Posts Tagged ‘Workplace Motivation’

TGIM e-zine: October 4, 2010

Monday, October 4th, 2010

Issue 98 ~ October 4, 2010

In this Issue:

Not signed up for the TGIM e-zine?
Transform your team from “snooze-button hitters” to “rock-star performers” and create a buzz-worthy environment your clients will love. Sign up today and receive the TGIM e-zine and Roxanne’s weekly one-minute audio every Monday morning!

Top 10 Workplace Dysfunctions—and How to TERMINATE Them

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
Creatista | Dreamstime.com

Creatista | Dreamstime.com

The dysfunctional workplace is a killer.  Untreated, the dysfunction will kill off your customer base, your profits, and your joy for living as surely as anything.

So you’ve got to kill it first.  Here are the Top Ten dysfunctions—and the cure for each:

No. 1:  People being at odds with each other with no desire to fix it.
Have the most direct supervisor meet with those involved to learn what it will take to resolve it and to secure a firm commitment to do so.  Spell out immediate consequences in the event of failure.

No. 2:  Saying one thing and meaning another.
If you have an employee with a pattern of saying, “But what I meant was…”, call them on it.  Requiring the offender to have all communications checked for clarity for a period of time usually nips this in the bud.

No. 3:  Giving lip service to new ideas, then undercutting them in private.
You’ll want to enlist everyone’s help in keeping this one out.  Make it clear that dissenting opinions are welcomed during decisionmaking, but that once a decision is made, undercutting will not be tolerated.

No. 4:  Defensiveness at reasonable suggestions.
Let your people know that you consider a willingness to improve to be one of the hallmarks of a person with a bright future in the company.  Defensiveness should be viewed as what it is—an unwillingness to improve one’s self.

No. 5:  Attraction to chaos.
Pot stirring is a violation of principles both written and unwritten and a threat to productivity.  Counterbalance the pleasure they get from drama with a greater measure of negative consequences.

No. 6:  Not following through on commitments.
Let people know that they are expected to acknowledge errors and make a commitment to clean up every last bit of the resulting mess.

No. 7:  Deflecting blame.
Deflecting blame equals deflecting responsibility.  Make it clear that the only acceptable behavior is acceptance of responsibility and (as above) quick work to clean up the mess.

No. 8:  People pretending like they “never got the memo.”
If there was no breakdown in the actual system, make it clear that the employee is responsible for consistently accessing internal communications—memos, email, and so on—so that he is never again “out of the loop.”

No. 9:  Refusing to deal with conflict directly.
Conflict resolution is an essential part of a manager’s job.  Performance reviews can and should count disruptive interpersonal conflicts against managers on whose watch they occur.

No. 10.  Gossiping and backstabbing.
Once you establish a zero-tolerance policy for talking behind another person’s back, give your people permission to address conflict head-on, out loud, courageously and honestly. And make it clear that giving or receiving gossip is not acceptable.

You may have noticed a refrain coming back again and again in this advice:  Make it clear.  Once you’ve made the determination to purge your workplace of dysfunctional behavior, your greatest ally and most powerful tool will be clarity.

Woohoo! Thank God Its Monday Hit #1 Overall

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

Thank you to everyone for all the help of spreading the word about Thank God It’s Monday. It hit number 1 overall as of all books sold! It is experiencing the second week as the number one business book and it’s also sold out in the U.K. and made the best seller list in Canada as well.

Pinch me!!!

Again, thank you to everyone who have sent the massive amount of emails saying you’ve bought 10 plus copies for all your friends. Now THAT is a commitment to a healthy workplace.

Thank you for being a part of this movement.

Only a few days left until Monday!!!

Cheers,

Roxanne

Great News…Thank God It’s Monday Just Hit Amazon’s #2 Overall

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

This is SUCH great news. My new book, Thank God It’s Monday, just hit #2 overall of all books on Amazon a few minutes ago and has been the #1 selling business book for two weeks in a row!

It also hit The Wall Street Journal list last week.

Why?

I think it’s because people are tired of not loving their work. With all the layoffs, those who are “left behind” with twice the work and half the friends are so disheartened and don’t know how to get their rhythm back.

Here’s a few tips on getting that “new job” feeling back… (more…)

Be Authentic

Monday, May 18th, 2009
Click the play button to listen to the audio now!

* Transcription

Thank God It’s Monday™. Be authentic. It’s the unsaid things that destroy our relationships and our results. Always ask for what you need directly and don’t let things get stuffed. And as you prepare to ask for what you need, know that sometimes your judgments and your stories that you make up get in the way of a solution.

Here’s an example. Maybe because Jack just missed a deadline you think Jack’s a jerk and he just tried to hurt you and tick you off. Well the reality is you don’t know those things. All you know is that Jack missed a deadline. So when you go to him make a specific four-step request that goes like this: number one “When you missed that deadline,” number two “It created this mess,” number three “My specific request is that you always meet your deadlines from now on or let me know and renegotiate before you miss a deadline” and number four “Do I have your commitment?” When you ask with that kind of specificity you get the result you want without all the drama of people having to be angry about things.

It’s the unsaid monsters that grow and destroy relationships and results. Pouting and complaining are not mature choices. So be specific and be authentic and everyone will benefit including you.

Have a great Monday!
Roxanne

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into massive results-oriented, “bring-it-on” environments. If you are not currently receiving the Thank God It’s Monday e-zine and weekly audios, subscribe today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.