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Leaders get results through others. There
are everyday heroes you've never heard of who may teach you
almost as much as famous business writers. Why? Because
these people have developed the ability to discover
extraordinary employees -- right under their noses.
Is there a gold mine of creativity,
innovation, and leadership in your midst? Most companies do
and don't know it. You may have such a worker right now and
not be aware of it.
Patty Lake, one of my "everyday
heroes," told me about a woman on her staff at Shell
Services International who had worked in Payroll for over
twenty-five years.
"In all that time," says Patty,
"she had never received a promotion. She had never been
recognized for her contributions, led a team or participated
on a special project. She hadn't had a raise in several
years. No one ever asked for her opinion or input. No one
offered her training or development opportunities. No one
had even bothered to find out if she enjoyed her job. And
she was the lowest paid person in her job grade in the
entire company.
"She had been given the lowest
performance rating short of termination for many years. She
didn't rock the boat. She just did her job and did not
complain.
"Fortunately, I didn't know any of
this. When I started at Shell, my manager agreed to let me
give each employee a clean slate. I would not review past
performance assessments nor listen to old gossip. Instead, I
sat down with each staff member to find out about them and
what they did. This woman, along with several others,
expressed an interest in learning more about payroll and
developing her skills and capabilities.
"I took her at her word and arranged
for her to participate in the local American Payroll
Association (APA) chapter. She took the basic payroll
seminar offered by the national APA, took
computer-application classes, and attended the statewide
conference.
"She blossomed!
"Late this past fall, she led a project
team for a customer's special needs project, a highly
visible and very delicate undertaking. The outcome was
phenomenal. She and her entire team were recognized and
rewarded by the customer for their successful handling of
the work. In addition, she is now leading end-user training
on the newly implemented web-based time and attendance
system. She regularly speaks out in team meetings and has
many creative and useful ideas. And she is planning to sit
for the CPP (Certified Payroll Professional) exam this fall
and studies for it every day.
"When she got her performance review
this March, she earned a significant raise and an incentive
bonus. She cried and told me that all she had ever needed
was someone to believe in her. I did and I do."
Such a simple story from a woman you have
probably never heard of and will never meet, but Patty
Lake's example of discovering and developing leaders right
under your nose could change your life and your own results
as a leader. Now it's up to you.
Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE is a San
Francisco-based executive speech coach, sales trainer, and
award-winning professional speaker on Change, Customer
Service, Promoting Business, and Communication Skills. She
is the author of Get What You Want!, Make It, So You
Don't Have to Fake It!, and Past-President of the
National Speakers Association. She can be reached at: PFripp@Fripp.com,
1-800 634-3035, http://www.fripp.com
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"To
write is to sit and stare, hypnotized… feeling the divine
fever moving to one’s cheeks while the hand glows
blissfully numb on the paper.”
Colette
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