THe Truth

The Truth Is Not What It Seems, But What It Is

Dishonesty comes in many shapes and sizes. Of course, some people lie in error, in which they wholeheartedly believe their words when they’re spoken. Others tell bold-faced lies, knowing full well that they’re being deceitful. And still other people tell white lies, hoping to protect someone (often themselves) from the truth. Yet even though some of these folks may be well intentioned, it’s all lying just the same. How do you identify a lie? As a general rule of thumb, if your ears hear one thing and your eyes see another, use your brain — because something is obviously wrong. Here are some common forms of dishonesty that masquerade as acceptable behavior:

Misrepresentation. Distorting facts to consciously mislead or create a false impression. Spinning the truth, presenting opinion as fact, and using revisionist thinking or euphemisms to masquerade the truth are all forms of misrepresentation.

Omission. Leaving out key information to intentionally deceive someone. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Half the truth is often a great lie.”

Fabrication. Deliberately inventing an untruth or spreading a falsehood such as gossip or a rumor.

Exaggeration. Stretching the truth to give a more favorable impression.

Denial. Refusing to acknowledge the truth or to accept responsibility for a mistake or falsehood that was made.

Lack of transparency. Withholding information knowing that full disclosure will have negative consequences.

Redirection. Deflecting blame to another person to prevent personal embarrassment or responsibility.

False recognition. Stealing the credit for someone else’s hard-earned success.

Broken promise. Making a promise with no intention of keeping it.

Cover-up. Protecting the misdeeds of others. Those who provide cover for the misdeeds of others are as guilty as those who perpetrate the “crime.”

Hypocrisy. Saying one thing and consciously doing another. When words don’t match actions, someone is being dishonest with others or themselves.

Bait and switch. Attracting someone with an exciting offer only to divert them to an inferior deal.

Living a lie. Pretending that you are something you’re not.

To be continued tomorrow-

How to destroy successful teams

How to destroy successful teams-

1. 
   Criticism without praise I’ve known managers in my career whose entire management philosophy was to criticize everything and rarely if ever dole out praise.  I think you can imagine how well that went over with their team. Constructive criticism (keyword: constructive) is vital to helping employees grow, but generous and well timed praise is also important for maintaining enthusiasm and morale.
2. 
   Unreasonable expectations As a member of a team, nothing feels worse than the sinking feeling of knowing that you will never reach your targets, no matter how hard you work.  Goals that are a stretch and require a lot of the team are good, but goals that are way out of reach are depressing. It won’t make employees work harder; it will make them want to give up.
3. 
   Half-hearted work Having one or more member of the team who only puts in half an effort — showing up late, leaving early, checking email all day, etc. — has a decidedly negative impact on the whole team. It’s important that everyone is putting in a full, equal effort.
4. 
   Stubbornness When members of a team adopt a “my way or the highway” approach, no one benefits. When working in a team, everyone needs to be open to new ideas, new approaches, and experimentation — even, and perhaps especially, the leader. Just because you’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean that’s the best way to do it.
5. 
   Leading with emotions Instinct, emotions, and gut feelings all have their place, but bringing emotions too much into the team can have a deleterious effect. A team member who always feels spurned when his idea isn’t chosen, who sees slights (real and imagined) in every interaction, or who takes home the stress and anxiety about a project may be bringing too many emotions into the workplace.

Some things that can destroy succesful Teams-

1. 
   Ego When someone’s ego is more important than the team, the project, or the goal, things break down quickly. This can happen when one person is more interested in “looking good” for the boss than getting the work done, when someone is always placing blame, or when someone feels and acts like they are too good to do the necessary work.
2. 
   Negative competition Lighthearted competition can be a good thing, especially for certain kinds of teams. In a sales team, for example, individual members can be motivated by gamifying their work with a leaderboard or bonuses for high performance. But when competition goes too far, it can destroy a sense of teamwork and create a “you versus me” atmosphere that isn’t good for anyone.
3. 
   Poor communication When the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, it causes all sorts of problems: duplicate work, forgotten work, missed deadlines, etc. Communication is absolutely key to a team that works.
4. 
   Micromanagement When employees have to get approval or sign-off on every single thing they do, it slows down the workflow considerably. Team leaders need to be able to trust employees to make the right choices, and employees need to feel comfortable asking for help when they need it. The right balance here is key.

More tomorrow-

Admit it and make the decision

If you’ve screwed up – admit it

We all screw up. Even managers and crew chiefs and drivers. In fact, I probably screwed up more as a manager than as a regular employee. Hiding mistakes was only making me feel more stressed, so I decided to open up and admit to my staff when I’d made a mistake.

Being humble is an important management lesson. Your fellow workers will warm to you and realise you are, like them, human


Make that decision

No one likes a manager or boss who can’t make a decision. Be confident in your ability to do just that and prove to your team and crew that you have a plan for them.

You’ll make poor decisions , but you’ll also make some brilliant decisions, and the mere fact you’re making a decision at all will enable you to retain your authority while gaining more respect from your team or crew and fellow workers.

What we believe

We cannot always control or avoid what happens to us, but we can control what it does to our spirit. And the quality of our spirit becomes the filter through which we see life.

- And the philosophers say, reality is our perception of it, I believe those words.
Our reality is what we believe it to be. What we believe informs our thoughts. Our thoughts inform our actions. Our actions build our lives.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day Weekend !

Since the late 1800's the United States has celebrated Labor Day- A day to help celebrate and salute the American workers.

 It is a day for all workers but in particular, I believe , a day set aside for the blue collar workers around the country- The backbone of what our nation is all about and having been in the household goods industry for over three decades I can attest that household good drivers around this great country truly represent the best of blue collar workers everywhere.

To be a successful household good driver you must be many things and you must make many sacrifices, there are many hours of physical labor as well as mental exhaustion on those very busy summer days and weeks. -They exemplify what this day - Labor Day- is meant to celebrate.

I hope that all workers in this country are able to take some time this weekend to take a deep breath and give them selves a big pat on the back and just appreciate all the opportunities that are all around and take the time to call a loved one or hug that someone special because that is after all why we do what we do.

Thank you all for allowing me to be a small part of that experience- I appreciate each and every day!

God Bless and Happy Labor Day Weekend !

More Tips to Succeed

Use the language appropriately – both verbally and in your writing. Bad grammar and spelling is right up there with punctuality as promotion killers. Proof read your stuff – and use spellcheck. It all matters!

Disagree and challenge respectfully. You can disagree with the boss or co-workers, or even say “no”. Just be prepared to back it up, with a statesman-like flair.
But if the play is called and it goes against you, despite your feelings you need to move on, and execute. Remember this one, always:  There’s no pouting in business.

Get the big picture, then figure things out on your own. Bosses or Ops hate it when they have to explain a task in great detail to someone. Top promotion employees and drivers show their meddle by minimizing supervisor explanation time and filling in the blanks themselves.

Focus on the task at hand like a laser beam. I know it’s really, really, really hard these days to put down the handheld and stay away from texts, E-mail, Twitter or Facebook.
 You can easily derail any career momentum by being MIA-