Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with RECOGNITION!

“People may take a job for more money, but they often leave it for more recognition.”
~ Bob Nelson

Just recently I had a conversation with a supervisor and he asked me, "Karin, is it possible that I give my people too much recognition?"
Well, even though I don't work with this supervisor on a daily basis, I think I can honestly say  that the risk of giving too much recognition and appreciation is pretty low. 

You may have seen the hollywood movie "Meet the Parents", in which Robert DeNiro states more than once to his future son-in-law: "I'm watching you"...... This is a pretty catchy, scary and funny phrase in the movie but it can also be very meaningful if you want it to be.

So what is my point?

Unfortunately I see a huge lack of observation in our manufacturing plants. Our leaders are either too far removed or too busy to see what's going on. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that it is about controlling people, but it is certainly about acknowledging them and being aware what they do well.

If our leaders would walk the production floor more often with open eyes and look for people who do things right, they would have plenty of opportunities to give recognition right then and there. It is unfortunate that most managers often only leave their office when things go wrong and many times this may be even be the only time the people see him or her. "I'm watching you" does not have to be a negative statement. If people start to notice that you are present, that you look for positive actions and behaviours, they will know that you care and if you care, they will care. 

There are many forms of recognition. Many books have been written on this subject. There are best practices on the internet. There are courses you can take and coaches you can work with but you have to do something! 

Many people link recognition with financial rewards. Nothing can be nothing further from the truth. Of course you can do things like BBQ's, hand out books, provide tickets for an event, or give them little tangibles with the company logo but all of this means nothing if you are not able to communicate with your employees one-on-one and show them your respect. 

If you want to recognize people for their work efforts, it has to be authentic and sincere. If you are a more serious person, don't walk around "trying to smile" because people will see that your actions are inauthentic and fake. Look for other things that fit your personality.

Here are a couple of my personal favourites:

• Be pleasant
• Take the time to listen
• Ask questions and use their ideas in pressure situations
• Ask them about their challenges and listen
• Recognize and accommodate their personal needs
• Show your confidence in them
• Act on their suggestions and ideas
• Share information with them, don't give them the feeling that they don't understand;
• Show a sincere interest in the person, their hobbies, their challenges, their life
• Write a "personal thank you note" to someone
• Celebrate successes
• Invite them surprisingly to a meeting to get their input
• Give praise while the peers are in the room
• Make it your intention to make someone smile
• Provide time to socialize
• Give them additional responsibilities and help them to live up to their full potential
• Ask for their help on a management matter - this would be huge but needs a manager who possesses a lot of self-confidence and trust 

Make it a habit to greet the people around you, say please and thank you, and be friendly and respectful. However, I don't consider these basics as a form of recognition. These are life skills and they should be a given for any individual who works in a management position. 

The power of recognition will create a win-win situation for both, the employer and the employee.

If you want to see immediate positive outcomes, don't wait any longer, and start recognizing the people around you!

Manufacturing Excellence - Where Did Common Sense Go?

I think that common sense is becoming less and less widespread today, but it has the capability to be brought back. If organizations rewarded their employees for using this vital skill, it would result in better relationships within an organization, happier employees, and a more successful business. Get some simple tips how to start with yourself!

This is Success!

"Having your birthday is a celebration of life and I approach my life with the "3-F Attitude".
I am Fun, Fit and Fabulous and age can't change that."
~ Karin Lindner

Yesterday I had my birthday and this always makes me think about my dreams, about my life, and about my view on success.

My inner drive to follow my dreams and my passion to encourage organizations and individuals to follow their dreams and achieve a new level of excellence, have led me to an amazing journey. Every day I learn something new. Every day I am faced with a new challenge. Every day I have to overcome negative self-talk. Every day I search for new solutions and ideas. Every day some of my goals seem to be overwhelming. Every day I learn something from the amazing people I surround myself with.

And speaking of learning, yesterday I learned something new from all the birthday messages I received....... I truly enjoy serving and supporting other people, but I have really never thought about how much you can impact somebody else's life without even knowing them. Some of the messages and phone calls I received yesterday literally blew my mind. I received messages from all over the world - from Europe, the United States, Australia, and India..... Messages from people I don't even know in person.

I cannot even tell you how fulfilling it is to know that you enjoy my inspirational articles and video messages. I know that in a world that is so full of negativity, we all certainly have a need for that.

Thank you for telling me how much I have impacted your life.
Thank you for telling me how much you are inspired by my actions.
Thank you for telling me how you implement some of the tips that I share with you.
Thank you for telling me that you want to be a better person because of my messages.
Thank you for trying to get to a new level of excellence.

It does not matter where you are in the world. It does not matter whether we know each other in person. It does not matter if you are a friend, someone in my network, or a business associate. I want you ALL to know that if you shared some of your thoughts, insights and feedback with me, YOU have impacted my life as well.

For me, this is success! Thank you for being a part of my journey!

Manufacturing Excellence - How Can We Make Manufacturing Sexy?

Please click here and take 4 minutes to watch my brief video!

Our Next FREE Workshop is at the Richmond Hill Central Library on August 10, 2010

We have scheduled our next workshop "Layoff During Difficult Times - The End or a New Beginning?" to give back to our community.

Did you lose your job?
Are you fearful and stuck, looking for guidance?
Are you ready to be pro-active and make a plan for your life?
Do you need help identifying and setting your goals?
Do you want a confidence boost and create more self-awareness?
Do you know someone who lost their job recently?
Do you want to move forward and find the right job for YOU?
Are you thinking about self-employment?

We can help! We provide a supportive and positive learning environment and empower people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. It is all about taking action and taking 100 % responsibility for your life and for your results!

Sometimes it's tough to stay positive considering all the fears and insecurities we have to deal with. However, we have learned from own experience that attitude is everything and it is our goal to communicate to YOU how you can turn a positive outlook in your job search into action.

Come and join us! It's time to sign up.....

Our commitment to you is to give you positive energy, a lot of new ideas and a fantastic workshop without any investment for you, except your time. If you give us your commitment to participate, please do not let anything prevent you from attending. It will be well worth your time and effort.

This attitude alone will separate you from others who are looking a job. I firmly believe, how you do anything is how you do everything!

"The only things that stand between a person and what they want in life are the will to try it, and the faith to believe it's possible."
- Rich Devos

When? August 10, 2010 from 6 pm - 8.30 pm
Where? Central Library, 1 Atkinson Street, Richmond Hill L4C 0H5 (west/south corner of Major Mackenzie and Yonge)

Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead, and Succeed with SELF-ESTEEM!

It's not who you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not."

~ Author Unknown

Whether you read my blog entry as a parent, as a friend, as a spouse, as a manager, as an employee, or simply as a leader, you will note that the message applies to everyone. 

Self-esteem is important, for all of us and there is no exception!

The most important thing you can do for the people around you is to build them up, not put them down. Catch people doing something right, tell them how good they are, how smart they are, how much you appreciate them, and help them to improve. Help them to explore their creativity. Give sincere compliments. Tell them why they are important to you and how they impact and enrich your life.

Who would not want to hear that? However, the key is to be sincere and authentic. If you are not able to speak from your heart, it's better to say nothing. 

I have to thank my mother for my great sense of self-worth and self-esteem. Growing up she always told me how beautiful I am, how smart I am and that I will succeed in whatever I choose to accomplish. 

It is really amazing but when you hear something over and over again, you start believing it and eventually it becomes reality. 

In my case I can honestly say that I feel good about myself. I can not even tell you how much I can relate to the picture of the cat and the lion. Since moving to Canada I haven't been in my comfort zone for a single minute and in my mind I can only create my successes with the mindset of the lion. I know that there are people who are more beautiful or smarter but I also know that I am beautiful and smart. 

Without having self-esteem I would never have had the courage to start my own business, to speak in front of large audiences as a second language speaker, or most recently even to think about becoming an author.

Words can be used in very different ways, they can uplift and encourage you, or they can destroy and discourage you. 

Have you have considered that uplifting and sincere comments are the greatest gift you can give to anyone?

Most of our beliefs are established in our childhood because our parents are our role models and we think that whatever they tell us must be true. Right? 

The question is, did we hear more positive or negative comments as we started to build our belief system? Without a doubt, most parents want the best for their children but many times they don't consider the impact of their words.

Unfortunately, most of the time we don't realize what effect our words can have on someone when we tell him or her things like "you are stupid", "you will never get it", "you don't make this good enough", "you are too slow", "you are not talented enough".... That's when a person starts to settle for less because they stop believing in themselves. They give up on their wishes, hopes and dreams.

When I worked in the corporate world in Canada I noticed many times how protective people are about their knowledge. Very few people are willing to share what they know. Once I even witnessed once a heated argument between two seemingly professional women, when one freaked out because the other  picked up her phone while she was away from her desk. Unfortunately, these are all signs of insecurity and we all have to deal with our insecurities on a daily basis. 

However, it does not have to be like that. We have a choice and we can choose to increase our awareness. 

Having knowledge is good but sharing knowledge is better. When you share what you know, you will enjoy a great sense of satisfaction because you've helped someone else to become better at what they do. 

If you feel that nobody boosts your self-esteem, you can do this yourself. When you leave work at the end of the day and nobody told you that you did a good job, tell yourself. Say out loud "I did a great job today." This is very powerful. Another way to build your self esteem and change your belief system is to work with positive affirmations.

Say out lout sentences such as: "I have important knowledge to share", "I am strong, fit and healthy", "every day in every way I'm becoming a better person". Repeat them 10 - 20 times on a daily basis. Remember, your brain is like a computer and the input is your choice.

Like I said at the outset, self-esteem is important, so please give this gift to yourself and the people around you and experience the magic of bringing greater fulfillment into your life.

Manufacturing Excellence - Small Leaks Can Sink Big Boats

Excellence is a word that is often used but very rarely executed in the workplace. Every champion continues to strive to be the best, totally committed, living by highest standards, operating at their peak potential. Excellence is a refusal to adopt a half-hearted, sloppy, "near enough is good enough" perspective of life. Vince Lombardi once said, "A person's quality of life is in direct proportion of a person's commitment to excellence, regardless of what field they may be in." Are you interested in developing a passion for excellence?