Category: Reck, Ross; Dr.

The Right Thing

Doing the right thing makes you look good and it energizes those around.  Often we are faced with situations where we ask ourselves, “Should I do the right thing or take the easy way out?”

I was on a Hertz Rental Car bus not long ago at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.  A pregnant woman traveling with three kids and five suitcases was getting off the bus at the United Airlines terminal.  All the driver was required to do was to help the woman and her children off the bus and put her bags on the curb (the easy way out).  Instead, he carried her bags to the entrance of the terminal, loaded them onto a Smartcarte and then turned the cart over to the woman (the right thing).  When he returned to the bus, he was greeted with cheers and a thunderous ovation.  The energy level on the bus for the rest of the ride was unbelievable as everyone was blown away by the driver’s actions.

The next time you are tempted to take the easy way out, keep in mind that people are watching.  So, do the right thing and blow them away–you’ll be glad you did!

References:

• RossReck.com

• 100% Employee Engagement Guaranteed! Newly Revised [Kindle & Paperback Editions]

  Now Available from Amazon.com for $15.99

  

  Imagine a workplace where every employee is engaged with their work … where every employee shows up each day excited about giving every bit of energy, creativity and passion to performing their job. These employees don’t need to be motivated because they already are and they channel their motivation toward creating a competitive edge for their company that can’t be easily copied. They’re constantly making innovative changes to products, services and customer experiences while providing superior levels of customer service which results in loyal customers. This means higher levels of repeat and referral business which, in turn, translates into significant increases in market share. In addition, absenteeism and turnover rates for these fully engaged employees are far below industry averages because they absolutely love what they do. This book presents a new management model that guarantees an employee engagement level of 100%. If you implement this model in your organization, every one of your employees will become engaged with their work; all working at their full potential. Think of what it would mean to the success of your business or organization if you could get all of your employees engaged with their work.

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Micromanaging

One of life’s most difficult lessons is to come to grips with the fact that the tools that have taken you to where you are, are not the tools that are going to take you to the next level.  For example, micromanaging, where you are constantly looking over other people’s shoulders, may work well when you’re managing young entry level employees.

On the other hand, it will get you into big time trouble when you try to use it on more seasoned employees at the next level because they will resent it.  So, the next time you notice that something which has worked well for you in the past is no longer working, ask yourself, “Is what I am doing going to take me to the next level or is it going to keep me from getting there?”  You may find that it’s high time to trade in that old set of tools in for a new set that’s going to take you where you want to go.

Jack Welch, the legendary former CEO of General Electric, credits his phenomenal success to his changing from a ruthless numbers focused manager to a people focused manager.  So, is it time for a change for you? [1]

References:

1. RossReck.com

• Winning by Jack Welch

  

  Winning

  Jack Welch knows how to win. During his forty-year career at General Electric, he led the company to year-after-year success around the globe, in multiple markets, against brutal competition. His honest, be-the-best style of management became the gold standard in business, with his relentless focus on people, teamwork, and profits.

  Since Welch retired in 2001 as chairman and chief executive officer of GE, he has traveled the world, speaking to more than 250,000 people and answering their questions on dozens of wide-ranging topics.

  Inspired by his audiences and their hunger for straightforward guidance, Welch has written both a philosophical and pragmatic book, which is destined to become the bible of business for generations to come. It clearly lays out the answers to the most difficult questions people face both on and off the job.

  Welch’s objective is to speak to people at every level of an organization, in companies large and small. His audience is everyone from line workers to MBAs, from project managers to senior executives. His goal is to help everyone who has a passion for success.

  Welch begins Winning with an introductory section called “Underneath It All,” which describes his business philosophy. He explores the importance of values, candor, differentiation, and voice and dignity for all.

  The core of Winning is devoted to the real “stuff” of work. This main part of the book is split into three sections. The first looks inside the company, from leadership to picking winners to making change happen. The second section looks outside, at the competition, with chapters on strategy, mergers, and Six Sigma, to name just three. The next section of the book is about managing your career—from finding the right job to achieving work-life balance.

  Welch’s optimistic, no excuses, get-it-done mind-set is riveting. Packed with personal anecdotes and written in Jack’s distinctive no b.s. voice, Winning offers deep insights, original thinking, and solutions to nuts-and-bolts problems that will change the way people think about work.

  References:

  1. RossReck.com
  2. Amazon.com
  3. Wikipedia – Jack Welch

The Golden Rule

Treating others the way you want to be treated is often referred to as the Golden Rule.  The reason it’s called the Golden Rule is that it has such a high payoff associated with it.  People absolutely crave to be treated with kindness and respect.  So, when you treat them this way, you almost always make their day.  As a result, they are both happy and excited.  When people are happy and excited, they feel compelled to do something extra nice for the person who made them feel that way.

If you practice the Golden Rule with any degree of consistency, in no time at all you’ll start to accumulate this vast army of people who absolutely can’t do enough for you.  I refer to this army as your Personal Army of Advocates.  When this army starts to fall in place, whatever you’re trying to accomplish becomes so much easier because you all of these people excited about helping you.  So, give the Golden Rule a try.  You’ve got nothing to lose and a very bright future to gain.

• 100% Employee Engagement Guaranteed! Newly Revised [Kindle & Paperback Editions]

  Now Available from Amazon.com for $15.99

  

  Imagine a workplace where every employee is engaged with their work … where every employee shows up each day excited about giving every bit of energy, creativity and passion to performing their job. These employees don’t need to be motivated because they already are and they channel their motivation toward creating a competitive edge for their company that can’t be easily copied. They’re constantly making innovative changes to products, services and customer experiences while providing superior levels of customer service which results in loyal customers. This means higher levels of repeat and referral business which, in turn, translates into significant increases in market share. In addition, absenteeism and turnover rates for these fully engaged employees are far below industry averages because they absolutely love what they do. This book presents a new management model that guarantees an employee engagement level of 100%. If you implement this model in your organization, every one of your employees will become engaged with their work; all working at their full potential. Think of what it would mean to the success of your business or organization if you could get all of your employees engaged with their work.

Relationships

I’m sure you’ve all heard the old adage, “You can go to the well once too often.”  It means that you can only ask another person for favors so many times before you wear out your welcome.  This is true only if you fail to maintain your relationships.  As long as you maintain your relationships, you can go to the well as often as you want.

Maintain Your Relationships

There are two things you need to do to maintain your relationships:  First, regularly spend time visiting with the people you deal with (either in person or on the phone) when you don’t ask for things.  If the only time you visit with these people is when you want something, you quickly become know as a “taker” or “user” and no one wants to do favors for that kind of person.  Second, when one of these people needs a favor from you, make sure you come through for them in a big way.  If you do this on a consistent basis, I can assure you that you well will never dry up. [1]

References:

1. RossReck.com

• 100% Employee Engagement Guaranteed! Newly Revised [Kindle & Paperback Editions]

  Now Available from Amazon.com for $15.99

  

  Imagine a workplace where every employee is engaged with their work … where every employee shows up each day excited about giving every bit of energy, creativity and passion to performing their job. These employees don’t need to be motivated because they already are and they channel their motivation toward creating a competitive edge for their company that can’t be easily copied. They’re constantly making innovative changes to products, services and customer experiences while providing superior levels of customer service which results in loyal customers. This means higher levels of repeat and referral business which, in turn, translates into significant increases in market share. In addition, absenteeism and turnover rates for these fully engaged employees are far below industry averages because they absolutely love what they do. This book presents a new management model that guarantees an employee engagement level of 100%. If you implement this model in your organization, every one of your employees will become engaged with their work; all working at their full potential. Think of what it would mean to the success of your business or organization if you could get all of your employees engaged with their work.

Some people are so afraid of making a mistake that they let this fear paralyze them into inaction.  What we have to remember is that life is all about making mistakes–and learning from them!  If you’re not out there making mistakes, you’re not growing.  It’s impossible to be creative, innovative or achieve progress without making mistakes.  So, the next time you’re confronted with the possibililty of making a mistake, remember that it took thousands of mistakes to put a person on the moon.  It also took Thomas Edison 3000 failed tries before he invented the electric light bulb.  The old adage is true:  There is no such thing as failure–only the failure to try.