Supervisor Snacks

Mary Kay Ash once said, “There are two things people want more than sex and money - - - recognition and praise!”   And that is why her top employees drove pink Cadillac’s and were given so many accolades as salespeople.   Mary Kay Cosmetics is a legend, and an example for employers everywhere.   “That which is Rewarded is Repeated.” Rewards come in many forms.  We think of them as a trophy for being the best at something, or money, a promotion or public recognition. A parking space for a month, a name on a plaque, all are rewards that encourage good performances.  These are certainly rewards but…. Rewards don’t have to be big things!  As Mary Kay pointed out, praise is a wonderful form of recognition; it’s a small reward that resides in our head, to be cherished.  It makes us feel good!  Praise can be spur of the moment, “Gosh, you handled that beautifully!”; “I can ALWAYS count on you!”  “Your smile just makes me feel good!”  We wan...

Yoda, he of the large pointy ears, sleepy eyes, and infinite wisdom, is one of the most beloved characters ever. Star Wars fans the world over, in every language, can tell you any number of Yoda-isms that are genuinely brilliant, and deeply motivational, but none will be as pithy as the title of this article.   “Do or Do Not – There is No Try.” The moment you agree to “try” you are paving the way to defeat; you are admitting that you will probably not come through with what you are agreeing to “try”.  You will either do something, or you won’t, and it is nearly confirmed at the onset, at the word “try”, that you won’t do it. “Try” is a whiney, wimpy, weaselly word.  It can’t be mistaken for a commitment – it more suggests a lack of intention.  It’s a deflection, a way to say you won’t do something without saying the word “no”. You tell yourself you’ll “try” to be on time.  You will “try” to be more patient, you will “try” to get more exercise, you will “tr...

There are three things, we all believe, that make you a good listener.       Letting people talk without interrupting.     Using facial expressions and the occasional “Mm-hmm” to show you are engaged, and….     Repeating some of what was said; sometimes word for word. Most of us think we are good listeners, but we can do so much better.  An article posted on the Harvard Business Review Blog by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, of Zenger Folkman, suggests that there are four areas that have great importance in successful listening. After conducting a development program designed to help managers become better coaches they found many characteristics that moved people from average to outstanding listeners.  They grouped these into four main findings. Good listening is much more than being silent while the other person talks.  People perceive the best listeners to be those who periodically ask questions that promote discovery and i...

The ancient theory of thirds says that in any organization, team, business, or industry association, one-third of the people will do two-thirds of the work.   The next one-third will do the remaining work and the last one-third will do almost nothing.   If you belong to a group of any kind, think about the members and you will see that this is a pretty fair statement, and has been for thousands of years. The theory can be extrapolated to mean that the first third of the people in an organization are the leaders, the second third are the followers, and the last third barely contribute.  It is almost impossible to motivate this last third to become an active part of the group.  That’s not to say they don’t want to be a part of the organization, or that they lack interest.  Sometimes, we just need to be a passive part of a company. The people who make up those thirds ebb and flow; for a year or two (or many), one person will be in the first group and then slide...

I bought my new computer through a private dealer this time; he transferred everything from my old laptop to my new one and added some extra protection since I was concerned about the security and safety of my documents.  He warned me about changing passwords often, and not to download anything from people I didn’t know – things we’ve had drummed into us for decades now.   And then he added one reminder I hadn’t heard, “Be careful of what you click on; not all bad things come looking like an e-mail from someone you might know,” he gravely admonished.  What did that mean?   Suppose you’re browsing through Facebook and a cute video pops up alongside, showing a puppy and kitten sleeping together, or a mama duck herding her babies across the street while big trucks wait, or a pair of dancers in their 70’s grooving along to some uptown music.  Click on one of those and you might be safe – and you might be sorry.  Because one of those adorable images co...

Most of us heard those words often as we were growing up. When our days were filled with learning we weren’t always so open to that admonishment!  Somewhere, life gets in the way and we forget the joy of learning fun facts, interesting things that have no bearing on our everyday lives.  Our learning opportunities and TIME for them seem to dwindle in the hustle and bustle of everyday responsibilities. Enter a new opportunity - Podcasts open a whole new world of learning. Podcasts have been around for about 15 years and they are attracting ever-growing audiences.  They typically last between 20 and 30 minutes (our average commute in this country is about 25 minutes) but can be as short as 5 minutes or last up to an hour.  These free audio shows are being enjoyed by over 124 million Americans, and fans listen to about one podcast a day.  What a great way to stay informed, and to learn things we might never have known.   Podcasts make tedious waits more to...

  We have all been there, calls coming in one after another, a new account comes to the screen and we're a little nervous about it. We're often occupied with thoughts of the call volume, the screens beeping & blinking, the upcoming break, and emails waiting for our reply. We must always take one call at a time though and ensure that the final product, our message, is accurate and reads well.  We sympathize; typing under pressure, always knowing another call is waiting, is very difficult. You all do an amazing job - you really are awesome! But – we’re sometimes tripped up by those things that spell check doesn't catch. It misses words used inappropriately and the feature does not check for grammatical errors. Be sure to take a moment at the end of the call to confirm the message you have taken is accurate and that the wording is correct.  As new clients come to us, we work hard to convince them that we provide superior service, and they will be ...