What About Slackers?

It's a question so often asked: what do we do about people who just won't do their job?

What's happened to any sense of work-ethic?

It's not gone. There are still plenty of people who are dedicated and hard-working. Ambition is alive and well, and work-ethic thrives among many. Still, those who seem to just phone-it-in (often with their phones in their hands scrolling away) seem to have multiplied: they're everywhere. It is frustrating to work hard while standing next to someone who is hardly working.

But that's not the way it has to be. There is joy to be found in the work, even if some people are not trying very hard to find that joy.

People who won't do their jobs have not yet discovered the joy in their work.

If that makes you sad, imagine how hard it makes them.

Part of our job as leaders is to help ignite that spark of joy in people, to help them discover the joy of work -- any work. Some people do show up already motivated, and some people do not. Our task as leaders is to keep the fires of motivation burning for everyone.

How can we get started if we already feel behind? Find the spark in your own work and work with that level of energy -- I promise you, it's contagious.

-- doug smith

Comments

Finding Collaborators

Who do you call on a project when you need help? Do you have a team of people you rely on? Or, is every project a struggle to find help? Maybe we should be constantly looking for help. Teaming up. Partnering up. What if we spent some of our strategic planning time in finding collaborators? Anyone could be a collaborator. They could be working in another department or process. They might even be in a different organization. You might not have even met yet. Still, the potential is there. Anyone could be a collaborator and sometimes we just need to ask. "Hey, I've got this great project I'm working on. Can I tell you about it?' If it really IS a great project, why wouldn't they want to hear all about it? And then, if they''re right for the project, your team could be about to grow. -- doug smith

The Word of the Day

The word of the day is love. The word of the month is love. The word of your life is love. Isn't that the best word -- and advice -- ever? -- doug smith

You're the Leader

What's next? Everyday there is some new challenge and everyday there are multiple ways to handle each challenge. People are waiting for answers without even understanding the questions. Where does that leave you? The best we can ever do is to make things better. Start with one thing at a time and grow. I don't do nearly enough of this, but I'm willing to ramp it up. How about you? Lead the way to something better and people will follow you. -- doug smith Call to Action: Make a list (a very short list!) of problems you'd like solved or projects you'd like to do. Prioritize the list. Start working on number one. Do something.

Plan to Celebrate

I am not good at celebrating, and yet celebrating is motivational. Because of that, I need to PLAN to celebrate or it will pass me right by. That also means that in order to see the plan to celebrate thru, there must be something worth celebrating, which means doing the work to achieve the goal. Your goal is easier to achieve when you make energizing progress and then celebrate it. It's not either or -- it's both and: progress (doing the work) and celebration (rewarding yourself and others for that success.) What do you think? -- doug smith

What Secret?

How secret is that secret? Secrets are told when people think that no one is listening. Some one is always listening. That's how secrets get out. -- doug smith

Start With Calm

It's amazing how many problems stop being problems once we are centered and calm. -- doug smith

Convince Yourself

How important is that goal, really? How deeply do you believe in the importance of that goal? It's easy, but silly, for us to fool ourselves. Either the goal REALLY matters or it does not. Design a plan to achieve your goal that is so persuasive you won't be tempted to ignore it. Then do it. Act relentlessly on your plan. -- doug smith

Goals are for People Like You

It's hard work. Most people are not willing to put in that work. Waiting for miracles or hoping to luck into achieving your goals might sound great for a video spin as a win but usually does not pay off -- it doesn't work unless YOU do. Goals are not meant for lazy people. Goals are for people willing to work in order to get what they want. People like you, right? -- doug smith

Goals Turn Into Destinations

All goals lead somewhere. Do yours lead you where you want to go? No matter what anyone else says, you're the one who is in charge and in control of your goals. -- doug smith

Dealing With The Past

Advice can be tricky. Have you ever heard advice that says "forget the past" or "release what was"? That could be helpful. That might be good therapy sometimes. And, sometimes it is a big mistake. The more we pretend the past doesn't matter the more likely it is to haunt us. We cannot change the past -- true. Should we ignore it? Or better yet, should we learn from it? -- doug smith Reflection: What does the image of that broken bridge remind you of in your past? Are you finished dealing with that part of your past? What did you learn?

doug smith training

Search This Blog