The ability to inspire

The ability to inspire someone comes naturally to some people because of the character they possess. A person who is always positive only sees the glass as "half-full" and never"half-empty". It is that person who is often the one who holds the position of coach, teacher, mentor or sometimes best friend. Being a person who is inspiring and uplifting always manages to see the good in the midst of turmoil and is much stronger after it as a result. It is something about watching that type of person in action. The person who inspires can be of any age.  I watched my 4 year old grandson inspire his friends while they were taking turns speaking in front of their class last Sunday. He would clap as they were going up to the podium and then clap loudly after they gave a few words. The smiles on the kids faces was enough to know that they approved of their classmates efforts. It made me think to myself how we can begin being inspirational at a very early age and if we continue with the habit of encouraging and inspiring others it will grow for years to come. The ability to inspire will be transferred for many generations.

How to deliver Bad News-Tactfully

No one would want the task of explaining to an employee that he or she is on the verge of being fired.  It is a situation that would need to be approached with great skill. Some of the major steps that would help in this situation involve conflict resolution techniques that were detailed in the text, “Managing Conflict through Communications” by Cahn and Abigail.  If the situation is handled in an appropriate manner it may be necessary to dismiss the individual who is causing the problems, however, it could be in that person’s favor as well.

In reassessing the scenario, of the ten employees in my department that are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service there is one who has been with the company for two years who is performing at a substandard level and has received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers. The part of the situation that needs to be covered is to gather information from customers’ complaints and other employees as well. Establish what type of complaints they are and document all of the evidence. The next step would be to gather information about the employees work over the past 2 years and see if there have been inconsistencies at certain intervals. Next talk to the employee about his or her performance and get their assessment of the entire production issue.  The text says that there are 6 steps to successful conflict resolution: (Managing Conflict, Cahn, Abigail 2007),

1.       Preparation

2.      Tell the Person “We need to talk”

3.      Interpersonal confrontation

4.      Consider your partners point of view

5.      Resolve the problem

6.      Follow up on the solution

Preparation would be covering the “what, when, where and how” of the problem. What has caused this conflict to take place? Could this have been avoided and at this point how to proceed, what to say and how to do so in a careful manner.  It would be very important to identify the problem at hand and sometimes it is good to write out the procedures to keep everything in perspective. “Preparation is the most extensive and in many ways, the most important stage of the confrontation process” (Managing Conflict, Cahn & Abigail 2007)

The next step would be to set up an appointment with the employee, after all I would need to be able to hear him out and understand why he is performing the way that he is. It is much easier to talk with an individual if I have established a relationship with him. People are much more at ease to open up about their personal feelings when they trust the person they are talking too. Thirdly, considering their point of view would be important because if I show that I have good listening skills it will continue to build that trusting relationship.  Listening to the employee and being careful to take notes about what the problem may be would be very helpful. The problem the employee is having with his quality and production could easily be a medical situation. Being a woman who is in a premenopausal era in my life, I can understand how a hormone imbalance can cause a mountain of problems that could easily be the cause of a low production rate on anyone’s job. There could also be emotional problems such as stress or depression that could cause irritability and lead to conflicting situations at work.

In resolving the problem it would be important next to compose a plan on how to work on correcting the problem.  Something that may work well would be to set up one of one appointment twice a week to go over the employee’s daily production and as it changes document what things are working and what is not working for them. Perhaps elimination some of the stages of the employees work will prove to be effective in helping him to meet the standards,  People don’t learn alike and it could be that the processing procedures that is being used for a “one size fits all” type of training may not work for this employee.  Finally in order to continue on an upward path to success, it would be very helpful to make sure there is a follow up on the procedures. 

As for what happened in the past with the customers and employees, it may be best to let the history in the past.  Letting the employee that he is being monitored for period of time is probably necessary because of prior allegations.  If the employee is not place on a performance improvement plan for a 60 day period, it would be mandatory to have a lesson plan that will continue to monitor the process.  If at the end of the 60 day period there has been no improvement than there would be no other recourse than to let the employee go.  If the problem were related to medical ailments that could be handled differently, the person could be dismissed but on a disability status for a portion of time until the medical is resolved or time is exhausted, whichever comes first.

References:

Cahn, D.D & Abigail, R A 2007 “Managing Conflict Through” Understanding and Responding to Conflict p.96-108, third edition Pearson, Allyn and Bacon

Need to know

Hi guys
I am going to make this simple, brief and blunt. What does a girl do to get her kids to desire to go to church? When my now teenage daughter was little, she enjoyed it so much. But now she is 16 and she is bored stiff. I really need to find a way to get her to enjoy it and I just don't know what to do. We recently started a new children's church but it's only for ages 0-10. I really think that if we had teen church they teenagers there would probably love it. So it you have any great ideas please, Holla at ya girl!!Until then I'll be waiting patiently.....well, at least as patient as I can that is.

To Infinity and beyond.......Internet craze

The Internet has completely changed our world forever. With the creation of the World Wide Web it became possible to communicate with people from all over the world. It’s was much cheaper than the regular mail and it was instantaneous. Because of the large number of people who have email and instant messaging there is no need to write the traditional letters any longer.  A majority of households have access to the internet and have their own email accounts set up and use it on a regular basis.  It has been quoted that, “The world wide web has revolutionized the way we learn, work, and live our lives” (Improving Business Communication Skills, 2006).  The increased desire for media technology has completely changed the way that the entire world communicates.

 Reference: Roebuck,D.B. 2006, Improving Business Communication Skills, Experiencing communications in Today's Technology-Enabled World, Fourth Edition, Pearson Prentis Hall

Cell Phone frenzy

Cellular phone, another very popular media outlet has been around for a number of decades.  The phone when they were first offered as a retail item for the regular consumer was much larger than they are now. Though it does appear that the Droid phone or Iphone is much bigger than the cell phone was just a few years ago, it has slimmed down some. Cell phones are a part of most households and there are some people who no longer have a landline or home telephone any longer. To cut down on expenses it made sense to only have one phone bill to pay. What is so great about the cell phone is that there is no long distance rates to worry about, of course as long as it’s within the plan, which is determined when it’s purchased. The convenience of always being able to communicate with others is phenomenal, but could be annoying to some.  “In a recent poll, a majority of Americans said the cell phone is the invention they most hate but can’t live without” (Improving Business Communications Skills, 2006) The cell phone has many features such as a calculator, camera, video, radio and it even surfs the internet if its included within the plan. Cell phones are owned by people of all ages. There are prepaid services and there are those that offer contracts. It’s a geat way to stay connected to just about anyone in any part of the world. I consider it to be one of the greatest media outlets ever created.

Media Technology Radio

Now Radio, that is a definite must in the world of media technology. Though radio started out with the AM and FM frequencies, we nowget to enjoy that of digital media.  The satellite radio is one of the best things about radio in the 21st century.  The broadcast of good music does not have to be interupted with commercials. That means more time for great music or even podcasts. The radio announcements can be done live on cite at the radio stations or they can do live remotes in other area. The latest is radio technology also means that the station can connect with another radio station and make it appear to the listeners that only one broadcast is taking place when actually the DJs can be in 2 different areas. The new inventions have also made it possible to do broadcasts from all over the world. Radio continues to be a force to be reckoned with and will be around for years to come, from the looks of things it only gets better.

media technology

Four of the greatest inventions in media technology is television, radio, cellular phones, and the internet. Well there are much more than 4, but these are the ones that I chose for the exercise in my communication class this week.

Television is one of the greatest inventions because it can be used and enjoyed by all ages and by all types of people.  It is one of the best ways to get information because someone is always going to be watching. The tv is used to send out notifications, amber alerts, announcements (whether good or bad), late breaking news about all types of subjects is seen on the television. It has always been used as a type of entertainment for the entire family, however television is not as family friendly as it used to be so many years ago. Lots of shows now are geared toward real time or "reality t.v.".  I personally loathe reality tv because I believe that it lacks real substance. I'm so tired of the Jerry Springer, Maury and Kardashians that I would literally scream.  People think that these shows are so funny, however I feel that it is definitely no laughing matter to watch people makes fools of themselves on National television where everyone can witness it. I miss the old sitcoms, like that of Happy Days, Leave it to Beaver, Ozzie & Harriet, Good Times, The Brady Bunch, Eight is Enough and Gilligans Island. They were a lot of fun and wasn't so caught up in violence and greed. 

How to juggle it all

Life as a wife, mom, grandma, employee, coach, teacher, Mary Kay star recruiter and did i mention a student is very hectic.  Can you believe that all of this fits on one person's plate. I have to admit it isn't easy. It's a life full of calendar keeping. Nothing is easy and I would never claim it to be. I personally feel that i need a personal assistant just to help me spend time with my husband.  I know not  a good idea huh? The wonderful thing about it all is that I will finally be able to exhale in about a year and a half. That is when I will graduate from Ashford University with my bachelors in communications and my daughter will graduate from high school and will be getting ready to go off to college. She is my youngest too!  Believe it or not there are days that I actually get to go to a movie all by myself, I may sleep half of the movie away but at least I'm relaxing. The best advice I can give to juggle it all is........drum roll please.............PRAY and keep a weekly plan sheet.  I learned that from Mary Kay Ash, its a tool that she implemented into her training for her company plan. It works too! Until next time, keep on juggling.......people are watching.