Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Party On, Dude!
Ten years before he became famous as cool-black-duster-wearing Neo in The Matrix, Keanu Reeves took us on Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, where he gave us two enduring rules of life:
1. Be Excellent To Each Other
and
2. Party On, Dude!
Recently, I was enrolling in a great new online program, and during the enrollment process was asked to agree with their 5-point terms of service. The first four points dealt with their rules of business conduct, but the fifth and final point really grabbed me: 5. Be excellent to each other. Not, 5. Obey these rules or we will refuse you service, nor 5. Obey these rules and be nice to each other. No, their final term of service for their customers was to be EXCELLENT to each other.
We have weathered the recession, and are now trying to recover our economic strength. In order to succeed, our companies need to be strong and profitable. And our companies are only as strong as their employees. Now is the time for employers and employees to work together, and be proud of the work they do. And, don't forget Rule #2: Party On, Dude! Let's have some fun again!
What one thing can you do differently, starting right now, to be excellent to those around you?
1. Be Excellent To Each Other
and
2. Party On, Dude!
Recently, I was enrolling in a great new online program, and during the enrollment process was asked to agree with their 5-point terms of service. The first four points dealt with their rules of business conduct, but the fifth and final point really grabbed me: 5. Be excellent to each other. Not, 5. Obey these rules or we will refuse you service, nor 5. Obey these rules and be nice to each other. No, their final term of service for their customers was to be EXCELLENT to each other.
We have weathered the recession, and are now trying to recover our economic strength. In order to succeed, our companies need to be strong and profitable. And our companies are only as strong as their employees. Now is the time for employers and employees to work together, and be proud of the work they do. And, don't forget Rule #2: Party On, Dude! Let's have some fun again!
What one thing can you do differently, starting right now, to be excellent to those around you?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
It's All In Your Mind - Answers Revealed
In our last post, we posed Dr. Shane Frederick's three-question Cognitive Reflection Test, and promised the answers. Here they are:
1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _$1.05____ cents
(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? _5___ minutes
(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? __47___ days
According to Dr. Frederick, those who are able to correctly answer all three questions are the most brilliant among us. Well, I will confess, I correctly responded to number 2 immediately, and came up with the answer to number 3 only after drawing it out on paper. However, I do not think this is in any way indicative of a lack of brilliance on my part. I simply have no interest in baseball.
I think the real test of one's cognitive reflection, or critical thinking skills, is not necessarily related to their IQ (sorry, Dr. Frederick). The real indicator is how someone looks at a problem, not just coming up with the correct mathmatical answer. To be a true critical thinker, you have to be able to suspend your own opinions and biases, and look at a problem from every possible angle - step out of your own shoes, walk across the room and see it in a completely different light. Those of us who are able to do this consistently are the truly brilliant among us, for they will see not just answers, but possibilities.
1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _$1.05____ cents
(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? _5___ minutes
(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? __47___ days
According to Dr. Frederick, those who are able to correctly answer all three questions are the most brilliant among us. Well, I will confess, I correctly responded to number 2 immediately, and came up with the answer to number 3 only after drawing it out on paper. However, I do not think this is in any way indicative of a lack of brilliance on my part. I simply have no interest in baseball.
I think the real test of one's cognitive reflection, or critical thinking skills, is not necessarily related to their IQ (sorry, Dr. Frederick). The real indicator is how someone looks at a problem, not just coming up with the correct mathmatical answer. To be a true critical thinker, you have to be able to suspend your own opinions and biases, and look at a problem from every possible angle - step out of your own shoes, walk across the room and see it in a completely different light. Those of us who are able to do this consistently are the truly brilliant among us, for they will see not just answers, but possibilities.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
It's All In Your Mind
With the economy picking up a bit, a lot of our coaching work over the last few months has been Interview Coaching. The feedback we are hearing from our clients indicates that a lot of companies out there are utilizing interview techniques that reveal more about a candidate's ability to think on their feet than about their work experience. Candidates are experiencing "critical thinking assessment" questions, which reveal the way a candidate problem-solves and responds under pressure.
Some of these questions don't really have a definitive answer. For example, one candidate interviewing at a major oil company in Houston was asked "If you filled a two gallon jar with jelly beans and put a softball in as well, how many jelly beans will it take to fill up the jar." Obviously, the interviewer was not looking for a definitive number from the candidate. Rather, they wanted to see how the candidate would respond under pressure, and what critical thinking tools would be revealed as they tried to solve the problem.
Other employers are using Shane Frederick's Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). Although the test only has three questions, Dr. Frederick's research proves that how a person answers can be a strong indicator of both their intelligence and their critical thinking skills. Let's see how you do:
(1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _____ cents
(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? _____ minutes
(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? _____ days
Post your responses. We will reveal the answers in the next blog post. Winners will be entered in a drawing for a free coaching session!
Some of these questions don't really have a definitive answer. For example, one candidate interviewing at a major oil company in Houston was asked "If you filled a two gallon jar with jelly beans and put a softball in as well, how many jelly beans will it take to fill up the jar." Obviously, the interviewer was not looking for a definitive number from the candidate. Rather, they wanted to see how the candidate would respond under pressure, and what critical thinking tools would be revealed as they tried to solve the problem.
Other employers are using Shane Frederick's Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT). Although the test only has three questions, Dr. Frederick's research proves that how a person answers can be a strong indicator of both their intelligence and their critical thinking skills. Let's see how you do:
(1) A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? _____ cents
(2) If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets? _____ minutes
(3) In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long would it take for the patch to cover half of the lake? _____ days
Post your responses. We will reveal the answers in the next blog post. Winners will be entered in a drawing for a free coaching session!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Are You Resume Ready?
Is your resume current and updated?
Does your resume clearly present your talents, experience and accomplishments?
Will your resume get you an interview for the job you want?
In today's highly competitive job market, you should be able to answer a resounding "Yes!" to each of these questions. With four generations of qualified workers sometimes competing for the same position, and most companies utilizing web-based application systems, the right resume can make all the difference when it comes to getting the all-important interview opportunity - even one within your current organization!
2010 is the year to advance your career! Are you resume ready? We are offering a 20% Discount on custom resume services during the month of January!
Email CareerShaman@talent-innovations.com for a FREE resume consultation.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Which Way Is Up?
This time of year is all about budgets and strategic planning. Usually, you can look back over the previous 12 months to guide you through both of these processes. However, the economic roller-coaster that was this past year is not exactly a guide we want to follow into 2010.
For most of the managers I coach, this year's planning process has been more difficult than ever before. They haven't yet recovered from the downturns of the last 12 months, and now they are supposed to strategically map out a plan for upward growth over the next 12 months? How? Where? Which way is up?
My advice to them is simple: Stop planning; start making good decisions. To be a good manager, you must develop good decision-making skills.
The economic situation we have endured over the last year is a direct result of poor decision-making. According to Thomas H. Davenport in a recent Harvard Business Review article, "In recent years decision makers in both the public and private sectors have made an astounding number of poor calls. For example, the decisions to invade Iraq, not to comply with global warming treaties, to ignore Darfur, are all likely to be recorded as injudicious in history books. And how about the decisions to invest in and securitize subprime mortgage loans, or to hedge risk with credit default swaps? Those were spread across a number of companies, but single organizations, too, made bad decisions. Tenneco, once a large conglomerate, chose poorly when buying businesses and now consists of only one auto parts business. General Motors made terrible decisions about which cars to bring to market. Time Warner erred in buying AOL, and Yahoo in deciding not to sell itself to Microsoft.
Why this decision-making disorder? First, because decisions have generally been viewed as the prerogative of individuals—usually senior executives. The process employed, the information used, the logic relied on, have been left up to them, in something of a black box. Information goes in, decisions come out—and who knows what happens in between? Second, unlike other business processes, decision making has rarely been the focus of systematic analysis inside the firm. Very few organizations have “reengineered” their decisions. Yet there are just as many opportunities to improve decision making as to improve any other process."
Leaders, it's time to get out of the "black box". Empower your managers to make decisions, and teach them how to make good decisions. How? Take a look at your current situation. Does your organization employ a process of good decision making with your managers, or, does it look for strategic plans from managers that follow the "black box" decisions handed to them from above? By exploring how decisions are made in your organization, there are some wonderful tools (i.e., MBTI®) for understanding and developing the processes your managers use to make good decisions that will guide your organization onto an upward economic path.
What are you currently doing to develop and empower good decision-making skills?
For most of the managers I coach, this year's planning process has been more difficult than ever before. They haven't yet recovered from the downturns of the last 12 months, and now they are supposed to strategically map out a plan for upward growth over the next 12 months? How? Where? Which way is up?
My advice to them is simple: Stop planning; start making good decisions. To be a good manager, you must develop good decision-making skills.
The economic situation we have endured over the last year is a direct result of poor decision-making. According to Thomas H. Davenport in a recent Harvard Business Review article, "In recent years decision makers in both the public and private sectors have made an astounding number of poor calls. For example, the decisions to invade Iraq, not to comply with global warming treaties, to ignore Darfur, are all likely to be recorded as injudicious in history books. And how about the decisions to invest in and securitize subprime mortgage loans, or to hedge risk with credit default swaps? Those were spread across a number of companies, but single organizations, too, made bad decisions. Tenneco, once a large conglomerate, chose poorly when buying businesses and now consists of only one auto parts business. General Motors made terrible decisions about which cars to bring to market. Time Warner erred in buying AOL, and Yahoo in deciding not to sell itself to Microsoft.
Why this decision-making disorder? First, because decisions have generally been viewed as the prerogative of individuals—usually senior executives. The process employed, the information used, the logic relied on, have been left up to them, in something of a black box. Information goes in, decisions come out—and who knows what happens in between? Second, unlike other business processes, decision making has rarely been the focus of systematic analysis inside the firm. Very few organizations have “reengineered” their decisions. Yet there are just as many opportunities to improve decision making as to improve any other process."
Leaders, it's time to get out of the "black box". Empower your managers to make decisions, and teach them how to make good decisions. How? Take a look at your current situation. Does your organization employ a process of good decision making with your managers, or, does it look for strategic plans from managers that follow the "black box" decisions handed to them from above? By exploring how decisions are made in your organization, there are some wonderful tools (i.e., MBTI®) for understanding and developing the processes your managers use to make good decisions that will guide your organization onto an upward economic path.
What are you currently doing to develop and empower good decision-making skills?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Think Outside the Suggestion Box
How do you create a culture of innovation? Where do you find those innovative process improvements? You ask the employees who perform the process for just one thing: what one thing would you do differently that would immediately improve this process or service? Empower your employees to think creatively about your business. Thomas Koulopoulos, author of The Innovation Zone, advises “You need to give people the license to take risks and to fail often enough to realize that they will not be punished for doing the right thing even though the outcome might not be what they expected. Small failures can encourage big successes.”
At this point, you might be thinking “We are already doing this. We have a Suggestion Box for our employees on every floor, or, in every department. We ask our employees for their ideas, and month after month, those suggestion boxes remain empty.” Exactly. From the employees’ standpoint, there is no expectation that they generate new ideas; just a box to drop it into on the chance they do have a new idea. Providing a suggestion box is not the same thing as asking and expecting your employees to think with economic creativity about the work they do.
Questions:
1. Do you think you currently have a culture of employee innovation?
2. How do you communicate your expectation of idea generation to your employees?
3. What venues/mediums do you have available for employees to bring forth their ideas?
4. When an employee generates a viable innovative idea, how do you empower them to implement their idea?
5. What rewards and recognition programs do you have in place for employees who successfully generate and implement economically creative ideas?
6. How do you provide feedback and coaching to employees who are generating non-viable ideas?
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