Ringmaster-Do Your Job!

While on a flight yesterday I overheard the conversation behind me. A group of people were on their way to some type of conference. I'm not sure of the purpose of the conference, but it was part of their work responsibility. Here's the gist of the conversation. We'll call them Attendee 1 and Attendee 2:

Attendee 1: Do you know what we're supposed to do at this conference? What sessions do I have to go to?
Attendee 2: Well, you are required to go to the opening reception tonight, and tomorrow night they have a real neat off site dinner planned. I try to go to several of the sessions. Sometimes they are interesting. I normally sit in the back, and if they don't keep my interest I just leave.

I shuddered. Two people attending a conference, probably at the expense of the company, and one is clueless while the other's priority is a good meal. What a tremendous return on investment the company will get for sending these two people.

My question is, "Where is their manager, supervisor or boss in the equation?" If I were sending (or allowing) two people to go to a conference on company time, there are a few things I would do as their ringmaster to insure that the experience was of benefit to them and the company. They would include:

• Reviewing the agenda with the attendee. Most all conferences post their agenda, including breakout sessions, on their website. At least request it from the attendee even if you don't review it with them in person.
• Reflect on the best "acts" for the attendee. Review sessions that have will have content specific to the attendee's job responsibilities and/or company strategic interests. You don't have to choose all of them, but at least give them some guidance-especially if they have not attended a conference like this in the past.
• Remind them to take advantage of networking. So many good ideas at a conference come from table discussions at meals, breaks and at informal moments.
• Encourage them to enjoy some "self ring" time. If you are familiar with the area suggest an activity they could do during some of their free time-or direct them to someone who could be of help in knowing the local area. Web information is plentiful, but an individual's first hand experience is sometimes the most efficient way to garner insights.
• Follow up when they return. Talk with them about the experience. Let them share information from the conference that is of benefit to the company and their coworkers. Ask how, as their "ringmaster," you can help with any new directions or initiatives that grew out of the conference. Perhaps even set the follow up time with them PRIOR to their attendance at the conference. Accountablility in today's business climate is a necessity, not a luxury.

Conferences just offer too much benefit to an organization to be missed because a ringmaster didn't take the time to effectively prepare a performer for this act in their work ring.

Humor About Workplace and Vacations

After our July newsletter on "Return Planning," I thought a little humor about how you should handle vacations in the workplace might be in order. Enjoy!
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/09/magazines/fortune/stanleybing/how_to_take_a_vacation.fortune/index.htm

Blaming The Audience

Can you believe this? A girl falls into a manhole while texting. You may have seen an earlier blog on our frustration with rude texters, so this one caught my attention. After finding out that the girl only suffered a few scrapes I was relieved, although I was frustrated that she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking-in other words she wasn't being a good ringmaster of her circus (texting is the wrong act for your lineup while walking).

What really raised my eyebrow, however, was learning that her family plans to sue the city! She and her family accept no responsibility for the young lady's action. What if she had been walking toward a cliff and fallen over it because she was texting. Who would be blamed in that incident?

While I wanted to be angry with the teen and her family, I had to be honest with myself. There are numerous times I seek to blame other circumstances for a less than successful circus lineup. It might be a person, an organization, the economy or other external factor. Focusing on those factors saves me from the tough task of analyzing my own poor judgment, laziness or just bad timing. It's almost like blaming the audience for a less than successful performance because they didn't cheer enough.

What about you? As you reflect on the current challenges in your circus, who or what are you blaming instead of evaluating your own performance as the ringmaster of your circus?

An Act Too Important

While perusing the news yesterday I came across an intriguing article about the Tour de France entitled, Tensions on the Tour. The article documents possible tension that exists between Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador. They are both riders on the Astana team, and there should be a clear leader of the team. However, with both of them vying for the yellow jersey (win), their possible tension is creating a distraction for the team-according to the article.

Contador makes a very telling statement when he says, "The Tour is a tiring race and you can't waste energy on things that don't concern the race." He recognizes the larger goal, but only time will show if he and Armstrong adhere to a team mentality or pursue their individual goals.

The article started me thinking about how often there is the "official team goal" but in reality the individuals on the team have a goal that could undermine the success of the team. Research has consistently shown that managers make decisions based on ego as much as 66% of the time.

And the challenge isn't just limited to corporate or work teams. Families often have increased stress levels because one of the "team" members has an agenda that is in conflict with the family.

How do we rectify these situations? One solution is to be the "Animal Trainer." No, not by threatening the individual(s) in question, but by looking for ways to build greater trust with the individual. When a high degree of trust is present, individuals tend to be more open to talk about concerns or issues. They are more likely to look for ways to integrate the team goals into their own individual pursuits. Fail to build that trust, and you have two or more individuals who just don't know how to best work with each other-like Armstrong and Contador. And just like the Tour de France, we all have things going on that require every ounce of energy and focus we can provide them if we are to be successful.

For Those Looking For A New Work Ring

Liz Ryan has offered a fresh perspective on an essential tool for those looking for a new lineup for their work ring (i.e. a job). There are so many people now looking for jobs that last typed out a resume on a computer that was thrown out (or recycled) years ago. Like those computers, today's resumes should look and perform much differently than ones from the past.

In 10 Boilerplate Phrases That Kill Resumes, Ryan encourages us to have "human voiced resumes" instead of the cold, institutional ones of the past. One of my favorite parts of the article was the 10 phrases that kill resumes. They include:

-Results-oriented professional
-Cross-functional teams
-More than [x] years of progressively responsible experience
-Superior (or excellent) communication skills
-Strong work ethic
-Met or exceeded expectations
-Proven track record of success
-Works well with all levels of staff
-Team player
-Bottom-line orientation

She gives several good tips and even an example of how a resume should reflect a warmer tone.