How to Make Someone’s Day

Posted on by Scott

trophy-e1448234345798Thursday morning I received an email from someone that changed my entire day. It was unexpected. It was unsolicited. But it was amazing. I’ll just share the first line.

“You may not know that you are appreciated or that your message resonates with others; but it does.”

You know those days where nothing you do seems to work? The days when none of your conversations go the way you want them to? The days when you start to question your own effectiveness and ability to make a difference? Well, this wasn’t one of those days. It was turning out to be one of those weeks.

It was only three sentences long, but this one email changed my perspective in a second. It didn’t just make me feel good; it made me feel great – like I’d won first place in a contest I didn’t even know I had entered.

You’re likely familiar with Abraham Maslow and his Hierarchy of needs. First presented in 1943 as part of a paper he titled “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Maslow’s hierarchy categorizes five stages of human development. Curious about what drives people to behave the way they do, he identified five different levels of human growth.

Level I is made up of basic survival needs – Food, shelter, air, etc. Without these, we cannot physically survive. Maslow calls these Physiological needs. One they are taken care of, we can turn our attention to satisfying our Level II need – safety. This group of needs encompasses personal and financial security as well as general health concerns.

Levels III, IV, and V start to get complicated. They are, respectively, Love & Belonging, Esteem, and Self-Actualization. As humans, we have a strong urge to feel accepted for who we are, to feel good about our place in society, and to believe we are achieving our highest potential. The surprise email I received last week sure gave me a boost in all three of these areas.

I’m betting something like this has happened to you. In the midst of a tough period – a time when you were doubting yourself or feeling unappreciated – someone reached out and gave you a lift. They had no idea how important their words would be. They had no way of knowing just how badly you needed the lift. They were just saying “I appreciate you. Thanks for what you do.”

Somebody out there needs to hear that from you.

This week, as you prepare to gather with friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving, take a minute to think of someone you could reach out to with a word of encouragement. You don’t have to write a book. You don’t have to spend a lot of time searching for the perfect way to say it. Just let the words flow.

I guarantee you’ll make someone’s day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What Makes a Top Performer?

Posted on by Scott

image

Last week, I had a conversation with a couple of people about identifying their top customers. It’s been my experience that when asked to name their best customers – that is, those who contribute the most to the business – the majority of people get it wrong. A look into actual sales data and performance of actual accounts over time always reveals others who contributed more. In fact, those that were considered “top” customers often prove to be hurting the business. Their demands for refunds and special treatment make them a burden rather than an asset.

The same can be said of employees I think. A manager’s perception of their team’s top performers is very often skewed. Someone who knows the right things to say or manages to be in the right place at the right time is not necessarily a key contributor. Digging into some actual performance data reveals that the actual work was conducted by others, people who may not be in a position of influence. The one you think is a top performer may in fact be riding on the coattails of the organization’s true heroes.

How do you identify a top performer? How do you know you are one them?

Top Performers Will: Top Performers Won’t:
  • Volunteer for new challenges.
  • Wait for someone to tell them what needs to be done.
  • Give credit where credit is due.
  • Allow you to believe they contributed more than they did.
  • Have a track record of steady contribution.
  • Have a hard time explaining their individual contribution to the team.
  • Identify ways to improve the organization.
  • Bad-mouth the organization.
  • Look for opportunities to assist others.
  • Shrug their shoulders when others encounter difficulty.
  • Work to build a history of performance.
  • Rely on friendships or past successes.
  • Have the support of those who work closest to them.
  • Be resented for failing to act as part of the team.

As a manager, do you know who your top performers really are? Are you relying on hearsay, assumptions, or friendships to guide your perception of team performance? If you were to dig a little deeper into actual performance, who would stand out?

As an employee, are you contributing in a way that identifies you as a top performer? Are you producing actual work or claiming success that really isn’t yours? Would those who see what you do on a daily basis refer to you as a top performer?

We all want to be seen as a marquee player. And everyone wants to have superstars on their team. The good news is top performers, like top customers, are easy to spot. You just have to know what to look for. What attributes tell you someone is a top performer?

Celebrate!

Posted on by Scott

 

Happy Successful Business People Celebrating and Jumping in New York City

This week, I’m traveling to Bryan/College Station, TX. I’m joining bankers from the area for their mid-year Sales & Service Rally, a celebration of the individual and team accomplishments attained through the first half of the year. I’m anticipating a festive atmosphere as employees from a variety of roles come together to recognize each other.

Some see recognition events such as this as waste of time and resources. They view them as frivolous and unnecessary. They feel a pat on the back is quite enough to say “Thank you” and motivate future performance.

They couldn’t be more wrong.

While top performers are indeed driven by an internal pursuit of excellence as opposed to any external motivator, recognition events serve a much greater purpose. You see, they help unify and reinvigorate the team. In fact, I believe bringing the team together in this way provides three specific benefits to the organization.

  1. They reinforce the power of the team. Any opportunity to bring the team together is a good one. It gives everyone a chance to reconnect with each other and each other’s talents. Navigating the daily list of personal tasks can seem very lonely. It’s easy to fall into a routine, your own routine, and forget that your actually part of something larger. When the team comes together, it reminds us that our small part of the puzzle helps complete the big picture. Without everyone doing their part, and supporting the others as they do theirs, the picture can’t be completed.
  2. They reemphasize the goals of the team. Teams are assembled for a purpose – to accomplish a goal. But the finish line can seem very far away at times. Coming together to celebrate your team’s progress helps close the distance. Because day-to-day it’s hard to see the impact of your work. You have to stop periodically and look back to recognize just how far you’ve come. Seeing the progress that’s been made allows you to more clearly chart a path to the end.
  3. They recharge the battery of the team. Let’s face it. We all lose energy from time to time. We all get burned out. We all sometimes wonder why we’re working so hard. Just as a vacation is healthy for the individual, celebration and fun are vital to the health of the team. When you bring people together, feed and entertain them, and allow them to engage in some group fellowship, you can just see the energy levels rise. Shared experiences create memories. And shared memories build relationships. Nothing makes the team stronger than bringing the team together.

When leaders focus on the bottom line, it’s easy to forget that businesses are made up of people. We’re human and, as humans, were designed to be social creatures. We are at our best when we’re part of something bigger. Many organizations speak of their employees in terms of family. I don’t know about you, but my family always seems to function better when we work – and play – together.

What does your team have to celebrate this week?