100th post - Treat Every Day Like New Year's Day

The new year is upon us once again. This is the time when the average person wishes everyone around them, including strangers, a happy new year. It is also the time when many people set resolutions for themselves in order to have a happier and healthier year ahead. What follows for a lot of us, of course, is the failure to live up to the goals we've set and with it, the failure to wish everyone around us happiness on a daily basis. The new year is indeed once again upon us, but with degrees of failure built in.

As the first couple of months of a new year unfold, many will lose the will to sustain their resolutions and go back to treating people the way they did during the previous year. Gym memberships will be left in the cold, cold turkey quitters will have relapses and warm sentiments will ultimately cool down as the new year unfolds.

Wait a second! What??

When I was a kid, I began to understand irony when I watched the Bugs Bunny show with the coyote and dog fighting it out only to refrain from violence as they punched their time cards out for the day and said good night. I understood hypocrisy when I witnessed weekly acts of violence absolved every Sunday with a prayer service. Then, every year, I see people giving each other the warmest of holiday greetings, sometimes in sincerity and sometimes just to be polite, only to go back to treating them less than favorably.

I can't be the only one who sees the problem here. 

Everybody should avoid a New Year's resolution. Quit smoking and lose weight without the pressure of a promise and if you fall off the bandwagon, give it another shot. Eat better during the year 'just because' and treat people, on a daily basis, like you would during the holiday season (except replace 'happy holidays' with a better suited phrase, or you'll sound crazy).

Thought for the new year: sport a holiday expression all year 'round and encourage others to do so as well. Don't let the negative people take your positive countenance away; maintain it and try to eventually turn them. Better yet, remind them that they should try a holiday smile.

New years challenges:

- give a homeless person some change, a coffee or a sandwich

- greet the grocery store checkout person like they were your sibling

- thank the coffee shop server for getting your coffee

- treat the janitor like a CEO

- hold the door open for both men and women

Happy New Year!!!

- Buck Moore

The Organic OS - Why We Need Idiots

Nobody likes to work with a complete idiot every day.  Although we put up with each others occasional idiotic moment, a complete, every day idiot can make things intolerable at work. But, we can only learn to deal with idiots if we are exposed to them from time to time. Therefore, we should look forward to those times when we find ourselves face to face with idiotic behavior.

Idiots are like germs - we need to be exposed to them so we cab build up a resistance and deal with them more effectively. We can't simply wipe them all away with a clean sweep, because they tend to evolve over time rather than just being born into idiot-hood. In fact, good people can turn idiotic and sometimes it never wears off. Idiots crop up, fade out and sometimes sustain themselves; or worse, we sometimes sustain them.

Idiots can be influential and, under the right circumstances, can attract and convert co-workers to side with them. This can happen when a new person either doesn't know any better, is outnumbered or is just paranoid about making waves at a new workplace.

Overt time, common sense must prevail and we need to turn idiots around without hurting their feelings because an argument can never be won. Therefore, learning how to convert a person from idiot-hood to relative normalcy is an essential skill we must all strive to possess in order to create a better workplace.

Everybody is allowed to do something idiotic from time to time and we should accept that, because we are all human and nobody is pereftc. However, idiotic behavior should be the exception, not the norm. If it is the norm at a place of work, efforts must be put into place to turn the situation around.

So, let's accept the fact that idiots are out there, but learn how to deal with them; and, as we practice dealing with them, we will be much better at creating and sustaining positive works environments.

The Organic OS - A Fulfilling Career Path through Gradualism

I began recording sounds when I was 11 and making short films well into my teen years. I started to learn how to play electric guitar so I could write my own music for my films (which took a lot longer than I thought). Since I could draw and had an idea about how to make movies, I enrolled and got accepted into the classical animated film making course at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, in 1985, where I completed one year, then decided to pursue other interests.

When I started working in Toronto around 1986, my sister told me that there was a need for security guards and that she would cut mine and my friend's hair so we could get jobs. My friend and I both ended up getting jobs as security guards and that meant we had to do shift work - five days in a row, five afternoons and five midnight shifts over the course of a month. The lifestyle was very draining and not conducive to social butterflies like us.

As I got moved from location to location, I finally found myself working at a large site with a large crew and worked my way up from the lowest rung to the third highest on site, but the shift work was killing me. I then accepted an offer from a former supervisor, who went on to become director of another large account and I became one of his supervisors, but for a smaller on-site crew.

I realized that I needed to move on to a 9-5 job in order to be able to perform in the evenings and hopefully work at something related to my role as guitar player in a rock band. I began looking for day work and got hired at a lumber yard as I was finishing shifts for the security company, sometimes working many hours in a row to gradually phase out the security work. The lumber yard was difficult to be a part of as I was a minority and everybody let me know it by completely ignoring me or avoiding me, except for one or two individuals who didn't follow the 'us and them' mentality.

I stayed with day work as I switched to a hardware store, since I now had experience with hardware and building supplies. I would continue to look for more relevant employment and had an interview at a well known musical instrument retailer where I didn't get hired because I said the wrong thing during my interview (actually, it was a trap set up to see what kind of attitude I had toward certain brand names and I fell for it).

I continued at the hardware store until I just couldn't take it anymore, so I applied at another music store. I began to show up to the hardware store later and later and was finally given the choice to quit or to be on time, so I decided right there to quit and take one more chance at getting the music store job, which I did end up getting.

My goal was simple: suffer through the music store routine and do the best job possible in order to get a glowing reference and use that reference for a higher paying job elsewhere. During my days at work, I would continually think of services I could offer companies and start up some sort of business so I could be the boss and not have to listen to bad managers and abusive co-workers anymore. In the meantime, the band was getting better and more popular which inevitably led to us touring across the country and selling CD's across the world. I still had the entrepreneurial spirit, though, which led to developing my skills as a sound mixer when I wasn't at work or on tour.

As my future vision became clearer with each passing day, I made the choice to quit the music store job, take my chances on the road with the band and start planning my business ideas whenever I got the chance. After touring and being unemployed for a while, I made the choice to move forward and learn as much as possible about sound mixing and audio technology through the public library system. I started requesting certain textbooks as presents, or cash to buy textbooks, so I could build my library. I became a member of the Canadian Acoustical Association and bought a book on how to become a consultant, for future reference.

During this time, I had to get a job, so I followed a lead from a friend who was quitting his job driving blueprints and other things around for a printing company. He thought that with a strong recommendation from him and no need for advertising for a driver, I would probably get it, which I did. But, I didn't have a proper license, so I had to fake it for a bit and take a chance until I was able to get the proper license. That job was to be a stepping stone only, so I could develop my business ideas while I drove. I took advantage of the job by purchasing motivational tapes and business development tapes to listen to every day until I reached a boiling point which forced me to quit and move on.

Over the course of driving, I looked for and got part time work on nights and weekends mixing sound for live bands and other events. That was over a a year and a half until I quit driving and took a chance on starting to mix sound full time. Instead of a resume, I made some business cards and set up shop as a freelance sound mixer. I was offered a position as a full time mixer at a downtown club, where I worked for for years.

During that time, I explored the possibility of teaching classes, so I could follow the path of becoming a consultant. I also pitched story ideas to major magazines to build credibility. I also began recording sound effects to hopefully sell to the entertainment industry. After becoming an instructor at a career college teaching sound mixing, selling the sound effects to the largest publisher in the world and having the opportunity to write six articles for two major publications, I asked myself what was next.

What was next was a gradual shift from mixing sound at night and teaching, to working in the corporate world of audiovisual and entertainment, the very business ideas I was thinking of when I was working at the music store, only now I had the right skills and credibility to actually do it. That was 2003. I continued writing, teaching, mixing and recording sound effects over the years. I also picked up a lot of work making and editing short films and videos from my skills as a sound mixer and editor (I learned to edit while I was making my own shorts films with friends whenever we got the chance).

So, where am I now? I still teach (9+ years later), I still mix live music occasionally, I still shoot and edit videos, I have picked up several clients in the corporate sector, I still record and edit sound effects and I am finished writing my first book on work experience. I am gradually getting into the public speaking circuit to talk about positive work environments and I have several blogs and web pages to maintain. Oh, and I still perform several times per year. I am using my writing and video skills to develop marketing materials for my speeches and AV business and am seeking more teaching opportunities.

I am in it for the long run and as I look back, I see that I gradually made it to the work I wanted. Since leaving college, it took approximately 10 years to get on the direct path I have followed since (from ages 19-29). Every new job was preceded by a desire to move toward it and I new it would happen one day. Even though ten years seems like a long time, it really isn't, when you consider the solid foundation of skills needed to succeed in the future. Diversity in employment and life's work is important in today's world.

In closing, I can truly say that if a person goes on a path of their choosing, has a fairly clear objective and has a positive mental attitude (for the most part), they will benefit any company or client they become associated with.

The Organic OS - Don't Just Blame the Hardware!

Computers can be frustrating, indeed. How many of us have not thought about throwing a misbehaving computer out of a window at one time or another? It would be so satisfying to release a monitor through smashing glass, then watch and listen for that beautiful crashing sound as it breaks into a million pieces, just to make a point...but, what's the point?

Would we have clearly demonstrated our inability to control our impulsive behaviour and hurl blame at something that had nothing to do with the failure of the system which we had chosen to trust? I think so.

The fact that this kind of situation is worth considering says a lot about the power of forethought, which we are all capable of. Given a few seconds of consideration before grabbing the monitor and hurling it, we would instantly know that not only would we be losing control, but we would clearly be blaming the wrong thing.

The monitor may have displayed system failure to whomever looked at it, but was it the cause? No. If we do end up with a monitor smashed on the pavement, we will need to replace it and continue to replace it until we are able to recognize that the monitor is not to blame, but repairing or replacing the software will usually solve the problem.

If this scenario seems logical, then why do we continue to blame people for their actions without gathering more information about why they might be acting the way they are? Why do we just assume someone is an idiot when it is quite possible that they were trained a certain way and they just don't know any better?

I'm not ruling out the possibility of an individual's ineptness, but in many cases front line workers get the blame for serious errors and compromises within an organization. Sometimes the blame and subsequent hostility can lead to violence which, if the situation were carefully considered beforehand, would probably not happen.

I hope many consider this information and work on reducing impulsiveness and fast blame, so we can reduce negative outcomes in both our workplaces and our lives.

The Organic OS - Giving Orders vs Asking for Solutions

People usually hate to be told what to do. It makes them feel like pawns in the game of work who don't know any better than to take orders every day and not think too much for themselves. If we want better results from people, we must treat them like insiders and ask for their help in solving problems. Putting on a facade is not the way to go about this, but reprogramming ourselves as better leaders is. We must genuinely feel like we are seeking solutions instead of giving orders. 

If an order is simply a task to be fulfilled, it only becomes a problem when left unfulfilled or done wrong. When a person is hired to do a task, or series of tasks, we can assume that they have been properly trained to carry out orders on their own. If they are falling behind in terms of productivity or quality, we must find out why that is, rather than push them and push them to do it right, under the threat of being fired. It is essential, therefore, to investigate instead of react impulsively. We must care 'why' there is a problem before we can come up with a fair and logical solution.

With a great amount of effort put into forethought, a team leader will be inclined to pull the team member toward a solution by engaging them to help solve the problem and therefore the team leader is changed for the better as a result. If a once productive team member suddenly starts to slip, we can assume that there is a problem in their life, such as with a relationship, debt, depression, low self esteem, stress, etc. It's only fair to investigate why the work problem is  occurring either by speaking candidly with them or communicate the issue through the proper channels such as human resources. In any case, we should avoid adding stress to someone's life unnecessarily.

In summary, even if a person is having problems outside of work, if we get them involved and help pull them toward a solution to the workplace problem with an even tempered demeanor and genuine friendship, we will make them feel at ease and they will get back on track sooner rather than later. But, a great leader must be genuine and work hard to acquire such interpersonal problem-solving skills.

Build a better workplace by following the best practices of leadership in the Organic OS (tm).

The Organic OS - Bad Days, Attitudes and Rubber Chickens

So, You're Having a Bad Day...Where's Your Rubber Chicken?

You spill your coffee on your keyboard, burn your last piece of toast, break a shoelace, you're running late, discover frozen car door locks and get stuck behind a garbage truck on a one way street with a dozen cars behind you. You haven't even started work yet, but when you arrive, nothing there seems to be going your way, either.

Every one of us has had a bad day at some point and brought the associated attitude with us into work. It's hard to shake those negative feelings after half a dozen things go wrong before you even start working and when you add to that all of the other 'bad' things in our lives, it's easier to stay angry than it is to fake ourselves happy. But, what if there were a way that we could genuinely lift our spirits and not have to feel like we'd be feigning happiness by putting on a fake smile just for the benefit of everybody around us? Well, there is a way! In fact, there is more than one.

At some point, it can seem comedic that so many bad things happen to us in a row and it's easy to feel like a walking target for the day. But, when many things go wrong at the same time, it's worth tackling them head-on rather than let them get to us until desensitization sets in and we simply feel numb and just want to go home. People react to the way we look and feel on a daily basis through facial expressions and body gestures alone no matter what mood we're in (we don't even have to say anything). So, if people are going to react to our expressions anyway, why not give them some positive energy amidst the darkness of our 'bad days'.

Attitude Changers to Keep You Laughing on the Inside

The "Bring it on!" attitude - when things go from bad to worse, frustration will only result in a downward spiral and eventual crash. If things are going to go bad anyway, what's the point of getting upset about it? Save time and energy by starting corrective action right away and think of yourself as a pro wrestler who is up against someone bigger and losing to them is not an option (pretend you have big muscles).

The walking sitcom attitude - lighten up during a bad day and pretend you are the star of your own sitcom. You might feel like Bob Newhart or Jennifer Aniston when people think you're the nut or things just fall apart around you. Create your own character and laugh about your bad day when things pile up around you, because...what the heck!

The rubber chicken attitude - pretend you have a rubber chicken in your pocket when things go wrong. This will force you to laugh and be able to handle the situation better as it offers a little grace under pressure. Go ahead, try to even say rubber chicken five times without laughing.

The cartoon character attitude - every cartoon series has a sad, pathetic character that we take pity on, from Sad Sack to Bad Luck Schleprock. Adopting this attitude will let nothing phase you because you'll just accept the circumstances and work your way through them without blowing up. Be sure to have fun with it, though!

Multitasking, Over-tasking and Productivity for the Organic O.S.

Multitasking is not for everybody and definitely not for all workplaces. In fact, multitasking is inversely proportional to detailing as the two just don't play well together. If you insist on pushing many tasks of high priority upon someone, you must accept a loss of details as they fall through the cracks in order to allow 'just one more thing' to be completed (and I use the term 'completed' lightly!).

The Problem - Verbal Records

During busy times, a 'go to' person may have numerous requests from a handful of different people, with only a fraction of said requests being of absolute priority status and if the person is interrupted with every request, details will surely be left out. 

Verbal interruptions are a major contributor to reduced productivity. Cutting corners to save time, by going directly to a busy person with a verbal request, is not only a cause of reduced productivity but also very frustrating to a person who is already involved in a series of tasks. This type of frustration can build within a person until they reach their boiling point and react accordingly. Every one of us has some sort of boiling point with the potential to boil over,  and depending on what 'life factors' are upon us, it can be mild or very explosive. When we learn to control our boiling point, we have taken a great first step to avoid catastrophic events. But what about the requests?

A key question to ask before interrupting a busy person with a request goes like this: "Is that person too busy to drop another request onto them and expect them to do an excellent job in record time?" Many co-workers sometimes hold out on their team with some tasks because they want it to be perfect before they are done with it (if they haven't plain forgotten about it). The problem lies in that person's own multitasking which forces that 'perfect' task into a cycle of procrastination. When they finally do present the task, time rapidly runs out and all of a sudden a crisis is created. Presenting a crisis to a busy co-worker puts undue stress on them as they now have to complete a more than one task at the same time.

We all know that an already busy person doing more than one thing at exactly the same time does not work very well, but we still somehow expect them to multitask. A follow up key question then would be: "If I do present this task, what am I willing to live without?"

Let's face it, we all want to please our clients in the end, but if a person is already very busy, consider another method of presenting 'yet another task' to them. Here are some solutions:

Solutions - Friendly Paper

Speak casually to or meet officially with all involved about ways to avoid over-tasking anybody in your workplace. Consider drafting a task schedule with both priority and casual tasks tables that can be filled in and agree that everybody on the team must follow it, bosses included. Also, even if you are able to casually speak about the task during slower periods, still take a moment to write it down. This will help the person in question keep track of what they must do (hey, did I just invent the 'to do list? I think not!). Set up a task box with two slots, one for casual and one for priority and be sure to use it during busy times.

Also note that emergency interruptions should be few and far between if tasks are to be done quickly and efficiently because, if emergencies are the norm, then there are no emergencies. Anybody running a company should be constantly aware that their organic OS is made up of people, not machines, and that people are better left doing one thing at a time for best results. The only time a task should be left incomplete is when it cannot be completed for whatever reason.

If you are the go-to person and are faced with three people requesting things at the same time during a peak period, simply ask them: "Which should be done first?" But, get them all together, if possible, and let them know that you are not ignoring their requests, you are simply completing a 'to do' list. If you cannot get them together during a peak period, implement the task schedule or task box system as described above.

The Organic O.S. - How to Properly Feed the Machine

Working with so many different operating systems and programs for computers for so long has forced me to ask the question: "Are new operating systems really the key to higher productivity in the modern workplace?"

The answer, as I see it, is: "No!". As far as I know, every computer I have ever had, had used an operating system in order for me to get any work done (like electronic music, SMPTE, Excel, word processing, video editing, audio production, website building, creating logos, electronic marketing, e-commerce, blogging and the list goes on). That being said, it is well known that the typical, modern workplace must rely on computer technology (and operating systems) to, doggonit, get things done!

It may be interesting to note that the first computers were human beings (women). Women were charged with the task of calculating 'bomb trajectories' of war planes during World War 2; in other words, to 'compute' said trajectories (source: Inventor's Digest - the magazine I was addicted to in the mid 1990's). ENIAC eventually replaced them in 1946.

We now still, as humans, tell computers what to do and they supposedly help us produce results in most cases, if they don't give us the dreaded BSOD or 'hang' on a command because of low resources (Mac users, I applaud you; you almost never get this, but twice I can tell you that a Mac almost stopped an event cold in two major North American cities! So, you ain't perfect, neither!). In short, computers, with their operating systems, are 'supposed' to help us increase our productivity, and so we sometimes look beyond the human touch and say: "Well, it should work! Why isn't it working?"

In fact, all the computer needs is some electricity and a gentle set of fingers to 'doggonit, get things done!' Hold on a sec! Fingers? Who's got the fingers? The computer doesn't have fingers! Oh, the humans have the fingers and they use them to make the computers do things for them quickly. The computer needs to eat electricity and it needs fingers to do their job properly. Feed them the juice, massage their keys and tap their mice/pads and they work wonders...when they don't freak out!

So, computers are great and they help get things done fast, and companies spend millions of dollars on software, upgrades, hardware and other stuff but...what about the fingers? What about the brains behind the fingers? Let's not forget that there are brains and fingers behind every workstation at every place of work. Humans are behind it all, right? So, what about the care and feeding of the humans who work the machines that make the money that make the world go 'round? Why should they have to come into places of work that stink of negativity day in and day out? What's that about?

I'll tell you what it's about. It's about leaders who forget what it's like to be part of something small that grows into something big. It's about leaders that are allowed to take advantage of the little people who actually run things from the front lines.

So, how do you feed the organic machine? You feed it with appreciation, incentives, potential for growth, a positive work environment and everything you can think of to keep things from falling apart because your front line, and every step in between, have the brains and the fingers to doggonit get things done! Just remember - on paper, things may look good, but until the paper gets dog-eared with fingerprints, coffee stains and drops of sweat, it's just a piece of paper.

Think like an Expert & Avoid 'The 'Rut'!

If you are not currently employed in a profession of your choosing, you may consider planning your way out and starting a career that you daydream about. You may be already taking steps such as reviewing courses you can take or activities you can get involved in on evenings or weekends (or during the day, if you do shift work). During those quiet moments at work, you might do some quick internet searches or even stare at those reminder pictures around your work area to help you visualize your escape to a more desirable work situation. After all, if you must work, why not enjoy what you do? Why stress out over it?

A problem arises when you get worn down by the grind, you are not giving your current position your 'all' and as a result, your productivity goes down and you get into a rut; not that you care, because you are on your way out, anyway. However, something magical happens when you make the decision in your mind that your days at your current position are indeed numbered after you've decided to pursue better things. Your posture will straighten up, your countenance will appear confident, yet pleasant and you will pay more attention to your wardrobe and be sure everything is symmetrical and professional looking. This happens because you are starting something new, even though you have not yet left your current workplace.

The truth is, you don't actually have to wait for the epiphany to happen before you undergo a noticeable change. In fact, you can preempt the epiphany by acting like an expert well before any sort of sudden, intuitive insight takes place. That way, you are better prepared for a major change in career and more doors of opportunity will open as a result.

Consider this: two people, working side by side, both dream of a better workplace or career. One of them sports a negative attitude every day they go to work and everybody notices it. The other is always in high spirits and acts like a professional, no matter what the situation. Both of them are wanting a change but only one of them is well prepared for it. 

In fact, it is doubtful that the first person actually has any sort of exit plan because if they did, they would probably be in better spirits. That person also runs the risk of being let go first if business slows down and if they aren't at all prepared, they may be in trouble, whereas the second person would already have some sort of plan in place, but it is unlikely they would be let go first because of their pleasant demeanor.

Acting like an expert day in and day out raises a kind of force-field in front of you that others cannot easily affect; they must treat a pro like a pro. Acting like a 'crabby crabberson' every day removes any safety shield and instead puts a target on you. Crabby people are no good for morale.

So, no matter what you do for a living, acting like an expert will help achieve an untouchable status and buy you time to figure out where you want your career to go, whether it is further up the company ladder, a well thought out lateral move or a completely different career. Positive-thinking experts are less likely to find themselves in any kind of rut, no matter how rough the waters get.

(Cartoon courtesy of Mike Moore at motivationalplus.com - thanks Mike!)

Anger, Reactions, Objectiveness and Detachment

Objective

: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations (merriam-webster.com)
— ob·jec·tive·ness noun 

Detached / Detachment

: exhibiting an aloof objectivity usually free from prejudice or self-interest detached observer>  

: freedom from bias or prejudice 

(merriam-webster.com)

Take a good look at this video. Nicholas Cage is an office manager who thinks he's turning into a vampire and so he is getting meaner and uncontrolled as the days go on (very funny movie, but with very dark humor). The sad thing is that I have seen this kind of behavior many times without anybody thinking they were turning into a vampire. I have worked for, beside and over people who have acted in a similar fashion and, although I don't condone venting so loudly, I have learned to keep my reactions at a rational level and very difficult to do when someone is yelling like that.

His doctor is remaining as calm as possible given the amount of hostile energy he is hurling and that type of reaction can take a lot of practice to maintain.

Controlling Anger

When a person feels they are near their breaking point, it can often be controlled by taking a few deep breaths. I had read that doing so help restore a sense of well-being to the body and mind (something to do with oxygen and breathing patterns). It also allows for a bit of extra time before you suddenly burst. I can't explain the science, but I know it works wonders when feelings of anger begin to fuel your fire.

Controlling Reactions

If a car backfires or a truck honks loudly, most people react with a jump and a scare because they are not expecting it. But, we all know that these things happen every single day in a busy city, so we should expect them to happen and therefore react less. It is a given that any workplace is going to have an irate manager, staff member or customer at some point. If that is the case, expecting it to happen will allow a person to deal with it more rationally instead of being surprised by it. I personally walk around as if a gun will go off at any moment, then when I hear a sudden, loud sound, It's not so bad.

Objectiveness

In the face of anger hurled toward you, remaining rational and objective will help to solve the issue quicker and without further incident, if handled correctly. If someone bursts out at you, take a deep breath, ask for them to calm a bit so you can follow what they have to say, ask them to sit with you, take some notes and offer suitable solutions in an intelligent discussion.

Detachment

In offering suitable solutions, looking in from the outside is a great way to get the irate person to see the whole situation from another point of view. People know this works, but it's difficult to get someone to indulge you when they are a fireball of emotions. 

There are a certain amount of negotiation skills needed to find solutions to outbursts but they are easy to learn. The hard part is for a manager to implement all four of the above skills on a constant basis as some workplaces can be very challenging, indeed. The fact of the matter is that great managers and leaders must practice these skills to avoid prolonged animosity and potential workplace violence. The time is now; there is already too much hostility in the world, so we must reserve the workplace for mental challenges, camaraderie and feelings af great accomplishment, no matter what we do for a living.

Drop the Law Books, Use Common Sense!

A recent media story in Toronto about a parking enforcement car parked in a handicapped parking spot has gotten a lot of attention in the past couple of days. A Toronto resident snapped the picture at a Tim Horton's restaurant because I suppose it was out of the ordinary to see such an act. Actually, people parking in marked disabled spots is a common occurrence in Toronto whether the car hasn't got a permit or the 'clearly not handicapped' driver of the car borrowed the vehicle and abused the permit (perhaps they felt that the permit was 'paid for anyway').

The argument in favor of the parking enforcement officer was that they did not break the law because, in order for a spot to be authorized, it must have a valid sign above the painted parking spot. Otherwise it is not authorized and anybody can park there. Or, in more technical terms, "it isn't enforceable".

Enforceable or not, a painted parking spot should be left for those who need it, sign or no sign. 

So, who painted it? According to the media, the restaurant claims it is 'by the book', but parking enforcement does not agree. What we have here is a failure to communicate (one of the best quotes from the movie Cool Hand Luke).

So, who is right and who is wrong? Who is going to ticket who? Who is going to get reprimanded and who is going to court? WHO CARES?

With a little bit of common sense, this whole situation could have been avoided. The parking enforcement officer should have had the foresight to realize that any marked spot should have been accessible to those who need it as a courtesy, if nothing more, and parking in such a spot may result in a snapshot from a passer-by in our no-so-private world of portable, digital recording devices.  It should be considered highly probable that a local resident might snap such a picture.

One more note - I'm pretty sure most citizens don't know that a handicap parking spot needs both a painting and a sign to be enforceable and I wonder how many people have sent their undefended infraction payment in the mail when a parking enforcement officer tagged their car by mistake when a sign wasn't present.

When we start thinking ahead about all the possible outcomes of an action and the probabilities of such outcomes, we will be living in a less hostile society indeed.

Why Everyone Should be Treated like a Pro

No matter what a person does for a living, they must be treated like a professional each and every time you conduct business with them or communicate with them. Face it, some people don’t like what they do for a living and others feel unappreciated, broke and trapped. You could argue that they chose their position in life and you may be right, but even those in intermediate and higher work positions may sport these same feelings.

I met a woman who told me about the receptionist of a large organization who was told by the president on a daily basis that she was the most important person in the company because it was her job to greet everybody who phoned in. He was sincere in his remarks and she looked forward to seeing him every morning that he came through the door. She was a professional receptionist.

A person who gets paid to conduct a work activity is, by definition, a professional, if it truly is their ‘profession’. A professional knows how to do the work better than anyone because they do it on a daily basis. A professional should be proud of their profession, no matter what it is and not feel as if they are being ‘looked down upon’ by others, whether customers or CEO’s.

So, if we stop looking down at those in the lower ranks, be courteous and treat them like the professionals they are, they will undoubtedly feel less trapped and more appreciated. Then , perhaps, customer service would not suffer nearly as much as it currently does.

One more reason to treat everyone like a pro - you never know who they know and courteousness goes a long way when networking, no matter what you are seeking. For example, a janitor may know a plumber who can save you money, a security guard may know a mechanic they know and trust or a cashier may do accounting for small businesses on the side. 

You truly never know who is who or who knows who. That being said, sporting a smile or being polite could open doors you never knew existed.

Supervisor and Employee Relationships

I found this video both interesting and difficult. Interesting because it's a common situation that supervisors  experience with employees who they later befriend, but without playing favorites, and difficult because we have not heard both sides of the story at hand, and it is typically a sensitive situation. In this particular case, the supervisor was supervising before her and the employee built a friendship.

The bright side of it is that the supervisor posted the video to ask the opinions of others regarding the situation, rather than simply blaming the employee. That shows that she is actually trying to find a solution should it happen to her again.

My opinion - it's possible that the supervisor let her guard down and allowed respect to diminish as a result. It's also possible that the employee felt too at ease and protected by the supervisor and when it came time to assign a task, the employee felt that the person next to her should have been asked to do it because the employee was better friends with the supervisor.

Being a supervisor and having friends on staff is a fine balancing act indeed. Being friends can dissolve the 'us and them' workplace attitude, but possibly at the expense of true leadership and, inevitably, animosity when an employee feels like a workplace friendship is simply a manipulation tactic, geared toward higher profits and nothing more. 

To be a true friend and respected leader, supervisors must not let their guard down and follow a set of professional guidelines. However, to be a prudent and respectful employee can be an advantage when the employee is looking to advance their career or when they require a good reference after deciding to relocate. A great replacement for the 'us and them' attitude would surely be 'symbiosis'.

Heinrich Anton de Bary, who first used the term, had apparently defined symbiosis as: "the living together of unlike organisms". Companies need a workforce and a workforce needs a company. They have different attitudes and they won't always agree 100%, but it is clear that both sides need to work together if the company is to thrive.

Suggestions for supervisors who befriend staff:

a) be firm and fair with discipline and never let your guard down (and follow the rest of the guidelines)

b) you can hang out with staff after work, but never lose control in front of them (then, minimize partying and leave early without slurred speech - tell them beforehand that you'll have to cut out early). You can choose to go all night, but never lose control - great leaders show restraint.

c) reinforce the notion to friends on staff  that everybody helps each other as much as they can when one party decides to move ahead in their career

d) explain to a troubled employee (the jealous ones, especially) that animosity is a major reason why good teams fall apart and they have to work with you to avoid it at all costs

e) keep your leadership skills sharp - there is a reason why you are a supervisor and hopefully it is because you know the work inside and out and have proven your leadership abilities, then when a critical situation arises, you are ready for it and by demonstration of your abilities alone, you will maintain (or revive) the respect you deserve.

A lot can be learned from the story The Bounty. It is a well-written drama that arouses fear and pity and thus achieves a catharsis of such emotions (thank you, Aristotle!). My point is this: respect should not come out of fear and great leaders should be able to demonstrate their leadership through their abilities in a very controlled manner. It's a fine balancing act, indeed.

Quit Freakin' Me Out! When is a Work Crisis Actually a Crisis?

A crisis is only a crisis when we call it a crisis. Say the word 'crisis' ten more times and it'll probably lose all meaning.

I have worked in many different industries, from warehouses to film sets, fast food to phone sales, door to door garbage bag sales to delivering blue prints. I have been working since the age of 13 and I thought I had it all figured out after 25 years (in 2005). I had started from the bottom cleaning bathrooms and sweeping floors to leading teams and further developing both my career and leadership skills.

 In 1998, I began working full time as a live sound engineer (that's the official title, not the designation) which led to work in the corporate world as a freelance AV specialist operating a part time business under my own name. One morning, at an event, I thought we had a major crisis when I had discovered that a critical piece of equipment had failed just moments before the event was to begin. As a professional, I felt like somehow I had failed to prevent such a crisis. I approached the meeting planner and informed her that we had a crisis.

The meeting planner, Lucy, held my arm lightly as if to stabilize me, looked me straight in the eye and asked what the problem was. I explained the problem and she told me that it wasn't a huge crisis and we'd figure it out. She calmly asked what our options were and I told her. She immediately chose the most sensible option and made it happen - the gear was quickly replaced no matter what the cost.

That one situation forced me to think ahead more and by doing so, any crisis would be nothing more than 'Plan B' or, if that failed, 'Plan C'. So, by planning better, such a crisis would be more like a hiccup.

The day I took up the challenge to change workplace attitudes
I was hired as an instructor in 2001 because of my expertise and desire to teach others how to do some of the things I learned so they could develop their careers. I finally found work that suited my career direction and that required my special knowledge. It was smooth sailing at most events after than and I began to enjoy the pre-planning and challenges of troubleshooting on the fly. At every potential crisis after that, I would ask myself: "How would Lucy react?" and I had changed my attitude toward that aspect of my work.

Then came the fateful day in 2005. I found myself in a fit of frustration when I was signing out equipment to instruct a cinematography class and discovered that a few pieces were not functioning and were put back in the equipment room with no repair orders attached. I had been upstairs and downstairs between the lecture room and equipment room a few times only to discover another piece of equipment was broken with every trip.

The fourth time I went to the equipment room, I walked in very frustrated and upset as I approached the equipment room manager, James. James said something that day I will never forget. He said: "Quit freakin' me out!!" I felt bad that I had forgotten to listen to Lucy's voice in order to prevent such behavior and I felt like I had failed to control my emotions when it wasn't such a huge crisis. I thought I had been the perfect co-worker up until then. James was not at fault and I had no business venting on him (I didn't yell, but I was a ball of negative energy).

I wrote out the statement: "Quit freakin' me out!!" on a piece of paper as a reminder of that day and it has become a sort of scarecrow for me. I have it posted on my bulletin board and I am using it as my book cover (above). I have always had a very good track record of being a calm person and voice of reason at work, being able to display grace under pressure, but those two incidents are proof that anybody can get emotionally charged up and let things affect them (I am very passionate at what I do, but that's no excuse for irrational behavior).

To maintain a cool head in any crisis situation (not just work), I began writing a book about revitalizing livelihoods in 2006 and it is almost complete. I wanted to clarify my point of writing it, so it took a little longer than I thought. There are two other things I do as a reminder to stay cool and those are: 1) Ask myself how Lucy would react and 2) look at the statement James made, daily.

NOTE: A higher resolution version of the above picture is available for free to those who wish to post it onto their computer desktop as a reminder. Just email me at: buck@buckmoore.net

In-Office Team Building Activity in Toronto (a fun, new way to improve morale & productivity!)

Introducing a great new team-building activity that can be done right in your office or other workplace:

The Workplace Mock-Doc (tm)

The Workplace Mock-Doc is a great way to demonstrate the power of effective team-building strategies. Basically what happens is this - we come to your office or workplace and make a faux, funny documentary much like the TV show The Office. 

1) After an initial consultation, we begin by having a short meeting during lunch to discuss the roles that need to be assigned for the video project. We give a short, comprehensive movie-making seminar. We then help to form a storyline and explain all of the tasks needed to be completed and find out who is interested in the various roles, such as: camera operator, writers, director of photography, lighting, etc.

2)  We come back a week or so later, usually on a Wednesday (or during slower periods) and bring very streamlined gear. We then shoot the video as per the plans and script which have been created by our team and your team.

3) We edit the piece and plan a screening. Every team member gets a copy of the video project on DVD or as a data file (such as Windows Media Video - ".wmv" or Quicktime). 

4) We summarize what went into the making of the project and include a printed report for all to see. This way, people are reminded of the complexity of the project and are able to literally 'see right through' the finished video at all of the individual components that were needed to create it.

This new, cost-effective team building activity has many benefits, including: completing it at your place of work, clearly demonstrating what a strong team can accomplish and sharing a few laughs when the project is screened.

Contact our team for more information: 416.516.2560 or http://www.thinkworknotjob.com/

Before You Go to Work Distraught, Remember Why You Chose it

People go through stressful, painful times in their lives and those feelings can affect those around you. It's hard to fake a reaction when feelings get in the way, especially when body gestures play a prominent role in the way we communicate. So, rather than faking a reaction or attempting to hide your feelings from others, wouldn't it make more sense to adjust your attitude so that you are able find some inner peace before you inadvertently make those around you  aware of your pain and suffering?

If you are going through a very difficult time in your life, you can still go to work and be in control of your emotions by remembering why you chose to do that work. 

If you are a technical expert at something, remind yourself that you are there to be the best at what you do and that what you are doing is truly making a difference. This will empower you and make you feel like you are important, regardless of what friends and family think of your current state.

If you go to work because you feel you had no choice but to work there, for whatever reason, you should still aim to be the best at it, that way it will be much easier to change career paths when you decide it's time. Also, thinking ahead about a career change will keep you in a positive frame of mind because you will see the light at the end of the tunnel and keep your mind off your problems.

One of the most difficult things for a person to do is to remain positive during a crisis as it is so much easier to dwell on things that cannot be changed or that will take time to change (like divorce, death, debt, etc). Close friends and family members can be there for you outside of work, but while at work, you are many times on your own. Some workplaces encourage troubled employees to take some time off, reduce their workload or even offer some form of grief counseling when they are noticeably distraught. 

I am in no way suggesting that a person should bottle up their emotions and be a good little worker; quite the contrary. I am saying that if we have the power to adjust our attitudes in the right way, we can help ease our own minds, get extra help when we need it and still feel important, rather than neglected, unloved, bereaved, broke, useless, etc.

It's up to a person to be able to conjure the feelings of empowerment, mental control and inner peace, from within, from without or from a combination of the two. Talking about it to somebody you trust helps.

Another Take on Foresight ('Crisis Anticipation')

I am a fan of Brian Tracy, business leader and sales guru. Just before I went out on my own in the mid 1990's, I watched a VHS tape of his from a Toronto Public Libary (just kidding, 'library'). I took away some great sales information and had been following his principles even to this day.

When I began writing my book (almost done), I insisted on keeping a strong focus on forethought and how we can prevent many negative situations from ever happening, if we think ahead about things. In a video I had recently watched, Brian mentions that great business leaders must anticipate a crisis in advance to prepare against it. I strongly agree.

I know I didn't invent the concept, even though I had not read about it before I decided that it was an important part of my work. It really is just common sense to think about preventing problems before they happen. So, why doesn't it happen more? In my opinion, there are a few major reasons, among which are:

1. The people in the organization are not engaged enough to want to do any more work than is required of them. This can result in higher-than-expected turnover or somebody not paying attention to details, which can be disastrous.

2. The management focuses on the money first, then the people, if at all. People aren't naive. They will see this loud and clear. If they think they are wage slaves, they will respond accordingly.

3. The business leaders don't know how to motivate their staff, keep them engaged at work to have a more efficient workplace. Once efficiency goes down, productivity will no doubt follow.

These three problems are not always easily solved, but many times they can be. It should be remembered that all three of the issues above involve people. How people act, react and work together is very often determined by how strong the leadership is at any given workplace.

Getting started to solve these problems:

1. Find ways of keeping employees engaged at work. One very simple way to start is to remind people how important they are at their position and for the business. Allow them some freedom to be creative and possibly let them work on low key hobbies in slow periods (like writing stories, blogging, writing lyrics, knitting, watching videos of their families or planning parties - whatever can be done at work that doesn't interfere with business and that can be stopped at a moment's notice - let people feel fulfilled from time to time).

2. Have regular pep talks and incorporate team building events in the office or outside of it. Remind people that everybody is in it together and working toward higher profits and revitalized livelihoods, but not at the expense of a strong team.

3. Get outside help. Hire a think tank or consultant (or both) and get an unbiased opinion. It is well known in the entertainment industry that a recording engineer or film maker can lose a great deal of objectivity when working on a project, so they often get another set of ears or eyes to help rebuild some of that lost objectivity. The usual result is a stronger project.

One more golden piece of advice: Never 'lose it' in front of anybody. Keep it together. Grace under pressure is a time-tested truth. For more information on The Workplace Think Tank, visit www.thinkWORKnotJOB.com or www.buckmoore.net

Fairness, Common Sense and Bill 168 - How Did We Get Here?

If there is one thing we can do to keep a great team around us at work, it is this: maintain a safe and friendly workplace that talented people can look forward to coming to every day. That seems like common sense to me.

Know and accept who your team members are

In the modern workplace, we will always have our would-be rock stars, actors, models, film makers, novelists, you name it. Rest assured these talented people among us are honing their crafts at every opportunity whether we realize it or not. But, many people still need to hold down a job or two because their craft simply isn't paying them yet (or maybe never). 

Add to this list the individuals who have no outside talents that they wish to explore, those who come in to work every day simply because they are very lonely outside of it and those who have earned themselves seniority or power and wish to exploit it. There are many different 'types' of people at any given workplace and there is no sure way to know who is who at the hiring process.

So, you see, there can be a great deal of frustration and emotion ready to boil over at a moment's notice in any place of work. Aside from that, there are the cavalier folks who break rules and do things their own way, regardless of who they may harm. Left to fester, the work system will be sure to tend toward disorder.

Fairness is still a viable concept

The only way to assess what is fair or not is to monitor, evaluate and adjust. In my experience, fairness has often been abandoned because employers and managers either did not understand it or did not care about such a petty concept; their eyes were on the profit alone, not the staff. A typical phrase I became accustomed to hearing in my years in the front line was: "Life isn't fair." That phrase was second only to the popular: "Life's a bitch and then you die."

Although such phrases are initially funny when uttered by a jaded leader, the sad fact is that they end up affecting those around the leader, which leads to more jaded workers and thus an unhappy workplace with questionable productivity and indifference to fairness.  

Common sense should rise from the grave

It is simply amazing how common sense seems to have been gathering dust and dirt over the years, so much so that when we look back at a serious situation, we are often amazed at how simple it would have been to avoid it. Then comes the famous saying: "Hindsight is always 20/20." followed by: "So, what did we learn from that experience?" If we are talking about low sales numbers or a client who dumps us, we can recover, but if we are talking about a serious accident or the loss of life at a workplace, hindsight will clearly be useless! 

So, now we have Bill 168 because of poor foresight

It is time we focused more on foresight and begin learning from what we can see happening down the line instead of simply turning a profit and turning a blind eye to the potentially harmful acts around us. People should not be afraid to go to work, they should not be left unmonitored when you know they pose serious risks to others and they should not be treated like 'subordinates' (it's time we used a different term).

Bill 168 should not make employers and supervisors afraid to run a company; it is nothing to fear. In fact, the way some leaders have been running and working with teams for many  decades makes you wonder why others don't adopt the same policies to avoid foreseeable problems down the line. I understand that companies need to cut back and put more work onto fewer people and that monitoring situations isn't always feasible, but there is always a solution to a system in need of repair.

How to be Bill 168 friendly

1) Develop a system to prevent workplace violence including opening lines of communication to assess any threat to a team member's well being in and out of work.

2) Monitor your team closely or delegate the task to a trusted team member. This is not to say 'micro manage', but just be aware of what is happening with the team at any given time. If you decide on written progress reports, some will see that as a Big Brother tactic, but if you make it a policy that the reports are simply a way of monitoring safety and productivity, that's fair because if anything gets in the way of safety and productivity, it needs to be addressed promptly.

Case in point: as a security supervisor in my twenties, I had to carry a black book with me during the entire shift and report on anything that happened (especially safety hazards!). If nothing was happening, we wrote that all was well and quiet. When something out of the ordinary happened, we had to complete a special report that could be used for legal reasons and protect us. At certain sites, we were not to use our books in front of certain workers because they thought we were spying on them, when in reality, we were hired to make sure that the site was safe and secure. There were accounts of violence towards security staff who wrote in their books at such sites - one of which included the use of a fire hose on a guard!

3) Evaluate the progress of your system and keep the focus on the prevention of violence and serious accidents. 

4) Adjust the system to keep it from going off the rails. Hold regular meetings and let everybody know what is happening.

5) Always let your staff know why they are doing what they are doing. Share your vision for a prosperous and intelligent company who could not survive without a strong team.

6) Hold a think-tank session with a third party. More minds on the situation will get better results.

Such a big topic, so little time in a day. Until next time,

- Buck Moore

The Seven Keys to Success with Joel Comm

I found this to be very inspirational:

Dead-end Job? Still No Such Thing!

I wrote a blog a while back in 2008 (read it here) where I mention that every job position has something worth learning and taking with you for future work. As I searched the web for marketing and career videos, I stumbled upon the following video by Joel Comm and his work history, which is a pretty interesting story about how he ended up being a web sales guru. Here he gives a lecture about his beginnings and he mentions that every job he's had taught him something new, which just strengthens my argument.

So, that's the point - no matter what the job or work position you have at the moment, take some useful information with you as you move on over time - even if the job is seemingly unrelated to what you aspire to!

- Buck Moore

Waking Up from The Dream Job

In my past article from March, 2009 about re-naming the term 'dream job', (read it here), I simply wanted to stress the point that any job, over time, can lose it's mystique and leave you with with a 'been there, done that' item on your life's checklist, once you have been through all the gritty details of the once-coveted position.

By chance, I read an article today entitled  "Is your job turning you into a zombie?" (see link below). In it, one sentence reads: “Sometimes, people realize that the job they were into at 19 is no longer of any interest or meaning to them,” (Marky Stein, Author of Fearless Career Change). It also states: “If you feel that your job is taking away from your creativity, your mental well-being, or you’re physically burnt out, it’s time to step back.” (according to CareerBuilder.com).

It goes on to say that if you decide it's time for a change, take some industry knowledge with you. This is a very timely and relevant article and states some of the things I've always believed in where work is concerned - namely, that a 'dream job' can be a misnomer and that no matter what you do for a living, do it well while you're there, and take some useful knowledge with you.

Should you decide to move on, consider going through my 'Exit Strategy Action List - 9 Steps to a New Career' video (see below):



LINK to noted article - read it here.

Who's Got Your Back? More About How to Stay Employed.

Creating and maintaining a good team at work is essential for many reasons. This means getting along with others and developing great working relationships which allow for benefits such as open lines of communication, constructive criticism and problem solving, to name but a few.

When you are not around, others may be talking about you or your responsibilities. Sometimes, with new management, they may not even realize that you are in charge of certain areas of have developed new ways of doing things. On paper, everything looks like it can be edited without emotion, but what happens when a change in the workplace affects you in a negative way? You guessed it - emotion comes into play.

The key here, for remaining employed as a part of a great team you have bonded with, is to be such an integral part of that team that, in your absence, others will promptly step forward if they feel your livelihood is about to be compromised without your knowledge.

Face it, we can't do everything by ourselves; we need a great team to back us, and us to back any member of that team whether they've earned their place or need to be given a chance to do great things.

This is merely a thought for the day and the whole thinkWORKnotJOB concept is based upon being a member of an unstoppable team. Please review the archives. Have a great day!

Luck vs Probability

"Luck is merely probabilities." - Brian Tracy

I began giving motivational and inspirational speeches back in late 2006 to college level students as a part of a career-planning class. One core idea I expanded on was that there is no such thing as luck when you are actively looking for something, such as a career path and related opportunities. The way I put it was - if we are already seeking this stuff and an opportunity presents itself, it was by way of probability and not luck. If you weren't looking for it and it lands in your lap, then maybe that is luck, but how passionate are you about random things that fall from the sky?

Three and a half years later, I stumbled upon this video by Brian Tracy, king of salespeople and so much more. The above quote is right from the video and it just confirms, to me, that I wasn't nuts for believing what I do about this so called 'luck' thing.

Check out the message below:

The Mobile Workplace Tour Toronto - Episode 6a

Stephen and Buck discuss the upcoming 2010 Leadership and Career Planning Event (May 25th at The Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto) over a coffee.

The Mobile Workplace Tour Toronto - Episode 4

In this episode, Stephen and I went to Queen and Spadina to ask people the question: "If you could improve your workplace in one way, what would it be?" Episode 3, from earlier in the morning, was done by Union Station where we found an unemployed street philosopher named Damien, who had some very interesting things to say about work, the environment how the people at the top should maybe find out exactly what's going on at the front lines of society.