#27: When workers cannot afford to spend
A long, long time ago Henry Ford greatly annoyed his fellow industrialists. He doubled the pay of his manual workers. History has shown that Henry Ford was not stupid, so what was he thinking?
He simply wanted his workers to be able to buy the cars they were making!
Almost 100 hundred years later, I ask you this question: If you hold down the minimum wage, if you outsource jobs overseas, if you reduce the number of jobs, where will you find people with money to buy your products and services?
I find it amusing, and a little disturbing, when business leaders complain that people are not spending enough to boost the economy when the reason people are not spending is found in the short-sighted decisions of those same business leaders.
I miss Henry Ford.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
#26: Anger release
Work bit 1: If you like the idea of hitting someone made-up to look like your boss, then you should visit the Rising Sun Anger Release Bar in Nanjing, China. There you may hit specially trained workers dressed as the character you wish to attack.
Work bit 2: Most of the customers are women working in the service or entertainment industries, says Wu Gong, the owner.Work bit 3: According to Chen Liang, a salesman, "Pressure comes from just about anywhere, from family or from work, from your boss or your girlfriend. We get no place to vent anger."Work bit 4: Violence in the workplace is not the answer, so please adjust your lifestyle or seek psychological treatment. Wu Gong has thought of that as well and offers counseling from psychology students recruited from local universities.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
#25: Don't speak too fast
Effective communication depends greatly on getting and listening to feedback. So here is some feedback from my listeners, feedback that we can all use: Slow down, you speak too fast.
Speaking too fast is a common mistake. We know that we can listen faster than a speaker can speak, and so when it is our turn to speak, we speed up. We also speed up because we know that a listener tends to listen ahead by completing our sentences, often incorrectly.
I have also been told that my funny accent is even more reason for me to slow down. Which reminds me, for globalization to work, all of us should speak slower, even as communication tools speed up.
But then, some of us talk fast so that we don’t forget what we wanted to say.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
# 24: Angry male boss
Work bit 1: Does your male boss often look angry? Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia have shown that men are acutely sensitive to the anger of other men. So it seems that if a male wants attention, he should get angry.
Work bit 2: White-collar workers are more likely to be laid off nowadays. But they are also likely to get rehired. Unemployment among college graduates is just over 2%.Work bit 3: Akio Morita, the founder of Sony, once said: “If we face a recession, we should not lay off employees; the company should sacrifice a profit. It is management's risk and management's responsibility. Employees are not guilty; why should they suffer?”Work bit 4: But suffer they do, which reminds me of a Polish proverb: Under capitalism man exploits man; under socialism the reverse is true.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
#23: Your unreasonable people matter
George Bernard Shaw once wrote that “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
How do you react to the unreasonable people in your organization? Do you heed them and engage with them? Do you sanction and discipline them? Or do you ignore them and hope they go away?
A prime role of a leader is to evaluate, influence and direct the behavior of others. In doing so, the leader defines the context within which behavior will be perceived as either reasonable or unreasonable.
But deciding on what is reasonable and what is not depends far more on what is in your mind than on the state of mind of the person whom you are observing.
Now you know that your perception of what is reasonable and your response to unreasonableness could determine your organization’s rate of progress.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
#22: Money does not motivate
Work bit 1: Almost 3 decades ago Frederick Herzberg argued that you cannot motivate someone else. This is how he explained it: “if you want your dog to move, kick him; and if you want him to move again, then kick him again.”
Work bit 2: Herzberg also argued that money does not motivate. It is the absence of money that demotivates. He said that money is like hygiene: its absence matters.Work bit 3: Economists who study happiness agree with Herzberg. They believe that once you earn more than $20 000 per year, any extra money will bring only a brief smile.Work bit 4: Art has adopted the factory assembly line. In China, painter-workers dab paint on the same patch of the same picture on as many as eight canvasses at a time. Customers may request any picture, even the Mona Lisa. I wonder, how much must you pay to see her smile?
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
#21: The 'invisible' success factors
Normally, when we strive for success in some venture or project, we focus on those factors which impact directly and visibly on the outcome. But there are factors which are so obviously necessary that they become ‘invisible’ and are then ignored.
The problem is that these factors do not necessarily ensure success, but their absence ensures failure. These factors are understanding, commitment, doing, and learning.
Before you do anything, you must understand what is to be done, why it is to be done and how it is to be done. This understanding must make you willing to commit to do what it takes. Finally, to ensure ongoing improvement, your doing must lead to learning which in turn must lead to a better understanding.
I call this the wheel of success. The wheel is common sense, which is probably why many managers don’t apply it in practice.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com
Copyright: 2006 James Henry McIntosh
#20: White collar workers laid off
Work bit 1: If you are a white-collar worker, you are more likely to be laid off nowadays. But you are also likely to get rehired. Unemployment among college graduates is just over 2%.
Work bit 2: Why does your male boss often look so cross? Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia have shown that men are acutely sensitive to the anger of other men. So it seems that if a male wants attention, he should get angry.Work bit 3: Every time I hear about layoffs I think of Akio Morita, the founder of Sony, who said: “If we face a recession, we should not lay off employees; the company should sacrifice a profit. It's management's risk and management's responsibility. Employees are not guilty; why should they suffer?”Work bit 4: I also remember a Polish proverb: Under capitalism man exploits man; under socialism the reverse is true.
I’m james@nonsenseatwork.comCopyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh
James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
Monday - 7:19am and Saturday - 8:19am
