Your stars… top dogs… numero unos… aces in the hole… big guns… elite team… top performers. You know who they are!
Knowing how to keep them can make the difference between success and failure (or worse: mediocrity) for your business.
I have been working with a lot of accomplished executives and entrepreneurs. They varied in age, cultural background, education, interests, personality types, religions, beliefs, industries, and in many other ways. Despite all the differences, I noticed they all had one thing in common…
As a manager, I have always wanted to find balance. On the one hand, I want to be nice. I want my team to trust me, like me, confide in me, and enjoy their time around me and around each other. On the other hand, I want to deliver great results. I want to continually improve and over-achieve as a team and as individuals in the team.
Finding this balance is tough. Here’s a tip.
“Did you try harder?!”
That was my favorite response when someone on my team came for help solving a problem… especially someone new. The response initially gets a surprised pause followed by a smile when she realizes it’s a joke. Eventually, people would start by “Yes Noor, I tried harder…” and continue with the issue at hand.
Little jokes like that lightened up the mood and added a little fun in our workplace. It was a piece of a puzzle of creating a great working atmosphere where people actually enjoyed coming to work. I loved it.
Here are some tips for injecting fun into your workplace… and improve performance while you’re at it.
I was in a shop the other day watching the manager give heat to one of his employees. As soon as the...
I worked with a lot of young people in my career. I lectured to over a thousand university students and later managed a large team of people, mostly in their 20’s. I noticed that these young professionals made one mistake more consistently than any other. This meant I ended up giving one piece of advice more than any other. This advice, in my opinion, is one of the most important lessons any young professional needs to learn for his/her career.
