13 Things you should never Say or Do to your Employees!

I just read an article about the things you should never say to your employer. It got me to thinking that the pendulum swings both ways and that there are certainly things that you should never say to your employees. Given that corporations want to attract talent and retain these individuals for a long period of time, here are some things that managers should avoid saying to their employees:
 
1- "You should be thankful to have a job"

Believe it or not, I had a manager say this to me thinking that it would motivate me to perform. It had exactly the opposite effect on me giving me the feeling of disenchantment and de-motivation to work for this company. The next day I sent out resumes and contacted recruiters. Sorry, but it is not the 50's any longer, and the mentality of using this type of statement to motivate your employees will not work. In fact, if you want your employees to leave, I would suggest using this phrase.
 
 2- Saying "You are incompetent or stupid"
This statement is very derogatory and any company worth their salt would have a harassment and abuse policy in place that would certainly discourage this kind of statement. If you question someone's character in this manner, you better be prepared for a reprimand or even termination.

3- Using profane language

It really has no place at work. If you swear at your employees, they will not only not respect you, but also they will completely fear coming to talk to you about anything thus making you an island unto yourself.

4- Being physically aggressive

Other then a handshake or pat on the back. their should be no physical contact with your employees. If there is, again you run the risk of a reprimand or termination.

5- Betting employees against each other

Being in sales, I can tell you that a corporation cares only about numbers. It is sad, but true unfortunately. One of the worst things you can do is tell an employee that they need to work it out with the employee you are having difficulties with and that it has nothing do to with you or you do not have time to deal with it. This shows a real lack of empathy and understanding on your part towards the problem. In my case, it was a disagreement of sharing commission with another salesperson. I would not have come to them in the first place if we were able to come to some kind of agreement so why pass it off?

6- Slamming Doors

I worked at a Toy company once where a manager did this. He would constantly slam doors when he was upset. It was horrible, no one wanted to go near him for fear of what he would do or how he would react. So unprofessional and violent. No one should ever have to work in an environment like that. Oh, and he used to make people cry too.

7- Lying to your employees

Honesty and ethics are key components of building trust and loyalty with your employees. Someone who trusts you will show the utmost loyalty and respect towards you and your management capabilities. If they find that you lie to them, or leave them hanging any chance of loyalty you may have had will be gone. Always tell the truth to your employees and never lie!

8- "I haven't got time to deal with your issues right now"

We all get busy and deadlines are important. So is addressing issues and employee concerns before they fester. This statement sends a message that you do not value your employees. For any future problems that may occur, I can guarantee that your subordinates will never come to you again.

9- Making promises that you cannot keep

This also falls into the trust category. Constantly making statements or promises that never come to fruition will cause you to lose all trust and loyalty of your employees. They will never believe anything that comes out of your mouth.

10- Throwing a temper tantrum or getting very upset

If you are doing this on a regular basis, you need to seek psychiatric care. I used to work for a woman (her father owned the business) that used to do this regularly. She would completely come apart and either throw a fit or she would start to cry at her desk. It was unbelievable. I lasted 5 years working for her amazingly enough. The attrition rate at this company was about 50%. It was insane. I saw some that lasted for a day, others that lasted for hours then walked out. There was one incident whereby a new hire said I am going to the washroom, then they never came back.

11- "You better start looking for another place of employment"

I had a friend who's employer said this to them. Similar to the above statement, but times about 10 when it comes to motivation and loyalty. Why would you want to even continue working for an employer like this. It sends a message that you are going to fire them anyway, so he gave up and started looking for another place to work. The thought here is that if they quit, you don't need to pay them severen's pay. That is fine, but know this, by making this statement you lose their loyalty, devotion and motivation to work for your company on the spot. You can expect little to no efficiency from them until they do leave.

12- Rolling your eyes or laughing at an employee

Sarcasm and condescension are the only two attributes you are contributing here. Both of which will get you nowhere. Very unprofessional behaviour.

13- Not responding to emails or voice mails

Being in the digital age of communication, I find that it has become very easy to ignore and skirt responding to someone who sends you an email of concern. For me, it tells me you either do not want to address the issue or that you do not know how to address the issue. Either way, it is not a good thing. No response is not a response.

If you have a boss that has said or done any of the above things to you, then it is time to start looking for another place of employment. Dust off the resume and start contacting recruiters.

The Power of Goal Setting

Goals are very important in life. Having them gives us a clear picture of what we want to achieve in our lifetime. Everyone is very different, with different likes, dislikes, tastes, etc. One thing that we all have in common is that we should set clear goals/objectives for ourselves with a framework of how we will achieve them.

Only 5% of people set goals for themselves. The majority go day to day lost in a fog of doing what they have to do to survive, or what they are expected to do by their family, friends and colleagues. I know that as a young man I was determined to take on the world filled with idealistic dreams of getting into International Business and seeing the world. I felt that I could make a difference and change the world into a better place for all. I was wrong, and my career was caught in a fog of disillusionment. I did not really set any goals for myself, other then I wanted to see the world and change things. No framework, no plan, nothing. I was destined to fail.

Only in the past 6 months have I come to realize that I needed to make some serious changes to the direction my life was going. I needed a plan to get out of the rut that I was in. Working day after day without clarity as to how I was going to achieve my career objectives wasn't working. I am currently employed as a salesperson in the customs and logistics industry in Toronto. Competition is fierce, and our services are very much the same across the board. Companies in my industry have little patience when it comes to salespeople. They hire on the premise of sink or swim. Using terms like self-starter, independent, hunter, energetic, intelligent, experienced, the list goes on and on. They churn through individuals like a meat-grinder. In 15 years of being in sales I have yet to work for a company that truly supports my goals and objectives. It is all about the corporation and numbers. No framework as to how to get there, no support, no help, nothing, just a toss into the deep end with the hope you can swim and fend for yourself in a pool filled with sharks. Its a tough environment, and while I understand sales is all about numbers, there has to be a backbone there to help salespeople not just survive, but to succeed and flourish.

In sales you have a target or a goal. In my case it is 250k net profit a year. That is my sales goal. How do I get there though? I want to make my target, get commission, and at the end of the day, keep my job. Without some kind of road map or a plan it is like an elusive carrot. As of recently, I have set goals and a framework for myself. The thing is, they do not align with the corporations goals, thus I have found it extremely hard to survive and be happy in what I am doing. I suspect many are in this same position.

As an Entrepreneur, I have found that setting goals for myself personally, and aligning them with my career goals have been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling experiences for me. It has truly helped me to not only become more focused, but it has given me a positive enlightenment in my life.

Here are some suggestions I would like to pass on to you regarding the power of goal setting:

Let the past go.  Out of all the things that we do in our life, this is one of the most important suggestions I can give you. We all have regrets from our past, things we did that we are not proud of. The thing is, they make up who we are. You learn from your past experiences, what worked and what didn't. Take that knowledge and move on. Living in the past with regrets, feeling sorry for yourself and blaming others for the path you have chosen is not going to help you. Emotionally and spiritually you need to move on, look to the future, and let the past go. You will be better for it.

Stay Positive. This is key. Studies show that positive people are not only more successful in life, but healthier as well. It is a mindset and being optimistic about what you want to achieve is very powerful. If you are a half empty kind of person who always views things through a pessimistic eye, then you need to seriously consider changing that outlook.

Be Honest and Ethical. While we all want to achieve our goals, the journey we chose to get there should be the right one. Being genuine and truthful with yourself and with others shines through. Your clients can really see when you are being honest, and they do appreciate it. While you may be tempted to take short-cuts and the easy way to success, you really need to consider how that will make you feel afterwards. Lying, cheating, and/or casting ethics aside to get that goal is not something that will fulfil your spirit in the long run. My advise to you is to be honest with yourself and to consider the effect on others with the decisions you make.

Confidence in yourself. This is a another element that is often overlooked. I know for me, it is something that I sometimes struggle with. It starts at home when you are a child. Your parents give you positive (hopefully they do) reinforcement and encouragement. Then as you progress through your life, teachers, coaches, Scout leaders, friends, family, and colleagues all either build that confidence up, or they chip away at it. Like a rock that is cracked you stand as an adult in mid life wondering what happened. For me, it was two things that really caused the cracks. One was a guidance councillor in high school. I can remember being in his office and the things he said. A few months before I was ready to graduate and go off to college or university he told me he didn't think I was cut out for it and that I should consider a "Joe" job, something menial and unfulfilling. What right did he have taking my hopes and dreams away? The second time was a sales manager who took away my confidence, and who also jaded me into an individual forever paranoid when a manager tells me we need to talk. I know we have all had these occurrences in some shape or form. You need to forget about them and move on. It is only one person's opinion of you. No one has the right to take your confidence away, never forget that!

Avoid Negative People.  They are out there, and the old saying that "misery loves company" is very true. These people are the ones who are always negative and miserable. Cast into the pit of cynicism and doubt, there is little hope for them. Like a black hole sucking everything into it, steer clear of it. Best advise here is to avoid these people, or at the very least minimise your contact with them. While we do love our family, they can sometimes be our biggest threat. Sorry to say, but if your parents or family do not support you and what your goals are, then what needs to happen is a conversation with them asking them to understand what you are trying to do. If your friends are always negative with you, then maybe it is high time for some new friends?

Put your goals on paper. This is the most important piece of advise. Visualising your goals is extremely powerful I have found. You can do this several ways, but works best for me is putting them up where I can see them. I use an eraser board and I have them sitting beside my desk keeping me focused and on track. Any time I feel a lack of energy, or if I am having a bad day I look at them, I read them and I refocus and recharge myself. You need to put pen to paper in this instance. It is one thing to have them in your mind, but an entirely different thing to always having your goals laid out in front of you. Trust me, it works!

Ask yourself this, are you happy with what you have achieved in life? Do you still have a list of things that you would like to see happen? Is the fog getting too much for you to bare? Setting goals for what you want to achieve is part of the recipe for a good and fulfilling life. I think it is time you started setting those goals and using the advise I have given above. Good luck!

Digital Youth

We have all heard this line "Kids spend too much time playing video games or being on-line." Now, more than ever with mobile devices, youth can be connected 24/7/365. 70% of all teenage youth have mobile devices today so it is certainly a part of the youth culture now. Just the other day I was trying to speak to a 14 year old. As I was speaking to him, he was looking at his IPhone and half listening to a song while having a conversation with me. What amazed me most is that he was able to multi-task and do all three things at once. Socially, is this acceptable? I was not overly happy to only have 1/3 of his attention span.

Our electronics are now an integral part of our life. Like it or not, it is the culture now. Most if not all teenage youth carry digital mobile devices because they want quick access to everything - communication, entertainment, and knowledge. I remember when I was a kid, communication was a payphone and 3 or 4 of us standing around it calling people. Entertainment was playing sports outside, and to some extent playing video games on a game system inside. Knowledge was a bit tougher. It consisted of asking our parents or relatives questions, reading books/magazines or comics, and what we learned in school. Nowadays, it is easy to communicate with each other. You have lots of options, you can text, email, call, Twitter, Facebook, Skype, chat, the list goes on and on.  Entertainment is at your fingertips on our digital devices. Games, stories, Apps, all right there. Knowledge too. The biggest knowledge base that ever existed is the internet. If you want to find out something you just Google it. We do not need to think and use our brains any longer,  we can just check for something on the internet and there it is.

The question we should be asking is do youth really need to have mobile devices? I look back at my childhood and I turned our pretty good (or so I think). I could have had more opportunities available to me had I had a mobile internet device I suppose. At 14, the Internet was not in existence yet for mainstream use, it was more of a government experiment. The number one reason I hear from most parents why they give their children a mobile digital device is to be able to communicate with them and for safety reasons. I can understand the safety concern, and that is a good reason, but do you need to text and email them every 5 minutes to see if they are ok? "Hey mom, I am going to the mall, I will be back in 2 hours." Is that not enough? Today, maybe it isn't. I wonder if we are not the worry generation, the ones who smother our kids to the point where they can't even breathe or think for themselves. Don't eat peanut butter, kids are allergic to it, don't get dirty, don't touch anything, don't drink from the garden hose, don't, don't, don't. How do they learn and grow if they are not allowed to do anything?

Having digital devices at school has been mostly frowned upon in the past, although times are now changing. Even in organizations such as Scouting and youth clubs the mentality was the same. No electronics please for these reasons. 1- You need to be paying attention to what is going on and what you are doing. 2- They can get damaged, 3- they can get lost.  Ok, well if they lose them or get damaged you can be sure it won't happen again and it will be a learning experience if nothing else. I agree fully with paying attention to what is being taught, distraction is not a good situation. Schools are now starting to look at using mobile devices as a tool and incorporating them into their curriculum and allowing youth to use them in a controlled environment during school hours. My son's school now has "Bring your device to school day." They can bring their device to school, and during the day they teach the youth when it is appropriate to bring out their device. Things like looking on-line for directions, looking for a hospital or police station, using the calculator or using an application in a constructive manner are some examples of the new digital teachings. I believe history is still taught the same way from textbooks; I do not believe Wikipedia is considered a reliable source just yet.

Youth also utilize their electronics to connect to each other via social media. Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever platform is very popular now. Looking for or meeting new friends and acceptance/belonging are huge forces of attraction. Social platforms allow that, and with mobile usage on the rise, this will only continue to increase. When do you say enough is enough though? Mobile internet usage tends to cost more than home internet usage. If your child is on your cell plan, limiting how much time they can spend on the internet may be the key. Certainly during school its use needs to be controlled and harnessed. Etiquette needs to be reinforced. When is it appropriate to use a handheld? When you are speaking with someone? No. While in class and it is not device day? No. When you are on lunch? Yes. When it’s an emergency? Yes. When you need to check for something that is important? Yes. It starts with parents teaching their children when it is appropriate and for how long to use their digital devices.  Now that schools are on board, the teaching will continue there as well.

Avoid these on-line "Get Rich" schemes. If it is too good to be true, then it usually is.

Every day a sucker is born. This is very true, and unfortunately every minute of every day someone is taken advantage of on-line. With dreams of owning a business, having freedom to work from home, and getting rich, the lure of on-line business is very tempting. Below are some tips and advice so that you can avoid being scammed on-line and to utilize your time more efficiently.

If it sounds too good to be true, then 9 times out of 10 it is. I see so many advertisements that hook people in guaranteeing riches and freedom if they were to just buy their book, or sign up to their site. Sorry, but there is no easy fix or formula for making money on-line. It takes hard work, consistency, dedication, and a commitment much like running your own business. Nothing is easy, especially being an entrepreneur. Anyone who says otherwise does not have your best interests in mind. Stay away from the easy to get rich ads and promises.

PTC (Paid to Click) is one of the biggest schemes going. I mean really, you are paid anywhere from 1/10th of a cent to 1 cent to click and then stay on the search engine or site for 30 seconds to a minute. I thought I would get rich doing this until I realized it was taking me an hour to make $1.00 or less, thus enlightenment and a realization that I was being taken advantage of set in. Getting paid was the other thing. These PTC sites all say that "you will get paid in 30 days." I waited patiently with great anticipation for the payment that never came. Now some of these sites were ok (or claimed to be) but even working with them was a struggle. The webmasters watched everything you did, how long you stayed on the sites, if you clicked or searched. It was an uphill battle and no way to make a living. Try it if you do not believe me, you will make little or no money doing it and waste a huge amount of your time. Don't believe the PayPal statements proving payment either, this is another tactic they use to hook you in. Anything can be doctored to look real.

Paid traffic, Likes, & Followers. This is not a good way to build a following or fan base. Anything that is paid for will not engage with your brand. It will be hollow and faceless. The best way to generate traffic to your pages and sites is to do it organically offering engaging and original content. I see that there are many websites that offer 60,000 visitors to your site for $29.95 a month. Does this not sound to good to be true? It is tempting to try it once to see if it works, but I can guarantee you that you will not get an ROI on it. Stick with building your fan base the natural way and you will be better in the long run for it.

Motivational Speakers. I have been to several of these seminars and I can honestly tell you once the tingling feeling leaves you about 5 minutes after leaving, that will be the extent of what you get out of it. Much like ridding a rollercoaster ride, it is fun and exhilarating for about 20 seconds. I once went to a Zig Ziglar seminar that was highly advertised and touted as an amazing and engaging business discussion. What a waste of time that was. It was all about him and his buddies trying to sell their books and CD's. Now Zig has some good quotes, but I received nothing tangible out of the seminar at all. It was all scripted rubbish. The only person that can motivate you, is you. Paying someone $100 to listen to how they did it, and to buy their books and CDs is no way to motivate you. Focus on your goals, aspirations, dreams, and what you want to achieve and I can guarantee this will go farther for you.

Paid to share Videos. This is a newer scheme as YouTube and the various video sharing platforms have gotten more popular. I came across of few of these sites and I decided to try them. A sucker was "re-born." $0.10-$0.20 was paid for just sharing a video via your Facebook or Twitter pages. I thought that sounds easy enough. I watched the videos, then I posted with comments. I did my job and thought I will be reimbursed for it. Wrong. The site was fully monetized and to upgrade to get
paid at higher levels you had to pay them first. What a scheme it was. So you paid $5.00 to get paid $10.00 and $10 to get paid $20. And it was all about paying to get to higher levels of payout. My videos were shared and I saw that they were being clicked many times. My account didn't change at all after sharing videos, this despite the site claiming great riches once the videos are shared multiple times. I went to an online discussion forum that discusses which PTC and PTS sites are honest and valid. I found that this particular site was a total scam. There was the usual one person on their who claimed that it was an amazing site that paid well and was not a scam. I asked them for proof of payment then never heard from them again. Stay away from these sites!

You can run an on-line business, but its not easy. Sorry but that is the truth. You will not get rich quickly either. For 10 years I have been looking for ways to run a successful business via the internet. What I have found is that you need to be honest, original, real, engaged, and consistent. Much like in your F2F life, your digital on-line persona needs to exert positive character traits. You can do it, but it will take time and great efforts. Avoid the get rich quick schemes and sites and focus on building your personal and business brand the natural and holistic way.