Comments on: Time Will Trick You- Fight Back!

by: patty

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:02:49 +0000

I’m glad you mention this important but too often forgotten issue for leaders. Even those of us who do our best to do “all the right things” as leaders sometimes forget how important simple and regular recognition is for those we work with. By the way, I’m a recent subscriber to your newsletter and it is great!

by: Mark John Hunter

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 02:03:14 +0000

Time flys and things need to change, and we need to recognize that. This is a good reminder not only to individuals, but also to companies and organizations: Time can and does get away from them. I have sometimes stopped going to an organization’s meetings, and returned a year later to find that their agenda is exactly the same, they have not finished anything, except repeated the same problems and are still trying to solve them. They have the same people complaining about each other on the same issues, some very personal issues, and so their meetings are more like watching a soap opera: after months and even a year very little has changed, and the same feuds continue.
A local political committee chair in Alpena, who had long served stepped aside a few years ago. I asked him why, and he said that he had not seen any improvement in his local political committee, and at the same time no one had challenged his position as chair or run against him. He thought that if he stepped aside new leadership would step up, and it did. The committee took some good turns and some bad turns, but it evolved and was more active than it had been in recent years, and new people came into the organization, all the time with the former chair attending about half the meetings, but never taking an office. I thought this was a rare example of leadership by stepping aside, because the leader saw that time was passing without results.

by: Jim

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:37:42 +0000

Gerald is right on the money. Gerald states the Governor has done a great job during her term in office. While leaders should recognize the worth of the members of their team, I believe recognition is a two way street which is why I offer the folowing observations: Governor Granholm is the leader of our state and she constantly travels great lengths to recognize citizens from around the state, state employees, police and firefighters, government workders, people who work at all levels in the private sector from the executive to the line worker, electrician or carpenter. She does this to promote our state and tell the world about how Michigan is a great place to live and work because of the contributions her team makes to dispell the notion that Michigan is on life support. I ask, how many of us have thanked the Governor for the tremendous job she has done in administering the affairs of our State? How many of us have congratulated the Governor on something she has achieved and thanked her for her tireless efforts in dealing with the economic chaos we face in Michigan which she had no role in creating? How many of us have written letters to the editor challenging news items that distort the Governor’s accomplishemnts or complained to media personalities (print or otherwise)about how they selectively manipulate coverage of issues she engages or gloss over her success in bringing jobs to Michigan? As you can tell Gerald hit a nerve but as I stated previously recognition is a two way street and while we would expect our leaders to acknowledge what their colleagues do well their is an equal obligation on those who are being led to recognize their leaders for the the positive marks they leave on the work place, society, and the community they function in.

by: Jackie

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:45:36 +0000

Thanks, Dan. As always, your insights are very helpful. This is especially insightful, and reminds us all to be more open and appreciative in making sure that everyone we work with or volunteer with feels valued and appreciated. It certainly makes it a better and happier world.

by: Plymouth Jim

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:54:54 +0000

Scott hits it on the head. This is the conundrum for leaders on using recognition as positive engagement: How does one recognize teams AND B-players, not neglecting A-players, AND not neglecting Executives (who need recognition too — and who studies tell us routinely receive less recognition than anyone — just higher “compensation”).
There’s good info in “The Carrot Principle,” about how the best orgs and managers try to do it correctly everyday. Short book, based on research, with great tips. Dan has had the authors on his radio show, and he can vouch for the smarts and executable tactics in that book. www.carrrots.com is a good site for answers to some of these question.

Personally, I have a post-it on my computer that asks me “who have I thanked today?” That helps me.

by: Gerald S.

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:37:46 +0000

Time does fly and a person has trouble remembering some specific dates in the course of a week or two. When we grow older, time does seem to fly by more quickly.

I would have to believe that listening to people is a great trait for a manager. My wife is a great listener and people enjoy talking to her because she listens to people.

Talk about how time flies? In about two and one half years Jennifer Granholm will no longer be governor. Term limits keep her from running for reelection. By all accounts Governor Granholm has been a great governor for Michigan.

by: Roberta B. Abrams

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:19:05 +0000

If you want those who work with / for you to continue to grow, you must episodically comment on the evolving quality of their efforts at work. Nothing and no-one grow without care and nourishment.
I think that this article is a wonderful reminder for leaders–regardless of the work setting, regardless of the leader’s tenure and experience. The surest way to diminish the quality of effort–whether dealing with a child, a co-worker, or a garden–is to ignore it.

by: Scott

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:32:04 +0000

Recognition is a really important issue for keeping people and teams engaged. I find that one of the trickier areas is in recognizing your “B-Players”. A-players can get neglected as well, but it’s easy to recover there if you give it just a little thought. By definition they’re always doing things that are easy to recognize (thus, they’re A-Players). B-Player’s can be a lot tougher. They can be the backbone of your organization, but recognizing them for something that someone else does better can seem false and can even be damaging (to the person who does it better). I’d be interesed in how other folks deal with keeping this key group engaged.