How Do You Know You Have Manipulative, Lazy Management and Workers?

Sometimes it is hard to tell when workers are slacking when middle managers and supervisors act as barriers to keep information away from you such as: crucial details about customer service, disciplinary practices, customer complaints, wasteful company spending, poor sales performance and more.    If you aren't tracking, rarely look at data, and ignore warning signs, it isn't any wonder that you will find yourself either on the hopping block or chopping someone else's block! 

When you are distracted by other less relevant meeting topics, slow in getting requested data, or blatantly denied access to front line workers, these are sure signs that there is something they don't want you to know!  The outspoken, disgruntled and top performing employees typically have experiences they would. love to share, but if there isn't anything put in place to encourage them to open up their mouths without gatekeepers blocking them, you might as well continue to be deceived and/or possibly ripped off.  

For those who are sincerely concerned about their businesses, keep reading, this blog entry will stimulate some thoughts on what you have been overlooking and what you as a manager, investor, and owner need to improve upon. Too many executives are either too busy or slacking themselves because of that, it is quite easy to shield them from business challenges that should have been long addressed years ago, but were swept under the rug!

1) How much money is truly being allocated to: pay employees, purchase company supplies, marketing, customer appreciation activities, etc. or NOT? Very easy to move money from one place to the next.

2) How much time is really being spent by managers to train, research, or improve on existing systems/operations?  Kind of hard to do that when they are either pulled in all sorts of directions or running from pertinent responsibilities.

3) Who is consistently opening early and closing late?  So what is happening during the day that the same people are being paid overtime or not?  Do you really have a staff working or just a couple of people?

4) Who is working more weekends than most? Is that really by choice? Maybe but then again maybe not.

5) Who is often taking breaks and who isn't? Burnout will surely make someone freak out!

6) Are deadlines often being missed? A little too much talking by the water cooler, personal tasks during company hours, or phone conferences with the favorites?

7) Who continues to come late to meetings or not show up at all? Why is this person in leadership again?

8) What does the data say about profits and where are you gaining or losing money?  Why such a significant difference in the numbers?  What or who is causing such a significant rise and fall?

9) Why is there a high turnover and are you speaking to those employees who are still left and checking in with Human Resources on reasons why employees recently left?  Maybe the job board review sites will help you with that.

10) What does the data reveal about those on leave and when exactly are they coming back?  Is someone not following up?  Lots of money going out for zero work.

When leadership doesn't closely look at the data while checking for patterns and inconsistencies, conduct one-on-one interviews, research, and hold workers accountable, you will surely have employee challenges that not only reveal laziness or incompetence, but also poor, excuse-making leaders with many secrets hired to supposedly navigate the team.  What is of bigger concern is how they use various manipulative strategies to protect their paychecks while robbing companies blind.

Nicholl McGuire is the blog owner, inspirational speaker and author.

When a Loved One Doesn't Like to Work

Relatives close to the one who doesn't like his or her job or worse doesn't want to work five or six days a week, tend to be mistreated and disrespected.  These difficult men and women rarely smile, prefer to spend much time alone, easily irritated, most often miserable, and don't want to talk much or not at all on most days.  Children are encouraged to go to their rooms.  Wives are quickly shut down when they want to communicate.  Husbands are ignored.

No matter what you might ask the unhappy one, "I'm fine, everything is okay.  Why are you asking me that?  Nothing is wrong with me..."  Sure.  We must remember that many workers, who were once lazy children, didn't necessarily let go of their rebellion toward work especially if they grew up around strict parents.  As children, when they didn't step it up at home, they were called, "Lazy!  Good for nothing!  You better help or else!"  So it isn't any wonder why these workers have a negative attitude toward employment.

People who don't like their jobs or don't want to work at all can't stay in hiding for long!  Potential candidates will initially respond positively to being up for a "challenge" during an interview.  However, the truth comes out once they are hired.  We notice the following:  they are frequently late for work, delegate most or even all responsibilities to others, often request time off, avoid any customer service confrontations, and the list goes on!

Relatives catch hell when these poor performers are held accountable by their managers for their sub-par work ethic, lack of enthusiasm, and downright laziness.  On the way home, the tension of the day is building.  They will never tell the full story about what really happened at work.  Rather than be honest with themselves and others, they prefer to lash out on anyone who asks, "How was your day?"

Children are not parented effectively and nor are marriages nurtured by selfish, lazy people who not only don't like to work a job, but don't like to help build their households either.  Their lack of performance is not restricted to just a job.  They choose roles out of necessity.  They simply need money while they don't put too much thought in how their negative attitude about working might affect their loved ones, friends, coworkers, managers, and others in the short or long term.

Anyone who notices a relative or friend often acting mean-spirited without any explanation, but it seems that the mood is connected to work, you can attempt to get the individual to talk.  However, if they refuse to be open and rather ignore you, well then you have a right to distance yourself from the negative worker!

Don't be surprised if one day they lose their job or quit.  Save your money and pay off debt if you rely on this person, it's only a matter of time.

Nicholl McGuire

What You Don't Know Just Might Hurt Your Business

Do you ever check on managers and supervisors who have their own offices?

Do you know what they do when you are away?

Stop the Drama and Do the Work | At the Whiteboard

Self-Discipline for Lazy People

Team Working - What Stops Teams From Working Effectively?

When teams get to performing there is no doubting the value and benefit that they bring. Sometimes however, teams just do not work effectively. So what stops teams from working effectively?

Fuzzy goals or objectives

If a team does not know with absolute clarity what it is to deliver, chances are that at best it will deliver something of little value or at worst nothing at all. Don't compromise the ability of the team by leaving it to try and finger out what it is to deliver. Make it crystal clear.

Roles are not defined

Just imagine a scenario. Something has not gone as expected and everyone is saying that they thought that someone else was doing the task that was so critical. When riles are not defined things fall down a track and when things fall down a crack no one wins. Get clear on who is doing what.

Bad decision making

Taking decisions as a team is different to taking decisions individually. It requires team members to rely on each other, a concept that might be alien. One thing is certain you will get some decisions wrong. The key is to aim to get a clear decision making process on the team that everyone understands.

Policies and procedures that are past their sell by date

Organisations, especially big organisations need to have some boundaries and protocols which are typically set out in policies and procedures. Trouble is these policies and procedures can easily become onerous our out of touch with current practice. Make sure that policies and procedures are still relevant.

People don't interact with each other appropriately

We all based on our experiences, background, professional disciplines have different preferences. Trouble is people often forget this and fail to adapt their style to move closer to the people they are interacting with. Make a point of thinking about the other person's preferences when interacting.

Bottom Line- Teams when working well together have the potential to deliver great results. So what's getting in the way of successful team working in your organisation?

Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A) works with teams in large public and private sector organisations who want to work more effectively and achieve better results. He is an authorised Facilitator for Team Coaching International's Team Diagnostic Asssessment.

He invites you to check out details of his sevices and programmes at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/?pid=6

A Major Obstacle to Career Change...The Fear of Self-Promotion and Selling!

Do you have a great business idea or a new career you would like to build? Many people do and some even create their idea. Then they stop. One of the most common obstacles to building a business or career you love is your beliefs about selling and promoting.
Whether you are creating a business or building a career, you will have to sell. You will either be selling a product or service or promoting your own abilities and accomplishments. There is no way to get around it...you must learn to sell.

There are many limiting beliefs keeping us from whole heartedly promoting our business or ourselves. Many of us hold the belief that selling is a negative activity. We believe sales people are pushy, uncaring and annoying. There are many beliefs around the idea that it is "bragging" to talk about our achievements. People should just notice how great we are! Of coarse that rarely happens.

Since you can't be successful and refuse to self-promote or sell then perhaps it is time to change your beliefs around selling. How would it change your attitude if you truly believed that you have something wonderful to share with others? What if you believed that you could promote your business in a way that showed you cared about the success of others? What if you believed that in the process of promoting yourself or your business you could make wonderful friendships and business collaborations?

It all starts with our beliefs which then translate into the attitudes we hold and how we share with others. If you think about it you can probably remember someone who sold you something or offered you a service in a way that felt good. In fact you felt better after they talked to you then before. That is how you want to sell.

Along with changing your beliefs to supportive beliefs around selling it is also time to take a look at how you like to sell. Where do your strengths lie? I found that I loved to show the value of my business through offering workshops. I enjoy leading workshops and talking about my business came naturally in that environment. Others like to get involved in volunteering and in the process share with people what they do for work. Some people thrive on meeting people through networking. Many like to market over the Internet. Some people even enjoy cold calling! Experiment for yourself and find the marketing venue that fits you and your strengths.

As you think about your resistance to promoting your business or yourself make a list of fears and limiting beliefs that come up. When you have your list write an opposite powerful belief to replace it with. Don't let the fear of marketing keep you from the career or business of your dreams. Remember that whatever you have to offer is your unique gift to the world so give it!

Leanna Fredrich helps people discover their passion and build a business or career around it. She specializes in helping people get over their fears and limiting beliefs quickly and easily so they can create their dreams. Are you ready to enjoy a career you love? Get the FREE report "The Top Ten Secrets to Discover Your Passion-filled Work." For your free report go to http://www.LeannaFredrich.com

How to Deal with Lazy People at Your Workplace

You are a hard worker. You enjoy tackling a challenge and claiming victory when it's all said and done. You are not the type of person that necessarily enjoys working in teams, because you know that there is always one who isn't going to put 100% effort into the project, more like 20% or less. He or she will then go around and brag and boast they did more and would like a pat on the back for a contribution that was well...forgettable. How do you deal with these lazy people?

There are two types of lazy people. The first are those who admit, "Yes, I am lazy and I don't care who knows about it." The other group finds excuses, "I am not lazy. I just need to think about what I need to do before I do it." To this you say, "Well, how long is it going to be before you stop thinking and get to it?" The end result: nothing gets done.

The first group of lazy people when required to do anything will do the bare minimum. Since you know from the very start, if given the choice they will pick the least amount of work to do, give them the most. Sure they will complain, they will probably say what they won't do, but if there is a reward associated with it, they may find the motivation to do it. Motivation is essentially what they are lacking. The only way to find out what motivates them to stop playing solitaire on the computer and surfing the Internet, is to find out what they really want, need or both. One idea is to use time off as an incentive.

The second group of lazy people care about what others think, because if they didn't they wouldn't make unnecessary excuses to avoid negative comments. The way to motivate them is not to argue about the excuses that they make, but instead direct them to the task at hand and assign them specific deadlines they must meet. When deadlines are met, provide them with incentives as well or ways to make their job less cumbersome so that they are without excuse.
Lazy people are always looking for a way to make life easier for their selves. Most are very selfish. They aren't interested in helping others, but they will do it out of obligation. They know they have to eat; therefore, they will get a job, but they will be the ones you most likely see hanging around the water-cooler, talking in the break-room (when they have already took two breaks in less than an hour), out of site (and they are hoping out of your mind) when you need them and other similar behaviors.

Once you know you have someone like this around you, consider watching he or she more than the rest of the team. They are most likely going to be "up to no good." Too much time on their hands leads to gossip, lying, stealing and any other negative action, because they simply don't know how to keep themselves busy.

Many lazy people simply haven't been taught how to be good workers. You may want to show them basic principles on how one can achieve their best at work. Pointing the finger at Suzy and praising her for all her achievement in front of lazy workers is not the way to teach them, but describing the characteristics of a good worker is best.

by Nicholl McGuire