Open Loops

Seek and Act on Research-Based Ideas

I'm a big fan of data and analytics.  Using data to make day-to-day decisions gives me sound footing supporting what I do.  Harry Wong, the noted educator, has said that what you do is not important, that knowing why you do what you do is the important thing. Whether you agree with him or not, it's always intrigued me to understand why some people get results and some do not.  Why do some sales people make that big sale and others let it slip through their fingers?  Why is one presentation killer while another elicits nothing but yawns?  Why will students perform for one teacher, but resist another?

Sometimes, successful people do not even know why what they do works.  It just does.  But there are those of us who have the curiosity to try to figure out the "why" of success.

How to Deal With An Irate Person

Many times, during the course of a day, we have to deal with irate people.  Whether we are in Customer Service and dealing with angry customers or school administrators dealing with angry parents, handling an irate person and being able to lead them to a more calm — and logical — state can be a very desired skill.

The most common mistake that people make is to assume that when someone is out of control, we should calm our voices to model the desired state we wish the person to have.  The assumption is that the other person will match us and a calm and logical conversation can then take place.  Unfortunately,  this rarely happens.  Instead, because of the calm demeanor, the complainant doesn’t feel heard.  Their rationale is that since the listener is not as outraged as they are, they must not have been listening or they don’t believe what was shared.  The result is no trust so the person remains angry and outraged.

Five Ingredients to a Thriving Business

Over at Genuine Curiosity, Dwayne Melancon shared his experience in visiting the first Starbucks in Seattle, Washington.

"The first Starbucks is located in Pike's Place Market along the Seattle waterfront, and the store was opened in 1971. When we walked in, I was struck by the fact that it really doesn't "feel" like the Starbucks I know and love. Sure, there are similarities, but this "version 1.0" of Starbucks has a different ambiance. "

Dwayne goes on to examine the difference between the more modern Starbucks and the original, which has been around for 35 years.  He then explores the reasons why Starbucks has survived and thrived for this long.  Mentioning Focus, Re-invention, Innovation, Evolution, and Involvement, Starbucks has adapted as the years wore on.

Public Speaking, Steve Jobs, and Professionalism

Guardian Unlimited Technology | Technology | Behind the magic curtain

I am a public speaker.  It’s not that way by my design, however.  If I had my way, I’d slink off to the back of the crowd and be happy to blend in.  However, despite my introverted tendencies, my employment position requires that I spend time in front of various audiences.  From students, to classroom teachers, other administrators, parents, citizens of our city, and government officials, I often find myself in front of audiences. 

Although I’m a perfectionist, it is interesting to note that I’m not that way in front of a crowd.  While others will spend too much of time preparing for a speech, I’m often happy to map out the major points I want to make and then speak without the benefit of notes.  Most times, I’m happy with the outcome.  I know, though, that more preparation time provides me more confidence during the speech and a better quality “product”.  That is why I joined Toastmasters International after talking by email to Steve Pavlina about his experiences in Toastmasters.  I wanted the discipline and structure I would gain in Toastmasters to support my public speaking efforts.  Toastmasters has given me this and so much more.  I spend more time in preparation and, as a result, my message is more clear, my timing is improving, my arguments more compelling, and my presentation skills improved.

How to Improve Your Ability to Motivate Others

Over the last couple of days, we’ve looked at managers and their practices.  It seems like  workers who commented were quick to say that their managers use practices that discourage them and make the work place an unpleasant one.  Even the workers who had a manager to praise went on to say that their great manager was in the minority.  Evidently, some managers have difficulty motivating their employees to the point that they enjoy getting things accomplished in the office.

Fair Evaluations

Every year, most employees go through some sort of evaluation process.  For the employer, this involves going through the files to retrieve all the notes, memos, meeting notes, and other anecdotal information on which to base the evaluation.  Unfortunately, in the heat of the daily battles, most employers find it difficult to keep the files up-to-date with accurate information about what workers are doing.  Employees, on the other hand, are just as notorious of falling into the-boss-is-keeping-track mindset and, therefore, are not as vigilant as they should be at tracking their accomplishments.  In both scenarios, the evaluation usually winds up inaccurate.  The answer is a partnership between supervisor and subordinate.

Happy Teams are Productive Teams

Productivity transcends the individual and often involves teams, departments, and entire companies.  With the small explosion of books, such as the “Fish!” series, that promote having fun at work, employers and supervisors are searching for ways to make working for them enjoyable, fun, or rewarding.  Happy employees are productive employees.  They use fewer sick days, are on time, look for other ways to contribute to the organization, give their best, and contribute to the positive climate of the place.  Here are a few ways to boost morale under your watch:

Feedback -- The Breakfast of Champions

Lunsford Richardson invented what we now know as Vicks VapoRub in Greensboro, NC, USA.  As the company grew, the need for excellent management was recognized.  H. Smith Richardson, started a training program to train Vicks executives and then scoured business schools, snatching up their best graduating students.  He gave them advanced training, keeping the best and brightest for the company.  The students not selected for the Vicks company were quickly hired by other companies that recognized the value of their training.  This training program became the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and is still based in Greensboro, NC.  It continues to train leaders to this day and has expanded into a world-wide program, with campuses in North America, Europe, and Asia.  The training is so well recognized that at one point, newly promoted Brigadier Generals in the U.S. Army were sent there for training.  Military helecopters flying in and out of the rural campus that sat on the edge of Greensboro, NC helped to give the Center its mystique in the area.

On May 16, 2005, the Financial Times will rank the CCL “among the overall Top 10 providers of executive education worldwide,” making it the only institution that solely focuses on leadership education in their list.

The program in which I was enrolled there included instruction on giving effective feedback to subordinates.  Here then, in a nutshell is the procedure:

My Two Cents: Leadership vs. Management

Simon, over at dba.simonheap.com, offered up a little pop quiz about the difference between leadership and management.  It was extremely interesting.  I took the quiz and found it to be rather easy -- I think I "aced" it, by the way -- and was delighted to see that a small discussion about leadership vs. management developed in the comments section.  I thought I'd weigh in on this topic, since I've been in both positions.  One commenter, Lisa, offered her view on Leaderhips vs. Management:

"I think leadership is more about HOW we do things and management is the daily practice of ensuring a team and company is optimally successful.  I do not believe that certain tasks are leadership and others are management.  I do not beleive [sic] that certain jobs are leadership and others are management."

I understand her viewpoint.  Let me offer my take.