Right now, 77% of leaders believe their employees are not giving 100%. And they’re not far off in their assessment, because 72% of employees admit they’re not giving 100%. Plenty of people are doing fine work, getting by, and delivering products and services to customers. But disappointingly small minorities are coming in every day saying, “Let’s push the envelope, let’s be great, let’s do what nobody thought could be done.”
The truth is finally out: employees cannot be bribed or coddled into giving 100%. People become Hundred Percenters not because they had it easy, but because a leader cared enough to push them to new heights.
Hundred Percenters teaches new leadership practices to inspire employees to passionately give 100% every day. You will learn how to:
Set clear expectations
Deal swiftly with toxic employes
Eliminate demotivators
Focus employes on value-added work
This book was difficult to get through for me because I felt the author could have made his point with fewer words, but I stuck with it. This book was given a resounding “thumbs up” by the attendees of the Business Book Club. Some members mentioned that they had already implemented some of the tactics outlined with much success.
How are you inspiring those around you to be “Hundred Percenters”?
I work with several clients who are trapped by their email. By trapped, I mean that they spend more time staring at their Inbox than getting actual stuff done. Emails often get lost in their Inbox because it’s so full. Below are a few tips to help:
Check your email twice per day
This is a great tip I took away from Tim Ferriss’ 4-Hour Work Week. Your productivity will improve immensely if you take this approach. Set up an auto-response letting the sender know when you’ll be checking email and if it’s an emergency, let them know they can call you.
Don’t check your email unless you’re going to do something about them
I’m guilty of this. I sit down to check my email just to see what’s arrived; rather than checking my email when I have time to take action. A lot of time is wasted by reading emails twice.
Clean out your Inbox
My Inbox has 4 messages in it right now. These are messages that I have to take action on. Once an email has been acted upon, it gets filed in a folder and is removed from my Inbox. No time is wasted looking through messages that don’t require action.
Use filters
Take the time to set up filters that automatically handle incoming email based on criteria that you specify – you’ll thank me later. For example, set up a filter that sends incoming e-newsletters to your “e-newsletters” folder. This email should not be coming into your Inbox since it does not require immediate action. Another popular filter handles messages that you’re cc’d on. I’m usually cc’d on an email that is a “nice to know” communication which doesn’t require immediate attention. When I have time, I’ll take a look at my “cc’d folder”.
This book isn’t for those intimidated by an almost 600-page, hardcover behemoth. I’m honestly one of “those” people, so if it wasn’t on the reading list for the Business Book Club, I wouldn’t have even picked it up.
But I’m glad I did.
Not an Apple-enthusiast, I’ve made it a point to steer clear of anything related to Jobs and his products because it seems like everyone I know gets sucked in after their encounter with any Apple product. Being the frugal maven I am, and knowing how much Apple products cost, I didn’t want to drink the Kool-Aid.
After reading this book, I can now say that I appreciate what goes into every Apple product and the fact that it’s been this way since the beginning.
As I read more about Steve Jobs, this book became quite the page-turner, because his life and behavior read like a soap opera I would be watching on day-time television. He had no tolerance for failure, treated his employees like shi* (his word) and was totally unpredictable. His entire life was a contradiction.
My major takeaways from this book:
Focus
If you can focus on one thing without distractions, anything is possible.
Demand Excellence
Demand nothing but excellence from yourself and those you manage. Although Steve Jobs was insanely delusional with his demands, his team rose to the challenge. I believe there is a better way to inspire others than his methods, however. Accept nothing but the best and deliver nothing but the best – every time.
Have you read Steve Jobs biography? What were your takeaways?
Earlier this month I had the amazing opportunity to participate in Startup Weekend Des Moines. I’ve been told by several people that I should check it out – the stars aligned this year and I was able to go.
“Startup Weekend is an intense 54 hour event which focuses on building a web or mobile application which could form the basis of a credible business over the course of a weekend. The weekend brings together people with different skill sets – primarily software developers, graphics designers and business people – to build applications and develop a commercial case around them.”
Each participant attends Startup Weekend with different goals:
Work collaboratively with a team
Develop an idea that turns into a viable business
Network with the brightest minds of Des Moines
I’m an independent professional, so opportunities to collaborate are few and far between, so I thought I’d test the waters – after all, I haven’t had a traditional J-O-B since early 2009.
I also wanted to see if I could generate another income stream. Turning an idea into a business doesn’t mean you’re going to get rich quick – or at all. But there’s always that chance.
I’ve got to say that after 54 hours of intense focus, I’ve realized that almost anything is possible:
Our group, myKitchenGenie (a mobile app that matches what you have in your kitchen with recipes you can make now) took second place out of 16 teams that pitched. We were judged on our business model, customer validation and execution.
I worked on nothing else for those 54 hours. There’s something to be said for being in the zone.
It is possible to work collaboratively and creatively with a team of strangers!
Our group is in discussions on how to work together (6 out of 9 team members live outside Des Moines) to bring this product to market. We’re very excited to move forward with what started out as an idea on a Friday night and ended up being runner-up after a pitch session 54 hours later. Stay tuned!
If your organization does not produce an e-newsletter, start one and send it out on a consistent basis, whether it’s twice per month or once per month. Not only does it give your constituents more information about your business and its culture, but it’s a great form of drip marketing.
I like to use MailChimp to design and send my e-newsletter campaigns. It’s free for up to 2000 email addresses and integrates well with WordPress. An organization can opt-in email addresses that they have acquired over the years. To attract a new audience, allow users the opportunity to opt-in to your e-newsletter by adding a MailChimp widget to the sidebar of your WordPress website. Below is a great video that shows you how:
If you need additional help, just stop by office hours and I can help you for free!
Suzanne is a Des Moines transplant who has realized the Power of being a Free Agent. Well-versed in many and varied skills, she has a passion for helping organizations and people achieve their potential. Suzanne = wife, traveler, multi-linguist and cook.
