Management Success Tip – Pay New Hires to Leave – Huh?

Want a counterintuitive route to management success?….well you may or may not. But, you may want a creative way of enhancing employee motivation, increasing employee retention, and accessing a management best practice.…If so, read on...

Though this article was written sometime ago, I think it flew under the radar for some time.  I’d like to resurrect it.  At the end of this post you’ll find the link to the full story.

The headline? Why Zappos Offers New Hires $2,000 to Quit. Now at first blush you might be thinking…what?…it cost me money to hire them and now I’m going to pay more money to let them go…encourage them to leave?

This thought begs an essential question regarding profitable management and here it is, “How much does it cost to keep an employee who is underperforming, has proven to not be a good fit, has proven to not be coachable and is now disruptive?”  Might I suggest way more than $2,000.00. If nothing else think of the ripple effect on fellow team members and their productivity.

The cost is more explicitly spelled out in a study conducted by The Future Foundation. You can find the key findings via an article at this link. The Hidden Cost of Poor People Performance. It worth your time to read!

It’s been my experience as I’ve connected with thousands of managers across North America, that it is a very common practice to keep these kind of employee way too long!  Now there are many reasons for that, but the point is it’s happening more than it should and it absolutely does hurt a companies bottom line as well as the morale of the direct reports and fellow team members.

In this new economy where there is a crying need to be innovative in all areas of business practice, more innovation regarding this people part of business is essential as well.

I am going to consider this a potential best practice.  Here is the link to the full article: Full Article

Coaching tip: See how this practice can be implemented or modified in some way or see how the spirit of the practice can be applied in your situation.

A Simple Strategy To Improve Your Productivity

I wrote this article a while back and now that I’m working on new projects thought it would be worth revisiting.

This is great habit-practice to increase your results significantly. What’s the habit?… the “morning mindest”….read on..

The Magic Moment – The Power of the Morning Mindset and Taking Five
Category: Personal Productivity
Wc: 346

I woke up this morning after being up rather late and knew that it was a crunch day. Within the next 24 hours I’d need to hop on a plane and be out of the office for the next few days.

In those few moments I felt slightly pressured and overwhelmed which lead to a bit of emotional and mental confusion, (by the way, I call this “brain fog”). What should I work on first?….what could wait until Monday?

I could have just barreled in, but time was precious I needed to work on what was most crucial. I realized I couldn’t let the pressure “pressure” me into the wrong decision. So, I decided to take a 5 minute mind clearing break.

I gave myself permission to step away from my desk, move into a physical space where I could clear my mind. Ah….a break through! Just giving myself permission to “take 5” and step away helped my mind to calm down and my emotions to come to neutral.

In the clarity of that moment, I was able to get a better view of what was crucial and what was not.

Honestly, I have days where I didn’t do that first thing in the morning and ended up working on the wrong things at the wrong time. In those cases, a few critical things fell through the cracks; it wasn’t pretty.

What I’m describing is the power of a moment…a moment you take in the morning to gain clarity on the day that could make all the difference. I’m calling it the Morning Mindset.

You know it’s just harder to work in a fog; it takes more energy and the quality of your work may suffer.

So let me recommend creating the practice of “The Morning Mindset.”

Additionally, this principle of “taking five” is not reserved for the morning. Anytime, you’re feeling confused for what ever the reason, give yourself permission to take five…that practice could make all the difference!