Rodney Robbins
52 Ways International
P. O. Box 792
Maiden, NC
28650-0792
828-461-1306 EST
Do you have a problem? Here are the Seven Key Questions you need to ask yourself to solve any problem. Did I say "ANY PROBLEM?" Yes I did. Try it yourself and see.
That's it. Print this out. Put it up on your wall. Try it for yourself. Post your results using the comment link below.
For a lot of people, the image of a "supervisor" is some guy standing around, holding a cup of coffee, watching other people work. That's why it is good to let your boss catch you working. Get out of your office, watch your people--but skip the coffee, lend a hand, have a quick stand up meeting, but do something that looks like work. You know, if you pretend to work long enough, you may actually get some work done by accident.
There are three ways to screw up when firing someone, according to Jack Welch in his book Winning (with Suzy Welch). They are:
Moving too fast means firing someone before you have the facts, before you've filed the paperwork, before you are sure you are even firing the right person. That's bound to make an honest man cranky--maybe cranky enough to file a complaint against you.
When you don't use enough candor, the person being fired knows you are lying or holding back and they want to know the truth. Leaving without knowing why makes anger linger, and it may linger long enough for your former employee to find a lawyer to get the truth.
Taking too long just makes everyone mad. The other employees are mad because they see some yo-yo getting away with murder while you do nothing about it. It makes customers mad because they aren't getting the service they deserve from this loser. It makes the employee mad when you finally confront them, after all, they've been getting away with murder for months, maybe years. Finally, it should make you make because employees that suck are also sucking money out of your wallet.
I don't want to say, "Fire early, fire often," but if you are a supervisor or manager, hiring and FIRING is part of your job. It's not complicated, but it is hard. It can be very hard to fire someone you've known for years, someone who used to be a good employee. That's why it is so important to do it right. No surprises!
Rodney's 52 Ways Store is open for business! Check out the link in the upper left hand corner or click here. Now you can easily find all the detail on how to order your a copy of "Rodney's 52 Ways to Impress Your Boss--Without Sucking Up!" Buy a copy for a friend, buy a sample booklet before placing a bulk order, or reach me to ask about inventory levels before placing a bulk order.
Special Offer
To celebrate my grand opening, the first 10 people to order 5 or more booklets through the new mini-store, will also get a copy of "Instant Booklet Pubilicy." This special report is a primer on using booklets to help you get the publicity you need to help your business grow. It includes a dozen sample press releases you can customize to match your own publicity push. When I offer this special report for sale (soon), it will be priced at $29.95. You can get it free now, but only if you are one of the first 10 people to order 5 or more booklets through the mini-store. Order today.
Still Not Ready to Oder?
No, I'm not saying you should MAKE love to your boss on Valentine's Day (I mean, you can if you want, but you won't get a raise, and you are probably just asking for trouble). No, what I mean is that in honor of Valentine's Day, you should try to SEE your boss as a real human being: someone with needs, problems, defects and shortcomings. In other words, someone a lot like you and me!
I'm not saying you should suck up either. I HATE suck-ups! But you can treat your boss with a little respect without sucking up. Buy him a soda for once--you big spender you! Ask him about his day. See if there is something she needs. You would appreciate it if he (for once) asked how you were (and really meant it). Right? So, return the favor ahead of time. Love your boss, in a friendly, honest, brotherly, work-mate sort of way. It can't hurt.
PS
Just let me add that a back rub on Valentine's Day IS over the line!
Nobody could ever accuse politicians as a group of being honest. It seems like their real job is to spin and twist the truth till it screams. Of course, spinning is like sweating, and you know that to make a good impression, you never want to let them see you sweat.
So, while early in the presidential nomination process everyone was talking all goodness and light, now the gloves are off. Someone finally noticed Obama was black. Clinton is posing for staged candid photos where her key rival won't shake her hand. One candidate accused McCain of not really being a republican (he hasn't been one for years), and he in turn accused the former governor of Massachusetts of being--gasp--a liberal! What does all this teach us about human nature?
Pressure Will Reveal Your True Nature
When your back is to the wall, will you spin, lie and steal, or stand tall and speak the truth? When your favorite customer is unhappy about a missed deadline, will they still be fun and upbeat with you on the telephone, or will they snap at you like a turtle after a bug?
If your behavior changes too much under pressure, ask yourself what it means. When people around you change because of a deadline or a little criticism, what does it say about their true colors? You may not like the answers, but they may be the most honest answers you can get.
It is Christmas time. It is the time to give a gift from the heart. Sometimes, some people, especially children who don't have jobs and maybe don't get much for allowance, have trouble finding a gift they can afford to give. But you are a reader! Most readers make wonderful writers. To create a wonderful Christmas, Yule, Hanuka or Kwanzaa card with a personal letter to someone you know, grab a piece of paper and a pencil and answer these questions in sentence form. Use the suggested key words underneath the questions to get your brain started.
What is it about your (Dad, Mom, Nanna, friend) that you like best?
Smile
Hug
Cooking
What did you do with them last year that really made you smile?
Walk
Shop
Travel
Where would you take them for a holiday dinner, if you could?
Hawaii
The moon
Atlantis--before it sank
What would you like to do with them on over the Holidays?
Movie
Hot chocolate
Nap
What would you like to thank them for?
Love
Cookies
Spending time
When you have the writing done, take another sheet of paper, fold it in half and draw something on the front. If you are terrible at drawing, cut a photo out of a magazine (if it isn't your magazine, ask first), or better yet, get a photograph of the person you are writing about and glue that on the front. Place the letter inside the card and give it to your special someone. I would probably do it Christmas Eve.
When you are done, use the comment tool below to share how it went.
Not everyone has money to buy an expensive Christmas present. If you, or one of your children, wants to give a valuable and personal Christmas Gift but can't afford to, try this:
Go to your closet,
Try on everything in there,
Make a pile for everything that doesn't fit,
Also toss aside everything you haven't worn in 2007,
(kids will need some adult supervision here),
Then take a trash bag or two and put all those clothes in the bags, and
Take them to Good Will.
Your clothes will be sold for a song to someone who probably needs them more than you.
To me, Christmas is the generosity holiday. If you will think about this project, enjoy doing it, then think back on the experience fondly, I believe you will have the best Christmas ever.
To learn more about Good Will Industries, click here.
