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Issue # 24
April 2007
Welcome to the GOOBERS Nation!
Our numbers and enthusiasm are growing each and every day that we choose to Get Out of Bed and Go to Work! This Newsletter is written with you in mind. If there is anything we can do to improve upon this experience, please do not hesitate to contact us.
In order to mirror a recent program I put in place for a client I will be inviting all members of the GOOBERS (Get Out Of Bed, Everybody, Rise and Shine!) Nation to participate in the 'Humpday Dumpday' program. If interested please send an email to: HumpdayDumpday@LonKieffer.com
For a free discussion with Lon call and say; 'Humpday Dumpday, sat down to call!'
Call Toll Free: (888) GOO-BERZ;
(for those number crunchers that's (888) 466-2379
Win a free T-shirt by recommending someone to sign-up for the newsletter. Just call the GOOBERZ Hotline above, or send an email to Lon@LonKieffer.com and give me the name of someone you referred to the newsletter. If they sign up you will be eligible for a drawing for a free T-shirt. We will be giving away a shirt for every ten new sign ups (so sign up ten and I will send you a shirt).
Get the 4.1.1. -- Free!
In today's 'Get Out of Bed and Go to Work' world, we are all busy and on the road a lot. Thank goodness for cell phones! But when you need a number on the fly, most cell phone companies are charging $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls. It's 'highway robbery!'
This month's Freebie offers you another choice: Instead of dialing a straight 411, dial (800) FREE 411 (800-373-3411) instead. It's free (air time charges apply) in exchange for listening to a 20-second commercial. Make it even easier-- program it into your cell phone now!
This month's feature highlights some of the principles found in my new Keynote:
'When Generations Collide, Feelings Get Hurt'
.... So there I sat, late, in the car in front of the house early on a hazy summer morning pre-occupied with the mental calisthenics required to orchestrate a perfect meeting. A meeting that in some not so small way would determine my near term future ability to support my kids. There I sat.... waiting. Waiting for my daughter who had a summer vacation day ahead of her and needed a ride to the pool and SHE was running late which was the much bigger crisis in the family. I sat there tapping the steering wheel while listening to soft music that provided me tranquility and cleared my thoughts.
Out of the door she sprang and hopped into the car.
As she leaned in toward me I responded as if attracted magnetically by the pull of a father's love for his daughter... I leaned in to gather my obligatory peck on the check all the while reminded that this ritualistic peck is the mere remnant of what just a few short years ago was a full fledged, uninhibited, even sloppy, kiss. At the very last moment just as I was to receive my peck, my daughter's attention veered to the right as she reached forward and changed the station on the radio.
'Dad...' she said as I looked onward with a confused and hurt expression frozen on my face, '... let's go. I'm late!'
She then put the headphones of her iPod in her ears and sat back, no leaned back (as they say) and started to sing along with the music; 'roll with it' I believe is the term. And roll with it she did... she sang loudly and badly. The Apple indeed does not fall far from the tree.
At one point she hit a particularly bad note and I thought to myself... when and how did this happen? How did I end up driving places I don't want to go; listening to music I don't enjoy; spending money and time I don't have on things I don't value; and talking only to myself?
When and how did this happen? When did the inmates start running the asylum? When did the tail start wagging the dog? When and how did I end up standing at the time-clock at shift change thanking my co-workers for the most minimal and menial of tasks for which they are paid: for simply showing up at work?
But remember, as I advised in last month's newsletter, 'before you criticize the younger generation (employees) just remember who raised (trained) them.' My generation Y co-workers (1978 - 1985) and Millenials (1981 - 1999) are only doing what the Boomers (1946 - 1964) and Xers (1965 - 1980) trained them to do. So why the conflict when everyone is acting in exactly the way he or she would be expected to act?
The real reason is work is different than life and goals must be achieved, deadlines met, expectations exceeded, or we all fail in business. Well, first of all, they (the Y's and Millenials) don't know that YET because they have not YET been trained. It is the job of the Boomers and Xers to accept these behaviors rather than criticize them and focus on the objectives that are needed. These younger generations like to win and like to get positive feedback. Explaining the goals (in great detail sometimes and in small pieces along the way) rather than critiquing behavior is the path forward. But let's look at why we are here in the first place...
As kids the Y's and
Millenials were treated to the co-dependant extremes that guilt-driven
Boomer and Xer parents lavished upon them. In the busy work-a-day world
of double incomes and an inflationary cost of living the Boomer and Xer
parents opted to trade money for time. If they didn't have time,
they could spend money and
purchase material possessions and then, when this didn't satisfy the
pangs of parental nurturing these same parents could respond with an excessive
commitment of time out of proportion to the level of achievement; that
is, so long as the time 'commitment' is constrained by a well defined
start and stop time well in advance. Why do you think we have gotten so
out of balance with 'official' celebrations?
Children today enjoy a graduation after pre-school, after kindergarten,
grade school, and middle school and then high school; in sports we cheer
their every achievement and have them run under the 'London bridges
style' tunnel chute of congratulations when all your nine year old did
was beat some other nine year old in a game of soccer. Boy, I would say
the good old 'potty dance' certainly has grown up. By the time this
generation entered the work force they were trained to receive constant
and ONLY POSITIVE feedback; thus, you stand at the time clock thanking
them for arriving JUST A FEW minutes late.
Remember, this does not mean they are lacking in work ethic. They are actually doing exactly what they were trained to do and just like on the Soccer field; they will perform so long as you sing and dance and have something positive to say. If all else fails... McDonald's on the way home will do.
'Before you criticize, remember who trained them.'
--Lon Kieffer
Recently I was working with a client on some team building with his young management team (roughly 10 people; only one woman).
My client explained to me that each of his managers' was dedicated, hard working, and overachieving; but not all of his employees were necessarily similarly motivated. As a result his organization achieved great things but had 'blow ups' that took a great deal of time and effort to put things 'back together again' (his exact words).
I said, 'you mean like Humpty Dumpty?' You know the nursery rhyme: 'Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.'
His response: 'exactly! If we could just avoid the fall...' He went on to say, 'what we do is not life and death. If they could just slow down and think; get some guidance... things can wait to get some advice or direction.'
Solution: we did some team building exercises utilizing Robert Fulghum's bestseller 'All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten' to embrace the simplicity of the issues (and added the necessity to be nice) in all phases of our work-a-day world. And, we established a group support program of Wednesday (Humpday) morning breakfast meetings where we could purge our souls (Dumpday) and get advice. Each team member had a partner to call in crisis and one 15-minute 'Time Out' (kindergarten style) per week where they could call me if they needed to 'get away' from the stimulation at work or couldn't wait until Humpday Dumpday on Wednesday.
So... I make this offer to you no matter the day of the week; for a free 15-minute consultation on either personal or professional matters call toll free (888) 466-2379.
Lon Kieffer is a nationally known speaker, trainer and Consultant of Common Sense. As an expert in Workplace Culture Change and Generational Conflict he works with leaders who want to improve their workplace environment and create an atmosphere of team membership.
Lon is also a highly coveted 'EnterTrainer' coupling his 20-year background in HealthCare management with his talents as a successful professional comedian to deliver CEU qualified ~~ Entertainment quality programs.
To book Lon for your convention, sales meeting, retreat, employee appreciation event or other important program please contact him personally at:
Telephone: (302) 462-6748 cell
Email: Lon@LonKieffer.com
Website: www.LonKieffer.com
Lon Kieffer,
RN, BSN, MBA, NHA
Six Sigma Green Belt
Speaker, Author, Consultant
10589 Wilkinson Drive
Seaford, DE 19973
Info@LonKieffer.com
(302) 628-0384
In This Issue
Messages from
You:
'What fun!? He [Lon] was
like a cross between Dr.
Phil and Larry the
Cable-guy. Sensitive and thought provoking but raw enough to make you
want to listen.'
~~ James Buckley, Constellation Energy Group
'Please keep up with what you are doing, there are so many people out there that need to hear your message.'
~~ Eliot M. Gregos, MPH, Environmental Manager, Hillsborough County
Health Dept.
Message From
Lon:
Thank you all so much for bearing with me through the transition to the new format for this newsletter. I have already gotten feedback that it is much easier to read and I agree.
I'd like to thank my new virtual assistant, Debbie Lonergan for her efforts and help in this transition.
We managed to lose some of our members in the transition so I wanted to invite you all to help me rebuild... see FREE STUFF for details.
Famous Quotes:
'Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.
Malcolm Stevenson Forbes (1919 - 1990)
former publisher of Forbes Magazine
If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.
John F. Kennedy, 35th President of United States, Democrat (1917 - 1963)
Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a requirement for survival.
Rene DuBos, French Environmentalist and Pulitzer Prize Winner, originator of 'Think Globally, Act Locally' (1901 - 1982)
Infinite diversity in infinite combinations... symbolizing the elements that create truth and beauty.
Commander Spock, Star Trek (aka, Leonard Nimoy), Actor (1931- )
We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all diverse and yet the same.
Anne Frank, European Jewish girl, perished in Nazi concentration camp (1929 - 1945)
Lon Clip:
R & R
(Everyone can use a few Reading Recommendations!)
Soon-to-be-
Famous Quote:
'Before you criticize the younger generation (employees) just remember who raised (trained) them.'
~~Lon Kieffer, proud father and sometimes frustrated Leader 1962 -
The
Get Out of Bed
and Go to Work!
Nugget of
the Month:
You are only responsible for what you show people...not what they choose to see... you cannot allow your ACTIONS to be based on their PERCEPTIONS.
Slide Excerpt:
From a Live!
Kieffer-the-Speaker
presentation:
Culture Change:
Culture Change is absolutely the buzzword in HealthCare today. Another term for it is; 'Resident Centered Care.' What many of the 'experts' in this industry fail to realize is the huge impact this trend in HealthCare can have on those in the service industry trying to maintain personal and professional stability in this changing environment.
Lon is an expert and consultant on Workplace Culture Change and Generational Issues in the Workplace; Lon shares some of his core values and strategies in live and written 'Get Out of Bed and Go to Work!' programs.
'Comedy is simply a
funny way of being serious.'
Peter Ustinov
Academy Award
Winning British Actor
(1921 - 2004)