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!

New Video - How to Start or Change Your Career in 9 Steps

I made this video as part of my thinkWORKnotJOB DVD series, which will be available in October. It covers my 9 step process for anybody who is starting or wanting to change careers. Here are the nine steps, copy and paste them into notepad, Word, etc, and make notes as you watch the video :

1) Phase out what you don't like

2) Focus on what you do like

3) Write down your plans

4) Memorize your mandate

5) Keep stoking the fire

6) Ignore all objections

7) Keep yourself educated

8) Stay on track

9) Don't get too comfortable!

I hope these steps help anybody who feels as though they are stuck in a rut and need an exit strategy. Cheers! - Buck Moore

Here is the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4-nF6SF1EI

Customer Service Blunders & Solutions Part 4: Yes, Virginia, it IS Your Job.

As we go through our workdays, it can be easy to become jaded...if we let it happen. A very common result of this jadedness is the statement: "It's not my job." I spent years in the workforce witnessing similar reactions and I came to the conclusion that most people do not like what they do for a living.

I know what it's like to be stuck in a rut or have a bad boss try to humiliate you. I have also felt the 'empty fishbowl' effect of watching as the world went by outside of the trap I created for myself, wondering when I would get to join in on the action and do something important instead of being stuck inside with my jaded co-workers.

Then, one day, I saw 'Joe vs. The Volcano" and it made me think. It's not that I wasn't thinking before that, I just wasn't thinking the right things. Showing up at the same place every day with the same problems and hearing the same things over and over and over again can really take the color out of life (even though the color really doesn't go anywhere).

It's easy to see why someone might utter the words 'it's not my job' and it is not entirely their fault. But, when a customer hears somebody say that, it's a real letdown. It makes customers feel uncomfortable because they don't want to hear that kind of internal struggle that is so evident in a company; they just want to get what they came for. The concept of 'it's not my job' also affects productivity.

So, Virginia was just finished helping a customer with a new jacket one day and another customer had dropped a milkshake on the floor. The other salespeople were with customers and the manager asked Virginia if she could clean up the spill. Guess what Virginia said? Of course she didn't want to do it, because she felt that that kind of work was below her and therefore humiliating.

The manager, Steve, gave Virginia very little reason to come to work every day because he wasn't very nice and commanded things rather than asked. There was a running joke that he was a 'retail dictator'. Virginia needed her job and was there primarily for commissions because the hourly rate was so poor, so she reluctantly grabbed a broom, dustpan and large rag to clean up the mess - and she didn't look happy about it.

That retail store was clearly not a well-oiled machine. But, what was the problem? Who was to blame? Was it Virginia's job? Let's examine this case study to find solutions:

1. Problem: No wage increases. Details: There is little that can be done about Virginia's hourly rate at this time. It was mentioned in a company memo that there would be no pay raises for six months so that the company could avoid layoffs. Solution: Steve should have had a meeting with his staff about the memo. He should have motivated people to get more commissions by selling more and he should have provided information on how to do it.

2. Problem: Steve does not know how to motivate people. Solution: He should take professional development courses or seminars and educate himself about how to motivate people and communicate with them. Steve should also show a good example once in a while by cleaning something himself when everybody else is busy. He should explain to Virginia (and other staff) that a liquid spill is more of a safety hazard than anything else and that it must be dealt with by anybody who is available as a gesture of extended customer service - and do so with a smile. Steve should also learn how to tell a joke or two to lighten up his staff.

3. Problem: Virginia is jaded and only in it for herself. Solution: Virginia should be reminded why teamwork is important and that she can improve her livelihood by learning a few new sales techniques and therefore get more commissions. She should be reminded to think about customer service and safety for customers and staff - but she should be told in a calm, humorous way and not in front of customers or other staff. She should also be encouraged to laugh.

For more on this topic, contact:
- Buck Moore (buck@thinkworknotjob.com)

Better Bossing: Tips from the Front Line #1

Here are some of my bossing methods that work and have worked for many years:

1) Be nice, but firm -being a nice boss will help motivate people and keep things going as a great team. But, don't be too nice and let people take advantage of you. Let them know why it is important to arrive on time and adhere to the right processes. There is a delicate balance here, but it works wonders when the balance is right.

People who work for you must respect you, then like you. Years ago I worked for a fellow who was a great boss in that he was fair but firm. I could not see myself hanging out with him after hours, but I always did what he asked because he wasn't wishy-washy about anything and he'd recognize any hard work done by giving whatever rewards he was able to - no good work went unnoticed.

On the other hand, there was a new hire who showed up late on his first day and I watched as my boss said: "You're late, you're fired!". The poor guy just stood there in shock, then asked why. The boss said: "You live less than five minutes away and you still could not show up on time for your first day. You're fired." I stood there with my coding gun and worked away while watching the guy just stand there and slowly walk out of the place.

2) Laugh off a silly mistake - when somebody messes up for the first time and it's not a major catastrophe, chuckle with them and show them the right way to do it. Anything that has the potential to BE a major catastrophe should have a very comprehensive training system involved.

The person who made the mistake will feel better and not feel like they are stupid (even though they may call themselves that). If they keep making the same mistake over and over, there must be changes made in order to restore the desired level of productivity. You may have to train them for something else or suggest that they should look for employment somewhere else. Be sure to have a closed door meeting with them to explain everything in detail.

3) Talk about 'changes' face to face - explain to the person who is directly involved in a process why something must change. Explain it in a reasonable voice and let them know why it is so important for them to comply. Don't yell at them or tell them they are an idiot.

I learned this when I was a young supervisor and always got things done the way I wanted them - on behalf of the company, of course. I kept doing it for years and I still do it and it rarely fails. If it does fail, the person responsible must be replaced.

I took this technique with me when I was working with musicians on stages. If something wasn't right (ie: too loud, usually), I would walk right up to the front of the stage and mention that something wasn't quite working. With my goal in mind, I would offer suggestions and let them know it was for the benefit of the audience - so that they could enjoy a great sounding show.

I got positive results over 95% of the time when I was working with rock musicians full time. Now, bear in mind that I was working with some of the biggest egos around and even an 80% success rate would have been astounding. But, many sound people are not so nice because they become jaded over time, having to deal with the same issues over and over, night after night.

The best practice, no matter how jaded or egocentric you think you are, is to put yourself in the shoes of others and explain things the way that you would like to be told. It simply works! If you want positive results, treat people like people, not numbers.

- Buck Moore

What to do When You Like What You Do, But don't Like What's Around You (A Case Study in Conflict Resolution)

I Like what I do. Well, good for me, right? But, there are times when I run into problems at work I wish would just dry up and blow away. Pressure from deadlines & scheduling, and problems with new team members who don't fully know the workings of the organization can create overwhelming feelings for almost anybody. Although I am generally an effective communicator, I sometimes need to come up with custom solutions to unique situations as they arise.

Poor interdepartmental communication can be very frustrating to deal with on a daily basis, especially when a new person takes over an existing position and they make questionable decisions right off the bat, without getting to know the people they affect when they make those decisions. Perhaps it's a case of the new person not being fully trained or perhaps they want to introduce new policies to demonstrate their value, leadership and initiative.

Recently, I found myself in a situation where the protocol had changed without me being informed. This lead to feelings of resentment and inferior teamwork but I didn't let it get to the point of poor productivity, although even that crept in a little bit on it's own as a result. The initial problem was that of poor communication which had a domino effect on my livelihood, including major scheduling problems and fewer opportunities; not to mention reduced profit. A revolution was indeed in progress.

A few months went by as I maintained a very patient appearance in order to identify what the actual problem was and to remain rational about the whole thing so I could solve it effectively on my own. All too often, I've seen people react very impulsively in similar situations only to make matters worse - something I've trained myself to avoid from many years of field work. To me, this situation was like a puzzle I had to solve rather than get frustrated and throw the pieces on the floor in a fit of rage (rash decisions are often a bad idea as very little can be learned from them).

After careful analysis, I decided that the best thing to do to maintain a high level of professionalism and effective teamwork, was to approach the person and tell them face to face how the new policies they chose to introduce were affecting me and how I was used to a certain way of working with the company. It is important to know that I did so in a very rational manner, while showing I was serious about my work (any flaring tempers would have ruined the whole situation).

My goals were simple: get them to understand my situation on a personal level, comprehend my way of thinking and work with me to provide solutions to the situation. The result: success! By communicating rationally, I discovered what the real problem was and I was able to work out a solution which I was happy with. Teamwork has since improved a great deal.

I should note that a formal meeting was planned to help resolve the situation, but it never happened. So, I took the initiative to solve the problem myself. I can't say that this way of approaching a problem is the solution for every work-related issue, but it sure beats letting problems fester. Also, note that I have been practicing and evolving this way of approaching problems at work for over 20 years. My goal has always been to have a great team to work with no matter where I am working and I have always found ways to maintain a highly effective team, whether I was boss or not.

If anything can be learned from this blog entry it is this: finding a solution to a work-related problem means properly identifying the problem and communicating, on a personal level, with those who have created the problem; and don't always wait for a formal meeting.

If the situation cannot be resolved and you can't work like that, it may be time to make a change or the unresolved issue will probably fester, possibly leading to jadedness, animosity, lowered productivity, poor teamwork and low staff morale. If you're going to work anyway, why not try to improve a work situation rather than let it go downhill? It's important to like what you do or do something you like to do.

Dealing With Bullies at Work or School (Some Case Studies)

***This blog posting offers insights and stories from real life experience and is not intended for solving unique work-related problems. It is simply an account of real situations that have happened and explains how they were dealt with. thinkWORKnotJOB and Buck Moore shall not be held responsible for the misuse of the information contained within this blog or any harm that results from the misuse of said information. You can contact Buck for more specific information on how to deal with your unique situation.***

Watch the PSA below - created by students of Trebas Institute, Toronto (and Directed by me, Buck Moore).

(for Bullies at School, please scroll down below the 'work' section)

Foreword
What is bullying? Here is a great definition from Wikipedia
"Bullying is the act of intentionally causing harm to others, through verbal harassment, physical assault, or other more subtle methods of coercion such as manipulation."

Alongside the word 'harm', I would add 'discomfort', because they can make a situation unnecessarily uncomfortable. It's important to note that a bully is not always a bigger, thug-like grade school classmate bent on beating the daylights out of you after class and stealing your lunch money. Yes, this does happen and it seems to have become an iconic symbol of bullying, but some bullies are quiet fire starters who are strictly manipulative and some others are smaller than you and I and really mouthy, so they couldn't really beat us up, but they can make our work and school situations difficult.

Bullying is a mentality that one adopts for a variety of reasons, which I won't go into here because, whatever the reason, we must deal with them somehow. A situation can become worse when the bully mentality spreads to one or more people who then band together and pick on someone who dresses differently or stands out in any other way. If this type of situation is allowed to escalate, it can become quite serious.

Here's a story from and old friend of mine (I will accept any other similar stories, by the way):

"In one of many situations, I was 'the new guy' who had to do the jobs nobody else wanted to do. I kept to myself for the first little while and had to work under two very egotistical rocker-types, who would accept nothing other than what was deemed to be 'cool'. Apparently, I was uncool to them - and they let me know it. They would stand by and watch me unload trucks and take out the garbage, all the while pointing out my Value Village wardrobe and how ridiculous I looked (I liked my style and so I stuck with it regardless).

The boss had recognized the situation and, at first, seemed to closely monitor the pecking order and see if it would resolve itself. One day, I was out of jobs to do (I had done them all) and I began sweeping the floors. After a little while, one of the 'two', as I called them, came back to where I was sweeping, watched me for a few seconds and spat on the floor in front of me. "Clean that up.", he said. I looked at him and swept it up and didn't say a word. He had nothing more to say and walked away. Eventually, after a few months of the 'two' trying to make my work life a living hell, the boss gave me seniority over them because I did more work, didn't complain and did a better job than them. I didn't exercise my powers right away, though.

Over a year passed and the 'two' had gone on to make others miserable, I can only assume. Then one day about a year after that, one of them came back to work. The boss was smiling when he told me that he was coming back and again let me know that I could get him to do anything that needed to be done. In fact, he told me to delegate as much as possible and not lift too many heavy objects. I held off making this guy's life miserable, but what was dangling over him was that I could, at any given moment. After that, we had a great team of workers who worked against seemingly impossible odds, with me at the helm of the crew."

Bullies at Work
Every time I read a news article about people being bullied at work, I feel bad for the bullies. Of course, I feel bad for the victims, but in my experience, a lot of bullies don't see exactly what they are doing (if they do, then they are just mean people to begin with). Work bullies are especially harmful when they are in positions of authority and often don't know they've gone too far with their 'power' until it's too late. Poor bullies, if only they could see the errors of their ways.

Bullies in general appear to be blaming other people for their own shortcomings by the way they act toward others. In some cases, work bullies I've known had identity and self-esteem issues that more or less confused them, arousing feelings of petty resentment and therefore allowing these feelings to permeate into a previously harmonious or minimally agitated environment. Perhaps they see themselves as catalysts for needed change, or perhaps they just like to stir things up.

Whatever the case may be, they usually tend to go about things in the wrong way - like talking behind the backs of others or lying to people for their own benefit, criticizing them, trying to make them look bad to others, etc. What is more dangerous is the fact that some bully managers have no qualms about treating staff as pawns in their business 'game'. Bully's are sometimes fearful people and giving them power is like adding vinegar to milk.

I want to treat the idea of bullying at work a little differently than usual; I want to show it in a positive light, for it can be a good thing. For example, I was once bullied by a peer, who I didn't really know that well, but we both did the same work. He was very rude and obnoxious, eventually giving me the finger in front of a handful of people. My response to him was calm - I offered him my help should he run into trouble during his shift. I refused to go down to his level, because I didn't want to be there (and it could have ended up in a physical fight). All the people who saw this knew exactly who was in the wrong and a close friend of the bully came to me and apologized on their behalf. So, why is that so positive? Because I had passed the test and was recognized for staying calm. Guess who felt empowered?

In that situation, I felt I needed to stand up for myself yet not stoop to his level and it worked. In fact, it has worked many times before and after that event. In most cases, I had done nothing. I had let them say or do what they had to and I continued to do my work. My ultimate defense was to do what I had always done - be great at what I did. In many cases, I became an untouchable employee because I wanted to focus on the positive and not dwell in the muck, like so many bullies do.

These are the rules that I came up with and follow when it comes to dealing with workplace bullies and they can even work in a school setting:

Work-Bully Rule #1 - Do nothing, let them vent. Bullies need an outlet and have the desire for power, but they usually mishandle any power given to them, and it will come back to them (what goes around, comes around).

Work-Bully Rule #2 - Let them know you'll be there for them if they need to talk. I am careful with this one, because they may think I am being sarcastic and I do not want any physical violence! I am sincere.

Work-Bully Rule #3 - Keep records of incidents. This is for one's own protection and one may have to bring these incidents up with somebody above the bully. If there is nobody above the bully, these records should be kept and legal advice should be sought before it can go too far. I did this years ago with one very serious situation. I contacted two attorneys and had meetings about possible courses of action. There was a bit of physical violence toward me and although I would have been a fantastic contender in the resulting fist fight, I generally operate with more than just my hind brain (unlike the bully). In the end I chose to do nothing after I left and they went out of business shortly after (I do believe in karma).

Work-Bully Rule #4 - Never lose your cool! Bullies seem to like challenges, but if I don't offer them a direct challenge, what can they do but keep being a bully? I don't give in. I'm not saying I don't stand my ground, I just keep my mind to the business grindstone and they should go away. If they persist, I go to rule #5. I was once slashed with a shipping knife on the shoulder. I was wearing a jacket and didn't get harmed, but the knife cut my jacket. The bully was just 'pretending' to cut me, but he actually did cut something. So, what did I do? I looked at him intently, took a deep breath and walked away. Later, I took it up with management and they handled it. I didn't have to do much else but continue to be good at what I did.

Work-Bully Rule #5 - Request a meeting. Dirty laundry should be kept in a closed environment. If I am able to get a meeting with a manager and the bully, I'll bring out my list of incidences and offer a solution to the problem. I don't blame the bully for anything, but I express my concern for the company's productivity and image. I mention that animosity should be 'quelled' for the benefit of the company. If I am being proactive and offer solutions, I will have put myself at a higher level than that of the bully.

I have dealt with many bullies over the years and some have seen me as somewhat passive - something to take advantage of. On every occasion, I kept calm, followed my rules and it had never worked out for the bully in the end. There are many other incidents I could talk about right now, but I'm saving them for my book.

Bullies at School:
Some of the guidelines above can work in a school setting. A school setting can mean any level of education as some bullies just never grow up and do the same things in college as they would in grade four.

A classmate of mine once had it in for me in grade 9. We went to public school together and there were never any issues between us until we started high school. It may have been peer pressure, I can't be certain, but what I was certain of is this: he was told by another classmate (who was an agitator) that I drew a picture of his mother. Being one of the better cartoonists in high school, I was an easy target for the blame.

No matter how much I tried to explain my innocence he would not back down and this led to a "Let's take it outside after school.". "Great...", I thought, as I finished up my day, not being able to concentrate on my school work (the interesting classes, at least). I met him around the back of the school with a small crowd watching and the 'agitator' snickering nearby (who knew I didn't draw the darned thing!). We stood for what seemed like forever and I finally told him that I had to go to my job (flipping burgers). I walked away and he did nothing - he was as nervous as I was, I could tell by the way he was shaking. Nothing more ever happened after that. He gave up his campaign against me, I suppose, but ignoring him was the best thing I ever did in that situation.

I thought that I might look like an idiot if I did swing the first punch, or even retaliate by getting punched first. Not only that, I have always liked my teeth and didn't think a stupid fight was worth it. The problem is ,in high school, or even public school, that you can feel like you are alone when it comes to somebody picking on you. It's a hard thing to admit to being a 'tattle-tale' (do they still call it that?)and it's tough to look like a coward - but those are some of the myths that are perpetuated by some parents and legal guardians. In fact, anybody being bullied in school should be provided with a clear alternative to being bullied without being embarrassed about it; the bullies should be the ones who are embarrassed.

I say 'open up a can of bully-be-gone' and get 'em out of your face! There are people who can and will help you!

Feel free to contact me at any time if I can help solve your work or school-related problems. (buck@thinkworknotjob.com)