Increase your Productivity through Clear Communication

Posted by Alan Rottenberg, Alan is a highly respected veteran of the enterprise software industry and a business intelligence pioneer. At Cognos, he served in several senior roles, including Senior Vice President Marketing and Senior Vice-President of Business Intelligence. It was during the latter responsibility that the company became a world-wide leader in Business Intelligence and achieved significant revenue growth. Alan is also Chairman of the Board of the world-renowned University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation.

52890 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/16/increase-your-productivity-through-clear-communication/Increase+your+Productivity+through+Clear+Communication2010-03-16+18%3A16%3A28Alan+Rottenberg

When we’re faced with something we think is a waste of time, we have a tendency to grumble, moan and halfheartedly do the work. The gap between our declared aims and real ones, between our real feelings and our forced participation, leads to insincere speech and actions. It effects our productivity.

Communicating in clear language can change everyone’s behavior and eliminate insincerity and increase productivity. Here are five things you should keep in mind when you’re faced with a task you don’t want to do:

1. Yes means 100% commitment. Once you say yes, you are required to act professionally and engage 100% in the task as if nothing in the world is more important or more interesting.
2. Negotiate prior to saying yes. Try something like: “This is the second weekend in a row that I will be in the office, can we agree that the next two weekends I will not be available?” Ask for a joint review of the value of this additional weekend effort mid next week. This will help you assess if it was really necessary, if it could have been planned better, of if you could have just said no.
3. Yes is very powerful. When people know that anytime you say yes, you’re all in, it empowers you to communicate and act with real intention and clarity. It makes everyone engage in your concerns with greater commitment. They know if they satisfy your concerns and needs, when you say yes, you’re 100% in.
4. Stay focused. Practice staying focused on action, positive intent, expressing concerns, and reluctance in professional terms and a conversational manner. Even the President of the United States has to say yes to meetings, events and speeches he would dearly love to miss.
5. Push Back. Say no clearly with a brief and clear explanation. When asked, “Can you do these two things for me by the end of the day?” Push back. “No sorry, I really have to complete this project by the deadline.” Negotiate again. “I really have to complete this project by the deadline. I can do it first thing tomorrow.” This will become an ‘all in yes’ if negotiation for tomorrow is accepted.

Our roles in life as partner, parent, colleague, boss, and friend lead to a constant effort of balancing our ‘yeas’ and ‘nays’. Communicate with clarity and care and you will be able to have ‘yeas’ you can live with and ‘nays’ they can live with.

Tags: Alan Rottenberg, communication, negotiating, Productivity, Rypple, Time Management

Is Your Company Really Recognizing Performance

Posted by Sonia Di Maulo, Throughout her 15+ years in Communications, Media, and Adult Education, Sonia is able to confirm that inspiring feedback increases confidence, trust, and performance. Are you ready to feedback? Sonia is the author of the inspiring Ready to Feedback

52720 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/15/is-your-company-really-recognizing-performance/Is+Your+Company+Really+Recognizing+Performance2010-03-15+17%3A41%3A43Sonia+Di+Maulo

To feel valued, to know, even if only once in a while, that you can do a job well is an absolutely marvelous feeling. – Barbara Walters

Marni and Cecile at WestJet

I’ve been on a lot of flights lately and have been lucky to experience exceptional customer service. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’s my duty to expose the performance and make the experience real.

Last week I was on a WestJet flight from Montreal to Toronto and was greeted by Marni and Cecile, the WestJet cabin crew. From the first hello, I felt that this flight would be different. They were attentive, friendly, and witty. So much so that it made me stop and take notice. It was obvious. Their focus was on making this flight enjoyable and safe for their passengers. I wanted them to know that I noticed and that I appreciated their focus on me.

When it was my turn, Marni asked me what I would like, I said, “I would like to know who I could talk to about your outstanding customer service.” She was surprised that I would think that her normal, everyday actions could be considered “outstanding”. I explained that my mission was to expose exceptional customer service. During the next 30 minutes Marni, Cecile and I became fast friends and the flight was that much more enjoyable. I am holding the business card of the Sales Super Center at WestJet and will let them know about their Super Cabin Crew.

It’s time to Be Real

Each one of us has the responsibility to expose exceptional performance. Every action, behavior, and attitude done with focus and intention deserves to be exposed. This recognition makes our jobs real and creates connections and conversations built on trust and respect. People need to know that those who work at your company notice the things that get done. People need to know what it means to feel real recognition.

What actions, behaviors, and attitudes are you going to start recognizing at your company today?

Tags: customer service, Kudos, Performance Management, recognize exceptional performance, Recognize greatness, Rypple, Sonia Di Maulo, Westjet

Give Kudos. Win Prizes!

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

52280 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/12/give-kudos-win-prizes/Give+Kudos.+Win+Prizes%212010-03-12+22%3A27%3A11Nathaniel+Rottenberg

Kudos is a social way to publicly praise teammates and recognize them for a job well done.

Until April 9th, give Kudos and be automatically entered to win awesome prizes!

You Could Win:

• Trip to Miami’s South Beach!
• Apple iPad
• Apple iPod Nanos and Shuffles
• Flip MinoHD Cameras
• Lots More Great Prizes

Your team is full of rock stars. Give them their well deserved kudos and win a whole whack of fabulous prizes. More Details at workplacehero.com

Tags: iPad, Prizes, Rypple, Workplace Hero

Practical Tips for Managers to Motivate Gen Y (part 2)

Posted by Dr. Karyn Gordon, Dr. Karyn Gordon is one of North America's leading authorities on understanding and motivating Generation Y. She is frequently interviewed by national media (Entertainment Tonight Canada, Globe & Mail, National Post, Maclean's, Much Music) and speaks to national corporations (Maple Leaf Foods, Motorola, Doritos, PepsiCo, etc.) to provide insight into connecting and motivating Generation Y. You can find more from Dr. Gordon at drkaryn.com

51970 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/09/practical-tips-for-managers-to-motivate-gen-y-part-2/Practical+Tips+for+Managers+to+Motivate+Gen+Y+%28part+2%292010-03-09+19%3A12%3A11Dr.+Karyn+Gordon

As promised, here’s part two of Practical Tips for Managers to Motivate Gen Y

1. Don’t Expect Them to Read Your Mind.

Skills and habits that may seem obvious to X, Boomer and traditionalists managers are sometimes not obvious to Y’s simply because they were born and raised in a completely different era! Tell them what you need, how you need it, when you need it and why you need it. Spelling it out will take time but will save you time in the end.

2. Set Boundaries from the Top and With Respect.

Its not the job of employees to figure out what is expected of them or what the boundaries are in their new job – boundaries need to be set and communicated from the top-down! Be clear about your boundaries, what you need from your team, what rewards they will receive for work well done and also any consequences if job expectations are not met. As long as you’re clear, and your expectations are reasonable and spoken in a tone of respect, Gen Y’s will step up!

3. Listen, Challenge and Give Feedback.

Gen Y’s often tell me that they are unchallenged and bored. They often say they ask for more work from their boss but their requests are either ignored or downplayed. Providing challenging work will not only help get more work done – but will motivate them to stay engaged and plugged into your company! Give them regular and immediate feedback. Let them know what they are doing that is good as well as areas that need work. They want to excel and the more they know how they are measuring up to your standards the better!

4. Ask Their Expectations.

Take time to find out what your Gen Y employees’ ambitions are. If they seem unrealistic to you, use a tone of respect and be honest with what you think more realistic expectations would be. Share your wisdom about what they can do practically to achieve these goals.

Tags: Dr. Karyn Gordon, gen y, Gen Y at work, Mananging Gen Y, Rypple

Practical Tips for Managers to Motivate Gen Y

Posted by Dr. Karyn Gordon, Dr. Karyn Gordon is one of North America's leading authorities on understanding and motivating Generation Y. She is frequently interviewed by national media (Entertainment Tonight Canada, Globe & Mail, National Post, Maclean's, Much Music) and speaks to national corporations (Maple Leaf Foods, Motorola, Doritos, PepsiCo, etc.) to provide insight into connecting and motivating Generation Y. You can find more from Dr. Gordon at drkaryn.com

51780 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/08/practical-tips-for-managers-to-motivate-gen-y/Practical+Tips+for+Managers+to+Motivate+Gen+Y+2010-03-08+19%3A06%3A36Dr.+Karyn+Gordon

As more Gen Y’s enter the workforce, many older generations seem puzzled and often confused about this “new generation”. They’ve heard stories, they’ve read articles and they wonder if managing this new generation is really going to be different.

As a consultant who works with all generations, I’m excited for this challenge in our workplace cultures! Why? Because I think Gen Y will force the rest of us to get our act together. They will encourage us to step up to the plate, communicate with respect, be clear about our expectations, and partner and work as a team.

I’ve worked with managers of all generations, so here are three tips for how managers can successfully manage Gen Y, especially during these tough economic times:

1. Focus on the Power of Influence, Not the Power of Authority
   Many managers believe that because of their position younger generations “should” respect them. However, many Gen Y’s believe respect is to be “earned” not “given”. Simply listening, praising work well done and being genuinely interested in your employees (which are basic skills great managers do anyways) will not only help retain and motivate them, but also inspire them to work hard for you!
2. Point the Finger Inward, not Outward
   It’s easy to blame, point fingers and throw our hands up wondering why this next generation is “this way”. They are often described as being entitled, spoiled and the “Me” generation. Yet we forget that as a culture we’ve taught them this! Instead of blaming them, we should ask ourselves the question – what can I learn from Gen Y? What can they learn from me? Simply changing our perception towards them radically changes how we communicate to them and how they communicate back to us.
3. Don’t be Fooled by Arrogance
   Often I read that Gen Y’s are ‘so confident’, yet Gen Y’s have often admitted to me that they battle with insecurity, anxiety and worry. Their insecurity is often covered by a mask of arrogance. As we go through this economic crisis, expect anxiety and insecurity to rise.  Simply investing into your employees, asking how they are feeling about the crisis (again a basic skill great managers do) will go a long way toward engaging and motivating them!

For further insight into Gen Y in the workplace, check out my post What Gen Y Really Wants At Work. Stay tuned for part two tomorrow to learn the remaining tips.

Tags: Dr. Karyn Gordon, gen y, Leadership, management, Managing Gen Y, Rypple

Going Global

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

51730 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/04/going-global/Going+Global2010-03-04+18%3A08%3A18Nathaniel+Rottenberg

Should you internationalize your business and acquire foreign customers? That can be a tough question. Rypple co-CEOs, Daniel Debow and David Stein, share their experience in the The Mark News article, The Trick to Going Global

While some industries are better suited to foreign expansion than others, successful internationalization ultimately comes down to managerial will and skill.

Check out why Daniel and David believe international markets are a key component to the success of Rypple.

Tags: Daniel Debow, david stein, Rypple, The Mark News, The Trick to Going Global

Leaders and Emotional Intelligence

Posted by Beth Steinberg, Beth Steinberg has more than 17 years of human resources experience helping leaders and companies (emerging to Fortune 500) with complex organizational and growth issues. She is currently an Organization Development Consultant living in Silicon Valley.

50970 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/03/leaders-and-emotional-intelligence/Leaders+and+Emotional+Intelligence+2010-03-03+19%3A00%3A02Beth+Steinberg

Early in my career, I understood that leaders who were smart, creative and knew how to work with people, were usually more effective than those who did not. There were certainly exceptions: ineffective leaders who always made their revenue targets, technical leaders that did not have a big interest in people leadership, found ways to be very successful within the organization, by hiring a strong people leaders underneath them. Others contributed so much to the success of the organization in spite of their EQ deficits, it was overlooked.

It was not until much later in my career where I witnessed how destructive a leader who’s IQ far exceeded his EQ could be to an organization.

This person had an impeccable resume; great experience and multiple degrees from Ivy League Schools. During the interview process, many of the leaders in the organization had concerns about hiring this person. Instead of listening to their own intuition and honoring the feedback of the team, the leader of the organization (with the enthusiastic support of the CEO and the Head of HR) decided to hire the person into a very important and senior role.

When the person started, they certainly had good ideas about how to positively impact the business. However, instead of building relationships with the current team, gaining support and alignment on their ideas, they did just the opposite. They tried to forge forward on their own, having no regard for the people and the culture of the organization. This person had little interest or skill in people leadership and led in a “command and control” style that was rejected by the rest of the organization.

While initially this person made some traction with their ideas, ultimately they were unable to execute on any of their plans and asked to leave the company. They did not have the trust, support or cooperation of anyone in the organization. The damage this person caused, both from a revenue perspective and people perspective, was fairly substantial.

This was the clearest example I’ve witnessed of how important emotional intelligence is to success. It was also a great example of what can happen when you don’t listen to your team and honor intuition. This hiring error caused a lot of problems for the organization and the company.

Daniel Goleman writes about the Five Components of Emotional Intelligence at work in his 1998 Harvard Business Review Article, “What Makes a Leader”.  Whether you believe in EQ or not, thinking about incorporating these qualities in your leadership style can help you be a better and more fulfilled leader.

Daniel Goleman’s key components of EQ:

• Self-Awareness: the ability to recognize and understand your moods, emotions, and drives as well as their effect on others.
• Self-Regulation: the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods.  The propensity to suspend judgment – to think before acting.
• Motivation: a passion to work for reasons that go beyond money or status. A propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence.
• Empathy: the ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people. Skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions

.
• Social Skill: proficiency in managing relationships and building networks. An ability to find common ground and build rapport.

Tags: beth steinberg, Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, EQ, Five Components of emotional intelligence, leader, Leadership, Rypple, What Makes a Leader

Increase Productivitiy through Time Management

Posted by Alan Rottenberg, Alan is a highly respected veteran of the enterprise software industry and a business intelligence pioneer. At Cognos, he served in several senior roles, including Senior Vice President Marketing and Senior Vice-President of Business Intelligence. It was during the latter responsibility that the company became a world-wide leader in Business Intelligence and achieved significant revenue growth. Alan is also Chairman of the Board of the world-renowned University of Ottawa Heart Institute Foundation.

50990 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/02/increase-productivitiy-through-time-management/Increase+Productivitiy+through+Time+Management2010-03-02+19%3A00%3A47Alan+Rottenberg

We work and live in a matrix. Not a sinister sci-fi movie, but a daily matrix of relationships. We are spouses, parents, children, siblings, bosses, peers, friends and team members everyday. Each of these relationships comes with activity, communication and commitments.

The scarcest and most precious variable in a matrix is time! Time management is about taking control of your time. When you control time you enhance relationships, improve quality and reliability of your deliverables, and reduce stress.

Here are six steps to control your matrix:

1. Develop time boundaries that fit your plan. You do have a plan and plan your time?
2. Sit down and block time for critical parts of your life. This should include work, fun, family, exercise, etc. As you do this, align work blocks to your high productivity daily cycle, and exercise and repetitive tasks to your low productivity periods. For example, if you are a morning person, high intensity and priority work and thought gets scheduled then. No meetings or interruptions during these times.
3. Agree on time commitments. Develop an understanding and agree on expectations for time commitments with key personnel and work relationships. Seek feedback from partners on how well you are using your time together.
4. Declare to all what time is their time and what time is not! Let the company understand they can’t have you Sunday, you are not checking email Saturday night! You are not taking assignments Friday at 4pm for Monday 8am, and conference calls are not happening Sunday morning. If it was that important they can plan it better! Use your judgment to deal with exceptions. Let your family know that 3 hours minimum every weekend are for work completion, planning and refinement. And set that time aside.
5. Stick to your commitments That is, be engaged 100% in the moment. Do not multitask at dinner with your family. Give yourself the joy of commitment in the matrix. Let your company see that work time is work time and you are really on the job 100%.
6. Know everyday what is the one thing that must get done above all others, and do it!

Visualize your matrix and review daily and weekly. How did you invest your time? Get feedback on how effectively you used other peoples time. Adjust and control.

• Identify time wasting activities, eliminate and learn to say no.
• Identify areas where you can combine commitments. For example, Fitness or skill building combined with more time with friends. How about a series of golf lessons at the driving range or a 30 minute run and then one beer with your buddy, instead of NFL on TV and three beers.
• Highlight priority conflicts at work and clarify immediately. You cannot serve all the masters in your work matrix all the time. Get feedback to ensure clarity and effectiveness of time invested.

Adjust. Control. Declare. Your matrix is your time. Become the master of your matrix, work at it everyday.

Tags: Alan Rottenberg, Feedback, Productivity, Rypple, Time Management, time matrix

What’s new this week at Rypple: March 1st

Posted by Nathaniel Rottenberg, Community Marketing

51100 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/03/01/whats-new-this-week-at-rypple-march-1/What%27s+new+this+week+at+Rypple%3A+March+1st2010-03-01+19%3A12%3A56Nathaniel+Rottenberg

What’s changed? Everything. I’m not joking: we’ve literally changed everything from the homepage, to how you get feedback, to the entire application. Over the past few months we’ve been busy speaking to thousands of people at many different organizations to understand how we can make Rypple better. We learned a ton. The result: Rypple 2.0.

The new Rypple is three tools to turn managers into leaders and employees into high performers.

Rypple Kudos:

You work hard and so does your team. Recognizing and praising your team’s work and dedication is essential for creating and maintaining a motivated and hard working team. Enter Rypple Kudos. Rypple Kudos is a a social way to publicly praise teammates and recognize them for a job well done. They’re fun too. You can award badges and personalize the design of your kudos. Check out Rypple Kudos for more info.

Rypple Insight:

Rypple Insight is the new way to get feedback. We’ve made getting feedback social to help increase collaboration within your team and make team members more effective. Get immediate, anonymous feedback on quick questions. Gather ongoing insights from trusted advisors. Improve! Check out Rypple Insight from more info.

Rypple Coach:

Great leaders coach their people to help them learn, develop, and improve. That’s why we created Rypple Coach. Coach helps managers become leaders and makes it easy to have ongoing and productive 1:1 conversations with your team. Check out Rypple Coach for more info.

Rypple’s New look

We’re very excited to announce these new tools and the new design of Rypple! We think the new design is much cleaner and does a great job of explaining what the new Rypple is all about. Of course we want your feedback, so let us know what you think of Rypple 2.0

Tags: Release Notes, Rypple, Rypple 2.0, Rypple Coaching, Rypple Insight, Rypple Kudos

How to Transform Negative Feedback: Put On Your Rubber Suit

Posted by Sonia Di Maulo, Throughout her 15+ years in Communications, Media, and Adult Education, Sonia is able to confirm that inspiring feedback increases confidence, trust, and performance. Are you ready to feedback? Sonia is the author of the inspiring Ready to Feedback

50560 commentshttp://rypple.com/blog/2010/02/25/how-to-transform-negative-feedback-put-on-your-rubber-suit/How+to+Transform+Negative+Feedback%3A+Put+On+Your+Rubber+Suit2010-02-25+19%3A00%3A55Sonia+Di+Maulo

The Ideal World

In an ideal world everyone is able to deliver potentially difficult feedback with grace and respect. Managers and leaders are able to:

1. Start with the positives to establish trust and build confidence.
2. Offer suggestions that improve future performance.

Benefits of Investing in a Quality Rubber Suit

There may be times when you receive feedback that makes you feel crummy. It feels like:

• It erases all the things you did that were good.
• No one appreciates the hard work or sees the positive results.
• The only focus is on the past and what went wrong!

Given that no one is perfect (not the employee or the giver of feedback), it’s important to have perspective. We’ve all heard the saying that the best way to change something is to start with yourself.

Here are some tips you can try when receiving difficult feedback.

• Self-assess your performance.
• Celebrate the positives.
• Accept the feedback as a fact to consider.
• Acknowledge the time invested to give you feedback as a gift.
• Choose one improvement item that you feel you can work on, and communicate this.
• Don’t let well-intentioned suggestions for improvement erase your accomplishment.

Put on the rubber suit and choose how to use feedback! It’s important to let some feedback bounce right off. This will help you avoid internalizing events that makes you feel unworthy and creates self-doubt. Hold on a minute! I am not saying to dismiss ALL feedback because “without feedback we are flying blind” (great quote by Joseph R. Folkman author of “The Power of Feedback”). The benefit of investing in a quality rubber suit: it helps you accept all feedback objectively to be able to identify the feedback you can USE.

An Example

Your boss asks you to go into his office. You expect rave reviews on your latest report. You worked hard and your colleagues commented on how great your work was. You were not prepared for what happened next. Your manager lists all the things you could have done better. He even says he doesn’t understand why these things weren’t done to begin with and that you should have known better.

When you don’t put on your rubber suit first, here’s what could happen:

You respect your boss’s opinion and accept that your work was unacceptable.

• You feel completely demoralized and unappreciated.
• You think you may need to find a different job because you can’t possibly put in more hours to produce the perfect results your boss expects.
• You have no idea where to start to make things right.

With your rubber suit on, things happen differently:
You respect your boss’s opinion and can objectively see the gaps he is sharing with you.

• You take notes on what he feels you should have done and listen to his feedback.
• With the rubber suit on, you are able to keep the discussion professional and not personal.
• Your boss has taken time out of his busy day to share his thoughts so it must mean that he cares.
• You share the things that you feel you did right and ask him if he agrees. Starting a dialogue here will strengthen your relationship.
• When he is done, you review his feedback and identify the 1 or 2 items that you feel you can work on.
• Communicating this shows that you respect his time. It also shows that you can identify the actions that you can impact the most and how you will proceed.

Join the Discussion

• As a manager, would it be helpful to encourage your people to invest in quality rubber suits?
• What experiences have you had in receiving difficult feedback? How did you feel afterwards?
• How can putting on a rubber suit help you going forward?
• How have you transformed a difficult conversation into positive outcomes?

Tags: Feedback, how to deal with negative feedback, negative feedback, Readytofeedback, Rypple, Sonia Di Maulo