I read an article just after it was announced that Kevin Turner was joining Microsoft. Part of the article referenced his interest in inspirational quotes which he uses to motivate his teams and in his communications. Among his reported favorites...
"Hard work doesn't guarantee success, but the absence of it almost certainly guarantees failure."
"In the game of life, even the 50-yard-line seats don't interest me; I came to play."
"Focus on the things you can control, and the only thing you can control is you."
"When you teach and explain and involve people in the business, and show them the value that they have and their ability to contribute, when you care about them and do it genuinely, they give you their heart," says Turner. "When you adopt a philosophy that it's the people that make the difference, your effectiveness as a leader goes up astronomically."
Let me add my favorite quote to the mix: next to the nine broad principles of The Way (as detailed in my dog-eared, 20+ year old copy of The Book of Five Rings), the one I follow most often is from George Bernard Shaw:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
This is more than inspirational quotes. It's about changing the way you think about impacting your employees, peers, management, customers and partners in your everyday work. Through great actions you can individually effect change, which in turn will have an impact on how you work with the people and companies you do business with each and every day.
To paraphrase a friend's recent email to me, know that whether we choose to take ownership or not, our actions define us.
Helpful Management Bits
When you're not exactly sure how to do it
- Cool Tool: Marker Board Walls
- Installing floor to ceiling white boards. Years ago at 3DO, to support massive amounts of Expo Marker creativity, we installed floor to ceiling white boards. I received this blog entry that details two types: basic white boards (available at local home improvement stores) and magnetic (more expensive, the board is surfaced with a ceramic coated metal).
- Monster: Work Life Balance
- Monster's advice on Work-Life Balance
- The Chasm Group
- The Chasm Group focuses on effective development and implementation of practical, 'real world' strategies.
- Jim Collins.com
- Jim Collins site on how companies grow, how they attain superior performance, and how good companies can become great companies.
- Tom Peters
- Tom Peters web site - the author of several best selling books on leadership and management. A good site with links to his blog and articles.
Four Steps To Managing Anyone
Mimi Donaldson's thoughts on Motivation and Communication to Get the Job Done
Read more at http://www.mimidonaldson.com/
- Tell the person clearly what you except them to do. Often a great deal easier said than done.
- Give them a reason to do the task. This is the fine art of motivating. Motivating people is impossible %u2026 they have to motivate themselves. There must be something in it for them.
- Give the person the tools and resources they need to do the job. This requirement can range from a desk and pencils to on-the-job training and enough time to get it done.
- Give feedback. All people, when accomplishing a task, want to know how they're doing.
Building your own cabinets, internal & external
In addtition to the current survey sources, trip reports, direct relationships and avenues for listening to customers and partners, I suggested that they do something I've recommended in the past: build a cabinet. No, I don't mean a cabinet in the sense of where I keep my sox, but a cabinet of trusted advisors from across the company (internal), and another consisting of key customers and partners (external).
The initial idea of building an internal, personal cabinet was brought up when I was introduced to an executive's cabinet alias on email: this is a list of people within the company interested in areas important to the exec's group. If the exec sets up a broad cabinet of individuals, people who are copied on interesting information and mails, and are solicited for input and feedback, perhaps other employees should establish a personal cabinet.
Internally, you may have a need for a set of advisors, especially as we are so focused on what we do day to day: it's often beneficial to get additional perspectives outside your core work group... perhaps even some outside your comfort zone. A good cabinet of 8-10 people can ask questions, listen and provide feedback on what's most important. They can help you, encourage you and be a valuable asset, whether you're deciding on a course of action in your group or planning your career. In a good scenario, a cabinet also communicates and works together as a virtual team to help you see things in a different light and you get to the answers you need.
Externally, developing a list of people with particular insight and experiences can work the same way; you may approach the set up differently, working individually with the list of people on your personal cabinet, unless you're able to bring a non-competitive group together. This group may be made up of customer and partners you meet on the job, ISV Buddies, customer participants... people outside the company with whom you can knock ideas around and get feedback in a timely way. It's not a focus group, but a quick-hit check when you need feedback - and a group that you may ping a couple of times a year.
And let them know that you value their feedback, candor and trust when you contact them. In my cabinet, I talk to many of these people once or twice a quarter on average, some more often.
