my articles | learn more about DirectoryM articles | contact us | advertise with us   
 
SEARCH:
Quick Search Results

Searching...

ABOUT US | VIEW ALL FEATURED ARTICLES | VIEW ALL TOPICS | VIEW ALL REGIONS | DM MOBILE | DM BLOG

Be of Good Cheer Alabama

Champion the people and the projects, and you'll all win.

Local Companies

BUDGET CONTROL SERVICE, LLC
334-677-1742
605 HOUSTON STREET
DOTHAN,al, AL
OutSource Corporate Partners, LLC
205.380.4881
3700 Colonnade Pkwy
Birmingham, AL
C & S Consulting
205-520-0207
7990 Overlook Circle
Morris, AL
SLENDER MAGIC
256 874 7971
1800 EDWARD ST.
ATHENS, AL
Team Nexus Consulting, Inc.
1-888-427-5405 Ext. 3
234 Hwy 45
Birmingham, AL
Team Nexus Consulting, Inc.
1-888-427-5405
234 Hwy 45
Sterrett, AL
Revsourceinc.com
334-717-9557
2424 Sagewood Dr.
Montgomery, AL
MDM Services, LLC
205-835-6578
81 Mountain View Circle
Childersburg, AL
The Etiquette School of Birmingham
205-222-0932
641 Camden Ridge
Birmingham, AL
Alliance Communications Management
251-433-6566
P.O. Box 1705
Mobile, AL


Be of Good Cheer

John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, the natural foods emporium, radiates enthusiasm for his enterprise. As an entrepreneur, he has leveraged his passion for produce into a portfolio of profits and in the process created one of the most admired companies in the nation. Routinely, Whole Foods makes Fortune magazine’s top 50 list as most desirable places to work. Mackey’s energy, which he communicates to journalists, managers and employees, helps drive the business forward.
Every successful organization needs someone in a leadership position to inject enthusiasm, energy and vitality into the process. Mackey fits that role nicely and his passion is to be admired.

Add Some Good Spirits
Those in leadership positions need to cheerlead their organizations. Cheerleading is enthusiasm channeled toward a cause. Work can be hard and, yes, boring at times. Someone with a fresh take on the work, backed by conviction and passion, can energize people and impart a jolt of energy.

Cheerleaders are adrenaline inducers; you cannot help being charged by their presence. It’s a virtue that Sam Walton of Wal-Mart and Colleen Barrett of Southwest Airlines promoted through ceaseless interaction with employees at every level.
So how can you cheerlead for your organization?

  • Add zest. Inherent in leadership is the desire for improvement. You want your people to do well and succeed. Some managers think they can do this by shouting and browbeating. Those measures may work in the short term, but they either burn people out or encourage them to look elsewhere for employment. Those who stay have no other options. By contrast, managers who look on the bright side are those who affirm the value of people. Such managers build bonds rooted in trust. Employees who trust their manager do not need to be prodded; they need only to be focused in the right direction.

  • Make it real. Choose cheerleading targets with care. Pick a goal that people can attain and focus the cheers on the goal as well as the people striving for the goal. For example, if your aim is quality improvement, provide your people with quality metrics. Sketch the landscape, e.g., who is better than you and why, then communicate the program. Monitor progress regularly. Post the results so people know where their team stands. Celebrate the wins. In this way, you are focusing your energy on helping people achieve their goals.

  • Effective corporate cheerleaders do more than exhort; they participate in the workouts, that is, the heavy lifting that all projects require. When employees see their manager pulling alongside them, those cheers have more meaning than someone e-mailing a cheer from two floors away. (Note: Many managers, and virtually all senior managers, are forced to manage teams in different locations. While they cannot always be present, their challenge is to be fully engaged with their folks when they are.)

  • Back it up. Enthusiasm is good but it is necessary to reinforce it with a system that recognizes people. Take Southwest Airlines, one of the most relentlessly enthusiastic organizations in the world. The good cheer that attendants display toward customers (most of the time) is reflected in the employee-focused commitment management exerts on behalf of its people. Southwest is a public company but employees have a big stake; the company promotes from within. Recognition and reward are inherent in the culture. If you want enthusiasm to be contagious, you need to provide structure for people to contribute as well as grow and develop. Otherwise, the good cheer is nothing more shouting with a smile.

    Act judiciously
    There are times when cheerleading can rub people the wrong way. Project failures or missed deadlines are not to be celebrated. Cheeriness in the face of layoffs or mergers may seem callous. And relentless enthusiasm in the face of a business decline will not only seem foolish, but downright idiotic.

    There is another byproduct of cheerleading: affability. People who cheer are people?persons. They like to be with people and people like to be with them. Such affinity for others can promote strong bonds that hold the organization together. Not every manager nor leader possesses what network television executives call the Q?factor. But if you have it, you can make relating one?on?one, or one-to-a-group, easier. You become the public face of the organization. However, no leader can be effective without inner resolve and a willingness to make the tough decisions about people, programs and products. That can be difficult for cheerleader types, so they must support those in the organization whose job it is to make such decisions.

    Choose your moments wisely. Day to day most employees can use a pick-me-up, a smile, a wink or a pat on the pack. A conversation about their day or their family might be all that’s necessary. You may seem like the Good Humor Man at times, but wouldn’t you rather work for someone who cares about people and wants to make them feel good than a dour, sky-is-falling type?

    Not everyone agrees, but cheerleading for people and their work is a leadership plus that can rally staff to a cause as well as make them feel better about what they do. So give me an A for Attitude… a B for Best… and C for Class… well you get the point.

    John Baldoni is a leadership communications consultant who works with Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profits including the University of Michigan. He is a frequent keynote and workshop speaker as well as the author of six books on leadership; the latest is How Great Leaders Get Great Results (McGraw-Hill). Readers are welcome to visit his leadership resource website at www.johnbaldoni.com.

    • Featured Local Company

    SLENDER MAGIC

    256 874 7971
    1800 EDWARD ST.
    ATHENS, AL
    SLENDERMAGIC.NET

    Read more about Be of Good Cheer

    Regional Articles
    - Be of Good Cheer Alabaster AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Albertville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Alexander City AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Andalusia AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Anniston AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Arab AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Athens AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Atmore AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Attalla AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Auburn AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Bay Minette AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Bessemer AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Birmingham AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Boaz AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Brewton AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Clanton AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Cullman AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Daphne AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Deatsville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Decatur AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Dothan AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Eight Mile AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Enterprise AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Eufaula AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Fairfield AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Fairhope AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Fayette AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Florence AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Foley AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Fort Payne AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Gadsden AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Gardendale AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Grand Bay AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Greenville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Guntersville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Haleyville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Hamilton AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Hanceville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Hartselle AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Harvest AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Hazel Green AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Helena AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Huntsville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Irvington AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Jacksonville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Jasper AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Killen AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Lanett AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Leeds AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Madison AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Mc Calla AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Millbrook AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Mobile AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Monroeville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Montevallo AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Montgomery AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Moulton AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Muscle Shoals AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Northport AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Oneonta AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Opelika AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Oxford AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Ozark AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Pelham AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Pell City AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Phenix City AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Piedmont AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Pinson AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Pleasant Grove AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Prattville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Roanoke AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Robertsdale AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Russellville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Saraland AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Scottsboro AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Selma AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Semmes AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Smiths Station AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Sylacauga AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Talladega AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Tallassee AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Theodore AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Troy AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Trussville AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Tuscaloosa AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Tuscumbia AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Tuskegee AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Valley AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Warrior AL
    - Be of Good Cheer Wetumpka AL
    Rate Article
         
    Articles Insider
    Rss   Delicious   Digg   Add To My Yahoo   Add To My Google   Bookmark   Search Plugin
    Topics:
    Advertising Educational Content Home Appliances Real Estate Resources
    Business Services Entertainment Home Electronics Software
    Career Family Home Services Technology
    Cars Fashion Internet Telecommunications
    Chamber of Commerce Financial Services Legal Trade Shows
    Computer Hardware Franchise Miscellaneous Travel
    Construction Health Nightlife Weddings
    Education Holidays Online Database World History
    Articles.DirectoryM.com | Search | About Us | Contact Us | Mobile | Blog | En Español
    Copyright © Interaction Media Group. All rights reserved.