Ever since they were little, my kids have always loved the wack-a-mole games at the arcade. They get total joy and elation from putting a token in the game, grabbing that hammer and wacking away at the little creatures who pop up randomly from the holes on the board. They could play for hours and use all the money available to keep wacking and wacking and wacking at the moles ... Read Full Article
2 Miles from Disney World
I love Disney World. It never gets old for me. I go every chance I get -- and I geek out about it every time. I get updates on new rides, restaurants and attractions so I can be prepared. I know the ins-and-outs of the parks and resorts. And I know Goofy is definitely NOT a dog. I've spent the past couple days attending the HR Florida conference in Orlando. I've had a ... Read Full Article
2 Miles from Disney World
I love Disney World. It never gets old for me. I go every chance I get -- and I geek out about it every time. I get updates on new rides, restaurants and attractions so I can be prepared. I know the ins-and-outs of the parks and resorts. And I know Goofy is definitely NOT a dog. I've spent the past couple days attending the HR Florida conference in Orlando. I've had a ... Read Full Article
Coaching: Do You Abuse or Encourage?
So we're talking misused and abused workplace words at PIC this month. The one that annoys me the most? Coach. As in, "I coached him on XYZ-thing and he got better" or "All she needs is some additional coaching." It's been used so much that now "coaching" has become synonymous with "telling someone what to do" or "telling someone what they did wrong." Because that is what we ... Read Full Article
3 Tips to Coax Employee Potential
Recently, I found myself talking to a manager about an unexpected opening in his department. He had no one ready to fill the position but couldn't leave the role completely vacant while we searched. After some discussion, we decided on an interim appointment until the best candidate was identified. The interim appointment could keep things running but just wasn't ready to take ... Read Full Article
Forever A Hot-Shot
In case you hadn't heard, I started a new job in October 2012. After 6 years, I left my comfort zone to take on new challenges with a new company. About 45 days into it, I am feeling great! My staff and co-workers are responding well to the initiatives and ideas I am bringing to the table. Where there are hurdles, we are climbing over. Where there is mess, we are cleaning it ... Read Full Article
Forever A Hot-Shot
In case you hadn't heard, I started a new job in October 2012. After 6 years, I left my comfort zone to take on new challenges with a new company. About 45 days into it, I am feeling great! My staff and co-workers are responding well to the initiatives and ideas I am bringing to the table. Where there are hurdles, we are climbing over. Where there is mess, we are cleaning it ... Read Full Article
Aces In Their Places
Once upon a time, I received a complaint from an employee. He was upset because he was being assigned to the same position on the production line every day. He was receiving no cross-training on the other positions and, after almost 6 months, he was fed up. He believed his supervisor was deliberately holding him back. I met with his supervisor to find out why he'd kept this ... Read Full Article
Screw The BFOQ!
Job descriptions are one of the most important documents we can create. It outlines the requirements and duties of a position -- which dictate how we advertise for the job, screen and select candidates, compensate, train and develop, and evaluate performance. Much focus is given to making sure the physical, experential and educational requirements of the job are included in ... Read Full Article
No No-Brainers
Once upon a time, I had an assistant. I put her in charge of finalizing a small project while I was on vacation. We'd made an update to the procedure manual for cleaning one of the machines. The training was complete and the addendum with the new procedure had been added to the manual. My assistant was responsible to get all the machine operators to sign-off on receipt of the ... Read Full Article