Jingle All the Way: Serendipity Happens
Way back before Arnold was Governor of California, he starred in a Christmas caper called “Jingle All the Way.” As workaholic Howard Langston, Arnie races all over town on Christmas Eve, in search of the blockbuster toy “Turbo Man,” which he promised his wife he’d pick up months before. Since it’s the only present on their son’s Christmas list, the need is dire.
In his quest to find the perfect toy, Howard fends off advances from a psycho mailman, a vengeful cop, and his lugubrious neighbor who’s bent on moving in on Howard’s wife, usurping his role as husband and father.
After hours of careening from store to store, Howard finds himself in the town’s annual holiday parade, dressed up as – you guessed it! – Turbo Man. All ends well when his wife and son realize his heart is in the right place. Don’t you just love happy endings?
You may think there’s no lesson here for a business owner, but there are plenty. We could talk about work-life balance, or the importance of keeping your commitments, but the main one to highlight is the role that serendipity plays in business.
Many successful business owners will tell you that the second they became crystal clear on their objectives, things just seemed to fall into place for them. Sure, they faced some obstacles along the way, but somehow the person they needed to meet or the book they needed to read or the lesson they needed to learn fell into their path.
Preparation is a great thing, and it’s necessary for day-to-day success. It’s what gets us through the tough, repetitive and sometimes boring stuff. But often the big leaps forward in our business occur because of some force stronger than us that’s at work in the universe.
Consider this quote from renowned poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: “Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” Even if you aren’t the “woo-woo” type, it can pay to be open to seemingly miraculous coincidences and occurrences.
Some people consider these types of coincidences to be signs that you’re moving on the right path. But whether you believe in the “great divine” or not, smart business owners will take advantage of any opportunities, regardless of source. And the more clear you are on your end goal, the more you’ll be able to recognize these opportunities.
Are You Dreading Year End Performance Appraisals? | performance appraisal
Do you sit in your office dreading the conversation with employees around performance an their annual performance appraisal?
Do you wish the performance appraisal would just be over with?
Have you ever procrastinated the employee performance appraisal so long it was almost the next year?
These are just a few of the comments we hear from managers and business leaders about the annual employee performance appraisal. Many feel the same about their own, personal performance appraisal and dread it equally. What makes them so difficult?
It’s the direct conversation with another person that makes it hard, AND the fact that the conversation has NOT been ongoing. When the performance appraisal is used as an effective tool for enhancing employee performance improvement the conversation is happening throughout the year and the employee and the supervisor are both engaged and committed to the plan.
Shifting to a performance improvement system that is positive, focused on producing results and success shifts the entire year end experience. In addition, the workplace culture shifts to one of results oriented and skill mastery. Employees are engaged in the top goals for success and they know that they have the support of their managers and team.
What does it take to make this shift?
First, it takes a new paradigm — one that is focused and positive.
The manager has to make the first shift.
The next step is to use a planning process that engages the employee. We use the Best Year Yet® system of transformation. It is a powerful system of moving employees into a results focused paradigm and taking a moment to look at their limiting beliefs as well. By doing this the manager can help them to overcome limitations and be successful. The plan sets the top goals for the employee for the year, in collaboration with the manager or leader. The plan is simple and focused.
The plan is then reviewed with the employee each month. It is not the manager leading the conversation but rather the employee. The employee comes to the meeting prepared to discuss their goals and how they did on each goal for the previous month. Using an online system for tracking goals, employees actually login into their plan and SCORE their goals. This is a powerful shift in how appraisals are done. It is empowering to employees and more fully engages them in the plan and its outcomes. It is not a plan that has been handed to them and is negatively focused, it is a plan that they have developed to create their “best year yet”, and as a result the company results are improved.
When managers are engaged with employees then they are more clued into what is interfering with success. They are having regular conversations with staff and know what is happening through out their area of responsibility. In addition, they know just how their team is performing.
When it comes time to review the plan again at year end the experience is no longer dreaded but is anticipated with enthusiasm. Relationships between managers and employees are shifted to collaborative rather than controlling and confrontational.
Workplaces that develop a system of performance improvement see greater team work, greater company results and more collaborative behavior on their team.
To learn more about creating a positive performance improvement system in your workplace schedule a strategic leadership call.
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