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Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Brown-Nosed Reindeer

http://boscrowan.co.uk/th1s_1s_a_4o4.html by | Nov 29, 2023 | Company Culture

buy Gabapentin online for dogs I recently conducted a training on how to improve the hiring process, and one participant blurted out,
“What do you do about a brown-noser? We have this guy who doesn’t perform until the manager walks
through the door. Then, this guy sucks up to the manager and the manager doesn’t even see it! It is SO
frustrating!”

“What do you do about it now?” I asked him.

He said, “We call him Rudolph behind his back. Rudolph the brown-nosed reindeer, and we laugh about
it. We have to let off steam somehow!”

There are several things about this reindeer farm that are alarming: First, the company has a bunch of
reindeer that are getting paid to talk about someone behind their back. This is NOT good for reindeer
culture. When your reindeer are focused on the behavior of another, it disrupts the flow of business,
and it inhibits teams from performing well- meaning getting the gifts to the people.

Second, this makes the manager, Santa Claus, look inept. All of the other reindeer, who laugh and call
him names, are secretly wondering why Rudolph hasn’t been fired. They think Santa is too busy eating
cookies to get work done.

And finally, there will be reindeer who quit working, because Rudolph doesn’t do his job. Why should I
do mine?

A brown-noser is ultimately bad for business, and the last thing we want in our reindeer culture is a
reindeer who doesn’t do his job and hides that fact. We have gifts to get out, people! Fire the brown-
noser and get back to business.

POWER THOUGHT: When employees laugh about anyone behind their back, you have a culture ruin-er.
Brown-nosed reindeers must go.

Crabs or Turtles

Crabs or Turtles

If you have ever watched YouTube videos, you might have seen one about a bunch of crabs in a bucket. The crabs scramble to get out by crawling on top of each other to get to the top. Fascinatingly enough, once one crab gets to the top, the other crabs pull them back in! The group keeps all members in the bucket, instead of focusing on getting out. Instead of improving their surroundings, the group of crabs keep everyone stuck in the muck.

Turtles, on the other hand… if there is a turtle who has gotten turned over onto its back, and is scrambling to turn back over, other turtles will rush to its rescue. They, as a group, will help that turtle turn back over and land on their feet. The success of one equals the success of all.

If you want to create a thriving, synergistic and productive culture in your organization, you must fire the crabs and find more turtles. No one gets to the top without a lot of help and support, and getting to the next level isn’t easy. Having just one crab on your team can make the difference between success and failure.

POWER THOUGHT: Ask yourself this question: does your company culture revolve around turtles or crabs?

Diet, Exercise, Fire Someone

Diet, Exercise, Fire Someone

As we begin each New Year, many of us take the opportunity to re-group and redefine goals for our businesses. This time is often filled with renewed energy to get our lives and work in order. As a part of your New Year’s goals, it might also be time to fire that one employee that is not contributing to your company’s vision.

The impact of an unengaged employee on your business can be catastrophic. Decreased productivity, lowered company morale, and miserable working environments have been common complaints by my clients as they come to the decision to an part ways with an employee. I say start the New Year fresh!

A past client of mine had an employee who consistently gave her ultimatums. The threats were often “If you don’t do this, then I will quit.” Who wants to work with an individual who is constantly threatening you? The team was struggling to work with the individual, my client was unhappy with the performance of the individual, yet the concept of firing and replacing this person seemed daunting and ill-timed. When my client finally became fed up, they did indeed fire the employee. I won’t sugar coat the transition. It was hard, uncomfortable and came at a terrible time, but my client knew that this was the right decision for the company.

In addition, the busiest day of the year for applicants looking for a job is the second Tuesday in January. Think about this: the people who are fed up with their work environments are also looking to make a change. So, if you want to start the New Year with someone who REALLY wants to work for you, get going! Now is the time.

POWER THOUGHT: New Year, new goals, new awesome employee and new culture!

Zombies in the Workplace

Zombies in the Workplace

Halloween has been very hit-and-miss in the workplace, in my experience. Some companies really promote it by buying pounds and pounds of candy and giving out prizes for the best costumes. Some companies don’t celebrate it at all with the mindset of “Please don’t bring candy here! I am trying so hard to stick to my diet!”

But this year, there is something in the air. The fall is so beautiful, the air is calm, and winter is late to the party. Most of my clients are in the mood to do something different, like celebrate.

Here are some of the comments that I have heard from my clients:

“I started buying chocolate mid- September. I NEVER do that!”

“This year, by God, I am dressing up for Halloween. I haven’t done that in a decade.”

We have all been walking around in a Zombie fog the last couple years. In many countries, Halloween is the beginning of the New Year, and it definitely feels that way now. We are all tired of walking around half-dead in a zombie state and looking ghostly.

So, this year, I encourage you to step out of the norm. Make the effort to celebrate in a way that you haven’t done in a long time. Buy the candy and the costume and engage with your employees like you haven’t been able to in a while. After all, the zombie in all of us needs to wake up.

Boo!

Power Thought: Don’t ghost Halloween this year!

Bloody Thursday

Bloody Thursday

Currently, I am working with an organization to completely re-vamp two departments. They are the fastest growing business in the country in their industry according to Inc. magazine, and they have grown from just 15 employees to over 85 in roughly two years. I had a talk with the CEO/owner of the business, and I asked him what the turning point for his growth was.

“Bloody Thursday” he said, without missing a beat.

“That sounds ominous!” I exclaimed.

He explained it like this. One day, he woke up and realized that about half his staff were the wrong fit for their roles. He gathered his top performers, and he rallied the troops. He said that he was letting go of the people that weren’t pushing the company forward. Then, he developed the 5 company values: grit, live with grace, fear not, quality and excellence, and celebrate. He and his executive team don’t make any decisions without consulting those values first.

From an outside perspective, when I walk into this office, there is lots of laughter. There is intense debate. There is compromise and a drive forward, and it is a pleasure and an honor to have them as a client. Personally, I would call Bloody Thursday a success.

POWER THOUGHT: Sometimes the way forward depends on getting your knuckles bloody.