Past Five

Top Performers Uncover Mediocrity in Peers

As companies grow, mediocrity begins to infiltrate staff…it’s inevitable…with more employees and various office locations, it’s difficult to ensure everyone is producing at their highest potential.

Inevitably, there are employees who skate by, carried along by their high performing peers.

I’ve found that if a company retains top employees, and maintains an open door policy, those performers are likely to identify their sub-par peers.

Rock star employees who consistently go above and beyond don’t want to work alongside a slacker. They want to be challenged, pushed and stimulated.

Top performers are usually deeply invested in the company culture and care about their professional development. They expect their colleagues to share these sentiments.

If a company is growing and has concerns over the work product of certain staff members, they need to look to their top performers for insight. Listen to employees talk or ask employees their thoughts. If the company has fostered a collaborative, open door environment, employees won’t hesitate to speak the truth.

Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Exist: Aim for Work-Life Happiness

Work–life balance. Everyone talks about it; everyone wants it….but it doesn’t exist. Realistically, it’s impossible to achieve the perfect balance. Think about it; even if you only work eight hours a day, there’s not time for eight hours of socializing and eight hours of sleep.

Consequently, searching for a career that allows for a work-life balance is fruitless. Why not focus on something attainable….like work-life happiness.

Work-life happiness can be achieved by anyone. It’s not about separating personal life from professional life, or designating certain hours of the day for work. It’s about blending the two.

Here are a few ways to achieve work-life happiness:

Do What You Love: It seems simple, but too many people are working in careers they don’t enjoy. They use the tough job market as an excuse for staying put, but the market is picking up and hiring is increasing. If you’re unhappy, make a change. Pursue your passions and dreams. As the idiom goes, if you do what you love, you never have to work a day in your life.

Value Weeknights: Instead of heading home after work to put on pajamas and catch a t.v. show, make it a point to do something outside of the box. Go see a local play, have a casual dinner party or find a place to volunteer at least once a week. You would be amazed what it can do for personal morale.

Create Friendships with Colleagues: Separating friendships and co-workers is an excuse to separate yourself from your career. Take the time to get to know your colleagues on a personal level, attend happy hours and invest in these relationships. It will make your time at work much more enjoyable.

Be Yourself: Let your true colors shine at work. Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School says it best, “authentic self-expression at work leads to reduced turnover and increased performance and job satisfaction.”

What other suggestions do you have to achieve work-life happiness?

Advance Your Career: It’s Simple….Work Harder Than Your Colleagues

I had dinner the other night with the CEO of a $25M corporation that is rapidly expanding into new markets. He’s bright, motivated and extremely successful…and he’s only 31. After dinner, he was deciding whether to return to the office. It was after 6 p.m., and he conceded that most of his employees had probably left. Then, musing to himself, he said, “Where do they go?” I asked, “What do you mean, where do they go? They probably go home.”

He replied, “If they aren’t out with friends, are they just at home watching TV? Wouldn’t they rather be working?”

Wouldn’t they rather be working? In his mind, the answer was obvious…of course. In the minds of millions of workers, the response is probably a resounding no. This is the difference between great, successful employees and mediocre ones. Great employees are constantly working, thinking of new ideas, reading new literature and determining how events and lessons in their everyday life can transfer to their career. These are the employees that are getting promoted and receiving raises.

So if you’re wondering why your career hasn’t taken off, evaluate whether you have put in the time and effort necessary to advance your career. Would you rather be working?

Entrepreneurs: What to Know When Starting a Business

According to a report conducted by the Harvard Business School, first-time entrepreneurs have only an 18 percent chance of succeeding. Why? Because many entrepreneurs today are naïve to the struggles and triumphs that accompany owning their own business. They underestimate the amount of time, energy, devotion and care it takes to develop a meaningful, successful organization.

Here’s what entrepreneurs need to know before they open up shop.

Pinch pennies: This seems obvious, but frugality is essential for entrepreneurs. The biggest area people spend foolishly on is technology. People buy huge servers for potential, yet technology changes so fast, that they bought too much, too soon and could have grown in to it. Companies can also save money when investing in an executive team. Entrepreneurs forget that they don't need to build the executive team of a $100 million company when they’re just starting out. The people they hire to start and build the company probably won't be the same ones they’ll need when they achieve certain milestones.

Go all in: Entrepreneurs need to be able to commit to working 60, 70, 80 hours a week, to being on call all the time and to taking a substantial pay cut (hopefully only initially). They need to be able to put their business first and themselves second.

Be resilient: Building a business is like having a child. You love your child unconditionally and are proud of all their accomplishments, but you know along the way there will be hardships. You don’t stop loving your child because of their mistakes or faults, instead you help them to grow and support them no matter what. This is how entrepreneurs should run a business. If something goes wrong, they need to do something about it. If their number one client leaves, they need to cold call and door knock to compensate for the lost business.

Build and leverage relationships:When an entrepreneur is just starting out, everyone should know about it, family, friends, former colleagues and acquaintances. Everyone is a potential investor or client. At the same time, entrepreneurs need to develop new relationships. They need to be transparent and honest with prospects, recognize the big events in their lives and show appreciation for their time and consideration.

Keys to Being a Successful Manager

I’ve always said that people join companies but they quit managers. If a company has ineffective or incompetent management, they threaten losing valuable employees. LaSalle Network’s most successful managers share a few traits.

First and foremost, they know their team on a personal level and enjoy spending time with them. Our manager’s invest a great deal of time getting to know their employees and understanding their strengths, weaknesses, passions and desires. This allows them to delegate tasks according to the team member’s abilities.

LaSalle’s most successful managers are also always available. I believe this “on-call” mentality originates from the top down, as I would never ask my managers to do what I wouldn’t. I’ve made it a staple of my career to always be available to my staff beyond working hours. This helps permeate the
organization as intelligent staff can differentiate genuineness from a hyperbole.

At LaSalle, we stress the art of over communicating. Our managers are constantly talking with their teams, troubleshooting problems and answering questions. Each business unit meets with their manager formally twice a day and informally multiple times.

LaSalle’s managers also set ambitious goals for themselves and their team. They have a vision of the product they want to achieve and a plan for how they are going to accomplish it. At LaSalle, we use metric-driven goals to constantly evaluate our performance. Our managers are continually pushing their teams to achieve these goals, while challenging their objections and engaging them in new ways of thinking.

I strongly believe that a great manager can be crafted, and that all of these skills can be honed to perfection. It just takes time, persistence and a strong work ethic.

How to Revive a Dead Career on Halloween

Tip #1: Rise at the witching hour

Set yourself up for success before stepping into the office. Resist hitting the snooze button and wake up a few minutes earlier to do something you love. Run outside, cook a healthy breakfast or meditate as the sun rises; instead of feeling drained before you start the day, you will have more energy to power through it.

Tip #2: Carve out a relationship with your manager

Every employees main purpose is to make their boss's life easier, so work independently and anticipate your manager's needs before he or she asks about them. Connect with your manager on a personal level; ask about his or her passions outside of work, and find the opportunity to engage those interests in conversation. The extra effort and positive attitude you put into the relationship will not go unnoticed.

Tip #3: Enchant your co-workers

Everyone likes to be acknowledged for their hard work or a job well done, and your co-workers are no exception. Speak up when a colleague closes a big deal or completes an extensive project. Although their work may not directly affect you, the buzz of sharing praise can foster positivity in the workplace and a feeling of camaraderie among staff.

Tip #4: Brew something new

While you may be comfortable in your routine, it may also be the source of your dissatisfaction. Bring excitement to your job by asking for assignments outside of your job description. Challenge yourself everyday to say or do something that feels out-of-the-box. Not only will your employer be impressed with your initiative, but the change of pace and new variety of work will be a stimulating addition to your everyday tasks.

Tip #5: Don't be afraid to say, "Boo!"

If you are usually a wall flower in meetings or brainstorming sessions, it's time to break out of your shell. Don't let fear hinder you from contributing to your company's missions, and in turn, your career satisfaction. Voicing your ideas will gain respect from your peers, increase your enjoyment and make a difference in your career.

A Great Accomplishment

I am very proud to announce that LaSalle Network was just named the “Top Five Best Staffing Firms to Work For” by Staffing Industry Analysts, the global advisor on contingent work.

This is a huge honor to be recognized by the staffing industry’s leading analyst and I am very proud of every LaSalle employee for contributing to this award.

When I started LaSalle in 1998, I made it a priority to put my employee’s first. I had previously worked in multiple companies where I didn’t feel appreciated or recognized, and I never wanted my staff to feel like this.

I implemented a team-based staffing structure, fostering collaboration instead of competition, and encouraged a policy of honest and open communication between management and staff. I wanted to make sure every employee always felt they could voice their concerns and their opinion mattered regardless.

Ultimately, the more employees know they have support from you, the more they will support your organization.

Congratulations to all of my co-workers at LaSalle...now the entire industry knows that being a LaSallian is truly something special!

The Power of People

Each year, there’s always a catalyst that really makes me evaluate my life and the people in it. This year, the snowstorm did just that.

Like most Chicago companies, LaSalle was closed on the day of the blizzard. With 50mph winds, ice, snow and sleet, it was not safe for anyone to brave the weather. Granted I live close to our downtown office and was able to come into work, but most of my employees live in the suburbs or other areas of Chicago, making it nearly impossible to get to the office.

When I walked into the office at 7am on Tuesday, our accounting clerk was at her desk working diligently to make sure payroll was received and ready for next day. Thousands of employees were counting on her, and she did not disappoint. Likewise LaSalle’s head of human resources and operations came in to decorate a fellow employee’s desk for her Re-Birthday, a celebration I throw for the anniversary of each employee’s hire date. And even our staff accountant braved the storm to help a fellow co-worker.

Not only did these women impressively find a way to make it into the office, but they came in because they knew others were counting on them. And while only a few people were physically at LaSalle on Wednesday, I received countless emails and calls from other employees who spent the day working from home.

While I wouldn’t wish another massive storm upon Chicago again, occurrences like these reinforce and remind you what the best part of being a CEO is; the ability to choose the people you get to work with each day. And this blizzard did just that, reinforced that LaSalle has the most dedicated, committed, and well, fearless employees in Chicago.

The Importance of Pride

“If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well,” Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this blog post to King’s values of hard work, determination, and pride.

Though King’s quotes were recited almost five decades ago, they still hold true today. Regardless of your job or industry, every employee should always be working to their fullest potential.

Every job whether entry-level or management, temporary or permanent, non-profit or corporate is important and affects other people regardless if you are saving a life, writing a financial report, or making the streets cleaner. And yet, while there are hardships and stress in every job, success and achievement, as exemplified by King, will only come from overcoming obstacles. After all, success is never handed to you, it is created by you.

In 2011, every employee whether working as a technician, a secretary, a accountant, a doctor, or a streetsweeper should make it a resolution to A) Go above and beyond their job duties of work and B) Take pride in every task, both large and small. Even if a raise or a promotion is not in close sight, your efforts will be noticed and undoubtedly be acknowledged in some way. And once you realize your importance, pride will come naturally.

Second Impressions, More Important than the First

Richard Branson’s article “For Online Customers, It’s the Second Impression That Counts,” in OPEN Forum discusses the importance of the customer’s second impression with the brand, and how many companies loose sight of this importance in world where so many transactions take place online.

But what about off-line?

The second impression with your client, customer, vendor, etc. matters just as much or in my opinion, even more than the first impression. A positive first impression will bring your customer back, but only if you sustain this positive impression will your customer become a regular.

Many companies will stop following-up after the first two weeks, but by calling on a regular and routine basis, you are continually fostering relationships and positive impressions. In my company, we implement a follow-up calling schedule for both temporary and permanent positions, called a QC (Quality Control) call. We call both the candidate and client on the first day of the candidate’s job, the last day of the first week, and then every two weeks after that.

Equally, the second impression and third, fourth, fifth impressions are just as important for the sales team. Yes, initial impressions in sales are very important, but think how many sales people make great impressions. That is their job. It is very common for a sales rep to get caught up in phone calls and emails, but continuous face to face contact is key.

At LaSalle, our sales team delivers presents when it is a client’s birthday, a plant if a client has moved into a new home, a wedding or baby gift, and even a care package if a client is sick. These acts may seem small, but they foster positive associations with your company that go way past the first impression.

Additionally, Branson alludes to the continuous annoyance of machine representatives instead of real people. Again, this irritation can apply to any business, not just customer-service industries.

Voicemail is almost non-existent in my company. If a candidate or client calls and their point of contact is unavailable, the call will be transferred to someone else on the same team. Only as the very last resort, if the whole team or business unit is unavailable, will the call go to voicemail.

Ultimately, as Branson points out, we must learn to balance technology with human interaction. By simply sending emails and making the occasional phone call, your impressions will begin to align with every other company in your industry. The real value comes from positive and continuous relationships. Remember, the first impression will either open the door or close it, but continuous positive impressions will leave it wide open.