Quality vs. Quantity

Which of the two circus performances most appeal to you:

• A fast-paced performance of many smaller acts. They start quickly, get to the point and then are gone almost as quickly. Your mind races to keep up with all that you are experiencing-and is exhausted after the show.
• A moderately-paced performance that has fewer acts, but that are of significant length and complexity. Your mind is able to evaluate, analyze and reflect on each performance, and the skills of the performers in them. You are still mentally exhausted after the show, but leave with a feeling that you have experienced something meaningful.

The answer, for most of us, is the second performance. Strangely enough, though, we carry out our work days more like the first one. We dart from ring to ring, performing a quick task, and then jumping from that ring to another just long enough to do something else. Quality takes a back seat to sheer quantity.

Imagine your work day more like the second performance. You take more time to strategically plan each task. You aren't as concerned about gettting everything done as much as you are focused on accomplishing the right things. Quality is your main concern.

This dynamic tension of quality vs. quantity is critical for leaders or managers to grasp as well. People can be extremely busy (quantity) but are they really productive (quality)? And if you don't know the answer to that question, it may be time for you to spend a little more time thinking about your role as ringmaster of your department, team or organization.

The "Other" Skills Of A Good Ringmaster

Salary.com recently had an intriguing article about the Seven Signs You Have Terrible People Skills. The article has some fantastic and somewhat humorous points, but what caught my attention is the concepts of "hard" vs. "soft" skills and how as one grows into higher positions of leadership, the soft skills are the ones that become more critical.

Here's a circus example. The Ringmaster is doing a solid job announcing the acts and keeping things moving. They have strong "hard" skills like organizing, public speaking, etc. During intermission, however, a few small children walk up to the ringmaster and attempt to engage him in conversation. Even though he is 6 feet 3 inches tall he doesn't kneel or attempt to get down to their level. He talks about himself instead of asking the children questions and being interested in them. The result? Instead of the children skipping away with joy about meeting the ringmaster, they leave confused because they aren't seeing the same person they saw during the performance. This ringmaster is weak in "soft" or people skills.

As we say often in training programs, YOU are the ringmaster of your circus. And if your performers or audience seem less than thrilled with your efforts, maybe it's not the technical skill or knowledge that's lacking. Perhaps it's your people skills that need more work if you want to be a better ringmaster of your circus.

What NOT To Talk To Your Ringmaster About

In the past we have posted at least two blogs on phrases you should avoid using when talking to your boss. Salary.com has posted a good article about the 10 types of conversations you should avoid having with those to whom you report. The list includes:

• Night life (whether it's partying until all hours or being at home with your family)
• Religious beliefs (unless you are being asked to do something that violates your spiritual beliefs
• Political affiliation

There are others which you might find surprising. To read the entire list, click here.

What If You Lost All Your "A" Performers?

There was a rare occurrence in the world of college basketball a couple of weeks ago. The national champion team for 2012, the University of Kentucky, had every one of its starting 5 announce that they are leaving college early for the NBA. How's that for a change in the lineup? Coach John Calipari's ability to keep getting a standing ovation from the UK fans will surely be tested next year.

If you work in a "team" environment, it is our hope that you will never have to face such a daunting challenge. The scenario does highlight a more common issue that occurs in the workplace-what to do if your star performer(s) leave. To help prevent a "rebuilding year" for your office or organization, put these "plays" into action now:

• Take every opportunity to let your performers know how much you appreciate their efforts and how they contribute to the organization in a unique and vital way.
• Work hard to improve the performance of your mediocre performers and don't allow them to consistently miss meeting your (realistic) expectations. Nothing brings a team down more than the high performers seeing that mediocrity is condoned.
• Be vigilant about recognizing a "rookie's" interest in learning more about how things work in the organization. He/She may be on your starting team one day, and the better prepared they are now, the less time you will have to spend with them before sending them into the game.

Lastly, be meticulous about remembering what you have done that has created your team of champions. You can then apply those same strategies when training the next recruit...just hopefully not a whole team at one time.

Plant Your Feet

I loved to played basketball as a kid. I am fairly tall and as a result played mostly down under the basket. I remember as I was learning the fundamentals of the game that I had a coach who would get after me for not "taking an offensive foul." You see, I loved to try to block shots instead. Taking an offensive foul means that you get in front of a player with the ball, plant your feet and then allowed the player to knock you over. If your feet are planted, a foul is called on the other player and your team gets the ball. But like I said, I would jump in the air instead and try to knock the ball away…sometimes resulting in a foul on me. I can still hear my coach yelling, "Plant your feet! Plant your feet."

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." I am pretty sure that he wasn't talking about basketball. Instead, Mr. Lincoln makes a couple of key points with this little line on how we should live our lives.

Point 1 – Be sure that you put your feet in the right place. It is important to study and learn and identify what you stand for. What is important for you? What do you believe in? Write it down. Commit it to memory. Review it daily or weekly so that you don't forget.

Point 2 – "…then stand firm." There almost always comes a moment of truth when your values are tested and you have the choice to stand firm, waiver or even step aside. Pain and heartache can occur when you waiver or step aside. Decide to stand firm! Plant your feet and take the charge.