Minute With Mallon: Mastering the Art of Praise!
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
A few weeks ago we discussed the fact that communication is made of 3 different areas: body language, tonality, and the words that we use. Here's the breakdown of how meaning is communicated again:
55% Body Language
38% Tonality
7% Words
A very good friend of mine named Matt has been a top-of-the-line builder for over 40 years.
July 4th weekend, we had a leak from the water line that goes from the wall to the refrigerator. It was just a pinhole leak, but when we went down to a bedroom that's seldom used, we saw that the whole wall and part of the ceiling was nearly destroyed.
And we had no idea!
So the leak had been there without us noticing for a long time. My mind raced to what it was going to cost to repair, mold problems, insurance going up, etc. 😳😱💯
So the next day, I called Matt to ask what we should do. I just wanted advice but being the friend that he is, he offered to fix it up for me. This isn't the type of job he usually does, and I was extremely grateful because I knew that if Matt was doing it, it would be done at the highest level.
He came over the next week and brought with him a young man named Hogan who was very new on the job – a super nice and polite young man. They knocked the job out much quicker than I expected, and it looks like new!
… Fast forward about a week.
Matt and I were at a summer social that our small group was putting on. We're out on the back deck of a friend’s home, and he brought up that previous newsletter that I mentioned above.
"Robert, after reading your newsletter, I was very aware that I have a tendency to be a little strong in my tone and in my body language with a new person. So I consciously toned it down when he did something wrong."
I told him that he has a Director-type personality when it comes to his work (which he does). He is very focused, and his job as the owner of the company depends on his employees getting the jobs done quickly and to a very high standard. So he doesn't mince words. He's very direct, which could at times come off as being pushy or demanding. (Sorry, brother Matt! 🤣)
He told me that the information in my newsletter had helped him to communicate in a better and more positive way with the new, young man he’d brought with him to fix our leak, who could have easily been intimidated.
And then I brought up another point.
He told me that Hogan had made his share of mistakes and that he had to correct him often.
"Matt, can I give you some advice?"
He said yes.
"At the end of each day, give Hogan three things that you liked that he did that day. Say it like this,
'Hogan, let me tell you what I liked best about what you did today. You were right on time showing up this morning. You were very polite to our customer when you were speaking to her. And your pace of work was exactly what I want to see from you every day. Now tomorrow, I want you to start anticipating what the next steps will be on our jobs. Make sure to bring all of the tools with you at the start so that you don't have to make so many trips back out to the truck. That will save us time, and you a lot of footsteps.'"
Folks, that's called
LB/NT
(Liked Best / Next Time)
3:1 Ratio (3 LBs to 1 NT!)
This is one of the BEST habits that you can create as a manager/leader!
Do people want to be recognized for what they do well? YES!
And do people want to get better at their jobs? THEY BETTER, or I'd suggest they don't work for you!
I've used this technique and taught it to clients for over 20 years. And people love it. Why?
BECAUSE IT WORKS!
So think about this: Who are the people you lead who you will use this with? Begin practicing it now!!! You'll see great results. It keeps things positive, you'll be reinforcing the behaviors you want to see repeated, and you'll also – in a tactful way – teach them how to elevate their performance!
And BTW, this is a great way to raise kids too!!! It's not just for workplace situations.
Hope that helps you, my friend!
Something to Ponder:
"You don’t build a business. You build people, and then people build the business."
Zig Ziglar
Something I Learned:
(If you're not a spiritual person, feel free to skip this section).
Every morning, the first thing I do is go to the bathroom, then I grab a cup of coffee, then, depending on the time of year, I go outside to my favorite place or, if it's cold, I go to my favorite comfortable chair. And I spend time with my Father. Every morning! I've done it for years and do this 100% of the time.
And almost every day, I have a really great day!
This allows me to start the day slowly, focused on the most important thing in my life – my relationship with God. It's more important than my family, my health, or anything else.
In John Mark Comer's book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, he says:
"There’s a saying in parenting literature: “To a child, love is spelled T-I-M-E.” There’s truth in that. And not just for parents and children. If you love God the Father and want a living, thriving relationship with him where you experience his presence all through the day, then you need to carve out time to be alone with him. Full stop."
Don't hurry, read it again, and let it sink in.
Obviously I don't know where you stand on this. I'm not trying to convert you. I'm just letting you know what works for me. In essence,
I'm just a beggar telling other beggars where I've found bread.
Hope this idea helps you.
Something I Saw:
Standard Service! (Thanks Mike and Dallas!!)
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Hope you have an incredible week!
Robert
