| |  | | | Tom Peters Times -- December 2009 | | It's the Thought (and Action) That Counts
Looking for the perfect gift for your employees this holiday season? One that fits tough budget restrictions? One that is memorable? Here are a few suggestions for great Little BIG Things--gifts they will treasure from their leader:
1. Hope. These are tough times for the workforce. Most won't be able to spend what they have traditionally spent on their families this Christmas. They know that you can't restore things back to the way they used to be overnight and that sacrifices need to be made. They would really love to hear from you where all these shared sacrifices are leading. They want to know what that future will look like. They want to do work that matters, work that leads to a better time and better place. You need to package this gift in a well crafted ambition or vision and deliver it in person. Make it personal--one size does not fit all!
2. Essential truths. A well crafted vision delivered with sincerity may succeed in putting the organizational equivalent of visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads. However, they need to know this isn't just dreaming. Think about giving them an honest review of the year, including relevant information about the market, revenues, prospects, barriers, and anything they may need to know that shows them their leader is giving them the straight scoop. Show them you know what they are dealing with and that you will work like crazy to competently guide them toward the vision.
3. Energy. Most leaders I work with don't really like to talk about the energy crisis going on inside our companies. The fact is that many companies have pursued lean strategies to the point that people are stretched and, quite frankly, tired. Many employees have turned to disengagement, going through the motions each day, just trying to hold on. You have to inspire them, reenergize them. I get a fair amount of pushback from leaders I work with around this topic. They insist they will never be the "rah rah" cheerleader and they lack the needed "charisma" to inspire. If you can't inspire, you can't lead. Learn how. Quickly.
4. Thanks. Fuel your employees with liberal doses of gratitude for a job well done. Make sure it is sincere and personal. No electronic holiday greetings, please ... real face-to-face "thank yous." These are truly little words that are really big things. One of my favorite clients is a VP of Operations at a large manufacturing company. He makes it a point every year to go to every manufacturing plant and every shift, walking the floor armed with candy canes, and personally thanking every employee. And he knows their names.
None of these gifts are going to cause you fiscal distress. They will, however, demand you spend some of your time and energy. It really isn't about formal company programs or emails from above. It's about building that personal relationship with those who might choose to follow you. And giving them a reason to do so. Excellence comes wrapped in meaningful, small efforts.
Happy holidays ...
Mike Neiss
US Consultant, Facilitator,
Keynote Speaker, and
Management Blogger |
 | A Christmas Cool Friends Interview
Garrison Keillor, the host of Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion, wrote a Christmas book, the book tour brought him our way, and we posted our our first-ever Christmas Cool Friends interview. He and Erik discuss the book, A Christmas Blizzard briefly, and the conversation meanders through the creative process. Keillor offers advice to writers ("The first page almost always can go"), artists ("Artists are supposed to be useful"), and speakers ("The audience is going to give you the benefit of the doubt for at least a minute or two. Don't waste that"). Get more wisdom from Lake Wobegon by way of tompeters.com by reading Garrison Keillor's Cool Friends interview. And if you'd like more Keillor, you can find him at Time magazine's 10 Questions for Garrison Keillor on Time.com available also as a video--it's not often you get to see his face along with hearing his voice.
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| Lessons About Life and Enterprise from Baking Cookies
From 1984 to 1994 Tom wrote a weekly column, syndicated by the Chicago Tribune, which ran in about 100 newspapers. We think that this Christmas column appeared around 1988. Tom doesn't do anything without deriving business lessons from the activity. He proves that without a doubt by offering up 10 lessons he learned from a day of baking cookies. Here, then, are Tom's Christmas Cookie Lessons for all our readers, download-able also as a PDF. |
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