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January 2020
MANAGING THE MANAGERS IsYourBusiness’s Management Effective?
FROM THE DESK OF Jeffery L .Robinette
THE 1% RULE!
The 1% Rule can best be described as a positive improvement in the way we think about small things. Rome was not
conquered in a day and neither will many of the challenges we face be conquered in a short period of time.
While we should continue to strive for the bigger changes we desire, we can be creative and hopeful by making small changes that improve the quality of our lives. And these small changes add up. Some of you may be thinking that a single 1% improvement wouldn’t help that much in this or that situation. I share your feelings; we all have needs and problems that are beyond our ability. Only God can change certain things, but there are so many things that are within our ability and responsibility to improve. So, let’s begin the new year by finding things we can do to improve our lives and, by extension, the lives of others.
Back in 2011, the Harvard Business Review published an article called “First, Let’s Fire All the Managers.” It listed the cons of management, like inefficiency, costliness, an increase in “calamitous” decision making, slower response time, and the disempowerment of lower-level employees. Then, it advocated for an entirely new kind of company: one without titles and promotions, where “no one has a boss.” During the 2008 recession, many companies had fired all of their managers — or at least a big chunk of them. But, while some soldiered on with the new structure when the economy bounced back, many others returned to the old way of doing things, replacing the managers they’d lost. So, if the brilliant minds at Harvard were so against the idea, why did they do it? Well, just like anything else, management positions have pros as well as cons. A good manager can inspire and motivate their team to greater heights, model good behavior patterns, and groom the next generation of leaders. Not every manager is a good manager, but anyone who has secured a skilled manager can tell you they’re invaluable. Whether you’re worried your current management is ineffective or are on the hunt for a new department head, it pays to know the traits of an effective manager. Below, we’ve gathered a few characteristics to watch out for as summed up by experts in the field.
-Jeff
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Cover story, continued ...
“A good manager is a man who isn’t worried about his own career, but rather the careers of those who work for him.” –H.S.M. Burns In other words, a good manager is one who is loyal not only to their company but also to their team. They care deeply about the people they work with, including their issues outside the office — like how their family is doing, whether they’re in good mental health, and how they’re coping financially. When employees feel like their managers view them as individuals rather than numbers, they’re more engaged, more productive, and happier. The opposite feeling has the opposite effect. Forbes reports that, according to a Gallup poll, “Among employees who strongly agree that they can approach their manager with any type of question, 54% are engaged. When employees strongly disagree, only 2% are engaged, while 65% are actively disengaged.” “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” –John Quincy Adams
More than perhaps anyone else in the company, a manager needs to have top-notch communication skills. Not only are managers the ones assigned to handle the most difficult clients with grace but they also act as mediators in employee disputes. Managers are also tasked with communicating the company’s goals to employees, a charge that can either fall flat or spur action. As Victor Lipman wrote for Forbes, “Simple communication one can count on goes a long way toward building manager-employee rapport. And rapport builds trust ... trust builds engagement ... and engagement yields productivity.”
Loyalty is a close cousin to this second managerial necessity: motivation. A manager needs to motivate and inspire the people they manage. According to CareerBuilder, a good manager who’s adept at motivating others can boost morale and increase productivity. “The best managers have a keen eye for areas that could be improved and know how to approach these issues diplomatically so workers feel encouraged to make productive changes, rather than discouraged by their shortcomings,” CareerBuilder reports.
“The art of communication is the language of leadership.” –James Hume
Help Your Kids Achieve MoreThis Year With Simple and Actionable Goals
Don’t do all the work for them.
try to do it? Your kids will assign as much importance to NewYear’s resolutions as you do, so by sticking to your own commitments, you can help them stay on track too.
With every new year comes an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or start down a new path toward self-improvement. Making resolutions is a big part of many families’NewYear’s traditions, and parents often have a desire for their kids to take part in that tradition when they’re old enough. Following through on resolutions is tough, especially for young children, but with your help, they can achieve their goals.
While it’s important for you to help your kids formulate their goals, be sure that you aren’t taking over. If they’re ultimately responsible for their resolutions, they’ll feel more compelled to keep them. Instead, suggest different goal areas they could improve, such as home, school, or sports, and let them elaborate. When it comes to creating habits, nobody is perfect, so even if your kids falter on their goals in the middle of February, don’t worry. The important thing is that you continue to encourage them every step of the way.
Keep things simple and achievable.
When your kids are forming their resolutions, their first attempts will probably be very broad. Statements like“I want to be more kind”or“I will try to helpmore around the house”incorporate good values but don’t include any actionable steps. Help your kids think of tangible ways to act on those goals. For example, if they want to be tidier, a good resolutionmight be for them to clean their roomonce a week or take responsibility for one household chore every day.
Practice what you preach.
You are your children’s role model for almost everything, including following through on NewYear’s resolutions. So, ask yourself if you follow through on your own resolutions. When you proclaim that you will read more books or finally get a gymmembership, do you actually
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After a Life-Altering Injury How Physical Therapy Gave Dani Her Life Back
Inspired by her experiences, Dani became a physical therapist and now helps others find the healing that PT gave her. “The reality is, we’re all healthier and happier when we move,” she says. “If you want to do something, you need to figure out a way to do it,” she advises. Physical therapy is often a safer, more effective, and more affordable option than surgery or medication. Like Dani, those who go into the profession are caring, knowledgeable individuals who want to help their patients get back to living their best life. For anyone experiencing pain or going through the recovery process after an injury, physical therapy can help.
it gave her a new lease on life. “Before my accident, I had no idea what physical therapy was until I got a whole bunch of it,” Dani says. “What was really impressive was the fact that I was getting independent again, and I could see this progress.” Through an opportunity to heal at Sharp Memorial Rehab and a community reentry program, Dani began to reclaim her life. “There were ups and downs,” Dani says of the process. Still, she stuck with it, and she not only healed but also began to thrive. She turned to surfing, a completely new sport that allowed her to explore her new reality. “It drastically improved my strength, endurance, and balance,” Dani says. “It gave me a tremendous amount of confidence and trust in my prosthetic leg.”
What do you do when life feels insurmountable? For Dani Burt, it wasn’t easy, but the answer was simple: Find a way to heal. Dani Burt is a surfing champion. This isn’t exceptional until you know Dani was in a serious motorcycle accident 15 years ago that left her in a medically induced coma for 45 days. To save her life, doctors had to remove her right leg below the knee. As you can imagine, waking up to find out her leg was gone was devastating for Dani. The rest of her injuries were also extensive: She could barely move in bed and couldn’t go to the bathroom by herself. She struggled to deal with the pain without medication. Fortunately, she found physical therapy, and
Take a Break!
EASY TOMATO SOUP
Inspired by Nom Nom Paleo
Who doesn’t love a bowl of tomato soup on a coldwinter’s day? This recipe packs a lot more flavor—and a lot fewer additives—than your average store-bought soup without requiring hours of hard labor over the stove.
Ingredients
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1 cup chicken broth 8.5 oz coconut milk
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2 tbsp coconut oil
4 leeks, white parts only, thinly sliced 6 cloves garlic, minced
Kosher salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
1 28-oz can roasted and diced tomatoes (Muir Glen Organic is a good brand)
Directions: 1. In a skillet over mediumheat, sauté leeks in coconut oil until softened and translucent, about 7–10 minutes. 2. Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds. Remove fromheat. 3. Meanwhile, in a blender, purée entire can of tomatoes, including juice, until smooth.
4. Add sautéed leeks and garlic and purée again. 5. Transfer purée to a saucepan and add chicken broth and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then drop to simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From the Desk of Jeffery Robinette PAGE 1 Managing the Managers PAGE 1 Helping Your Kids Make New Year’s Resolutions PAGE 2 The Life-Changing Power of Physical Therapy PAGE 3 Take a Break PAGE 3 Easy Tomato Soup PAGE 3 Meet the World’s First Airport Therapy Pig PAGE 4 Imagine you’re navigating a vast airport on a busy Saturday, shouldering your way through crowds and struggling to hear the PA system over the clatter of 1,000 wheeled suitcases. Suddenly, you see a pig wearing a hot pink sweater waddling toward you on a leash. Do you stop in your tracks? Does your stress level drop? Do you laugh out loud when you see its pink nail polish? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then you can sympathize with the passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and staff at the San Francisco International Airport. They get to enjoy visits from Lilou, the world’s first airport therapy pig, on a regular basis! As part of the Wag Brigade, the airport’s cadre of (mostly canine) therapy animals, Lilou wanders the airport with her humans, bringing joy, peace, and calm to everyone she meets.
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.newsletterpro.com
Meet the World’s First Airport Therapy Pig How Lilou and Animals Like Her Calm Stressed-Out Travelers
Lilou may be the only pig of her kind, but airport therapy animals have been a growing trend for the last few years. According to NPR, as of 2017, more than 30 airports across the U.S. employed therapy dogs, and these days, estimates land closer to 60. The San Jose and Denver airports have therapy cats, and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport even offers passengers the chance to play with miniature horses before boarding their flights. Therapy dogs started appearing in U.S. airports after the 9/11 terror attacks, which changed American attitudes about flying. They did so well at helping passengers calm down that airports began implementing permanent programs. Some have pets on hand 24/7 to assist passengers, while others host animal visits every few weeks or months. These days, regular travelers
have fallen hard for their local therapy animals, many of whom even have their own Instagram accounts and hashtags. So, the next time you’re traveling, keep an eye out for a friendly pup, cat, pig, or horse to pet. A bit of love from an animal just might improve your trip!
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