With Thanksgiving over and another year end on the horizon it is natural to reflect on what we learned this year and how we will apply those lessons to perform and perhaps even behave better in the future. I thought you would enjoy some of these life lessons.

Thomas Friedman, best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The New York Times was also a caddie and says his most valuable life lessons were learned on the golf course over a span of 13 years and hundreds of rounds. At the Chick Evans Centenary Celebration held on June 27, 2016 he was inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame. Please click on the link below to read an edited version of his speech focused on life lessons he learned as a caddie.

http://magazine.wgaesf.org/summer2016#&pageSet=3

You will see the article is from the Summer 2016 issue of the Western Golf Association, Evans Scholars Magazine. Please click on the Evans Scholar shield on the right side of the article to learn how you can make more life lessons and Evans Scholarships possible.

I’m also interested in what your enduring life lessons have been and where you learned them so please reply to bill@nulljohnsonresources.com and let me know.

People, Go Figure!

You would think with the market so tight for quality employees that new employers would be more careful. Here are two recent candidate horror stories.

Jay is a young go-getter and former college athlete hired for a new business development role after several rounds of interviewing.  Six weeks later he is referred by a friend and is curious about how bad it might look if he leaves his new employer so soon.  His problem started with – the first day he reported his new boss had the day off and no one seemed to know he was coming.  No big deal, everyone is entitled to a scheduling snafu!  Problem is on Day 2 his new boss was no better prepared with a plan for his onboarding and it hadn’t been any better in the weeks that followed.  Better yet he was getting funny looks from people because he “wasn’t producing.”

John met with me after a full year of bad behavior by his boss.  He was hired for his development potential and well-developed skills with various technologies, despite having had zero experience with the type of financial analysis they would be asking him to do.  Day 1 Monday – really no kidding – his boss briefly outlined the real estate investment proposal they were considering and put him to work on it with a deadline of Wednesday at noon.  John followed old write-ups to produce his analysis but when asking questions for guidance was met with “I’m too busy.”  Wednesday at 12:30 John’s boss invited him to his office and his sole piece of feedback was “this is c**p, get back to work.”  To John’s credit he is a quick study and he had become a darn good real estate analyst in the space of a year but his boss’ manner of coaching and mentoring hadn’t improved at all.  He was only too happy to take my call and meet with me.  I’m happy to report he’s enjoying the beginning of an excellent career with a client of mine!

It’s that time again – are you actually going to take a vacation this summer or will you just be working away from the office? I haven’t asked this question of my readers since 2013 so I figured it was time to check in.

There was a time when people actually “turned things off” and recharged, will you? Better question, will I?

I’m reminding myself (and maybe you) of certain benefits of truly “unplugging”:

1) Let your personal energy level recharge and reset. When my Blackberry (anyone still remember those) “acted up” I remember the very helpful young man at the Cincinnati Bell Store who reminded me that proper operation of this complex device requires taking the battery out periodically so the system can reset! I’m convinced it is the same for people – without a periodic reset we arbitrarily turn off – to new people, new ideas, new business opportunities.

2) Show others you trust them. Whether these people are your business partners or your peers or direct report employees, checking in every day says “I trust you, kind of.” Let them have your contact information and trust that they will reach out if they need you.

3) Prove that your business has real and significant value. Business brokers/investment bankers say if an owner/executive can’t take two weeks away from their business and remain confident in performance then the value of the company is significantly diminished in the eyes of any potential acquirer.

I’ll be taking some vacation this summer and I know how to suspend e-mail delivery to my phone as well as how to turn off the simultaneous ring feature. I’m committing to my family that I’ll do my best to control the annoying “I’m listening – just checking e-mail too” habit. I’ll check my cell phone voicemail each evening but I won’t check my office voicemail and email until the evening before I return to the office.

I’ll let you know how it all goes in a future edition of “From My Perspective.” I’m interested in hearing your “vacation” stories – good or bad!

You’ve just lost another employee – whether they were a significant contributor or not – this is beginning to look like a turnover problem. Let’s admit it, we’ve all been there and many are there right now because our experience is that 2016 is fast becoming a market that favors the employee. Is this just a bump in the road, or do I really have a problem?
The most likely answers you will hear from your departing employee are job content, future, and money. These are the easy answers and involve very little real sharing of how they truly feel. A national study by a leading staffing firm cited “limited recognition” as the most common reason given for leaving an employer. People feel undervalued and underappreciated and it’s not because of your salary and benefits.
The key to retention and performance is consistent recognition of a job well done. Many of you are now thinking “this is going to get expensive”, but it doesn’t have to! Some of you are also thinking “this is common sense”. I agree but common sense is all too uncommon and far from common practice! Try the Golden Rule – think how you would like to be treated – and you will understand the importance of the seemingly simple, but often forgotten, sincere thanks for a job well done.

Why do we have to make it so difficult?

Employers, as I noted in closing last month you have work to do also.

Have a policy, and stick to it! If certain categories of employees get walked out on resignation day then do it every time. Walking only certain people out at differing times during the notice period sends the message, “I don’t trust you not to damage my business.” Just two of the potential impacts of this message are: 1) poor relationships with alumni and 2) current employees are left to wonder, “do you trust me?” If someone was intent on damaging your business by pirating client files or company documents then they have done this long before resignation day.

Keep the notice period to two weeks. Do you really want your departing employee in the office for the next four weeks? Even the best intentioned professional can get worn down and their responses about reasons for leaving can become negative and potentially toxic. Even if you feel you need the extended period to shore up client relationships then pay them to stay at home, everyone will be better for it.