If you want to be a more effective communicator, keep your conversations focused on these three elements -- HERE NOW US Conversations containing the opposites of the above elements -- THERE THEN THEM -- will lead to ineffective communication. For instance in a meeting of managers, Ineffective: "They (the testers) didn't test the … [Read more...]
Rethinking Employee Rewards 3 of 3
My first post on rewarding employees explored the importance of providing a reward that is meaningful to the recipient. My second post explored the purpose of rewards, the timing of rewards, and my thoughts about rewarding all the members of a team rather than a few individual members of the team. In this final post on rewards, I explore answers … [Read more...]
Rethinking Employee Rewards, Part 1
I surveyed ten of my colleagues from different high-tech companies about the state of employee rewards programs at their company. One colleague told me about the outstanding reward programs where he works. The other nine colleagues told me something much different. Their feedback is easily summarized as follows: "Our reward programs are … [Read more...]
Best Practice Assertion
How many times have you heard a supplier assert that they offer a technique that is a "best practice?" What do they mean? How do you test whether a technique is a best practice? The words "best practice" is hyperbole used by suppliers to make a technique sound more attractive. That's a harsh statement, but it fits the rhetoric I hear from … [Read more...]
Dealing with Method Zealots
Has a member of your team become completely concerned about how something is done rather than whether it is done? Is it a problem when someone is completely focused is on how something is done? What do you do about it? A good starting point for exploring these questions is a quote from John Gardner's book Self-Renewal: ...goals are achieved … [Read more...]