[Moxie in Motion] The Omelet Lady Meets the Indignant Manager

Taking the Pulse of the Employee
She lamented, “When I worked at GE and management announced a change, everyone cheered because it always meant a change for the good. At this place when we hear of a change, we cringe because it’s never good.”
 
“They like to roll out new programs, but they never last. They are always starting and stopping programs. We coined a term for their programs: ‘Flavor of the Day’”
 
These sentiments were shared by a long-term employee at a large corporation. When we suggested to the woman that she participate in the company’s new program to develop herself and her colleagues, she topped off our exchange with a comment that continues to make us laugh:
 
“No thanks. I’m like an omelet. I’m done. I’ve learned all that I’m going to learn in this lifetime.” (An omelet?!?)
 
The Omelet Lady was steadfast in her conviction that she had nothing more to learn and no desire to teach others. As evidenced by each office’s small participation in the roll-out of the company’s newest program, she was not alone in her convictions.

Breaking it to the Leader
When we described the employees to the people leader of this company, we witnessed a rare sighting: a deer-in-the-headlights who seemed annoyed by the oncoming cars. Clueless but indignant and righteous.
 
While he didn’t understand why his people wouldn’t participate in his flavor-of-the-day programs or cheer for change, he didn’t see why they should care what “those people” thought. (Hello?!? Is anyone in there?)
 
Memo to the Omelets
News flash! You are 100% responsible for your workforce. You cannot boo and hiss if you’re not going to do something about it. You cannot act like an omelet (really, what does that mean anyway?) and expect anything to be different. If you don’t participate and contribute, then you’re just taking up space. Move aside, because others want your job.

Memo to the Indignant Manager
News flash for you too! You are also 100% responsible. Every person in your company has the ability to contribute to or contaminate your workforce, your customers, and your bottom line. You benefit when your people contribute; you suffer when they don’t. If you don’t ask your people what they want and need, and you don’t care, then you can’t be annoyed by their resignation or surprised by their contamination. Go talk to your people and get your finger on the pulse of your workforce – immediately! The health of your bottom line depends on it. 

 

Give us your pulse
What do you think? Have you ever worked for a company like this? Did the omelets and deer ever come together? If so, how? We’re always looking for great (and funny) stories to highlight. (All names will be changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.)

 

The End of the Thanksgiving Contest: Was it a Gen Y issue, a Recession Fallout, or a Tired Game?

For 20 years Cecelia, a VP of Sales for a major real estate office has been running a Thanksgiving contest for her 100+ team of realtors. Each year, Cecelia awards points for listings and sales during the months of Oct and Nov. With a certain number of points realtors win pumpkin pies, dressing, cranberry sauce, and turkeys. Cecelia has been making dozens of pumpkin pies every year. Her record: 84 pumpkin pies.

This year she felt a lack of participation, so she stopped the contest and declared, “The Gen Ys in my office don’t want to play my games. We won’t be holding the contest anymore. The era is over.” A few people protested, others shrugged, and others didn’t even notice.

Why Didn’t They Want to Play?
When I dug deeper, I discovered that Cecelia’s reason for canceling the contest didn’t make sense. Only one-third of her office is comprised of “Gen Ys” (employees in their 20s) and the other two-thirds are Gen Xs and Boomers.

How could Gen Ys really be the downfall of her game when Gen Ys love games! They want to feel connected and be recognized for their great work. What better way than to have a contest which connects everyone to a big goal and highlights their great work?

So was it really a Gen Y issue or was something else going on? Why didn’t anyone want to play her game anymore?

Maybe it was a recession issue. Last time I checked the economy wasn’t being very nice to realtors and I don’t know if I’d be too eager to sign up for a contest in which my performance was going to pale in comparison to last year. In addition, I might be a little down in the dumps from my low listings and sales, and a contest that spotlights that just might be like salt in the wound.

Maybe the game is just old and tired. Maybe Cecelia’s people are hungry for something new. The disconnect was obvious: Cecelia wasn’t asking her people and her people weren’t offering any clues.

Memo to the Realtors
Clearly the boss is in the dark on this one. Why doesn’t anyone offer another perspective or some insight to her? She has no idea what it’s like to be a realtor – she’s been in management for 25 years! Instead of griping and grousing about the game or mourning for the end of the era, offer some new ideas. Join forces with the boss to create something new together!

Memo to Cecelia the Manager
Ask your people what’s going on. Stop guessing what they’re thinking or feeling. Bring a group together – let’s call it your own champion team – and ask them for the inside scoop in the office. Maybe it is a Gen Y issue. Maybe it’s a recession issue. Maybe they don’t like your pumpkin pies and they’re tired of the 20-year-old game altogether. Maybe it’s something we haven’t even thought of yet. Wouldn’t it be great to see all the cards and then make some decisions about how to bring the office together and motivate them?

Give us your pulse
What do you think? Have you ever worked for a manager who liked to play games? Did they work? Did you ever tire of them? What did you or the managers do then? We’re always looking for great (and funny) stories to highlight. (All names will be changed to protect the innocent and not-so-innocent.)

Will you be looking for a new job?

“54% of employed Americans (71% of 18-29 year

olds) will look for a new job after recession

ends.”

Employers: What are you doing to change their minds?

Employees: Do you agree with this stat?  Will you be looking for a new job? 

Share your thoughts and comments with us!

The Boston Globe’s Short-Sightedness will be its Demise

The Boston Globe is hemorrhaging cash. Without making drastic cuts, the paper will be forced to close. With a projected loss this year of $85 million dollars, the Globe has been negotiating with its four major unions to accept wage and benefit cuts. Last week, the largest union, the Boston Guild, said no. With this impasse, the Boston Globe has imposed a 23% pay cut on all union members, to which the union responded by filing a claim with the National Labor Relations Board.

 

Wow. Talk about losing sight of a vision. How did everyone get themselves into this train wreck? Where was the leadership at the Globe that allowed this chasm between employees and management to grow so large that it would take a construction company to build a bridge big enough to connect both sides again? And why are the union employees risking the paper and their jobs? As an outsider, this showdown is ludicrous.

 

But scratch beneath the surface and let’s see the forces at play here.

 

First, it seems everyone has been influenced by a human decision making bias in the behavioral economics world called “loss aversion.” The Globe employees are so determined to avoid any option associated with loss that they are willing to risk losing everything. This desire to avoid losing leads people to do foolish things. Why would employees force their company that is already lingering on the brink of financial collapse into a court case with the NLRB? How will that save anyone’s job, let alone the paper? It won’t. It’s just a natural reaction to a situation that smacks of loss.

 

Second, it seems that a herd mentality has taken over. And when there’s a herd, there’s group polarization and no room for any balanced viewpoint. When people who share a belief get together to discuss that belief, they reach conclusions more extreme than they held as individuals. Can you just picture the scene in a union meeting? “Those jerks!” “Yeah! They think they can take money out of our pocket.” “Not a chance!” And so it escalates.

 

We also need to wonder what happened to the leadership at the Globe. On the one hand, we could point to the loyal employees who have worked for the Globe for 20, 30, and 40 years, and easily assume that it must be a great place to work based on those numbers alone. But was it a great place or were the benefits so great – salary, pensions, health, retirement, lifetime job guarantees – that they became golden handcuffs? If the leaders had created a place where people wanted to work and stopped bribing people to work there, they wouldn’t be in this predicament right now. I don’t care how bad the newspaper business is, if the workforce felt engaged and empowered to save it, they would. Unfortunately, they feel neither.

 

Finally, cognitive dissonance is working its magic to assure that no one will learn a thing from this entire mess. According to this human influence, we innately hate being wrong. We would much rather make an excuse rather than accept responsibility. Welcome to the Boston Globe fiasco. Neither side wants to be wrong or admit fault, so they continue excusing their actions and shifting blame to the other side. An immaturity in interpersonal relations that should have been left on the playground years ago.

 

And so the drama goes. While I don’t wish the demise of the Boston Globe, without addressing these underlying issues and influences, it is inevitable. And anything both sides agree upon (or are forced to agree upon) before such demise will be merely ducktape on the crevices.

G.M. Executives Discovered Hiding Under Rock Incessantly Uttering “It’s Not Our Fault”. Story at 11.

The bankruptcy of General Motors blanketed the covers of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal this week. From the sound of the articles, it seems that everyone in Detroit is standing around dumbfounded about what happened to this American giant. 

I’ll tell you what happened to G.M. Contrary to what the G.M. executives want you to believe, it wasn’t the economy, the credit-crunch, the Japanese competition, or even global warming. It was an overall lack of accountability that pervades the G.M. workforce. In every company, people have the power to make or break it. At G.M., the people broke it. And it started with the people at the top.

In an apparent effort to cover their ass, the G.M. executives became skilled at pointing fingers instead of taking responsibility. Over the past 9 years, they have managed to take a blue chip stock price from $70/share to most recently, a paltry $0.75/share. (Notably, their salary and benefits have not followed suit. In fact, the five key executives paid themselves each an average of $1 million every year for the past 9 years not including any stock, pension, bonuses, etc. which for the CEO alone totaled over $14 million last year.)

What do you think it does to the people in a workforce when they watch their leaders blame others and then get compensated nicely for doing so? They model it. The people at G.M. have spent decades observing their leaders shirk responsibility for pitiable results, while cashing five- and six- figure paychecks each month. The message was delivered loud and clear: “shun responsibility, protect your paycheck.” That message quickly oozed down the chain of command.

The recently retired vice chairman Robert A. Lutz said G.M. experienced a “world of hurt, much of it not our own doing.” Late G.M. Chief Executive Roger Smith said in 1995 that he would have reorganized the company if there had been an easy way to do so (really? is that what you’re paid the big bucks for, easy solutions?). Even the executives blamed Wall Street for demanding a profit and not respecting “this thing called image.”

Soon people at G.M. became so adept at eschewing any sort of accountability that there is no one they haven’t blamed for the train wreck. They blamed the government regulators for not giving them a break. They blamed the media for not appreciating their new cars. They blamed the dealers for not supporting them. They blamed the unions for being greedy (really? wonder where they got that from?). They even blamed the consumers for not being loyal. (Never mind that the consumers were tired of driving sub-par vehicles.)

Bottom Line:

The bottom line is that the G.M. executives did not execute. But worse than not executing, they failed to take any responsibility. That failure trickled down and permeated the entire workforce, guaranteeing that no one else was going to take responsibility for their actions or lack there of. And that will always destroy a workforce and a company.

Divorced after 25 years of marriage

Reporting back from last weeks goal

I did it, I told someone, in-person, not over the phone or in an email, but face to face – “thank you for your advice that was very helpful.”  It made me feel happy to say, but most importantly it made the other person feel a sense of satisfaction.  They now knew that the advice they gave me helped me and it made them feel great!  Wow how powerful!

Missed the deadline again!!!!!

Once again another Friday deadline missed, but this time I am really ok with it.  My son, who gets asthma when he gets a cold was sick again on Thursday and Friday, so I ended up taking him to the doctor, which ultimately changed my whole schedule on Friday.  Then my sister needed my help and she wanted me to go and look at a couple of houses with her.  And she always helps me out no question so I knew it was my time.  I view the events from Friday as interruptions in my day, but I should do a better job of dealing with these unexpected interruptions and reorganize.  In the end, the events that took place on Friday were actually in-line with my goals -putting my families first, or else….

Divorced after 25 years of marriage

I went running with a few of my girlfriends this Saturday, as I have done for almost 9 years now.  As the group got going, we started to talk about families, spouses and relationships.  A friend chimed up that her and her husband, of over 25 years, are seriously considering a divorce.   Hearing this news absolutely breaks my heart, because they seemed like the perfect family – married at 24, a stay home mom while her kids were in school, two beautiful sons, who are doing well in college and high school (we all know things can go seriously wrong at those ages), a beautiful house, nice cars.  So it makes me think…what goes wrong?  Where does it go wrong? 

More and more people are getting divorced after 25 years of marriage.  All I can think is why?  They have put so much blood, sweat and tears into the last 25 plus years, why just walk away?  I realize that it doesn’t just happen overnight, but that’s the point.  Our relationships, like everything else – CHANGE OVER TIME.  Why didn’t the couple catch it all those years ago?  I believe that in probably 90% of marriages,  the reason for the divorce is because way back when we forgot to put our relationship with our spouse first.  And I don’t mean just giving him sex when he wants it, because sure that will keep every man happy for a while.  It means making the effort to go out for dinner on a regular basis.  It means, spending a weekend away without the kids.  I think many people feel that once you have kids the focus needs to be on the kids and time as a couple needs to wait until the kids leave the house.  Ladies and gentlemen that’s when the divorce happens, because over time we change as individuals, our interests change, our friends, families, work and everything CHANGES, so we grow apart.  Then one morning we wake up next to our spouse and say – “You are not the person I married 25 years ago!”   Well duh!

The wise old tree next door says…

So as I look at my tree next door, I realize that we can leave the tree to grow, the leaves will come and the leaves will go.  The cycle will keep going, but after 10 or 20 years, what will become of the tree.  This tree is healthy and looks spectacular every season because someone takes the time every year to prune it, to rake the leaves, to give it fertilizer.  I want my relationship to weather the storms and to look as colorful as this tree for many years to come. 

Goals for the week…

1)      I am to change my blog date from Friday to Monday morning.  I am seeing a trend with Friday afternoons.  So instead of setting myself up for failure again – I am going to blog on Monday morning.

2)      I am not going to try to make an effort to do something nice for my husband every day this week. I AM GOING TO TAKE THE TIME TO SHOW AN INTEREST IN WHAT HE IS DOING.  I AM GOING TO STOP DOING WHAT I AM DOING AND ASK HIM ABOUT HIS DAY AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT HE SAYS.  AND WHEN HE SAYS OK, I AM NOT GOING TO MOVE ON, I AM GOING TO ASK ANOTHER QUESTION.  I AM GOING TO MAKE THE EFFORT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.  I’LL LET YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES. 

Rain, Sunshine and Time helps everything Grow!

I did it! 
I appreciated my accomplishments!  I took my foot off the accelerator, I took a deep breath and I enjoyed my life just a little more and it felt AWESOME!  I felt more in-charge of my day and actions, instead of my actions and ‘to do list’ taking control of me, I was directing the course of my emotions.  I was more pleasant to my children and I think even to my husband.  (I should probably ask him if he saw a difference in me last week.)  I took the time to ask questions (clearly not enough of my husband) and to listen to what people had to say. 

Friendships
On Saturday I went with my kids to the park with a friend.  While the kids played, my friend and I talked.  Something we haven’t done in almost a year.  In the past, I would have shipped my kids off with my friend and stayed home to ‘do stuff’.  But in my quest to nurture and reenergize my relationships, I realized that spending time with my friend and reconnecting is far more important than ‘stuff’.  Stuff will get done, but relationships need nurturing.  We don’t realize how much we need friends, until we loose them.     

Now I will be honest. 
When I started writing this blog this morning I was going to start with….. “Already week one, I feel like I have let myself down.  Something came up and I forgot to write my blog on Friday.”  When I looked at that comment I was demoralized and I felt like a failure.  But you know what, I will not be defeated.  Yes I forgot to write on Friday, big deal – pick up the pieces Cindy and move this train forward – I am writing the blog now right?!  And that’s what counts.  AND I made a note on my calendar for the next 10 weeks to write on blog on a Friday, so it will not be overlooked.  I think too often, I am so hard on myself that it starts to squish my self-esteem.  My moxie takes a hit and before I know it I am walking around thinking about all the things I haven’t done yet and need to do.  In fact, just last weekend my niece said to me, “Enough already, I know you have so much to do.”  Wow – thank you Ashleigh – I needed that bump on the head. 

The tree – it’s changing!
The tree outside my kitchen window is changing.  It is soaking in the rain and sunshine, and every day the leaves and flowers are blossoming more and more.  So too is the change in my life.  I know that becoming the person I want to be will take time, reflection from the soul (food and water), conscious effort to improve and appreciate others (sunshine).   

Until next Friday!
So friends for now I bid you farewell until Friday, when I can share with you how this once dormant tree is blossoming.  My goal for this week is 1) blog on Friday and 2) to appreciate others and to verbalize my appreciation to them directly. 

Spring is in the Air! The Change Over Time Experiment.

 

 

 

My teacher gave us an assigned this evening called – Changes over Time.  Over the next 10 weeks we have to observe something in nature change.  Once a week at the same time, we have to either write about the change or take a photo to show the change. 

It is Spring time, so the first thing that comes to my mind are the trees and flowers.  I love this time of year as everything comes alive again and there is new hope and energy.  It makes me think that we really get two wonderful natural opportunities during the year to start over – January 1 and the beginning of Spring.  Naturally we can change our lives whenever, but this feels like a great time to start and be successful.  I don’t know why – just because! 

 I have decided to take photo’s of the tree outside my kitchen window.  The tree is actually in my neighbor’s garden, but is probably the most expressive tree I have ever seen.  It is shaped so perfectly and when it comes alive in the Spring it is so powerful, and in the fall the leaves are so vibrant.  This tree lives its life to the fullest – something I want to aspire towards.

So right here and now I am making the commitment that once a week when I take my photo of the tree, I will also document the changes in my garden called life.  I will take a deep breath and allow myself 30 minutes to:

• Appreciate my accomplishments for the week – something I never do, because I am always in “what’s next?” mode. 
• I am going to review my goals for the week and refocus my energy as necessary to stay on track. 
• Reviewing these goals will allow me to refocus my energy into the things that are important to namely being a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, colleague and athlete. 

Over the next 10 weeks I will be blogging my journey and I will share with you my goals, my accomplishment, my heartaches, my feelings and thoughts. 

 

 

 

 

Want to Achieve Your Dreams? Learn the Art of Bouncing

 by Ann Tardy, Author of LifeMoxie! Ambition on a Mission

In spite of past failures, criticisms, and a myriad of character assassinations, Hilary Clinton is aspiring to be the first woman President. That’s moxie. After beating the cancer that ravaged his body, Lance Armstrong trained for and raced in the Tour de France. That’s moxie. When 16 literary agents rejected best-selling author John Grisham’s novel A Time to Kill, he went looking for the 17th agent. That’s moxie.

Moxie!

Moxie is the difference between people who achieve their dreams and people who just talk about their dreams. One of the essential strategies to creating moxie requires us to respond not just react when things go wrong.

Respond Don’t Just React

Whenever you experience a failure, setback, disappointment, or mistake, it’s OK to react; in fact, do your best to sob, sulk, and be defensive. Then stop. Take stock of the lessons you learned, the new information you acquired, and the new paths you discovered. And then try again – bounce back.

The Art of Bouncing

Bouncing is picking yourself up, dusting off the dirt, and getting back in the game – the game called your life. Keep moving in the direction of your beat-the-alarm-clock goal, this time with your lessons in tow. Bouncing is the relentlessness and perseverance that has you move forward in the face of everything life throws your way.

My Grandfather

My grandfather was an alcoholic. He spent most of his life at a bar drinking the money my grandmother earned. His life was a bit of a train wreck. And then at the age of 51 he decided to bounce. He joined AA, went to college, became a counselor, volunteered as a school crossing guard, took up cycling (rode his first century at 70!), and even tried rollerblading before he passed away 38 years sober. In spite of his inventory of failures and mistakes, my grandfather mastered the art of the bounce and as a result, achieved many lifelong dreams.

The Art of the Bounce:

• Be upset – snivel, pout, mope, blubber, scream.
• Revisit your dreams – remember the important part (the mistake is not important)
• What lesson did you learn from your mistake or failure?
• What new information do you have?
• What can you do next with this new information?

When the fire in your belly roars with dreams, care more about accomplishing them than you do about the fact that you failed or made a mistake. Greatness can result from any mistake or failure, as long as you learn to bounce.

For the Father’s (The responsible ones)

by Preston Cannon

It has been almost 5 years

Since I fought for and was awarded

Joint physical and

Joint legal custody

Of our little girl and our little boy.

It has been the most

Challenging and rewarding time of my life.

 

If you find

Yourself in the midst of

A custody storm – DO NOT QUIT!

The Process is not smooth or fair

And know one can do this for you.

 

I came here to encourage you.

I came here to cheer you on!

I am bruised and battered,

But I am not defeated!

 

My brothers it is your responsibility to take the blows

And STAND for your children.

The process is often biased and unfair

But stand your ground despite the misperceptions and

False stereotypes – YES YOU CAN!

 

Cry if you need a release.

ASK (Ask Seek Knock) for HELP!

It is humbling and liberating

To allow other men (and your children) to see that you are not Superman – You are human – You can do this

 

Because of my MOXIE!

I hear my little girl say “daddy” every weekend and my heart

is instantly healed. 

When my son says “Dad I love you”; I see his eyes watching my every move.

I know that my presence is vital for him to grow from

Childhood to Manhood and be stable in all his ways.

 

 

Single father’s I salute you,

Single father’s I pray for you,

Single father’s I cry and shout the victory for you!

You are not alone.

 

Your efforts are energized by God’s divine power

That is active within you.

 

Stand up!

Learn to encourage yourself;

And never turn your back on your seeds.

 

- YOU ARE TRULY MIGHTY MEN! -