Ask 8cr! is a section of our blog used as a forum to address the kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. What’s your challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with keeping employees from slipping into mediocrity, or worse. Here’s what one of our readers is dealing with:
“Long time associate is 7 out of 10 on best days, 4 out of 10 on worst days, but never the worst at any time. Every time a corner is turned, she slips and falls and reverts back to her old ways soon thereafter. Firm embraces longevity and diversity. Suggestions on how to fire her up or fire her outright?” – Phil
The good news with this challenge is that things are never at their worst, implying there’s hope for the situation. From the outside, it appears that the employee generally does a good job, but then something happens. What causes that change? Something personal? Frustration with her responsibilities? Concern with management? Her co-workers? It could be anything, really, and not knowing that causes a great challenge for managers, but also puts them in a position to help their employees and become stronger leaders in the process.

Erika Andersen has written a great book (that we’ve talked about lots here) called Growing Great Employees: Turning Ordinary People into Extraordinary Performers. In it, she levels the playing field to start with the fundamentals:

“Your employees are, like you and I, flawed and hopeful human beings whose success is at least partly dependent on your skill as a manager: human beings who will thrive with skillful and consistent attention and wither without it. Kind of like plants.”

Like plants, one cannot expect employees to grow without creating the right scenario to facilitate growth. Andersen follows the plant metaphor throughout the book (preparing the soil, planning, picking your plants, weeding, spreading, etc.) and reveals methods to truly grow great employees. However, like plants, not all employees are going to be great, and so some must go. But, before that happens, particularly in a scenario like Phil’s, where things are potentially hopeful, a manager can find out what causes poor results from the employee (ie, what causes her to “revert to her old ways”) to help create a situation where that becomes a less desired path for the employee. Those who’ve nurtured a sick plant back to health can clearly see how true the metaphor is.
As Andersen notes, social styles play a big role, and the first step is to define these – for both the employees and the manager. By doing so, an understanding develops; one that puts the focus on communication and participation, rather than demands and passive aggressive behavior. From there, the real issues come to the surface, and the initial questions can be addressed: Something personal? Frustration with her responsibilities? Concern with management? Her co-workers? With these answers, the manager can either grow a great employee, by working with her on a path toward greater fulfillment and productivity, or, know that it’s time to start the weeding process. With these tools, managers can become what Andersen refers to as “Master Gardeners.” Pick up this book and get to work on your ‘garden.’

Ask 8cr! is a section of our blog used as a forum to address the kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. What’s your challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with managing coworkers when you’re not their manager. Here’s what one of our readers is dealing with:
“One of the problems I will be facing in the near future is with the different personalities on my team. I will soon be responsible for ensuring our product meets schedules and customer requirements on my team of 8 engineers. There are several different personalities that worry me including some who goof off most of the day and get little work done. I’m unsure of how to ensure they get their work done while still maintaining a jovial atmosphere.” – Matt
As a team, everyone’s got to chip in, do their part, and give their best. Oftentimes, management only sees the result of the project, but the team undergoes a process like Matt describes: slacking, goofing off, just enough to be annoying but still getting things done on deadline. To the slackers, this is life. To the ‘Matts’ of the world, this can be extremely frustrating as there’s always the concern that the deadline will be missed, and the hammer will come down. Not fun. So, what does one do when they’re not in a supervisor position and has to live through this situation project after project?

Carmine Gallo offers guidance in his book Fire Them Up! Even though 8cr’s Kate Mytty featured this book in a separate post recently, I feel it’s the perfect book for Matt’s situation as well. For instance, the first sentence of the introduction is a great indicator that this book is exactly what Matt needs: “You have the power to inspire anyone, anywhere, anytime. You may not have a leadership title, but you exert influence over someone every day.” The book continues on with discussions on getting yourself inspired (I think Matt’s likely already “inspired”), and then how to get others on board through conversation, telling stories, inviting participation, getting others to care, creating optimism; and how to live by the principles outlined in the book. In communicating these principles, Gallo reveals a set of “simple secrets” that are concise, insightful points to put into place that will strengthen your vision and your team, whatever the project is. Gallo states, “Inspiring people is not that complicated. It’s rather simple, really. But it does require that you examine how you communicate to the people you intend to motivate.”
If Matt went in to work on Monday morning and told his coworkers, “Ok everyone, here’s what we’re going to do,” he’d be met with resistance. However, by developing a story around each project, and getting each team member to participate and buy into it, everyone is then on the same page, with a clearer understanding of what needs to be done, and potentially more concerned with when and how it needs to be done. Fire Them Up! shows Matt, and each of us, how to accomplish this successfully.

Ask 8cr! is a section of our blog used as a forum to address the kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. What’s your challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with developing underutilized skills and getting on a path that’s more in line with your interests. Here’s what one of our readers is dealing with:
“I am not happy with the career path I seem to be on. I would like to get out of the accounting field but don’t want to ‘start over’ or go back to school. I know I have some skills that will translate but have doubts whether others might see them. Any thoughts on mid-career changes?” – Roger
The previous Ask 8cr! post featured Seth Godin’s The Dip, which also addressed the issue of personal change, and knowing when and how to adapt to it. This week we have a reader looking to move forward based on skills that might not be recognized and utilized enough. And not utilizing them often enough is exactly what others will analyze when considering Roger’s move into another area. “What should I do with my life?” might be the fundamental question. It’s something we ask ourselves when we’re young, but, as Roger proves, something we can ask ourselves throughout our careers. People change, skills change, and each person’s perspective on what they want becomes an internal issue, regardless of the physical work they’ve spent their lives doing. Author Po Bronson recognizes this, and wrote a New York Times Bestseller called, appropriately, What Should I Do With My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered The Ultimate Question.

The author traveled the country and met with a variety of people and listened to their stories. He discovered a wide range of challenges overcome, internal stumbling blocks, people finding happiness, and people struggling, all to answer the question posed by the book (and themselves). It’s about discovering and pursuing something to devote your life to. Maybe that happens where you already are, but maybe not. Take Roger, for instance. He admits he’s not happy, he wants change, BUT, he doesn’t want to do what he feels is likely the solution to make the change. He knows he has other skills (and those might be his true interests), but he has doubts about their validity to others. As the book shows, Roger is not alone in this situation. But things can, and do, change.
By reading the 50+ stories in the book, you walk away with a deeper sense of all the variables, both internal and external, that make the title of the book such a profound question. From a New York housewife, a content editor, a White House assistant, to a California police officer, the stories in this book are interesting glimpses into real people’s lives that end up reflecting our own pursuits, missed opportunities, hopes, dreams, and quite possibly, our decision to finally take life by the horns and follow our interests simply because we want to, despite all the “reasons” not to. It’s an inspiring book and a great read, revealing evidence of those who overcame the “buts” and doubts that hindered them. Pick it up and find your answer to the question it poses.

Ask 8cr! – Quitting
Welcome to “Ask 8cr!” – a new section of our blog where we’ve created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with knowing when to quit (or not). Here’s the brief challenge sent from one of our readers:
“When do I know it’s time to quit my job and move on?” – Kevin

Seth Godin has written a most appropriate book for this challenge called The Dip. In it, he states:

“Most people will tell you that you need to persevere – to try harder, put in more hours, get more training, and work hard. ‘Don”t quit!’ they implore. But if all you need to do to succeed is not quit, then why do organizations less motivate than your succeed? Why do individuals less talented than you win?
It involves understanding the architecture of quitting, and, believe it or not, it means quitting a lot more than you do now.”

It’s a short book; a really short book. But it says a lot; much more than simply how to quit. Godin is a master at analyzing situations and injecting a slight shift into the common perspective to create an astounding result. In Kevin’s case, he would first need to take a good look at his “Dip” (the moment where he starts questioning what he’s doing as being the right thing). This is the important first step. As Seth Godin points out, sometimes Dips can be misleading – we feel like quitting, but will someday look back on challenging times thankful we stuck it through to the tremendous success awaiting around the corner. Other times, the misery we experience will never go away, and what we do has little positive effect on us, our work, the company, and the world in general, so we quit. Those are the two routes, and deciding which one to take is never easy. As Godin states, “the Dip is your secret to success.”
From there, Godin tells many examples of common Dips, and the variety of choices you can make when experiencing them: brave, mature, and stupid. Unfortunately, “stupid” is the most common route, and when you read his definition of it, you can understand why. Understanding the architecture of quitting, as referred to in Godin’s quote above, is the key to making the right decision between these three categories. In a nutshell: no one should remain mediocre in a dead end. Avoid it at all costs, and if that means quitting, it’s not accepting failure, it’s being smart.
Quite literally, everyone should read this book. Regardless of position, industry, or personality, everyone faces The Dip, and if we could all react to it wisely, think of what that would do for us, our companies, and eventually, our economy. It’s a big deal. If you haven’t read this book, do yourself a favor and pick it up. In fact, I’ll send the first three people who send me their challenge at work a free copy.

Ask 8cr! – Momentum
Welcome to “Ask 8cr!” – a new section of our blog where we’ve created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with getting momentum back. Here’s a note from one of our readers:
My biggest challenge right now is staying motivated now that I’ve crushed all my professional and personal objectives. Work has lost its zest. I find myself going though the motions and I gotta ask…how long before I lose my edge? How long before I go from the golden boy to the has-been? What can I do to keep it interesting now that I’m on top (and actually have the time and resources to try something new)? – Curt
This note from Curt really struck me. His questions almost imply a self-fulfilling prophecy. There are a ton of books in both the business and self-help categories that address staying inspired and focused, but one came across my desk recently that I feel is timely, and is co-authored by someone who surely has found ways to keep going, stay in the limelight, and exude an intense amount of momentum.

Donald Trump and Bill Zanker have written a book called, Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life. Now, despite what you think of Trump, the guy’s done a lot, and just keeps on going. In this book, Trump and Zanker pen a chapter that addresses Curt’s challenge: “Big Mo!” “Big Mo” is momentum, and Trump begins by telling a story of one-time real estate guru William Levitt – a man who literally had it all and lost everything, simply because he lost his momentum. When Trump met him (post-momentum), he learned the big lesson that losing your momentum means losing everything; for without it, you’re done. He states, “The funny thing about momentum: when you stop, it stops” and, addressing his own moment of questions similar to Curt, “All I ever saw were the good times. I thought it would always be that way. Over those sixteen booming years I had always been intent on one thing: building bigger and bigger momentum. Then I stopped.” Trump’s work lost its zest; he was going through the motions. Did he lose his edge? The answer, we all know, is no. But, what did he do?

“One way to keep your momentum going is to keep giving yourself greater and greater challenges. It is also important to give your knowledge and insight freely to anyone who asks. I believe people absorb more efficiently and faster when they learn by doing, and I am intent on giving people the knowledge they need to succeed. I give two hour speeches at The Learning Annex Wealth Expos for the same purpose, and I donate a large portion of my speaking fees to charity. To keep your momentum going you must have intrinsic values as well as monetary values, and you must recognize when it is time to start giving back.” – Donald Trump

Co-author Bill Zanker adds: “Latch onto a business trend that has great momentum. Then partner with others to set big goals and let the momentum lead you to higher and higher levels.”
This is merely one chapter of a kick-in-the-pants book to get all of us fired up about our business. The rest of the book is filled with equally blunt, yet insightful experiences of the man who’s recently become best known for his “accountability” (a nice way to coin his “You’re Fired!”). The book also features an appendix filled with a variety of resources: best of Q&A, true stories from others, must reads, and more. Give this book to any entrepreneur and watch them explode. I’m sending a copy to Curt, and am excited to hear about how it changes his perspective, and gives him back the passion to create new challenges for himself.

Welcome to “Ask 8cr!” – a new section of our blog where we’ve created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with the habit of unproductive meetings. Here’s the brief challenge sent from one of our readers:
“Working with a team of people who have meetings that never accomplish much.” – Nathan
Short and to the point, it’s maybe obvious that Nathan is fed up with long, dull meetings where much is discussed, but little is accomplished. I’m sure many of us have experienced this scenario, reminding us of our least-favorite high school class: meetings as pure formality, and nothing inspiring or changed because of them.

Business fable writer Patrick Lencioni tells a similar story in his book Death by Meeting. The strong title implying not only a humorous take on boredom, but also revealing that as meetings accomplish less and less, the fate that the business will face is inevitable. If that isn’t enough to scare your group into waking up and taking meetings seriously, Lencioni paints an even darker picture by portraying this story via a group of people who, by normal standards, initially would be considered to be doing a “good job.”
Complacency is the key issue here. Oftentimes, employees (especially those that work for successful companies) assume that somehow things will always work out, meeting or not. And if that’s true, then who really cares about the meeting? Meaning, important questions are left unasked, attendance becomes voluntary, and accountability all but disappears. Enough is contributed to “get by” and the meetings continue on and on, just for the sake of having them, with no real results attached.
In the book, the company portrayed is going through a traumatic change (I won’t give the whole story away), but all seems well, outside of those in-the-know. Their meetings should be important on many levels – to address the issues within the change that’s occurring, but also to keep the company culture and productivity moving forward, and remaining profitable. But as the employees show up (or not) dreadfully each week, the biggest accomplishment they produce by meeting is physically sitting in the same room together. Hopefully, Nathan’s scenario isn’t as severe, but as the book points out, if meetings are continuously happening, with no results attached, things for the group, and the company, won’t proceed positively.
Lencioni details how this company turned their situation around via their meetings, and in doing so, lays out a clear method for changing how meetings function (comparing them to movies) and how their results can be improved by adding a crucial element: conflict. Seems strange at first, but the author identifies how conflict is exactly what draws our interest to movies. If we add conflict to meetings, in the appropriate way, at the right time, the attendees will be captivated, involved, and willing to act (something they can’t do with all the emotion they get during a movie). As a fable, the book realistically presents this process, identifying the typical characteristics, the common human patterns, the everyday world of conference rooms, and shows how one company tapped into this thinking to completely transform their company. Now, how about all of us?

Welcome to “Ask 8cr!” – a new section of our blog where we’ve created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with managing projects. Here’s a quick note from one of our readers:
“Here’s a challenge from my desk: Project management — Taking a project, breaking it down into tasks and assignments to delegatees, tracking said project, reeling in components from all concerned and wrapping it up.” – Sandy
Aaron J. Shenhar and Dov Dvir have written Reinventing Project Management, a book that examines more than 600 projects by businesses around the world. These examinations reveal a model for successful planning, managing, and completing projects. While others have written about the topic, Shenhar and Dvir offer an updated perspective on it, explaining their Diamond Framework, and a series of models: NTCP, Adaptive, etc. to reveal a tested and productive system for taking on any variety of projects.

The authors state:

“To go beyond the conventional practices of project management, we must begin by recognizing that one size does not fit all. Unlike operations, which are repetitive, each project by definition is unique. Every project represents a new experience, addressing a new problem with a new constellation of management challenges, and the management process is never a matter of repeating known steps and procedures.”

Furthermore:

“When we survey a wide range of projects, we may find considerable variability — but also quite a number of common features. Indeed, as you will see, the variability itself follows certain patterns, and this means that we can develop general methods for handling various types of projects. This characteristic variability has not been captured so far in the current project management literature and is not part of the common body of knowledge.”

From there, the authors identify the bases of successful projects and detail how to put the approach to work, considering a project’s purpose and how markets and industries can affect project management. Case studies feature The Denver Airport, The Sydney Opera House, The Los Angeles Metro, and other highly complex projects that utilized the methods within the book. The book finishes with an expansive Research Appendix, that describes what data and steps the authors worked with to produce their results. Again, this isn’t a book about theory, but practice; something anyone managing or working on projects can learn and apply to their team for successful results.

Welcome to “Ask 8cr!” – a new section of our blog where we’ve created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with part-time working women. Here’s a note from one of our readers:

“I have worked in outsides sales and customer service for 10 years, have a bachelor’s degree in business, and recently gotten my real estate license 2 years ago after being laid off from a job in the wireless industry. I have been staying at home with my son for the past year and have started looking at going back to work but only on a part-time basis. I can’t tell you how frustrating this is!! The only jobs available are a joke! I even went on an interview and was told, “We usually do a much more intense interview but since you are only looking for part-time work this will be fine.” Come on!! How insulting!!! Part time to me doesn’t mean I am only giving 50%, it means I am there less hours and you don’t even have to give me benefits – which cost lots of dough! I am so fed up with “corporate America’s” narrow minded view of part time work. In speaking to other SAHM (stay at home mom’s) I hear the same frustration. Corporate America is missing out on some very talented women because they cannot think outside the box!!!” – Kelly
Does Kelly’s situation ring a bell? Even if she were a man, part-time work is part-time credibility, and the corporate world stereotypes it as such. But, that’s a generalization, too. There are innovative companies out there that “get it.” Unfortunately, as Kelly is experiencing, they’re not so easy to find.
However, Sylvia Ann Hewlett has written a lengthy and insightful book about this issue which will hopefully change the way corporate America looks at women who require part-time work. It’s called, Off-Ramps and On-Ramps, and it examines a number of companies who do “get it” and are developing creative flex-time positions for women, to successful results. For example, the author cites, “BT Group has been experimenting with flexible work for over twenty years and has found that flexibility isn’t just “doable” – it’s often accompanied by a leap in productivity. Fully 75 percent of BT’s employees these days work flexibly – an astounding statistic – and three-quarters of those on flexible work schedules are men.” After spending 3 years on a task force of 34 companies (General Electric, Johnson & Johnson, Time Warner, and others), the author identifies a number of companies with similar statistics, and describes how they developed their specific flex programs, what’s involved in them, and how these programs have strengthened their companies.
Also importantly, the book clearly describes all of the details of why women take the “off-ramp” in the first place, and what happens to their identity, ambition, and credibility in the process. From there, getting “on-ramped” can be extremely challenging, and as seen by our reader Kelly’s experience, pretty common. This book won’t just get Kelly more fired-up about what she already realizes; it will help her understand the situation to a much broader degree outside of her own experience, and what some companies are doing to accommodate this career model that’s becoming more common. The book identifies 18 best practice models for companies to use to hire and retain talented women. With such linear career paths, yet the growing necessity (both personally and professionally) for women to develop their careers, this book is an essential look into how women and the business world can work together to both side’s advantage.

Welcome to “Ask 8cr!” – a new section of our blog where we’ve created a forum to find out what kinds of issues and challenges people are having in the workplace. We then take these issues and apply a business book we feel offers a viable solution. Others then chime in via the comments section. The person with the selected challenge gets a free copy of the book, but everyone who reads these posts, wins. Do you have a challenge at work? Send it to me at jon(a)800ceoread(dot)com.
Today’s challenge deals with overcoming fear in the sales process. Here’s a note from one of our readers:

“I am in sales and have found that I linger around mediocrity or below not because of lack of skills or desire but because of the fear of rejection I have, which is a manifestation of my inability to trust in combination of my fear of abandonment. When I say fear, I am not talking about sweaty palm fear or “a knot in the stomach before I pick up the phone” fear but a gnawing insidious little thing that crops up in the most inconvenient places like the times I need to be exploring the customers needs or asking for the order. It is not even a conscious thing, I just don’t do it and it has really hamstrung my career. It is also not something that can be simply overcome by doing that which the fear keeps you from doing.” – Greg
Fear can ruin all of us, no matter what we do. In Greg’s case, it’s important to point out that he’s good at what he does; he has the skills and desire to sell, but he’s afraid of losing, and that’s keeping him from moving forward. What Greg needs, and what we all need, is the confidence of better outcomes. I’m sure Greg understands that in business, we need to claim and create value. But how do we build this and support it through the entire process so that we come out where we want? Negotiation. By building a process and sharpening his negotiation skills, Greg won’t have to be wondering about the customer’s needs or asking for the order. These issues will be addressed in the negotiation process he creates.
Roger Fisher and William Ury’s book, Getting To Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, discusses how to identify the underlying interests involved in any business situation, and tells readers that “behind opposed positions lie shared and compatible interests.” Consider this, in business, both parties want stability, both want maintenance, both want a good relationship, but they also might have some different interests – terms of payment, different materials, etc. Figuring out how to comfortably work around those differences by asking “why” and “why not” questions (which the book identifies through a series of real-world examples) will put anyone in a sales discussion on better ground. Let’s face it, talking about interests is a conversation that shouldn’t be shadowed by the subconscious fear that Greg describes, and this book gives great advice on how to avoid those feelings and create a positive outcome for both parties.

Similarly, G. Richard Shell has written a book called Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People that focuses on Shell’s “Six Foundations” (personal bargaining styles, goals, authoritative standards, relationships, the other party’s interests, and leverage). He refers to his method as “Information-Based Bargaining” and makes it easy to apply the theory to deals ranging from large business to, humorously, negotiating with your kids. The book concludes with a full assessment tool that readers can use to track their progress in learning these skills – a handy and useful way to extend the content into real-life situations Greg or any of us might have.

Deepak Malhotra and Max Bazerman have also recently written a helpful book called Negotiation Genius: Real World Strategies That Give You the Edge. In it, they say, “Negotiation genius is about human interaction, and the only raw material you need to achieve it is the ability to change your beliefs, assumptions, and perspective.” When sales people lose a sale, they think they got a bad deal and that there were circumstances out of their control that inhibited them from landing the sale. These factors can range from price, market, and time. But, the path to negotiation genius tells us that these can be overcome, that everything can be negotiated.

The book states: “Selling involves telling people about the virtues of the product or service you have to offer, focusing on the strengths of your case, and trying to induce agreement or compliance. Effective negotiating requires this kind of active selling, but it also entails focusing on the other side’s interests, needs, priorities, constraints, and perspective.” What the authors go on to show is that in negotiation, no one has to lose for the other to win. By using case studies of political and pro sports negotiations, it’s clear that these claims aren’t academic pipedreams, but real possibilities that business people can apply to their work – particularly salespeople. From a sales perspective, this means you can avoid getting the “bad deals,” the lost opportunities, and the fear that Greg experiences every time he gets close to closing the deal. Through negotiation, and the ideas outlined in this book, we can learn how to make agreements that benefit everyone involved.
Greg is going to get this jackpot of books on his doorstep. Hopefully he’ll chime in here with some follow-up notes after he has a read.