Issue #49

In this issue:

Word to the Whys

"We cannot teach young people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves."
Galileo

"You must be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way."
John Wooden

"Be patient and calm—for no one can catch fish in anger."
Herbert Hoover

"Three billion people on the face of the earth go to bed hungry every night, but four billion people go to bed every night hungry for a simple word of encouragement and recognition."
Cavett Robert

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory."
Gandhi

"A master can tell you what he expects of you. A teacher, though, awakens your own expectations."
Patricia Neal

"Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

"If a kid asks where rain comes from, I think a cute thing to tell him is, "God is crying." And if he asks why God is crying, another cute thing to tell him is, "Probably because of something you did."
Jack Handey - Author of Deep Thoughts

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Links of Note...

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Getting Them to Give a Damn: How to Get Your Front Line to Care About Your Bottom Line
the new book by Eric Chester reveals the management techniques that leading-edge employers are using to get these quirky, book-smart, and streetwise employees—Eric calls them 'kidployees'—to contribute in innovative and entrepreneurial ways.

Available now. Order your copy today! -more-

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It is what it is…

"I don't think we should have to acknowledge an employee who simply meets the standard."

"Rewards should be given only to those who go above and beyond the norm."

"If we get in the practice of doling out praise and incentives for every little thing our kidployees do, we'll condition them to perform only if they are praised and incentivized!"

Who can argue with these statements? I hear them all the time.

In my seminars, no single topic brings forth more debate than when I encourage leaders and managers to aggressively look for rewarding opportunities. Experience has taught successful Boomers and Gen X'ers that work is its own reward, so most aren't warmly receptive to the notion of attaching a carrot to everything they want/need their young upstarts to do.

"Dammit! When I first came into the workplace, I did as I was told, and I felt lucky to even have a job. And I got paid a lot less money and worked a lot harder than they do!" is the common underlying sentiment.

This begs the question, are employee incentive programs really necessary?

Yes.

Is this fair?

No. However, it is what it is.

Managers don't condition kidployees to expect a reward; they arrive to the job pre-conditioned to expect them. They've been reared in a society where every kid on every team gets a trophy, and the well-meaning adults in their lives have consistently reminded them that they are "special." The elaborate video games that Gen Whys play bonus and reward them every seven seconds, and mistakes are quickly remedied by simply pushing the reset button.

It is what it is. Therefore, unless you have Dr. Phil on your payroll, don't spend your time and resources trying to re-program them, and don't let it get to you. Instead, accept it for what it is and get good at playing the recognition and rewards game. Keep your 16-to-24-year-olds actively engaged and producing the amazing results they are capable of producing by developing a culture where your managers and supervisors are aggressively looking for rewarding opportunities, and are fully prepared to deal with them as they arise.

Two telling questions to ask yourself (or your management team):

1. Are we (management) ready and prepared to deal with a kidployee who shows up late (or not at all), is poorly dressed or out of uniform, is disrespectful to a manager or a customer, is caught with their hand in the till, etc. etc.?
2. Are we (management) ready and prepared to acknowledge (and even reward) the kidployee who shows up early (or is consistently on time), is neatly attired, shows great respect for authority and/or provides great service to a difficult customer, does a 'dirty job' without complaining, demonstrates honesty in a compromising situation, etc. etc.?

Unless your answer to question 2 is as enthusiastic a yes as it is to question 1, you are not connecting with your Whys, and it's very likely that they do not give a damn about you or your business. It's an ugly truth, but then again, it is what it is.

The Cost of Recognition—Acknowledging positive performance and achievement doesn't require you to walk around with an open wallet. While it helps to allocate some resources to reward demonstrated excellence, many of the best methods won't cost you a dime.

For example, consider calling the parents of an outstanding kidployee just to tell them how terrific their son or daughter is doing. You could also make contact with them via phone or email. Hand a kid a note saying, "good job," or offer to wash their car as a way of saying, "You've gone out of your way for me, let me go out of my way for you!" Place a signed post-it note praising a job-well-done at the point where it is visible for all to see, e.g. "If everyone cleaned the storeroom like Jarrod did on Thursday evening, we'd all get out of here a lot earlier on weekends. Great job Jarrod!" There are countless things you can do to recognize achievement without spending money. With thoughtfulness and a touch of creativity, you can assure a continuation in the positive attitude, behaviors, and performance of your front line.

The Take Away?—It's common knowledge that behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated. So spend the same time, energy, and resources figuring out how to acknowledge what you want as what you don't, and you will get a lot more of what you want and a lot less of what you don't.

Accept the new reality and jump in with both feet. After all, it is what it is.

Whys Cracks

LOVIN' IT: Ken Sinchar had met Lori Sherbondy as she was taking his order at a McDonald's restaurant in Pittsburgh, so the couple thought it was fitting to get married there. Sherbondy took up her familiar position at the drive-through window and Sinchar sat in his car outside as they exchanged their vows. A judge performed the ceremony as the couple held hands through the window and her parents and guests sat inside. "It's really meant for us," the blushing bride said. (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)
When he gave her the ring, she inadvertently blurted out "Super Size it!"

A LITTLE TOO MUCH MEDIA: Laura Ingalls Wilder Michele, 23, of Brighton, MA was sick and tired of her name: she was named after the character in Little House on the Prairie. It "just didn't fit" her, she says, so she legally changed her name—to Anakin Steuart Michele. She says she was using the name before the Star Wars movie series revealed that Darth Vader's "real" name is Anakin. "In a couple of years the whole 'Star Wars' thing will blow over and people will stop associating my name with the dark lord", she says. (Boston Herald)
Whatever happened to naming a kid after a relative?

Did You Know?

More than half of Eric's speaking engagements are for repeat clients:

Here are a few recent bookings, followed by the number of times Eric has presented for each:

• Harley-Davidson (2)
• Wells Fargo (4)
• Hy-Vee Supermarkets (5)
• Figaro's Pizza (2)
• Michigan Association of School Boards (2)
• CITGO (2)
• Society for Human Resource Management (6)

Inquire here to find out how to bring Eric to your event!