Cool managers who appreciate people- QBQ

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Cool managers who appreciate people- QBQ

Personal Accountability Leadership Management Service Parenting

It’s the Cool Managers Who Appreciate People

Posted by John G. Miller

New at the QBQ.com store is our fun, practical, and meaningful QBQ! poster:

Ten Truths of Personal Accountability

And now, our newest blog post …

I had just finished teaching 20 of the “47 Ways to Be Exceptional” from our Outstanding! book at a cancer research hospital, when the Director of Anesthesiology asked, “How do I do some of that stuff like your manager did in the houseplant story you told?”

And I thought, Well, nice to know my content is still relevant.
You see, in the corporate world, people (Read: fad crazy executives and their HR, training, and OD departments) are always searching for the next magic solution or bolt of white lightening to fix the problems faced. It’s too bad they waste time, money, and energy chasing the latest training craze, when all they need to do is return to the fundamentals.
A few questions:

Want a stronger, more positive organizational culture? Engaged people? Increased productivity, purpose, and passion?

If so, then do this. (Now back to the doctor’s houseplant reference):
I was home alone one morning in 1986 making phone calls from my basement office to set up appointments with executives to sell leadership training when the doorbell rang. By the time I got to the door, the delivery person was gone, but there was an enormous potted plant sitting on my steps. The note attached was from my manager, Jim, and it was addressed not to me, but to my wife, Karen. Jim’s note said how glad he was to have us both “on the team,” and how proud of me he was for that month’s sales performance.
That act of appreciation meant a lot to Karen and me. This was my first sales job—I had joined the company just three months earlier—and we were both feeling the pressure of my new position. Jim’s gesture spoke volumes about my new boss, his beliefs about recognition and how to treat people. It affirmed for both of us the decision to join this small organization. I could say that Jim’s gesture would’ve been even better had the florist removed the bright red tag that said “Price reduced—50% off.” But, hey, it’s always good to save a few dollars! The important point is that I knew I was working for a company that valued and appreciated its people. {excerpted from Outstanding!}
———————-
Recently, our eldest, still-at-home child, Charlene, landed her first job ever, working for Target. A month later, the note card pictured above came by retro snail-mail. When she opened it and saw all the appreciation, I witnessed firsthand—as a parent, not as an author or “consultant”—the outcome of Target management’s simple act. Char’s face beamed, and after she read each person’s comment out loud to us, she exclaimed, “My managers are so cool!”
Well, that did it for me. No fancy training program is needed to be a “cool” manager. All you have to do is what has made sense for a long, long time:

Thank people for what they do.

And not just with words.
Words are nice, but actions are everything. My boss knew it 1986; Charlene’s management knows it today.
So, to executives, managers, supervisors, and team leaders everywhere, we say—Be cool!
For Comment and Conversation:
Share a time you were appreciated by management. What did that manager do and how did it affect you?
If you’re a manager, what actions have you taken to demonstrably appreciate people?
For another post on good people management, enjoy this: Managers: Don’t Make These 3 Mistakes

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