Prince Charles is getting some press over a remark that he made to the effect that if the British don't start exercising some more, they'll be as fat as their American cousins.
If you are surprised at this lapse of diplomacy, remember that Charles studied gaffes at the feet of a true master.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Surviving the Bad Boss
Not that you'd ever need this but...
Mary Brandel, writing in Computerworld, has some good tips on surviving a bad boss and there's even a bad boss survival blog packed with ideas.
Mary Brandel, writing in Computerworld, has some good tips on surviving a bad boss and there's even a bad boss survival blog packed with ideas.
Good Guy
Guy Kawasaki, iconoclast and venture capitalist, has some good tips on his blog today regarding on bootstrapping your new business. He notes:
“Someone once told me that the probability of an entrepreneur getting venture capital is the same as getting struck by lightning while standing at the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day. This may be too optimistic.”
“Someone once told me that the probability of an entrepreneur getting venture capital is the same as getting struck by lightning while standing at the bottom of a swimming pool on a sunny day. This may be too optimistic.”
Comparable Unworth
As this article shows, the doctrine of comparable worth is alive and well in Canada.
Comparing the pay of a flight attendant to that of a pilot and alleging sex discrimination may win points for creativity but little else.
Fortunately, the United States sticks with the equal pay for equal work standard.
In other words, if you want the same pay as a pilot, become a pilot.
BTW: Have you ever noticed how comparable worth advocates always want a group's pay raised and never advocate having the "favored" group's pay lowered?
Comparing the pay of a flight attendant to that of a pilot and alleging sex discrimination may win points for creativity but little else.
Fortunately, the United States sticks with the equal pay for equal work standard.
In other words, if you want the same pay as a pilot, become a pilot.
BTW: Have you ever noticed how comparable worth advocates always want a group's pay raised and never advocate having the "favored" group's pay lowered?
The Nuances of Grand Theft Auto
Is porn hidden within the Grand Theft Auto game?
A city attorney's office is going after the company for misrepresentation to gain a different rating and for unfair competition.
A city attorney's office is going after the company for misrepresentation to gain a different rating and for unfair competition.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Quote of the Day
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you walk into an open sewer and die."
- Mel Brooks
- Mel Brooks
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Motivation Recipe
There are the traditional theories of how to motivate employees, such as can be found here, and then there is the unconventional but time proven approach.
The Seldom Discussed Topic
The one topic that is seldom discussed in the workplace but is absolutely crucial to effective leadership is courage.
Most employee relations lawsuits come about because someone, somewhere, was reluctant to confront the problem while it was small. They ignored it and played "Let's pretend it's not there" and the problem grew into some attorney's creature.
Courage is not discussed because it's one of those personal things you are supposed to have and if you don't have it, for God's sake don't tell us because then we might have to address your problems for you and we have a little problem with that courage thing ourselves. As a result, lack of courage is usually a group problem. The supervisor lacks the guts to confront the difficult employee because he or she knows that the folks in upper management in turn lack the guts to support firm action.
[I once provided advice on a situation where a supervisor had waved a gun around, showed up drunk, threatened employees and fondled women. When upper management was briefed on the matter, one of the executive suite wizards asked, "Can't we find a desk for this guy somewhere?"
It's a safe bet that he didn't want the desk next to his own.]
How do you get courage? By doing courageous things. That's how the military and police and fire departments train their recruits. They teach them to behave illogically by forcing them to move toward, instead of away from, danger. They drill and drill again so that certain actions become second nature and self-confidence grows.
The same approach can be taken in small steps in the workplace. The phone message you don't want to return? That's the first task you should tackle. The difficult employee who needs to be turned around? Sit down and talk about the specific performance problem in clear, no-nonsense terms. It won't be easy the first or second or even the tenth time but it will get easier and, some day, the actions that you regard as standard will be worthy of being called courageous.
Most employee relations lawsuits come about because someone, somewhere, was reluctant to confront the problem while it was small. They ignored it and played "Let's pretend it's not there" and the problem grew into some attorney's creature.
Courage is not discussed because it's one of those personal things you are supposed to have and if you don't have it, for God's sake don't tell us because then we might have to address your problems for you and we have a little problem with that courage thing ourselves. As a result, lack of courage is usually a group problem. The supervisor lacks the guts to confront the difficult employee because he or she knows that the folks in upper management in turn lack the guts to support firm action.
[I once provided advice on a situation where a supervisor had waved a gun around, showed up drunk, threatened employees and fondled women. When upper management was briefed on the matter, one of the executive suite wizards asked, "Can't we find a desk for this guy somewhere?"
It's a safe bet that he didn't want the desk next to his own.]
How do you get courage? By doing courageous things. That's how the military and police and fire departments train their recruits. They teach them to behave illogically by forcing them to move toward, instead of away from, danger. They drill and drill again so that certain actions become second nature and self-confidence grows.
The same approach can be taken in small steps in the workplace. The phone message you don't want to return? That's the first task you should tackle. The difficult employee who needs to be turned around? Sit down and talk about the specific performance problem in clear, no-nonsense terms. It won't be easy the first or second or even the tenth time but it will get easier and, some day, the actions that you regard as standard will be worthy of being called courageous.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Paralysis By Due Process
Common Good has posted a chart on the steps that are required to fire a public school teacher in New York City.
Read it and weep here.
Read it and weep here.
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