Delta Dallas Magazine » success

The Economy of Results

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:00:52 +0000

I like the cover of Larry Winget’s book; It’s Called Work for a Reason! Your Success is Your Own Damn Fault. He stands boldly before you in a way-cool shirt and even cooler cowboy boots and refers to himself as the “Pitbull of Personal Development.” He is exactly that.

Mr. Winget has written a gripping, readable compilation of advice about accepting personal responsibility in the workplace. Winget is passionate about and frustrated by the lack of personal responsibility and poor work ethic in our society. Truthfully, I am too. When did we begin, as a society, to feel entitled to things we haven’t earned? I don’t know. My parents were baby boomers. If you were going to get anywhere in this life or in our household, you had to work for it. So, Winget’s suppositions about how people work are easy for me to swallow. The delivery of his opinions in a 240-page rant is intense, and although I found it easy to finish his book in an evening – it is not for the faint of heart.

Work It Like You Mean It
Mr. Winget, in his book, delivers many strong, simple truths to employees. All of his truths are intended to make the reader think twice about the way they have been working and make themselves indispensible. Winget stresses throughout the book that employees only spend a small percentage of their days working on the things that really matter. Employees are not paid to work hard, he says, but to produce results. It’s true. Employers are always looking for results, but in this economy it is even more important to bring tangible results to your employer. One of the strongest things he asserts is that employees should manage priorities, not time. I completely agree. Who has time to figure out how you should be managing your time when you could be producing results? Finally, and perhaps my favorite piece of advice he gives to employees is that there is always time to do the right thing. I think that says it all. Always take the time do the right thing. A clear conscience can let you focus on your next goal.

The Employer
Not surprisingly, Mr. Winget has a few choice words for employers as well. His advice about competition is the most interesting. He says,”You destroy the competition by not believing in it.” Radical. Larry Winget doesn’t believe in teamwork, either. He proposes; “Teamwork doesn’t work because someone on the team won’t work”, and says that employers should “create groups of superstars, exploiting their individuality.” His advice for employers is very similar to his advice for employees, and he brings attention to the absolute necessity to take responsibility and action. Employers, too, need to focus on results.

Larry Winget’s advice and information in this book are strong. The truths that he presses forth are simple truths that speak of much-needed character in the business world. He issues a challenge to all of us to become the best that we can be and speaks from a place of deep experience. I agree with Larry Winget when he says, “The things it takes to be successful in life are the same things it takes to be successful in business.” This economy has created a climate that is focused on results, and the skills to get us to the results we have been looking for have to come with strong character, hard work, and perseverance.

Tabitha Woods is Marketing Coordinator for Delta Dallas. Reach her at 972-788-2300 or twoods@deltadallas.com.

The Greatest Boss in the World

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:59:43 +0000

All of us are familiar with the expression, “Behind every great man is a great woman” . . . well the same holds true for company leaders. Behind every great boss are great employees. Those employees who innately exude energy and passion every day are often consequently those who work for the greatest boss in the world. Their attitudes affect both their efforts and perspective.

We all want to work for the greatest boss in the world . . . but where do we start? Whether you are new or have been on the job for 20 years, you need to draw from a couple of your core qualities in order to contribute to your “boss’ success.” What qualities? Passion, energy, and attitude! It is imperative that you work each day with the same passion and energy that got you your job in the first place.

What would it would be like if every employee in your organization, at every level, walked in tomorrow morning as if it were their first day on the job? I’m talking about people showing up ready to impress someone, ready to make a difference – with the passion and energy it takes to make something good happen. You would notice the difference right away. There would be excitement! Nobody would schlep in, plop down into their chair with a heavy sigh and begin the drudgery. It would be like the excitement you used to feel on the first day of school when you thought to yourself, “I’m going to make all A’s this year!” Everyone would be trying to make a good impression and looking for the opportunity to make their mark and stand out.

While this sounds simple, it’s not. This market downturn has impacted the way that many people think and perform. Have you noticed this in your place of work? Like baseball players who run into hitting slumps, we all hit periods which test our resolve. We are independently responsible for getting ourselves out of those slumps. Those of us that find the passion to fuel our search for the next hot streak make it through the tough times. Anyone that lets negative thoughts take over misses out and loses their spot on the team or their job because their attitude impacts the team as a whole. We all draw in either positive or negative energy through our choices as individuals. While being a cheerleader isn’t a requirement, being a doomsdayer is deadly and sure to provide the lumber for caskets to carry out the fallen.

Right now your boss either thinks you are an asset to the company and are going to be a mainstay, that you are in a funk and hopefully will get out of it, or that you are done and will need replaced as soon as they have headcount approval. Where do you stand? If you have made it this far in the recession, you can give yourself a pat on the back. Your employer has seen enough value in your contribution to keep you on in a tough economy, and that’s a good sign. However, recovery is on the way, and when it speeds up, there will be rampant change. Employers are continually evaluating their teams to see who will carry them best into the recovery. You must show up with first day excitement, passion, and energy to be seen as one of the people that are going to be a keeper.

The reality is that unemployment is now at 7- 10 percent nationwide. There are top-tier people who would wait in line for your job. If you are one of those in a slump, you can change your present status in the minds of the people around you, leadership and peers, in a matter of a few weeks. If you want to stay where you are, then you need to seize the opportunity that you have right in front of you and make it happen. What personal job goals have stayed in your head waiting for an outlet? Go for it! What is stopping you? I can guarantee you that your employer wants to see that fire come out. I can guarantee you that your employer needs that fire to come out.

The real question is: What is holding you back? One of my favorite favorite scenes in the movie The Bucket List takes place in Egypt. Carter Chambers (Morgan Freeman) and Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) are terminal cancer patients who are working through a list of items they would like to complete before they “kick the bucket.” Inspired by the Egyptian grandeur around them, they begin to talk about “the afterlife.” Carter tells Edward that the Egyptians believed that when your soul gets to the entrance of heaven, the gods would ask you two questions: 1. Have you found joy in your life? 2. Have you brought joy to others? Your work life could be dismal from this point forward, or joyful. It is up to you. Make the environment yours, make the success yours, and make a difference. Now is the time for you to take the responsibility to be the best employee in the world, and soon, you will have the best boss in the world.

Don Crawford is President and CEO of Delta Dallas. Reach him at 972-788-2300 or dcrawford@deltadallas.com.

Designed for Destiny

admin — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:57:50 +0000

Throughout history, women have made a significant difference with our hands, our minds and our courage. Once women joined the workforce at large, the impact was inevitable. Women have changed the face of business, and made significant contributions in a variety of industries.

A considerable number of women entered the work force during World War II. Women by the millions took factory jobs to make up for the domestic manpower shortage. After the war, the number of working women dropped, but by 1950 it was climbing again, at the rate of a million a year. By 1990, the work force was 47 percent female and 53 percent male, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many view this as one of the most important and desirable social and economic transformations of our lifetimes. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, and until this recession, women remained less than 49 percent of the work force. However, that percentage has now passed 49 percent and may cross the 50 percent threshold for the first time. As we cross this threshold it only makes sense to assess where we stand and set goals for the future.

Women have carved out a place for themselves in the workforce, and often have detached themselves from native qualities that have the most leadership potential. In her book, Designed for Success, Dondi Scumaci reviews the qualities that are widely understood to be leadership qualities, and juxtaposes them against the descriptions women most often face at work. Feminine descriptions such as catty, nurturing, empathetic, and aggressive are not associated as qualities suited for a role at the leadership table. Today, women are ready to re-assess the qualities that have brought them this far and look forward to the qualities that will take them further.

Silence is Golden, but Negotiation is Priceless

Women are still reluctant to ask for what they want in a work situation. In her book, Ms. Scumaci asserts that women tend to take the first salary offer from an employer rather than negotiating. Women have a tendency to view this as confrontational, and Ms. Scumaci predicates that men negotiate salaries more readily because they view it as a challenge rather than a confrontation. Lack of negotiation can lead to resentment later on when responsibilities in the workplace become greater and the real work begins. Many women are left feeling taken advantage of because they didn’t assert their true salary expectations during the interview process. Women who make no apologies for their expectations and have the courage to ask for the salaries they want and need are the top earners today. You will never get what you want if you don’t ask for it!

Listen and Grow

Women will continue to progress in the workplace, and in our developing roles we must be able to effectively take constructive feedback from peers, leadership, and people that we trust to be honest with us. We also have to be willing to accept the information given to us and use it to become more effective leaders in the workplace. Growth is always contingent on our willingness to be confident enough to admit when change is needed.

Woman, Market Thyself

Marketing. Women all over the world have entered the marketing field and are marketing their companies’ products. Why, then is it so hard market oneself? It is essential that women in the workplace develop a plan to strategically market themselves in order to develop, grow and position their careers for an ever-changing marketplace. Women need to establish strong personal branding both in and out of the office environment, and share their successes with peers. Your mother may have told you not to “toot your own horn,” but if you want people to notice your successes in a fast-paced environment, you had better pull out your tuba and get busy.

Communicate, Lead, Mentor

Most of us these days think of ourselves as self-actualized communicators. Have you, however, ever worked for someone that you felt was aggressive? In one scenario in this book, there is a female leader that led her team by intimidation. Her employees were afraid to speak to her or even ask questions. Due to this, the morale and productivity in the department was extremely low. This is how she wanted to be viewed, and she did not realize that this behavior would have such a negative impact on her organization. She honestly thought she was leading…because she thought that fear was a motivator and that if her employees viewed her as invulnerable, she would earn their respect. The opposite was true. Women don’t need to be aggressors in order to get people to listen or cooperate.

Conversely, I can remember a point in my career back in 1996 when I worked for a female SVP. Initially, though she was knowledgeable in her field, she seemed intimidating. This woman saw leadership qualities in me and gave me an opportunity that I never thought was possible at my level. She saw abilities in me that had not been activated and gave me a chance. We started a new division within the organization. With her continued mentorship and my willingness to push myself, we put together the number one direct hire administrative division of the company in Dallas. Though I don’t work with her any more, she remains a strong professional influence in my life to this day.

Can you see the difference? Both women were getting things done, but the woman who encouraged me was creating a future for her company, for me, and for herself. Mentorship is a win-win proposition. Women need to capitalize on our best qualities to become the leaders who will open doors for the next generation. We should encourage our employees to be a part of the decision-making process, and mentor them as we lead. The returns are worth it.

Dondi Scumaci has written a useful book that asks women to take an honest look at the way we do business. If you are a woman or a man who works with women, I highly recommend that you read this book. Everyone can benefit from the advice and wisdom within. I did. I sincerely look forward to what the future has to hold for women in the workplace. As we press into this new economy, we will need the tools that Dondi Scumaci presents to thrive.