Spring has truly sprung in the Midwest and with that comes two perennial activities associated with May and June. Spring cleaning and Weddings. And what do those both have to do with the business of employees? Employees are the leverage that take a business from just being one person’s job and dream, to the first steps of building an asset to fuel future visions.
Spring cleaning is about opening up spaces in our existing environment by cleaning and polishing those things we want to keep which add value to finding a useful home for those we don’t need or are no longer useful. Any of us who have been fired or left before the door hit us in the behind know that in the end we usually found a better adventure. As an employer, sometimes we need to help people find their new adventure. My dad, who was my mentor, shared with me stories about several teachers that he helped “talk out of the teaching profession”. He prided himself in not firing bad teachers, but helping good people find their true calling. Jeff has a great story about an employee that needs a new venue.
Weddings are about new beginnings, new adventures and June is filled with them! I’ve been married a long time, a really long time and it has been a wonderful adventure! Because of being married for decades, I’m often asked “what advice do you give for a successful marriage“. In the past, I would say “never buy a house with a flat roof”, still good advice and a long story, but we did survived that. So, the advice I give works for marriage, the workplace and most anywhere. Marriage is never 50/50 as in “you do 50% of the work and your spouse does 50%”. Most of us say we always do more than 50% in our marriage or workplace. So, may advice to a couple getting married is “each do 75% on everything“. You see what I see as 75% of taking care of my car might be putting gas in it and changing the oil. My spouse may think that my activities are only 25%, because he actually opens the hood and does things and vacuums and washes his car on a regular basis! It really is that simple – although “try” is not a plan, “trying” to reach 75% will lead to a very different workplace. If you have an employee that is not even trying 50%, go back up and read Spring Cleaning.
Checkout Tiffiny’s ideas on re-engaging as they are just that simple, going the extra step.
