell him the bad news is that his work habits need a lot of work. Lay out examples of what you consider the right level of dedication to the job. Give good examples—without naming names—of what others are doing with their timelines, productivity and turnaround times. This gives him an understanding of your expectations. Then compare his level of output to those good examples. If he is a new employee, maybe it’s just a matter of him not having a clear understanding of what’s expected of him. If he’s a long-time employee, I’m surprised that he’s still around, and I would be very blunt: “Look, you’re very talented, but you’re not pulling your weight.”

" Learn to work harder on yourself than your job "

In a seminar by Jack Canfield, he said something to the effect of "Learn to work harder on yourself than on your job. When you work hard on your job, you can make a living, but when you work hard on yourself you can make a fortune." I cannot help but agree wholeheartedly with his statement. Do you realize that many of us put in hours and hours of hard work at our jobs? This is good, but it brings about two problems. Firstly, we work hard because we are doing the same things and therefore the only way to get better results is to work even harder. Secondly, we are neglecting ourselves in relation to our own personal development and skill sets.

Like Jack Canfield, I believe that we need to focus on working harder on ourselves, and on improving ourselves as opposed to working harder at our job. Let’s take a salesman for example. Let’s say he works 8 hours a day trying to sell his products. I would think that if he invested a half hour of his time daily in improving his sales skills by reading books, listening to audio tapes, going for seminars/training or interacting with star salesmen, then he will most certainly become better at what he does. By applying what he learns he will then most certainly improve his sales results from the same number of calls that he makes. He improves not because he worked harder, but because he used different methods or else improved his previous methods.


We are all products in the job market and therefore need to always be knowledgeable and competitive so that we remain competent at what we do. What we know and how proficient we are in the skills that we have determines our "market-value" in the job market. It is therefore important that we "invest" in ourselves by constantly upgrading and learning new skills or improving those that we have already acquired. The trouble with most of us is that we tend to leave this heavy responsibility of our personal development to the company’s training department or our immediate supervisor. I would argue that it is best for us to take charge of our own careers. Anything extra the company does will be a bonus.


Please remember that if you keep on doing things the way you are now, you will continue to produce the same results and therefore your career will remain stagnant. Worse still, you will have to work harder and harder as your management will obviously expect greater productivity through time.



As Albert Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same things but expecting different results".

Office pests ; The Weasal

The Weasel

The weasel takes more credit than he deserves and dodges responsibility for his failures. To make matters worse, he’s so good at this that his boss believes he’s a star performer.

On working with the weasel

Direct, face-to-face, adult-to-adult communication is probably risky here. This person is usually verbally skilled and in possession of highly developed blame, denial, projection and word-twisting skills. You may hate it, but you can consistently, privately and in front of the thief, let your boss know what you are accomplishing. Brace yourself and learn to blow your own horn.
As well, you don’t need to be nice, social or inclusive with this individual. Sharing the minimum amount of information with this person is an option.

Another option is for a group of employees to conspire to expose the weasel, but this isn’t for everyone. If you go this route, you have to keep doing it consistently until the person starts to do their own work.

If all else fails, and you can stomach it, take ’em on and confront them directly.

Office Pests; The Bully

The Bully

The bully is one of your brightest employees, but she can be brutal in her critique of other people’s ideas. As a result, some of your workers have stopped talking during meetings when she is present.

On managing the bully

Take her aside. Say something such as, “I understand meetings can be frustratingly inefficient, and we need to find ways to maximize that time. "That said, my observation is people often feel brutalized by your searing critiques of ideas that you deem less than stellar. You potentially add a lot of value to this organization. But a meeting is a team exercise. People need to feel free to speak or we risk losing their valuable thoughts. "You’re also alienating people, sacrificing their willingness to execute a great idea you have. There are far more deft ways of getting people to work with you, rather than against you. "First off, eliminate the brutal criticism and replace it with openness to fast-paced, constructive brainstorming. And acknowledge that team members are trying.”

Office Pest ; The Whiner

The Whiner

The whiner complains so much about work, you’d think it was part of his official job description. His rants, which are sometimes amusing, have begun to take their toll and are demoralizing his co-workers.

This person fears conflict and confrontation. These types of people have problems taking responsibility for their complaints, needs, wants and frustrations. They’re also often angry folks—like dogs who attack when a person turns away.

Whiners stop complaining when people deny them an audience. Co-workers can choose to react to rants with a deadpan face or platitudes such as, “Ah, he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” Employees can also agree on a uniform response such as, “And your purpose in telling me this is?”
You could also treat the whiner like an adult and say, “I’d be glad to help you identify who owns this problem and help you brainstorm possible solutions.” Another response could be, “Let me get the boss and we can hash this out once and for all.”

The whiner complains so much about work, you’d think it was part of his official job description. His rants, which are sometimes amusing, have begun to take their toll and are demoralizing his co-workers.
On working with the whiner

This person fears conflict and confrontation. These types of people have problems taking responsibility for their complaints, needs, wants and frustrations. They’re also often angry folks—like dogs who attack when a person turns away.Whiners stop complaining when people deny them an audience. Co-workers can choose to react to rants with a deadpan face or platitudes such as, “Ah, he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” Employees can also agree on a uniform response such as, “And your purpose in telling me this is?”
You could also treat the whiner like an adult and say, “I’d be glad to help you identify who owns this problem and help you brainstorm possible solutions.” Another response could be, “Let me get the boss and we can hash this out once and for all.”

BOSS FROM HELL ?

Imagine the absolute worst.

Your boss summons you to his office. Once you're inside, he races behind you to slam the door shut. Then he fires a chair across the room in your direction.
"You son of a bitch!" he screams at you. "Don't you know who you work for?"
"Yes, I do," you manage to say.
"I didn't ask you to talk. Shut your mouth!"
And when you stay quiet, only to have still more abuse and derision heaped on you, the boss begins knocking his fist on an imaginary door.
"Well, hello," he says mockingly. "Is anybody there?"
Fiction? I'm afraid not. It's a real scene from many companies .

This kind of Boss sucked the very life and soul out of companies and people. He stole dignity, purpose, and sense out of organizations and replaced those ideals with fear and intimidation.
Oh, sure, he was none too fond of me, either.

The psychopathic boss doesn't understand that the job of leadership is to fully utilize human potential, to create organizations in which people can grow and learn while still achieving a common objective, to nurture the human spirit. This leader is devoted to self and self alone. Business history is populated by such creatures, from Henry Ford and Walt Disney to Harold Geneen and Andy Fastow.
I've known plenty of colleagues who have had the misfortune of reporting to dysfunctional bosses. But I've also been not so lucky enough to come too close to one --

Ever had the same experience .... How did you deal with it ?

Stallions & Donkeys Analogy

There are however some things you need to be aware of when managing stallions and donkeys in the context of Talent Management. These are:

· Stallions (high performers) are the ones who will win races for you. However they do not come cheap. They are also expensive to maintain as they need special veterinary care, vitamins, air-conditioned stables etc. They are however worth it as they ‘win’ races for you which brings in the dollars (One idea or a new process created by a high performer can save you millions or on the other hand make you millions).

On the other hand, donkeys given the same ‘special treatment’ will never ever win races for you. In his article, ‘The True Value of Hiring and Retaining Top Performers’, author Dr John Sullivan (a top HR specialist in the US) states that "Top performers exceed the performance of average performers by at least 25%". When you translate that into dollars and cents it can be very big money.

Never recruit a stallion and use it to carry heavy loads. That is not its primary function and if you continue to do so you will turn him into a donkey or he will leave. You are also wasting talent and skills. On the other hand, never recruit a donkey and then think that through the process of training and development or other methods that you can make him win races. It will never ever happen and is definitely not worth the time and effort!

· Stallions want to be treated like stallions. They know that they can win races and therefore know that they are special. They also know that they are very marketable which may make them a little conceited. Accept their egos. It is a small price to pay for excellence. When you treat them like donkeys, they get de-motivated which in turn results in them not winning races or else they leave.

· It is easy to convert a stallion into a donkey by mismanaging him, de-motivating him etc. On the other hand, try as he may, even David Copperfield will not be able to convert a donkey into a stallion.

· NEVER, EVER allow a donkey to manage stallions. He will soon convert all the stallions into donkeys. Curt Coffman, lead researcher at Gallup says that "If you have a turnover problem look first to your managers," he asserts. "People leave managers, not companies."

· Lastly, identify the stallions in your organization and do all you can to keep them. It’s okay to allow the donkeys to leave. Donkeys are easily replaceable, stallions are not.

Simple Secrets to Managing Workplace Stress


The time you spend at the office may be the most stressful part of your day, but it doesn't have to be.


You have a greater ability to shape your office environment than you may realize.

Take breaks throughout the day. It will help clear your mind and relieve pressure. Something as simple as going to the water cooler for a drink may do the trick.


Enroll in a noontime or an after-work exercise class. This will give you a chance to unwind and a way to relieve stress.


To help your workday go smoothly, try pacing your activities: Do more demanding work in the morning, when your energy level is higher, and easier work later in the day, when you may be tired.


Try listening to music recordings, such as a pounding surf or songbirds, to help you relax. Such tapes are sold commercially. Use headphones if you'll be listening to them in the middle of the workday.


Get to work early or stay late once a week. You may be able to accomplish more when you vary your routine.



If your stress comes from job insecurity, take stock of yourself. Update your resume, and remind yourself of your skills and strengths. Also, make sure you keep up with new developments in your field. This will make you valuable to employers.



Don't let work rumors, which are usually false, cause you worry. A co-worker may just be thinking out loud about worst-case scenarios.

Daily Motivator

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
Winston Churchill

The best go-getters have always been life’s best go-givers. Day after day, life’s top achievers give their best effort and then give some more. Even when they’re about to give out or tempted to give in, they knuckle down and give it their very best shot. These winners cannot be defeated because they simply refuse to lose.

Instead of focusing on ‘what’s in it for them,’ getting as much as they can as quick as they can, they set their sights on something much more powerful, much more noteworthy. These individuals, the real movers and shakers renown for making things happen, live to give and then give some more.

DAILY MOTIVATOR

"The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving."
Albert Einstein

This uncomplicated but extremely powerful precept is simply this: the more you give, the more you get in return. The more you’re willing to give of yourself, the more you’ll have come back to you. And the more you give to others, the more you will have to give again. This LIVE TO GIVE approach and its immeasurable benefits are virtually lost on the vast majority of people.

Too many of us foolishly go through life harboring a scarcity mindset, a myopic mindset where we erroneously believe that there’s only so much to go around. Instead of seeing the limitless bounty that surrounds us, abundance well beyond what any of us could ever hope to have and to hold, we see scarcity. So instead of giving and receiving, we choose to get all that we can get while the getting is good. And where does all of this getting actually get us? Almost without exception, it gets us right back where we started - without and wanting more.