Most Valuable--Being able to work alone and with a team

There is a lot of talk about being a team player in business and of course, who can argue with that? It's fantastic to be able to inspire others, to do what it takes to help the team, etc.

But keep in mind, the team also needs people to perform their jobs without the assistance of others. If it takes two or three people to do the job of one, that's not helping the team.

Ideally, a top performer can think on his/her own and be responsible for his/her job AND also be available to support and give feedback to the team members. That's a top performer.

If a person cannot perform without their team pushing them or holding them up, then that's not a team player, that's a team slayer.

Barry LaBov
President, LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Either/Or is Not an Option

We live in an either/or world.

I'll get this done but that means these things drop.
We promised to send this inventory but we had other issues to attend to first.
We can deliver you the model you want, but it won't have the options you desire.

If you have confidence in your company, yourself, and your co-workers, you can't allow an either/or option of choosing what to do and what to drop. The cost is too high. Customers are depending on you, and so are your fellow employees.

We've got to find a way to do what we promised. Often, that is romanticized as making huge sacrifices, staying late, working people to the bone, etc. That's not a smart approach.

We can do what is promised, but it means we have to face the situation immediately, use our brains to figure how to do it, and then enlist people in helping us to do it. That's work, but it's also rewarding.

And necessary if we want to claw our way back from the depths of the recession and begin to grow.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com
LaBov Sales Channel
PB&J Newsletter

Volunteering: One "Do" and One "Don't"

I'd like to cover one "do" and one "don't" about volunteering at a company.

The "do:"
Volunteering for an assignment or opportunity is great and motivational. And, it sets a great tone at the company - if, and only if, the person volunteering is 100 percent sincere and dedicated to it. If it's a negotiation ("I'll do that, but here are a couple other things I can't get to") or, if it's not from the heart ("I'm willing to volunteer"), forget it. It's worthless. If it is sincere and you can feel the passion and dedication in the person's voice, then it's great.

The "don't:"
You can't volunteer someone else. Just like in baseball, if there's a pop-up and two fielders are going for it, one is supposed to yell out, "Mine." Yelling out "Yours" is an obvious mistake in baseball. The same in business. We can't volunteer a co-worker for something we should do ourselves. If you're the right person for the job and you can do it - but you don't feel like it - it's best to look internally and figure out why.

The "do" is a boon for a company. The "don't" is a downer and it is seen clearly by everyone.


Barry LaBov
LaBov and Beyond Marketing Communications
www.labov.com