LAMA Review 2007 Quarter 3

THE LAMA
The Journal of the Laboratory Animal Management Association, 2007 Volume 19 - Issue 3
Post Approval
Monitoring
Page 8
Workplace
Motivation
Page 16
One Of These Days I
am Going to get
Organized Page 24
Training Protocol
& Planning
Page 32
The Lama Review
Page 1
Contributing Writers
Page 2
Bob Beck
Jacque Calnan
Casey Kilcullen-Steiner
Cammie Symonouicz
Steve Young
Bill Umiker (Dec)
The Lama Review
Ron Gordon
George Irving
Carolyn Maunjowski
Katy Burns
Gail heidbrink
Harriet Burgess
Objectives of the
Laboratory Animal Management
Association
• To promote the dissemination of ideas, experiences, and knowledge
• To encourage continued education
• To act as spokesperson
• To actively assist in the training of managers
This publication contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been
specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to
advance understanding of ecological, political, economic, scientific, moral, ethical,
personnel, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a “fair use”
of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C Section 107, this material is distributed without
profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material
for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from
the copyright owner.
For more information concerning The LAMA Review, please contact the Editor in
Chief, Fred A Douglas at (765) 532-7177, FAX (765) 494-7569, or e-mail: fad712@
insightbb.com
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The Lama Review
Page 3
T H E
L A M A
Volume 19, No. 3
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Fred A. Douglas
West Lafayette, IN
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Vacant
MANAGING EDITOR
Evelyn Macy
Lafayette, IN
EDITORIAL
ADVISORY BOARD
Steve Baker
Framingham, MA
Bob Beck
West Lafayette, IN
Jacquie Calnan
Alexandria, VA
Ronald W. Gordon
Middletown, CT
Tracey Helman
Melbourne, Australia
George W. Irving, III
San Antonio, TX
Casey Kilcullen-Steiner
Tucson, AZ
Steve Young
Charlestown, MA
HIGHLIGHTS
IN THIS ISSUE
TAB LE O F C O NTE NTS
7
8
12
16
20
23
24
32
A Message From The President
Post Approval Monitoring
WorkPlace Motivation
2007 LAMA Review Conference
Training Can Make a Difference
VICE PRESIDENT ELECT
Steven Baker
Framingham, MA
PAST-PRESIDENT
Regina M. Correa-Murphy
Providence, RI
One of These Days I am going to
Get Organized
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Howard Mosher
Wallingford, CT
Training Protocol & Planning
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jim Manke
Eden Prairie, MN
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Q&A
ONE YEAR
Lisa Brown
El Paso, TX
Daily Drive
Brian Tracy Tips
Foundations for Success
Managing Your Health
Leadership wired
Crossword Puzzle
Book Review
Allentown......................30-31
Ancare..........................27
Edstrom Industries.......42
Lab Products..................5
Page 4
PRESIDENT
Kimberly Edgar
Lebanon, NH
VICE PRESIDENT
Kyrsten Koebach
Ayer, MA
The Problem Solver
DEPARTMENTS
9
11
28
37
38
39
43
44
2006-2007
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OFFICERS
The Lama Review
Joseph Krajicek
Omaha, NE
TWO YEAR
Laura Mistretta
Denver, PA
Cammie Symonowicz
Wallingford, CT
COPY EDITOR
Olivia Kirby
West Lafayette, IN
PRINTER
Data Print
Distribution
Edina, MN
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Purina - Lab Diet............57
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From the Editor’s Cube
“All change is not necessarily good
but no change at all is not good!”
So change continues to be in the air with your Association
publication the LAMA Review. As many of you are aware
we just completed a major survey of the membership. And
we were very pleased with the high rate of return. I was
particularly interested to receive the feedback from all of you
as to how you perceive the Review to be doing and what changes you would
like to make. At present your Editorial Board is reviewing the data. Based on
our evaluations we will be working hard to renovate the magazine to make it
what you the membership want and need it to be.
Some changes are already afoot. We are looking at such areas as new
columns, new layouts, and a new look. But one major change that we are
announcing with this edition is that we as a Board would like to encourage you
the members to begin submitting original articles on lab animal management
for publishing in the Review. I am excited about this new initiative and
look forward to seeing many of you in print. Articles can cover any aspects
of laboratory animal management to include personnel, fiscal, regulatory
compliance, physical plant management, etc. If you have an article to submit
please feel free to either mail it to the post office box listed in the front of the
magazine or simply email it to me using the email address listed inside the
front cover. Just to wet your appetite I have recommended to the Board that
we eventually provide an award for the best article for the year published in
the Review. Everyone was enthusiastic about the suggestion. As soon as I
know more about this I will be passing it along to you.
I hope that you enjoy this edition of the Review. And wish you the best until
the next edition hits the streets.
Fred Douglas, BS, RLATG
Editor-in-Chief
The LAMA Review
Page 6
The Lama Review
July 7, 2007
President’s Message
“What matters now, as always, is not what we can’t do; it is what we can and must do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
In the early 1980’s, the need for supervisors, managers, and directors to
freely share information on the wide variety of management issues facing
animal facilities provided the momentum behind LAMA’s creation. The
sharing need for information exchange is still critical for the successful
management of facilities today.
In 1986, LAMA Lines was the first publication for LAMA to cover topics of
interest to our members and organizational news. Over the years, LAMA
Lines changed as technology advanced and as our leaders’ professional
commitments reached critical limits. As a result, LAMA adapted with the changing times
by ending the traditional printed newsletter, opting for a listserv, website and mass e-mail
messages instead. The member managed listserv did not survive; however, the website is
alive. Recognizing that our members have critical limits on how much time and resources
they can devote to LAMA, in concert with our need to share information as the basis for our
organizational existence, in early 2006, we moved to a professionally managed website. Rich
Farris with Custom Fit Computer has the professional webmaster expertise to manage our
website. Rich has proposed a number of enhancements to our website, with the goals of
providing better information and accessibility to our members. The organization needs to decide
how to best share information with our members through website enhancements or exploring
other technologies, such as blogs, RSS, twitter, etc. The challenge will be at what costs to our
organization’s financial resources do we move to other methods of information sharing?
In 1989, The LAMA Review was launched on a quarterly basis through the hard work of Rob
Weichbrod, scores of dedicated writers over the years and the much appreciated generous
financial support of our Allied Trades Association Members through their ongoing advertisements
in the journal. Today, The LAMA Review is edited by one of LAMA’s Founding Members, Fred
Douglas and a dedicated Editorial Board that have the courage to make changes to the journal
to best meet the needs of our members. Over the next few editions, observe the changes
happening that are occurring based on membership feedback. However, the journal’s traditional
focus on human resources management is what we can and will continue to provide to our
members.
Hope you enjoy this issue of The LAMA Review. Please consider sharing the information
contained in it with your staff, so that momentum behind LAMA’s creation will continue.
Kim Edgar
2007 LAMA President
The Lama Review
Page 7
Post-Approval Monitoring: A Year in Review
In my position of Manager of Quality Assurance
program fell on me. At Northwestern University, I
and Training within the Center for Comparative
function as the Manager of the Quality Assurance
Medicine at Northwestern University, I had
and Training Department at the Center for
personally never heard of Post Approval
Comparative Medicine (CCM). This job keeps me
Monitoring prior to October of 2005. It came to
quite busy and squeezing the PAM program into
my attention as a recommendation from our site
my duties proved difficult. It also added an extra
visit with AAALAC International (Association for
complication because I work for CCM but for the
the Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory
purposes of the PAM program, I report directly
Animal Care) which was conducted in July
to the ACUC. Some may say this is a conflict
2005. When the site visit results came in, I was
of interest. Unfortunately, as our ACUC office
assigned to develop a Post Approval Monitoring
is completely understaffed, there was no one
(PAM) program for Northwestern University.
else to run the program. I quickly realized that
My immediate thought was “Where do I begin”.
we needed to hire a full-time person to run and
Thankfully, the University of California at San
further develop the PAM program; a person who
Diego published an article in Lab Animal (1)
could devote the required time that the program
about their PAM program in November 2005
necessitated.
and Duke University had a lot
“The hard part about having At this point in time we
of information on their website.
a PAM program was the fact have hired Susan Kallay,
Using these two programs as
that you actually have to do
a starting point, reference,
to function as the “Postsomething with it to make it
and guide, I developed a PAM
Approval Monitoring Program
work, and you have to do it on Administrator”. She has
Program for Northwestern
a regular basis.”
University with guidance from
taken over all duties and
our Executive Director, Dr.
responsibilities for PAM and is
Philippe Baneux, who also happens to be a
in the process of developing the program further
member of AAALAC’s Council on Accreditation.
to make it more comprehensive and complete.
The next task was getting buy-in from our Animal
Care and Use Committee (ACUC). The ACUC at
Northwestern University consists of 19 members,
most of whom are researchers. In December
of 2005, the committee was presented with the
documents that would be used during PAM
visits, as well as a power point presentation
parading the benefits of having a PAM program
at Northwestern. Once again, Dr. Baneux was
there to provide guidance for the committee from
an AAALAC standpoint. While some concern
and trepidation was expressed by committee
members, the PAM program still managed to be
voted into existence.
The hard part about having a PAM program was
the fact that you actually have to do something
with it to make it work, and you have to do it on a
regular basis. The task of implementing the PAM
Page 8
Northwestern University Campuses and
Community
At Northwestern University, we have about 800
active protocols spread between approximately
270 Principal Investigators (PI’s) and two
campuses. The two campuses are 12 miles
apart. The Chicago campus houses about 2/3 of
the animals used in research while the Evanston
campus houses the other 1/3. The Evanston
facilities service the School of Engineering
and Applied Sciences, the College of Arts and
Sciences, and the School of Communication.
The Chicago vivaria mainly service the Feinberg
School of Medicine. CCM houses a total average
daily cage count of 17,000 cages, consisting
mainly of a mouse population of around 60,000
animals. Although the majority of animals housed
at Northwestern are mice, the range of species
The Lama Review
- Continued on 14
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
By Bob Beck
Q:
I belong to several professional organizations. Between them, work, and home I have
precious little time. How do I go about choosing which association to give my time to?
A:
This is a great question in that so many professionals today are faced with the same
dilemma! My initial response is to tell you to become selfish about your time!! This is what you are
trying to accomplish anyway: investing your time where it works best for you.
Some questions to consider in sorting through your organizational options include:
• Which of these excite you? Which ones truly stimulate you?
• Based on the goals of the organization or the people in it, which ones get you going?
• What is the time requirement for each? How does this ‘fit’ with your home/family desires and
work schedules?
• What gaps do you have in your professional experience/knowledge that could be filled by
participating in one of these groups?
• What are the respective costs of participating in each, such as membership fees, travel to
attend the meetings and this list goes on.
What you can see very quickly is the need to literally sit down with a spreadsheet and conduct your
own cost-benefit analysis on your organizational options. This may sound too clinical or overboard
for some folks, yet again, what is the most valuable commodity we command that is also limited in
supply? It is our TIME!!!
So it only makes sense to ‘invest’ your time where you can receive the greatest return on that
investment.
The answers to the questions above begin to provide you with the criteria necessary to make an
intelligent, informed choice as to which professional organization(s) you will benefit the most frombased on the time invested!
Once you have identified the optimal organization for you, jump in with both feet and enjoy your time,
knowing you are not sacrificing a commitment some where else in your life schedule!
The Lama Review
Page 9
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The Daily Drive
Malaria-infected
mice cured by 1
dose of new drug
“As a class, these compounds have proven to be unusually
valuable in several ways, from their brisk and potent
antimalarial activity to their lack of resistance and crossresistance with other antimalarial agents,” Shapiro said.
Compound based on plantderived, ancient Chinese
folk remedy
The Johns Hopkins trioxanes mimic artemisinin, the active
agent in a Chinese herbal drug used to treat malaria and
other fevers for thousands of years. Artemisinin comes
from the Artemisia annua plant, an herb also known by a
variety of names including sweet wormwood.
Johns Hopkins University researchers have cured malariainfected mice with single shots of a new series of potent,
long lasting synthetic drugs modeled on an ancient Chinese
herbal folk remedy.
The team also has developed several other compounds
which defeated the febrile disease in rodents after three
oral doses.
These peroxide compounds, containing a crucial oxygenoxygen unit, promise not only to be more effective than
today’s best malaria remedies, but also potentially safer
and more efficient, said research team leader
Gary Posner, Scowe Professor of Chemistry in
the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences at Johns
Hopkins.
The oxygen-oxygen unit in the peroxides causes malaria
parasites essentially to self-destruct. The parasites digest
hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying pigment of red blood
cells, and, in the process, release a substance called heme,
a deep-red iron-containing blood pigment. When the heme
encounters peroxides, a powerful chemical reaction occurs,
releasing carbon-free radicals and oxidizing agents that
eventually kill the parasites.
But the first generation of trioxane drugs also had a
number of shortcomings, including a half-life of less than
one hour. (A drug’s half-life is the amount of
time it takes for half of it to be metabolized.)
Posner and team believe that their new
compounds address those disadvantages.
An article about the team’s work is slated to
appear on the Web on April 17 in the ASAP
section of The Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.
Go here: http://tinyurl.com/3cwg3a
“Our semi-synthetic artemisinin-derived
compounds successfully overcome the
disadvantages of their first-generation
predecessors,” he said. “Most important is
their curative activity after a single, low dose,
“We are disclosing, for the first time,
which is distinctly unusual. But based on our
the curative activity of a new generation
intentional design, they may also have a longer
of compounds that are long-lasting and
half-life in animals. We also designed them to
therapeutic, even when used by themselves,”
be more lipophilic, meaning they have an
Posner said. “Older drugs in this family of
enhanced ability to dissolve in fats and thus
Gary Posner, Scowe Professor of
peroxide antimalarials also are known to
to arrive inside malaria-infected red blood
Chemistry at Johns Hopkins and
be fast-acting, but they are unfortunately
leader of a team that has developed a cells.”
short-lived and not curative when used
new series of malaria drugs.
by themselves.”
In addition, the new compounds are far
less
likely
to
break
down into toxic substances when they
Though they say their results are very promising, the
are metabolized in the test animals’ bodies, making them
researchers caution that the new compounds must
potentially safer than their predecessors.
be thoroughly tested for safety and for how they are
absorbed, distributed and metabolized in, and eliminated
Although the substance is inexpensive by Western
from, rodents’ bodies before human tests begin.
standards, the widespread use of artemisinins in the
developing world remains limited, in part by availability
Malaria afflicts between 300 million and 500 million people
and the cost of separating the active ingredient from the
a year, killing between 1.5 million and 3 million, mostly
Artemisia annual plant. Posner and his team contend
children and mostly in developing nations. The parasite
that the potency and curative activity of their compounds
that causes the disease is spread by female mosquitoes
provide “a substantially more efficient and economical use
feeding on human blood. The most commonly fatal species
of the price-setting natural product.”
of the malaria parasite now shows strong resistance to
most current treatments, making the development of
The team’s research was supported by the National
effective new drugs a worldwide priority.
Institutes of Health and the Johns Hopkins University
Malaria Research Institute. Digital photos of Gary Posner
Since 1992, Posner and his team, which includes
are available upon request. Contact Lisa De Nike at Lde@
collaborator Theresa Shapiro, professor and chair of clinical
jhu.edu or by calling 443-287-9960.
pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine,
have been tackling that challenge by designing a series of
Contact: Lisa De Nike LDE@jhu.edu 443-287-9960
peroxide compounds, called trioxanes.
Johns Hopkins University
The Lama Review
Page 11
The Problem Solver
You Are the Manager, What Do You Do Next?
Problem Solver: July 2007 – UnderminDING
management
 An academic institution in an eastern coastal US city has
an animal facility which is serviced by two full-time female
animal care technicians Monday through Friday, and a parttime female technician who works alone on the weekend.
The technicians are directly supervised by the Manager of
Animal Care. The Animal Facility is not AAALAC accredited
nor do they house any USDA regulated animals, although do
maintain a USDA registration .
The Manager of the facilities has been recognized nationally
by his colleagues in the field for his excellent management
skills. He encourages on-going education for his techs, that
is to pursue AALAS certification and direct involvement in
the local and national levels of AALAS. He has recognized
his techs achievements and nominated them for awards,
which they have received recognition. He rewards their hard
work by providing them with free lunches snacks during
their work breaks and parties during National Technician’s
week in recognition of their commitment to the Animal
Facilities. He arranges educational field trips to various
vendor manufacturing plants and arranges for vendors to visit
the facility and give educational talks and demonstrate their
product line. In return for the Manager’s sincere gestures
of appreciation, one of the more dominant technician’s
main goals in life is to undermine management at every
available opportunity. The manager attends to every issue
that is brought to his attention and resolves any problems as
expeditiously and adequately as possible. The troublemaking
technician recruits the assistance of her co-worker by not
squealing on her when she’s late for work or makes a mistake,
as if the manager isn’t aware of every move that both of them
make. The strategy used to undermine management is for
the technicians to privately meet with the faculty members,
without the Manager’s knowledge, whenever the part-time
weekend technician fails to perform optimally or a Temporary
Technician filling in to cover sick days, vacation days, etc.
makes a human error or neglects her work duties through
just plain laziness. The chronic complaint that I hear from the
faculty is that these individuals that are not performing well
have not been trained well, when it is not a training problem
or lack of progressive disciplinary action.
The Technician’s strategy is to very specifically go to a few
key faculty members who have very explosive personalities
due to a combination of paranoia, manic-depression, and
extreme egotistical syndrome. These animal research faculty
Page 12
are members of Animal Care and Use Committee and have
a vested interest in the welfare of their animals, and of
course the success of their research. Another interesting
twist to this alleged conspiracy is that the Manager of the
Animal Facilities is also the long-time Chair of the IACUC for
over ten years. This Chair of the IACUC is responsible for
making decisions which may not be popular with all the
IACUC Members, but none-the-less  is the correct action to
take under government policy and guidelines So, if any of the
research faculty on the IACUC develop “ruffled feathers” and
already harbor some resentment for the Chair, then perhaps
consciously or not they respond by taking it out by attacking
the management style of the Facility Manager, who has been
showered with praise by his colleagues for his management
achievements with almost forty years of experience in the
animal science field.
These faculty generated letters to the Facility Manager,
copied to the Dean of Science, with accusations of poor
animal care technician training and reference to threats of
serious disciplinary action by the University, are profoundly
psychologically disturbing to the Animal Facility Manager ,
who considers himself extremely conscientious and “on top of
his game”. The manager is starting to feel like this is a o-win
situation because the problem is being fed by a technician with
an apparent deep-seated psychological problem with authority
coupled with a few key faculty who possess a unique shared
sense of insecurity. Their apparent underlying resentment of
having their research protocols reviewed by their non-faculty
IACUC Chair results in an irresistible urge to strike back at the
competence of their Animal Facility Manager. Many meetings
with the faculty members overtime has resulted in deaf
ears and a tendency to always side with the devious animal
technicians. Is this, in fact a no-win situation for the Manager? 
Is dooms day inevitable for him? If you were the Manager of
this Facility what action would you take to brake this recurrent
aberrant behavior of your staff’s undermining management
and these unwarranted attacks on the competence of this
well decorated veteran manager by a few faculty with self
appointed authority? -
 Panelist #1
One of the C’s in IACUC stands for Committee. Committee
decisions should be by consensus not by the Chairman.
The role of the Chair of the IACUC should be to facilitate
meetings and to build consensus around government policy
and guidelines while also participating in the protocol review
process.
If some on the IACUC resent the fact that the chairman is not
The Lama Review
faculty and go out of their way to make his life miserable, he
should resign his voluntary post as chairman. He has an easy
out. He can simply say that in the interest of the committee,
after over 10 years as chairman, it is time for new blood and
perhaps a new perspective.
animal facilities. If all else fails, the compliance division of
the Office for Laboratory Animal Welfare, as well as the
USDA can be consulted for advice. These agencies may
even launch their own investigation if they feel that the
health and welfare of the research animals are in any way
being compromised in this animal facility. Furthermore, the
IACUC must conduct it’s responsibilities in an ethical, fair
and un-bias manner. Any perceived or actual “conflicts of
interest’ between the IACUC Chair, its’ members and the
manner in which the animal facility operates can be brought
under the scrutiny of the USDA and OLAW.
As far as the rogue technician is concerned, it is high time the
Facility Manager sit down with her one-on-one and “grab the
bull by the horns” and exercise some of his excellent, awardwinning, management skills. He should start off by reminding her
of all the perks of working for him; the free lunches and snacks,
parties, field trips, vendor visits, and his nominating the techs for
awards for doing a good job. He should let her know that he is Panelist #3
fully aware of what is going on in his facility and in the IACUC
and that her attempts to undermine his position and cover up of This is a bad situation. Good supervisors who do all the right
inadequacies in animal care has to stop for several reasons.
things can be disliked simply because they are good. Good
IACUC chairs are often the target of power politics because
First and foremost, animal welfare and successful research is they are doing the right things. The troublemaker may want
being jeopardized when mistakes in animal care are made and the manager’s job and the tactics are designed to discredit
effectively sanctioned by lack of corrective action. Second, the manager while building her up with the small team and
government policy and guidelines must be followed as well the principle investigators.
as department policy – the law pertains to all equally. Third,
tardiness cannot be tolerated – people can only get paid for time There are some options:
worked and proper animal care requires the work assigned be Fight ‘em: This approach needs time, several allies, and luck.
done in the time allotted. Fourth, mistakes and negligence in Don’t go this route.
animal care cannot be covered up and must be addressed in a
timely manner. Let her know that all the perks mentioned above Find the troublemaking technician another job in the institution:
are on the line. If she does not cease and desist, the perks will The people in small institutions know everything. She is
go away and her actions will be reflected in her performance making trouble for you and she is likely to do the same
review.
elsewhere and most everybody knows it. This will not work
here.
The Manager move laterally in the Institution: Those who
are against him now will still be enemies and he will pick up
more, especially those who may want the new job that he
gets. Not a good idea.
Panelist #2
The Manager can move to another job in the lab animal
industry. I like this one.
The Facility Manager in this scenario must gain control of
this situation. The Technician(s) must be placed on a short
It’s time to move. Dust off the resume, talk to colleagues and
lease and micro-managed as not to have the time and inclicall in some “chips” that exist from past accomplishments
nation that they are managing the animal facility instead of
and friendships. There are a lot of positions on the East
the actual Manager. The Animal Facility Manager should sit
coast -- everything from academia to industry to private
down with the institution’s HR labor relations expert and the
industry. 40 years exceptional experience in the field, IACUC
Institution Official and lay all of the cards on the table. HR
chairmanship, and numerous contacts should converge to
professionals are trained in how to handle over-zealous and
assist the manager in finding a position. A dynamic, selfoverly-aggressive employees who attempt and sometimes
starter with the kind of experience he has are valued in many
succeed in dominating the work-place including their superorganizations – and age will not be a factor. It is getting harder
visors. The Manager must also attempt to restore confidence
to find qualified and motivated people. Good job targets would
by the researchers that management is in fact, in control of
be a manager in regulatory affairs, IACUC function manager at
the facility and dealing expeditiously and efficiently with all
a large institution, or any management job in a small business
of their concerns. A means of achieving this might be for the
or start up company.
Manager to enhance communication with the research faculty on a regular basis. Face to face meetings, weekly, or biDo it now! The manager should walk into the office of the
monthly to discuss current issues, and resolve any potential
institution official for whom he works and present his very
problems regarding the animal and services, would hopefully
brief letter of resignation, a request for 2 weeks leave, say
eliminate or at least substantially diminish the likely-hood of
thank you and walk out. Then go to personnel and officially
future issues in which the Techs or the researchers themterminate his employment at the end of his leave period.
selves, can use to ignite or fuel their devious “fires”.
It is also essential that the Animal Facility Manager stay in
close contact with the HR Labor Relations specialist and the
“IO” regarding any future flare-ups of a devious nature in the
Start the job search. Obtain the assistance of a few trusted
colleagues and make finding a job the only job until it’s done.
The manager will be energized by the process, thankful to be
out of the old job, and a valuable asset to a new boss.
The Lama Review
Page 13
Post-Approval Monitoring: A Year in Review
covers just about every other traditional lab
animal species.
At this time, the lab animal care and use
program at Northwestern is divided up into
two components: the Center for Comparative
Medicine (CCM) and the Animal Care and Use
Committee (ACUC). The CCM performs all
of the responsibilities associated with animal
husbandry, veterinary care, training, and general
regulatory compliance and is directed by the
Attending Veterinarian, while the ACUC performs
all of the regulatory work associated with the
protocol process and program review. Ideally,
having an additional “Office of Animal Welfare
Assurance” type office would be a great way to
remove any bias that could be implied from either
the CCM or the ACUC.
Post Approval Monitoring Program and Visits
PAM Program themselves are a relatively new
item in the lab animal field but the concept of the
program is not. While having a PAM Program
at your institution is not mandated by any of the
regulatory agencies or AAALAC International,
having some sort of protocol oversight is. A
PAM Program provides a method for an IACUC
to ensure program and document integrity,
compliance, and adherence to protocols. A PAM
Program can serve as the eyes and ears of an
IACUC, and serve as a facilitator or conduit of
information exchange between researchers,
and between the researchers and the IACUC.
PAM Programs are extremely beneficial in that
they provide assurance to both the regulatory
agencies and the institution itself that animal
experiments are monitored for compliance with
approved IACUC protocols. PAM Programs
are NOT the animal “police” nor should they
be viewed as a replacement for the IACUC.
They also do not replace IACUC required lab
inspections.
The goal of the post approval monitoring process
at Northwestern is to review active protocols to
ensure that labs are doing what is actually written
in the protocol, and if they are not, barring any
major deficiencies, to adjust their protocols so
that they reflect what is actually being performed.
The goal of PAM is NOT to get anyone into
trouble, but to catch any issues that may arise
before they are at a point where the labs may
get into trouble. At Northwestern, because of the
size of the program and the number of protocols
involved, out goal is to visit each protocol with a
PAM visit once every three years. PAM is also
a great way to facilitate information exchange
between the involved parties and to provide
training assistance if needed.
Throughout this article, you will notice that the
word “visit” is used to describe the meetings with
the labs for PAM purposes. When designing the
program, we decided to stay away from words
like “inspection” or “audit”. This was to help
ensure that research staff view the PAM program
as a method that is there to help them, not one
that is out there to get them into trouble. Using
the word “visit” also facilitates a dialogue between
the research staff and members of the PAM team
and when you have a “visit” the atmosphere is
much more relaxed than one found during an
“inspection” or “audit”. Our goal in this was to put
a positive spin on the PAM program and to avoid
any negative associations with it.
Another goal of the PAM program is to
personalize and individualize relationships
between the ACUC, CCM, and the research
community at Northwestern. Meeting with labs
on an individualized basis adds a personal touch
and makes people more willing to work with each
other to accomplish goals. It also helps breaks
down the barrier of “us” versus “them”.
Protocol Selection and Scheduling Visits
Any active protocol at Northwestern University is
subject to selection for a PAM visit. An emphasis
is placed on protocols in which USDA covered
species are used, protocols with animals in
USDA pain category E, and any protocols
that are recommended for PAM visits by the
- Continued on 15
Page 14
The Lama Review
veterinary staff or ACUC.
Once the protocol has been selected, the PI is
contacted via email to schedule a PAM visit for
the given protocol. This step has proven to be
the most time consuming and difficult step in the
process and often requires several emails with
copies to the ACUC Chair before a response is
elicited from the PI or their designee. Every effort
is made to work with the PI’s schedule when
organizing a PAM visit. Once a date has been
set, the PAM Team is selected.
In the past, the PAM Team consisted of three
members: the Compliance Liaison Associate
(CLA) aka the PAM Program Administrator,
a veterinarian, and a member of the ACUC
office staff. Just recently this has changed and
the PAM Team now consists of the CLA and a
veterinarian. Veterinarians are selected by their
primary areas of responsibility and also based on
who is available on a given day. The CLA also
makes an effort to rotate PAM visits between the
5 practicing veterinarians on staff at NU so that
no one person gets swamped by PAM. The PAM
Team is responsible for reading the selected
protocol ahead of time and showing up on time
for the PAM visit.
The PAM Visit
There are two parts to every PAM visit and
depending on the length of the first part, they
may or may not occur on the same day. The first
part is the actual visit itself. The visit consists
of the observation of a given procedure from
the selected protocol. The second part of PAM
is conducted after the observation has been
completed and consists of sitting down with the
PI and lab members to review the PAM form (see
attachment).
One of the fundamental items that we try to
stress during a PAM visit is that “protocol drift”
happens. The protocol should be viewed as
a living document and as long as significant
changes are approved by the IACUC and all
changes are made to the protocol as they
happen, then things are okay. The PAM Team
emphasizes that they are there to observe
what is going on and to make sure that the
protocol reflects what is occurring in the lab and
if the procedures don’t correspond with those
in the protocol, then to make the necessary
adjustments so they do. Every effort is made to
put the lab members and PI at ease during the
PAM visit. Again, we let the lab know that the
PAM Team is not there to get them in trouble, but
to help them make adjustments so that the lab
does not get into a position where they may get
into a difficult situation. Of course, if gross errors
or any situation is occurring that puts animal
welfare in danger, the PAM Team will stop the
lab on the spot and if necessary, report them to
the ACUC or regulatory agencies. Thankfully, we
have yet to get into a situation like that!
The PAM Team tries to establish the difference
between a lab inspection by the ACUC and a
PAM visit by the PAM Team. We do discuss this
with the lab if there is any confusion and clearly
explain that while the PAM Team may document
items noticed in the lab, they are looking at a
single protocol and the procedures in that specific
protocol; while during a lab inspection, members
from the ACUC are primarily looking at the lab
environment itself.
During the first part of the PAM visit, all team
members are provided with a copy of the PAM
form and are encouraged to write down any items
that they notice or would like to discuss with
the lab. Areas that are subject to review include
the following: protocol and personnel, study
procedures, anesthesia, surgery, post-surgical
care, euthanasia, record keeping, and the
laboratory environment itself. The lab members
themselves are also given copies of the PAM
form at the time of the visit; additionally the PI is
sent a copy with the initial email notification that
their lab has been selected for a PAM visit.
If possible, the PAM Team tries to schedule a
break between the first and second parts of the
PAM visit so that they may confer with each
other and compare notes. When the second part
of the PAM visit occurs and because they hold
- Continued on 19
The Lama Review
Page 15
Workplace Motivation What is motivation? It can be defined as enthusiasm,
drive, ambition, determination or even inspiration.
Defining motivation is significantly easier than
achieving the effect. For many managers, in lab
animal science or in any industry, this is often the
proverbial “holy grail” that we chase after and long
for and is sometimes never found. Others have
more success, and sometimes the nature of our own
personality ends up being productive for motivating
people. Let’s look at where psychological theory
helps define the aspects behind motivation.
Motivational Tactics in Use
At least three motivational strategies are frequently in
use in our industry of laboratory animal science that
affects productivity. The first I will discuss is that of
the classic Incentive Theory1 (Dernber, 1965). This is
in my opinion the classic hallmark of why employees
go to work for others: a paycheck. As any legally
bound employer provides, these paychecks are
delivered with regularity, however in my opinion this
is often further fruitful if the organization bases their
pay on performance. Reward the high achievers,
let the middle ground employees continue as is with
some optimistic inspiration in the future that may turn
them into high achievers, and let those that don’t
make the grade go without raises or even go without
employment.
The positive side of this environment is the very
financial nature of the performance evaluation will
yield all on its own a predisposition to excellence
in performance. So long as this performance
management method is not forced into a bell curve
where only so many above-par grades can be
given, and all employees are simply ranked against
expectations for their defined role, there are no true
negative influences in this scenario, and no negatives
that come with incentive theory of motivation.
Another motivation strategy often in use in our field
is that of the Achievement Theory (Atkinson, 1964).
Recognition beyond a paycheck can be publicly
granted to high performers through communication
meetings, private and public sector awards
nominations, and financial bursaries complementary
of the awarding body that dovetails nicely into
the previously mentioned incentive theory. For
associates who thrive on being recognized for their
Page 16
by Cathy Bernstein
hard work and achievements, an organization that
goes beyond a paycheck for recognizing good
employees is often one of the factors to increased
morale and reduced turn over.
Lastly, another strategy in play to motivate the worker
in any field, including laboratory science, is that of
the grand Theory of Drive (Hull, 1942), where the job
performed is ultimately reflective of physiologic and
bodily needs. Workers that are paid with competitive
wages, make enough to secure what they define as
what they wish for their standards of living, and can
work for this security in a safe, ergonomic and healthy
environment will yield high performance and low
turnover.
Something that the lab animal science industry does
well to support the Theory of Drive as a motivator is
taking extra measures to ensure personnel safety
through effective occupational health and safety
programs, vaccination schedules, blood work and
health status analysis of the workers and rigorously
trying to prevent accidents through effective
monitoring and adjustments of safety measures
implemented. Those organizations that go beyond
this and are further attuned to ergonomic efficiencies
and other measures that can additionally secure the
comfort and safety of all personnel will often reflect
employees with even more ambition and self-driven
motivation that the average person.
Motivational Strategies Not in Practice
So what is the laboratory animal science field not
particularly good at practicing? Some of the following
analysis is an understandable and reluctant result
of the nature of our industry and are areas we
may not be able to influence as laboratory animal
managers, but knowing about these challenges can
only help us understand why employees may not be
motivated. With this knowledge we can try to provide
job enrichment for our staff in order to keep high
performers with our organizations as long as possible.
From what I have personally seen in my experience,
managerial recognition of the negative impacts of
the Arousal Theory (Lindsay, 1952) is very low. This
theory postulates that environments that do not
stimulate yield low productivity, so therefore it is easily
extrapolated that if the environment is stressful and/or
The Lama Review
stimulating, productivity will be high. Many jobs in
the laboratory animal field are mundane and routine
– changing cages, cleaning cages, sanitization,
disinfection, over and over, every day.
So what can a good manager do when faced
with these necessary and vital roles that are not
necessarily symbiotic with motivation? If you see
burn out in employees, try offering them small
projects, tasks or something beyond his or her daily
routine that helps them feel like they are contributing
to the greater cause beyond what they see every
day. Staff that are experiencing emotional distress
that may or may not be related to their job can often
be referred to Employee Assistance Programs that
offer third party unbiased counseling for those that are
troubled.
A second motivational theory not readily recognized in
our lab animal industry is that of the Emotion-Minded
(Tomkins, 1970). This theory indicates that emotions
are the primary system of motivation for a person,
and being an emotive person can have positive or
negative affects on anyone’s job performance at any
level in an organization. In my experience I often
find being less emotional on the job yields higher
productivity for those I work with and around, however
appropriately used emotion or a lack thereof can be a
Motivating Others Starts With Yourself
successful motivator. Finding the emotional balance
to yield the most motivated staff is often a life long
managerial challenge, and if someone knows the
answer, let your local branch of AALAS know! That
light hearted comment aside, simply knowing this
theory of the emotion-minded influences employees
in some way allows the good manager to always be
cognizant of his or her actions and emotions.
Conclusion
Assessing motivation in your workplace and analyzing
what you as a manager may or may not excel at or
are challenged by can only help turn a good manager
into a good leader. Learning how to effectively
implement motivational techniques in combination
with understanding motivational theory will only lead
to you being able to understand employees and
co-workers more. All of this helps facilitate positive
morale, low turnover, and effective teamwork, all of
which the laboratory industry could directly benefit
from.
(Endnotes)
1. All theory references for this article taken from: Atkinson, Dernber,
Hull, Lindsay and Tomkins. (Psychology theorists from 1964, 1965, 1942,
1952 and 1970 respectively). Understanding Motivation and Emotion,
published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Q: I’ve just been made a supervisor, and my boss says that an important part of my new role is to motivate people.
That’s basically telling them they’re doing a good job, isn’t it? Am I on the right track? - Betty K.
A: That’s an important part, but there’s a lot more to it. There’s no “one-way” fits all technique to energize people. It’s
important to tailor your approach to the person motivating. Some plants need sunlight; some a lot of shade. Others need
a lot of water, and some will die with too much water. Dealing with people is no different: The people you supervise have
different needs. The way to motivate them is to find those needs and show that what you want them to do will meet those
needs.
But you have to motivate yourself first. here are some actions you can take to fire up your own enthusiasm:
**
Act motivated, confident and enthusiastic - in everything you do.
**
Make a personal commitment to excellence. Satisfy yourself first, and be proud of what you do. Then, show it.
**
Set personal and work goals. Develop action plans and deadline dates to reach them.
**
Think positively (“I can, I will”). Focus on solutions, not problems.
**
Create ways to get satisfaction out of what you do.
**
Get rid of your “monkeys” - any emotional conflicts that drain your enthusiasm.
**
Develop your sense of humor.
**
Like yourself and what you do and believe in a 4:1 (positive: negative) ratio.
**
Speak up - enthusiastically - as often as you can. Let your light shine.
Help your employees feel this way about themselves too. It’s especially important that you adapt your motivation techniques to both less-and more experienced employees.
Bill Repp is president of Organization Development Group, and has extensive experience in creating and delivering programs in marketing, communication, team building and business writing. e-mail Bill repp at billrepp@rochester.rr.com
The Lama Review
Page 17
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Post-Approval Monitoring: A Year in Review
- Continued from 15
ultimate responsibility for the protocol, the PI is
strongly requested to be present, as they are often
not during the first part of the visit. When everyone
gets together for the second part of the visit, the
PAM Team goes through each and every question
on the PAM form as well as any items noted by
any of the team members. The lab members and
PI are encouraged to ask questions and often a
dialogue is begun that facilitates communication at
later points of time. The PAM Team makes sure to
note any positive items that are noticed during a
visit so that the lab is recognized for the things they
do well along with items that are recommended for
change. By the end of the second part of the PAM
visit, the lab members and PI know everything that
will appear on the final documents.
After the PAM Visit
Once both the first and second parts of the PAM
visit have been completed, it is the job of the CLA
to complete the paperwork. The CLA collects the
PAM forms and comments from the lab members,
PI, and PAM Team members, and compiles all
comments into one final document. That final
document is sent electronically to the PAM Team
members and the PI for review and any additional
comments. Usually everyone has a week to review
the document and send any comments to the CLA.
Once the CLA has received the final PAM forms
back, they make any necessary adjustments, and
write a formal letter from the ACUC. The Attending
Veterinarian reviews the letter and signs it for the
committee. The PI is then sent both the letter and
a final copy of the PAM form for their files. Copes
of both documents are also kept by the CLA and
stored electronically and in hard copy paper files.
At the monthly ACUC meetings, the CLA presents
the ACUC with a brief overview of PAM visits
conducted and discusses any issues that arose
from the visits. If any items require action by the
committee, decisions are made at that time and
voted upon.
Follow-up
up had been required after PAM visits. Now that
Northwestern has hired a full-time employee to
manage and develop the PAM Program, a follow
up system is beginning to be put into place. Our
new CLA has developed a color-coded Excel
spreadsheet to track all PAM visits, communication,
findings, and results. She has also initiated a
follow-up system that allows her to check back in
with the labs to ensure requirements have been
adhered to. The goal for follow-up is to give the
lab about 2 months after the final documents are
received to make any necessary or recommended
adjustments, protocol amendments, or to complete
training sessions. After the two month period,
the CLA may contact the lab either by email or in
person to check on pending items. As this is still
part of the program that is under development, we
have to wait and see how it all works out.
Summary
The PAM Program at Northwestern University
has proven to be a very effective method of
communication with the research community and
has facilitated an environment of cooperation
between CCM and research staff. At Northwestern,
as well as many other institutions, the general
attitude of the research community is that they
do not want anything to hinder or interfere with
their research. We have noticed that after PAM
visits, lab members are much more amenable to
approaching CCM for assistance or advice. PAM
visits have also assisted the ACUC to ensure
protocol compliance not only to the University itself,
but also to the various regulatory agencies. Now
that we have a full time person dedicated to the
PAM Program, it will be able to grow and develop
further, visits will occur much more frequently, and
the program will continue to foster an environment
of collaboration at Northwestern University.
References
1. Smelser, JF; Gardella, SL; and Austin, BL. “Protocol
audits for post-approval monitoring of animal use
protocols”. Lab Animal 34:10 (2005) pp23-27.
Up until about 2 months ago, no significant followThe Lama Review
Page 19
The LAMA Review 2007 Annual Conference
d
r
a
o ..
B
A rk
M
A
o
L
W
e
Th d at
Har
2007 William O. Umiker
Award Winner Fran Langley
2007 Charles River Medallion
Award Winner Robyn Kiser
Kim & Howard Enjoy an evening of
food & Drink at the Conference
2007 U. Kristina Stephens
Award Winner Gina Correa-Murphy
Past Presidents & Charles
River Medallion Winners
gather to congratulate Robyn
Page 20
The Lama Review
2007 LAMA – ATA ANNUAL MEETING A HUGE SUCCESS!
The 23rd Annual Meeting of the LAMA – ATA Association was a huge success with well
over 200 participants from all over the US and Canada converging on Puerto Rico for several
days of intense management training and fun in the sun. The Wyndham Rio Mar Resort
provided the perfect setting for the conference which was held June 18 – 21.
The conference opened on Tuesday with several sessions of certified management
training to prepare participants for the CMAR certification. This year’s conference
featured a new wrinkle. Association officers and Board members spent several hours
in intense leadership training provided by our Executive Director, Jim Manke, and Fred
Douglas, current Editor-in-Chief of the LAMA Review. Everyone agreed that it was a great
time of learning and interaction.
The next two days provided the attendees with over 14 hours of educational sessions
and some outstanding speakers. Among them was the Keynote speaker Mr. John Condry
of Career Success Seminars, Inc. His presentation entitled “Interactive Communication
to Inspire Personal Responsibility and Identify Natural Management Gifts” was humorous,
engaging, and practical. The conference closed Thursday evening with a great beachside
barbecue and karaoke party. LAMA – ATA has some amazing hidden talent!!
Wyndham Rio Mar Hotel,
Puerto Rico
LAMA 2007 Annual Conference
The Lama Review
Page 21
Manager’s Forum
Your Error Elimination Strategy
By- William Umiker M.D.
Here are some suggestions for reducing errors in your department:
ɶɶEmphasize the importance of quality work.
ɶɶIntroduce double-checking and other QC measures into the work flow.
ɶɶIndoctrinate employees in how to avoid and to detect erros.
ɶɶInstall measures that flag not only the errors, but the responsibility loci.
ɶɶUse automated and computerized systems as much as possible.
ɶɶDo more spot-checking.
ɶɶInvestigate causes of errors promptly. Take appropriate remedial measures.
ɶɶAvoid over-disciplining. This drives errors underground. Discuss the errors from an
educational viewpoint.
ɶɶReassign error-prone employees who can’t or won’t measure up.
ɶɶConsider simplification of procedures where errors are common.
Join Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research
(PRIM&R) this fall for another high-quality, “can’t miss”
educational offering!
On September 17-19, 2007, PRIM&R will host two highly acclaimed educational programs: IBC Basics and Essentials of IACUC
Administration. These courses are tailored specifically to the educational needs of Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and Institutional
Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) members, administrators, and staff, and will provide an opportunity for attendees to network with
others in the field.
IBC Basics will help promote the professional development of those associated with IBCs by helping them to learn about the NIH OBA, the
history of IBCs, and the range of responsibilities IBCs have under the NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA
Molecules.
Through Essentials of IACUC Administration, IACUC administrators and support staff, as well as training and compliance personnel
will learn how to effectively manage an animal care and use program, as well as best practices in the field. Although not required, it is strongly
recommended that you either attend an IACUC 101 program, or possess a good working knowledge of the rules and regulations pertaining to
animal subjects research, prior to taking Essentials of IACUC Administration.
This two and a half day program will be held at The Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel in Towson, MD. Tentative course agendas, as well as
information regarding the event venue and registration can be obtained online at www.primr.org. Registrants have the option of selecting one or
both of the educational courses being offered.
If you have questions, please contact Mariellen Diemand via e-mail at mdiemand@primr.org, or by phone at 617.423.4112, Ext. 210.
Page 22
The Lama Review
Training CAN Make a Difference
From Susan M. Heathfield,
Twelve Tips for Training Transfer to the
Workplace
Can you turn your training participants into learning magnets who can’t
wait to attend their next training opportunity? Absolutely. Can you expect
improved work performance as a result of the time, energy, and money
you invest in training? Absolutely. You just need to pay attention to:
 who presents the training,
 how the training is presented, and
 the role you expect from participants.
This feedback model was then reinforced and emphasized in the
conflict resolution session, the performance management session, and
the motivation session. Participants received a consistent approach,
emphasized across sessions, to ensure the transfer of the training
information to the workplace.
Ask each individual’s manager, and the manager’s
manager, to attend the training session with their staff.
When three management levels of an organization attend training
together, participants may be more willing to try out the ideas learned
in training. This is especially effective if participants see their manager
trying out new skills as well. This is also important for reinforcement of
the training following the session, the subject of the third article in this
training transfer series.
What participants do during the training session makes all the difference
to training transfer to the workplace. Use these twelve ideas to address
complaints about training (I don’t have time; it’s a waste of time; my
boss won’t let me do anything I learn anyway) and spark improved
performance with training transfer to your workplace.
Provide training in “chunks” that are scheduled over
a period of time. I find people learn more in training sessions that
provide chunks, small amounts of content, based on a couple of welldefined objectives. Participants attend these sessions, perhaps a couple
of hours per week, until the subject is learned.
Twelve Tips for Training Transfer
This allows the participants to practice the concepts in between the
training sessions. Both the content of the training and the application of
the concepts are reinforced at each subsequent session.
The trainer makes a difference. One of the most effective
training sessions I ever attended was at General Motors. As part of a
corporation-wide culture change process, all employees attended an
educational session.
The key ingredient was the instructor. He was a GM Executive; he
expected each individual attending the session, in turn, to instruct
the people who reported to them. The ability to train others is one of
the most important indicators of training retention. (An organization
development consultant assisted with the sessions as well, since not
every manager was confident of his ability to train.)
Alternatively, participants react more favorably to trainers who have
experience in their industry. They appreciate facilitators who have
experienced and addressed the issues and situations highlighted in
the training. The more closely the instructor can link the training to
participants’ real life experience, the better for training transfer, the
application of the information later on the job.
Present training as part of a consistent message from
the organization. Classes must build on each other and reinforce
the content learned in earlier sessions. Too many organizations
approach training as a potpourri or menu of available classes and
sessions.
When there is no interconnection between training sessions, and the
information provided in the training sessions, organizations lose a great
opportunity to reinforce basic shared skills, approaches, and values.
Training must reference earlier sessions, draw parallels, and reinforce
content.
As an example, one university supervisory development program
introduced an effective feedback process in a communication class.
This also allows people to discuss their successes and difficulties in
applying the training in their actual work session. The instructor can help
participants practice the training content by giving assignments that are
debriefed at the next meeting.
Train people in skills and information that are
immediately applicable on the job. “Use it or lose it,” is a
common refrain about training. This is a true statement. Even with
strategic skills such as listening, providing performance feedback, and
team building, set up situations in which practice is immediate and
frequent, to help participants retain the training.
In application-oriented training such as software training, don’t bother
with the training unless participants have the software. In fact, training
is often more effective if they experiment with the program first, before
attending the session.
The trainer can set a positive, productive tone for the
session and the later application of learning with a
positive, informative, honest opening that stresses
behaviorally oriented objectives. How the instructor opens
the training session begins the process of managing participant
expectations. (“You will be able to do the following as a result of
attending this session…”)
According to Jim Clemmer, of the Clemmer Group, “Research clearly
shows far more people act themselves into a new way of thinking than
think themselves into a new way of acting.” Participants need to know
what expectations they can have of the session so the objectives must
be realistic and not “over-promise.”
At the same time, the opening should stress “what’s in it for me,”
The Lama Review
- Continued on 26
Page 23
Fans of Taxi Driver remember Robert DeNiro’s
Travis Bickle explaining his “One of These Days
I’m Gonna Get Organized” poster to a perplexed
Cybill Shepherd. If you’re anything like me, your
office/cubicle resembles Travis’ apartment and
could definitely benefit from some “organizing”.
Where to begin?
Let’s start at the focal point of your work area.
That would probably be your desk. Take a minute
and look at your desk. Can you see the material
the desk is made out of? If you can’t, then you
have WAY too much clutter. Your desk should
have the following essentials on top:
• computer monitor
• keyboard (except for the lucky few with
laptops)
• phone
• 4-tray paper filing tray
• Post-it notes
• Calculator (but remember that both
MAC and Windows have a calendar
that’s easy to use and takes up no
space at all!
• Rolodex
• Calendar- you can maximize
space by getting a deskpad
calendar
• Blue pen, black pen, pencil, fine point
black marker, tape, stapler , paper clips
Most office supply catalogues sell cheap plastic
desktop organizers to hold supplies- one large
unit with separate little compartments. Perfect!
One thing that I personally found to be essential
was the Post-it note tree. I found it in an office
supply catalogue. The name is a bit misleading
since it’s not actually a “tree” at all, it’s a black
plastic pyramid that you place on your desk for
the purpose of attaching sticky notes. My staff
and I got in the habit of placing notes on the tree
according to importance and I removed the note
when the issue had been resolved. It’s oddly
shaped (sort of the the obelisk in 2001-A Space
Odessey) and as a result, almost impossible to
ignore. You couldn’t forget that important memo
even if you wanted to!
Page 24
Your desk can have some of these nonessentials, but the key is moderation:
ɶɶ
1-2personaldrugstoreitems-lotion,cough
drops, etc.
ɶɶ
1-2personalitems-photos,NYYankees(Go
Yankees!) memorabilia,etc.
ɶɶ
Notebook/memo pad to take with you to
meetings & jot down info.
This last item is one to watch though because
these are often lost or left somewhere. I’ve lost
many a memo book to the scrub laundry because
left it jammed in my back pocket. It would be
wise to have 2 of these notebooks-one to carry
everywhere & write notes and one that stays at a
fixed location . You can transfer the
most important info from
the portable notebook and
not have to worry if it’s
misplaced .
Labelmaker. If your work
area is open to others
besides yourself, you
may have found that
some of your possessions
have “walked away”,
never to be seen again.
Labeling won’t stop a
thief from stealing your wallet
and credit cards (these items, by the
way, should NEVER EVER be left in an unlocked
work space ) but it would prevent arguments such
as “Hey, isn’t that MY tri-color pen?” I labeled
my important desk items with the building and
floor # (never label with your name because who
knows, you may move around). I also labeled all
employee lockers and employee mailslots. I even
labeled my tube of whitening toothpaste because
it kept “walking away” . You may laugh, but it
never disappeared again.
Are you able to sit in your desk chair or are there
piles of paper stacked there? The major office
supply companies sell a surprisingly cheap
The Lama Review
rolling filing cabinet made out of plastic. I think
it was under $30. I bought two for my office
and filed everything that wasn’t nailed down.
You know those manuals on how to operate
the FAX machine or fix the copier? Start a file
for Equipment Manuals. My staff searched high
and low for the FAX machine manual before
we realized it was under the FAX machine (and
covered in dust and grime). Now they just go to
the proper file.
The great thing is that the hardest part of getting
organized is to purchase the supplies and
do the initial preparation and cleanup. Then
everything else is just put in its place. Once you
have your files done, sit back, relax and look
through your mail with the satisfaction that you
can successfully sort it all. And don’t forget that
all-important file- the recycle bin/trash can. Just
because you were swipe- card-happy at National
AALAS doesn’t mean that you have to save each
and every piece of mail they send to you. If it
doesn’t apply, pass it along or throw it away.
What about those pesky papers you need to refer
to often? Those memos with account numbers or
contact names & phone extensions? I purchased
a Grip-a-Strip bar from an office supply company
which is simply a stainless steel bar (comes in
various lengths) that holds papers. It’s described
as an alternative to bulletin boards. Just stick the
paper inside the grip bar and the pressure holds
it in place without tacks or tape. Great for any
facility (no, I’m not their sales rep!).
With an organized work space, you can now
move on to organizing your workload. If you have
a staff, then you need to plan their schedules and
if you work alone, you need to manage your own
schedule. I ordered a large magnetic whiteboard
with spaces for names and days of the week. I
put all the names of the staff in the left column
and wrote the days of the week across the top.
I used a dark blue dryerase marker to write the
room # and number of racks to be changed that
day. I used a red dryerase marker to write in any
changes (vacation, sick call, change in room or
rack). The staff would check the board when
they came in each morning. I also ordered a
small whiteboard to hang outside the office. Any
information I wanted to communicate to the staff,
I’d write on that board. The board was right in
front of the entrance/exit door so the staff passed
by it repeatedly throughout the day.
With all of these suggestions, consistency is
key. If you keep changing your system, it will be
impossible to follow. Luckily, becoming organized
is addictive. You may find yourself sorting
through your neighbor’s desk clutter , labelmaker
in hand.
Just make sure your neighbor isn’t Travis Bickle.
You talkin’ to ME??
Conquer desktop clutter with action files
Action files enable you to unclutter your desk yet still keep reminders and current papers close at hand. Also known as
working files, these files are usually separate from -- and in addition to - client, project, or reference files. Action files are
for current or pending activities and miscellaneous things you must act on.
Action files must always be within easy reach-- ideally in a small desktop file holder that holds the file folders upright so
the tabs are clearly visible. For added peace of mind, make a note in your calendar or scheduling software to remind you
of important dates. This combats the “out of sight, out of mind” worry and lets you clear your desk without fearing you’ll
forget something important.
Suggested categories for Action Files:
phone calls to return agenda for an upcoming staff meeting
expenses to submit bills to pay papers to file
business development ideas good ideas to try someday
papers to photocopy current departmental & administrative matters
pending health insurance claims your upcoming business trip
tasks to delegate to your assistant
conferences to register for
matters to discuss with co-workers
errands to run, gifts to buy, sale coupons
things to discuss with your child’s teacher or doctor
pending (for example, letters you sent for which you must receive a reply
The Lama Review
Page 25
Building Your “Bench
Strength”
•
How the best organizations select and develop
tomorrow’s leaders
By Guido M.J. de Koning
Selecting and developing future managers is a crucial task -- and a
big concern for many companies, particularly for leadership roles.
In a study by the Corporate Leadership Council, 72% of companies
predict they’ll have an increasing number of leadership vacancies
over the next three to five years. At the same time, 76% are “less
than confident” in their abilities to adequately staff these positions.
To make matters worse, corporate boards often make radical
decisions when they feel their CEO is underperforming. One study
found that chief executives appointed after 1985 are three times
more likely to be fired than CEOs who were appointed before that
date.
All companies need to find and develop the
next generation of leaders if they want to
survive, let alone thrive. But most experts
agree that only a few companies master
succession management. The first article in
this two-part series will discuss the practices
that set those companies apart. The second
part will offer a series of practical guidelines
for successfully managing the succession
process.
align their "people strategy" with their "business strategy."
As a company grows and its strategy evolves, its leadership
needs can change significantly. To meet needs like these,
companies must regularly discuss their talent recruitment and
development practices.
When organizations meet these requirements, they create the kind
of leadership and management capacity that delivers sustainable
business results. They also reduce the range in performance in key
roles, minimize attrition among top performers, and promote a high
internal hiring rate.
Many senior managers think their company is adept at succession
planning, and they may be right. The problem is that although
succession planning is essential, it’s just the first step. It’s equally
important to develop the leaders and managers so they can
execute the business strategy and deliver results. That’s why
companies that succeed at finding and nurturing leaders who can
grow their business do more than plan: They excel at succession
management.
How do most
organizations identify
and fill open positions?
Let’s take a look at how the best organizations
make the succession process an integral
part of their culture and how they go about
developing and nurturing tomorrow’s leaders.
Making the succession process
part of your company culture
Requirements for success
How do most organizations identify and
fill open positions? Usually, the answer is
passively. A position opens up, a search begins, and someone is
found to fill it.
Companies that create an effective succession management
process:
Best-practice organizations, in contrast, are more systematic and
proactive. These organizations:
•
quickly anticipate and fill succession gaps
•
identify employees with high management potential and
actively plan their careers and development to build "bench
strength"
•
use an ongoing planning process. Best-practice
organizations conduct periodic group discussions, often as part
of a staffing review process.  In a staffing review, leadership
teams from across business units meet quarterly or semi- Continued on 36
Training CAN Make a Difference
the WIIFM participants will experience as a result of their wholehearted
participation in the session. Emphasize “what’s in it for the trainee,” the
value of session, and the value of the information during the entire session.
Read on for six more tips for training transfer.
actions during the training sessions.You are here.)
Everyone Wins - More Tips for Training Transfer. (Tips for actions following
the training sessions.)
Training Transfer Series
This About.com page has been optimized for print. To view this page
in its original form, please visit: http://humanresources.about.com/od/
trainingtransfer/a/trningtrasnfer.htm
Ten Tips to Make Training and Development Work. (Tips for actions before
the training sessions.)
©2007 About.com, Inc., a part of The New York Times Company. All rights
reserved
Training Make a Difference: Twelve Tips for Training Transfer. (Tips for
Page 26
The Lama Review
Infinite
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Using Stumbling Blocks as Stepping Stones
By: Brian Tracy
Everyone makes mistakes and the busier you are, the more
mistakes you will make. The only question is “How well and how
effectively do you deal with the inevitable ups and downs of life?”
In thie newsletter, you learn the difference between a positive and
negative worldview. You learn how to benefit from your mistakes
and how to remain positive int he face of adversity.
Using Stumbling Blocks As Stepping Stones
There are two ways to look at the world: the benevolent way or the
malevolent way. People with a malevolent or negative worldview
take a victim stance, seeing life as a continuous succession of
problems and a process of unfairness and oppression. They don’t
expect a lot and they don’t get much. When things go wrong, they
shrug their shoulders and passively accept that this is the way life
is and there isn’[t anything they can do to make it better.
On the other hand, people with a benevolent or positive worldview
see the world around them as filled with opportunities and
possibiities. They believe that everhthing happens as part of a
great process designed to make them successful and happy.
They approach their lives, their work, and their relationships
with optimism, cheerfulness, and a general attitude of positive
expectations. They expect a lot and they are seldon disappointed.
Flex Your Mental Muscles
when you develop the skill of learning from your mistakes, you become
the kind of person who welcomes obstacles and setbacks as
opportunities to flex your mental muscles and move ahead. you
look at problems as rungs on the ladder of success that you grab
onto as you pull your way higherl
Two of the most common ways to deal with mistakes are
invariably fatal to high achievement. The first common but
misguided way to handle a mistake is the failure to accept it when
it occurs. According to statistics, 70 percent of all decisions we
make will be wrong. that’s an average. This means that some
people will fail more than 70 percent of the time, and some people
will fail less. It is hard to believe that most of the decisions we
make could turn out to be wrong in some way. In fact, if this is the
case, how can our society continue to function at all..
Cut Your Losses
The fact is that our society, our families, our companies, and our
relationships continue to survive and thrive because intelligent
people tend to cut their losses and minimize thier mistakes. It is
Page 28
only when people refuse to accept that they have made a bad
choice or decision-and prolong the consequences by sticking
to that bad choice or decision-that mistakes become extremely
expensive and hurtful.
Learn From Your Mistakes
The second common approach that peole take with regard to their
mistakes, one that hurts innumerable lives and careers, is the
failure to use your mistakes to better yourself and to improve the
quality of your mind and your thinking.
Learning from your mistakes is an essential skill that enables you
to develop the resilience to be a master of change rather than a
victim of change. The person who recognizes that he has made a
mistake and changes direction the fastest is the one who will win
in an age of increasing information, technology and competition.
By remaining fast on your feet, you will be able to out-play and
out-position your competition. You will become a creator of
circumstances rather than a creature of circumstances.
Action Exercises
Now,here are three steps you can take immediately to put these
ideas into action.
First, imagine that your biggest problem or challenge in life
has been sent to you at this moment to help you, to teach you
something valuable. What could it be?
Second, be willing to cut your losses and walk away if you have
made a mistake or a bad choice. Accept that you are not perfect,
you can’[t be right all the time, and then get on with your life.
Third, learn from every mistake you make. Write down every
lesson it contains. use your mistakes in the present as stepping
stones to great success in the future.
Three Keys to Personal Power
There are three personality powers that top leaders use to
increase their personal power and influence.
Your Emotions Are Contagious
The first power you can develop is enthusiasm. The more excited
you are about accomplishing something that is important to you,
the more excited others will be about helping you to do it. The fact
is that emotions are contagious. The more passion you have for
your life and your activities, the more charisma you will possess,
and the more cooperation you will gain from others. Every great
man or woman has been totally committed to a noble cause and,
as a result, has attracted the support and encouragement of others
in many cases, thousands or millions of others.
The Lama Review
The Key to Charisma
The second personality power that you can develop is expertise,
or competence. The more knowledgeable you are perceived to be
in your field, the more charisma you will have among those who
respect and admire that knowledge because of the impact it can
have on their lives. This is also the power of excellence, of being
recognized by others as an outstanding performer in your field.
Men and women who do their jobs extremely well and who are
recognized for the quality of their work are those who naturally
attract the help and support of others. They have charisma.
Prepare Thoroughly for Every Event
The third power of personality that gives you charisma in the eyes
of others is thorough preparation, detailed preparation, prior to
undertaking any significant task. Whether you are calling on a
prospect, meeting with your boss, giving a public talk or making
any other kind of presentation, when you are well-prepared, it
becomes clear to everyone. The careers of many young people
are put onto the fast track as a result of their coming to an
important meeting after having done all their homework.
Second, dedicate yourself to a lifelong process of getting better
and better at what you do. Prepare thoroughly for every event. Set
an example in everything you do.
UnLocking Your Creativity
Creative thinking can be stimulated by two things; intensely
desired goals and pressing problmes. Your creative capacities
need something to hone in on and your job is to provide it.
A Continual Stimulus for ideas
Intensely desired goals, clearly defined with detailed plans
for their accomplishment act as a continual stimulus for ideas to
achieve them.
Visualize Your Goals
To trigger your imagination, write out a clear description of your
ideal end result or goal, be flexible about the process. Think
about it, visualize it as realized over and over. Project your mind
forward to the picture of the realized goal and then look b ack to
the present.
Define Your Goals Clearly
Get on Top of Your Subject
Whether it takes you hours or even days, if an upcoming
meeting or interaction is important, take the time to get on top of
your subject. Be so thoroughly prepared that nothing can faze
you. Think through and consider every possibility and every
ramification. Often, this effort to be fully prepared will do more to
generate the respect of others than anything else you can do.
Keep Good Notes
Remember that the power is always on the side of the person who
has done the most preparation and has the best notes. Everything
counts. Leave nothing to chance. When you do something related
to your work or career, take the time to do it right the first time.
You are a work in progress. You are always growing and
improving. Your job is to become the very best leader you can
be, and you can - with regular and persistent practice of these
personality powers.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into
action.
First, get excited about your goals and your work if you want
others to be excited. Express your belief and commitment to
others at every opportunity.
Think on paper. Make a plan and then work on the plan, updating
it,changing it, adding to it as you think of new ways to work
toward the goal. the more clearly defined and keenly desired
your goals, the more of your natural creativity will be released for
goal attainment.
The Proper Approach to Problems
the second stimulant to creativity is pressing problems. gthe
key to idea generation when you face a problem is to approach
the problem confidently, expectantly, with the attitude that there
exists a logical, practical solution just waiting to be found
The most creative people have a relaxed attitude of confident
expectancy that causes their minds to function in original and
imaginative ways..
Diagnose Your Problems Accurately
Define your problems clearly in writing. Accurate diagnosis is
half the cure. Sometimes you will find that you are dealing with
a “cluster problem”, one that is made up of several smaller
problmes. Your job is to sort them out and then go to work on
each one seperately.
Break Up The Clusters
In many cluster problems, there is a a core issue surrounded by
a lot of symptoms. Creative thinking requres that you seperate
The Lama Review
Page 29
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Page 31
Training Protocol & Planning
The theories of operant conditioning as described
by Dr. B.F. Skinner have been used throughout time
to train animals. From training elephants, lions or
dolphins for entertainment to training search and
rescue dogs, bomb sniffing dogs and now even
cancer sniffing dogs, animal training has become
very sophisticated. You will find animal behavior
management programs at the most progressive
zoos in this country. Why? Behavior management
facilitates animal care. The Animal Behavior
Management Alliance (ABMA) defines behavior
management as the proactive and/or responsive use
of conditioning paradigms and enrichment strategies
to create, modify, or extinguish animal behavior as
an integral part of a comprehensive animal care
program. Training as a component of your behavior
management program is beneficial not only in
improving your ability to care for animals, but also
because it provides animals with another source of
enrichment. If this new approach can make animal
care easier and safer, then it is certainly something to
consider.
Thompkins reminds us to “Catch people doing things
right.” This is a great book to get your management
staff in the right frame of mind before implementing
changes. This method of management may make
it easier for you to get your department working
together to make changes to the way they think about
caring for animals.
Train your Staff
Institutions that do not have an animal behavior
management department can motivate animal care
staff and/or veterinary care staff to learn more and
even begin training animals by providing them with
educational materials and opportunities. Karen
Pryor’s “Don’t Shoot the Dog” should be a required
read for anyone who intends to begin training animals
of any species. Another great reference is “Animal
Training: Successful Animal Management through
Positive Reinforcement” by Ken Ramirez. A great
team building game to play is called “The Training
Game”. You can find a complete description of this
came on Karen Pryor’s web
site: http://www.clickertraining.
Establishing a positive reinforcement The theories of operant
com/node/155. This game
based behavior management
allows technicians to play
program can have profound effects conditioning will teach you the role of either the trainer
on the well being of the animals
how animals learn….how or the animal and gives them
in your care as well as providing
a unique perspective on
all animals learn
researchers with subjects who are
how the animal might feel
less stressed and biochemically
during a training session.
more “normal”. However, such a program must be
If you don’t have an experienced trainer on your
implemented carefully and with consideration for the
staff, consider sending technicians to conferences
safety of both the animals and the laboratory animal
and seminars. A week spent at the annual Animal
care personnel. It requires specific knowledge of the
Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) conference
natural history of the species you are working with
will certainly provide technicians with a wealth of
and a general understanding of how animals learn.
information and motivation. However, do not overlook
Positive reinforcement training takes advantage of
seminars put on by local dog training organizations.
some very simple rules of learning; if a behavior
The theories of operant conditioning will teach you
is reinforced, it is likely to be repeated. If it is not
how animals learn….how all animals learn. If you
reinforced, it is less likely to be repeated. How can
are going to train a lion, you would probably not
we take these simple rules and improve the way we
use bananas as a reward, but you would mark the
care for animals in a laboratory setting?
behavior as it happened and reinforce immediately
with an appropriate reward; the same techniques are
Train your Managers
used regardless of the species. A good dog training
Change in the workplace can be difficult for many
seminar that is based on positive reinforcement can
employees. Before implementing a positive
be beneficial in two ways. It will provide technicians
reinforcement program for your animals, I suggest
with the theories of operant conditioning and how to
that your department first implement a positive
apply them. For those technicians who have a pet
reinforcement program for your staff. “Whale Done”,
dog, it will also give them the opportunity to practice
by Ken Blanchard, Thad Lacinak, and Chuck
and refine these skills with their own pets.
Page 32
The Lama Review
Training Protocol & Planning
Setting the Framework
As is the case in research, standard operating
procedures (SOP’s) and documentation forms must
be created including a Training Protocol Planning
& Approval Form (See example, figure 1). The
management team needs to create a process for
reviewing, approving and monitoring proposed
training protocols. Who can submit a training
proposal, who reviews proposals, and who approves
proposals? You must also decide who will be allowed
to train animals and what training will be required of
the technicians who wish to train animals. A simple
test can be created based on the information in
Karen Pryor’s “Don’t Shoot the Dog”. You may want
prospective trainers to pass a hands-on test as well.
This could include working appropriately with a trained
animal, as well as training a novel behavior in an
untrained animal while being supervised.
Once your framework is together, you can begin
reviewing proposed training plans. Below I have
included two very different training protocols for the
same behavior. This is to show you the range of
detail you may include.
Training Goal: Teach vervets to touch the end of
a 12” delron rod with either hand, and then use that
targeting behavior to move the animal to specific
spots in the cage.
Sample General Targeting Protocol
1. Animal takes food from you
2. Move animal around cage using food lure
a. Introduce bridge
b. Fade the lure
3. Desensitize to target stick
4. Teach animal to touch target using food lure
a. Fade the lure
3. Move animal around cage using target stick
Sample Specific Targeting Protocol
stage 1 – present small rewards at one fixed
place at center of cage – if none are taken,
leave them in the food box after working with all
animals; goal is to have animal take treats from
trainer
bridging cue as animal takes reward; goal is to
acquaint animal with bridge to establish it as a
secondary reinforcer.
stage 3 – using a food lure (treat is visible in
hand), present the treat at different quadrants
of cage, always choosing a quadrant the animal
is not in. Bridge as soon as animal enters the
requested quadrant – not necessary for him to
come and sit in front of trainers hand; goal is to
reward for moving into proximity of the trainer’s
hand and strengthen bridging cue.
stage 4 – conduct as stage 3, only fade the
lure by having the trainer’s hand closed, but
with food in it. Bridge as in stage 3, as soon
as animal moves into the quadrant; goal is to
reward for moving into proximity of the trainer’s
hand but without having to see food lure.
Continues to strengthen the bridging cue.
stage 5 – exactly as stage 4, only have target
stick in the other hand; goal is to densitize the
animal to the target stick.
stage 6 – present food treats with the target stick
6-8” behind food treat. No bridging cue; goal is
to densitize the animal to the target stick.
stage 7 - present food treats with the target stick
2” behind food treat. No bridging cue; goal is to
densitize the animal to the target stick.
stage 8 – present target stick 2” in front of food
lure, bridge and reward when the target is
touched. Just work at one location; goal is to
have animal touch the target stick.
stage 9 – remove food lure, and use target stick
to move animal around the cage as in stage
3. Bridge as soon as animal enters quadrant;
goal is to use the target stick to move animals
around.
stage 10 – present target stick at front of cage
in different quadrants. Bridge and reward when
animal touches target stick; goal is to have
animal touching the end of the target stick.
stage 2 – present small rewards, and give
The Lama Review
Continued on Next PagePage 33
Training Protocol & Planning
As you can see, you can use very general language,
or you can use very specific language depending on
your preference and experience. I frequently start
with a general plan, and after training several animals,
I am able to refine the general plan and add more
detail. You will also notice that there is no information
on how to safely implement this training plan. A
generalized protocol for working with non-human
primates, for example, would include information such
as; the technician’s hands may not enter into the
animal’s cage, animals are required to reach through
the bars of the cage to retrieve their reinforcement.
If you don’t have a protocol that outlines the general
safety requirements for training each species, you
should create this document first.
Now that you have your protocols in place, and
technicians know how to submit a training proposal,
the real fun begins. Remember to be flexible when
approving and amending a training plan. What works
for one animal may not work for another animal.
What works for one technician may not work for
another technician. The key is to make
sure that the technician is safe at all times,
and that the same protocol is followed for a
specific animal.
will sit quietly at the front of the cage when you enter
the room. Remember that feeding an animal its daily
ration of food is a “jackpot” reinforcement. What are
your animals doing when you feed them? What are
they doing when you provide them with enrichment?
If an animal is circling or pacing, this is the wrong
time to introduce an enrichment device. Although it
may temporarily stop the stereotypic behavior, it has
also reinforced it, increasing the likelihood that the
behavior will occur again. These informal training
sessions can have a tremendous influence on your
behavior management program.
One of the greatest benefits of implementing a
positive reinforcement training program is the bonds
that are formed between the animals and the trainers.
Training creates a language that allows animals and
trainers to communicate. Communication allows
trainers to improve the quality of animal care and
improve the quality of life for animals housed in a
research setting.
A final consideration for your animal
behavior management plan; there is a lot of
training that goes on outside of a structured
training session. Begin paying attention to
the behaviors you reinforce when you walk
into a room. What is the animal doing when
you give him a treat? If a monkey shakes
his cage door and gets your attention,
and you give him a treat, you have just
increased the chance that cage shaking
will occur again. If you wait for a monkey
to quietly sit at the front of his cage and
you reinforce that behavior with a treat, you
have increased the chance that the animal
Article Submitted by
Cammie Symonouicz
Page 34
The Lama Review
the core issue, and then focus on resolving that before worrying
about the smaller probllems.
Action Exercises
Here are tow things you can do to stimulated your creativity.
First, be absolutely clear about your goal. Write it down and make
a plan to achieve it. Think of different ways you could accomplish
it.
Second, define your pboblems clearly and then make a list of all
the possible solutions to your problem. Take action on at least one
idea immediately.
The New Mental Diet
One of the most powerful personal programming activities you
can engage in is positive self-task. Be your own cheerleader and
talk to yourself positively all the time.
Think About Your Dreams
As it happens, the average person talks to himself in a
negative way. As much as 94 percent of your inner dialogue
tends to be about the things you fear, your worries, the people
you’re angry at, your problems, your concerns and so on. You
have to consciiously keep your words, your inner dialogue,
consistent with what you wish to accomplish.
The Most Powerful Antidote
Psychologists have proven that the words, “I can do it,” are
the antidote to the fear of failure that often holds you back
from trying. Repeat these words over and over to yourself
whenever you feel fearful or doubtful about anything that
you want to attempt. say very enthusiasticall to yourself, “I
can do it, I can do it, I can do it!” When you start saying, “ I
can do it, I can do it,” you drive that message deep into your
subconscious mind. This message lowers your fears and
builds yyour self-confidence.
Make A Million!
Another thing you can say to yourself is,” I make a
million. I make a million.” Impress that message into your
subconsious mind. Whenevery you think about your work,
say over and over again. “I’m the best, I’m the best,” Making
any one of these three statements., or anything that is
positive makes you feel good about yourself and causes
you to be more motivated. You become more focused, more
determined. Wealthy successful people have a continuous
innter dialogue that is positive and constructive and uplifting
and consistent with their goals and objectives.
Feed Your Mind Continually
Feed your mind from morning to night with words, pictures,
information and ideas consistent with your goals for financial
success. Develop the habit of thinking positvely and
confidently about wealth accumulation. read stories, books
and articles about other successful people. Think about
how you could be like them. visualize yourself, imagine,
fantasize, pretend in your mind that you are like the kind of
people that you admire and respect and want to be like.
Select A Role Model
Psychologists have proven that role models are essential for
magnetizing your mind with the qualities and characteristics
that you wish to develop in yourself. Pick a person that you
admire. Whenever you face any kind of difficult situation, ask
yourself, how would this person act in this situation? What
would this person do? How would this person behave? You’ll
find that when you think about how someone you admire
might behave, your own thinking becomes better and you
tend to act at your very best.
Become An Expert
Read everything you can find about your business. become
an expert in your field. The more you learn about your
profession, your trade and your craft, the more confident you
will become that you can do well in it.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put yourself on the new
mental diet for financial success:
First, repeat to yourself, over and over again, the wonderful words
“I can do it! I can do it! I can do it!” whenever you are anticipating
any new goal or opportunity. This affirmation builds your selfcionfidence and conditions you for success.
Second, monitor your mental diet the way you would your
physical diet. Be sure that you feed yourself throughout the day
with positive stories, words, pictures and conversations about the
things you want to have in your ife. Refuse to read, watch, listen
to or discuss things that are negative or depressing. This will
make a tremendous difference in how you feel and how you act.
The Lama Review
Page 35
Building Bench Strength(con’t)
annually to discuss their teams’ performance and needs as
well as strategies for developing high-potential managers.
Conducting staffing reviews is a powerful performance
management tool that can be a key driver of the succession
management process.
•
are inclusive. Rather than focusing on one or two
candidates for a key role, best-practice organizations
develop large pools of management and leadership talent.
Broadening the talent pool increases a company’s overall
chances of success by improving its capabilities.
Best practices in management and leadership
development
In too many organizations, management development is driven
by rigid training curricula, guided by compulsory competency
models and 360˚ assessments, and reinforced by standardized
performance evaluation processes. Organizations that excel in
succession management, however, approach the development of
their managers and leaders quite differently. These organizations:
•
In one such company, every employee is considered to have
high potential and is eligible for management or leadership
positions. This company fosters a culture that encourages
coaching and that supports and rewards the individual growth
and development of all employees.
•
keep the process simple. Succession management can
be made too complicated by elaborate forms and processes.
When this happens, the process usually dominates the
discussion rather than the talents, skills, and knowledge of
the candidates.
In the past, many companies practiced job rotation
-- moving employees through different functional
responsibilities -- from finance to sales to human
resources. This is often an ineffective, even dysfunctional,
approach. Few employees have what it takes to excel in
all those areas. Instead, smart companies create diverse
experiences within a functional area. They might move
a high-potential executive from a small business unit to
a larger one, and eventually, to a global business unit.
This builds executives’ leadership strengths and offers
them opportunities to learn how to overcome business
challenges regardless of the business unit’s size,
complexity, country, culture, and marketplace.
One company used to require its executives to bring
written assessments of their employees to staffing reviews.
Unfortunately, the executives became so committed
to supporting their written opinions that it stifled open
discussion. They solved the problem by eliminating some
of the paperwork, which created a forum for open-minded
conversation.
In addition, world-class organizations open up the succession
management process, making it as transparent to the
organization as possible. This encourages clarity and integrity
and minimizes politics.
•
•
create progressive assignments. Great
organizations identify high-potential managers, then move
them through the company at a quick, yet careful, pace.
Managers may progress through a series of challenging
jobs rather quickly -- every 18-24 months -- and as soon
as they’ve mastered one job, they move to the next
challenge. But their career moves must be carefully
paced; assignments that are too short can encourage
managers to deal only with the problems that they already
know how to fix.
•
carefully design assignments. In most world-class
organizations, roles and responsibilities are properly
designed; managers understand what they’re expected to
learn and do, and they have clearly defined and quantified
goals. In addition, their jobs are designed to give them
significant “headroom” -- authority and responsibility -- and
"own" their succession management. The human
resources department should support the process, but
management must own it. Accountability for selecting and
developing managers and leaders cannot be delegated; it is
integral to business success.
The most effective succession processes are disciplined, yet
flexible, open, inclusive, and owned by management. Forms and
processes are subordinated to dialogue. The goal is for leaders
to gain insights into their employees’ performance and potential.
Businesses that successfully implement this kind of process make
succession management an integral part of their corporate culture.
emphasize on-the-job development. Studies have
shown that real development happens on the job, not in
the classroom. The amount of information that managers
retain and internalize from training sessions pales when
compared to what they gain from real-life experience.
Best-practice organizations develop their managers and
leaders by intentionally offering them a diverse range of
career-building learning experiences.
- Continued on Page 52
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The Lama Review
Foundations
When Your Mind Is Stuck
In A Rut
The fledgling congress
gave Thomas Jefferson
the awesome responsibility to draft the Colonies’ declaration of independence from Great
Britain. Under such
pressure,
Jefferson
found it most difficult to
face the daunting task.
To clear his mind, he
would play his violin.
As he played, he would
think of information that
conveyed the correct
concepts. When he
reached a lull in ideas,
he would resort to playing, an activity that he
found greatly aided his
concentration.
“We live at a time when
man believes himself
favulously capable of
cration, but he does not
know what to create”
-Jose Ortege y Gasset
You need to free it somehow. Banging
your head against a wall is futile-except to
vent frustration or, perhaps, to give you a
concussion! Instead, consider the following ideas to help clear your mind to think
creatively.
Change - Leave the office or get out of the
house. Find a new environment in which to
think. Old thoughts have a way of clinging
to old surroundings, and mental associations can be difficult to break. A change in
your surroundings may lead to a change in
your thought patterns.
Simplify the more you wrestle with a problem, the more complex it may seem, and
problems have a way of becoming further
entrenched as they appear to become
more complicated. start over. Simplify.
What is the basic goal that you are trying
to accomplish? Rather than worrying about
details at first, work on fixing your mind
on the goal insimple terms.
Exercise. The brain is highly
efficient, but it does give off
“pollution.” toxins build up in
muscles and in the brain
with normal use. regular, vigorous exercise and fresh air
help to clear the
mind. General
George S.
Patton
was so
convinced
of the
need to clear
the mind and
provide oxygen to
the body that he would
The Lama Review
order his soldiers to give time to the regular
exercise of breathing.
Listen or Play Music is a powerful medium.
Thomas Jefferson knew that music can
help clear the mind and stir creativity. studies confirm that either playing an instrument
or listening to music can relive stress, boost
energy, increase efficiency and productivity
and improve communication.
Brainstorm with your mind cleared, your
envirohment changed, and your goal stated
simply before you, write down ideas-even
crazy ones. The value of starting with even
absurd ideas is that the break your mind
out of its rut and introduce fresh thinking.
And once in awhile, one of those ideas that
at first seemed crazy, upon further reflection, is not so crazy after all. such was the
discovery of the merchants and agriculteralists of the Frisians who first seeelted the
Netherlands.
There are many legends and an air of mystery surrounding the history of the Netherlands dikes,but the idea to turn oceaninto
farmland certainly seemed a crazy one.
According to some historians, it is believed
that the decision was the brainstormof early
Dutch businessmen.
Due to a growing population but small territory, land was extremely valuable. More
land was needed for farming, and the natural solution was to purchase or seize it from
the neighboring nations to the East. Bu
then someone suggested that they attack
instead their neighbor to the West: the sea!
Thus, the famous dikes were constructed
and windmills erected to pump water from
the polders. Today, roughly two-thirds of
the nation-one of the most populous in Europe-is below sea level.
When facing a problem that has your mind
stuck in a rut, creativity is knowing how to
clear your mind in order to find the creative
solution.
Page 37
Health
SPECIAL REPORT
-by Elizabeth Smoots, M.D.
Cancer New Lifestyle guidelines
from the ACS
It’s no wonder the word “cancer” strikes fear in most
of us: The World Health Organization expects 4 out of
10 Americans to develop cancer at some point during their lives. Each year over 500,000 people in this
country die from cancer, making it the second leading
cause of death after heart disease.
But the American Cancer Society (ACS) has some
reassuring news: A review of the latest
scientific evidence shows that taking
lifestyle steps to improve your
general health can markedly
reduce your cancer risk. Last
fall ACS published updated
guidelines about how to ward off
cancer.
According to ACS, 2 out of 3 cancers can be prevented by:
1- avoiding exposure to tobacco products;
2- maintaining a healthy weight;
3- staying physically active throughout
life; and
4- consuming a healthy diet.
Ready to get started? Here are some impor- tant
ways to build in protection against cancer and boost
your health at the same time.
Prevent weight gain.
• Match the calories you consume with your level of
physical activity. (Visit MyPyramid.gov to learn how.)
• Limit weight gain during adulthood to 11 pounds.
• If you’re overweight, talk to your provider about how
you can achieve a healthy weight. Losing even 5%10% of current weight can significantly aid health.
Adopt a physically active lifestyle.
ate to vigorous physical activity, beyond your usual
activities, at least 5 days a week. Exercising daily for
45-60 minutes is even more effective for preventing
cancer.
• For children and teens: Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity at least
5 days a week.
Note: Check with your provider before significantly
increasing your activity level.
Consume a healthful diet.
• Eat 5-9 servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits
each day.
• Select whole grains in place of refined grains.
• Limit your consumption of red meats and processed
meats.
• Choose portion sizes that help you maintain a
healthy weight.
Limit alcohol use.
• Men: 2 drinks a day maximum.
• Women: 1 drink a day maximum.
Fighting the 4 Most Common Cancers
– The ACS tips outlined above are
linked to a lower rate of several cancers, including those of the breast,
prostate, lung and colon – the 4
leading cancer killers. Specifically:
Regular exercise, healthy weight
and avoiding alcohol may be particularly helpful in guarding against breast cancer.
Consuming plenty of fruits and vegetables has been
shown to lower the incidence of prostate cancer cases.
Weight control and limited meat intake may protect
against colon cancer.
A word about smoking: Quit. It has been
linked to several forms of cancer,
including tumors of the
o
breast, prostate and
art t active
t
s
n
d
colon, and
u ca e more d to ol
o
y
o
b
d
is the
“An r and childho S, “No to
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t
r
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leading
sma e - from d the ’’ll beg
t
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e
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n
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of lung
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,” em n you d redu
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cancer.
a
he
r an
k.”
• For adults: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderPage 38
The Lama Review
ter w lthie
r ris
mat be hea cance
The 360° Leader
Myths about Leading from the Middle
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
In all my years of leadership teaching and consulting,
I have never observed an organization with too many
leaders. Organizations can never have enough!
However, most companies narrow their vision to a
limited number of leadership positions, and when
hiring leaders, they think only in terms of filling the top
spots.
Organizations rise and fall on the merit of their
leadership—at every level. Successful organizations
cannot afford to wait until someone gets “to the top”
to start leading. They need 360°
leaders now. Why? Because leaders
generate value!
Human nature exaggerates yesterday,
overestimates tomorrow, and underestimates
today. Leading today prepares a leader for
more and greater responsibility tomorrow. If
a leader doesn’t try out leadership skills and
decision-making processes when the risks are
low, they’re likely to get into trouble at higher
levels when the cost of mistakes is higher and
the exposure is greater.
3. The Influence Myth – “If I were on top,
then people would automatically follow
me.”
People who have no leadership experience
tend to overemphasize the importance of a
leadership title. A person may be appointed to
a position, but he or she must earn the right
to lead. The position doesn’t make the leader;
the leader makes the position.
The Inexperience
Myth – “When I get
to the top, I’ll be in
control.
Over the years, a set of common
myths has hindered leaders in
the middle of an organization. On
account of these myths, would-be
leaders have failed to grasp the
extent of their potential influence. In this edition of
Leadership Wired, I’d like to identify these myths and
look at the qualities engendered by leaders who make
an impact from the middle of the pack.
MYTHS ABOUT LEADING FROM THE MIDDLE
1. The Position Myth – “I can’t lead if I am
not at the top.”
If I had to identify the number one
misconception people have about leadership,
it would be the belief that leadership comes
simply from having a position or title. When
we conceptualize leadership in our minds,
we tend to picture the names atop the
organizational chart. When asked to name
a leader, most of us would list presidents,
CEO’s, or general managers. We erroneously
think leadership is position, when in reality,
leadership is influence.
2. The Destination Myth – “When I get to
the top, then I’ll learn to lead.”
4. The Inexperience Myth –
“When I get to the top, I’ll be in
control.”
A bold young leader may become
impatient when eyeing areas for
improvement within the organization: “If
I were in charge, we wouldn’t have done
this, and we would have done that. Things
would be different around here if I were the
boss.” The desire to improve and the selfconfidence to make changes are admirable
leadership qualities. However, without reallife experience, a young leader is likely to
overestimate the amount of control held by
leaders at the top. The higher you go—and the
larger the organization—the more you realize
the complex mix of variables that control the
organization.
5. The Freedom Myth – “When I get to the
top, I’ll no longer be limited.”
Climbing the ranks of leadership does not earn
the leader a ticket to freedom. Rights decrease
and responsibilities grow as you ascend the
corporate ladder. Leadership at the highest
levels is accompanied by a daunting set of
challenges.
The Potential Myth – “I can’t reach my
Continued on 40
The Lama Review
Page 39
The 360° Leader (con’t)
Myths about Leading from the Middle
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
potential if I’m not the top leader.”
In reality, most people will never be the top
leader in an organization. They will spend their
careers somewhere in the middle. Strive to
reach the top of your game, not the top of the
organization.
Effective 360° leaders are secure enough in
who they are to not worry about where they are.
Instead of focusing on reaching a position, they
focus on reaching their potential.
4. Service – Gains fulfillment in serving
everyone.
6. The All-or-Nothing Myth – “If I can’t get to
the top, then I won’t try to lead.”
People who are motivated by advancement may
be tempted to abandon their influence when
they hit a barrier to a bigger promotion. These
people look at an organization, recognize they
will not be able to make it to the top, and give
up. Their attitude is, “If I can’t be the captain of
the team, then I’ll take my ball and go home.”
A servant leader serves the mission and leads
by serving those on mission with him or her.
The true measure of leaders is not the number
of people who serve them but the number of
people they serve.
5. Resourcefulness – Finds creative ways to
make things happen.
Creativity is the joy of not knowing it all. We
seldom, if ever, have all the answers, but we
always have the imagination to create solutions
to our problems.
Defining Qualities of a 360° Leader
1. Adaptability – Quickly adjusts to change.
6. Maturity – Puts the team before self.
Leaders in the middle may not be the first to
know, but they are often the ones in charge
of implementation. Adaptable managers in
the middle are willing
to embrace a change
operationally even if they
are not yet ready to do so
emotionally.
2. Discernment –
Understands the real
issues.
7. Communication – Links to all
levels of the organization.
We often think of communication
in organizations as being primarily
top-down. Leaders at the top cast
vision, set direction, reward progress,
etc. However, good communication
is a 360-degree proposition. In
fact, oftentimes the most critical
communication comes from leaders
identifying problems or solutions at
the ground level and sending them
up the chain of command.
Good leaders cut through
the clutter to see the real
issues. A smart person
believes only half of what
he hears, but a truly smart
person knows which half to
believe.
3. Security – Finds identity
in self, not position.
Page 40
Nobody who possesses an unrelenting me-first
attitude is able to develop much influence with
others. A mature leader sees beyond
his or her personal vantage point and
has the courage to make sacrifices
which advance the team.
The Lama Review
By Dr. John C. Maxwell
After Princess Diana was killed in a tragic car accident,
2 ½ billion people tuned in to watch her televised
funeral. Not only Great Britain, but the entire world,
mourned her death. What accounted for the public’s
emotional attachment to Princess Di?
Certainly, royalty and beauty attributed to Princess
Diana’s popularity, but something else connected her
to the hearts of people across the globe. Looks and
lineage may have landed her on magazine covers, but
Princess Di had an endearing quality that gave her even
greater appeal. Princess Diana was beloved because
she was a servant leader.
For centuries, royal families epitomized self-serving
leadership. Comfortably removed from the day to day
troubles of those in their kingdom, they enjoyed opulent
wealth and absolute power. Princess Diana broke the
stereotype. She leveraged her popularity to lend support
for AIDS research, to care for those with leprosy, and to
ban land mines. In fact, the force of Diana’s compassion
was so influential that Time Magazine named her one of
the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.
Five Practices That Help Leaders Serve Others
In their valuable book, The Secret, Ken Blanchard
and Mark Miller shed light on the practices that enable
leaders, like Princess Diana, to serve others. In this
edition of LW, I’d like to pass on their ideas to you.
1. See the Future
Leaders have a compelling vision for the future stirring
inside of them. The vision makes plain a leader’s
identity, direction, and pattern of behavior.
To affect the future, a leader spreads values throughout
an organization. These values are core beliefs that
become the cornerstones of organizational culture. A
wise leader publishes the values so that they can be
repeated, recognized, and rewarded.
A leader cannot delegate the responsibility to see the
future. They may share the responsibility, but ultimately,
it’s the leader’s job to make time today to ensure the
direction of tomorrow.
2. Engage and Develop Others
To create the future a leader envisions, he or she must
have the right people, in the right roles, fully engaged
to their work. Everything that you will accomplish as a
leader ultimately hinges on the people you have around
you. As the Law of the Inner Circle says, “A leader’s
potential is determined by those closest to him or her.”
Sadly, many people’s talents languish on the job
because they are disengaged. Likely, the greatest
waste in business is human potential. Leaders pull
out the potential inside of their people by inspiring
and motivating. They are quick to offer opportunities
for growth, be mentors, or equip their employees with
resources.
3. Reinvent Continuously
Great leaders reinvent continuously on a personal level.
They are always interested in ways to enhance their
own knowledge and skills. The very best leaders are
learners. They realize that if they stop learning, they will
stop leading. A leader sets the tone of the organization.
If they cease growing personally, then the majority of
those they lead will become stagnant as well.
Reinvention is critical to survival. The solutions to
problems of the past are inadequate to address the
demands of today. Leaders must have fresh, innovative
thinking and new ideas to respond to the challenges the
organization faces.
4. Value results and relationships
When it comes to results and relationships, the best
leaders take a both/and approach. A focus solely on
results demoralizes the team, while an overemphasis on
relationships undercuts the bottom line due to conflict
avoidance and an absence of accountability. The
greatest leaders make friends and profits.
Leaders earn relational capital, and put it to work to gain
results. As the Law of Connection states, “leaders touch
a heart before they ask for a hand.”
5. Embody Values
All genuine leadership is built on trust. Leaders build
trust when they establish, articulate, model, and enforce
values. In short, they walk the talk.
If I say customers are important, my actions had better
support that statement. If I choose to live as if customers
are not important, people will have reason to question
my trustworthiness. And in the final analysis, if I am
deemed untrustworthy by my people, I will not be trusted
– or followed as a leader.
REVIEW: Five Practices That Help Leaders Serve
Others
1. See the Future
2. Engage and Develop Others
3. Reinvent Continuously
4. Value Results and Relationships
5. Embody Values
The Lama Review
Page 41
The Management Process
Complete the puzzle using the clues shown below.
1
2
3
4
5
7
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
Across
2. type of organizations that operate and compete in more than one country
4. a process in which managers evaluate how well an organization is achieving its goals and take action to maintain
or improve performance
7. a measure of how well or how productively resources are used to achieve a goal
9. skills that are based on job specific knowledge and techniques required to perform an organizational role
10. the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of human and other resources to achieve a wide variety of goals
or desired future outcomes
11. a process that managers use to identify and select appropriate goals and courses if action
12. a measure of the appropriateness of the goals and the degrees to which an organization achieves those goals
13. type of advantage in which an organization has the ability to outperform other organizations because it produces
desired goods or services more efficiently and effectively than its competitors
Down
1. skills that include the ability to understand, alter, lead, and control the behavior of other individuals and groups
3. a process that managers use to establish a structure of working relationships that allow organizational members to
interact and cooperate to achieve organizational goals
5. a group of people who work together and posses similar skills or use the same kind of knowledge, tools or
techniques to perform their jobs
6. a process in which managers articulate a clear vision for organizational members to follow and they energize and
enable members so that they understand the part they play in achieving organizational goals
8. skills that demonstrate the ability to analyze and diagnose a situation and to distinguish between cause and effect
(Solution on Page 58)
The Lama Review
Created with Discovery Channel School's PuzzleMaker.
Page 43
The Goal
A Process
of Ongoing
Improvement
Eliyahu M. Goldratt
and Jeff Cox
Alex Rogo is in the middle of a crisis. He manages
an assembly plant that is far behind in everything…
Seven to eight weeks behind. Rogo runs his plant
by putting out fires. He deals with the most urgent
and latest orders first. There is a general feeling
of malcontent among his staff. The plant is losing
money, fast. Rogo’s boss has just issued an
ultimatum that he has three months to turn the plant
around. And to top it off, his marriage is falling apart.
Rogo is forced to examine his life. During his
reflections, he recalls a chance encounter with an old
physics instructor a few weeks prior. They met while
in transit through an airport, recognized each other,
and started a short conversation about work in which
Rogo proceeded to lament his problems. Jonah,
the physics instructor, listened and then questioned
Rogo about his company’s goals. That is where the
conversation left off and where Rogo picked up his
thinking after the ultimatum was issued by his boss.
Throughout the book, Jonah serves as a sounding
board and mentor to Rogo, who, with the assistance
of a key group of staff, try diligently to turn their
assembly plant around. They define the goals of the
plant, identify areas of constraints or “bottlenecks”,
and adjust work flow to maximize the output of
the bottleneck areas, all while they try to reduce
inventory. All of their efforts result in the complete turn
around of the plant.
While ‘The Goal’ is written with manufacturing and
assembly plants in mind, the Theory of Constraints
is easily applicable to certain areas of an animal
facility; cage wash for example. By examining cage
wash, identifying the goal of the area, recognizing the
bottlenecks (areas of constraint), and reorganizing
the work load to maximize work flow, it is possible for
cage wash to become a much more productive area.
Goldratt encourages the reader to think outside the
box, re-examine your methods of doing things, and
escape from the “this is the way it has always been
done” way of thinking. Team work, using available
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resources, and focusing on the talents of employees
are other focal points through out the book.
If you feel like things are at a stalemate at work or if
you are looking for a better way to do things, or even
for an enlightening read, pick up ‘The Goal’. You
never know where you may be able to apply the ideas
and theories presented in this book.
Get up to Speed on Workplace Law,
Writing with two books - by Marvin Walberg
I received a couple of preview books last week that are worth
of mention. One of the books I referenced in a recent column
on differing abilities.
The American Bar Association’s “Guide to Workplace Law,”
second edition, published by Random House Reference, is a
comprehensive look at one’s legal rights and responsibilities
in the workplace. It covers important information on the legal
rights of employers, employees, and job seekers, plus gives
up-to-date information on wages, hours, contracts, discrimination laws and unions.
this is an incredibly comprehensive look at workplace law for
the non-lawyer, and reads like a gyidebook, not a law text.
It is an excellent reference book for job seekers and hiring
managers, I highly recommend it.
Another very interesting new book is the revised edition of
Sandra E. Lamb’s “How to write It,” published by Ten speed
Press, publisher of Richard nelson Bolles’ “What Color Is
Your Parachute?”
“How To Write It” is the complete guide to everything you’ll
ever write and is particularly hellpful for guiding you with cover letters, resumes,thank you notes, followup letters,requests
and inquiries, confirmation and acknowledgement letters,
lettters of acceptance and fefusal and when necessary,, letters of resignation.
This book is also recommended to employers, hiring managers, and all HR personnel. Both “How to Write It” and “Guide
to Workplace Law” should be available in your public library
and quality bookstore. Since I receive so many resumes to
critique, let me offer two very important writing tips that Lamb
also suggests:
If you use an “objective” in your resume, please make it
specific to the job you seek, not a vague statement like
“Seeking a growth opportunity with a progressive company
interested in utilizing my combined skills,” what did that really
say? be specific and name the job you want. When listing
work hisotry on your resume, don’t stop at your title and job
responsibilities. Highlight your accomplishments. what did
you do that set you apart fromothers? What did you do that
was above and beyond the limits of your job description?
Why should someone hire you?
Your resume is your personal sales brochure. sell your sizzle! E-mail me for resume critique information. mwalberg@
bellsouth.net.
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Leadership Tools
Be A Smarter, Faster, Better
Leader -by Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com
In today’s workplace, leaders can be found throughout
an organization, not just at the top. “Leadership is
part of many employees’ daily lives. It’s no longer
just for CEOs,”says Karlin Sloan, leadership coach
and author of the new book, “Smarter, Faster, Better
-- Strategies for Effective, Enduring, and Fulfilled
Leadership.” 
“Leadership skills are important for today’s workers
because our organizations are shifting and becoming
less hierarchical, more matrixed,” says Sloan, who is
also the founder and CEO of the leadership consulting
firm Karlin Sloan and Company. “Decisions are made
at multiple levels. It’s critical for more people to take
responsibility for organizational results.” And that
means developing and honing good leadership skills.
But what exactly is leadership? Here’s how Sloan
defines it, “Leadership really means willingness to
take ownership of something greater than oneself -for an idea, for your team, for your organization.” She
gives advice on becoming a smarter, faster and better
leader.
Don’t do it alone. “As someone who’s been a
recipient of great coaching, it’s always helpful to have
someone on your side to talk things through and
help you develop. That doesn’t have to be a formal
coach -- it could be a trusted colleague, a mentor, a
great manager or a friend. Knowing you have people
supporting you to be your best can make all the
difference,” Sloan advises.
Whether you’ve just moved into a management
position or you’ve been asked to lead a project team,
one of the first steps you can take to becoming a good
leader is to get to know each individual you manage - ask questions, and be clear about your expectations.
Consider and communicate what you want to see
in the people you manage, Sloan counsels. “Letting
those on your team know that you’re excited to work
together -- that goes a long way.”
Sloan has identified three paradoxes of leadership
-- smarter, faster and better. “All three are great to
have in mind when you are focusing on moving your
leadership skills to the next level.”
1. Smarter paradox -- great leaders don’t need to
be the smartest people in the room, they are
comfortable admitting what they don’t know,
and asking questions.
2. Faster paradox -- great leaders know that in
order to go faster and be more efficient, we
need to slow down.
3. Better paradox -- great leaders don’t
constantly focus on their own personal
competitive advantage. Instead, they focus on
bettering others, and becoming ‘better with’
versus ‘better than’. It means focusing on the
bigger picture -- accomplishing goals as a
team or organization, not just as an individual.
Being a good leader also requires having a positive
outlook. “Great leaders believe in the possibility
of a positive outcome. They are able to step up to
a challenge, envision a possible future, and rally
people to make that future a reality,” Sloan contends.
“Great leadership is about having a positive outlook
-- as long as you’re willing to acknowledge the real.
The best leaders I have met are able to see the
opportunities in everything, but also to recognize and
state facts.”
Sloan says the simplest way to shift your attitude into
a positive one is to practice gratitude every day. “Be
thankful for something at every opportunity. We all
have something to be thankful for.”
While many managers and leaders feel the urge
to get things done a break-neck speed, Sloan
encourages her clients to slow down a bit and take
time to stop, focus and relax. Sounds great, but
doesn’t exactly fit into our idea of what great leaders
seem to be doing.
“So often we are rushing too fast to be strategic or
thoughtful about our work. We end up expending all of
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Leadership Tools
our energy in the wrong places, or burning ourselves
out,” Sloan says. “Marathon runners understand this
concept -- pace yourself. Marathon runners can’t do
a sprint the whole distance; they know they need to
manage their energy in order to perform over time.”
What about the popular multi-tasking? “Multi-tasking is
fine if you don’t need to remember what you’re doing.
Research shows that when we multi-task our memory
doesn’t work as well, and we don’t retain information,”
she says. “It is absolutely impossible to multi-task and
focus. Focus is an underrated virtue -- try it, you might
like it!”
Her final piece of advice? Leaders should get out of
their comfort zone to develop new skills and talents. “If
you’re not making any mistakes, you’re not taking any
risks. It’s important to stretch yourself. Excellence is
the goal -- not perfection.”
Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for
CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about
job search strategy, career management, hiring trends
and workplace issues. Other writers contributed to this
article.
What Comes After Success?
By Jim Thornton, Best Life
Nine years ago, I won a magazine journalism prize
that, at the time, seemed to me no less prestigious
than a Lifetime Achievement Award from the
Academy.
Almost all organized groups, from sexologists to pipe
fitters to the American Kennel Club, give out annual
accolades. To long-squashed guys like myself, being
unexpectedly tapped as “best in breed” by my own ilk
was like having the word success tattooed in prison
ink across my fast-fattening forehead.
I couldn’t wait to let my colleagues/competitors know
that I had won—and they hadn’t.
Of all the hoary chestnuts one reads about success,
the one I most subscribed to then was this: It’s not
enough that I succeed, but my friends must also
fail. Cynical as this seems, it’s hardly an unheard-of
sentiment in us guys. Since the 1950s, psychologists
have known that males, in particular, are hardwired to
use the so-called social-comparison process to assess
our places in the pecking order. We cannot truly be
winners, or so our primate genes insist, without there
being legions of losers upon whose trampled body
parts we chosen ones have clambered, stomped, and
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ultimately stood erect over.
That night at my keyboard, head pounding from a
pitcher of celebratory gin and tonics, I dispatched a
group e-mail which, when stripped of its considerable
false modesty, made the following points: Everything
has changed. I have arrived. Success—sweet, luscious
success—is mine at last!
Several months ago, while mired in a particularly
stubborn episode of work-triggered depression, I had
occasion to reread this e-mail. Like a broken lottery
winner after the millions have been squandered, my
own emotional zenith had given way to its predictable
nadir. Virtually none of my promised Good Life had
come to pass. The only sentence, in fact, that seemed
even half-prophetic was one I’d thrown out in irony
and jest: “Thus begins my life of highly remunerative,
drunken mediocrity.”
Half-prophetic, indeed.
Admit it: At some point in your working life, perhaps
even right now at this very moment, you have craved
Success with a capital S. You’ve fantasized about the
perks ‘n’ pork it will bring: the newfound respect of
your once-disappointed father; a basement filled with
bearer’s bonds and bottomless beer kegs; that trophy
harem certain to seek you out the instant Hef kicks.
Sure, part of you understands all this is probably
a mirage. You are, after all, no stranger to the
wisdom of the intelligentsia who have bivouacked
in Successville and found it unlivable. You agree, in
principle at least, with William James, who wrote in
1906: “The moral flabbiness born of the exclusive
worship of the bitch-goddess SUCCESS; that—with the
squalid cash interpretation put on the word success—
is our national disease.”
Benjamin Franklin was a bit more succinct: “Success
has ruined many a man.” You can’t help but think,
Easy for them to say—they’ve already succeeded.
You’re no conspiracy theorist, but sometimes it seems
as though the success-isn’t-what-it’s-cracked-up-to-be
crowd spouts off their maxims in order to keep their
membership ranks exclusively minu­scule. Just let me
join your tiny club, your soul pleads, and I, too, shall
warn life’s lumpenproletarian losers about success’s
manifold miseries.
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What Comes After Success? (con’t)
The downsides of success are true enough,
acknowledges aphorist Michael Korda, longtime
editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster. “But,” he
maintains, “success is the next-best thing to
happiness, and if you can’t be happy as a success,
it’s very unlikely that you would find a deeper,
truer happiness in failure.” Speaking from extensive
personal experience on this, I must say he has a
point.
Depending on how you define success, both
views—i.e., “It’s horrible! Turn back!” and “It’s
joy’s monozygotic twin!”—can muster compelling
arguments on their behalf. Steven Berglas, Ph.D., an
executive coach and management consultant, has
spent his career studying both the pitfalls of success
and the potential it can have to prove life-affirming
when approached in a pro-social way.
In terms of the former horror-show possibilities,
Berglas has documented a constellation of emotional
problems common to many high achievers at the
peak of their worldly acclaim, from Fortune 500 CEOs
to Olympic gold medalists. In his book Reclaiming
the Fire: How Successful People Overcome Burnout
(Random House), Berglas even coins a high-concept
moniker for the affliction.
“Supernova burnout,” Berglas explains, “is a
psychological disorder that results when very
successful people feel anxiety, despondency, and
depression over the fact that they are trapped in a
career from which they can’t escape but which no
longer provides them psychological gratification.”
quantum leap in salary, a company-paid membership
to the local country club: With any such defining
moment, provided a man feels in his heart that he
has finally arrived, there comes vulnerability to an
altogether unexpected “view from the top.”
To be sure, once men do reach this point in life, it is
perhaps understandable that they should feel entitled
to reap dividends of happiness, satisfaction, and
fulfillment. The only problem is that such a logical
assumption is not how things tend to work in reality.
Is that all there is? “We have in our society this notion
that success is transformative,” explains Berglas. “In
point of fact, this is a myth. You finally reach a life
goal—winning a Pulitzer, for example—and you think
suddenly everything will change for the better. In
reality, only one thing changes: You’ve won an award.
Many people become depressed when they reach
their goal and discover that their career success is not
transformative.”
Historical scholar Joshua Wolf Shenk knows the Peggy
Lee phenomenon well. He spent years researching
and writing an acclaimed biography, Lincoln’s
Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President
and Fueled His Greatness (Houghton Mifflin). Despite
this, the glory Shenk hoped awaited him largely failed
to materialize.
If such a diagnosis sounds disconcertingly familiar,
the good news is that Berglas and other observers
dating as far back as Stoical philosopher Epictetus
have identified effective techniques for both avoiding
this trap in the first place and extricating yourself
from it if you’ve already become mired therein. More
on such strategies in a moment, but first a few words
on the etiology of supernova burnout.
“If anything,” Shenk recalls, “I experienced a kind
of postpartum depression after my book was finally
done. I had made all these incredible promises to
myself, and I had all these fantastic visions about
how my life would be fundamentally different
once my book was published: career momentum,
newfound respect, maybe a little more money. There
is this profound sense that your life really will become
easier. But then you wake up to the reality of life after
an accomplishment, and that reality is that you still
have the same life, only now with an accomplishment.
And though this brings benefits, it also brings new
obligations.”
To begin with, success-fueled malaise can set in at
any age. Springboard diver Mark Lenzi was still in his
twenties when post-Olympic depression overwhelmed
him months after he won gold at the Barcelona
games. Ditto for the horde of twentysomething dotcom millionaires whose overnight financial success
in the 1990s led California shrinks to coin a new
diagnosis just for them: sudden wealth syndrome.
For many men, these obligations boil down to the
simple fact that you’ve just set new and tougher
standards for yourself. Your best work, in other
words, has become the measuring stick by which
all of your future efforts will be judged. As Irving
Berlin so sagaciously observed, “The toughest thing
about success is that you’ve got to keep on being a
success.”
Most of the time, however, supernova burnout afflicts
star performers in their forties, fifties, and beyond—
guys who have sacrificed and toiled for decades
and finally achieved their goals. A corner office, a
Case in point: a screenwriter, who for years enjoyed
a stable income while flying largely under the
Hollywood A-list radar. Everything changed, however,
when an Academy Award–winning director took his
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What Comes After Success? (con’t)
screenplay and turned it into a sci-fi blockbuster with a
budget over $100 million. “That’s when the bigger offers
started coming in,” says the writer. “Automatically,
my nuts began to tighten from the new burden of
expectation. I hated the fact that producers expected
me to achieve another sci-fi blockbuster every single
time I sat down at my desk. These people, they have
dreams for you that nobody can achieve. All the time I
felt I should be reveling in my good fortune, but I was
just chafing because of performance anxiety.”
Even as demands for ever-greater performance grow,
the options for tackling novel challenges narrow
drastically. Success, virtually by definition, funnels high
performers into increasingly specialized and repetitive
roles that all but squeeze the spice out of life.
“If Luciano Pavarotti were to respond to shouts of
‘Encore! Encore! ’ by sitting down at the piano and
playing the boogie-woogie, the audience would be
anything but pleased,” says Berglas. “The bottom line is
that you get tons of kudos and money when you’re one
of the world’s top operatic tenors, but not a lot of room
to experiment or behave in unexpected ways.”
To be sure, climbing to the top of any mountain can be
fun—the first few times. But as Sisyphus discovered,
hauling your ass up and down identical terrain endlessly
can prove the very definition of damnation. The nation’s
top tax lawyers and cosmetic surgeons, for example,
may earn a fortune for each loophole they uncover or
tummy they tuck, but after the thousandth repetition of
their respected stock in trade, a certain soul-deadening
ennui becomes practically inevitable. “Virtually all high
achievers,” says Berglas, “become imprisoned by their
stellar careers for all the ‘right ’ reasons: social approval,
the desire to provide for family, the belief that staying
the course is constructive.”
Add in, as well, how extremely gradual the process of
career incarceration often is. “The snare set by golden
handcuffs,” says Berglas, “constricts slowly.”
Over enough decades, many stellar performers wind
up like mules trained to the millstone. By the time they
realize what a rut they’re stuck in, they can no longer
walk a straight line to the exit door. Quiet desperation
interspersed with episodes of clinical depression; alltoo-frequent refills of the Jack Daniel’s Rx; an abiding
sense that life’s meaning has been slowly replaced by
tedium the way blood is supplanted by formaldehyde
in the mortuary—such are the not uncommon secrets
underlying many a success story. In more severe
cases, says Berglas, the list of symptoms swells to
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publicized of these, he argues, are the kind of antisocial
shenanigans that have become such a staple of the
nation’s business press.
“All these white-collar, penny-ante little schemes you
read about, from Martha Stewart to Dennis Kozlowski,
happen because superachievers need a new challenge
to get their juices going,” he says. “If they can no
longer get pumped up in healthy ways, they’re going to
do it in nonhealthy ways, which means daring the devil
and trying to beat him.”
Consider the cautionary tale of Michigan mall developer
A. Alfred Taubman. A longtime fixture on the Forbes
list of the 400 richest Americans, Taubman acquired
Sotheby’s art auction house and took it public in 1988,
earning the praise of business analysts for turning
around a prestigious but slogging company’s fortunes.
Fourteen years later, however, Taubman was in prison.
His crime: concocting a conspiracy with rival auction
house Christie’s to fix commissions on art sales. By the
time the scheme came to light, Sotheby’s clients had
been bilked out of an estimated $40 million.
This is a lot of money for most of us, but a relative
pittance for Taubman, who, at the time, was worth
nearly $1 billion. The fact that he was also nearing 80
was further baffling. “He couldn’t live long enough to
spend all the money he already had,” says Berglas.
“This piddling little price-­fixing scandal was just a way
of getting ‘high.’ He was bored sh**ess as chairman
of Sotheby’s, and the old bastard, like so many other
people who reach the top, needed a new adrenaline
rush.” The same addiction may have sunk former
United Health chairman and CEO William McGuire, who
became a heavily compensated hero by transforming
the company into a leading health insurer valued at
more than $45 billion, then quit in disgrace this past
autumn under suspicion of backdating stock options.
Kobi Alexander, an entrepreneur founder of the telecom
company Comverse, underwent the same transition
after falling under suspicion of backdating stock options.
He fled justice and was finally apprehended on a golf
course in Namibia, where he’s awaiting extradition.
Fortunately, success doesn’t have to lead to the dark
side. Barry Scheck, a constitutional lawyer with a special
interest in DNA evidence, came to national prominence
as a member of the dream team that won acquittal for
O.J. Simpson. Many superlawyers in Scheck’s position
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What Comes After Success? (con’t)
are content to spend their working lives racking up
$700-per-hour fees from any scumbag who can afford
to pay. Not so for Scheck, who has a pro-social passion
that transcends self-aggrandizement and personal
enrichment. Along with lawyer Peter Neufeld, he
founded the Innocence Project, which has used DNA
evidence to exonerate dozens of wrongfully imprisoned
convicts from life sentences and occasionally death
row. Their work is performed largely pro bono, i.e.,
“done without compensation for the public good.”
handyman who dropped out of school after third
grade, Johnson was the first member of his family ever
to attend college. Given these humble origins, it is
perhaps not surprising that Johnson’s eventual highprofile success would prove so intoxicating.
Or take the case of Michael O’Shaughnessy, a ninthgrade dropout and former PE teacher who started
dabbling in real estate and amassed a fortune of more
than $15 million—but never found the satisfaction
he was seeking. “I was 42 years old,” he says, “and
I thought that I really wanted to experience more to
life than wearing a tie, chasing deals, and sucking
up to clients.” He began to establish goals outside
of his work life: first, to complete an Ironman; later,
he would organize the first-ever paddleboarding
expedition from Key West to Havana and set a
Guinness World Record for distance paddling. But
his greatest satisfaction came not from paddling a
surfboard, but pounding a keyboard. At the behest of
his wife, he wrote a personal- finance book for women
called Millennium Woman: A Guideline to Personal
Security and Financial Prosperity for Today’s Woman,
and later founded the nonprofit Millennium Woman
Foundation, which provides tuition for single mothers.
Inspired by his own mother’s lack of advantages in this
world, he sees the foundation as “a chance to return
the favor.”
In 1989, despite the fact that the Times was
enjoying one of its best years ever financially and
journalistically, Johnson was asked to step aside—a
psychic blow that plunged him into a depression so
deep he contemplated suicide.
Herein lies the true dividing line. Those like Scheck and
O’Shaughnessy who conceive of personal success as
a springboard for pro bono actions open themselves
to the chance for genuine fulfillment. Successful
men whose ambitions remain mired in the purely
“pro me” realm, on the other hand, are supernova
burnouts waiting to happen. “I very humbly argue,”
says Berglas, “that every major thinker since recorded
time has argued this perspective. Christian, Freudian,
Confucian, Judaic thinking—all have argued the need
for balance between material wealth, community
involvement, and interpersonal intimacy to achieve
success. Without a chronic challenge that ties you
to the community, career success is nothing but
narcissistic gratification that will doom you to burnout.”
Though some of the worst and the best of us appear
fated to travel the low or high road, respectively,
our whole lives, many men who start out on the
former eventually find the latter. Tom Johnson served
as publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times
throughout the 1980s. The son of a Macon, Georgia,
“So much of my self-worth was tied to my position,”
he says. “I was defining success by my titles, by
my self-perceived importance, by all the perks and
compensation I received.”
“Then a near-miracle happened,” Johnson recalls
today. “Ted Turner offered me the presidency of CNN.
I began work on August 1, 1990, one day before
Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. I was part of the CNN
leadership group at one of the greatest moments in the
history of television journalism. Even though this new
job brought exceptional professional happiness and
quickly filled the void left by my having been removed
as publisher of the Los Angeles Times, it did not
resolve my depression.”
What did eventually help was a combination of
medication and therapy prescribed by a caring
psychiatrist—along with a newfound passion for
helping others suffering the disease. Johnson retired in
2001 and decided to go public with his earlier travails—
not an easy thing for a high-profile CEO to admit. In
the process, he says, he has never felt more fulfilled.
“I’ve been so lucky in my life,” he says, “and now I feel
a strong obligation to help others, especially those who
are broken.”
Part of Johnson’s quest has been high profile, testifying
before Congress, for example, in an effort to put
mental disorders on an equal footing with physical
ones in terms of insurance coverage. But many of his
efforts have been on a personal, one-on-one level. To
date, he has helped some 136 individuals, from young
men and women to fellow CEOs, who learned about his
crusade to destigmatize mental illness and contacted
him directly about their own bouts of depression.
I first interviewed Johnson while researching a story on
male depression and simultaneously suffering a severe
bout of it myself. Though depression’s tentacles wriggle
their way into many aspects of life, a prominent trigger
for my episode at the time was work—specifically, a
pervasive sense that my best years were behind me.
Try as I might to recapture the thrill of that writing
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award, I failed year after year to score so much as a
nomination. The clock I had been punching for so long
began punching back with a vengeance.
That’s when something odd happened. My friends—the
same ones whose failures I’d half-jokingly rooted
for as foils to my own accomplishment—expressed
genuine concern for my deteriorating condition. With
their encouragement, along with wisdom gleaned from
Johnson and an assortment of depression researchers,
I tried a different approach to my work: As I wrote my
story, I concentrated not on crafting an award winner,
but instead on doing my best simply to help other guys
afflicted with a serious, still-stigmatized but eminently
treatable disease.
I sent the subsequent piece to my editor. When he
finally got back to me months later, he had whittled
my story down to, in essence, a bullet-pointed haiku.
In the past, this would have proved a devastating blow
to my ego. Now, I just felt bad, thinking that some
reader out there, who might have benefited from
the more detailed, nuanced version, wouldn’t get the
chance. And I resolved to rededicate all of my future
efforts, using whatever talents I’ve been given, to
helping other people live happier lives. The result has
been a lasting freedom from the shackles they clasped
onto my wrists the day they handed me that award.
Ralph Waldo Emerson summed up success thusly: “To
laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children; to earn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal
of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best
in others; to leave the world a little better, whether
by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed
social condition; to know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of
success!”
Regardless of how you’ve defined success to date, the
best part of all is it’s never too late to start striving for
the genuine article.
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Workplace Tips
Five Embarrassing Work Gaffes
Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor
We’ve all experienced awkward moments at work, along with
that feeling of alarm you get the moment you realize you just
said or did something you can’t take back and that you know
will elicit a reaction from fellow workers.
You swear you’ll never show your face around the office
again. But time heals all wounds, even those caused by
extreme humiliation.
How the situation is handled can influence its potential
notoriety around the office. A faux pas managed with
composure and wit won’t have the legs of one that is met with
extreme shock and unrelenting uneasiness. As painful as it
may seem at the time, you actually can learn a lot from your
bloopers, once the redness drains from your cheeks.
Here are a few common work-related predicaments and
suggestions on how to handle them.
1. You’re delivering a presentation and notice a glaring
misspelling up on the screen for all to see.
What can you do? Come clean and confess.
Judit Price, career coach with Berke and Price career
consulting firm, says honesty is the best policy. “Confess and
admit you’ve made a mistake,” she says. “Don’t try to talk
about it too much, you may end up putting your foot in your
mouth.” Do your best to correct the blunder and then move
on.
2. You’re in a meeting with the president of the company and
other high ranking executives. You and everyone around you
are distracted by the guttural bellows of hunger emanating
from your stomach.
What can you do? Apply humor.
Nothing diffuses a tense or embarrassing situation like a little
chuckle. Price advises saying something like, “I guess after
this meeting I’ll have to run to the cafeteria and have lunch.”
3. You meant to forward the raunchy e-mail to your friend.
You didn’t realize your co-worker was accidentally added to
the distribution list.
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10 Attitudes of Successful
Workers
By Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor
Why do some people seem to reach the top of the
corporate ladder easily, while others remain stuck on
the middle-management rung? You might think that it is
just because those people have more of what it takes
to succeed, like brains, talent and powerful people in
their corner. But there is something else that is just as
important: attitude. Dr. Martin Seligman, an authority
on optimism, discovered that attitude was a better
predictor of success than I.Q., education
and most other factors. He found that
positive people stay healthier, have
better relationships and go further in their
careers. And he even found that positive
people make more money.
Anyone can adopt the right attitude. No
matter where you are from or how much
innate talent you have, the right attitude
can make a difference in your career. Try adopting these
10 attitudes of successful workers:
1. I am in charge of my destiny.
If you spend your entire career waiting for something
exciting to come to you, you will be waiting a long time.
Successful professionals go out and make good things
happen. So commit yourself to thinking about your
career in an entirely different way. You will make it to the
top, and you are in charge of making it happen.
2. Anything is possible.
Think that there is no way you will ever be at the vicepresident level? Then you definitely won’t. Remember:
If you think you can’t, you probably won’t. Adopt the
attitude of The Little Engine That Could -- “I think I can.”
3. No task is too small to do well.
You never know when you are going to be noticed.
That is one reason to take pride in your work -- all of it.
One public relations executive in Chicago said that her
first task in the PR department of a ballet company was
reorganizing the supply closet. She tackled the project
with gusto and was immediately noticed for her hard
work and attention to detail. Remember this the next
time you feel like slacking because you are working on a
menial task.
4. Everyone is a potential key contact.
While you do need to be aggressive in the workplace,
you can also go far by being nice to those around you.
Do you think it’s unimportant to establish a good rapport
with your boss’s secretary? Well, just try getting your
meeting squeezed onto the schedule when you really
need it. Be courteous to those around you -- you never
know when your past contacts will play a role in your
future.
5. I was made to do this job... and the one above me.
If you spend your days feeling like you are not cut out to
do the work you are responsible for, your performance
will suffer. Your job may not be the perfect fit, but
successful workers act like they are in their dream job,
no matter where they are.
6. It’s not just what I know, but who I know.
Successful workers understand the importance
of networking, both in and out of the office.
You need to proactively establish professional
contacts. Invite a colleague out to lunch.
Go to the after-work happy hour. Join your
professional association. Do your part to
establish a networking path for your future.
7. What else can I do?
Since you are in charge of your destiny, it’s your
job to look for ways to improve your professional self.
Volunteer to take on an extra project. Learn a new skill
that will make you more marketable. Stay late to help
your co-workers. Successful workers don’t just complete
the job and sign out -- they look for additional ways to
make their mark.
8. Failure will help pave the way to my success.
While it seems like some people never experience
setbacks, the truth is everyone fails from time to time.
The difference between successful and unsuccessful
people is how they deal with failure. Those who find
success are the ones who learn from mistakes and
move on.
9. I am my own biggest fan.
Have you been waiting for someone in the office to
recognize your talents and efforts? Maybe it’s time you
start tooting your own horn. Step up and talk about
your accomplishments and what you have done for the
company. Successful workers know how to point out
their achievements without sounding boastful.
10. My opportunity monitor is never turned off.
Yes, there will be days when you will want to just be
happy with the status quo. But remember that successful
workers are always on the lookout for opportunities to
improve. Keep your eyes, ears and your mind open
to new opportunities -- you never know when you will
discover the one that will change the course of your
career!
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Page 51
Building Bench Strength(con’t)
“elbow room” -- scope and variety. As William McKnight, the
celebrated chairman of 3M, once said, “If you put fences
around people, you get sheep. Give people the room they
need.”
•
•
individualize development. Although certain
experiences and approaches may be more effective than
others, each person learns and develops differently. For
example, some people love to learn from their peers, while
others learn best through trial and error. Best-practice
organizations personalize development through informal
coaching, ongoing feedback, and mentoring -- at all levels.
A multinational organization, for example, began a program
in which the top 300 executives each identify a recent
college graduate with the potential to become an executive.
The executive then sponsors that employee and supports
his or her career development.
help managers make crucial connections. One
study showed that 40% of all newly promoted managers
and executives failed within the first 18 months of their
promotion because they didn’t build strong teams or reach
out to their colleagues and peers. Similarly, the quality of
a manager’s working relationship with his or her superior
is a critical success factor and has a substantial impact
on the person’s success. The emotional and relationship
factors are important, and they have to be encouraged and
developed.
Rather than relying on standardized training curricula, best-practice
businesses develop their managers and leaders on the job through
a series of challenging and diverse experiences. Their roles are
broadly defined, yet expectations are clear, and they receive
ongoing feedback and coaching to maximize the benefits from each
learning experience.
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•
quickly anticipate and fill succession gaps
•
identify employees with high management potential and
actively plan their careers and development to build "bench
strength"
•
align their people strategy with their business strategy
Only a few companies perform these activities consistently well.
When you study these organizations, their practices are impressive
and insightful. But how do they implement those practices? And how
can you make a similar approach work in your own organization?
There are three elements you need to manage effectively:
•
First, make sure the organization understands and nurtures
each employee's unique talents and potential through
individual career planning and development activities. Bestpractice organizations don't leave leadership development
to chance; they actively drive a potential leader's growth
and development.
•
Second, aggregate and evaluate the organization's talent
pool to identify potential leadership gaps and suitable
candidates.
•
Third, ensure that executives make the necessary
succession and development decisions through group
discussion and review sessions so that the talent
requirements of the business are met.
These practices aren’t easy to implement, and they require
discipline and commitment to sustain. There are specific techniques
and processes, however, that enable organizations to become
world-class in succession management. The next article in this
two-part series will show how your business can implement those
practices.
These elements form the architecture of an effective succession
management process. This article will discuss each element of the
process and provide specific guidelines on how to implement them
effectively.
Selecting and developing future leaders is critical. Yet most
organizations apply little or no rigor to identifying and grooming their
top players. This article discusses how to change that.
As noted in the first article in this two-part series, there are three
fundamental requirements for effective succession management.
Companies that have an effective succession management
process:
This phase of the process takes place primarily between an
employee and his or her manager. Its purpose it to connect the two
so the right decisions are made about the employee’s career and so
the manager can provide needed coaching and support. This phase
entails:
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Individual career planning and development
•
Promoting an ongoing dialogue. The best way
to begin the development process is by talking with an
The Lama Review
Building Bench Strength(con’t)
employee about her successes, strengths, needs, and
aspirations. In most organizations, though, managers
don’t have these discussions with employees regularly, if
at all. All too often, an employee learns that the company
has decided it’s time for her to move into a different role,
yet she’s never even talked about this kind of opportunity
with anyone. Naturally, this increases the likelihood that
the new position is not at all in line with her talents or
aspirations.
Best-practice organizations, in contrast, are intentional about
initiating development discussions. For instance, several
companies use a performance review process that focuses less on
a traditional appraisal and more on a developmental conversation.
Some call it a discovery interview; others refer to it as a
discussion guide. These organizations are increasing the
frequency of the discussions as well, with sessions on at least a
quarterly basis.
•
Avoiding the Peter Principle. Named after
Laurence Johnston Peter, the Peter Principle states that
in a hierarchy, employees tend to rise to their level of
incompetence. And employees will continue to do so if the
main criterion for promoting them into a new role is how
well they’ve done in their current role.
Too many companies reward excellent performance by promoting
a person out of the very role in which he or she has excelled.
Whenever possible, organizations should promote top performers
within their roles by stretching their goals, expanding their
responsibilities, or providing them with challenging assignments.
This encourages them to develop their talents into real strengths,
deepening their abilities and enhancing their performance. This
strategy promotes world-class performance in every role.
A manufacturing company implemented this practice by creating
five ascending levels for its sales representatives. A junior account
rep could be promoted five times while remaining within the sales
rep role -- and retire as one of the company’s best rewarded top
performers.
A healthcare organization divided a previously homogenous
nursing function into three levels. The third level carried the most
prestigious title and managed the most challenging, complex
cases -- cases only the best nurses would be able to manage. This
provided well-deserved recognition as well as a new challenge to
the top nurses, and it offered a career growth path for all others.
Encouraging employees to grow within their roles does not
necessarily mean an end to traditional, hierarchical promotions.
High-performing employees with leadership potential and
aspirations should expect to grow into more senior positions -- fast.
Promoting future executives into positions with more challenging
responsibilities is a great way to develop them. To grow, they need
a variety of experiences, including meeting a range of challenges
while working in different areas of your business and for different
managers. To avoid the Peter Principle, however, organizations
should diligently assess employees’ talents, capabilities, and fit for
the new role, not just how they perform in their current role.
•
Instilling a coaching culture. Development must
be ongoing, not a once-a-year event. It needs to be
ingrained into organizational culture, and employees at all
levels should expect informal coaching, mentoring, and
ongoing feedback. Some companies foster such a culture
by introducing “career boards” or encouraging mentor
relationships between proven leaders and employees
with leadership potential. Others have instituted an
effective induction practice that helps managers and
employees clarify expectations and build their relationship
as employees take on new roles. Again, a well-thoughtout discovery interview or discussion guide can provide
structure to this process.
Succession planning analyses
With today’s software capabilities, many organizations put their
succession management systems online. They make their
associates responsible for maintaining their own succession profile
and encourage managers to search the online talent pool for
potential candidates. These systems also make the process more
open and transparent. In one company, for example, employees
can see the exact positions for which they could be considered.
This level of transparency isn’t appropriate in every organization,
but it benefits those that can provide it.
Some organizations use software systems to analyze their
demographic balance and identify gaps in the succession pool.
These systems allow the human resources team to fine-tune their
hiring plans. Another important method is mapping various team
members against a performance and potential axis. These are
common and necessary tools that are used for discussion in the
staffing review process.
Group discussion and review
Every leadership team should periodically discuss the talent
and performance levels in its organization. Group discussions or
staffing reviews are an effective way to create accountability and
plan for succession management.
The Lama Review
Continued on Next PagePage 53
Building Bench Strength(con’t)
In the review sessions, a leadership team discusses employee
performance and the strengths, values, unique capabilities, and
growth potential of the employees on the teams that report to
them. The review process usually starts at the top, actively driven
by the CEO. The leadership team then takes it to the next level
in the organization as the process cascades toward middle, and
sometimes even front-line, management levels, as it does at IBM,
for instance. GE has practiced staffing or talent reviews rigorously
for years, and a growing number of leading organizations are
adopting the practice.
Here are a few key reasons why your organization should
consider making staffing reviews a required element of its
succession management process:
The bottom line is, strong leadership today doesn’t guarantee
strong leadership in the future. Leading organizations don’t leave
succession management to chance. It’s one reason they don’t just
survive -- they thrive.
Guido de Koning is a Principal Consultant and Performance
Strategy Program Leader with The Gallup Organization.
• Creating transparency and accountability.
Asking executives to discuss employees’ performance and
potential enhances the rigor and validity of the review. It
also significantly increases accountability for employee
performance and development. When reviews are conducted
annually or semi-annually, the senior leadership team can see
who the company’s top, middle, and bottom performers are.
And, it will become transparent who is effectively developing
their top players, filling the gaps in their succession plans,
and repositioning employees who don’t perform. In several
companies, CEOs have instituted quarterly business review
meetings, asking executives to report the progress they’ve
made on the priorities and goals that were set during the
previous quarterly meeting. Predictable reviews like these
keep managers focused and accountable and ensure the
necessary follow through.
• Driving strategy. When leadership reviews a team’s
performance and potential, it is important that they link the
succession process to the organization’s goals and strategies.
They can do this by expanding the discussion to evaluate the
team’s strengths and vulnerabilities against its business goals
and priorities. Questions like these are a good starting point
for the discussion: Given our strategy, what are this team’s
strengths and vulnerabilities? Does the team have the talent
and capabilities to deliver on the strategy and accomplish its
business goals? Do we need to alter the talent or capability
requirements of new hires?
Discussions like these can be invaluable, particularly when
the succession management process is centralized and senior
leaders from different business units meet with each other in
the staffing review sessions. High-potential employees can be
brokered across regions and business units, underperforming
managers can be more easily recast into roles and areas in which
they may perform better, and best practices can become more
visible.
Page 54
Succession management is a delicate practice, but one that
is highly valuable if your company aspires to be a leading
organization in the future. It requires a solid understanding of
the strengths, limitations, and aspirations of employees. And it
demands transparency and a disciplined review process that
involves all of your organization’s leaders.
Five Embarrassing Work Gaffes (con’t)
What can you do? Assign blame.
You could always blame it on technical difficulties. “It
happened to me,” Price admits. “I forwarded information to
a client, but didn’t realize it was customized and included
another client’s name.” However, no matter what caused
the slip-up, you should immediately confess (see No.1) and
apologize for the mishap. And hopefully you’ve learned not
to e-mail any message or picture that you wouldn’t want to
be seen by all.
4. Your boss overhears you making disparaging remarks
about him to a co-worker in the lunchroom.
What can you do? Apologize and start a dialogue.
Regardless if what you said about your boss is true, you
must take the high road and own up to your behavior and
then apologize for him finding out that way. This situation,
however, could signal a chance to have an open discussion
about why you find it difficult to work with him. It may end on
a positive note if you are able to air your grievances in the
proper forum.
5. You ended a three-way conference call and, after
assuming the third party has hung up, you begin dishing
with the remaining caller... only the call was never really
terminated and the third party hears everything you say.
What can you do? Try to make amends.
With any luck, you realize the person is still on the line
before you tear into them too much. But all you can do is
stand by your remarks, but redeliver them with a softer
touch. For instance, while you might have said: ‘Wasn’t her
idea the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?’ You can soften
it with: ‘I was thinking we should revisit your marketing idea
because I really don’t think it’s going to work.’
Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com.
She’s an expert in job search strategy, career management, hiring
trends and workplace issues.
The Lama Review
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5. Misread Signals.
Try to gauge the needs and mood of those in the
room. Listen carefully to what people are saying to
discern how receptive they might be to your ideas.
You need to make your message relevant to your
audience. For example, if everyone is focused
on cutting costs and you’re angling for a system
upgrade, you’ll either want to stress how the new software will save
money -- or table your request for another day.
Ten worst things to do
at a meeting
Editor’s note: CNN.com has a business partnership with
CareerBuilder.com, which serves as the exclusive provider of job
listings and services to CNN.com.
(CareerBuilder.com) -- Meetings have been hailed as the No. 1 timewaster in corporate America, and -- unless food is served to offset the
boredom -- the most tortuous part of the work day.
Who among us hasn’t cringed as the office windbag launched into a
self-aggrandizing discourse that was completely off-point? Pitied a
meek co-worker who got trounced by the office bully? Or marveled at
a colleague’s ability to string together an array of buzzwords that mean
absolutely nothing?
Yet no matter how mind-numbing things get, don’t be lulled into thinking
that meetings aren’t important. The fact is, they can make -- or break
-- your career.
Here are 10 things you should never do in a meeting:
1. Show Up Late.
Nothing says “I’m disorganized” like walking into a meeting already in
progress. Arriving a few minutes early not only demonstrates that you
respect your colleagues’ time, but guarantees you get a good seat as
well.
2. Be Unprepared.
If you’ve been given an agenda or materials beforehand, read them.
Think of any questions you have or contributions you could make to the
subjects being discussed.
3. Monopolize the Conversation.
When discussion ensues, it’s protocol to let more senior figures
contribute first. Once they’ve said their piece, concisely make your
points. Don’t drone on -- or feel compelled to speak at all if you don’t
have anything purposeful to say. As the old adage goes, “Better to be
thought a fool, than speak and remove all doubt.”
4. Make Your Statements Sound Like
Questions.
Phrasing your statements as questions invites others to say no, argue
or take credit for your ideas. Speak in declarative sentences, such as,
“Let’s do more research on that.”
6. Get Intimidated.
Unfortunately, some of your co-workers may view meetings as a
battleground and themselves as verbal gladiators, sparring for the boss’
favor. If you become the victim of a put-down or accusation, calmly
defend yourself. If you need to buy time to think, do so with a question
that will make your attacker accountable. For example: “Andrew, when
did you start thinking I don’t care about our sales results?”
7. Chew Gum.
The smacking, popping, cracking and cow-like chewing are annoying.
Plus, it’s rude and unprofessional. ‘Nuff said.
8. Keep Your Cell Phone On.
You turn it off in restaurants and at the movies. Turn it off for your
meeting. A ringing phone interrupts the presenter and distracts the
audience. And whatever you do, never take a call in the middle of a
meeting.
9. Wander Off Topic.
Don’t hijack the agenda. Stay focused on what you and your team are
trying to accomplish. If you must digress into unrelated areas, make
sure it’s all right with the others present. A good way to handle important
issues not related to the topic at hand is to record them on a flipchart
and revisit them at an appropriate time.
10. Skip It.
Sure, you might get more done if you forgo a meeting to stay at your
desk and do your actual work. But if the meeting was called by someone
higher up in the organization, you’ll miss an opportunity to make yourself
known. Remember, in the end, meetings aren’t just about productivity,
they’re also about projecting a positive image and building professional
relationships.
Kate Lorenz is the article and advice editor for CareerBuilder.com. She
researches and writes about job search strategy, career management,
hiring trends and workplace issues.
© Copyright CareerBuilder.com 2007. All rights reserved. The information
contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority
The Lama Review
Page 55
Taking pain out of performance reviews
Workplace Tips
Yes, managers and employees hate them, but there
are ways to improve
By Eve Tahmincioglu
It’s one of the most dreaded workplace rituals, hated by employees
and managers alike: the performance review. And the recent scandal
surrounding the firing of eight U.S attorneys even though most of them
reportedly received good reviews pokes more holes in a process used by
almost every large organization in the country.
But whine as you will, these job evaluations that typically come just once a
year aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, they’re used more today
than ever before. Reviews are even going digital, with a growing number
of companies are putting the whole process online.
“No one likes to be evaluated,” says Stephanie Payne, assistant professor
of psychology at Texas A&M University. “It’s also a cumbersome process
for managers depending on how many direct reports they have. And it’s
uncomfortable for every one involved, especially if you have to provide
negative feedback.”
The biggest tension often arises because the review is in most cases
tied to an employee’s compensation, thus connecting the process to a
worker’s livelihood. If that doesn’t create anxiety, I don’t know what will.
And many managers don’t take the process seriously, having
subordinated fill out their own evaluations which they then sign off on. In
other cases the reviews have no bearing on an employee’s fate.
Take the Justice Department’s firing of several U.S. attorneys. The
process of evaluating them was actually quite involved, managed by a
team of government officials that interviewed judges and other individuals
who had dealings with the prosecutors. According to published reports,
most of attorneys got positive reviews but were then pink-slipped anyway.
While politics and mishandling may make reviews seem a useless
exercise, Payne believes when done right they provide the type of
feedback most employees are yearning for and give companies a better
understanding of who are the high performers on their payroll.
James Bowles, the vice president of workforce development for Cingular/
AT&T, says reviews are valuable tools when it comes to determining
promotions or terminations. “It can’t be happenstance,” he adds. Problems
with reviews, he says, arise when supervisors are not properly trained
in giving them or are not given the right tools. The company has gone
to paperless reviews, so everything is tracked online, but that has not
eliminated face-to-face interaction.
Before the electronic system there were some cases at the
telecommunications company where an employee ended up getting
terminated but managers were unable to find their reviews on file, says
Bowles. Now the company has a record of everything review-related for all
its 64,000 employees.
Wachovia is also using an online system that provides e-mail reminders to
its staff that midyear and year-end reviews are due.
Bob Brotherton, senior vice president, leadership development for
Wachovia, says the bank realized having reviews only once a year
wasn’t enough. “We wanted to force the conversation twice a year,” he
adds. Companies rely heavily on reviews because any documentation of
an employee’s performance is used as evidence by employers when a
terminated or demoted worker feels they were fired for reasons other than
the way they do their job. If you fire a minority worker and have no record
of ever noting weak performance, juries may be inclined to side with the
employee in a lawsuit, experts say.
Page 56
Jon Ciampi, vice president of marketing and product management
for SumTotal, an online review tools provider, says its products allow
companies to scan for derogatory words that could get a firm in
discriminatory hot water. “Hot chick,” he quipped, would definitely be
flagged.
With technology making it easier for employers to get the most they can
out of reviews, workers might have to accept that these tools will probably
remain a fact of work life.
So, how do you make the process less painful and use it to your
advantage?
“It’s important to make sure your manager knows your accomplishments
before the performance review takes place,” said James Smither,
a professor of management at La Salle University. “This can be
accomplished by sending e-mail updates as important projects or
milestones are accomplished throughout the year or by preparing a written
summary of your work objectives throughout the year and what you have
accomplished toward each objective, as well as other accomplishments or
activities, especially those that the manager might be unfamiliar with.”
Here are more tips for the review itself from staffing firm Vedior North
America:
• Leave your ego at the door — be receptive to constructive feedback
and welcome suggestions for improving  your performance.
• Don’t be shy about being open with your manager about your goals
and aspirations. Too often employees wait to be “tapped on the
shoulder” for a promotion or other  opportunities within the company,
while at the same time their employer may wrongly assume they are
not interested in a promotion because they have never  expressed
that interest. The performance review meeting is not only an opportunity for your employer to share their assessment of your performance, but also a great opportunity for you to speak freely about 
your goals.
• When responding to questions on a performance review form, such
as, “Is there anything the company can  do to improve?” be cautious
not to take this as an invitation to  complain.  If there is a legitimate
issue at your company that would be appropriate to address in this
forum, definitely outline what it is, but be sure to also propose a potential (and realistic) solution along with it.
• If your manager gives you a low rating in any area that perplexes
you and you feel is unfair, don’t just sit there and nod your head and
later feel hostile about it. In a non-defensive way, ask them if they
can share specific examples with you  so that you can gain a better
understanding of what the problem is so that  you can correct it.
• Become an expert at your current job before asking for a promotion
or asking to take on new responsibilities. The best way to prove that
you are ready to tackle more responsibilities is to master your current
ones. Employees should offer ideas and solutions about other departments and divisions within the company to  their managers. This
shows a manager that you see the bigger picture of the company.
• If you still can’t stomach the whole process you can always opt
to become a entrepreneur or work for a smaller company where
performance reviews are still a rare animal.
• Returning to the U. S. attorneys controversy, the whole matter
may end up costing the job of their former boss, Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales.  I wonder if his performance reviews will make any
difference.
• © 2007 MSNBC Interactive
The Lama Review
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Page 57
The Management Process
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2. type of organizations that operate and compete in more than one country
4. a process in which managers evaluate how well an organization is achieving its goals and take action to maintain
or improve performance
7. a measure of how well or how productively resources are used to achieve a goal
9. skills that are based on job specific knowledge and techniques required to perform an organizational role
10. the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling of human and other resources to achieve a wide variety of goals
or desired future outcomes
11. a process that managers use to identify and select appropriate goals and courses if action
12. a measure of the appropriateness of the goals and the degrees to which an organization achieves those goals
13. type of advantage in which an organization has the ability to outperform other organizations because it produces
desired goods or services more efficiently and effectively than its competitors
Down
1. skills that include the ability to understand, alter, lead, and control the behavior of other individuals and groups
3. a process that managers use to establish a structure of working relationships that allow organizational members to
interact and cooperate to achieve organizational goals
5. a group of people who work together and posses similar skills or use the same kind of knowledge, tools or
techniques to perform their jobs
6. a process in which managers articulate a clear vision for organizational members to follow and they energize and
enable members so that they understand the part they play in achieving organizational goals
8. skills that demonstrate the ability to analyze and diagnose a situation and to distinguish between cause and effect
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Membership Application
Contact Name
Company
Title
Address1
Address 2
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Phone Number
Email
Fax Number
Website
Membership Type
Individual Member
(Domestic)
$50
Individual Member
(International)
$60
Institutional Member
$250
LAMA Foundation
Friend:
___________
Institutional Members may add up to three additional names
2nd Member Name
Title
Email
Phone
3rd Member Name
Title
Email
Phone
4th Member Name
Title
Email
Phone
Payment Information
Checks must be in U.S. dollars and drawn on a U.S. bank and made payable to the LAMA.
Please remit to:
LAMA
7500 Flying Cloud Drive, Suite
900
Eden Prairie, MN 55344
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Check
LAMA TIN#: 52-1828124
Credit Card Type: American Express Master Card Visa
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Cardholder Billing Address
City, State, Zip
Phone: 952.253.6235
Fax: 952.835.4774
Email: membership@lama-online.org
The Lama Review
Website: www.lama-online.org
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The Lama Review