Survey says...

The day after I posted on Rackspace Managed Hosting and their workplace success, AP interviews Lanham Napier, CEO of Rackspace, as an example of hiring. As posted below, I mentioned hiring as a key element in workplace success. Napier says, "We'd rather miss a good one than hire a bad one." This attitude seems to be somewhat consistent with other very successful companies. One that comes to mind is G.E. when Welch was hiring like-minded people.

Although this attitude is not new, it stems from the proverb that a bad apple will spoil the bunch. The type of employees hired will affect the branding both of the service/product and the company. Rackspace seems to go to great lengths in keeping the brand pure by hiring like minded people. This has a systemic consequence. For example, by hiring like-minded people, Rackspace is able to give rewards that actually mean something to its employees. In this case, a week of riding in the company beemer is more rewarding than a shopping spree to the mall because Rackspace knows that its employees value this more. This game is continued to be played in insurance options, hours worked, virtual work, and down the line. It surely seems hiring like-minded makes matters so much easier in the long run.

Now it is your turn to follow suit. What do your employees desire as rewards? Insurance options? Hours? Virtually working? If they are scattered how will you begin to gather them into a more unified whole?

A personal example of the benefit options may help. In one of my former positions we received matching retirement funds, however, I could not afford to even put anything into the retirement options so this benefit (one of only a few) was in effect worthless to me. A better option (given salaries were very low for this profession) would have been a membership to a gym, a gas card, or grocery money.

Because success is kooky?

I don't know about the rest of the world and what they consider odd, but what I have heard of Rackspace and their treatment of employees, it sure seems a good place to work. This Forbes article suggests they are "kooky," I say they practice what they preach. If you want "Fanatical Support" better have the gusto to get those results. If you want the gusto, better hire, inspire, retain, and train! Good job to a local area company!

No longer stuck

I have finished the H & H book, Made to Stick. I enjoyed the book. It could have been shorter, it seemed to float on too much. The points were very good; the advice seems reasonabe. The authors used a lot of stories and examples that were quite interesting and sharable.

I think much can be learned about the person, especially the points made about stories.

Personalistic Followership

Followership, the other half of the leadership equation, needs to be considered. A common discussion in the leadership classes over the past year dealt with the meaning of work. What is the meaning of work. Some has suggested work as a means to vacation and income. To some, work is a necessarily evil. For personalism, work is personal. This means that work aides the personal development of the person and promotes the common good of society. With perspective of work, going in on Monday is not a terrible sentence. It really has the opposite effect. I consider Monday my favorite work day because I am well rested to do my best forming my character and giving something to building up the culture in which I live.

Money becomes an added benefit that allows me to continue my personal development in this manner. Check out Alan Herbert's vision for Hollister Incorporated. This is a pretty good incorporation of these principles.

Heath Bars

Heath and Heath have provided some good ideas that are Made to Stick. The latest chapter I have been reading goes over the emotional aspect of sticky ideas. Part of the chapter mentions the lessened value of words over time. H & H have set the bar high with the sportmanship examples. I really think a re-vamp is in order for our society. Words have been watered down to mean whatever a person wants. I am afraid "leader" is in the same boat. When a class can discuss whether or not A. Hitler was a good leader, it is time to solidify the meaning of leader. Cheers to H & H and Dr. W for opportunity to ponder this issue.

EQ scores came back...

I was extra-ordinarily ordinary by the emotional testing results I received today. Thanks to a great professor for allowing C3 to take this test. I was really nervously unstressed, sadly happy, and unbendably flexible but surprisingly expectant of the results.

Leadership IQ Quiz

According to this, I am a good leader, what can I say?!