you truly don't trust your managers to hire wonderful employees, why did you make them managers? Bell curve performance reviews only encourage the hiring and retention of so-so employees, or worse. Get rid of them in 2015 and celebrate your team's briliiance!
Stupid Bereavement-Leave Policies
There are still employers that require their employees to bring in funeral notices in order to be eligible for a few days' paid bereavement leave. That's shocking and horrifying.
No doubt some employee way back when falsified a family death to get some time off, and ever since then the company has been writing its policies to prevent such a fraud from re-occurring.
That's idiotic, and heartless. It's never smart to write policies directed toward people you wish you hadn't hired. Trust your employees, and they'll trust you back.
Stupid Approvals for Everything
We'd expect any employer to require approval from higher-ups before you're allowed to spend a lot of money or hire someone new. We'd expect some required approval before you launch a project or put someone on probation.
Do we really need a manager's written approval for an employee to replace his ID badge?
We have taken nearly all the latitude away from the talented adults we hire. That's stupid and a waste of shareholder's money. More bureaucracy only slows us down.
Can we trust the people we chose to join our team to do simple things like order a new stapler without requiring a manager's written permission? If not, can we call ourselves leaders?
Stupid Disciplinary Rules
The idea of discipline comes from the military. We don't think that it would ever be appropriate to put our kids' piano teacher or our plumber on probation, so why would we do that to the employees on our teams? The idea of progressive discipline makes no sense in the Knowledge Economy we operate in now.
We are all adults. If someone goofs up, we can have a conversation about it. We can figure out where things broke down. If we don't trust a person to represent our brand, what good will probation or a written warning do?
Don't listen to people who say "We have to do this stupid stuff in order to fire people if they don't improve." That's completely false. I was a Fortune 500 HR SVP and I'm an expert witness in employment matters now. Anyone who sighs "We're forced to follow these old rules" is either lying to himself, to you, or both.
Stupid Feedback Mechanisms
Employee Engagement is a crock and a slap in the face to your teammates, most of whom would be happy to tell you to your face what your company is doing right and wrong. All you have to do is walk up to them and ask them, face to face, and listen to what they have to say.
Annual employee engagement surveys are a weenie's answer to the question "How are we doing, and how's the team?"
Do you ask your wife to fill out a survey and tell you how you're doing as a husband? She'd have a sharp answer for you if you proposed that approach.
Why should the valued collaborators you work with see things any differently? Lose the engagement survey and make it easy for your teammates to tell you what's working and what isn't, in the moment.
Stupid Hiring Processes
It's easy to fill job openings when you do these three things:
Write job descriptions in English or your local language rather than corporate zombiespeak.
Treat job applicants like valued collaborators rather than interchangeable machine parts or pieces of meat.
Make the interview process fast and friendly, and remember that job candidates need to be sold as vigorously as your customers do.
It's hard to fill job openings when you use Black Hole applicant-tracking systems to screen resumes by means of keyword searching.
That's the world's worst way to hire people. Any employer that complains about talent shortages is barking up the wrong tree. Humanize your recruiting process and watch the talented people flow in!
Stupid Forced Ranking
Forced ranking, sometimes call Stack Ranking, is a process of lining up your employees and comparing them to one another, Best to Worst. It's easily the stupidest idea corporate and institutional weenies have ever come up with.
You can't stay and work for a company that treats like you like a two-by-four stacked up against other pieces of lumber, not when there are wonderful organizations that could use your help!
Your teammates deserve better. People are unique and whole in themselves. There is nothing to compare between one person and another -- thank goodness! Smart employers have always known this. Any organization that doesn't get it doesn't deserve your talents. Get on your path and find the people who do!
Questions and Answers
Why are there hot dogs chasing people in the header image?
They are weenies driving smart and capable employees away. Weenie policies have the same effect. Capable people don't want to put up with being treated like children or criminals, so they leave to go work somewhere else.
Why do companies install so many stupid rules and policies?
Fear is the reason. Fearful managers don't trust themselves to hire people they could trust to do the right thing. There is a tremendous amount of fear in many corporations, institutions and startups. Small companies are not immune to fear.
How do you make an organization more trusting and less fearful?
Talk about fear and trust. They are business issues. Don't pretend there is no energy in the place or that every single person can't feel the energy. Ask your team at every opportunity, in group meetings and one-on-one "How are you doing? What's new? How can I help?"
Do you have to be a manager to tackle workplace energy, and fear and trust?
No! There are lots more non-managers in any organization than there are managers. We all feed Godzilla, the bureaucratic monster, or we all starve him. Tell the truth at work. Say "I'm not sure I know how to complete this project" when you are uncertain.
Break the ice on the topics of fear and trust. Tell your boss "Some of these policies suck away a lot of time and energy and hold us back. How can we revise them or get rid of them?" Blaming managers for the bad energy at work is the worst thing you can do. It depletes your mojo and reinforces the idea that you are powerless at work unless you're a manager.
Are you powerless? You don't look powerless to me!
Share Share Share Share
Written by
Liz Ryan
230 posts
Follow
Featured In
Leadership &...
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Like+ 20,386
NewestOldestPopularAdd a comment5,002 comments
Natalie Grime
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin
I have experienced so many of these. What a great, straight forward, no-fluff article. I can't imagine how much healthier, confident, and productive the workforce would be like if most organizations held the same values and beliefs. Wonderful read!
LikeReply1 day ago
Show More
flickr user Adrian Scottow
Jeff HadenInfluencer
Ghostwriter, Speaker, Inc. Magazine Contributing Editor
Follow
I Left an Elderly Woman Beside the Road, and What That Says About Me
Feb 16, 2015
100,638Views 1,327Likes 392Comments
My wife called from the hospital. "Can you bring over a pair of your shorts and a T-shirt?" she said.
One of her patients had been admitted with a fairly serious condition that resulted in... let's just say his clothes were no longer fit to wear.
I wasn't surprised by the nature of the call. She worked in Manhattan for a few years and always gave money to people begging on the streets or on the subway. One time I asked her, "How do you know what they'll do with the money?" (And yes, I'm still embarrassed to admit I asked that.)
"I don't," she said. "And it doesn't matter. If someone looks you in the eye and asks for help, how can you ever say no?"
While her patient had not asked for help she could tell he felt self-conscious and uncomfortable in a hospital gown. Plus by then she also knew he didn't have family or friends that would bring him other clothes.
I grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Then I thought about the weather. It was fairly cold and she said he didn't have a coat so I stuck a couple of hoodies and a pair of sweatpants in the bag. Why not -- I have too many clothes and would never miss them. Easy.
Later she told me he was so happy he immediately put everything on, even both hoodies.
I felt pretty good.
Some time later I noticed an elderly Mennonite woman leaning heavily on her cane as she shuffled slowly along the side of the road. When I drove back by later I saw she had only managed to walk a half mile or so. There was no sidewalk and she was clearly struggling on the uneven ground.
I turned around, drove back, and pulled over beside her.
"Can I give you a ride?" I asked.
She was bent over her cane so far she was forced to turn her head sideways to look up at me. "No, thank you," she said.
"It's no trouble at all..." I said.
She shook her head.
I understood. Maybe she didn't feel comfortable getting in a stranger's vehicle. Maybe, like many Mennonites who live in the area, she only would ride in a vehicle in an emergency (if then).
I drove away, and as I did I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw her half-stumble before moving slowly forward.
I felt bad... but told myself I had done all I could.
Still, hours later I hadn't stopped thinking about what my wife would have done. If a ride was out of the question she would have parked the truck and offered her arm. If nothing else she would have walked with the woman. My wife would have automatically done more, without being asked, simply because doing more is always the right thing to do for someone in need.
She would have.
I didn't.
Oh, I was willing to help, but I only offered what was easy for me to do. Only later did I think about other ways I could have helped.
When we decide to help someone -- a friend, a family member, an employee, anyone -- it's easy to think about what we want to do. It's a lot harder and much more important to think about what that individual needs and can accept.
Giving a person, however much in need, some clothes I rarely wore and would never miss? That was easy. For me.
Throwing your colleagues an occasional encouragement bone? Saying yes to a request when it doesn't cost you anything? Those things are easy. For you.
Helping your employees learn, develop, and achieve their goals in the way they actually need help -- and especially when doing so is difficult for you? That's not so easy... but that's the true nature of giving -- and of genuine leadership.
I like to think the elderly woman made it safely to her destination.
No thanks to me.
I also write for Inc.com:
19 Things the Most Fulfilled People Think Every Day
10 Daily Habits of Remarkably Happy People
39 Incorrectly Used Words That Can Make You Look Bad
20 Awesome Statements That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life
Check out my book of personal and professional advice, TransForm: Dramatically Improve Your Career, Business, Relationships, and Life -- One Simple Step At a Time. (PDF version here, Kindle version here.)
If after 10 minutes you don't find at least 5 things you can do to make your life better I'll refund your money.
That way you have nothing to lose... and everything to gain.
Share Share Share Share
Written by
Jeff Haden
176 posts
Follow
Featured In
What Inspires Me
Follow
Stupid Bereavement-Leave Policies
There are still employers that require their employees to bring in funeral notices in order to be eligible for a few days' paid bereavement leave. That's shocking and horrifying.
No doubt some employee way back when falsified a family death to get some time off, and ever since then the company has been writing its policies to prevent such a fraud from re-occurring.
That's idiotic, and heartless. It's never smart to write policies directed toward people you wish you hadn't hired. Trust your employees, and they'll trust you back.
Stupid Approvals for Everything
We'd expect any employer to require approval from higher-ups before you're allowed to spend a lot of money or hire someone new. We'd expect some required approval before you launch a project or put someone on probation.
Do we really need a manager's written approval for an employee to replace his ID badge?
We have taken nearly all the latitude away from the talented adults we hire. That's stupid and a waste of shareholder's money. More bureaucracy only slows us down.
Can we trust the people we chose to join our team to do simple things like order a new stapler without requiring a manager's written permission? If not, can we call ourselves leaders?
Stupid Disciplinary Rules
The idea of discipline comes from the military. We don't think that it would ever be appropriate to put our kids' piano teacher or our plumber on probation, so why would we do that to the employees on our teams? The idea of progressive discipline makes no sense in the Knowledge Economy we operate in now.
We are all adults. If someone goofs up, we can have a conversation about it. We can figure out where things broke down. If we don't trust a person to represent our brand, what good will probation or a written warning do?
Don't listen to people who say "We have to do this stupid stuff in order to fire people if they don't improve." That's completely false. I was a Fortune 500 HR SVP and I'm an expert witness in employment matters now. Anyone who sighs "We're forced to follow these old rules" is either lying to himself, to you, or both.
Stupid Feedback Mechanisms
Employee Engagement is a crock and a slap in the face to your teammates, most of whom would be happy to tell you to your face what your company is doing right and wrong. All you have to do is walk up to them and ask them, face to face, and listen to what they have to say.
Annual employee engagement surveys are a weenie's answer to the question "How are we doing, and how's the team?"
Do you ask your wife to fill out a survey and tell you how you're doing as a husband? She'd have a sharp answer for you if you proposed that approach.
Why should the valued collaborators you work with see things any differently? Lose the engagement survey and make it easy for your teammates to tell you what's working and what isn't, in the moment.
Stupid Hiring Processes
It's easy to fill job openings when you do these three things:
Write job descriptions in English or your local language rather than corporate zombiespeak.
Treat job applicants like valued collaborators rather than interchangeable machine parts or pieces of meat.
Make the interview process fast and friendly, and remember that job candidates need to be sold as vigorously as your customers do.
It's hard to fill job openings when you use Black Hole applicant-tracking systems to screen resumes by means of keyword searching.
That's the world's worst way to hire people. Any employer that complains about talent shortages is barking up the wrong tree. Humanize your recruiting process and watch the talented people flow in!
Stupid Forced Ranking
Forced ranking, sometimes call Stack Ranking, is a process of lining up your employees and comparing them to one another, Best to Worst. It's easily the stupidest idea corporate and institutional weenies have ever come up with.
You can't stay and work for a company that treats like you like a two-by-four stacked up against other pieces of lumber, not when there are wonderful organizations that could use your help!
Your teammates deserve better. People are unique and whole in themselves. There is nothing to compare between one person and another -- thank goodness! Smart employers have always known this. Any organization that doesn't get it doesn't deserve your talents. Get on your path and find the people who do!
Questions and Answers
Why are there hot dogs chasing people in the header image?
They are weenies driving smart and capable employees away. Weenie policies have the same effect. Capable people don't want to put up with being treated like children or criminals, so they leave to go work somewhere else.
Why do companies install so many stupid rules and policies?
Fear is the reason. Fearful managers don't trust themselves to hire people they could trust to do the right thing. There is a tremendous amount of fear in many corporations, institutions and startups. Small companies are not immune to fear.
How do you make an organization more trusting and less fearful?
Talk about fear and trust. They are business issues. Don't pretend there is no energy in the place or that every single person can't feel the energy. Ask your team at every opportunity, in group meetings and one-on-one "How are you doing? What's new? How can I help?"
Do you have to be a manager to tackle workplace energy, and fear and trust?
No! There are lots more non-managers in any organization than there are managers. We all feed Godzilla, the bureaucratic monster, or we all starve him. Tell the truth at work. Say "I'm not sure I know how to complete this project" when you are uncertain.
Break the ice on the topics of fear and trust. Tell your boss "Some of these policies suck away a lot of time and energy and hold us back. How can we revise them or get rid of them?" Blaming managers for the bad energy at work is the worst thing you can do. It depletes your mojo and reinforces the idea that you are powerless at work unless you're a manager.
Are you powerless? You don't look powerless to me!
Share Share Share Share
Written by
Liz Ryan
230 posts
Follow
Featured In
Leadership &...
Follow
Like+ 20,386
NewestOldestPopularAdd a comment5,002 comments
Natalie Grime
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." Benjamin Franklin
I have experienced so many of these. What a great, straight forward, no-fluff article. I can't imagine how much healthier, confident, and productive the workforce would be like if most organizations held the same values and beliefs. Wonderful read!
LikeReply1 day ago
Show More
flickr user Adrian Scottow
Jeff HadenInfluencer
Ghostwriter, Speaker, Inc. Magazine Contributing Editor
Follow
I Left an Elderly Woman Beside the Road, and What That Says About Me
Feb 16, 2015
100,638Views 1,327Likes 392Comments
My wife called from the hospital. "Can you bring over a pair of your shorts and a T-shirt?" she said.
One of her patients had been admitted with a fairly serious condition that resulted in... let's just say his clothes were no longer fit to wear.
I wasn't surprised by the nature of the call. She worked in Manhattan for a few years and always gave money to people begging on the streets or on the subway. One time I asked her, "How do you know what they'll do with the money?" (And yes, I'm still embarrassed to admit I asked that.)
"I don't," she said. "And it doesn't matter. If someone looks you in the eye and asks for help, how can you ever say no?"
While her patient had not asked for help she could tell he felt self-conscious and uncomfortable in a hospital gown. Plus by then she also knew he didn't have family or friends that would bring him other clothes.
I grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Then I thought about the weather. It was fairly cold and she said he didn't have a coat so I stuck a couple of hoodies and a pair of sweatpants in the bag. Why not -- I have too many clothes and would never miss them. Easy.
Later she told me he was so happy he immediately put everything on, even both hoodies.
I felt pretty good.
Some time later I noticed an elderly Mennonite woman leaning heavily on her cane as she shuffled slowly along the side of the road. When I drove back by later I saw she had only managed to walk a half mile or so. There was no sidewalk and she was clearly struggling on the uneven ground.
I turned around, drove back, and pulled over beside her.
"Can I give you a ride?" I asked.
She was bent over her cane so far she was forced to turn her head sideways to look up at me. "No, thank you," she said.
"It's no trouble at all..." I said.
She shook her head.
I understood. Maybe she didn't feel comfortable getting in a stranger's vehicle. Maybe, like many Mennonites who live in the area, she only would ride in a vehicle in an emergency (if then).
I drove away, and as I did I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw her half-stumble before moving slowly forward.
I felt bad... but told myself I had done all I could.
Still, hours later I hadn't stopped thinking about what my wife would have done. If a ride was out of the question she would have parked the truck and offered her arm. If nothing else she would have walked with the woman. My wife would have automatically done more, without being asked, simply because doing more is always the right thing to do for someone in need.
She would have.
I didn't.
Oh, I was willing to help, but I only offered what was easy for me to do. Only later did I think about other ways I could have helped.
When we decide to help someone -- a friend, a family member, an employee, anyone -- it's easy to think about what we want to do. It's a lot harder and much more important to think about what that individual needs and can accept.
Giving a person, however much in need, some clothes I rarely wore and would never miss? That was easy. For me.
Throwing your colleagues an occasional encouragement bone? Saying yes to a request when it doesn't cost you anything? Those things are easy. For you.
Helping your employees learn, develop, and achieve their goals in the way they actually need help -- and especially when doing so is difficult for you? That's not so easy... but that's the true nature of giving -- and of genuine leadership.
I like to think the elderly woman made it safely to her destination.
No thanks to me.
I also write for Inc.com:
19 Things the Most Fulfilled People Think Every Day
10 Daily Habits of Remarkably Happy People
39 Incorrectly Used Words That Can Make You Look Bad
20 Awesome Statements That Can Dramatically Improve Your Life
Check out my book of personal and professional advice, TransForm: Dramatically Improve Your Career, Business, Relationships, and Life -- One Simple Step At a Time. (PDF version here, Kindle version here.)
If after 10 minutes you don't find at least 5 things you can do to make your life better I'll refund your money.
That way you have nothing to lose... and everything to gain.
Share Share Share Share
Written by
Jeff Haden
176 posts
Follow
Featured In
What Inspires Me
Follow
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