Archive for Motivation
Always Try for That Extra 10%
Posted by: | CommentsWhen Seth Godin’s daily post came today, it literally transported me back in time. It’s like that moment when a familiar fragrance sets off a memory of a loved one, or you bump into your favorite college professor on the street after many years (this actually happened to me the day after I was married, and it seemed prophetic at the time).
Today, Seth makes the point about how important it is to put that work into the last 10% of quality. I was brought back in time to my childhood. My father continually exhorted my two brothers and me to “always try for that extra 10%.”
Coming to this country as a poor immigrant, he never reached the pinnacle of business success, even though he was one of the smartest men I’ve ever known. He could discuss current affairs with Ph.D’s and talk them under the table. I can still hear my father’s voice intoning “extra 10%, extra 10%, extra 10%.”
Seth Godin can always say things better than almost anybody else, so I am reproducing his post here:
Seth Godin
In most fields, there’s an awful lot of work put into the last ten percent of quality.
Getting your golf score from 77 to 70 is far more difficult than getting it from 120 to 113 or even from 84 to 77.
Answering the phone on the first ring costs twice as much as letting it go into the queue.
Making pastries the way they do at a fancy restaurant is a lot more work than making brownies at home.
Laying out the design of a page or a flyer so it looks like a pro did it takes about ten times as much work as merely using the template Microsoft builds in for free, and the message is almost the same…
Except it’s not. Of course not. The message is not the same.
The last ten percent is the signal we look for, the way we communicate care and expertise and professionalism. If all you’re doing is the standard amount, all you’re going to get is the standard compensation. The hard part is the last ten percent, sure, or even the last one percent, but it’s the hard part because everyone is busy doing the easy part already.
The secret is to seek out the work that most people believe isn’t worth the effort. That’s what you get paid for.
Why Small Talk Around the Water Cooler is so Critical to Learning
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Most of the people I know are working virtually from home at least part of the time. The more senior you are the more likely you have the authority to decide when and where you work.
I once joked at a seminar that you could roll a bowling ball down the halls of a Big Four firm that shall remain nameless and it wouldn’t hit anyone. That’s how empty the offices and cubicles are. Working virtually has its benefits no doubt: no long commute on the train, flexible hours, problem solving in your pajamas. It’s gotten so prevalent that companies don’t even have offices for a lot of their staff and do “hoteling.” You call ahead and reserve an office when you absolutely must be there.
So what could be so bad about this? Read More→
11 Tips to Improve Employee Motivation, Employee Satisfaction & Employee Retention
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Praise promotes employee motivation
The idea for this article came from a conversation I just had with a friend who works for one of the largest companies and best-known brands in the world. Yet the company sucks at employee motivation. If they haven’t got it figured out, then heaven’s knows many other companies are still in the dark, too, about what kinds of things motivate employees and that lead to employee satisfaction and retention. He gave me a couple of examples that were almost laughable.
My New Year’s Resolution: No More Coulda, Shoulda, Wouldas
Posted by: | CommentsIn a couple of hours, the clock will strike midnight, ushering in 2010. This is a quiet New Year’s Eve for me – just finished doing the laundry. Honestly, when did this holiday become so important to everyone? I wish a fairy godmother would sprinkle some gold dust on my head at 12 o’clock and make all my dreams come true, but that is not likely to happen.
So, here is the deal. I’ve got to make things happen myself. And instead of reflecting back on 2009 and all the things I could have done, I’m determined to look forward. I owe this resolution to my brother Carl, and I’ve been making it pretty successfully for a number of years. Here it is: Read More→
