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How to Avoid Leading Like Debbie Downer

4/30/2013

A couple of months ago my wife, daughter and I stayed with my wife’s parents, off and on, at a vacation house they rented in the San Diego area. This house is massive and beautiful! The home was also quirky. It is a custom designed home that seemed tailored for the specific needs of the family who owned it; so there were many things that seemed a little weird. After that first night we all found ourselves fixated on the home’s flaws.

Image Credit: NBC Saturday Night Live

There was the not real user friendly kitchen. The way sound echoed throughout the house. The small closets in the secondary bedrooms. The ‘funky’ layout that inhibited privacy. As one person mentioned something “wrong”, we would all mention something else wrong, and the negativity would grow. Seems all any of us could see was what was wrong with the home and it made the experience kind of a downer.

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Do You Need to Reach Out to Your Least Favorite Person?

4/19/2013

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A few weeks ago I read a blog post on MultifamilyInsiders.com by Maria Lawson that asked the question, “Do you need to fire your favorite manager?” Her post explored the idea that sometimes we keep people employed because we really like them, even though we know that they really need to go, and challenged readers to consider making the tough decision.

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Her post got me thinking about the other side of the coin ... is there someone on your teams that you need to reach out to, that perhaps you ignore, or don’t give much attention to for whatever reason? Perhaps your personalities just clash. Maybe she’s a slob and you’re a neat freak. Maybe he thinks that your closed office door means, “walk on in!” Maybe her performance is not up to par with your expectations. Or, quite simply~you may just not like him!

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Will You Be A Force For Good?

4/16/2013

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Like many of you, I was stunned to hear of the tragic and terrible attacks at the Boston Marathon on Monday. As I think of the innocent people whose lives were taken from them; the people who were injured; and everyone whose life will never be the same again, my heart grieves. We have seen too many tragedies like the one in Boston, and, unfortunately I know that we’ll see them again.

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Once again we are given more proof that there is evil in the world. I am reminded that even if I wanted to ignore the fact that there is brokenness, pain, suffering, tragedy and death in the world, events like the Boston attack remind us that pretending it isn’t there doesn’t make it go away.

When tragedy strikes far from home, don’t you often wish there was something you could do to serve others? I remember after the September 11 attacks I felt like enlisting in the Armed Forces, jumping on a plane to help the search for people at Ground Zero, giving blood as often as I could, or even just saying “thank you” to anyone I saw in uniform.

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Are You Triggering What You Don't Want?

4/11/2013

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A little while ago, my wife and I had a craving for "fourth meal" and nothing in our home seemed to fit the bill, so I decided to get some "El Pollo Loco." As I pulled up to the drive through window, I heard a voice say, "Would you like to try our new carnitas chicken bowl?" I said, "NO, thanks!"

You see, I have been trained to quickly shoot down any attempts at "suggestive selling" by anyone using this sales technique on me. After all, if I wanted fries with my order, I would have ordered it. If I wanted to add churros or a dessert, I would have done it already. Now back up pushy and give me the food that I asked for!

Don't you hate it when the waiter at a restaurant goes through the whole list of "specials" for the evening and suggests a dish that you should order, when you already know exactly what you want to eat. Or, how about when a sales person brings out ten other pairs of shoes for you to try on, with the one pair of shoes you asked for? In many of these situations, experience has conditioned me to automatically reject and say "no" to any attempt to upsell me.

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Twelve Things Employees Think About Their Bosses

4/3/2013

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Recently, my daughter (who is five) and I were participating in a market research survey. As we sat in the waiting area I turned to her and whispered, “I need to go to the potty.” (Yes, I said "potty!") As we stood up and walked to the bathroom she said loudly, “Wow, Daddy! You’ve had to go to the potty a lot today!” (Thank you endless diet cola refills at lunch!)

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A part of me was mortified that she would say that out loud in front of a group of people. The other part, well it couldn’t stop laughing on the inside. Kids have a way of dishing the “dirt” on us don’t they? Employees do too!

After training and spending time with many associates over the years, I’ve become privy to many of their hidden thoughts and secrets of the people they work for and work with.

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How to Avoid Leading Like Debbie Downer

Do You Need to Reach Out to Your Least Favorite Person?

Will You Be A Force For Good?

Are You Triggering What You Don't Want?

Twelve Things Employees Think About Their Bosses

Rommel Anacan

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