Wisdom often comes from unexpected places. Many of you may recall the movie “City Slickers” starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. Crystal’s character, “Mitch,” was going through a mid-life crisis. He and his buddies decide to spend two weeks at a dude ranch to sort out life and get some rest and relaxation. Palance’s character, “Curly,” seemed to have it all together. As Mitch began to pity the cowboy’s simple life of herding, Curly speaks amazing wisdom in response to Mitch. The dialogue went like this ...
Curly: “Yeah. You all come out here about the same age. Same problems. Spend fifty weeks a year getting knots in your rope, then you think two weeks up here will untie them for you. None of you get it. (pause) Do you know what the secret of life is?”
Mitch: “No, what?”
Curly: “This,” holding up his index finger.
Mitch: “Your finger?”
Curly: “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don’t matter.”
Mitch: “That’s great, but what’s the one thing?”
Curly: “That’s what you’ve got to figure out.”
The wisdom was expressed in the cowboy’s words: the secret to life is one thing. Research suggests that the secret to a successful “work life” can similarly be found in “one thing.” Based on interviews with more than 3 million employees in a variety of industries, the Gallup organization has concluded this: Happy, productive employees are those who clearly see a link between what they do everyday and the mission of the organization. This link is the “one thing” that creates engaged employees.
Jim Shaffer in his book, The Leadership Solution, says, “People should come to work each day excited about the prospects of making a difference. They should go home at night feeling as though they did, that they added value and are valued.”
Focusing on the link between what we do everyday and the company’s mission gives meaning to the work we do. By focusing on this “one thing,” the customer wins through improved quality and service, the company wins through increased efficiency and greater profits, and most importantly, the employee wins by having a more meaningful work life, knowing that what he or she does everyday is important to the success of the company.
As Curly said, “You stick to that and everything else don’t matter.”
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
How Full is Your Bucket?
What is the number one reason most people leave their jobs? “They don’t feel appreciated,” says Tom Rath, coauthor of the national bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket? The book is based on research by the Gallup Organization that includes survey data from more than 4 million employees in more than 10,000 business units and more than 30 industries.
The research reveals how even the briefest interactions affect our relationships, productivity, health, and longevity. Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, the author shows us how to greatly increase the positive moments in our work and our life -- while reducing the negative. “Each of us has a bucket,” says Rath. “It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful.
“Each of us also has an invisible dipper. When we use that dipper to fill other people’s buckets¾by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions¾we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that dipper to dip from others’ buckets -- by saying or doing things that decrease their positive emotions -- we diminish ourselves.”
All of this can have a significant impact on employees. It can also affect the company’s bottom line. Here’s why. Companies that have begun offering recognition and praise report:
- Increased individual productivity
- Better safety records/fewer accidents on the job
- Employees stay with the organization longer
- Higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers
Like the cup that runneth over, a full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy. Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic. But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps our energy, and undermines our will. That's why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us.
So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill one another’s buckets, or we can dip from them. It’s an important choice¾one that profoundly influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness.
The research reveals how even the briefest interactions affect our relationships, productivity, health, and longevity. Organized around a simple metaphor of a dipper and a bucket, the author shows us how to greatly increase the positive moments in our work and our life -- while reducing the negative. “Each of us has a bucket,” says Rath. “It is constantly emptied or filled, depending on what others say or do to us. When our bucket is full, we feel great. When it’s empty, we feel awful.
“Each of us also has an invisible dipper. When we use that dipper to fill other people’s buckets¾by saying or doing things to increase their positive emotions¾we also fill our own bucket. But when we use that dipper to dip from others’ buckets -- by saying or doing things that decrease their positive emotions -- we diminish ourselves.”
All of this can have a significant impact on employees. It can also affect the company’s bottom line. Here’s why. Companies that have begun offering recognition and praise report:
- Increased individual productivity
- Better safety records/fewer accidents on the job
- Employees stay with the organization longer
- Higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers
Like the cup that runneth over, a full bucket gives us a positive outlook and renewed energy. Every drop in that bucket makes us stronger and more optimistic. But an empty bucket poisons our outlook, saps our energy, and undermines our will. That's why every time someone dips from our bucket, it hurts us.
So we face a choice every moment of every day: We can fill one another’s buckets, or we can dip from them. It’s an important choice¾one that profoundly influences our relationships, productivity, health, and happiness.
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Purpose-Driven Job
In the February 7, 2005, edition of Time magazine, it was noted that The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren, has been the best-selling hardcover book in history. In his book, Warren proposes, “without God, life has no purpose; and without purpose life has no meaning; and without meaning, life has no significance or hope.”
Interestingly, a number of major research studies point to a similar philosophy in the workplace. Research done by The Gallup Organization, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, and the Corporate Leadership Council, suggest this: Without a mission, work has no purpose, and without a purpose, work has no meaning; and without meaning, work has no significance.
If we want to have meaningful work (and I assume most of us do), then we must link what we do every day at work to the mission of the company.
Whether we work outdoors, in a manufacturing facility, or an office cubiclewhatever our jobwe should be able to connect that job to our company’s mission.
According to research by the Gallup Organization, only 26% of employees have found purpose in their work. These are the ones who are engaged in their jobs. They have made the connection to the company’s mission. They see the big picture. On the other end of the spectrum, about 19% are actively disengaged. They’re called “CAVE” people because they are Consistently Against Virtually Everything. About 55% of employees are somewhere in between. They are neither engaged in their work, nor disengaged. They just show up, and are usually bored most of the time.
The good news is that the choice is ours. We can choose to be a “cave dweller,” or we can choose to find a purpose in our job. In the real world, most of us can’t do what we like, but we can like what we do. And with a purpose-driven job, the chances are good that we will like what we do.
Interestingly, a number of major research studies point to a similar philosophy in the workplace. Research done by The Gallup Organization, Watson Wyatt Worldwide, and the Corporate Leadership Council, suggest this: Without a mission, work has no purpose, and without a purpose, work has no meaning; and without meaning, work has no significance.
If we want to have meaningful work (and I assume most of us do), then we must link what we do every day at work to the mission of the company.
Whether we work outdoors, in a manufacturing facility, or an office cubiclewhatever our jobwe should be able to connect that job to our company’s mission.
According to research by the Gallup Organization, only 26% of employees have found purpose in their work. These are the ones who are engaged in their jobs. They have made the connection to the company’s mission. They see the big picture. On the other end of the spectrum, about 19% are actively disengaged. They’re called “CAVE” people because they are Consistently Against Virtually Everything. About 55% of employees are somewhere in between. They are neither engaged in their work, nor disengaged. They just show up, and are usually bored most of the time.
The good news is that the choice is ours. We can choose to be a “cave dweller,” or we can choose to find a purpose in our job. In the real world, most of us can’t do what we like, but we can like what we do. And with a purpose-driven job, the chances are good that we will like what we do.
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