With my affinity for using “rock” as a verb, you just know I would love reading the book Perform Like a Rock Star (and still have time for lunch) by Orna Drawas. Receiving this book from my friends at the Cadence Group couldn’t have happened at a better time, because my new HR job is requiring me to work smarter (and harder) than ever before. Where it fits, I added the page numbers below to help you find the good stuff.
Some of the highlights
CEOs rate the top two qualities they say will help someone advance in their career quickly as:
the ability to separate the relevant from the irrelevant
the ability to get the job done quickly
Don’t prioritize your schedule. Schedule time for your priorities. And make sure it’s during your golden hour.
Inbox zero (for your life)-Commit to using a list. Really using it. Anything that will take longer than two minutes to complete gets added onto the list. While it may seem urgent at the time, adding it to the list and then comparing priorities might shine the light on some false urgency. (p77) Continue Reading »
When I ordered A Leader’s Heart by John Maxwell to review from BookSneeze, I was really excited. I’ve heard for some time that John Maxwell is an amazing writer in the leadership space, but I kept putting off reading one of his books (until now). My loss.
He writes well, and A Leader’s Heart is full of amazing leadership tenets delivered in bite sized pieces.
I’ll go ahead and admit that I haven’t finished reading the book. It wouldn’t make sense to read it all before reviewing, because it’s a devotional. That means you read a short passage every day for a year. The purpose of the devotional format is to continually immerse yourself in a subject to keep yourself focused and on track.
I gave it two weeks, and I’ve already seen opportunities arise for me to utilize an idea or action I read about in the book. I recommend it for people looking for growth in their leadership skills.
My favorite part so far
I’m still flipping back to read and reread the second page of the book. It’s all about how an organization’s strength is in direct correlation with the strength of its leaders. Strong leaders=strong organization. Weak leaders=weak organization. While we sometimes get caught up in other things that influence the success or failure of an organization, it’s good to revisit the idea that strong leadership can make all the difference in the world.
FYI
If you’re offended by mentions of God or Christianity, this ain’t the book for you. But if you are a Christian like me or just want a positive, encouraging set of lessons to help you be a better leaer, then this book is worth a look. I also received a free copy to review from BookSneeze, but I reviewed it like I paid for it with my own dinero. It’s better that way.
I’ve been reading a copy of Be Bodacious: Put Life in Your Leadership recently, and it’s been one of the better business books I’ve read this year. I’ve realized that a good mix of “story” and “lesson” is what I enjoy in a book. While there are a lot of good picks out there, a good book needs something to tie it all together and make it stick.
-Thorough, blatant, umistakable
-Remarkable, outstanding
-Audacious; bold or brazen
I bookmark all of my books. I have a fear of dog-earing them that comes from(damaging) enjoying a lot of library books in my early years. When I look back at a book later, I always start with what I bookmarked on the first trip through. The first thing I bookmarked this time was a section about being a chicken eater vs. being a chicken catcher. I won’t go into too much detail, but here’s the piece I want to share:
Do you have a “chicken catching” job?
Maybe you have a “chicken catching” job you have stuck with far too long. The job that you dread going to every day, where at the end of the day you feel like a chicken catcher lifting your catch over your head for the poop to rain down on you. Your day ends leaving you feeling underpaid, underappreciated, and covered with the poop of frustration. (p. 42)
Who couldn’t love a book with metaphors like that?
How to Win Friends and Influence People Review-I received the book as a contest prize, and it’s been one of the most valuable prizes I’ve ever won. All of us have strained relationships, ideas we want to move forward, and connections we want to make. I’ve picked up a piece of advice on each of those topics that has helped me in my professional and personal lives. These ideas are, for the most part, common sense. We already know some of them. But I think the difference for me is knowing that some of the most successful people in the world have used these ideas to achieve what they have. If you are looking for ideas on how to win friends and influence people, get the book today!
When I was a senior at the illustrious Athens State University, I took a little college class by the name of project management (taught by the guy who owned a weekend kettle corn stand that I heard about in everysingle class). One of the requirements of the class was reading a book called The Goal. I saw the book on my shelf the other day and naturally I started thinking about things through the HR perspective. Looking back now, I really appreciate being forced to read that book.
I recently received a copy of “The Pursuit of Something Better” to review. I have a fairly large queue of books to review, so this one sat on my shelf for about a month. Now I’m kicking myself for waiting. The company that the story’s centered around, U.S. Cellular, reminds me of my own organization in several ways. And seeing that company take the problems they faced and turn them around helped me to have hope.
A little bit of background: U.S. Cellular is a relatively small cell service provider. In 2000, the company was going down the tubes. In some parts of the company, the job abandonment/walk off rate was as high as 20%! It was then that a new leader took the helm. Jack Rooney held some beliefs that he knew could save this company if given the opportunity. Those beliefs include, but are not limited to, the following sections.
Employees treat customers like their leaders treat them.
Customer Service
Customer service should always be a priority, because customers are the lifeblood of a company. Treat them well, and they will forever remember who was there for them. They become champions. Treat them poorly, and word gets out very quickly about the type of service they received. The problem is that many people are shielded and don’t see how their efforts are tied into customer service. U.S. Cellular made the decision to filter every decision through the eyes of the customer. Customer-focused decision making became second nature, and their clients were transformed from merely being “customers” to being “champions” for the company.
Think about it. Ever had a horrible experience with a company who treated you poorly? You probably told someone (or a lot of someones!) about it. On the flip side, do you have a favorite restaurant where the service is always top-notch and impeccable? You probably tell people about that, too! Now, I do realize that we in HR don’t have to focus on customer service as hard as someone who’s selling a product or service, but shouldn’t we be doing it anyway? That leads me to the next item…
Where do you draw the line on what is or is not ethical?
Ethics
Ethics is one of the words that corporate leaders love to talk about. But how many of them really go out of their way to make it a focus for their companies? Having a poster on the wall or a yearly meeting telling people to “be ethical” won’t work. It has to be ingrained.
Your employees come from dozens of different backgrounds and belief systems. Ask 10 people what’s ethical and you’ll get 10 different responses. So why not teach them the standards that we will hold them to and make it ubiquitous? A customer service rep in Buffalo should have the same expectations of ethical behavior as a sales associate in Denver.
And an interesting side benefit of this is that they will carry this outside the walls of the workplace. Whether they’re at home or at the grocery store, the ethical code that has been established will continue to guide their actions and behaviors. And to get those behaviors established firmly, it’s going to take…
Are you a leader or a manager? There is a difference.
Leadership
Leadership at all levels is essential for a company to develop well. Just one person in the mix who prefers his/her own methods can ruin the efforts of positive leaders above or below in the chain of command. An interesting discussion about the differences between leaders and managers can be found here.
Some of the stories about U.S. Cellular’s leadership team are inspiring and amazing to behold. The company uses several methods for evaluating leader performance. Anyone who isn’t performing well in the leadership area gets one of two diagnoses: will or skill. If the leader is failing because of a lack of will, then they are given a short time to shape up or ship out. If the leader is failing because of a lack of skill, then they are given more leeway. It’s easier to train someone who is a good natural leader than to let a bad one pollute the workforce.
Sound like a book you would enjoy? Then I highly recommend that you check it out!
With my affinity for using “rock” as a verb, you just know I would love reading the book Perform Like a Rock Star (and still have time for lunch) by Orna Drawas. Receiving this book from my friends at the Cadence Group couldn’t have happened at a better time, because my new HR job is requiring me to work smarter (and harder) than ever before. Where it fits, I added the page numbers below to help you find the good stuff. 
