Coffee Mug Wisdom

Consider the humble coffee mug, container for hot liquids either ghastly or sublime, and personal billboard for cat lovers, smart-alecs, or Star Trek fans.

I have one from Achieve Global, a leading publisher of corporate training materials, which lists the basic principles of a collaborative workplace. These five principles are worth a few minutes of any manager’s time. Not that I advocate taking my leadership tips from the most recent cup of joe, but hey, I say take wisdom where you can find it.

The Basic Principles are:

• Focus on the situation, issue, or behavior, not on the person
• Maintain the self-confidence and self esteem of others
• Maintain constructive relationships
• Take initiative to make things better
• Lead by example

Ahh, like most things-- easier said than done. I had one supervisor who could violate all of these principles in one sitting without breaking a sweat. I had another whose overly- developed concern for others’ self esteem and confidence caused him to soften the message so much that we subordinates would often miss the point entirely.

If you could pick just one to work on this week, which would it be?

For me, it is "Take initiative to make things better." Why?

Mostly because it allows me to work in a baseball analogy—You see, I think workplace accomplishment is a team effort—and like baseball is a game of singles, the effort individuals make to move the whole team forward a step at a time—incremental improvements, small scores—all add up to a winning team. What lineup can routinely hit homers every at bat?

If each leader in an organization can take one step every day toward making things better, the payoff would be huge for the team.

-Dave