Never Lose Your Job Become A More Valuable Player pdf

Your boss wants top performing employees, yet he or she may not have taken the time to understand what you and your fellow workers most seek in your job, beyond your paycheck.. I’m not s

Never Lose Your Job Become A More Valuable Player

And IMPROVE YOUR BOTTOM LINE DEVELOP MVPs TODAY

by Jim Rohrer

© 2011 The Loyalty Partners, LLC All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic recording or photocopying without written

permission of the publisher The exception would be in the case of brief quotations

Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of

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Jim Rohrer Speaks Why You Should Listen

Sample of: Improve Your Bottom Line Develop Mvps Today

Never Lose Your Job Become a More Valuable Player is a bi-book; that is, you get two books in one Its format, which addresses employers under one cover and employees under the other, is my attempt to get both to exchange points of view I believe

exchanging perspectives is the most powerful way under the sun to facilitate progress in anything To make significant progress, we must change our frame of reference

If you have a job and are valuable enough to your employer, you can probably be secure in your employment This half of the book will give you some real-life ways to

become The other half of the book is directed to employers, suggesting to them some

simple ways they can develop the MVPs (More Valuable Players) who will improve the profitability of their business If I can help even in a small way to reduce layoffs and improve some businesses’ viability, it’s worth the effort

I believe the economic crisis we’ve been enduring since late in 2008 has brought us to

a crossroads Businesses need to be more creative than ever to succeed They need to

rethink much of what they At the same time, employees are experiencing unprecedented numbers of job losses Those who are employed are asking themselves, The most

valuable asset any business has is its people You and your fellow workers largely

determine the success of the business you’re in, yet you may not be feeling so valuable in these turbulent times

Your boss wants top performing employees, yet he or she may not have taken the time

to understand what you and your fellow workers most seek in your job, beyond your paycheck We know that, like air, a paycheck is necessary for life, but once you have it, there are many other factors which affect how you feel about your job

As an employee, you can virtually insure your own job security if you become

valuable enough to the long term success of the company If you could walk in your bosses’ shoes, and he or she could walk in yours, you would greatly increase your

probability of getting what’s really important to each of you

We all live in our own frames of reference Our personal perspectives largely define how we see the world It’s no surprise that our astronauts come back from outer space changed individuals They see the world in a way that’s impossible to see while their feet are on the ground Anyone who has travelled abroad learns that the world does not

revolve around the USA Unfortunately, most Americans assume it does

I was about to graduate from Air Force Officer Training School, as a Second

Lieutenant, otherwise known as a My last stop was a visit with a tough, old Sergeant

Among our instructors, he gave us the very best training we received during the entire course

Sarge pointed out that today we were trainees, but tomorrow we’d be junior officers, and, as was the tradition, if we passed, he’d be saluting us! He further pointed out that the salute was out of respect for the gold bars we wore, not necessarily for the wearer He further explained that non-commissioned officers like himself, who earned their rank by experience, actually ran the Air Force They largely determined the success or failure of each day’s mission

The old sergeant went on to tell us that our individual effectiveness as officers would

be determined by our ability to work with those who had the experience If we insisted on believing and acting as if we knew everything, we would fail We’d never earn the

respect of those whom we outranked If, on the other hand, we were able to respect the experience represented by those who had been there and actually done the work, we’d become successful leaders Our careers and the Air Force would benefit from that

leadership

On graduation day, as we filed past the reviewing stand, there was the old Sergeant saluting every one of us I never forgot his message and his salute I’ve tried to earn that salute by honoring the lesson he taught me

In the second half of this book, I hope to influence your boss so he’ll listen more keenly to you and your ideas I’m hoping your boss will stop and consider what’s

important to you and your fellow workers By the same token, I want you to think about what it’s like to be responsible for the livelihoods of many who count on the success of the business to provide the jobs so necessary to survive in today’s job-shrinking

economic times

Trying harder won’t improve results nearly as much as exchanging perspectives with your boss Truly, you have to walk in each other’s shoes to understand how working for mutual goals can insure that the company will not only survive but thrive In turn, you’ll have a much better chance of staying employed

The current economy may have you scared to death If you’re like many Americans, you couldn’t survive long without your monthly paycheck I know exactly how you feel

I once had a job that was critical to my financial well-being But I also knew I was

overpaid for the job I’d been given! Due to a complicated set of circumstances, the job responsibilities had been lessened after the pay level was set In other words, I was being paid more than my contributions were worth to the organization It gets worse

Because of this fear, I became less aggressive about doing the job For the first time in

my career, I was timid and unwilling to give the tasks at hand all I had I’m not saying I didn’t work hard and put in the time, but I just didn’t give it the benefit of my many years

of experience I could have performed better, but fear of losing the job caused me to underperform As soon as the first opportunity for a downsizing occurred, I was part of the downsizing I feel particularly bad about the result of my less than stellar

performance, because others who worked for me were also downsized

Every job, whether it’s sweeping the floor or being the CEO, has two levels of

compensation appropriate for that job The first is whatever the company would have to pay to get someone else to perform the job at a satisfactory level The second level is the economic worth the organization gets from outstanding performance by the jobholder.Let’s say you’re driving a truck and servicing the company’s customers If you’re making the expected number of service calls and successfully completing the calls, your pay should be at the level the company would have to pay to replace you If, on the other hand, you’re not only making your expected calls, but you’re also creating a positive experience in the minds of your customers; you’re going above what’s expected By creating a favorable view of your company, you’ve actually raised your value to the company Your employer might decide to raise your pay, either by some merit pay based

on the performance plan, or just by recognizing you with a base increase In either case, you need to continue to perform at that current level or higher

If you’re following this example, you may say, Isn’t there a pay benefit for longevity

on the job? In our current competitive environment, the answer is no, unless that extra experience translates into performance that helps your company compete more

One only has to look at the American automotive companies whose pay practices, from the plant floor to the boardroom, were not supported by the same level of economic value to the companies Companies who overpay their employees will not be able to stay

in business There’s no doubt the one significant factor in the millions of lost jobs is that,

as in the case of me in the job I lost, the pay was greater than the benefit received by the company

If you want job security, you should strive to be underpaid, not overpaid!

This book was written to help you gain practical ways to increase your value to your employer If you become a MVP, you’ll have greater job security, and you may even have the boss tap you for a tougher, higher-paying job

I hope you’re excited to read my ideas about how you can become a MVP If your employer gave you this book, it says he or she is looking for a new level of partnership with you One which will benefit you and make the company better able to sail through this tough economy and whatever competitive challenges it may face in the future

Be sure to read the employer side of this book as well This is meant to be a

partnership between employee and employer

CHAPTER ONE

I’m sure you’ve heard someone say You may not like hearing that, but it's true that

what's running through your mind has a lot to do with how you’ll perform Your attitude can be either a limiting or a positive factor; however, attitude adjustment is not a simple matter

We’re all familiar with the idea of the glass half full or half empty It’s true that we all see things in different ways I know I’m a person who always anticipates achieving a positive goal or focuses on an upcoming pleasant experience

My wife Nancy is quite different She has a tendency to look for ways to avoid

unpleasant events If I were to propose purchasing a new car, I’d have a difficult time getting her excited about the shiny new vehicle because she’d see the cost more clearly than the enjoyment factor If, on the other hand, I pointed out that our current vehicle is old and we’re facing future high maintenance costs, she’d be inclined to want to avoid those costs and favor the purchase

Neither of these views is correct or incorrect, they’re just different Some of us hear a set of facts and automatically try to validate these facts in our mind Others of us

immediately try to invalidate the facts in our mind One of us hears their inner voice

saying Others hear

The point here is to encourage the realization we can’t always just turn on a positive attitude when faced with a set of facts While such an attitude is universally sought, we have to work hard to train our minds to be open to process facts in a positive manner, one which moves us forward rather than being a burden to success Let’s look at the four key ingredients of a positive attitude: confidence, adaptability, innovation and personal growth

CONFIDENCE EQUALS PREPARATION PLUS BELIEF TIMES PASSION

Just like the classic children’s book, The Little Engine That Could, knowing you have

it in yourself to do something makes it much more possible to accomplish This thing called confidence is important Oh, you might say that just believing doesn't make it happen You’re right, of course, but if you actually prepare for whatever you’re trying to

do, and then give it everything you have, it's much more likely to come true

When I was a twelve year old boy, I played on a little league baseball team I was a pretty good ballplayer because my dad had spent many, many hours teaching me to hit, throw and catch a baseball We had a rock in the front bushes that we’d pull out and use

as an imaginary first base Since I wasn’t a fast runner and didn’t have a very strong throwing arm, we decided I’d be a first baseman We spent many hours with Dad

throwing me the ball so I had to reach for it and stretch to keep my foot on that rock

In addition to working on fielding, we’d go up to the schoolyard, and he’d pitch dozens of balls to me to improve my hitting He knew hitting was about timing and timing required that you swing early Most kids swing late, but Dad taught me to swing early and hard That lesson enabled me to hit the ball most of the time It was this

preparation that made it possible for me to make the baseball team

In those days there weren't enough teams to accommodate every kid who wanted to play You had to be good enough to get picked for the team I’m sure that without the hard work and preparation with my Dad, I wouldn’t have made the team

About half way through the season, I had a bad streak with my hitting I was striking

out a lot I hated to strike out, so I stopped swinging and hoped to get a walk It wasn't that hard to do because many pitchers didn't have good control They could throw hard, but they might not get the ball over the plate I got to the place where I was walking once

or twice a game, but getting called out on strikes the other times When that happened, I blamed it on a bad call by the umpire This was my way of avoiding swing-and-miss strikeouts

One week right before we were to play a good team with the best pitcher in the league,

my mother announced we wouldn't be going to the game that week “What do you

mean,” I asked? “Of course, we have to go to the game.”

“No,” Mom said, “your Dad and I decided since you’re afraid to swing and Westfall is pitching in this one, it doesn’t make sense to even go He won’t walk you and you won’t swing, so what’s the point?”

I was horrified I couldn’t believe we’d just not show up What would my coach and teammates think? This was a big game and not going was like giving up and being a bad teammate I begged them to change their mind, but there was no budging their decision I thought about the whole thing of not swinging, and realized it was what would be called

at the time, a “sissy way” out of my batting slump I mentioned to Dad that maybe we should take some extra time practicing hitting at school Then I’d be better prepared to face Westfall

“No, it's too late for that,” he said “You’ve made up your mind you can’t hit, so let's just forget the whole thing.”

I couldn't sleep at night; I was totally filled with the thoughts of what my teammates would say about my not coming to face Westfall They’d say I was “chicken.” I guess in

a way, I was Anyway, it was an awful week The game was on Thursday, and on that morning, I made one more attempt to get the decision changed I told my parents I’d swing at any pitch over the plate I promised there would be no walks They listened to

me and they softened their stance a little Dad said he’d think about it at work, and if he changed his mind, he’d call in time for us to go to the game

I had an awful day because I was convinced we weren’t going to the game I kept asking Mom if Dad had called He hadn't, and the reality that I was too “chicken” to face Westfall hung over me all day The game was to start at four o'clock About 3:15, the call came Mom put me on the phone Dad said he’d allow me to play if I kept my promise to swing at strikes I promised and hurried to get my uniform on and head out to the ball park

When we got there, I noticed my Dad was just pulling up, but I hardly acknowledged him I was still plenty upset by what had happened that week I saw Westfall warming up

on the sideline, but didn't allow myself to watch how hard he threw Since I batted third, I knew I’d be facing him in the first inning I can still remember standing in the on-deck circle I wasn't thinking about striking out I wasn't thinking about how hard Westfall was pitching

My only thought was that he’d throw strikes, and I’d be swinging If I struck out; so what! I wouldn’t go down without a swing

I stepped into the batter’s box without looking around to see if my Dad was watching

I heard him say, “Come on Jimmy, you can' do it.” The first pitch was way over my head

I didn't swing because it was so far up, I couldn't have hit it if I wanted to The next pitch looked like a strike I swung as hard and fast as I could I hit it in fact, I hit it hard As I

looked up, I saw it clear the right center field fence Actually, I wasn't all that surprised I thought I’d be able to make contact somehow It wasn't until later, it actually sunk in that I’d hit a home run off Westfall.

I can't remember hitting too many home runs in my baseball career I wasn’t a great power hitter, but I did manage to hit the ball somewhere most of the time I know now what the reasons were: we prepared by practicing and because I swung I’ve never

forgotten the old idea that “You can’t get a hit if you don’t swing.”

My parents added the element of passion They got my attention and taught me to always try my very best They let me know they could live with me striking out, but not with me not trying I got that message What does my boyhood story have to do with you becoming a MVP at work? Like the lessons I learned, your boss will have little patience for those who don't “take a swing,” even when the odds of “getting a hit” are a long shot

AN EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE

First, think carefully about the task ahead Break it down and try to figure out how you can prepare yourself for what's to come If it's a conversation with a customer, think about what that customer is likely to want Figure out how you can make the desired result happen, or at least how you can come close to making it happen

Next, think carefully about what's at stake What will happen to the organization when you succeed? Don't think about “striking out.” Focus on the desired outcome with your entire mind Think about how much you’ll enjoy telling your boss about the great

outcome Focus on how proud you’ll be to have done your part Then, think about the other person, the customer or whomever you had to work with to accomplish the goal Think about how much they’ll appreciate your effort

Confidence is one of those things that grows with each success Every time you

accomplish something important, you become that much more certain you’re a valuable person with unusual skills Of course, there’ll be times when you’re not 100 percent successful, but like my baseball experience; you’ll have more confidence than if you failed to take a swing

YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT

Isaac Asimov, the author of over 500 books, wrote

The only constant is change

He certainly was correct I can remember before there was TV; I can remember my first plane ride, my first computer and my first very large cell phone Today, I tweet! Today’s college students entirely missed Johnny Carson, the OJ Trial, dress codes

anywhere, the Beatles, and many other iconic people and events that are part of my history

Change comes upon us daily For this reason, adaptability

must be on everyone’s list of required attitudes to become

a MVP at anything

Have you ever been frustrated with someone who won’t change their approach or attitude because they just can’t drop the old way of thinking? We may have unpleasant names for these folks, like “fuddy-duddies” or “old school” or just plain “out of touch.” When there’s a lack of adaptability by someone, it becomes a significant barrier to

success In too many companies, “back to the basics” means doing the same unsuccessful things again, but trying harder Trying harder doesn’t work when you have the wrong frame of reference We must change our frame of reference or the way we see things,

before we can demonstrate adaptability.

I’m proposing that you adapt to new circumstances by embracing new ideas, new approaches and new ways of thinking about things Change is inevitable Without it, you stagnate

Otherwise, you should accept the fact that differences require different approaches I’ve never fully understood the old saying “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Since I lack “cat-skinning” experience or interest, I can’t validate that, but it sounds right

My adaptability story happened many years ago I had just been made the Regional Personnel Manager of a group of retail stores in Detroit The stores were not doing well

In fact, their profitability ranking was among the worst in the entire company When I arrived, I was told the stores had too many people, and they were too highly paid In addition, the pay levels, numbers, and general poor performance had us last in

productivity and profit The good news was there was a plan It included a massive

layoff Surely this would be the answer

Every facet of the plan had been developed to the smallest detail This had clearly been in the works a long time The company had never experienced layoffs, but it had been explained that Detroit understands layoffs That’s the way the car companies do it, and everyone understands this method of cost reduction Just follow the union procedure, even though these were not union stores Everyone will understand and accept the

process

I remember thinking that letting go of the youngest, the lowest paid, and often the ones highest in individual productivity, while keeping the high seniority, higher paid, often less productive individuals seemed wrong But I was the new guy and so, I didn’t

challenge the “well developed plan.”

The day before the layoff was to occur; we got a call from the new company president

I remember it like it was yesterday He got all our staff on the speaker phone and the conversation went something like this:

Fellas, I just was informed about the layoff plan I apologize for calling at the very last moment I can’t approve this plan First, we have never done layoffs I think it rips the company fabric I know you’re a new team and you feel badly about the poor profit performance of the Detroit Group, and you want to change that I’m sure you will The folks who you would let go are not the reason the group is doing so poorly The reason is actually years and years of poor decision making by the leaders in Detroit We should not take away employee jobs because we’ve failed Again, I’m sorry for the last minute call, but I want you to come up with a new plan I’m sure your new plan will take longer and that’s okay Let’s do the right thing Let me know about the new plan as soon as you have one Have a good day

You could have heard a pin drop in the room

It took some time to develop the alternative plan Before any new plan was even possible, the group had to understand the change that had happened and to accept that, they had to deal with that change At first, there was a lot of complaining and general wailing about the president, who just didn’t understand that “Detroit is different.” No one even began to think about a new plan until it became clear that the old culture was being called into question by the new president This culture dictated how we thought about our people

For many years, the Detroit stores believed Detroit was, indeed, different because of

the highly unionize environment Conventional wisdom said, the way to stay non-union, was to do things and act as the unions would dictate In other words, follow the rules union operations had in place.

The heart of this mentality was, “Seniority is the most important element in a person’s status.” What they produced was not important, or in many cases, not even noted or tracked The new president was telling Detroit its people were much more than their collective seniority He felt that laying them off was dehumanizing and unfair Detroit believed as long as the union rules defined the lay-off, it was okay This distinct

difference was at the heart of the need for a new strategy

The new strategy was to count on the employees to deliver the turnaround by

achieving greater results If each could somehow improve their individual productivity, even a little bit, it would raise the total performance of all the stores The new way of thinking about people and what they could contribute didn’t come easily The old

thinking was deeply entrenched New job standards had to be defined and written for all jobs The new standards had to be communicated to everyone

Some people had a hard time understanding that the change would protect those who produced at or above the standard of their job That was like speaking an entirely new language Some managers couldn’t implement the new plan They had to be replaced with those who understood and believed in the new way Some employees couldn’t adapt

to the new way of thinking either Many of them didn’t even try They submitted their resignations or retired Most welcomed and accepted the new ideas Slowly, productivity began to rise, based on the improved individual results of many of the employees

The economy was very bad, especially in Detroit Layoffs were common at many companies in the area Managers talked about the layoffs and announced there would be

no layoffs here We just have to make our numbers, and then we’ll be okay Training and support were stepped up Those who tried hard, but just needed a little more help,

received that necessary assistance to improve their performance

This transformation was not a quick one, as the president had forecast It took about two years before the stores’ performances were approaching satisfactory levels Once the change started to happen, it came more swiftly After another two years, the stores were among the most profitable in the entire company They were now setting standards instead of bringing up the rear The focus on results was a source of pride among all the employees

The point here is that the ability to change and adapt to a new set of circumstances caused the success Without that change of heart and focus, the same dismal results would have surely followed The other point is, change wouldn’t have been made without the intervention of an outside force, in this case the new president

Current tough economic conditions will undoubtedly mean dealing with change Your ability to recognize the need for change and to adapt and embrace it will go a long way toward making you a MVP One who delivers winning results

GET THAT INNOVATIVE SPIRIT

YOU CAN LEARN FROM MOMS THEY’RE INNOVATIVE!

It has been said, the ability of America to be successful for well over 200 years is a testimony to the innovative spirit of our people We’re in a desperate fight to retain our leadership in the worlds of business and science Despite the cynics who honestly believe our run as world leader is coming to an end, I don’t believe that We’ve faced many

uncertain times in our past, and we have always come up with new ways of being

successful The key to this is in our freedom

The biggest threat to our innovative spirit is the idea that a few subject matter experts know better what to do to improve, than those who are in the trenches Already, the

“trench-people” are rebelling The innovation formula is simple If you focus on getting the success you want, you’ll see more options to take you there Focus on doing what you’ve always done, and the success you so desperately want will be difficult to achieve

I love to tell a story about innovation where the heroine in the story is my mom She had a wonderful, God-given talent of being able to create beautiful oil-base paintings Although she was largely self-taught, she enjoyed a great reputation in her town as

someone whose wonderful paintings brought great enjoyment She was a gifted artist who was happiest when she was working with her paints

The only problem she had was her full-sized paintings took a long time to produce To adequately compensate her for her time, they had to be priced at a level considered to be somewhat expensive Many of those who had the opportunity to visit the art gallery where her works were on display, found the purchase price limited their ability to buy her works This was distressing to her because she wanted her talent to be the source of enjoyment for many others

Focusing on her main objective, she developed a very innovative strategy She came to understand that pictures of the home in which someone grew up were a source of great warm feelings, invoking wonderful memories of the past and perhaps of those no longer alive She reasoned that if someone could provide a snapshot of their home, she could do

a miniature oil painting of it Mom packaged each with an easel and small, but handsome frame She was able to do them relatively quickly so the price she had to charge was moderate, allowing virtually everyone to own one of her house paintings

She laughed about her new career as a “house painter.” Some artists might have poked fun at the endeavor, but Mom was in the business of using her talent to bring joy to others She marveled at the numbers of orders she got, especially around Christmas or other gift-giving times The brilliance of the idea was not just in the painting, but in the way she met her goal of bringing joy to more people with her paintings So it is with all

of us Being more innovative means spending a bit more time thinking hard about our goal As you focus on the goal, you’ll see more options on how to achieve it

A Formula for Innovation:

First, write down your goal in very certain terms Get very specific I want to do this specific thing in a specific time frame Don’t compromise on the goal, but you must define it Mom’s goal was to allow a specific number of people to experience the joy of owning one of her paintings

Next, you need to propose on paper how you might achieve your goal For instance, if mom’s goal was to affect fifty people positively by the end of a year, it became obvious; the size of the paintings had to be reduced She used pencil and paper to figure out the right size

You get the idea I’m sure the innovation at Apple comes from their ability to

miniaturize technology This has made it possible to apply their success to additional applications First, listening to music, and then applying it to a very cool phone, a

notebook, and ultimately, the iPad

Innovation can be characterized as looking for different ways to get to your goal and

not giving up I’ll add one more idea Innovative people don’t always succeed on the first try If the culture where you work only rewards success and punishes failure, innovation will not come nearly as fast Those who try and fail are much better off than those who never try Every failure is the knowledge of one more way that didn’t work, This means, when you try, you’re closer to succeeding.

PERSONAL GROWTH

My Father taught me you can never stop growing He encouraged me to read books I can still hear his words:

Someone who refuses to read is no better than someone who can’t read

Until Alzheimer’s disease took away his mental capability at age 90, he remained committed to the idea that learning was a neverending, lifetime endeavor In his later years, he often criticized his contemporaries because they had become hardened to many ideas made years earlier, when the circumstances were much different He’d laugh and say, “Things change, but my friend’s opinions never do.”

The internet gives us easy access to expertise on almost any subject Of course, you might have to sort out opposing opinions, but the fact-finding tasks we accomplished years ago at the local library are much easier with the gifts of technology The

proliferation of information makes it unforgivable to be uninformed on virtually any subject of interest to you

My father was an author who pounded out his stories and articles on an IBM

typewriter Before anyone in the family had a computer, we came upon a great offer for some advanced word processors We purchased four of them One was for my Dad, one for me and one each for my two sons, both of whom were in highs chool Although they

were almost a computer, the instruction manual―which had been translated into

English―left much to the imagination Reading it brought many laughs, much

frustration, and few answers about the various functions of the equipment

My sons and I became somewhat satisfied to use only the simplest functions, which

we had figured out by trial and error My Father, on the other hand, was intrigued with the contraption He was determined to uncover every single feature He budgeted a certain amount of time each week to uncovering new and unknown secrets As he

explored the device, he documented his findings very carefully Within a few months he had written an entire user guide in easy-to-follow steps He forwarded the new

information on loose leaf pages, which each of us could print and use to add to our growing mastery of the machines

PC’s had not come to my business in any significant way, and my sons were now in college where they were required to produce term-papers and other documents The skills

we had acquired because of my dad’s hard work and persistence gave us an advantage over others who were not yet connected This advantage had been produced by a man in his late seventies who was determined to pursue this latest technology

When he turned eighty, we gave him his first computer He loved it, of course, and mastered it immediately Each new advance in computer technology was gobbled up by Dad It wasn’t long before he became bored with dial-up I think he was the first in the senior living facility to have high speed Internet service At eighty-eight, he published a very funny article called, My Computer Doesn’t Love Me Anymore, which encouraged fellow seniors to persevere with their computer learning

The first sign we had that something was wrong with his mental processes was when

he began to call my sister or me to remind him how to perform some function with his computer Right up until the Alzheimer’s progressed to the visible stage, he read

constantly, wrote every day and grasped facets about the world around him others his age never saw It never occurred to him his experience had supplied him with all the right answers He was always open to the idea that new realities required new understandings.What does this story tell us?

My father made personal growth a habit; so can you

I believe personal growth is a time-management exercise You have to make time to become more informed on subjects that are important to you or your work Each week you’ll be able to identify one or two key subjects that confront you at work Consider these subjects carefully Reject the idea you already know the approach or answer you’ll need Set aside a little time to research the topic you’re facing Go online to get ideas from other experts on the subject Read conflicting ideas and trust your own intellect and judgment to give you the best path

If you get a better idea, that’s a good thing, of course You’ll be able to document and support the new approach, paralleling the experience someone else has had, as well as the reason you feel your selected approach matches their experience Your preparation will

be recognized, and it will be hard to disagree with your supported position If, on the other hand, your previously held position is supported by others who have successfully used your idea, you’ll be rewarded with more confidence you’re pursuing the best path Even in the unlikely event your approach is not completely successful, you’ll look and feel better for having taken the time to give it your best shot

Can you image a top lawyer going into court without first looking at similar cases? They certainly look carefully over all the evidence and forecast the points the opposing counsel will likely make Then, they’ll prepare strong arguments to counter those

expected by their opponents After this type of preparation, they will either go into the courtroom with confidence or they might realize they didn’t have a strong case Either way, they will be able to best represent their client with the knowledge that preparation had provided them

Why then would any salesperson give a canned presentation rather than one prepared after specifically designing it for the prospect they will be facing? Why would any

operations decision be made without considering both the advantage hoped for and the possible downside of the decision? It happens every day, but MVPs like Peyton Manning don’t fail to prepare He’s considered the best quarterback in the National Football

League, both for his physical skills and mental strategy skills No other quarterback can match his “audible skills” and instinctive ability to call the right play

SUMMARY

As this chapter on attitude concludes, consider how important attitude is to your becoming a MVP at work Confidence isn’t enough, but when you work at also being adaptable, innovative, committed to personal growth, and prepared, you’ll dramatically improve your results Make no mistake; employers everywhere are worried about the results of their organization If you can be counted on to deliver positive results, your value to the organization will rise, as will your job security

William J Bennett, author of The Book of Virtues, said, “There are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.” That means whatever your job; you’ll do it better if you consider your attitude as an important part of what you contribute to your job

CHAPTER TWO

YOUR PERSONAL CHARACTER

TRAITS DEFINE WHO YOU ARE

Before a newborn ever leaves the hospital, there are those who see a likeness to one or both of the parents It’s clear that physical appearance characteristics do follow family lines Your DNA partially defines you It’s less clear, but also scientifically proven, we have personality traits that are inherited The difference is that personality traits are called tendencies by most psychologists That is, who we are in terms of character traits is not preordained at birth Our training, the environment in which we process events around us, and our own will power, primarily determine which character traits are most dominant in our lives

Every Boy Scout has memorized the Scout Oath that says a Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent This early programming has stood the test of time, and most of us would sign our children up for these traits today if we could But here comes that environment thing that catches the attention of young people and re-prioritizes which traits are most important Often, they pursue those traits that result in increased positive attention or admiration by those who are most important to them In view of that reasoning, I suppose

we all re-prioritize to some degree

Let’s look carefully at the traits most universally sought by employers; hardworking, honesty, dependability, and loyalty

HARDWORKING

Business has had a fixation with productivity since the Industrial Revolution If you can increase the productivity of your assets, profit has to increase, unless, of course, some cost is out of control As it relates to the people in the trenches, getting more production from the same number of manpower hours equals increased productivity It’s no wonder your boss tries to come up with ways to increase the productivity of each and every department in the company

There are three ways to increase productivity:

1 You can place less emphasis on the quality of the various tasks, allowing workers to produce a greater quantity of the product

2 There can be new or better ways of doing the job, in which case it may be done just

as well, but at a faster rate

3 The company can describe the output goals to the workers and let them improvise They’ll see the value to both the company and themselves to produce more and/or to provide a higher quality of work

My experience is, after both of the first two strategies have been tried with no further gains, the last will still yield positive results We all have it in us to increase our output if we’re committed to improvement Whatever the endeavor, we can all do just a little bit better We can be a better spouse, better parent, better friend and yes, a better worker

The defining ingredient is the desire to be―to do― better.

So, if your boss lets it be known he or she is all about hardworking employees, know that you have it in you to become one of those A funny thing about us humans is, until

we really want to “run the race and win,” we all look like “slow runners.”

Throughout my career I used the story about the donkey and carrot I’m not sure who

gets credit for authoring it, but it illustrates the strengths and weaknesses of many

incentive plans currently found in the workplace You’ve seen the familiar picture of the donkey pulling the cart with a carrot dangling in front of him The donkey's motivation to pull is obviously to reach and take a bite of the carrot For this incentive to work, the load has to be light enough for him to pull In addition, the carrot has to be desirable enough and the donkey has to be hungry enough to want to take a bite of that carrot

However, if he doesn’t eventually have his bite of carrot, he’s going to recognize it's a

"con game" and he’ll stop pulling The only problem is, when you give the donkey a big enough bite of the carrot, he’s no longer going to be hungry Consequently, his

motivation to pull is dramatically reduced At this point, the only way you can get him to pull is to lighten the load, shorten the stick, and sweeten the carrot

The problem is, in the business world, we have a “load” that is fairly well dictated by market conditions If you lighten it too much, or give the donkey too big a bite of the carrot (analogous to a part of the profit generated by the free enterprise system), the operation no longer remains profitable You ultimately end up out of business

Today’s fringe benefits are tomorrow's expectations So what do you do? The

conventional answer is to change the donkey to a thoroughbred and make him want to run

Please don’t think we’re comparing workers to animals (although we’ve all had a boss somewhere who only seemed to know the words “pull harder”) The ability and character

of American workers is what has made us the most successful country in the world If we love our work, understand the importance we bring to the company, and respect the goals and aspirations of the company, we’ll never have to be told to “pull harder.”

If the boss is intent on finding “hard-working” folks, what does that really mean? I don’t think it means being the first one there in the morning and the last to leave It doesn’t means putting in lots of unpaid overtime or extra hours Well, what the heck does it mean then?

How about this? Being hardworking means knowing what’s vitally important about your job and making sure that’s where you put most of your effort and time Add finding

a way not to just “do your best,” but getting it done

One of the hardest working companies I’ve ever worked with was a start-up in Silicon Valley selling and supplying DSL service when there were few suppliers It was certainly

on the edge of an emerging age where fast Internet service would be available to virtually everyone I was recruited to the company along with other key players When I met the key staff, I could see everyone had one goal That was to bring whatever their skill set was to the company so it could grow and prosper These key individuals recruited others

to fill the many needs the company had

We all brought in the very best and brightest among our contacts Soon we had

assembled a team that was, by any measure, impressive I remember thinking the

assembled team resembled the United Nations There were people who were originally from several different countries It was the most ethnically diverse group I’d ever

experienced

Soon I began to see something I’d not previously experienced; the hard working nature of the workforce These employees worked hard at their tasks They worked together with little interdepartmental friction They all cared about not letting another department or individual down Everyone wanted the piece for which they were

responsible to be first rate, and they’d work until it was There was no “buck passing.” And I never heard ,“That’s not my job.”

There were no excuses; just results Staff meetings were short, on target and focused

on the results that were needed that week There was a concern for long-term objectives, but making this week’s goal was most important

I admit we were treated better than any workforce I’d been a part of An excellent lunch was brought in each day: the increase in my waist size reflected it! I could see my weight climbing by the week The area where our programmers worked had pool tables and ping pong tables for use during break times Each work area had stocked

refrigerators, so you’d never be thirsty or hungry Pay was good, but certainly not out of step with other companies in our market Everyone had stock options that could only be cashed in after the company became public and demonstrated its viability over some period of time

The Chief Executive set the tone for the company with her personal standards, honest regard for the employees, and determination to succeed She was probably the best

executive for whom I’ve ever worked

Her example had all the important elements which, if any were missing, could have corrupted the environment But what was it that made the employees work so well

together and produce such exceptional results?

Let’s go back to the donkey story The employees of this company were all

“thoroughbreds,” and they all loved to “run.” That is, they were proud to be part of this young and upcoming company They had great pride in their own ability to produce superior results In addition to the workers and managers assembled, there were two organizational skills that contributed to the hardworking attitudes of the employees

The first was a focus on one goal Since fast internet speed was a brand new product, it was clear the winners would be those companies who were first to the market with a dependable product Everyone knew for us to be successful we had to have a product that worked every time Whether you were developing the product or supporting it, the focus

on results was clear No one department could insure the success by themselves, but we understood the shared accountability for success So, in this example, a hardworking ethic was driven by the notion that what I do counts, and someone else is relying on me

to do my part well

The other element in organizations that defines whether the climate is right for

hardworking individuals is the elimination of distractions This was a new organization and there wasn’t any “We have always done it this way.” Your situation, working for a more mature organization, may contain many such distractions You have to deal with them because they’re real, but the more you can stay focused on what’s important to moving your department or the organization forward, the better you’ll do

Being that person who everyone characterizes as hardworking will dramatically

improve your stature in your organization and move you ever closer to being a MVP

TO SUMMARIZE THE HARDWORKING PRINCIPLE, THERE ARE FOUR

REQUIREMENTS:

1 You have to like the work Thoroughbreds like to run, therefore they run fast If you hate your job, you should consider a change as soon as one becomes practical Trust me;

an opportunity will pop up sometime if you seek it

2 You must believe in what you’re doing Even a floorsweeper can love making a

place clean, while the CEO may hate wha the or she has to do to succeed If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, you’re in the wrong job.

3 You must figure out what you do that’s truly important to the success of your

department or company Focus on getting that particular thing done and done well It must be your singular, number one priority

4 Lastly, to whatever amount you can, you must filter out distractions Don’t spend time on unimportant things Conserve your energy, applying it to things that matter.HONESTY

You might be thinking, how obvious I’m not talking about not taking home the

company supplies, although refraining from doing so is a good idea I’m talking about honesty on a much deeper level I’m talking about being honest with yourself and

standing up for what you know to be right

My personal experience happened when I was a relatively junior person in a large firm I was asked to present a huge project to the CEO I knew if it was approved, I’d be promoted to the biggest role I’d ever experienced in my career I also knew that if I followed the “normal script” in the presentation, I wouldn’t set the right goals for the project I feared it would fail or certainly never achieve its full potential

The company had been in a cost-cutting mode for several years If this particular project was accepted as a cost cutting project, it would never succeed But cost-cutting was virtually all the company listened to at that time Those with the best cost-cutting ideas were promoted, and everyone else was left behind To make it worse, I was in the operations department, known to be the leaders of the cost-cutters Our consistent

approach was always “less is best.”

As I prepared for the presentation, my boss wanted lots of detail and practice runs Themes like getting the best possible people and insuring we had sufficient training and enough resources were not what he wanted to hear in the presentation However, I knew these elements were necessary As we continued to practice and rehearse, he continued to enforce the cost-cutting script

I remember the advice my wife gave me “If they can’t see what you’re recommending

is correct, they shouldn’t be in charge.” Well, she may have been right, but they were in charge, and she didn’t understand the culture of the company My boss was so insistent about sticking to the script, he made me promise I’d read the presentation

I couldn’t see how that would work The presentation was very detailed and would take a few hours to complete I couldn’t see myself reading to the Chairman for hours, but I agreed to the reading demand There was one deviation agreed upon If he asked questions, I was allowed to go off the script and answer

The night before the presentation I hardly slept at all I knew I had a great project and well thought out details It would work and provide a huge advantage to the company it had previously lacked But, what would this long reading thing feel like? I knew my career was hanging in the balance I wasn’t sure the chairman even knew who I was, but

he would know tomorrow If he hated the ideas or the way I advanced them, I probably would need to look for another job If I failed to do what my boss had instructed, I

definitely would need a new job

To make the scene even more stressful, when I arrived, there was a lunch served in the Chairman’s dining area He was there, along with four of his staff members, plus my boss and his boss I remember I ate little, as I was sure I’d become ill if I did Finally, we sat

around a big conference table and each person had their own book with my script and all the associated numbers bound into it They all laughed and promised not to look at the numbers in the back of the book until I completed the presentation.

My boss introduced me and told everyone how hard I’d been studying this idea, and that he was sure I got it right Then, with all eyes on me, the reading began I read the script as promised for about four or five minutes then the Chairman stopped me “Wait a minute, Jim Cut to the chase and tell me what it is you’re recommending and why,” he instructed

I told him what the goal of the project was, and as to the why, I said, “For about what we’re spending today, we can dramatically improve the service we provide and our ability to serve the customers.”

There, it’s out It’s not a cost-cutting idea, but an improvement one Soon, I’ll know if I’m fired, I thought

“That’s interesting,” he said “Tell me more.”

Step by step, I went through the goals and the process to accomplish those goals I could see he was fascinated because he immediately began asking probing questions that said, “Tell me more.” I could see he caught the vision and wanted to make sure it was something that could actually be accomplished, not just some over-zealous “pipe dream.”From there, the day got better and better Others asked the same types of “tell me more” questions We had the details all worked out, so the answers were easy Not only did the project get approved, but it had the Chairman’s complete support He wanted to

be “in the loop” as each phase was completed The meeting lasted four hours and went from the most stressful to the most triumphant day I’d ever experienced

There’s no way to tell how the meeting would have gone had I presented the project in the manner I thought the officers were expecting It’s clear that by presenting it honestly,

I got unprecedented support I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise In this case, the honest approach, supported with facts and solid plans for success, was the right formula I

presented it “off-script,” not the way my boss had wanted me to do in reading it Yet, I was totally, “on-script.”

Since the concept of honesty is such an important one, here are some honesty rules that should serve you well:

1 Don’t talk negatively about others in your organization This is an extension of honesty in that you’ll be giving your honest support to others on your team If you

honestly support them, it would be dishonest to tell others about their shortcomings People are clever enough to understand if you’re negative about someone else, you might

be less than supportive of them as well

2 Don’t complain about the boss or the processes you’re to follow While it’s

certainly honest to champion change, it’s dishonest to openly disrespect those in authority and the processes they’ve established The honest route to change is to go to the person who is capable of making the change you’re seeking and present your case for change openly, with data to support your idea Of course, timing is everything Pick a time when you think the boss is open to change

3 Don’t cut corners to achieve success Cutting corners is really another way of saying cheating While it may seem everyone cheats just a little, cutting corners will not bring about true and lasting success Think about all the companies who re-designed accounting rules and who are no longer in business MVPs always win within the rules

4 Give your honest opinion when it’s sought Being honest can sometimes be

confused with being blunt and brutally frank Clarity is different from bluntness You can

be clear about your ideas without making someone else wrong

Here’s an example: “When we began this process, it probably was the right one, but things have changed and perhaps we should change the process to adapt to the new circumstances.” This is much more likely to get consideration for change than if you were to say, “This way of doing it is stupid I never have thought it was the right

approach.” Honesty is the best policy, but perhaps not brutally honest

5 If you see colleagues struggling to succeed, offer your support Suggest change if they’re open to it If they lose (i.e., fail), you and the company lose as well If you can help them succeed, that’s a win for everyone Honest support is certainly a virtue

6 Be willing to focus on the bigger win Being a winner means focusing on the team winning One of the most famous MVPs, Michael Jordan, scored forty points or more per night early in his career, but the team regularly lost Later, he changed his play to become more of a team player, scoring fewer points personally The team became one of the greatest championship teams ever Former President Harry Truman said, “It doesn’t matter who gets credit, as long as the team wins.” Team winning is critical

Honesty is being able to look in the mirror and liking the person you see When you smile, that “person” will smile back knowing you really like “each other.”

DEPENDABILITY

Anyone who has ever participated in team sports knows about dependability

Members of the team know who they can always count on It often has little to do with athletic ability; instead it has to do with a deep commitment to not let a fellow team member down How many times have you seen a less than complete effort at work turn into a team failure?

I’m sure you’ve heard someone say “you can always depend on [his or her name].” Have you ever stopped to understand why that individual generates such confidence? To examine this trait, let’s look at some dependable American icons

McDonald’s is not known for serving gourmet meals, but they’re known for being dependable You know what you’re going to get at McDonald’s It will be the same Big Mac every time It will have the same taste and be served hot and juicy The fries will also be hot and the portions will always be the same When Ray Croc began to expand from his first McDonald’s, he decided that standardization was essential With that

decision, he put in place one of the most dependable food products in history Franchisees around the world are given the McDonald’s manuals that set the standards of

dependability

With McDonald’s, it’s the standards that insure the consistent product delivery One of McDonald’s biggest suppliers, Coca cola, has also prospered by delivering consistency for almost eighty years You and I know precisely what our coke will taste like because the secret formula is solidly in place in the manufacturing process

Thus, one of the secrets of dependability is consistent performance But what would happen if McDonald’s began promising “the best meal in town”? They would still have the same consistent quality, but the meal would fall far short of the standard they were promising of the best meal in town Soon people would become dissatisfied with their performance Their reputation for dependability would be diminished Now you can see the promise is equally as important as the delivery

To develop a reputation for dependability, you cannot overpromise as the “best meal

in town” example does The old adage “under promise and over-deliver” is a sure

formula for becoming known as a dependable businessman or woman

My favorite dependability story takes a bit of description to set up, but I think the example is worth a little extra preamble

I was in charge of a large inbound call center network taking telephone sales calls for the famous Sears Catalog This was a huge network with centers in ten cities linked together with an inbound call system The network employed thousands of part-time employees who took great pride in their jobs as “Catalog Consultants.”

We had a small headquarters staff who oversaw the network As you might expect,

there were always issues and problems to deal with The headquarters staff―lean in numbers―didn’t have the expertise to tell the center employees what to do about the

problems and difficulties that arose Like McDonald’s, we needed standardization in the way orders were taken so that customer deliveries would always be as expected

We at headquarters decided we couldn’t provide answers to all the problems, so we decided to count on the enthusiasm and expertise in the centers to solve the day-to-day challenges Each center had its own problem-solving network of consultants; they were called focus groups These groups took seriously the task of insuring the best customer experience by applying their problem-solving expertise

Again and again, they proved to have innovative solutions, so we continued to let them handle the problems and the solutions Here’s one example of the types of things that happened daily and weekly:

I received a call from our merchandise manager who headed home fashion

merchandising for the Catalog division He told me a huge collection of mismeasured blinds were building up in our distribution centers The problem occurred because our people were unsure if the appropriate measurement was on the inside or outside

dimension of the window To this day, I honestly can’t remember which it was

We relayed this problem to the centers and asked them to come up with an innovative way to get the proper training to their thousands of part-time people Imagine the

challenge communicating with a thousand or so people in each of ten locations about this

one particular subject Understand― many details like this came at us every day.

I happened to be visiting our center in Greensboro, N.C., during this time As I

approached the center that morning, I was aware something unusual was going on as the employees were entering the center building Each person was being required to measure

a front window for a blind If they got the wrong answer, they couldn’t get in until the proper procedure was explained, and they completed the correct measurement When they got it right, they were given a candy bar and admitted to the building with great fanfare Within in two days all the mismeasured orders ceased The merchandise manager was astonished at the turnaround

The point of this story: the centers developed a reputation for dependable solutions to all types of operational problems They were unbelievable, and none of us at headquarters

in Chicago would have been able to achieve the same results for such a wide variety of situations In this case, dependability came from relying on a group of people, not a standardization of the system or process

What made it work was the determination of each focus group in each location to deliver the needed results Their determination came from their dedication to delivering

outstanding service to their customers.

If we break down the word dependable into its two parts, we can see how it occurs Depend, the first part, means a person is certain others can depend on him or her Like the call centers, you must become determined that others will be able to depend on you The second half of the word, able, meaning proficient or adept, refers to the ability to create successful processes, like the ones McDonald’s and Coke have developed

Putting it all together: People on whom we can “depend” are “able” to create well thought-out processes

You want to be a MVP? You want to become that “go to” person whom everyone can depend upon to come through? You can do it by deciding you’ll deliver using the right process and by making it a habit to under-promise and over-deliver

LOYALTY

It’s indisputable that loyalty is earned and is solely built on trust Loyalty can’t exist unless the recipient is worthy of the loyalty Loyalty is a “gut level” thing, not always completely rational You’re probably loyal to your home town or the state where you grew up You’re perhaps loyal to your school This relationship exists because these connections bring back positive, heartwarming thoughts If those fond remembrances aren’t there, the loyalty isn’t either If you’ve ever had a dog, you undoubtedly loved that dog Chances are it was loyal to you, and you returned the favor The dog trusted you to feed and take care of it, and you did just that It gave you its unconditional affection This relationship of mutual trust caused the loyalty to build

In a similar fashion, loyalty to a company or a boss has to be a “gut level” connection based on a relationship where mutual trust exists I love the word reciprocity, which means to respond to a positive action with another positive action

You might make the point the organization must take the first step for loyalty to build

I heartily agree with you An organization must earn the loyalty of its people On the other hand, in this age of “what’s in it for me,” you must be proactive in giving the

organization the benefit of a doubt Let me tell you a story about a department in a

company that earned the loyalty of its workers I think it makes a great point

This was a unionized service department in a major city Unfortunately, it had earned

a reputation for very poor service Customers couldn’t get prompt or timely service When a technician arrived, he often didn’t have the necessary part on the truck to solve the problem Multiple trips to customers were often necessary before the service order could be successfully closed Competitors targeted the poor service in their advertising.The employees in this department didn’t earn this reputation alone Management had long ago stopped talking to their people They talked to the union as if they had forgotten the service workers actually worked for the company, not the union The relationship was adversarial at best, because the managers just relied on rules and union contract language

to run the business When you walked into the unit, you could feel the uncomfortable atmosphere immediately

The service issues were so bad that they were affecting the sales of new merchandise Management’s plan was to bring all the employees into a rented theater for a meeting They played the competitor’s advertisement, which mocked the poor service

Then management issued a challenge to all the employees:

If we’re to get rid of the reputation of being the worst service department in the city, we’ll need your help You’re on the front line and probably know better than we do what

needs to change for us to improve We’re asking for your help, and we promise to listen

to your ideas and suggestions We’ll implement as many of them as possible, but you have to tell us how to fix our reputation and replace it with great customer service

A dedicated phone line was set up for the suggestions It was manned by a junior manager who had built a relationship of trust with many of the workers The first day no calls came in The second day one call was received Then over the next few weeks, many suggestions came in Some were small things, but many pointed out big

problems― problems like a poorly maintained fleet of trucks, inadequate training, poor

in-stock of popular parts, and-over scheduling of daily routes Just about every caller mentioned the fact that long time customers had to wait for a technician to be dispatched

To their credit, the managers started working hard to correct the problems They scheduled lots of overtime to clear up the backlog of work causing the delays customers were experiencing Finally, they were able to promise next day service to customers who could hardly believe what they were experiencing Over time, the trucks got fixed, training was dramatically increased, and the parts inventory was measured daily The results became a source of pride Of course, the manager/employee relationships

improved noticeably Service technicians’ daily completed calls increased Even the appearance of the technicians was noticeably better And, yes, the profitability of the unit more than doubled This eliminated any need for layoffs that had become routine in this unit

I know this seems like a “They lived happily ever after” story, but it happened just this way The power of loyalty kicked in The service workers moved their loyalty to their customers The managers became loyal to the needs of their workers and, in time, began

to feel loyalty returned to them

Now, let’s say you want to give your employer some loyalty, and you believe they deserve it How do you begin? If loyalty is to exist, effective two-way communication is required So, the first step is to initiate an active communication plan in earnest Listen carefully to the communication coming from your company leaders Internalize it If you have questions, ask them Make sure you understand their message clearly Give

feedback to show you understand and accept the communication and the action it

requires If there are barriers to moving forward, bring them into the open in a spirit of facilitating progress, not resisting change

Think back to that word reciprocity: responding to a positive action with another positive action It really works that way, and when you’re loyal to your company, it shows I doubt there was ever a MVP who wasn’t loyal to his team or organization