Why do I get so excited when cheaters get caught? Maybe someone else might think it's okay to get ahead by bending the rules, but not this girl. I love it even more when Donald Trump calls the person out. Seriously, who would lie to that face?
This week's episode of The Apprentice just made my heart sing when Anand was fired after it was discovered that he cheated on a previous task. I was even happier he was fired after he started in with his excuses for why he thought he was justified in his cheating. Why couldn't he just admit what he had done? Why couldn't he have said something like, "Absolutely, I should be fired. What I did was unacceptable and unconscionable."
Maybe it's a sign of the times, but I hope this is an anomaly. I know that intense competition can cause the contestants to do some strange or desperate things, but I also believe that trying times show true character. I'm happy Mr. Trump found Anand's true character to be unacceptable. I wonder how Anand's job prospects will be affected by his recent nationally-aired job performance?
If that's not enough, here's what he has posted recently on his Facebook fan page:
"Last night's firing was a tough. Being down 2 members, on a 2 task losing streak, the pressure to win was on. What viewers don't know is how much cheating and dishonesty went on during the show on SO MANY LEVELS. The difference is that others didnt get caught! But it's in the past and I'm proud of my performance on the show. I did a pretty good job, and was a strong candidate."
Ugh... Stop with the excuses! And to read in his exit interview that he was hoping the Mr. Trump would give him a second chance based on Trump's success in finding "loopholes"? Lying and cheating on explicit rules is not the same as finding a legitimate loophole. I'm just happy that Mr. Trump saw it this way, too. Much respect goes to the show, the Trump organization, and CBS. It's time to celebrate hard work, creativity, and ingenuity. It's time to send people packing if they embody questionable character that could, ultimately, be the downfall of your company.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Keeping Those Plates Spinning
The Amazing Race has so many practical applications for the workplace... Where do you start? From choosing the right team member to take on the race with you in the first place (sure, take your birth mother that you just met on the most stressful vacation invented), to choosing which detour to take, there are choices throughout the season that we encounter in our daily lives, just not with the million dollar prize waiting for us at the end.
This past week teams had to choose between two detours: Keep ten plates spinning in the air or learn a three-part song on an accordion. How many plates are you trying to keep spinning every day? I don't think there's a day that goes by when I don't need to stop and learn something new. Thankfully, I've never had to learn how to play a tune while clowns try to distract me, but trust me, it has felt like that at times!
As the teams started the plate-spinning challenge it was clear to me who was going to be successful:
Jill and Thomas: "We just get too frantic too quickly..."
Nick and Vicki: "Stop yelling!"
Brook and Claire: "There's no challenge we can't overcome if we just... focus on the task at hand and you've just gotta learn the technique and you can't panic."
I think one of the essential keys to success in this game is to just stop, look, and above all, don't panic. How many times do we see the teams get flustered and turn on each other? The teams who do well are always the ones are able to take a breath and concentrate on learning how to master the appropriate skills before trying to complete the task. A little time spent at the start of the task before diving in goes a long way. My heart just sinks when I see the teams continue to attempt the tasks by insisting on the same wrong approach, over and over again.
I have one last obvious point to make about this last episode... Why can't the teams just take a minute to read and understand the clue? Following instructions goes a long way in elimination competition reality television, and it goes a long way in the real world, too. I doubt anyone really cares if I take a cab to my destination or if I walk, but I certainly need to follow instructions when writing grants, completing statistical reports, or writing budget proposals. There a many opportunities in life and work to think outside of the box and do your own thing, but knowing when it's important to follow those detailed instructions can mean the difference between success and failure, funding and seeing your pet project go down in flames.
This past week teams had to choose between two detours: Keep ten plates spinning in the air or learn a three-part song on an accordion. How many plates are you trying to keep spinning every day? I don't think there's a day that goes by when I don't need to stop and learn something new. Thankfully, I've never had to learn how to play a tune while clowns try to distract me, but trust me, it has felt like that at times!
As the teams started the plate-spinning challenge it was clear to me who was going to be successful:
Jill and Thomas: "We just get too frantic too quickly..."
Nick and Vicki: "Stop yelling!"
Brook and Claire: "There's no challenge we can't overcome if we just... focus on the task at hand and you've just gotta learn the technique and you can't panic."
I think one of the essential keys to success in this game is to just stop, look, and above all, don't panic. How many times do we see the teams get flustered and turn on each other? The teams who do well are always the ones are able to take a breath and concentrate on learning how to master the appropriate skills before trying to complete the task. A little time spent at the start of the task before diving in goes a long way. My heart just sinks when I see the teams continue to attempt the tasks by insisting on the same wrong approach, over and over again.
I have one last obvious point to make about this last episode... Why can't the teams just take a minute to read and understand the clue? Following instructions goes a long way in elimination competition reality television, and it goes a long way in the real world, too. I doubt anyone really cares if I take a cab to my destination or if I walk, but I certainly need to follow instructions when writing grants, completing statistical reports, or writing budget proposals. There a many opportunities in life and work to think outside of the box and do your own thing, but knowing when it's important to follow those detailed instructions can mean the difference between success and failure, funding and seeing your pet project go down in flames.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Was a Second Season of Undercover Boss Necessary?
Seriously, folks... Don't you know what your boss looks like? Or what do you really think is going on when a camera crew show up to record you training and taking a break with a potential new hire? Especially when the potential new hire is wearing a wig and non-prescription glasses?
I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to be on my best behavior and show how I'm the most essential employee and talk about my need for some extra money to make my dreams come true. Okay, I know that's a little harsh. The employees seem to be genuine people, but perhaps very aware of the camera following them onto their snack break with the "new guy."
Okay, Undercover Boss, I'm on to you. And so are all of the employees in this country. Your cover was blown last season.
I think if I want to know if my employees are performing to expectations I just might go check it out as myself. But then again, that might mean I won't have an hour-long commercial highlighting how compassionate and concerned my company is.
I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to be on my best behavior and show how I'm the most essential employee and talk about my need for some extra money to make my dreams come true. Okay, I know that's a little harsh. The employees seem to be genuine people, but perhaps very aware of the camera following them onto their snack break with the "new guy."
Okay, Undercover Boss, I'm on to you. And so are all of the employees in this country. Your cover was blown last season.
I think if I want to know if my employees are performing to expectations I just might go check it out as myself. But then again, that might mean I won't have an hour-long commercial highlighting how compassionate and concerned my company is.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sometimes you just want to hear “Yes, Chef!”
Or, What “Hell’s Kitchen” Can Teach Us About Workplace Communication.
Watching Hell’s Kitchen always makes me think that chefs must have a higher tolerance for verbal abuse than other professions. After all, I don’t think I would take too kindly to someone walking into my office calling me a donkey or taking the files off of my desk and “chucking them into the bin.” (But let it be stated that Chef Ramsay is welcome in my library any time!)
On Hell’s Kitchen, once you take away all of the conventions that come along with being on a reality elimination competition (unreasonable time constraints, team members voting each other off, last minute twists in the competition that turn task at hand into an impossible feat) you’re left with a bunch of people trying to showcase their talents. At least at the start of the competition they work as teams with a common goal: finish a dinner service without incurring the wrath of the head chef. It is clear from the start that clear lines of communication are essential to reach this goal.
After all, what happens if the chef asks for three orders of beef wellington and you come to the pass with only two? If you’ve seen the show, then you know what happens and it just isn’t pretty. You better believe that those two lovely beef wellington dishes are not going out to the customers. The chef is mad, the customers are hungry, and there’s about $80 worth of dinner in the “bin.”
So, in Chef Ramsay’s kitchen, when he calls out an order the contestants yell back, “Yes, Chef!” to let him know they heard his instructions. Since I do not often frequent fine dining establishments, I’m not sure if this is common practice. But it seems like a good idea, doesn’t it?
So, what can we do to implement the “Yes, Chef” model in our own lives? Technology can help us get that "message received" confirmation. By asking staff to consistently use tools like out-of-office responses in email or voice mail we can clarify to others that their requests might not be addressed immediately. It's also helpful when coworkers acknowledge requests with a simple response confirming they received the request and are working on it.
Setting clear expectations and practicing active listening can go along way. And it doesn't hurt to hear a "Yes, Chef" once in a while, even if you're a librarian.
Watching Hell’s Kitchen always makes me think that chefs must have a higher tolerance for verbal abuse than other professions. After all, I don’t think I would take too kindly to someone walking into my office calling me a donkey or taking the files off of my desk and “chucking them into the bin.” (But let it be stated that Chef Ramsay is welcome in my library any time!)
On Hell’s Kitchen, once you take away all of the conventions that come along with being on a reality elimination competition (unreasonable time constraints, team members voting each other off, last minute twists in the competition that turn task at hand into an impossible feat) you’re left with a bunch of people trying to showcase their talents. At least at the start of the competition they work as teams with a common goal: finish a dinner service without incurring the wrath of the head chef. It is clear from the start that clear lines of communication are essential to reach this goal.
After all, what happens if the chef asks for three orders of beef wellington and you come to the pass with only two? If you’ve seen the show, then you know what happens and it just isn’t pretty. You better believe that those two lovely beef wellington dishes are not going out to the customers. The chef is mad, the customers are hungry, and there’s about $80 worth of dinner in the “bin.”
So, in Chef Ramsay’s kitchen, when he calls out an order the contestants yell back, “Yes, Chef!” to let him know they heard his instructions. Since I do not often frequent fine dining establishments, I’m not sure if this is common practice. But it seems like a good idea, doesn’t it?
So, what can we do to implement the “Yes, Chef” model in our own lives? Technology can help us get that "message received" confirmation. By asking staff to consistently use tools like out-of-office responses in email or voice mail we can clarify to others that their requests might not be addressed immediately. It's also helpful when coworkers acknowledge requests with a simple response confirming they received the request and are working on it.
Setting clear expectations and practicing active listening can go along way. And it doesn't hurt to hear a "Yes, Chef" once in a while, even if you're a librarian.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Reality TV… Really???
Well, why not? Shouldn’t we look for inspiration and insight anywhere we can get it? If you’re like me, you probably spend a long day at work then come home and want to decompress a bit. Even though these shows are billed as reality, we all know they are opportunities for escapism. After all, how many of us live like a Bravo housewife (and come on, last time I checked housewives were married) or have an opportunity to leave our real lives behind for two months to live in a house with 12 strangers while cameramen record our every move from inside the walls?
Again, if you’re like me, you flip through the channels and see the train wrecks coming a mile away and stop flipping to see the aftermath. Then there are those moments of Zen and you celebrate the victories of the people who deserve to win the competition (you know you dialed that phone over and over for your favorite idol... Don’t deny it!).
So let’s not make it a colossal waste of time… There are lessons that can be learned from these shows and the “characters” who play out their flaws, ambitions, and aspirations right before our eyes. If we focus on what can be learned there are nuggets of advice that we can use to help us manage our staff, our resources, and ourselves.
I just want to make one clarification: I manage a very small staff and they are in no way my inspiration for this blog. I’m writing about management in the broadest sense of the word. I’m not going to work wearing a WWJLD bracelet* or voting staff members out of the office. But I do think that observing people in a variety of situations with varying levels of stress is the best way to predict behavior in the people in our everyday lives. Get your inspiration wherever you might be… As it just so happens when I'm not at work I’m usually on the couch watching reality TV.
* What Would Jeff Lewis Do?
Again, if you’re like me, you flip through the channels and see the train wrecks coming a mile away and stop flipping to see the aftermath. Then there are those moments of Zen and you celebrate the victories of the people who deserve to win the competition (you know you dialed that phone over and over for your favorite idol... Don’t deny it!).
So let’s not make it a colossal waste of time… There are lessons that can be learned from these shows and the “characters” who play out their flaws, ambitions, and aspirations right before our eyes. If we focus on what can be learned there are nuggets of advice that we can use to help us manage our staff, our resources, and ourselves.
I just want to make one clarification: I manage a very small staff and they are in no way my inspiration for this blog. I’m writing about management in the broadest sense of the word. I’m not going to work wearing a WWJLD bracelet* or voting staff members out of the office. But I do think that observing people in a variety of situations with varying levels of stress is the best way to predict behavior in the people in our everyday lives. Get your inspiration wherever you might be… As it just so happens when I'm not at work I’m usually on the couch watching reality TV.
* What Would Jeff Lewis Do?
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