Emgloindustrial

One more interesting article from gftcs.com!!!

Here are some ideas in helping with rumor control:

Evaluate the substance of the rumor. See if there is a plausible explanation. For example, is equipment taken out of service because it is being sold, or because it is broken?

Go to the source. When hearing a rumor, take it to your manager for confirmation rather than spreading to other associates. As a manager, encourage associates to bring you any rumors before spreading them. Phone calls to responsible parties may be in order to verify or debunk the information. For example, have rooms been reserved for special announcements, or for regular department meetings?

Ask for rumors at department meetings. The first agenda item on every department meeting should be the relating of any and all rumors. Again, this enables people to address them openly.

Continue to share all you know. The reason rumors grow faster than weeds is because they are filling empty spaces in peoples' imagination. Continuously reinforce the truth as you know it, and promise to address with your manager anything you might hear for either debunking or substantiation.

Help people focus on their jobs. Help associates understand that focusing efforts and time on collecting and spreading unsubstantiated rumors hurts themselves and the company.

Don't take every abnormality as a sign. Just because something was different (a meeting location changed, different people at the site, a harvest moon in the summer, whatever) does not mean a rumor is true. Help people see things as they are, versus reading dire consequences into innocent actions.

Learn to laugh. Learn to see, and help others see, that rumors are just that: rumors. Encourage associates to find the humor in what they hear.

In sumary, help those who focus on negative, dire rumors to ditch the rumors and focus on the things they can do something about!

Recently I discovered gftcs.com and what to share some content from them:

Recognition is a powerful tool for helping associates get and stay motivated. When you recognize others you are letting them know they are valued and that their efforts are appreciated and important to the company.

Why: Here are some reasons why an associate should be recognized:

Performed duties of increased responsibility
Accomplished something others have not
Served notably in an important position
Covered for an absent associate
Accomplished more than peers
Performed the job with exceptional efficiency and/or effectiveness
Made recommendations that had a positive impact
Accomplished the same quality of work but with less people, less money, or shorter deadline
Displayed extra initiative
Demonstrated unusual creativity
Demonstrated extra enthusiasm
Saved money and/or time

Characteristics: The characteristics of effective informal recognition are:

Timely -- as soon as possible after the positive achievement
Proportional -- matches the action in type and degree of recognition
Specific -- identifies the positive behavior
Individual -- recognizes the person involved in the action
Sincere -- comes from the heart and shows you care
Personal -- reflects the personality of the recipient

How: You don't have to spend a lot of money, or any money at all, to recognize associates effectively. Here are some specific ideas on recognizing others:

Give "Caught in the act" coupons (coupons that can be redeemed for free beverage)
Create and present certificates
Hand out "Lunch is on me" coupons
Present trophies or ribbons
Send personal notes to the associate
Send personal notes to the associate's family
Create a "year in review" booklet (pictures or articles highlighting associates' achievements)
Put up a bulletin board (post letters, pictures, thank you cards)
Have a "Friday Surprise"
Give a traveling trophy
Have associates determine recipient and presentation of the traveling trophy
Bring in donuts and drinks
Give tickets to sporting or cultural events
Call an associate into your office just to thank him/her (talk of nothing else)
Go to the associate's office to thank him/her
Post a thank-you note on the associate's door
Volunteer to do the associate's least desirable task for a day
Answer the person's telephone for a day
Have a senior member of management call on the associate to deliver the thanks
Wash the associate's car
Create a Hall of Fame wall with photos
Make a photo collage about a project's success
Stage a parade through the building for the associate
Take supporting associates out to lunch when YOU get a promotion
Present an Equalizer Bunny for keeping "going, and going, and going..."
Present a toy roadrunner for working fast and meeting shortened deadlines
Write your thank-you on a flip chart and place it prominently in the area or in front of the associate's door
Host a make-believe marathon and a corresponding awards ceremony for project members
Ask five people to go up to the person and say that you asked them to thank the associate for you
Write five or more thank-you's on Post-It-Notes and hide them in the associate's office/work area
Develop a "Behind the Scenes" Award for those usually not in the limelight
Name a space after an associate and put up a sign ("The Suzy Jones Corridor")
Buy lunch for the associate and three people of his/her choice
Bring the associate bagged lunches for a week
Make a thank you card by hand, with crayons, stickers, etc.
Cover the person's desk with balloons
Find out the associate's hobby and give an appropriate gift
Give the associate something for his/her children
Make a batch of cookies for the associate
Make and deliver a fruit basket

To assess the legacy you are leaving you should thank gftcs.com authors for the tips and ask yourself the following:

If I left today, what would people remember about me and my work?
A legacy is, by definition, a memory -- something left behind for others to follow, to emulate, to use. What are you leaving with the people with whom you interact today? What did you leave with people yesterday...last week? What do you want to leave with them tomorrow?

How does the work I am doing affect others -- is it the effect I want?
It's important to look not only at what you are doing, but at what others are doing as a result of your actions. This is a far more sophisticated measure of success, and a much more difficult one to measure, but it's worth the effort.

Is what I am doing helping someone else?
Making a difference is key, and the best way to make a difference is to ensure that your actions are in the interest of others. This not only leaves a positive legacy and impression long-term, but is also very rewarding short-term.

How well do I tie my current actions and projects to long-term results?
Legacies are not built in a single action or in the short term -- they take consistent behaviors over a long period of time to develop, to deepen and to become established.

Does the work I am producing truly satisfy me? Have I done my best?
Does it pass my own qualitative innovation test? Have I really stretched? Have I learned something in the process? If you were your boss, would you approve of what you are producing? To really do a good job, you must first satisfy yourself.

Will I brag about it next year? In five years? Will I brag about it to my grandchildren?

Can you see yourself with a grandchild on your knee, telling the story about what you accomplished in 2012? You only brag about things when you've pushed hard and made some leap into the unknown. When you've made a difference, you feel comfortable telling others about it.