I have seen people obsessed, enamored with making the tough decision and others too paralyzed to perform. We confer accolades on leaders who can make the tough call. Leadership is not for the faint of heart and at times decisions must be made that are unpopular and uncomfortable. There is something about tough personnel decisions which are different from most tough calls. When people are involved, concerns arise about relationships, families and emotions.  In personnel matters, you may have to cut your losses early, and carefully weigh your initial investment and the long-term implications of your actions. You do not want to walk away too early from a viable investment that needs a little more time to be productive.

What effect does tough personnel decisions have on the manager making the call? A manager may adopt one of three options.

1. She objectively evaluates the person’s performance, character and job match and act with skill and dignity
2. She changes her perception of the person, as if they are the enemy
3. See changes her personality when interacting with the person, peers and superiors

Performance

We constantly face extremely competitive and challenging circumstances. Economic volatility and instability in many aspects of our lives threaten security. Companies are reducing payrolls and the adage of “lean and mean” is more like “anorexic with an attitude.” Everyone is being asked to do the work of multiple individuals with multiple priorities. Those who are not able to keep up are asked to leave the company voluntarily or involuntarily.

Character is very important, especially in light of corporate and political scandals and other high-profile breeches of ethics and morality. Integrity issues and violations of company policies will not be tolerated. Organizations realize their reputation has a numerical value attached to it. Anyone who poses a threat to the company’s image will be cleaved from the organization. This action requires courage and conviction.

People are misguided and opportunistic in their career selections. If they are in jobs that do not represent their passions, aspirations and interests, they will hold on to the wrong job rather than risk unemployment. Productivity and engagement levels will not reach the demands needed in today’s business climate. They may suffer and perform badly, but will not let go, even when the end is near.

Firing the poor job fit is an act of mercy, especially if you care about them. They may not view it as an act of goodwill or the actions of merciful management.  Years later they may describe it as the best thing that ever happened to them. I recall termination conferences where I was anxious and met a relaxed employee who knew they were in the wrong job. A few people thanked me for making the decision for them. Don’t let me delude you into thinking termination is always welcomed and appreciated, but when you have made the tough call and treated them with fairness, dignity, preserving their self-esteem, you have done your job appropriately.

Change perception of employee

The manager approaches the personnel issue as the body approaches food for digestion. He wants to convert the situation into something that is easy to manage. Some will turn against the employee and find a way to diminish, discredit or ridicule them in order to make the tough call. They play the blame game and make the person into the bad guy.

The employee becomes the enemy and the manager is committed to sabotage over saving them. The employee’s actions are seen through a lens of suspicion. They are no longer given the benefit of the doubt. The manager may also spread damaging words among leadership circles about the person’s alleged ineptitude.

Because this person is no longer in favor, the manager feels justified in their actions to remove them. “They should have never been hired in the first place” is a common phrase uttered about a person on the ropes. Their pleas for assistance in doing a better job are not taken seriously.

Many lawsuits are filed because a person felt depreciated and disrespected. They may feel their reputation has been destroyed. They feel as if the organization has turned against them. They don’t like the way they are treated. The employee lashes out against the company in the only way they know how to hurt them. They tie up legal resources through a lawsuit. Sometimes the focus isn’t on winning the suit as to venting their frustration. They feel hurt and humiliated.

Companies that are more equitable in the treatment of employees generally have a lower rate of lawsuits. If employees who are terminated or leave the company feel you had their best interests at heart, they are less prone to sue you. They have been known to recommend their former company. They may say things such as, “It is a good company, but things did not work out for me.”

Personal transformation

The manager may change personally. They become more reserved, aloof, distant and insensitive. Managers have been known to get angry in order to carry out a disciplinary action. They become selectively ruthless in order to gather up the courage to make the tough call. The person has become the enemy in their mind. This can potentially cloud their judgment and objectivity. The employee is confused because the manager sent mixed messages with this personality shift. The employee understands they may not be performing well, but does not understand why they are personally under attack.

Some managers realize their employee is not viewed favorably by their superiors. Rather than defend their person and work to improve their skills, they abandon them and begin the process of termination, career assassination and dissociation through managerial neglect. They don’t want their leadership skills questioned by defending a worker no one wants.

Some managers resort to anger to give them courage. We learned this as children. I remember fighting when I was younger.  I was losing badly. Suddenly, I let out a scream and charged my opponent. This scream summoned all the courage and strength I had in me. Managers have been known to perform a variation on this anger method to help them cope with making a tough call.

Making the tough call in personnel matters is hard to do, especially if the person is nice. But we must stay focused on our role and responsibilities as leaders. We must staff the organization with people who will rally around our vision of the future. By thoroughly reviewing all options after gathering the data and acting humanely, we set a powerful example for our people. You cannot postpone the decision forever. Mark, a veteran District Sales Manager one day commented on a person who was perennially a poor performer; “I should have fired that him 15 years ago when my manager asked me to, but he was a man with a nice family and now, I regret it.” A new manager tried to right the situation and placed pressure on him to move or improve. The representative’s wife called the office in anger. He was admitted into the Emergency room with what they thought was a heart attack. He was off-limits until he retired, which took several years. The District Manager’s reluctance to fire the manager cost the company, the customers and the representative the opportunity to find his right job fit.

Making the tough decision is a necessary part of the DNA of an effective leader. Personnel matters have their unique challenges. A leader must be fair, courageous, objective and emotionally balanced in disseminating discipline. The employee must be treated with dignity and self-respect, even though they may ultimately be separated from the company.  

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

When events are hard to explain or define and we at a loss for words we conclude with, “Well I’ll know it when I see it.” People use this same model in judging personal performance and appraising employee results, especially in the absence of objective criteria. We are very comfortable assessing normal performance, but extraordinary performance can force us to be vague and make bland statements, such as, “She is the best I’ve ever seen.”

As a leader, I was exposed to varying levels of performance. The more people I saw, the more I developed an appreciation for truly great results. I also cultivated an aversion for truly mediocre results. I watched as managers, who were personally rated average or slightly above average were asked to assess consistent excellent performance. A paradox of the absurd occasionally appeared.  Some people ventured into the realm of rating someone distinguished (above excellent) when they were never rated that highly or ever saw that level of performance in their lives. Their personal experience was not a reliable frame of reference, but they stepped boldly into this domain.

For example, a relatively new Regional Sales Director rated a new District Sales manager as Excellent. The performance measures were based on quantifiable sales results from his team members and competencies related to management and leadership skills. He felt he had mastered the competencies of a manager fully functioning in the job in his first nine months. Also, he felt he had a profound impact on coaching his sales people to reach the sales results. When I asked how he had arrived at these determinations, he replied, “At his level of development, he is the best I’ve ever seen.” I relied in the affirmative. “Yes he is the best you have ever seen, but it is my job to introduce you to more people.” He needed to broaden his field of vision and be exposed to excellence on a grander scale.

The frame of reference is very important in a system, when you are evaluating talent. We speak of someone being a large fish in a small pond. We owe it to the individual to manage their opinions of their performance and put it in the proper context.

Geno is a television producer in Chicago. He told me a story I had heard many times before from superstar high school athletes whose eyes were opened when they went away to college. Geno was a star receiver on his high school football team and expected to dominate when he went to college. However, he was astounded by the level of talent and competition. For you see, all the players on the team were top talent and superstar high school athletes at their respective schools. He told me a story of running out for a pass and being covered by an individual who was a linebacker, who ran with him step for step. “Linebackers”, he said emphatically, “are not supposed to keep up with me. I run the 40 yard dash in 4.3 or 4.4 seconds.” Linebackers where he came from did not have that kind of speed. Geno was exposed to a higher level of excellence.

As a leader, we have to ensure we are evaluating and holding people to a realistically high standard. As individual performers, we cannot look merely at local talent. We have to expand our vision to see people anywhere in the world who may ultimately become our competition. Challenge yourself to truly give your best to be your best, because someday it will be needed to make the grade.

How do you find better talent? How do you push yourself to and beyond excellence? It requires research into the qualities of superior performance and the training measures necessary to get there and maintain it. It also requires introducing yourself to people who have a reputation for greatness in your area of interest. Find out their secrets and techniques to consistently deliver excellence. You must continue your research by reading and watching video. This is supplemented with personal conversations with coaches, mentors and accountability partners. These are people who care about you and will remind you of your promises to yourself and others.

Initially, compete against yourself and elevate your personal statistics. Then, look for documented records of achievement of individuals and teams in your field. Workout, research and study with experts in your area of concentration. If you want to be better, to use a sports analogy you have to scrimmage with the best. I captured this sentiment in a poem by the same title in my book Leadership above the rim – the poetry of possibility. The closing lines are,

“We spar with the upper echelon,

We face Goliath, yet press on,

Content to risk, poised to invest,

The time to scrimmage with the best.”

You must practice with prima donnas and execute with the elite. This exposure to excellence will drive your personal performance to world-class results and enabled you to accurately diagnose and develop excellence in yourself and others.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

 

The capacity for growth, along with the ability to excel lies within each of us. Our desire plays a major role in extending our performance beyond normal levels of exertion. Somehow we were convinced that external forces have the ultimate control over our results. Therefore, we erroneously believe others control our fate and we have to wait for them to grant us permission to achieve our personal greatness.

These rumors and misconceptions must be dispelled. The power is ours. We can think differently and summon strength from internal reservoirs of potential.  We can free ourselves to accomplish the dreams we desire. Success is not a secret or a great mystery. We have been exposed to examples of people who succeeded against tremendous odds. Their stories are known to us. I asked students from sixth grade through high school to tell me what it takes to be successful.  They easily listed characteristics, actions and behaviors. They seldom listed outside variables. The qualities were usually within the purview of the individual.

We have shielded ourselves from our own power source. By standing in front of our light, we are blinded by our possibilities. But it is time to realize we have access to energy and we must not be tentative. The supply of energy must be released. We have to grant ourselves permission to attain it. We essentially have to say it is OK; it is acceptable and desirable to pursue and express achievement.

When we say yes to our dreams, we discard the sandbags that hold us down.  Original hot air balloons rose to reach higher altitudes when pilots threw the appropriate number of sandbags overboard. The sandbags in our lives are the people who want to hold us back and personal barriers that prevent us from being successful.

Don’t blame circumstances

Environment is the convenient scapegoat for holding people back.  One managerial survival of such an environment gave a very memorable quote when she interviewed with other companies. She said, “When other companies were impressed with my experiences, I realized I was not as stupid as I was led to believe.” This gave her valuable insight into the temporary damaging influence of her environment. However, she gave herself permission to seek the outcome she wanted.

Additionally, there are always people who maintain that their circumstances drove them to be their best. Environment suppresses and environment is accountable for successes. How the person responds to their circumstances is the key. We are intrigued by the biographies of successful people. They were normal folk who had an abnormal drive to succeed, despite their circumstances. They give themselves permission to strive for a better life.

Develop confidence

An oppressive and depressive environment can chip away at your self-esteem and affect your confidence. We have a number of neuroses.  Anchored by insecurities there thrives the tendency to doubt our abilities. There may be old tapes running in our brain that sabotage our initiatives.  We can reverse the impact of negative influences.  We can learn to transfer authority to express our talents to our conscious mind.  By drawing on inner power, we gain strength and confidence.

When we lack confidence, we do not feel we have the right to utter the magical words of, “I give myself permission to release my inner power. I grant myself permission to be and to do my best. I give myself permission to be truly everything God has created me to be.” When we release the power we will discover that it was in us all the time, but we didn’t think we had the right to exert our authority.

People can tell you how great you are, but if you do not believe it, the results will be compromised.

Don’t delegate authority

We are known to abdicate power to someone else. We have placed the key to our success into the hands of another person. It may be a friend, employer or a mate. Sometimes others don’t want us to succeed and offer advice to keep us in our place. We therefore allow their wishes to hold us back. Managers and peers have secretly conspired to hold us at a lower status. If we do not take responsibility for our lives and lack the courage to be our true selves, we will underperform versus our potential.

We must hoist the anchor that has held us in place and prepare to sail toward our objectives. It is acceptable to be great. It is OK to want more, to be more, and to do more. We are positively entitled to receive wealth, as we define it, in order to improve self and contribute to mankind. But we have been conditioned to restrict the full expression of our abilities. We are told to stay with the pack and not to go too far ahead of the crowd. But in reality the crowd will never reach their peak if someone is not constantly pushing their performance into a higher range.

You were blessed at birth with permission to excel, but barriers were erected to hold you back. The issue may have been clouded by misconceptions and misinformation. However, it is incumbent upon you to align your obligations with your expectations and grant yourself the permission to excel.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

I was on a teleconference with managers from around the world. The scheduled briefing would update us on the next round of staff reductions.  We sat patiently, muted, on hold, while music played in the background. Ironically, the Righteous Brothers began to sing, “You’ve lost that loving feeling.” We listened and then the refrain, “You love that loving feeling, now it’s gone, gone, gone, oh oh oh oh.

We spend more than a third of our waking hours on job related activities. Our relationship with our job can be filled with richness or rivalry. Are our needs still being met? Do we express excitement and commitment? Is the fire still there? Are we growing and improving our skills and growing closer or separating? These are very important questions. If the answers are negative we will not be able to resist temptation and resort to flirting with every viable option that shows interest.

It may seem trivial to compare employment to a committed relationship, but there are contrasts and similarities.

The Early Days

The honey moon signifies the early stage of a romantic relationship when expectations are high. We are compatible with our mate, find delight spending time together and never seem to tire of each other’s company. We can’t wait to get back to work or in the arms of our companion. In a corporate relationship, to borrow a concept from Situational Leadership, we are the “enthusiastic beginner.”  We are filled with the joy of feeling we made the right decision. We anticipate many years of financial satisfaction and career success. We don’t know what we don’t know, but we are committed to the partnership.

But when the honeymoon is over, we realize it is harder than we thought. We become the “reluctant contributor” or the “disillusioned learner.” We begin to take each other for granted. We make unbelievable demands and forget to ask for input on matters that affect each person. At times our actions of entitlement display our arrogance and insecurity. We seem to say, “There are people out there who would love to take your place.”

Subsequently, as in our personal lives, we regret going to work and begin to hold back our passion and cooperation on projects, meetings and assignments. We do just enough to get by and maintain our position. Everyone knows the thrill is gone, because we lost that loving feeling.

Fidelity

When people feel they are not appreciated, their mind first drifts to greener pastures or better opportunities. They cruise the Internet job sites, wants ads and solicit referrals for better options. The relationship analogy may seem to breakdown when discussing loyalty. You may say people have a right to seek a job that pays more money. However, there are many people who will stay with a company that may not pay the most money, but satisfies them in other ways.  The company is concerned about their personal and professional development and they are treated with respect and paid a decent wage. There is a part of me that feels our transience in personal relationships may be influenced by our transience in our professional relationships, but that is an entirely different conversation.

Culture

A possible cure for losing that loving feeling may be the type of culture environment we create. Do we make each other feel important, special, needed and appreciated? Do we listen to concerns and opinions? Can we laugh with each other and at ourselves? Do we try not to take ourselves too seriously? In an organization, leadership is practiced at every level and people are supported and encouraged to improve their skills and reach their potential.

When people generally care about each other, it sets a strong example of how people should be treated. When we pay attention to someone as if they are the only one in the room, it inspires them to give more and achieve their personal greatness.

Celebrations

The practice of instituting routines and rituals that keeps a spark alive is essential. When we become too predictable, it sometimes equates to dull and boring. How can we inject vitality and creativity into our relationships?  It may be helpful to read books on relationships to gain insight into how to improve matters at work and at home.

We should explore ways to list the similarities and differences in our personal and professional connections. It may be safer to do this individually rather than in a group setting, otherwise it could really get out of control.

Companies remember birthdays, anniversaries (employment and marriage), customs and holidays, while being respectful of religious beliefs. Organizations volunteer in community events and encourage their teams to be good corporate and community citizens. I am not suggesting date days or date nights at work. However, I think you get the idea of the value of bonding around a mission and vision.

Training programs that have multiple applications increase the velocity of adding value to the participants. If we use this same technique we will add creativity to our lives and enable us to improve in areas we never thought possible. It is amazing when a training program at work, enables us to be a better parent, mate and member of society. When we are stimulated on many levels it is almost impossible to lose that loving feeling in the areas that are important to us.

Copyright © 20010 Orlando Ceaser

I will state the role of motivation in a personal business case for career excellence. In uncertain economic times it is important to gain control over your career.  I will discuss the value of proper thinking to help you take your performance to a higher level and differentiate yourself from others. You will maximize the impact of your leadership by challenging your peers to develop their skills. This will increase productivity in your sphere of influence. 

I have developed a number of sayings during my time in business;

1.  If your job is not fun, it is not fair. If it is not fair you must be empowered to make a difference.  
2. Every interaction is an interview. Someone is watching you, evaluating you for a promotion, an assignment, or additional responsibility.
3. You are an audition in search of the right audience

These comments are designed to get people to think before they act and to become more strategic in their actions, because they may we walking into the perfect storm for career development. 

I have learned that the way we mentally frame the events in our lives will determine our actions, and our success, because we realize that appropriate thinking can lead to appropriate actions.  Additionally, it is important to be optimistic.  Dr. Martin Seligman in his book Learned Optimism said, “We have found over the years that positive statements you make to yourself have little if any effect. What is crucial is what you think when you fail, using the power of “non-negative thinking.”  Recent research indicates that optimism also improves your health. Changing the destructive things you say to yourself when you experience the setbacks that life deals all of us is the central skill of optimism.”    

I often listen to a recording by Earl Nightingale called the Strangest Secret and review the book Danger in the Comfort Zone by Judith Bardwick.

In his timeless recording Mr. Nightingale defined “Success as the progressive realization of a worthy goal or ideal. We can influence our level of success by altering our thinking. Many experts claim that we only use 10% of our mental ability, so therefore there is plenty of room for growth into our virtually untapped reserves.

The Strangest Secret according to Mr. Nightingale’s research is the realization that we become what we think about. William James said that the greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. George Bernard Shaw said, “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.” So when someone says something is primarily mental, they are telling the truth. Motivation is mental. The desire to succeed is mental.  We can achieve our goals if we control our thinking.  

The economy is going through turbulent times.  During tough times the weak among us tend to get nervous and freak out. The sky is always falling and they can always find something to complain about. The strong however, will show that in every adversity is the seed of an equivalent benefit. They look for the gifts and opportunities to shine and make a difference and provide greater service to their customers. 

Job Security

Judith Bardwick in her book Danger in the Comfort Zone speaks of three conditions or stages that companies and individuals go through that affect motivation. They are entitlement, fear and earnings. The first phase is entitlement, where people feel that everyone owes them something, a guaranteed job, predictable income, a forecast they can exceed, world-class benefits etc.  “People are complacent, she says; they get raises, bonuses and benefits pretty much as a matter of course, so there is no incentive to work hard.” When you move people beyond entitlement they must go through fear.  

According to Judith, in fear people are concerned about job security, reduced promotional opportunities and the impact on their retirement and health benefits. “People are paralyzed; the threat of layoffs makes them focus on protecting their jobs rather than doing them.”

The goal is to grow to a stage of earning. In the earning state “People are energized by challenge; they know their work will be judged and that rewards will be based on accomplishments.

I attended a conference by the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar, a few years ago. He said, There is no such thing as job security any longer, however there is and there always will be employment security, which is based on skills.”  He said the lifetime employment contract was revoked and we can debate over who caused it, but one thing is true, those who have the transferable skills will hold jobs longer and get new ones when they need them. They don’t worry as much and therefore concentrate on doing their current job to the best of their ability, for they know that success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal. As long as they provide value and grow their skills, they will reap the benefits and rewards for excellence. Our goal is to elevate our skills through continuous learning and improvement and control the things that we can control.

I don’t have, nor do I know anyone who has the secret of motivation that applies to everyone. Motivation is individualized and should be customized to the person. Years ago we developed a motivational survey and used it to ensure that leadership and those being led were on the same page. The motivational survey asked you to rank 20 items on their importance to you and then it asked you to rank what you were getting from the job and many times there was a disconnect. A survey of this kind is very useful in identifying what drives your behavior. 

Success Attitude

You have heard that attitude is everything and that most of what we do every day is mental. Therefore it is important to frame things in order to put them in the right perspective. How we frame things has a lot to do with performance. The key to proper framing is when faced with a challenging situation adopt a point of view that allows you to play a role in the solution. Don’t say it can’t be done, rather it hasn’t been done and think of ways to make it happen. Instead of saying others don’t get it, say they don’t get it, yet. This allows for hope and trust for change in the future. Then think of a way you can help enlighten those who need to see the light. Just complaining is not productive and is not good for your attitude.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

An objective of leadership is to inspire and motivate people to engage in inspired action to reach their goal. I coined a word, “Inspiractional” as an adjective to describe this form of leadership. “Inspiractional Leadership” causes individuals and teams to perform at a very high level. I refer to this in my book of poems entitled Leadership above the Rim – the poetry of possibility. Chris Warner and Don Schmincke uses the term High Altitude Leadership in their book on characteristics demonstrated in Chris’s climbs of K2, Everest and other mountains. Here are excerpts from the preface and three poems that address a company that strayed from these principles (Any Company Anywhere), expectations of these leaders (I believe) and the persistence and of people inspired to perform at very high levels (Time on the clock).

Preface

Leadership is not only a function of direction, distance and speed.  It covers altitude and elevation. Leadership is not limited to those blessed with the height of natural skills. Individuals with ambition who display discipline can develop the vertical leaping ability necessary to play at a higher plateau. History and everyday experiences are filled with stories of individuals who played taller than their height would suggest.

The rim is the goal, target or destination. To reach the rim or exceed the rim requires natural ability or talent honed through many hours of perspiration, dedication and delaying gratification. Leadership is priceless when it takes you into the domain of the high fliers.  You can soar among the acrobats who demonstrate the stamina and flexibility to scale heights that would make normal people light-headed.  The rim is the air space where Goliath competes and challenges the competition, the place where David can turn wishful thinking into a positive reality.  The rim is the benchmark for greatness, where the best among us play the game at a higher level.  It is the zone of intimidation.  The timid stand in awe rooted in place and unable to leave the ground.

Leadership is about elevation, a raised platform and heightened visibility; a bar that causes you to step back and get a running start to leap higher.  Leadership is not a drill, a scenario or meaningless exercise.  It is in real-time, face paced and energizing.  It should be taken seriously, for ineffective use can be life threatening.  

Leadership above the rim espouses principles that build courage rather than fear, which encourages people to stay focused on the goal.  It sells the adventure and asks the team members to hold on to the railings, adjust their behavior and follow.

Leadership is about visibility and vision; the vision to see where you are, where you are going and to see those who may be lagging behind.  Leadership is about assisting people to achieve their potential.  It is about credibility through modeling behavior that motivates others to jump higher and strive to play in the higher altitudes.

Leadership above the rim is mandatory to succeed in the playgrounds of industry. It is a perquisite to exceeding professional and personal expectations. This type of leadership will enable companies, teams, workgroups and individuals to excel in the rarefied air of the giants in their field.

Any Company Worldwide

There once was a company

With hope filled beginnings.

The leaders were competent

And focused on winning.

They said the right things,

Through their vision and charters;

Encouraged team work,

To work harder and smarter.

But somewhere between

Their start and today,

Their ambition drove values

And chased people away.

The leaders became distant

And used every crutch

To explain being busy

And far out of touch.

They formed an obsession

To succeed at all costs.

They were numbed by the numbers

And good people were lost.

They were unrealistic

And often demanded,

That more be done with less

And became heavy-handed.

With those who were different,

Who challenged routines.

They bulldozed opinions

For the end justified the means.

So people became selfish,

Disillusioned, filled with doubt;

Fed up with secret agendas,

Favoritism and clout.

There once was a company,

That focused on winning;

Reneged on the promises

It made in the beginning.

It sacrificed training,

These initiatives were postponed,

Which fostered mediocrity;

Development was on your own.

It failed to reward individuals

Or recognize teams;

Its arrogance, symptomatic

Of a bureaucratic regime.

But now the piper

Demands to be paid,

For gross negligence

In strategies made.

So the company steps backwards,

When it should have grown.

The leaders are accountable

For they should have known,

To run a successful business,

The leaders must comprehend,

That you don’t treat people,

As a means to an end.

 I Believe

I believe that if I establish the direction

And show you what perfection

Looks like,

You will surprise me in your pursuit

Of the goal.

I believe that if I give you the reins,

You will ride yourself and sustain

A momentum that will show

Your heart and soul

Are in the journey.

I believe that if I praise your progress,

Your performance unhindered

Will soar to lofty heights

Beyond your imagination.

I believe that if I set the priorities

And surrender the authority,

You will bask in the fascination

Of new-found freedom

As you display your creative rights.

I believe that you are capable

Of enormous outbursts of expression;

But I have to make concessions

So that you will exhibit inescapable

Evidence of aptitude,

That has been sealed in your heart.

I believe that if I do my part,

We will discover the wonder, the art

Of truly being yourself.

 

Time on the clock

When there is time left on the clock,

The cowards complain and cry foul;

The losers panic and throw in the towel,

But champions persist and hold their blocks,

For they know the score is tentative

Until the game is over, so they give

Everything, for ’til the final gun

There’s unfinished business,

Work to be done.

When there is time left on the clock,

The champions continue to play

Aggressively, to find a way

To anchor confidence so they can rock

The competition out of alignment,

As they execute their assignments.

When there is time left on the clock,

Champions cling to the fundamentals,

They stay in strategy, push potential

To higher levels intended to shock;

As warriors welded to their cause,

They are nourished by internal applause.

When there is time left on the clock,

Thoughts of surrender should be suspended;

Energy on hand should be expended,

Reserves should be exploited to unlock

The genius of skillfully fighting hard,

With valiant effort for the extra yard.

When there is time left on the clock,

You strive tenaciously, always take stock

In your motives for entering the game,

For pride, prestige or personal acclaim;

Though vanquished or victorious, heroes

Are those who fight to the end.

Zeroes on the clock is when the champions say

Is the acceptable time to walk away.

Copyright © 2020 Orlando Ceaser

How much would productivity increase if employees gave their best? Companies are focused on their employee engagement scores and seek an answer to this question. Increases in engagement will lead to improved performance. But companies and managers may have inadvertently or intentionally offended employees to the extent they are passively seeking revenge.  

Most large companies have in place a respectful workplace policy which protects employee rights. It establishes acceptable behavior. These policies govern and protect employees against harassment, bullying and prejudicial treatment. However, there is leadership and managerial actions which affect how an employee feels. These actions may cause people to feel disrespected, unappreciated, unimportant and devalued. 

You may wonder what kind of revenge an employee can inflict against a company or manager outside of sabotage, espionage or other offenses that break the law. 

Some people do not feel their manager or company deserve their best effort. They have been taught that one way to get retaliate is to withhold something of value; which can be their commitment (heart), their mind (ideas) and effort (body). They feel the company does not care about them and therefore why should they care about the company.

They do not feel inspired to dig deep and produce more or to go above and beyond the call of duty.

The following comments are indicative of the subtle feelings toward revenge that exist in the heart and minds of some employees. 

• “I select a high level of performance and the company is satisfied, but this is nowhere near my potential.”
• “I am totally underutilized in this company. I could do so much more if given the opportunity.”
• “They will get my best, over my dead body.”
• “They don’t deserve my best.”
• “I told them what was wrong, but they wouldn’t listen. From now on, let them find out themselves.”

If we could find a way to resolve these issues and unleash their potential, it will positively affect productivity, profits and personal growth.

Revenge and Holding back

Individuals who are giving less than their best performance may not gain the satisfaction they are hoping to achieve. They cause themselves a personal disservice by holding back their best. Failing to fully express their potential at work, has consequences on the individual far beyond performance ratings and compensation. They may not reach their dreams or personal goals. Revenge may not allow them to benefit from producing outstanding awe-inspiring results.

We are made for excellence and when our best is expressed we experience bursts of fulfillment.  Because we are created for excellence, we are like a high performance vehicle that is designed for the open road. If we only drive around in the city and not on the highway, we can’t get the maximum out of our engine. We are at our best when we strive to deliver excellence. There is a scripture that states that we should work as if we were working for the Lord. This calls us to work to a higher standard. This gives us a more potent reason to perform on the job. We are not working to please a supervisor or company, but to fulfill our purpose; to be in compliance with the equipment we are given. 

When we say, “I will show them” and cut back on our performance, we are actually disappointing self, family and Creator. 

Revenge Mindset  

When we adopt a revenge mindset, we are consumed with our role in bringing them down. We are focused on hurt feelings, justice and retaliation. We do not think about forgiveness, only justice for the victim. This is unhealthy and unproductive.  It is sad when you see people cave in to the desires of their enemies and begin to act like the ones who hurt them.

I remember some advice I heard someone give to a young lady whose boyfriend had left her for another woman. The advice said the best revenge was for her to be successful. She was to continue to look her best and be successful and the person may feel they made a mistake. We should adopt that philosophy at work. We should learn from the experience and elevate our performance until the company sees your benefit. They may recognize their greatness only after we leave and succeed at another company.

Those who are selfish, insensitive and cause harm to others will receive justice. Don’t spend time planning to seek revenge. They will get theirs. But remember, we do not have to be the instrument of the justice. Let it go. It is not our job.

In reality is not all about us, because we are leaders and people are watching our performance and will mimic our behavior.

Revenge Reflections

• There is a distinction between revenge, self-defense and standing up for yourself
• You will survive the terrible act, but learn from the experience to prevent it from happening again
• If the actions are harassment or discriminatory report them to the proper authorities
• No one is more pitiful than the wicked when they fall, as they cry crocodile tears
• No one begs for and expects forgiveness more than the ones who will not give it to others.

Justice is served 

People leave oppressive managers and organizations and excel in a more supportive environment. History is filled with situations where individuals return to their old company as the supervisor to those who mistreated them. A regime change will place new people in power and the ineffective leader may lose their shield of protection. There have also been cases where a ruthless manager leaves or stays with the organization and end up reporting to one of your friends. The world is too small to make enemies and justice has a way of taking care of the perpetrators. 

Searching for opportunities to inflict revenge is a colossal waste of time. Be patient and forgiving, because everything generally works out for the best. Those who cause harm will have their day in people’s court. Sometimes it is comical. I was promoted years ago and received a curious telephone call from one of my newest direct reports. Apparently he had a confession to make. A manager told him I was angry at him 10 years earlier for inadvertently stealing one of my ideas and claiming credit for it. He called me, apologized and explained how it happened. It wasn’t premeditated. I thanked him for the call, indicated that I had not lost sleep over the indiscretion in the last 10 years. But I ended with a question, “If I was not going to be your manager, would we be having this discussion?” 

Workplace revenge like other forms of retaliation can be damaging to your health. When someone harms you, it is natural to think of ways to seek revenge. Obsession about retribution will hurt you more than the person. If revenge means reducing your level of creativity and performance you are taking away from the power to perform excellence which you were wired to deliver.  

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

 

I started as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company.  I was thrilled.  To think that someone would pay me to call on intelligent customers in offices staffed with friendly people who responded to my one-liners.  I noticed as I traveled from office to office that the environments reflected the personality or mood of the doctors.  Some were intense, frantic places to work, where the people rarely enjoyed themselves, rarely engaged in fun.  In other offices, although equally busy, the staff laughed appropriately and engaged in activities to cut the tension and reduce the stress.  They worked as a team, supporting each other, covering their backs to get the job done.

I’ve noticed this same phenomenon in business, school and other settings where people are together to accomplish anything.  Why are some places breeding grounds for stress and ulcers while others seem to mix enjoyment in their mix?  Why is this?  Why do some feel it is not professional or that it is against the rules to have a good time at work?  A common phrase in business is work / life balance.  The structure of the phrase insinuates that work is not life.  And if it’s not life, can it be fun?

One of my early managers attended one of my District Sales Meetings toward the end of a session filled with laughter.  One of my more humorous representatives was making a presentation that had the audience in tears.  I was parallel to the floor in my seat with tears streaming down my phrase.  I received a memo a few days later from my manager that stated that “judging from the level of laughter in the room he arrived, it was obvious that the meeting was not professional.”  There was the connection made that if there was laughter, we were not being productive, nor were we being professional. Recent research has disproved his theory.

Matt Weinstein in his book “Managing to have fun” says, “In a company where  the management begins to speak of “re-engineering,” the employees immediately think of “layoffs,”and morale plummets. And after the ‘downsizing” happens, many of their friends are gone from the company. In such a difficult time, is there any reason to initiate laughter, play, celebration? Absolutely. During these difficult times it si even more important to make sure that joyfulness and celebration are still a part of our work lives.”

This impression starts in our school days.  The class clown was relegated to someone who was not your serious student and therefore was not elected class president or voted “most likely to succeed.” We say that laughter is the best medicine, but are reluctant to prescribe it on the job.  Studies have documented the beneficial effects on our bodies and state of mind, when we laugh.  Physiologically, the body responds favorably.  It has been shown to reduce stress.  Laughter energizes and exercises the facial muscles and tones the disposition.  Yet on the job, many of us feel it is taboo to be relegated to the lunch counters, breaks or after work hours when we go on with our lives. There are a number of businesses devoted to infuse fun into your workplace.

We need to investigate ways to incorporate more humor into our work.  Some suggestions are to:

–      Let people know that it is OK to have fun

–      Model the behavior you want to see by poking fun at yourself

–     Establish a “fun commission” to develop ways to have fun

–      Discuss situation comedies that you saw on television, as well as movies

–      Celebrations are a good way to reduce stress on the job, i.e. birthdays, anniversaries, business achievements and other milestone events

–      Rather than look at the negative side of things, search for the positive view and the humorous perspective

–      Tell stories and share humorous nuggets from your past and weekend activities

–      Hang cartoon and humorous sayings in appropriate places around work

–      Hire interesting people

–      Listen to tastefully presented jokes in books or CD’s

–      Beware of practical jokes and pranks that could hurt feelings or have negative results

–      Set limits to humor because it can get out of line so deliver the rules of the road

Someone needs to take leadership in setting the ground rules for laughter at work.  An environment that is fun can bring a team closer together, increase productivity, engagement and reduce employee turnover.  I use to say, “If is not fun, it is not fair. If it is not fair, it is up to us to do something about it. We have the power to choose fun.” Finding ways to implement or appropriately increase the laughter quotient in your place of work can have profound consequences and pay tremendous dividends.  Starting today let everyone know that it is OK to laugh at work and prove it.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

 

An underlying thread in the National Basketball free agency of 2010 is the concept of loyalty. LeBron James, a two-time most valuable player spent his entire life in Northeast Ohio. He transformed the Cleveland Cavaliers professional basketball team. He had an extremely positive impact on the local economy and the psychological stature of his team and the community.  Many felt he should have stayed in Cleveland for the rest of his basketball career. This was evident in the city almost begging him to stay. They were in denial around the possibility of him leaving.  Some fans reacted angrily by burning his jerseys when he decided to leave Cleveland for Miami. A scathing letter from the owner of the team was sent to season ticket holders and a 10 foot mural of LeBron was removed from the side of a building in downtown Cleveland. Loyalty was on the minds and lips of many around the state.

Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat basketball team questioned the loyalty of The Chicago Bulls franchise toward their former players, especially those individuals who helped the team win 6 championships. Whether he was misquoted, misguided, misinformed or used this tactic as a recruiting ploy to discourage other free agents from signing with Chicago is immaterial. The fact remains, Wade injected the Loyalty Factor into the minds of the general public.

In our current business climate, companies are shedding employees in record numbers. Many of these workers are tenured individuals who helped build the companies and contributed to their success.  Since workers are often one of the largest expenditures a company has on their books, reducing numbers is a traditional means of managing the bottom line. Ironically, some of the people may have taken a risk earlier in their careers, by turning down better opportunities to stay with the organization. They may have felt it was disloyal to leave the organization. Additionally, unemployment lines are filled with loyal employees and many loyal workers are waiting daily to see if they will lose their jobs. Is loyalty a two-way street? Does it have an expiration date or a statue of limitations?  Is loyalty still relevant in today’s workplace?

Relationships, whether they are in business, friendships, romantic and athletics, involve working together and giving a certain amount of effort. When people show a greater level of commitment than they receive, there is a discussion around the Loyalty Factor.

John was the golden boy. He was on s fast track through the managerial ranks. Then one day, the unthinkable happened. John was given a Godfather offer; an offer he could not refuse. A competitor valued his experience and was willing to pay handsomely for it. His resignation sent shock waves throughout the organization. “How could he leave after all the company had done for him?” His loyalty was questioned. Given the size of the offer and the opportunity, was he being disloyal to the company or was he being more loyal to self, dreams and family? The Loyalty Factor suggests a long-term relationship, a list of expectations for work performed, terms and conditions to define the arrangement, to describe services rendered and actions delivered. The Loyalty Factor attempts to define the rules and regulations for working together. It is an understanding of how we work and interact together. In a work setting it may be unfair to expect loyalty to mean a lifetime contract.

In the classic book, The Organization Man, the company was responsible for much of the financial and social life of its employees. It provided the job, housing, stores, socialization opportunities and religious affiliation. In return for lifetime employment people were to work hard and stay with the organization.

The Employment Contract was eventually broken. Companies wanted to balance the budget in increasingly competitive environment and began to lay off people to reach their shareholders expected level return on investment. Additionally, because of increased competition, there were more options for employees. If they wanted more money or status or did not like how they were treated they could leave.  Employees gained more choice and power and left companies at will. The Loyalty Factor was openly discussed or at least thought about.

Organizations make decisions that are purely for the benefit of the company. They reduce staffed and over burdened remaining employees with higher workloads without a corresponding increase in pay. Many companies unintentionally and unwittingly train employees to look out for themselves, by following the model set by the company. Employees adopt this self-centered attitude, which may be detrimental to the company. Modeling and manifesting self-centered behavior, stifles productivity, engagement and innovation and weakens loyalty.

Let’s assume that loyalty is still relevant. An organization could not survive and stay focused if everyone is looking for greener pastures or everyone is scared of losing their position.  But what should loyalty look like in a job setting, where companies are under siege by global competition, unpredictable market forces and volatile economies? What should be the arrangement or understanding? Should we love the one we are with, while always looking for a better deal? Most companies have an “at will” arrangement with their employees which essentially means, either party can dissolve the relationship at anytime. Even with this understanding, managers are upset and vindictive when they find out that an employee is interviewing with another company. I recall an incident where a sales representative went to a job interview miles outside of his territory. When the elevator door opened, there was his manager and his manager’s boss. You can’t image the discomfort he felt in that situation. He gave a plausible lie for being at the hotel, but his perceived lack of loyalty was a dark cloud hanging over his career for years.

Loyalty is naturally questioned when there is an imbalance between expectations and contributions. If someone has done more for you than you have done for them, they may feel cheated. Loyalty is a word we use when we feel deprived, taken for granted, used or cheated. However, people and corporations like to own your services until they release you on their terms. In the workplace the slogan should probably be, “we will give the most to each other, as long as we are together.” If someday separation occurs, there will be memories of a productive and profitable relationship.

Copyright © 2010 Orlando Ceaser

You receive a voice-mail message from senior leadership, which contains the same thing you’ve heard from your manager for months: “Stay focused! Don’t worry about things you can’t control. You are our most important resource. We are the right size to compete in today’s market.” Before you hang up or listen halfheartedly in disbelief, what should you do? Trust is tenuous in trying times. Should you believe them? Should you stay, update your resume just in case, or immediately look for another job?

We have heard a lot about how we should act in tough times; now is not the time to panic, but no one ever tells us when it is a good time to panic. We’ve all heard the clichés so many times that they are now second nature: We have nothing to fear but fear itself; The measure of a man or woman is not how they function in good times, but how they keep their head when all others are losing theirs; and my favorite, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

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