A thankful outlook in business and life

Thanksgiving is widely known as America’s favorite holiday. What’s not to like? It’s all about food, family, parades, and football.

Thanksgiving is also the optimist holiday, where goodwill trumps feelings of anxiety – at least for a 24 hours. This can also be a time for business leaders to choose a thankful outlook, and to make it a priority to incorporate this appreciation into the work environment and future goals.

In the spirit of “thanks”, I surveyed a few members of the TBC team to find out what they are thankful for.

Tom Kuhne, VP and CIO
"I’m thankful for a happy and healthy family with a great wife and two boys that keep me very entertained and very busy. I’m thankful to be living and working in Boulder, Colorado, an amazing town with so much to offer. Finally, I’m thankful for another great year at The Booth Company. It’s a great team with some nice new faces added this year."

Rachel Everidge, Project Manager
"This has been such a great year - I started a new life and job in Boulder, Colorado. I'm thankful for family, my wonderful boyfriend, and my awesome puppies - Kaya and Bella. My puppies definitely help keep life interesting and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Hank Curtis, Business Development Manager
"I'm thankful that my kids are still at the age where they think I am hip, despite my baggy pants and bowling shirts. I'm thankful to my reliable coffee mug for keeping my coffee fresh from morning until afternoon…as well as the new snow-capped peaks beckoning me to another season of moguls and powder skiing. And I'm extremely thankful and grateful to my beautiful wife, my wonderful children, our supportive family around us, and of course my job and the fun-to-work-with Booth team. Cheers!"

The TBC family wishes you and your loved ones a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Tell us, what are you thankful for?

Managers: Do You Have a Monkey on Your Back?

The other day seemed like any typical workday. We worked diligently, ate lunch, and were greeted by a flying screaming toy monkey with a 50-foot flight range.

Our VIP/CIO brought the flying monkey to the office for some lighthearted humor. This monkey also serves as the mascot for The Flying Monkeys, the TBC baseball team. The flying monkey at the office did provide us a bunch of laughs and motivation to play ball after work. It also served as a reminder of the theory, “a monkey on your back.”

A “monkey on your back” is something that you are forced to do and can’t get away from - as if a monkey was clinging on your back. That theory was the foundation behind the famous Harvard Business Review article “Management Time: Who’s Got the Monkey?” The article became one of the two best-selling reprints in the history of the publication.

In the article, William Oncken and Donald Wass described the concept of management time as it relates to the interaction between managers and their bosses, their peers, and their subordinates.

Okay, so what does all of that have to do with monkeys? Let’s take a closer look.

The Idea in Brief

You are racing down the hall. An employee stops you and says, “We’ve got a problem.” You assume you should get involved but can’t make an on-the-spot decision. You reply, “Let me think about it.”

The issue? Well a “monkey” has just leaped from the subordinate’s back to yours. Take on enough monkeys, and you won’t have time to handle your actual job!

How do you avoid accumulating monkeys? Read up on the following advice from Oncken and Wass and get ready to return monkeys to their proper owners.

Examine your own motives

Some managers may worry that if they encourage subordinates to take more initiative, they’ll appear less strong and more vulnerable. Put aside those fears to relinquish direct control and support employees’ growth.

Develop employees’ skills

Employees try to hand off monkeys when they lack the desire or ability to handle them. Help employees develop problem-solving skills. While it is initially more time consuming than tackling problems yourself – it does save time in the long run.

Foster trust

Developing employees’ initiatives requires a trusting relationship between you and your subordinates. If they are afraid of failing, they’ll keep bringing the monkeys to you rather than working to solve their own problems. To promote trust, reassure them it is safe to make mistakes.

Want to read the complete article? You are in luck! The article can be purchased on the TBC site: http://www.boothco.com/bank/article_e4.php.

It is worth your time to read the entire article. After all, who would want to buy an endless supply of bananas to feed those pesky monkeys on their back?

Sources: Harvard Business Review, Business Week, Woot.com