What are your Superbowl plans? What's your prediction and why?
Submitted by danatmedog.
I do plan to watch the game. But I do not plan to watch or listen to all the hype leading up to the game. It seems everyone has an opinion on who is going to win and why. Why can't we just play the game and let the players decide. And let us just remember it is ONLY a game. The results solve no national or international problems, cure no diseases, and make little to no difference in the lives of most people.
Colts 34 Bears 20, just because I said so!
There are so many large business out there that feel a need to set strict procedural standards; that believe there must be one way to do things. I don't know if it is an issue of control or fear of alternatives. Yet you read about so many successes that are a result of thinking and or acting "outside the box". Why do corporations fear innovators?
In the past I worked for one organization that I think was "ahead of the curve." They encouraged people to questions processes and procedures. We developed a "best practices" program. As employees went about doing their jobs they were encouraged to really think about what they were doing and why they were doing it. It meant a solid training program so everyone understood where their role fit into the entire flow of the business. But they were encouraged, challenged to question what they were doing. Often by questioning what they were doing they gained a better insight for what was to be done and embraced the process: made it better, stronger. But there were other times they challenged the process or procedure and offered alternatives. We allowed those alternatives to be tested, shared, tried by others. And then we met to provide feedback to one another. Sometimes the new idea did not benefit the whole, on those occasions when it did, it meant better productivity. To the creator of a new idea, to the amender of an existing idea, it meant recognition, satisfaction, appreciation. It fostered teamwork. It enhanced communications. An one new idea led to another. Corporations need to allow individuals more opportunities to be innovative. It makes the work environment fun, interesting, challenging, evolving. It will keep the corporation alive.
When is the most important time to communicate with an employee? I would suggest it is when they first begin and are in training. So today I am talking to the business manager and explaining, as a trainer, I have concerns that we are not doing a good job with a training program. The response: we have no budget for training. People need to get on board, learn their immediate job and become productive. Wait a minute! How do you really become productive if you don't receive appropriate feedback? Response: just tell what they need to know; tell them if their wrong; make them do it the right way. Do you uncover why they may have done it wrong? Not in the budget. Do you re-train so they know why they are now doing it right? Not in the budget. After providing the correct information or process, do you follow up? Not in the budget.
How can the leader of a work site be successful if they do not take training seriously? How can a trainer feel like they are playing an important role if that leader could care less?
This may explain two issues that are a constant problem. First, there is significant turn over. Perhaps it is because new employees feel they are not receiving the training they should expect. They are given no feedback as to how they are doing against expectations. They are not made to feel successful when they learn a new skill or process. They often feel they never know how their job fits into the whole process. They are not credited for their worth. Second, there is no team work. Not knowing what others do, how they do it, or why they do it, they remain isolated from a team concept. There is no one to encourage them; no one to assist them in their development.
And as a trainer I feel frustrated. I have no script to follow; no pre-designed plan. Often those I train are moved to an area where I have no ability to evaluate their performance.
Once again our opportunity to communicate has been lost.
Because we run several different shifts we really needed a way to get important information to everyone. There is an effort to have a brief meeting with everyone at the beginning of each shift, but not everyone works every day, and not everyone makes it to every meeting even if they are at work. So I thought we could use a tool that shared necessary information and made that information consistent for all. A newsletter met that need. The Corporation has a monthly publication, but it fails to address local issues, it is not immediate, and is mostly "fluff."
I asked HR over and over to begin a newsletter. I submitted article after article hoping to get HR going. No results. Months went by. So......I decided to do it myself. I began my own newsletter for the whole local business location.
Why? First, because I believe that communication is a key to success. We were not communicating well. Second, I believed it would be a way to make information consistent. Third, and quite honestly, I like to write. Fourth, a by-product of the need to get stories for the newsletter, I really got to know more about what was going on.
I like to write, and I think I do it well. It is easy to read. It isn't fancy, but it's fun. And its simple, to the point, and meaningful. It has also become my outlet to editorialize on matters I feel passionate about. Most of all, it has been well received by those who care about what's going on.
More later on the content of a typical internal newsletter.
For years I worked in management, and I must say I was quite
successful. I think the secret to my success was my ability to
communicate with my staff. I encouraged them to speak freely; I tried
to include them in departmental decision making; but most importantly,
I acknowledged them for their participation, and I I let them know i
appreciated their efforts.
Today, after retiring from that position,
I've taken a low level job with a well known large company that seems
to totally miss the point on the importance of communication. At one
time we started every shift with a brief meeting for everyone. We
discussed previous day results, we talked about the current days plans,
and we spoke about upcoming events. But one of the most important parts
of the meeting was the time taken where employees recognized each other
and, with all present, complimented successful, independent efforts. We
encouraged each other.
Today, those meetings are generally
forgotten. They may be held occasionally, but the time to recognize
each other is ignored. We know little of what has happened (goals vs.
actual results), we're told little of immediate plans, and even less of
future expectations. We're mushrooms.
I note two major implications:
first, we don't get along with each other like we used to; and second,
productivity has suffered.
Attempts to discuss this with senior
staff has fallen on deaf ears. They are too busy worrying about
timelines and immediate results. There is too little time spent on
effective training; too few long term plans. They have lost contact
with the human side of the job. The ability to communicate has been
lost because the desire to communicate has been lost.
My goal is to make a change.
