In This Issue:
How to Allocate Time & Effort
Page 9
Management Time - Who’s Got the Monkey?
Page 12
Time Bandits: How they are Created.....
Page 20
Back to Basics - Steam Sterilization
Page 39
The
of the
the Laboratory
LaboratoryAnimal
AnimalManagement
Management
Association,
2013
The Journal
Journal of
Asso
ciation, 2009
The Lama Review - Page 1
Volume
25 › 1Issue 1
Volume
22 › Issue
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The Lama Review - Page 3
T H E
2012-2013 Executive
Committee Officers
L A M A
PRESIDENT
Tracy Lewis, LATG,CMAR
Andover, MA
VICE PRESIDENT
Pamela Straeter, RLATTG
Kenilworth, NJ
VICE PRESIDENT ELECT
Wayne DeSantis
West Chester, PA
Volume 25, No.1
PAST-PRESIDENT
Lisa Osborne, RLATG, CMAR
El Paso, TX
In This Issue:
7
President Message
9
How to Allocate Time & Effort
12
Management Time:
Who’s Got the Monkey?
18
Dealing with Difficult People
20
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Howard Mosher
Killingworth, CT
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jim Manke, CAE
Eden Prairie, MN
in a changing world
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Lisa Secrest- Alexandria, VA
Dorothy Loud - Mt. Vernon, IN
Leah Curtin - Framingham, MA
2012 LAMA Review
Editorial Staff
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ted Plemons
Bethesda, MD
Time Bandits
How they are created, Why they are Tolerated.......
29
Acknowledge People w/o Turning them Off
39
Back to Basics: Steam Sterilization
Principles & Common Mistakes
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
MANAGING EDITOR
Evelyn Hilt
Lafayette, IN
EDITORIAL
ADVISORY BOARD
Steve Baker
Framingham, MA
Gail Thompson
Wheatland, WY
Staff Contacts
45
Jim Manke, CAE
Executive Director
(952) 253-6084
Innovations
Using VHP to Turn your Cage & Rack Washer into......
Advertiser Listing
Inside Front Cover
Across from TOC
Page 31
Page 4 - The Lama Review
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The Lama Review - Page 5
Did you know?
In the Laboratory Animal community, publishing a
professional journal is an essential part of advancing
your career. Submitting an article to the LAMA Review
provides an opportunity to be published in a professional journal. This is a great opportunity to share
your research knowledge and accomplishments.
Imagine your journal impacting and influencing the laboratory animal management practices!
The LAMA Review provides important information on industry’s advancements and developments to
those involved in the Laboratory Animal field with emphasis in management.
The LAMA Review is published electronically each quarter and combines short columns with longer
feature articles. Each issue focuses on significant topics and relevant interest to ensure a well-rounded
coverage on laboratory management matters.
Submitting an article
Choose an interesting topic that has the potential to benefit the Laboratory Animal Management community. Write the article that you would like to see published in the journal. Be sure to include multiple
sources to support your research and accurately cite references.
Submit your article to Review via email lamareview@gmail.com
Benefits of publishing
The LAMA Review is the official journal of the Laboratory Animal Management Association, which is
committed to publishing high quality, independently peer-reviewed research and review material.
The LAMA Review publishes ideas and concepts in an innovative format to provide premium information for laboratory Animal Management in the public and private sectors which include government
agencies.
A key strength of the LAMA Review is its relationship with the Laboratory Animal management community. By working closely with our members, listening to what they say, and always placing emphasis
on quality. The Review is finding innovative solutions to management’s needs, by providing the necessary resources and tools for managers to succeed.
Article Guidelines
Submissions of articles are accepted from LAMA members, professional managers, and administrators
of laboratory animal care and use. Submissions should generally range between 2,000 and 5,000. All
submissions are subject to Submissions are accepted for the following features of the LAMA Review:
o
o
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o
o
Original Articles
Review Articles
Job Tips
Manager’s Forum
Problem Solving
Page 6 - The Lama Review
President s Message
“How did it get so late so
soon? It’s night before it’s
afternoon. December is
here before it’s June. My
goodness how the time
has flewn. How did it get
so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss
Incredible as it may seem, the
LAMA year is coming to a close! Isn’t it funny that our
administrative year has us at an endpoint when the
season of spring is bringing new beginnings? Maybe
that isn’t so odd after all, when we really stop and think
about it.
While my presidency is coming to an end, there are a
number of new beginnings. In the near future, we will
be gathering in Clearwater for our annual LAMA-ATA
meeting. Your program committee has worked tirelessly
and I can assure you that they have put together a
program that is full of timely topics as well as a bit of fun.
You will be seeing a lot of promotion for the program in
the very near future…keep your eyes open! While we
are in Clearwater, we will recognize the winner of last
year’s Ron Orta award. That presentation will occur
on Wednesday morning. We will also present awards
to some very well deserving managers, and announce
the results of our recent elections. It will be my distinct
honor to pass the gavel along to Pam Straeter who is
indeed one of the best facility managers I have ever had
the pleasure with which to work. Moreover, I’m so proud
that I can call her my friend.
As someone who has worked on program committees,
(for LAMA, for AALAS, for local and regional branch
events) I can say that the quality of the program is
extremely important to me. LAMA is fortunate to have a
core of talented individuals in its’ membership; and they
are not shy about presenting their ideas! That is one of
the best perks of being an active LAMA member. The
network that we have puts answers at our fingertips…
through email, LinkedIn, phone conversations and
certainly face to face meetings. If you can’t get the
answer through LAMA, the answer might not be there at
all!
Another important event that will take place during the
annual meeting is the LAMA Foundation Auction. The
silent and “not so silent” auction is THE main fundraiser
for the Foundation each year. We have a lot of fun, but
we also raise money for the Foundation, which in turn
- Tracy Lewis
funds award recipients resources to attend ILAM or
other management training.
While there will be plenty of networking and learning,
we also need to take some time to de-stress. One way
that we will be doing that is during the Fun Fair. As has
been tradition, we will have some willing (and maybe not
so willing) volunteers organize participants into teams
for some friendly competition. Funds raised during this
event will be presented to a local charity on Friday. This
is how LAMA pays it forward.
If I may take just a little more of your time, I’d like to
detail what the Education Committee has accomplished
this year.
NCAB: Technician to Supervisor/Management 101
Charles River (Private Session). CMII
AALAS: AR preparatory wkshop.
D4 Leadership Training
D4 AR preparatory wkshop
FESSACAL
1. Vivarium Operations and Design
2. Lean Mgmt
3. Decontamination Procedures
4. Lab Animal Mgmt Panel Discussion
On the horizon:
LAMA / ATA AR preparatory wkshop
QUAD: CM1, 2, or 3
I would like to take a moment to thank Steve Baker
as he steps down as the chair of this committee. It’s
dedicated people like Steve who work tirelessly to
further the LAMA offerings to our members.
I’m going to close as I have all of my prior letters to you.
LAMA exists because of the hard work and dedication of
the members of committees and the board. The more
members that are involved, the more that we will be
able to offer! Get involved! We’re always looking for
volunteers to continue to move LAMA forward.
See you in Clearwater!
“It is good to rub and polish our brains against
that of others.”
Michel de Montaigne
The Lama Review - Page 7
From The Editor s Cube.....
For me, the New Year is the beginning of a slate that has been wiped clean, or a fresh
start especially if 2012 was not so wonderful. I always look back and have to wonder
where does all the time go? Going into 2013, how many of us have made a New Year’s
resolution to be more organized? For me, a little more organization would go a long way
to making my home and work life run a bit more smoothly.
Where Does All the Time Go?
-Ted Plemons- Editor
As managers, we are under increasing pressure to boost productivity. There never seem
to be enough hours in the week to get everything accomplished. One of my biggest
problems is trying to do too many things in too little time, trying to satisfy all the requests.
With such high demands, many times I find myself at my desk trying to focus on the task
only to find that my mind is wandering.
Despite my best intentions, I just cannot concentrate. I’m sure that we have all been in
this familiar, frustrating situation. Put simply, we are being asked to do more with fewer
resources. I am pushing myself and the staff to do things differently, to do things better, to make a positive change in the way we operate. Unfortunately, there are no easy
answers; there is no size fits all time-table for managers to follow.
In this issue, I have tried to pull management articles that give us suggestions and tools
to help all of us to become better at managing our time in hopes that we will all examine
our working habits to try to identify ways that we all can become more productive. I
believe St. Francis of Assisi had the correct vision “Start by doing what’s necessary, then
what’s possible, and suddenly we are doing the impossible.”
Page 8 - The Lama Review
“How does he find time to meet with 10 customers a week and make his yearly quota in
the first quarter? I can barely find time to have
five appointments a week and get all my paperwork done correctly and turned in on time.”
A manager ponders about his colleague on the
corporate fast track: “How does she manage
to champion strategic initiatives, network with
executives and only work 40 hours a week?
After a day full of project meetings, the best I
can do is reactively respond to email at night
instead of proactively developing my department.”
Here’s the secret: The colleagues who zoom
ahead of you with seemingly less effort have
an exceptional level of achievement, and I was
fortunate that in my case, it was rewarded with
scholarships and job offers.
The rules changed when I started my own
business more than seven years ago. I realized that doing grade-A work in everything limited my success. At that point, I realized that I
needed to focus more on my strengths.
As Tom Rath wisely explains in his “Strengths
Finder” books, you can achieve more by fully
leveraging your strengths instead of constantly
trying to shore up your weaknesses. I have
realized the importance of purposely deciding where I will invest more time and energy
to produce stellar work and where less-thanperfect execution has a bigger payoff. This has
How to Allocate your
Time & Effort
By ELIZABETH GRACE SAUNDERS
From hbr.org c.2013 Harvard Business School Publishing Corp.
Distributed by The New York Times Syndicate A salesman wonders about
his top co-worker:
learned to recognize and excel at what really
counts – and to aim for less than perfect in
everything else.
It is likely that the highest-producing salesman on your team devotes less than half the
amount of time that you do to fill out paperwork. Yes, his may be sloppy, but no one really
cares because he’s skyrocketing the revenue
numbers. The manager who has caught the
eye of upper management may send emails
with imperfect grammar and decline invites to
tactical meetings. But when a project or meeting really matters, she outshines everyone.
If you’re shocked and feel that this seems
completely unfair, I’m guessing you probably
did very well in school, where perfectionism is
encouraged.
I was a straight-A student from sixth grade
through college graduation and did whatever
it took to produce work at a level that would
please my professors. Admittedly, this strategy
paid off as a student. My perfect GPA signified
had a profound effect on my own approach
to success and my ability to empower clients
who feel overwhelmed.
When I talk with time-coaching clients –
whether they be professors, executives or lawyers – a common theme comes up: They feel
as though they can’t find time to do everything.
And they’re right: No one has time for everything. Given the pace of work and the level of
input in modern society, time management is
dead. You can no longer fit everything in, no
matter how efficient you become.
My time-investment philosophy encourages individuals to see time as a limited resource and
to allocate it in alignment with their personal
definition of success. That leads to a number
of practical ramifications:
• DECIDE WHERE YOU WILL NOT
SPEND TIME:
With a limited budget of time at your disposal,
you will not have the ability to do everything
you would like to do, regardless of your efThe Lama Review - Page 9
ficiency. The moment you embrace that truth, you instantly reduce your stress and feelings of inadequacy.
Professionally, this might mean reducing your involvement in committees; on the personal level, you might
consider hiring someone else to maintain your lawn or
finish up a home-improvement project.
These things need to get done, but you can aim for Blevel work. Optimize activities are those for which additional time spent leads to no added value and keeps
you from doing other, more valuable activities. Aim for
C-level work in these – the faster you get them done,
the better. Most basic administrative paperwork and
errands fit into this category.
• STRATEGICALLY ALLOCATE YOUR TIME:
Setting boundaries on how and when you invest time
in work and in your personal life can help to ensure
that you allocate properly to each category. One of the
most compelling reasons for not working extremely
long hours is that this investment of time resources
leaves you with insufficient funds for activities like
exercise, sleep and relationships.
The overall goal is to minimize the time spent on
optimize activities so that you can maximize your time
spent on investment activities. I’ve found that this
technique allows you to overcome perfectionist tendencies and invest in more of what actually matters,
so that you can increase your effectiveness personally
and professionally.
• SET UP AUTOMATIC TIME INVESTMENT:
On a tactical level, here are a few tips on how you can
put the INO technique into action:
Just like you set up automatic financial investment to
mutual funds in your retirement account, your daily
and weekly routines should make your time investment close to automatic. For example, at work you
could have a recurring appointment with yourself two
afternoons a week to move forward on key projects,
and outside of work you could sign up for a fitness
boot camp, where you would feel bad if you didn’t
show up and sweat three times a week.
• AIM FOR A CONSISTENTLY BALANCED
TIME BUDGET:
Given the ebbs and flows of life, you can’t expect that
you will have a constantly balanced time budget. But
you can aim for having a consistently balanced one.
Over the course of a one- to two-week period, your
time investment should reflect your priorities.
Once you have properly allocated your time, you
also need to approach the work within each category
differently. Trying to get straight A’s keeps you from
investing the maximum amount of time in what will
bring the highest return on your investment. That’s
why I developed the INO technique to help overcome
perfectionism and misallocation of your time. Here’s
how it works:
When you approach a to-do item, you want to consider whether it is an investment, neutral or optimize
activity. Investment activities are areas where an
increased amount of time and a higher quality of work
can lead to an exponential payoff. For instance, strategic planning is an investment activity; so is spending
time, device-free, with the people you love. Aim for Alevel work in these areas. Neutral activities just need
to get done adequately; more time doesn’t necessarily
mean a significantly larger payoff. An example might
be attending project meetings or going to the gym.
Page 10 - The Lama Review
• At the start of each week, clearly define the most
important investment activities and block out time on
your calendar to complete them early in the week and
early in your days. This will naturally force you to do
everything else in the time that remains.
• When you look over your daily to-do list, put an “I,”
“N” or “O” beside each item and then allocate your
time budget accordingly, such as four hours for the “I”
activity, three hours for the “N” activities and one hour
for the “O” activities.
• If you start working on something and realize that
it’s taking longer than expected, ask yourself, “What’s
the value and/or opportunity cost in spending more
time on this task?” If it’s an I activity and the value is
high, keep at it and take time away from your N and O
activities. If it falls into the N category and there’s little
added value, or the O category and spending more
time keeps you from doing more important items,
either get it done to the minimum level, delegate it,
or stop and finish it later when you have more spare
time.
• If you keep a time diary or mark the time you spent
on your calendar, you can also look back over each
week and determine if you allocated your time correctly to maximize the payoff on your time investment.
Elizabeth Grace Saunders is a time coach, founder of Real Life E
Time Coaching & Training and the author of``The 3 Secrets to Effective Time Investment: How to Achieve More Success With Less
Stress.’’) To purchase this article, please visit www.nytsyn.com/
contact and contact your local New York Times Syndicate sales
representative. For customer support, please call 1-800-972-3550
or 1-212-556-5117.
We all have “too much to do.” True? Sure ‘nuf. And that
says a lot of good things about you. That you have “too
much to do” suggests that a lot of people have entrusted
much confidence in you. I mean, people who are drifting
about early each afternoon begging co-workers for
something to do, may not have earned that confidence
we will enjoy. It’s the logical choice.
So let’s say it’s the start of your workweek and you have
a lot of “things to do,” some of which are “Crucial,” some
“Not Crucial.” Intuitively and instinctively you and I want
to be good time managers. Therefore, where does our
attention gravitate towards? Do we focus on the “Crucial”
CRUCIAL v. NOT CRUCIAL
By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
from others. And this applies not only in our work lives
but in our personal lives as well.
But this creates a double-edged sword. On the one
hand, it’s great to enjoy the confidence of others. Yet,
having “too much to do” often creates the stresses and
distresses that may reduce your overall productivity.
I divide our responsibilities into two categories: “Crucial”
and “Not Crucial.” Crucial items give us the “biggest
bang for the buck” for the time spent and is the most
productive use of our time. It is the logical use of our
time. “Not Crucial” gives us emotional relief. It’s doing
the little things, the junk mail, desk dusting and the like,
that, while necessary, do not really advance our daily
success very much.
When we accomplish the “Crucial” things in our life
we are doing “business” v “busyness.” We are making
progress versus wheel spinning. Have you ever had
a day when you were busy the whole daylong but
when you got home that night you knew you had not
accomplished a darn thing? (We can fool the world
sometimes but we cannot fool ourselves.)
Doing the Crucial things builds up our self-esteem
and our motivation level. Ever notice when you’ve
had a really productive “Crucial” day how that positive
momentum carried forward into your evening hours?
You are more inclined to do the woodworking, spend
time with the kids, or work on hobbies, when you’ve
had a great day. But when you’ve had one of those “Not
Crucial” days, the motivation and momentum levels are
reduced and when we come home that night, many of
us just want to block out the day with that all important
exercise, “click, click, click,” the sound of the TV remote
device, surfing us through a multitude of channels that
fail to grab our interest.
I really believe that most people, intuitively and
instinctively, want to be good time managers. It makes
sense. The better we manage our time, the more results
or “Not Crucial” tasks? The “Crucial”? Sure! Logic tells
us that. The more “Crucial” things we do, the more
productivity and success we enjoy.
But, you know what? When given a choice between
“Crucial” and “Not Crucial” items, we will almost always
do the “Not Crucial” items and ignore the “Crucial” items
in spite of the fact that we all want to be productive in
our day.
Why?
Because we are driven more by emotion rather than
logic.
You see the “Crucial” items are typically longer and
harder to accomplish. The “Not Crucial” items are
typically quicker and fun and emotionally satisfying.
We need to get over to the “Crucial” side more often to
increase our personal productivity.
Would you like to receive free Timely Time
Management Tips on a regular basis to increase
your personal productivity and get more out of every
day? Sign up now for our free “Time management
Discussion List Just go to: http://www.topica.com/
lists/timemanagement and select “subscribe”. We
welcome you aboard!
Dr. Donald E. Wetmore-Professional Speaker
Productivity Institute-Time Management Seminars
127 Jefferson Street
Stratford, CT 06615
(800) 969-3773
(203) 386-8062
fax: (203) 386-8064
Email: ctsem@msn.com
website: http://www.balancetime.com
Professional Member-National Speakers Association
Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above information in its
entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your webpage. For
permission, please email your request for “reprint” to: ctsem@
msn.com
The Lama Review - Page 11
Management Time “Who’s Got the Monkey?”
by William Oncken, Jr., and Donald L. Wass
This article was originally published in the
November–December 1974 issue of HBR and
has been one of the publication’s two bestselling reprints ever.
For its reissue as a Classic, the Harvard
Business Review asked Stephen R. Covey to
provide a commentary.
Why is it that managers are typically running
out of time while their subordinates are
typically running out of work? Here we shall
explore the meaning of management time as
it relates to the interaction between managers
and their bosses, their peers, and their
subordinates.
Specifically, we shall deal with three kinds
of management time:
Boss-imposed time—used to accomplish
those activities that the boss requires and that
the manager cannot disregard without direct
and swift penalty.
System-imposed time—used to accommodate
requests from peers for active support.
Neglecting these requests will also result in
penalties, though not always as direct or swift.
Self-imposed time—used to do those things
that the manager originates or agrees to do. A
certain portion of this kind of time,
Page 12 - The Lama Review
however, will be taken by subordinates and
is called subordinate-imposed time. The
remaining portion will be the manager’s own
and is called discretionary time. Self-imposed
time is not subject to penalty since neither
the boss nor the system can discipline the
manager for not doing what they didn’t know
he had intended to do in the first place.
To accommodate those demands, managers
need to control the timing and the content of
what they do. Since what their bosses and
the system impose on them are subject to
penalty, managers cannot tamper with those
requirements. Thus their self-imposed time
becomes their major area of concern.
Managers should try to increase the
discretionary component of their self-imposed
time by minimizing or doing away with the
subordinate component. They will then use
the added increment to get better control
over their boss-imposed and system-imposed
activities. Most managers spend much more
time dealing with subordinates’ problems than
they even faintly realize. Hence we shall use
the monkey-on-the-back metaphor to examine
how subordinate-imposed time comes into
being and what the superior can do about it.
Where Is the Monkey?
Let us imagine that a manager is walking
down the hall and that he notices one of his
subordinates, Jones, coming his way. When the two
meet, Jones greets the manager with, “Good morning.
By the way, we’ve got a problem. You see….” As
Jones continues, the manager recognizes in this
problem the two characteristics common to all the
problems his subordinates gratuitously bring to his
attention. Namely, the manager knows (a) enough
to get involved, but (b) not enough to make the onthe-spot decision expected of him. Eventually, the
manager says, “So glad you brought this up. I’m in a
rush right now. Meanwhile, let me think about it, and
I’ll let you know.” Then he and Jones part company.
Let us analyze what just happened. Before the two
of them met, on whose back was the “monkey”?
The subordinate’s. After they parted, on whose back
was it? The manager’s. Subordinate-imposed time
begins the moment a monkey successfully leaps
from the back of a subordinate to the back of his or
her superior and does not end until the monkey is
returned to its proper owner for care and feeding. In
accepting the monkey, the manager has voluntarily
assumed a position subordinate to his subordinate.
That is, he has allowed Jones to make him her
subordinate by doing two things a subordinate is
generally expected to do for a boss—the manager
has accepted a responsibility from his subordinate,
and the manager has promised her a progress report.
The subordinate, to make sure the manager does
not miss this point, will later stick her head in the
“Get control over the timing and content
of what you do” is appropriate advice for
managing time. The first order of business
is for the manager to enlarge his or her
discretionary time by eliminating subordinateimposed time. The second is for the
manager to use a portion of this newfound
discretionary time to see to it that each
subordinate actually has the initiative and
applies it. The third is for the manager to use
another portion of the increased discretionary
time to get and keep control of the timing and
content of both boss-imposed and systemimposed time. All these steps will increase
the manager’s leverage and enable the value
of each hour spent in managing management
time to multiply without theoretical limit.
manager’s office and cheerily query, “How’s it
coming?” (This is called supervision.)
Or let us imagine in concluding a conference with
Johnson, another subordinate, the manager’s parting
words are, “Fine. Send me a memo on that.”
Let us analyze this one. The monkey is now on the
subordinate’s back because the next move is his, but
it is poised for a leap. Watch that monkey. Johnson
dutifully writes the requested memo and drops it in
his out-basket. Shortly thereafter, the manager plucks
it from his in-basket and reads it. Whose move is
it now? The manager’s. If he does not make that
move soon, he will get a follow-up memo from the
subordinate. (This is another form of supervision.) The
longer the manager delays, the more frustrated the
subordinate will become (he’ll be spinning his wheels)
and the more guilty the manager will feel (his backlog
of subordinate-imposed time will be mounting).
Or suppose once again that at a meeting with a third
subordinate, Smith, the manager agrees to provide all
the necessary backing for a public relations proposal
he has just asked Smith to develop. The manager’s
parting words to her are, “Just let me know how I can
help.”
Now let us analyze this. Again the monkey is initially
on the subordinate’s back. But for how long? Smith
realizes that she cannot let the manager “know” until
her proposal has the manager’s approval. And from
experience, she also realizes that her proposal will
likely be sitting in the manager’s briefcase for weeks
before he eventually gets to it. Who’s really got the
monkey? Who will be checking up on whom? Wheel
spinning and bottlenecking are well on their way
again.
A fourth subordinate, Reed, has just been transferred
from another part of the company so that he can
launch and eventually manage a newly created
business venture. The manager has said they should
get together soon to hammer out a set of objectives
for the new job, adding, “I will draw up an initial draft
for discussion with you.”
Let us analyze this one, too. The subordinate has
the new job (by formal assignment) and the full
responsibility (by formal delegation), but the manager
has the next move. Until he makes it, he will have the
monkey, and the subordinate will be immobilized.
Why does all of this happen? Because in each
instance the manager and the subordinate assume
at the outset, wittingly or unwittingly, that the matter
The Lama Review - Page 13
under consideration is a joint problem. The monkey in
each case begins its career astride both their backs.
All it has to do is move the wrong leg, and—presto!—
the subordinate deftly disappears. The manager is
thus left with another acquisition for his menagerie.
Of course, monkeys can be trained not to move
the wrong leg. But it is easier to prevent them from
straddling backs in the first place.
for whom. Moreover, he now sees that if he actually
accomplishes during this weekend what he came
to accomplish, his subordinates’ morale will go up
so sharply that they will each raise the limit on the
number of monkeys they will let jump from their backs
to his. In short, he now sees, with the clarity of a
revelation on a mountaintop, that the more he gets
caught up, the more he will fall behind.
Who Is Working for Whom?
He leaves the office with the speed of a person
running away from a plague. His plan? To get caught
up on something else he hasn’t had time for in years:
a weekend with his family. (This is one of the many
varieties of discretionary time.)
Let us suppose that these same four subordinates
are so thoughtful and considerate of their superior’s
time that they take pains to allow no more than three
monkeys to leap from each of their backs to his in any
one day. In a five-day week, the manager will have
picked up 60 screaming monkeys—far too many to
do anything about them individually. So he spends his
subordinate-imposed time juggling his “priorities.”
Sunday night he enjoys ten hours of sweet,
untroubled slumber, because he has clear-cut
plans for Monday. He is going to get rid of his
subordinate-imposed time. In exchange, he will get
an equal amount of discretionary time, part of which
he will spend with his
subordinates to make
Worst of all, the reason the manager sure that they learn the
cannot make any of these “next
difficult but rewarding
managerial art called
moves” is that his time is almost
Care and Feeding of
entirely eaten up by meeting his own “The
Monkeys.”
Late Friday afternoon, the
manager is in his office with
the door closed for privacy
so he can contemplate
the situation, while his
subordinates are waiting
outside to get their last
chance before the weekend
boss-imposed and system-imposed
to remind him that he will
The manager will
requirements.
have to “fish or cut bait.”
also have plenty of
Imagine what they are
discretionary time left over
saying to one another about
for
getting
control
of
the
timing
and the content not
the manager as they wait: “What a bottleneck. He just
only
of
his
boss-imposed
time
but
also of his systemcan’t make up his mind. How anyone ever got that
imposed
time.
It
may
take
months,
but compared
high up in our company without being able to make a
with the way things have been, the rewards will be
decision we’ll never know.”
enormous. His ultimate objective is to manage his
Worst of all, the reason the manager cannot make any time.
of these “next moves” is that his time is almost entirely
eaten up by meeting his own boss-imposed and
system-imposed requirements. To control those tasks,
he needs discretionary time that is in turn denied
him when he is preoccupied with all these monkeys.
The manager is caught in a vicious circle. But time is
a-wasting (an understatement). The manager calls his
secretary on the intercom and instructs her to tell his
subordinates that he won’t be able to see them until
Monday morning. At 7 pm, he drives home, intending
with firm resolve to return to the office tomorrow to get
caught up over the weekend. He returns bright and
early the next day only to see, on the nearest green
of the golf course across from his office window, a
foursome. Guess who?
That does it. He now knows who is really working
Page 14 - The Lama Review
Getting Rid of the Monkeys
The manager returns to the office Monday morning
just late enough so that his four subordinates have
collected outside his office waiting to see him about
their monkeys. He calls them in one by one. The
purpose of each interview is to take a monkey,
place it on the desk between them, and figure out
together how the next move might conceivably be
the subordinate’s. For certain monkeys, that will
take some doing. The subordinate’s next move may
be so elusive that the manager may decide—just
for now—merely to let the monkey sleep on the
subordinate’s back overnight and have him or her
return with it at an appointed time the next morning to
continue the joint quest for a more substantive move
by the subordinate. (Monkeys sleep just as soundly
overnight on subordinates’ backs as they do on
superiors’.)
As each subordinate leaves the office, the manager
is rewarded by the sight of a monkey leaving his
office on the subordinate’s back. For the next 24
hours, the subordinate will not be waiting for the
manager; instead, the manager will be waiting for the
subordinate.
Nor can the manager and the subordinate effectively
have the same initiative at the same time. The opener,
“Boss, we’ve got a problem,” implies this duality and
represents, as noted earlier, a monkey astride two
backs, which is a very bad way to start a monkey on
its career. Let us, therefore, take a few moments to
examine what we call “The Anatomy of Managerial
Initiative.”
Later, as if to remind himself that there is no law
against his engaging in a constructive exercise in
the interim, the manager strolls by the subordinate’s
office, sticks his head in the door, and cheerily asks,
“How’s it coming?” (The time consumed in doing this
is discretionary for the manager and boss imposed for
the subordinate.)
There are five degrees of initiative that the manager
can exercise in relation to the boss and to the system:
When the subordinate (with the monkey on his or her
back) and the manager meet at the appointed hour
the next day, the manager explains the ground rules
in words to this effect:
“At no time while I am helping you with this or any
other problem will your problem become my problem.
The instant your problem becomes mine, you no
longer have a problem. I cannot help a person who
hasn’t got a problem.
“When this meeting is over, the problem will leave this
office exactly the way it came in—on your back. You
may ask my help at any appointed time, and we will
make a joint determination of what the next move will
be and which of us will make it.
“In those rare instances where the next move turns
out to be mine, you and I will determine it together. I
will not make any move alone.”
The manager follows this same line of thought with
each subordinate until about 11 am, when he realizes
that he doesn’t have to close his door. His monkeys
are gone. They will return—but by appointment only.
His calendar will assure this.
Transferring the Initiative
What we have been driving at in this monkey-on-theback analogy is that managers can transfer initiative
back to their subordinates and keep it there. We have
tried to highlight a truism as obvious as it is subtle:
namely, before developing initiative in subordinates,
the manager must see to it that they have the
initiative. Once the manager takes it back, he will no
longer have it and he can kiss his discretionary time
good-bye. It will all revert to subordinate-imposed
time.
1. wait until told (lowest initiative);
2. ask what to do;
3. recommend, then take resulting action;
4. act, but advise at once;
5. and act on own, then routinely report (highest
initiative).
Clearly, the manager should be professional enough
not to indulge in initiatives 1 and 2 in relation either
to the boss or to the system. A manager who uses
initiative 1 has no control over either the timing or the
content of boss-imposed or system-imposed time and
thereby forfeits any right to complain about what he
or she is told to do or when. The manager who uses
initiative 2 has control over the timing but not over
the content. Initiatives 3, 4, and 5 leave the manager
in control of both, with the greatest amount of control
being exercised at level 5.
In relation to subordinates, the manager’s job is
twofold. First, to outlaw the use of initiatives 1 and
2, thus giving subordinates no choice but to learn
and master “Completed Staff Work.” Second, to see
that for each problem leaving his or her office there
is an agreed-upon level of initiative assigned to it, in
addition to an agreed-upon time and place for the next
manager-subordinate conference. The latter should
be duly noted on the manager’s calendar.
The Care and Feeding of Monkeys
To further clarify our analogy between the monkey
on the back and the processes of assigning and
controlling, we shall refer briefly to the manager’s
appointment schedule, which calls for five hardand-fast rules governing the “Care and Feeding
of Monkeys.” (Violation of these rules will cost
discretionary time.)
Rule 1.
Monkeys should be fed or shot. Otherwise, they will
starve to death, and the manager will waste valuable
time on postmortems or attempted resurrections.
The Lama Review - Page 15
Rule 2.
The monkey population should be kept below the
maximum number the manager has time to feed.
Subordinates will find time to work as many monkeys
as he or she finds time to feed, but no more. It
shouldn’t take more than five to 15 minutes to feed a
properly maintained monkey.
Rule 3.
Monkeys should be fed by appointment only. The
manager should not have to hunt down starving
monkeys and feed them on a catch-as-catch-can
basis.
Rule 4.
Monkeys should be fed face-to-face or by telephone,
but never by mail. (Remember—with mail, the next
move will be the manager’s.) Documentation may add
to the feeding process, but it cannot take the place of
feeding.
Rule 5.
Every monkey should have an assigned next feeding
time and degree of initiative. These may be revised
at any time by mutual consent but never allowed to
become vague or indefinite. Otherwise, the monkey
will either starve to death or wind up on the manager’s
back.
CommentaryMaking Time for Gorillas
by Stephen R. Covey
When Bill Oncken wrote this article in 1974, managers
were in a terrible bind. They were desperate for a way
to free up their time, but command and control was
the status quo. Managers felt they weren’t allowed
to empower their subordinates to make decisions.
Too dangerous. Too risky. That’s why Oncken’s
message—give the monkey back to its rightful
owner—involved a critically important paradigm shift.
Many managers working today owe him a debt of
gratitude.
It is something of an understatement, however, to
observe that much has changed since Oncken’s
radical recommendation. Command and control
as a management philosophy is all but dead, and
“empowerment” is the word of the day in most
organizations trying to thrive in global, intensely
competitive markets. But command and control
stubbornly remains a common practice. Management
thinkers and executives have discovered in the last
decade that bosses cannot just give a monkey back
to their subordinates and then merrily get on with their
Page 16 - The Lama Review
own business. Empowering subordinates is hard and
complicated work.
The reason: when you give problems back to
subordinates to solve themselves, you have to be
sure that they have both the desire and the ability to
do so. As every executive knows, that isn’t always
the case. Enter a whole new set of problems.
Empowerment often means you have to develop
people, which is initially much more time consuming
than solving the problem on your own.
Just as important, empowerment can only thrive when
the whole organization buys into it—when formal
systems and the informal culture support it. Managers
need to be rewarded for delegating decisions and
developing people. Otherwise, the degree of real
empowerment in an organization will vary according
to the beliefs and practices of individual managers.
But perhaps the most important lesson about
empowerment is that effective delegation—the
kind Oncken advocated—depends on a trusting
relationship between a manager and his subordinate.
Oncken’s message may have been ahead of
his time, but what he suggested was still a fairly
dictatorial solution. He basically told bosses, “Give
the problem back!” Today, we know that this approach
by itself is too authoritarian. To delegate effectively,
executives need to establish a running dialogue with
subordinates. They need to establish a partnership.
After all, if subordinates are afraid of failing in front
of their boss, they’ll keep coming back for help rather
than truly take initiative.
Oncken’s article also doesn’t address an aspect
of delegation that has greatly interested me during
the past two decades—that many managers are
actually eager to take on their subordinates’ monkeys.
Nearly all the managers I talk with agree that their
people are underutilized in their present jobs. But
even some of the most successful, seemingly selfassured executives have talked about how hard it is
to give up control to their subordinates.
I’ve come to attribute that eagerness for control to a
common, deep-seated belief that rewards in life are
scarce and fragile. Whether they learn it from their
family, school, or athletics, many people establish an
identity by comparing themselves with others. When
they see others gain power, information, money,
or recognition, for instance, they experience what
the psychologist Abraham Maslow called “a feeling
of deficiency”—a sense that something is being
taken from them. That makes it hard for them to be
genuinely happy about the success of others—even
of their loved ones. Oncken implies that managers
can easily give back or refuse monkeys, but many
managers may subconsciously fear that a subordinate
taking the initiative will make them appear a little less
strong and a little more vulnerable.
How, then, do managers develop the inward security,
the mentality of “abundance,” that would enable
them to relinquish control and seek the growth
and development of those around them? The work
I’ve done with numerous organizations suggests
that managers who live with integrity according to
a principle-based value system are most likely to
sustain an empowering style of leadership.
Given the times in which he wrote, it was no wonder
that Oncken’s message resonated with managers.
But it was reinforced by Oncken’s wonderful gift for
storytelling. I got to know Oncken on the speaker’s
circuit in the 1970s, and I was always impressed by
how he dramatized his ideas in colorful detail. Like
the Dilbert comic strip, Oncken had a tongue-in-cheek
style that got to the core of managers’ frustrations and
made them want to take back control of their time.
And the monkey on your back wasn’t just a metaphor
for Oncken—it was his personal symbol. I saw him
several times walking through airports with a stuffed
monkey on his shoulder.
I’m not surprised that his article is one of the two
best-selling HBR articles ever. Even with all we know
about empowerment, its vivid message is even more
important and relevant now than it was 25 years
ago. Indeed, Oncken’s insight is a basis for my own
work on time management, in which I have people
categorize their activities according to urgency and
importance. I’ve heard from executives again and
again that half or more of their time is spent on
matters that are urgent but not important. They’re
trapped in an endless cycle of dealing with other
people’s monkeys, yet they’re reluctant to help those
people take their own initiative. As a result, they’re
often too busy to spend the time they need on the real
gorillas in their organization. Oncken’s article remains
a powerful wake-up call for managers who need to
delegate effectively.
William Oncken, Jr., was chairman of the William
Oncken Corporation until his death in 1988. His
son, William Oncken III, now heads the company.
Donald L. Wass was president of the William Oncken
Company of Texas when the article first appeared.
He now heads the Dallas–Fort Worth region of
The Executive Committee (TEC), an international
organization for presidents and CEOs.
Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only
as many days in the year as you make use
of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a
year while another man gets a full year’s value
out of a week. - Charles Richards
The Lama Review - Page 17
Dealing with Difficult People
in a Changing World
by Terry Paulson, PhD, CSP, CPAE
Conflict is built into the very fabric of every
organization in today’s changing world. When
it is not dealt with well, it can create enemy
relationships and grow to sap the time, energy,
and productivity of even the best relationships.
Conflict can also be a catalyst that sets the
stage for needed changes. You will never deal
with conflict perfectly, but here are ten tips worth
using in dealing with your difficult people on and
off the job:
1. Talk to people instead of about
them. Dealing with conflict directly may
be uncomfortable and lead to some
disappointment, but it cuts down the
mindreading and the resentment that can occur
when problems are not dealt with directly.
Timing, tact, and taking distance will always
have their place, but make sure you still keep
conflict eyeball to eyeball.
2. We are taught from childhood to avoid
conflict and often vacillate between the pain of
dealing with unresolved problems and the guilt
Page 18 - The Lama Review
over not dealing with them. Such vacillation
saps energy and time; it can affect morale and
turnover. Be a problem solver not a problem
evader. Problem solvers avoid avoidance; they
learn to deal with conflict as soon as it even
begins to get in the way.
3. Develop a communication style that
focuses on future problem solving rather
than getting stuck in proving a conviction for
past problems. You want change, not just an
admission of guilt. Winners of arguments never
always win, because consistent losers never
forget. You want results, not enemies seeking
revenge. By focusing on future problem solving,
both can save face.
4. Problem solvers deal with issues, not
personalities. It is all too easy to abuse the
other party instead of dealing with issues. Be
assertive but affirm the rights of others to have
different positions, values and priorities. When
you personalize disagreements and attack
back, you invite escalation. Keep the focus on
mutual problem solving not name calling.
even if a few difficult people never respond.
5. Honor, surface and use resistance. Attempts at
9. If none of these suggestions work, keep your
threatening, silencing or otherwise avoiding criticism
of change will only force resistance underground and
increase the sabotaging of even necessary changes.
Explored resistance helps build clarity of focus and
action. Push for specific suggestions. If criticism is
extensive and continues even after facing it, it may
not be resistance--Know when to admit that you are
wrong.
perspective—”This too shall pass!’ Keep evidence of
your efforts to build a better relationship. Find ways
to work on projects that build new exposure in other
areas within your organization. You may just find a
new position with a different team to work with. With a
crazy or brutalizing boss or coworker, you may even
have to leave. Always invest 5% of your time in your
next career so you are continually developing career
choices. You want to stay for the right reasons, not
because you are trapped.
6. Redefine caring to include caring enough to
confront on a timely and consistent basis. Avoid labels
that give you or others excuses for not confronting a
problem—They are too sensitive or too nice, scene
makers or people who have contacts, too old or too
young, or the wrong race or gender. If you believe
people cannot change or benefit from feedback, you
will tend not to confront them. Instead, treat all equally
caring enough to be firm, fair, and consistent.
7. Avoid forming enemy relationships. The subtle
art of influence is often lost in the heat of battle.
When interaction becomes strained or bias exists, the
negative interaction coupled with the distance that
often results invites selective scanning and projection.
We see what we want to see to keep our enemies the
enemy.
If a relationship is limited to polite indifference and
significant negative interaction, expect polarization
and an enemy relationship. In such relationships
everyone loses. Take seriously the words of
Confucius, “Before you embark on a journey of
revenge, dig two graves.” Even your most difficult
person usually has some people they work with
well. Make one of those people you. Don’t look for
the worst; learn to look for the best in even difficult
people.
10.
Finally, don’t forget to spend some time
looking in a mirror. Ron Zemke put it well when he
said, ‘If you find that everywhere you go you’re always
surrounded by jerks and you’re constantly being
forced to strike back at them or correct their behavior,
guess what? You’re a jerk.” As with all of life, start by
making sure that you are not being difficult yourself.
BYLINE INFORMATION
Dr. Terry Paulson is author of The Dinner, 50 Tips for
Speaking Like a Pro and They Shoot Managers Don’t
They? As a speaker, he helps leaders and teams
make change work. For more information visit http://
www.terrypaulson.com or contact directly at (818)
991-5110 or terry@terrypaulson.com
Never let yesterday use up today.
Richard H. Nelson
8. Invest time building positive bridges to your
difficult people. Abraham Lincoln reportedly said, “I
don’t like that man. I’m going to have to get to know
him better.’ Don’t be insincere; look for ways to be
sincere. It takes a history of positive contact to build
trust. Try building a four-to-one positive to negative
contact history. Give specific recognition and ask for
assistance in the areas you respect their opinions.
Work together on an common cause and search for
areas of common ground. Even if bridge building
doesn’t work, by being a positive bridge builder, you
build a reputation all will see and come to respect
The Lama Review - Page 19
Copyright 2008 by Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. For reprints, call HBS Publishing at (800) 545-7685.
BH 272
Time bandits: How they are created, why they are tolerated, and
what can be done about them
Time Bandits
a,
a
David J. Ketchen, Jr. , Christopher W. Craighead , M. Ronald Buckley
b
b
Auburn University, Lowder Business Building, Auburn, AL 36849, USA University of Oklahoma, 307 West Brooks, Norman,
OK 73072, USA
KEYWORDS
Time bandits; Resource utilization; Reward
systems; Job design
Abstract
Organizations today own little slack, and they
must very carefully manage their resources.
In this article, we describe an omnipresent,
yet often ignored resource utilization problem whereby some workers abandon certain
responsibilities and use the freed-up time
to pursue personal interests such as hobbies and side businesses. In essence, these
“time bandits” work part-time in exchange
for full-time pay. While bandits are a minority among workers, their negative effects
are significant and widespread. Specifically,
banditry undermines an organization’s mission, morale, and productivity, as well as
putting stakeholder support at risk. In an effort
to address this problem, we offer insights in
three areas. First, we identify key causes of
banditry, including supervisors not enforcing
performance standards, poorly constructed
reward systems, and the failure to recognize
individual differences when designing jobs.
Second, we describe reasons why banditry is
tolerated within organizations, such as supervisors’ desire to avoid conflict and their fear of
being labeled as hypocrites. Most importantly,
we offer a set of techniques that can prevent
and reverse banditry. These include carefully
defining expectations, intervening quickly
when the symptoms of banditry appear, reducing bandits’ compensation over time, and
designing jobs that capitalize on individuals’
varied skills and motivation. © 2007 Kelley
School of Business, Indiana University. All
rights reserved
1. A thief by any other name…
“Sam Cooper” (a pseudonym) is a mid-level
manager within a division of a Fortune 500
firm. The firm’s business centers on serving large, competitively-bid contracts. These
contracts apply to fixed periods of time, so a
steady flow of new contracts is needed for the
firm to remain successful. Sam’ performance
in servicing existing contracts is regarded as
reasonable. A much different situation arises
where preparing bids for new contracts is
concerned. At strategy meetings, Sam contributes both enthusiasm and insight about
how to win each competition. When it comes
time to actually write a proposal for a new
contract, however, Sam is always “too busy”
or “traveling too much” to participate. Yet, as
an avid surfer, Sam always seems to have
plenty of time throughout the week to hit the
beach.
“Barb Dobler” is a department head within a
state government agency devoted to public
health. Barb possesses adequate technical
Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: ketchda@auburn.edu (D.J. Ketchen, Jr.), craigcw@auburn.edu
(C.W. Craighead), mbuckley@ou.edu (M.R. Buckley).
0007-6813/$ -see front matter © 2007 Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.bushor.2007.11.005
Page 20 - The Lama Review
skills and her performance on this portion of her
job is satisfactory. However, her main responsibility
is managing others, a role that she eschews. Barb
not only fails to give subordinates guidance and
support, she also verbally abuses them. Ignoring her
managerial duties has freed up a lot of time for Barb,
and she uses this time to trade stocks online. Upper
management has sent Barb to a series of out-of-town
seminars on effective management, but she has
treated these trips as vacations.
“Phil Moultor” has long served as a professor at a
large public university. Like most professors at such
institutions, Phil is assigned responsibilities in teaching and research. In the 1980s, Phil’s record of research accomplishments resulted in his appointment
to a position that granted a reduced teaching load.
The university’s expectation was that Phil’s research
activity would flourish via the freed-up
time. In the intervening decades, however,
Phil has conducted very little research.
He teaches his classes – atask that takes
only a few hours a week, given his reduced
teaching load – and contributes little else to
the university. Meanwhile, Phil works many
hours at the Italian restaurant that he runs
“on the side.”
contention, based on a collective total of 44 years
at seven universities, is that banditry is a pervasive
problem within educational institutions. In particular,
we have observed the widespread existence of
bandit professors such as Phil Moultor, who have
made a conscious decision to not fulfill the research
responsibilities of their positions. At many business
schools, the work assignment of a tenure track
professor includes a significant portion of their
time (perhaps 25% to 50%) that is supposed to be
allocated to research activities. Often, bandits will
teach their classes but that is the extent of their
contribution to the institution. Bandit professors are
generally tenured, and they treat tenure not as the
intended protector of academic freedom, but as a
sinecure and a license to steal from the educational
system. Hambrick (2005, p. 300) has stated that
abandoning research responsibilities is a main reason
Several forms of theft take place within
organizations. Some are well known,
such as insider trading, shrinkage (where
employees pilfer goods), and embezzlement.
The anecdotes offered above illustrate
another form of theft, one that most of us
are aware of intuitively but that has not
yet been discussed in the practitioner or
academic literatures. In each case, a person
has chosen to not fulfill part of his or her
assigned work responsibilities. We label
these people as “time bandits” because they
are stealing time from their employers and
therefore are paid for full-time employment,
but only work part-time. With the time freed
up by shirking some of their responsibilities,
bandits pursue hobbies (such as surfing or
online stock trading), enjoy leisure time (such
as following the latest celebrity gossip via the
Internet), or enrich themselves through side
businesses (such as running a restaurant or
a real estate agency).
Most of our direct experience with time
bandits (or, more simply, “bandits”) comes
through our roles as professors. Our
The Lama Review - Page 21
why “if tenure could be redecided five years after the
initial decision… about 20% to 25% of professors
would be asked…to pack their bags.”
While tenure clearly facilitates banditry among some
professors, the cases of Sam Cooper, Barb Dobler,
and many others demonstrate that the absence of a
tenure system has not prevented banditry from arising
within businesses and government organizations.
Indeed, we routinely hear MBA students, College of
Business Advisory Board members, our spouses,
and our friends offer complaints, jokes, and derisive
comments about the proliferation of bandits at their
places of employment. While bandits are a minority,
it appears that they can be found within the corral of
most every organization.
Business executives may be dismayed to learn
that our expectation is that banditry will become
more prevalent within industry over time. Organizations may be most susceptible to banditry when an
employee has the ability to be frequently out of the
office. Salespeople and professors, for example, often
have the freedom to come and go as they please.
This situation allows potential bandits to claim to be
“working at home” or “on a business trip” while they
are engaged in hobbies or side businesses or just
avoiding work. More broadly, businesses increasingly
rely on arrangements such as virtual teams and
telecommuting whereby workers receive little direct
supervision and can adjust the hours they work
(Ford & McLaughlin, 1995; Greenberg, Greenberg,
& Antonucci, 2007). Like the bandit salesperson or
professor, some workers will not resist the opportunity
to misuse this freedom. Thus, part of our message
to executives is to take note of the abuses that have
evolved among a minority of employees and strive
to prevent similar scenarios from developing in
your organizations. In this sense, we believe that a
daunting challenge sales managers and university
administrators have faced for decades foreshadows
an emerging dilemma for many supervisors.
We do not believe that all bandits maliciously
pursue the theft of time. Some employees become
bandits due to their situational context: as a result
of boredom, lack of direction, lack of support, or
frustration with work. Regardless of the underlying
causes, banditry is costly. Indeed, the dollar value of
banditry is substantial. For the purpose of illustration,
consider that according to the Association to Advance
Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB, 2006),
the average salary of a business school professor
is $96,000. If we assume a fringe benefit factor of
Page 22 - The Lama Review
25%, this equates to $120,000 in direct and indirect
compensation. A professor with a time allocation
for research of 40% (a percentage that varies by
appointment and school) is compensated $48,000
annually for his or her research efforts. Bandits such
as Phil Moultor, who are disengaged from research,
are stealing this amount of money every year from
university stakeholders. Similar calculations can be
made for industry and government desperados such
as Sam Cooper and Barb Dobler.
This reality becomes more troubling when the
sources of the money with which bandits abscond
are considered. Faculty salaries are derived from
state funds, tuition dollars, and endowments from
the donations of alumni, companies, and friends of
the university. Essentially, bandit professors rob their
colleagues, their institutions, and university stakeholders (such as students and legislatures) as surely
as if they stuck a pistol in their stakeholders’ ribs.
Within industry, bandits rob firms’ shareholders and
fellow employees, among others. Within government,
taxpayers are the primary victim of banditry. However,
the ill effects of bandits go well beyond the dollars
pilfered; we take a closer look in the next section.
2. The effects of banditry
2.1. Undermining the mission
All organizations have missions that need to be
accomplished and some fixed amount of resources
at their disposal to achieve those missions. The loss
of resources through banditry undermines organizations’ ability to meet the challenges of their missions.
For example, as noted above, Barb Dobler is a
department head within a state agency devoted
to public health. The mission of this agency is “to
promote and protect the health and safety of all”
citizens of the state. By neglecting the managerial
aspect of her position, Barb has undermined the
ability of subordinates to work toward this goal. Every
hour that subordinates spend confused about their
duties or spend protesting Barb’s abuse to higher
administrators is an hour that could have been
devoted to improving the health and safety of the
state citizenry. The mission of Sam Cooper’s firm
centers on helping customers achieve success. Sam’s
stealthy refusal to work on the contract proposals that
create new customers jeopardizes the firm’s future
by hurting its ability to serve its constituents and
accomplish its mission.
For most business schools, teaching and research
are the two main elements of their missions. Deans
today face the unenviable task of leading their
schools to make contributions to these elements in
a complex and challenging context. According to the
AACSB (2002, p. 2), “the most critical problem facing
business schools today is the insufficient number of
new PhDs being produced worldwide.” There is little
slack left and this supply shortage could drastically
reduce the ability to meet teaching and research
obligations. The AACSB (2003, p.1) predicts that
“unless decisive action is taken to reverse declines
in business doctoral education, academic business
schools, universities, and society will be faced with an
inevitable erosion in the quality of business education
and research.” To cover classes, many schools are
moving to a faculty structure whereby appointments
are tilted more heavily toward part-time instructors
rather than traditional tenure-track slots (Nemetz &
Cameron, 2006). As a result, fewer faculty members
are tasked with serving a critical component of the
mission of the university; that is, research. The effects
of banditry are thereby spread out over a smaller
number of research faculty and its effects become
more damaging and noticeable (see Albanese & Van
Fleet, 1985).
subordinates in a position to succeed. If these subordinates failed, the result would be that none of
the agencies’ missions would be effectively served.
Because Barb’s agency received funding from these
allies, the difficulties Barb created ultimately reduced
the resources of her agency.
Key university stakeholders oftentimes possess
only a peripheral understanding of the nature of
the work done by professors (Gordon, 1986). For
example, legend has it that a university president was
once summoned to a state legislative hearing. The
following exchange ensued:
Lawmaker: “How many hours do your professors
typically teach?”
University president: “Six hours.” (Meaning per week)
2.2. Undermining morale and productivity
Our observation over time has been that bandits
have significant deleterious effects on the work
habits of other employees. Particularly strong-willed
and dedicated workers have the focus needed to
concentrate on their own tasks. However, most of
us ‘mortals’ take notice of and are influenced by the
situation around us. A ‘law abiding’ equity sensitive
worker who observes bandits getting away with
working part-time may question the wisdom of
working hard. Equity theory would suggest that such
people will reduce their efforts until they believe that
they are receiving rewards relative to their inputs
at a similar rate to the bandits in their department
(Adams, 1965). The result is that, like rabbits, bandits
multiply. Another outcome predicted by equity theory
is that productive workers who observe banditry find
it intolerable, become cynical, and ultimately leave
in order to join an organization with more distributive
justice (McFarlin & Sweeney, 1992). Furthermore,
an emotional contagion (Hatfield, Cacioppo, &
Rapson, 1994) may occur whereby other employees
start to tthink and feel like the bandit. None of these
possibilities bode well for an organization
.
2.3. Undermining institutional support
No business, government agency, or university can
“go it alone.” Instead, each organization depends
on the support and resources of other organizations
in order to function. Through their behavior, bandits
create questions about whether their organizations
are good investments and thereby jeopardize their
support. For example, Barb Dobler’s agency works
in conjunction with other state agencies that have
similar missions, such as protecting the environment.
Over time, Barb’s managerial malfeasance made
these other agencies reluctant to work with her.
They had little confidence that Barb would put her
Lawmaker: “What do they do the other two hours of
the day?”
The mystery surrounding what we do has helped
universities minimize accountability. But as tuition
continues to grow far faster than inflation and publicity
about tuition increases continues to rise, we suspect
that it is inevitable that state legislatures will more
carefully scrutinize the internal operations of the
universities that benefit from their largesse. When
found to be populated by the aforementioned $48,000
bandits, some universities will find themselves losing
legislative support. Frankly, they should.
3. How are bandits created?
It is difficult to attribute the motivational process
of bandits. We doubt that a bandit wakes up one
morning, has an epiphany, and proclaims, “Iam tired
of working full time and I think I will take advantage
of my employer.” In our observation, a bandit’s turn to
the ‘dark side’ evolves in a gradual way and may be
driven by several factors, including lack of interest or
support for an activity, lack of direction, or frustration
with the work environment. Doubtlessly, some people
are more disposed toward exploiting the system than
others, but employees would struggle to achieve
banditry if effective controls were in place. Ironically,
the organizational features that facilitate banditry run
counter to the basic principles of good management
that business school professors routinely teach in
our classes and that most managers learned in these
same classes.
The Lama Review - Page 23
3.1. Lack of performance standards
Organizations facilitate banditry when they fail to
create and enforce performance standards. In Barb
Dobler’s state agency, subordinates evaluate their
direct supervisor through an annual survey. Year
after year, Barb received the lowest scores of any
department head, despite her attendance at a series
of seminars designed to enhance managerial skills.
Higher-level administrators responded not by removing Barb from the managerial ranks, but by moving
her direct reports and putting her in charge of a new
group of naïve employees. The department head who
received the highest evaluation from her subordinates
was ‘rewarded’ by being assigned the refugees from
Barb’s department. This department head was already
putting in long hours, and now she had additional,
uncompensated responsibilities due to the behavior of
a bandit.
Universities face a challenge in this realm. Beyond
the standards that are enforced prior to promotion
to associate professor and tenure, there are few
substantial performance hurdles for most academics.
Hurdles do exist for those who wish to be promoted
to full professor. However, it is up to the individual
faculty member whether or not to achieve them and
there is no time pressure to do so. This is in contrast
to the first promotion stage, wherein a faculty member
has to achieve certain performance levels within five
to seven years. Likewise, once a faculty member
achieves promotion to full professor, there are no
more performance hurdles.
Post tenure review is intended to ensure sustained
performance, but at most universities it fails to deliver
much substantive action. In most cases, a negative
post tenure review results in a ‘slap on the wrist’ for
lack of productivity, a corrective plan, and a generous
amount of time to correct the shortcoming. While
professors at various universities have been fired for
other forms of theft such as embezzlement, we are
not aware of any cases where a bandit has been fired
because he or she stole time and money by ceasing
to do research.
3.2. Poorly designed reward systems
What is the worst thing that could be done in
response to undesirable behavior? Reward it!
Unfortunately, this is often what organizational reward
systems actually accomplish. Almost 100 years ago,
Thorndike (1911) recognized an important issue
within reward systems. His “law of effect” posits that
behaviors which are rewarded tend to be repeated.
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If we reward banditry, employees quickly realize that,
contrary to the popular saying, crime does pay. The
result will usually be more banditry.
Employees are often treated equally rather than
equitably throughanemphasisonacrossthe-board
raises, when a portion of a salary program is across
the board and a portion is merit, or when only minimal
financial distinctions are made between the raises
given to good performers and those given to bandits.
Such raise schemes serve to equalize the increases
received by dedicated workers and those provided to
bandits. How often do bandits, who are working parttime, receive a 0% raise? Infrequently, based on our
observations.
3.3. One size does not fit all
Over time, an employee’s interests may evolve
and this culminates in varying levels of dedication
to different elements of his/her position. For example, it is inevitable that, as careers progress, some
professors will turn away from research due to a
lack of interest or obsolescence of their skills. In the
case of Sam Cooper, proposal writing may just be an
activity that does not hold Sam’s interest or Sam’s
proposal skills may have become obsolete. A policy
that cannot adapt to these changes may result in
learned helplessness (Petersen, Maier, & Seligman,
1995), whereby employees may become disengaged
due to the belief that they are ineffective, have little
control over their environment, and lack any reason to
believe their situation will improve. Forcing a reluctant
researcher or proposal writer to keep a large portion
of his/her job devoted to research or proposal writing
is inviting banditry. A predictable result is avoidance
behavior.
Further, employees are motivated by myriad rewards
(McClelland, 1961) and possess varying levels of
capabilities (Wyer & Blood, 2006). For example, some
are motivated primarily by a need for achievement
(such as through writing research articles or winning
proposals) while others are motivated by a need for
power or affiliation (McClelland, 1961). If a group of
employees is managed as a homogeneous set, one
likely result is the disengagement of some individuals.
Treat everyone the same and motivation will be the
victim.
4. Why are bandits tolerated?
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for
good men to do nothing.”
-Edmund Burke
4.1. The high price of dealing with bandits
Most individuals prefer to avoid confrontation and
conflict. Managers are no exception. Performance
appraisals are sometimes difficult occasions, especially when there is a need to redirect performance.
Dealing with a bandit can easily degenerate into
an uncomfortable, confrontational situation. Like a
sheriff with an empty gun, direct supervisors often
have little authority to accompany the responsibilities they must handle (Gallos, 2002). Further, if
punitive action is taken, the bandit may make a ‘big
fuss,’ file a grievance, or even pursue a lawsuit. All of
these activities take managers away from the more
positive, value-added work that they would prefer
to emphasize. When a grievance or lawsuit is filed,
firms, governments, and universities often settle the
case rather than suffer negative publicity and the
expense of mounting a defense. This, of course,
encourages other bandits to follow the same path.
At a minimum, dealing with bandits is more time
consuming than not dealing with them, especially in
the short run. Managers are pulled in many different
directions. Avoidance behavior and appeasement
may seem like the simplest ways to deal with bandits,
but they are seldom effective. Managers need to
understand that doing what is right isn’t always easy,
and doing what is easy isn’t always right.
We do not suggest, however, that direct supervisors alone are responsible for dealing with banditry. Acquiescence to bandits is as much the fault of
the other employees as it is the fault of supervisors.
In many movies about the Old West (e.g., “High
Noon”), the cowardly townsfolk let the sheriff stand
alone against bandits. Some supervisors are, in Old
West lingo, “yella,” but others are willing to correct
bad behavior. Managers need to know that other
employees will back their efforts to overcome banditry.
In the case of universities, this burden falls mainly on
senior faculty because junior professors often fear
retribution from tenured bandits. Overall, individuals
must realize that when they ‘look the other way,’ they
are in essence condoning banditry.
4.2. Fear of inconsistency
A person promoted to a sales manager position often
steps away from his or her sales responsibilities in
order to be a full-time supervisor. Similarly, department chairs and deans are pulled away from their
research programs as they step on and climb up the
administrative ladder. We suspect that some of these
sales managers and administrators would prefer to
challenge bandits, but are held back by a fear of being
labeled as hypocrites. Bandits are likely to respond
to a reprimand by pointing out that ‘the pot is calling
the kettle black’–the person offering the reprimand
has also neglected sales or scholarship. This point is
faulty, however. The fact that a person no longer sells
to customers or publishes research does not in itself
constitute banditry. Sales managers and university administrators who contribute fulltime work in the tasks
prescribed for them by their positions should reject
accusations of hypocrisy that bandits might offer.
5. What can be done about bandits?
“No man is above the law and no man is below it; nor
do we ask any man’s permission when we ask him to
obey it.” -Theodore Roosevelt
As television viewers who are fond of police dramas
are aware, a premeditated crime arises because
the criminal possesses a motive, a means, and an
opportunity. When any of these three conditions is
absent, the crime does not happen. In the case of
banditry, the motive and means may be impossible to
eliminate. Bandits’ motive is to create time to pursue
their own private interests. The unstructured nature of
many jobs provides the means to become a bandit.
The third element of a crime is where banditry can be
stopped. Specifically, there are several mechanisms
that can be put in place to take away or at least
reduce the opportunity for banditry and, if banditry
does occur, can make dealing with it easier.
5.1. Put expectations in writing
Virtually every person in an organization has a
job description. Often, however, this document is
excessively general or is out-of-date. Such a job
description has little value. Job descriptions should
be revisited on an annual basis to ensure that they
reflect current expectations and thus serve as a
formal accountability mechanism (Hall, Bowen, Ferris,
Royle, & Fitzgibbons, 2007). Job descriptions should
also be treated as a contract: in exchange for pay, an
employee must fulfill the demands specified within the
job description. Like any contract, the job description
also should specify the penalties for not fulfilling one’s
requirements. If, for example, Sam Cooper refuses
to fulfill the portion of the contract that discusses
proposal writing, the pre-determined consequences
should follow. Additional benefits of putting
expectations in writing include reducing the likelihood
of a successful grievance or lawsuit and reduction of
the potential for employee/supervisor conflict.
The Lama Review - Page 25
There appears to be a need for carefully developed
contracts across academic, business, and
government organizations. In academia, when
professors are granted tenure, they are, in essence,
granted lifetime employment. Normally, however,
there is no document that specifies ongoing and
specific performance expectations. Although tenure
may not be inherent in other types of organizations,
the lack of documented, specific expectations is
prevalent. The use of contracts can fill this void. For
example, if a faculty member is on a specified work
assignment before tenure, the contract could state
that the professor must maintain a tenurable record
on a rolling timeframe to keep their teaching load as
is. Some allowance should be made for the pursuit of
other academic endeavors such as textbooks, and for
riskier, long term research projects. Thus, a minimum
performance level for a faculty member might be
the maintenance of a tenurable record based on the
previous eight years of activities. If a faculty member
such as Phil Moultor does not meet this standard,
he should be forced to work a full-time schedule by
shifting his responsibilities to emphasize teaching.
Although we propose that organizations create work
contracts, we do not believe that these documents
should “micromanage”employees’ time. To the contrary, in many cases flexibility should be incorporated
into work arrangements. Much like the tenured professor, business and government employees could
be allowed some discretionary time to develop work
projects of personal interest, take continuing education courses, or pursue other activities that may
benefit the organization. For example, Google, 3M,
and Genentech have ‘pet-project programs’that permit
employees to use approximately 15% to 20% of their
work time to pursue their own ideas (Frauenheim,
2006). The goal is to allow creativity and innovation
to flourish unfettered. Innovations such as Google’s
Gmail service, 3M’s Post-It notes, and Genentech’s
anti-cancer drug Avastin have arisen from employees’
self-directed projects, illustrating the potential value
of pet-project programs. At all three firms, employees
are held accountable for the use of their pet-project
time, an approach which we strongly endorse.
5.2. Do not reward bandits. At all! Never!
Organizations must not reward undesired behavior
through raises. In particular, across the board raises
should never be used. Such an approach to raises
supports the twisted, self-serving logic of the bandit
and leads productive employees to question why
they continue to work at a high level. If an employee
is not performing a significant portion of his/her
job, that person is, effectively, taking compensation
Page 26 - The Lama Review
under false pretenses. Therefore, to restore equity,
an unrepentant bandit should receive a series of
reductions in pay over time. In addition, bandits
should not be offered chances to earn extra money
beyond their normal compensation. For example,
within the academic realm, bandits should not be
given the opportunity to earn overload money for
teaching summer classes or within executive education programs. The term ‘overload’ assumes that
professors are fulfilling their assigned obligations;
bandits are not. In the business context, bandits
should be passed over to the extent that the law
allows when extra compensation such as year-end
bonuses and profit sharing are distributed.
5.3. Do not aid and abet bandits
‘Aiding and abetting’ occurs when a person assists
a criminal’s efforts to get away with an offense.
Aiding and abetting is itself a crime, according to our
justice system. A parallel process happens within
organizations. Sam Cooper’s avoidance of proposal
writing was the subject of wry, cynical jokes among
the other members of proposal writing teams. Yet
Sam’s banditry was enabled by these same colleagues because they all increased their efforts to make
up for Sam’s lack of work. Because proposals were
completed on time and were of acceptable quality, the
supervisor of these teams was left assuming that all
members of the team were contributing as expected.
Within academia, a bandit whose behavior is
scrutinized by a department head will often look for
‘quick and dirty’ ways to boost his or her research
credentials. Sometimes professors that are productive
researchers will take pity on ‘bandits on the run’
by granting them authorship on research articles
in exchange for minimal, if any, contributions.
While this behavior can be viewed as humane and
generous on one level, in essence it merely facilitates
counterproductive behavior and ongoing abuse of the
system. Further, in both of the business and academic
situations we described, covering up for a bandit
undermines the organizational controls that are in
place and thereby makes it less likely that the bandit’s
supervisor will be able to take any corrective action.
Hard workers need to understand that aiding and
abetting a bandit is not an act of collegiality or mercy.
Instead, aiding and abetting turns a good organizational citizen into an unwitting co-conspirator of a
fugitive from justice. It is also important to note that
bandits who appear to sincerely seek to
change their behavior should be encouraged,
mentored, and supported.
5.4. Intervene quickly
In retrospect, early intervention by their supervisors
might have forced Sam Cooper, Barb Dobler, and Phil
Moultor to change their ways before they became
fully committed to a ‘life of crime.’ Indeed, supervisors
have a duty to intervene quickly before a potential
bandit descends down the proverbial slippery
slope. Similar to the quality control function of a
manufacturing process, outputs must be continuously
monitored to ensure that the proper output is
maintained and, if it is not, to quickly discover and
correct the weakness. One of two things should
trigger a need for action: performance in a given year
that is far below a person’s norm (i.e., an outlier) or
two or more years that show the onset of a trend in an
undesirable direction. In either scenario, there should
be a consultation with the employee to try to uncover
and remedy the cause, if possible. Of course, this
process should be carefully documented.
5.5. Adopt a portfolio approach
In managing their investments, investors strive to
achieve a balance among cash flow, growth in asset
value, and risk. Because no one investment vehicle
can match an investor’s particular preferences,
investors adopt a portfolio approach whereby they
own a variety of assets. Each asset has a different
set of strengths and weaknesses, and collectively
they form a portfolio that is expected to deliver the
desired mix of outcomes. A similar approach can
be taken to managing workers. If Sam Cooper is
unwilling to work within a team to complete proposals,
it is foolish to continue to expect Sam to deliver
both effective management of current projects and
substantial contributions to proposal work. The latter
responsibility can be taken away, and Sam’s time can
be fully devoted to managing current operations. This
would free up another person’s time to help more with
developing proposals for new business. As a bonus,
the inability to hide behind more productive group
members would make any future banditry by Sam
easier to detect.
Recall that Barb Dobler had satisfactory technical
skills but shirked her managerial duties. Her supervisors missed a critical opportunity when they
reassigned her subordinates to another department.
At that point, Barb could have been moved to a
position that would utilize her technical skills fulltime and not put her in charge of anyone. This
would have eliminated her day trading and wasteful
‘vacations,’ and would have ended her abuse of lower
level employees. This is the essence of a portfolio
approach to managing bandits: redesigning jobs to
focus on tasks that bandits have shown they are
willing to perform and that can be easily monitored.
Unfortunately, Barb’s supervisors did not have the
courage to execute a move that they knew Barb
would view as a demotion.
In a university setting, a variable workload policy
is the key to using a portfolio approach to prevent
banditry. Such a policy could specify, for example,
that a top scholar that occupies a chair of excellence
would teach two courses per year, while productive
researchers teach three or four courses per year,
and teaching-only faculty teach eight to ten classes
per year. Having a college-wide variable workload
policy with clearly defined ‘tracks’ accomplishes two
important tasks. First, it allows faculty to contribute
in a meaningful way even when their interests shift.
There is no need for people who lose interest in
scholarship to become bandits; they can increase
their contributions in teaching. This not only helps
a professor remain valued, but it also lightens the
load of those whose primary contribution is research.
Second, creating a track system reduces the potential
for confrontation, grievances, and lawsuits by
establishing clear, measurable standards for work
outputs.
Adopting a portfolio approach to managing workers necessitates other changes. To ensure fairness,
creation of an academic track system should be
accompanied by changes to reward systems.
Many business schools give raises based primarily
on research productivity. A person assigned to a
teaching-only track who excels in the classroom
should be compensated for this excellence.
6. Concluding thoughts
We have highlighted the presence of “time bandits”
in organizations and have argued that these
bandits are, in effect, stealing by taking money for
a portion of their job that they have no intention of
accomplishing. Bandits undermine the effectiveness
of organizations, as well as the morale and productivity of other employees. While we might hope that
bandits will rehabilitate themselves, it would be
naïve to expect these desperados to come to their
senses in the absence of interventions. As a result,
banditsare notthe only culprits in this tale. Managers
and colleagues are shirking their professional duties if
they do not work to prevent and remedy banditry.
Looking to the future, we believe that shrinking
The Lama Review - Page 27
resources will inevitably reveal the abuses of bandits.
For universities, tales of professors collecting six
figure salaries while working a few scant hours per
week will someday create a critical mass of negative
publicity and scandal. When this tipping point is
reached, it is easy to imagine the tenure system that
protects both the abuses of bandits and the academic
freedom of conscientious professors coming under
attack. The implication is that academics must
address banditry ourselves before stakeholders
force a more painful solution upon us. The same
basic logic applies to managers within businesses
and government agencies. As resources dwindle
and scrutiny increases, those supervisors who have
tolerated banditry among their direct reports will
undoubtedly suffer the wrath of higher-level managers
and the marketplace.
Acknowledgment
We appreciate the comments offered by Art Bedeian,
Russell Crook, Jerry Ferris, Micki Kacmar, Sharon
Oswald, Jeremy Short, and Chuck Snow regarding
earlier drafts of this article.
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Acknowledge People without
Turning Them Off
As a leadership keynote speaker in a seminar
discussion i continually discover acknowledgement
programs are morale busters not morale boosters.
Does acknowledging your employees impel them
to explore their potential further or is it more of a
mindless clacking of cliché expressions? Is your
recognition program a superficial ploy encroaching
on your staff’s need to be candidly recognized
and inspired? Don’t be disheartened because
many organizations suffer the same twisted fate.
Employee Morale boosters hinge on how well
leaders recognize staff. Everybody likes to be
appreciated for their efforts, but only if they are
rewarded and acknowledged in a way that is
genuine.
Include employees’ say in the way you salute
their efforts. Most companies have a formal
way of acknowledging employees with annual
award banquets, including keynote speakers
with motivational speeches,top sales awards and
certificates. If your award program doesn’t invite a
thunderous reception, it may be because it is too
generic and not an inspiration
COMMON PITFALLS TO
LEADERSHIP AWARD
PROGRAMS
There are some major pitfalls to generic leadership
award programs:
The reward is handed down from leadership and
reinforces imbalances in power.
It can be patronizing to receive a small award for
a large accomplishment.
The leadership recognition program falters
because the accomplishment is often a team effort.
It fosters resentment when just one person gets the
reward.
They cause competition and conflict
The reward usually occurs annually or semiannually, thereby greatly postponing inspiration and
recognition for superior daily performance.
Salary raises are nice, but seldom motivate
people to consistently achieve on the job.
Top performers are often the same people every
month. A formal award system may become a
program that neglects secondary achievements.
How is this helping the rest of your staff? You may
be causing resentment, conflict. Formal award
nights with humorous keynote speakers may not
speak to the heart of recognition for the whole team
The most common flaw of leadership award
programs is that they often reward people for doing
work they were supposed to do anyway. It creates
entitlement.
Why are formal award systems so popular as a
leadership strategy then? The main advantage to
formal awards is that they are easy to administer. All
you need to do is calculate how close (or how far)
people get to their goal, find the “top achievers” and
acknowledge them with your standard reward.
This advantage is also the major disadvantage.
Formal awards are a “mass acknowledgment”
program. They can be very impersonal and don’t
take into account the strengths, accomplishments,
or efforts of individuals. They don’t take into account
employees’ say.
Formal award systems recognize one narrow aspect
of the job (such as increased revenue, Morale, sales
or productivity) and those few employees who are
good at achieving that goal. By contrast, informal
recognition programs focus on spontaneous and
personal appreciation of employee efforts.
The Lama Review - Page 29
THE ART OF APPRECIATING
OTHERS:
Four Qualities of a Good Acknowledgment
Appreciating others is a brilliant and creative act.
Leadership strategy needs to notice and nurture
consistent acts of achievement. Yet many leaders
don’t consider showing appreciation a part of
their leadership skills. Other leaders realize that
acknowledgment is important, but they botch the
process. Spouting hollow praise too often will bring
discouraging results.
There is an art to showing appreciation for others.
Employees won’t be impressed by trite and
generic compliments. Most leadership could use
a bit of practice with thoughtful acknowledgments.
Possibly a leadership seminar or workshop with a
motivational talks to practice the 4 keys to a good
acknowledgement. According to B.F. Skinner,
a good acknowledgment has four qualities. It is
consistently:
Specific: Talk very specifically about what you
saw the person do. General motivational clichés
like “good team player” will have a lukewarm
effect.
Immediate: Obviously praising someone for
something she did nearly a year ago is a waste
of time because the best acknowledgment is
immediate. “Catch” someone in the act of doing
well and compliment the behavior on the spot.
Personal: Use the person’s name and talk about
the qualities they bring to the team.
Spontaneous: Never script compliments or they
won’t sound sincere.
I would add to this always link individual
performance to the overall good of the group.
Here is an example: “Mike, congratulations on
how you handled that difficult patient just now.
He was nasty and not about to give up, but
you sympathized, calmed him down and set
him straight.” This acknowledgment is specific,
immediate, personal, and spontaneous.
Next, link individual performance to the good of the
group. “Your taking the time to explain things to
that patient builds understanding and agreement
Page 30 - The Lama Review
and makes that patient so much easier for the rest of
the team to deal with.”
According to a study done by Robert Half
International Limited, a lack of praise and recognition
is one of the primary reasons why employees leave
their jobs.
Action Plan
Acknowledgment doesn’t have to come from a
leader. Train and encourage all employees to
recognize each other. Train in the four steps above
and have employees role-play to acknowledge one
another. Create a culture of appreciation (see below)
where employees regularly recognize each other’s
contributions.
FOUR STEPS TO CREATING A
PERSONALIZED REWARDS SYSTEM:
Create an acknowledgment committee.
This is a fun volunteer position and
it should rotate regularly so all staff
have an opportunity to participate.
The acknowledgment committee
is responsible for acknowledging other staff
members weekly.
Have the acknowledgment committee
create a form that helps them get to
know employees. Ask employees
things like, “Share your favorite color,
your biggest pet peeve, something
interesting about your family, your hobbies...”
Anything unique about a person that they would
offer to share is valuable.
File these forms away and every
week (or month or however often)
the committee randomly draws an
employee’s name and checks the
list to find interesting unique ways to
acknowledge him. (e.g. Jason loves telling jokes
so buy him a joke book). The “reward” is fun and
does not cost a lot (usually under $10).
The committee now has to catch
Jason in the act of doing well and
acknowledges him with the personalized
item. You may even create a fun ritual,
motivational talk,chant or saying when
delivering acknowledgments.
Rewards That Increase Say and
Engage Employees
Increasing the say factor in your organization means
increasing employee input to their jobs. Leaderships
Motivational Speeches should Reward people
individually and in a personalized way for their
accomplishments instead of generally addressing
the whole group for its performance level. Take time
to find out what specifically motivates each of your
employees and then see what you can do to make
those things happen. How do you find out what
motivates others? Ask them.
Increase the say factor in the job by getting people
talking about what inspires and motivates them
and engage them in the reward process. When
people get rewarded in the way they want, they
will be much more satisfied. Involvement equals
commitment. The best management is what you do
with others, not to them.
Acknowledgment doesn’t have
to come from a leader. Train and
encourage all employees to recognize
each other.
All articles copyright protected: Jody Urquhart,
motivational speaker.
The Lama Review - Page 31
by Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
Managing Multiple Priorities
We all have “too much to do.” As a professional
speaker, I hear that all the time from my audiences.
And that says a lot of good things about you, if
you have “too much to do” because, obviously, a
lot of people have entrusted many things to your
care and have confidence in you.
Every priority claims itself as the most urgent
and crucial thing in the world screaming for your
immediate attention. The problem is, we can only
do one thing at a time. So, here are four nifty ideas
to help you to Manage Multiple Priorities.
Keep the focus on personal balance
first. Our lives are made up of Seven Vital
Areas: Health, Family, Financial, Intellectual,
Social, Professional, and Spiritual. We will not
necessarily spend time every day in each area
or equal amounts of time in each area. But, if, in
the long run, we spend a sufficient quantity and
quality of time in each area, our lives will be in
balance. But if we neglect any one area, never
mind two or three, we will eventually sabotage
our success. Much like a table, if one leg is longer
than the rest, it will make the entire table wobbly.
If we don’t take time for health, our family life and
social life are hurt. If our financial area is out of
balance, we will not be able to focus adequately
on our professional goals, etc. As in the medical
profession, it is said that you cannot be sick and
make other people well. In Time Management,
then, we have to keep ourselves healthy first, in
balance first, or it won’t matter how many or how
important our priorities are, we will not be able to
properly handle them.
accomplish nine. Having a lot to do, being a bit
overloaded, creates a healthy sense of pressure
on us to get through our list.
Review each item and ask, “Is this the
best use of my time?” There is a lot of
difference between “I do it” and “It gets done.”
Which is more important? “It gets done.” Sure,
it’s great to accomplish things ourselves but we
only have 168 hours per week to accomplish
results. (And if we take away 56 hours per week
for sleep, that only leaves 112 hours!) So, each
night during Daily Planning, I review each item on
my list and ask, “Is this the best use of my time?”
If it is, I will plan to work on it and if it is not, I will
try to find a way to delegate it to someone so that
it gets done.
Prioritize the list. Typically, our “To Do” lists
will contain “crucial” and “not crucial” items.
Some items will be more important, some not so
important. Typically, the “not crucial” items are
quicker and often more fun than the “crucial” items,
which tend to take longer and are generally less
fun. So what happens for many is that without
prioritizing our list, we have a tendency to do the
“not crucial” items first, substituting the quantity
for the quality. Identify the most important “crucial”
item on your list, the one you would want to tackle
if you could only work on one item tomorrow and
then label that as “#1.” Next, identify the second
item you would work on, if time permits, and label
that as “#2.” Continue prioritizing the entire list in
that fashion and tomorrow start with #1.
These four steps will help you to more effectively
Schedule Daily Planning. I set aside at Manage Multiple Priorities and increase your daily
least 30 minutes each night for Daily Planning,
a time to have a Board of Directors meeting in
the most important corporation in the world, Me,
Inc. I make up a list of things for the next day that
includes not only all the items I “have to” do, but,
more importantly, the items I “want to” do. Putting
it all down in writing is vital because if you want to
manage it, you have to measure it. This will tend
to overload your next day, which is useful because
it permits us to take advantage of Parkinson’s
Law, which says, in part, that a project tends to
take as long as the time allocated for it. If you give
yourself one thing to do, it will take all day to do
it. If you give yourself three things to do, you get
them all done. If you give yourself twelve things to
do, you may not get all twelve done, but may well
Page 32 - The Lama Review
results and that is a good thing.
Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
-Professional Speaker
Productivity Institute-Time Management
Seminars website:
http://www.balancetime.com
Professional Member-National Speakers
Association
Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above
information in its entirety in your publication,
newsletter, or on your webpage. For permission,
please email your request for “reprint” to:
ctsem@msn.com
My Approach to Personal Time
Management and Organization
By Jim Clemmer
“Lost, yesterday, somewhere between
sunrise and sunset, two golden hours,
each set with sixty diamond minutes.
No reward is offered, for they are gone
forever.” — Horace Mann, 19th century
American educator and reformer.
Self-management, like self-improvement
is highly personal. What works for one
person may be ridiculous to someone
else. Over the years I’ve evolved a
personal management system that works
for me. I think of it as PODS:
Prioritization
This is where goal setting has become
the most meaningful for me — at the
daily, weekly, or monthly level (I am awful
at hitting any longer-term goals). Starting
with a paper time management system
(in a leather binder I took everywhere)
and now on my notebook computer
(which I don’t always take everywhere),
I make notes of things I want to do on a
particular day, week, or month. These
are recorded when I get an idea, make a
commitment, or set plans.
At the beginning of the week, I prioritize
all the ideas, commitments, and plans
that have accumulated for that week.
With my Personal Information Manager
(PIM) program on my notebook
computer it’s a breeze. Detailed notes
can be shuffled to tomorrow, next week,
next month, or next year. I begin each
day prioritizing the phone calls and
tasks for that day in descending order
of importance. At the end of the day I
shuffle what’s left into tomorrow or some
other date.
Organization
Very few people can “multi-task”
effectively and concentrate on two things
at once or flit back and forth from one
thing to another. I certainly can’t. So I’ve
found the clean desk approach to be
the most effective. The only things on
my desk and credenza are ornaments,
family photos, computer, telephone, and
an out-basket.
My in-basket is the top drawer of my
desk. All incoming mail, faxes, and paper
go in there. That way, when I am working
on something, I am not distracted or
overwhelmed by other papers waving to
get my attention. Nothing is allowed to
stay in my in-drawer over night (unless I
am out of town). When I go through the
paper in this drawer, it immediately goes
to one of four places: the wastebasket
or recycling bin, my filing system, my
out-basket, or my “pending” file folder
for reading later or responding to on
an airplane. This forces me to handle it
once and not form little piles that slowly
become future hiding places for that
document I remember seeing once and
now desperately need.
Discipline
Thomas Henry Huxley once observed,
“Perhaps the most valuable result of all
education is the ability to make yourself
do the thing you have to do, when it
ought to be done, whether you like it
or not; it is the first lesson that ought
to be learned.” Discipline is the engine
that drives the whole PODS approach.
Whenever mine wavers, the choking
PODS process takes me down with it.
Lack of discipline is at the heart of most
The Lama Review - Page 33
of my performance problems. Like the battle of
the bulge, this is a lifelong fight with “hardening of
the oughteries.”
Systems
I am too lazy to look for things. I much prefer to
know where things are and find them the first
time I look. Personal systems take time — and
especially discipline — to set up, consistently
use, and maintain. But like investments in training
or quality improvement, investments of time in
personal systems pay back many times their
costs by saving huge amounts of time later.
Keys go on the same key rack by the garage
door as soon as we come in the house. Files go
right back in their file drawers. Articles are coded
and filed in my library system for book, column,
or presentation research later. Books go into their
respective sections in my library. Presentations
or workshop designs are filed for later reference
so I don’t have to start from scratch on something
similar in months or years from now. Periodically
I overcome the packrat in me and go through my
filing system tossing things out, consolidating
files, or moving files to my attic archives.
Since 1989, all correspondence, articles,
columns, books, workshop or retreat designs,
and anything else I “word processed” are filed
in my notebook computer. In the last few years
we’ve added databases for thousands of our
personal contact records (the conversations
of everyone we talk to are recorded here). I’ve
added a research and quotations database filed
according to my main article reference filing
system (which is where most of the research,
examples, and quotes sprinkled throughout my
books come from).
I have also created and filed hundreds of my
presentation slides. So whether I am in an
airport, on a plane, or in my office, I can search
files, presentations, quotations, and databases.
I can then easily retrieve, cut, paste, and create
something new.
My PODS approach looks dangerously obsessive
to some and “interesting” to others. I am
continuing to customize and evolve it to fit me. I
Page 34 - The Lama Review
have come to believe that there is no one right
personal time management and organization
system. We all need to continue developing and
refining the system that works best for our own
quirks and preferences.
Jim Clemmer’s practical leadership & personal growth
books, workshops, and team retreats have helped
hundreds of thousands of people worldwide improve
personal, team, and organizational performance. Jim’s web
site, JimClemmer.com, has over 300 articles and dozens
of video clips covering a broad range of topics on change,
organization improvement, self-leadership, and leading
others. Sign-up to receive Jim’s popular monthly newsletter,
and follow his leadership blog. Jim’s international bestsellers include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders,
Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, The
Leader’s Digest and Moose on the Table. His latest book is
Growing @ the Speed of Change.
Good leaders take more than their share of the blame
and less than their share of the credit. Unfortunately,
most leaders take more than their share of the credit
and less than their share of the blame. They are not
respected. When errors do occur, are you ready to
support heroic efforts even in the face of failure?
He all but fell over his own words of apology. She
stopped him, ‘I think you are going to remember the
importance of backup. And if this continues to be a
problem, we will have a different kind of conversation.
But you came in to face your mistake. A lot of people
don’t do that. I respect that. You’re the kind of person
I want working on my team. Now, I’m going to need
your help to get this system back online.’
Jim bragged about his manager. After only two weeks
on the job, he had made a critical error that took the
Real Leaders Take the Blame
and
by Terry Paulson, PhD, CSP, CPAE
company computer system down. He went to
his boss immediately and said, ‘I think I just
made a big mistake.’ She replied, ‘I’m sure it is
not as big as you think it is.’ He confided, ‘I think
it could be bigger.’
Give the Credit
Her eyes got large as Jim described the system crash
and his lack of a data backup. In the midst of problem
solving, her boss entered in low-brain function, that
sub-cortical reptilian area that runs on more emotion
than intellect. For fifteen minutes she was yelled at for
Jim’s mistake.
Jim was sure he was history. All Jim could think of
was at least his resume was current; he wouldn’t
even have to admit that he had ever worked at this
company!
She took the heat for Jim’s mistake. Not once had
she even mentioned his name. It would have been
tempting. All she would have had to do was to point
her finger at Jim and say, ‘There HE is. He’s new, and
he’s defective!’
After the division manager ran out of steam, he said,
‘This shouldn’t have even happened!’ Jim’s boss
replied, ‘It did, and I take full responsibility. This is my
department. But every minute we are spending here
means we are that much later in getting the system
back up.’ The division manager left the room, leaving
Jim alone with his boss. She did not look at him.
Instead, she stared at the door, closed her eyes and
took a couple of deep breaths. She opened her eyes,
a smile formed on her lips, she looked at him and
said, ‘Don’t do that again.’
Jim asked me to look at his business card and said,
‘You can’t see it, but every day I write in invisible ink
— ‘SLAVE.’ I would do anything for that woman!’
Leadership may not be as complicated as we make it.
The late Bear Bryant, the great football coach, shared
the same truth Jim’s boss lived when he said: ‘I’m just
a plowhand from Arkansas, but I have learned how to
hold a team together. How to lift some men up, how
to calm down the others, until finally they’ve got one
heartbeat together, a team. There’s just three things
I’d ever say: If anything goes bad, I did it. If anything
goes semi-good, then we did it. If anything goes real
good, then you did it. That’s all it takes to get people
to win football games for you.’ Those are wise words
on leadership no matter what kind of team you lead.
BYLINE INFORMATION
Dr. Terry Paulson is author of The Dinner, 50 Tips for
Speaking Like a Pro and They Shoot Managers Don’t
They? As a speaker, he helps leaders and teams
make change work. For more information visit http://
www.terrypaulson.com or contact directly at (818)
991-5110 or terry@terrypaulson.com
The Lama Review - Page 35
HOW TO PLUG THE BIG
HOLE IN YOUR DAY
By: Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
In a companion piece, I discussed how most people
experience a big hole in their workday, losing some
3 hours a day being consumed with interruptions that
have “Little” or “No Value” to their productive workday.
An interruption is an “unanticipated event”; some are
“good,” some are “bad.”
Maybe that number is high for you (or worse, it’s low),
but the point is we all surrender valuable time each day
to unproductive interruptions.
The solution? “If you want to manage it, you have to
measure it.”
I would recommend you run an “Interruptions Log.”
Nothing fancy about it. Just take a pad of paper and
place “Interruptions Log” across the top then just below,
create six columns for: Date, Time, Who, What, Length,
and Rating.
Now, during your day, immediately after each interruption
occurs, log it in. Record the Date and Time it occurred,
Who brought it to you, a word or two about What it dealt
with, the Length of time it took, and most important,
your Rating of its importance to you (“A” = Crucial, “B”
= Important, “C” = Little value, and “D” =No Value).
Plan to record this information for about a week to get
a fair measure of what is really happening as a shorter
time period may give you a distorted sense of what is
happening. (It is a nuisance to log this information in
after each interruption, but it does provide valuable
information. And, if you wait until the end of the day to
fill it out, it probably will not be accurate.)
And be brutally candid as you log in the information,
especially the Rating. No one but you has to see it.
After accumulating this data for a week, go back and total
up the A’s, B’s, C’s, and D’s. Most people will discover
that approximately 20% of their interruptions were A’s
and B’s, things that were Crucial and Important, and that
80% of their interruptions were C’s and D’s, things that
were not worth the time spent.
Finally, go to each C and D interruption and ask yourself,
“How could this one have been avoided?” and start to
take proactive steps to insure that it will not repeat itself
in the future. Do this especially with those who bring
you repetitive interruptions.
For example, perhaps someone comes to you two or
three times a day asking for information that they could
have located on their own, just as easily. Unless there
is an intervention on your part, helping this person to find
the information for himself or herself, they will continue
to interrupt you to get it. It is the path of least resistance.
Help them to help themselves, teaching them how to get
what they need on their own, freeing your future from
having to spend time on what you know will be additional
lower valued interruptions from this person.
All C and D interruptions will not be eliminated, but if
you can head off, short circuit, and stop just a few and
that buys back an extra hour per day, (that’s 250 hours
over the next year or the equivalent of over 6 work
weeks) then you have carved out some additional time
for projects and other responsibilities that are currently
being pushed back, thereby reducing some of the stress
and frustration in your day.
Would you like to receive free Timely Time
Management Tips on a regular basis to increase
your personal productivity and get more out of every
day? Sign up now for our free “Time Management
Discussion List” Just go to: http://www.topica.com/
lists/timemanagement and select “subscribe”. We
welcome you aboard!
Dr. Donald E. Wetmore-Professional Speaker
Productivity Institute-Time Management Seminars
127 Jefferson Street, Stratford, CT 06615
(800) 969-3773/(203) 386-8062
fax: (203) 386-8064/Email:ctsem@msn.com
website: http://www.balancetime.com
Professional Member-National Speakers Association
Copyright 1999 You may re-print the above information in its
entirety in your publication, newsletter, or on your webpage. For
permission, please email your request for “reprint” to: ctsem@
msn.com
Page 36 - The Lama Review
Read the word “productivity” and chances are you
envision assembly lines, warehouses stocked with
goods, even space- age machinery performing
tasks at faster-than- human speed. Or if you are in
corporate management, your mind recalls the U.S.
So how does a company, regardless of size, begin to
improve communications for productivity? First, get a
good picture of the status quo. Using either internal or
external help, conduct a communications audit. The
questions are straight- forward and telling:
Job Talk—The Heart Of Productivity
by Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications
production statistics when compared to foreign
countries. And it’s a sure bet that you have
read widely on the various end-of- the-alphabet
theories, quality circles, re- engineering, learning
theories and other management techniques
to increase productivity. These are all valid
considerations when confronted with the term.
May I suggest however that the building block of
productive labor —the cornerstone that makes
assembly lines flow smoothly and service teams
work—is communication. It used to be you’d
hear the phrase ” stop talking and get to work.”
The far better mantra is now “START talking and
get to work.”
Communications Audit
1. The reason our company exists is to:
2. When it comes to communication, my company
(department, unit, etc.) is… because…
3. I receive most of my information from. (my immediate
supervisor, the colleagues, bulletin board, the grapevine,
other)
4. I could do a better job if I received the following
information in the following manner:
5. I would describe the majority of our meetings as:
6. I would describe communication with my peers as
Consider the impact of poor communications:
Tasks frequently have to be repeated because
7. I would describe communication with my manager as
instructions were not clear. One department
does not understand why another department
8. I would describe communication with other
needs a report and so it delays sending the
departments (units) as
requested material. A receptionist cannot
explain the company’s services to a guest
9. Communication would improve immediately if
in the lobby and the firm loses a prospective
client. A manager misses an important meeting
10. I would be a better communicator if I learned to:
because she fails to ask her assistant to change
her calendar. Senior executives lose precious
hours in a meeting that becomes an exercise
in egos rather than solutions… all because the
dynamics of group interaction are not understood. An
important memo is not read because of the length and Second, prepare a program to give staff and
confusing sentences. Employees spend time trying
managers the tools they need to be good
to ferret rumor from fact regarding the company’s
communicators. The first tool is a steady flow of
position in a troubled economy. A manager engages
information about management decisions that affect
in doublespeak regarding possible layoffs and morale employees, the marketplace, and competitors.
plummets for everyone.
Without that information, an organization cannot hope
to bring employees into problem-solving discussions,
These are but a few examples of situations that lower innovation circles or the like. Although upper
productivity, situations caused by miscommunication,
management deals with such lofty and necessary
poor communication, or no communication. And that’s concerns as strategic planning, capitalization, or
a situation no one wants.
international expansion, it might very well be the
battlefront employee who could see solutions for
day-to-day problems. But without the benefit of
The Lama Review - Page 37
management’s broader perspective, the solutions
could fall short.
The second communication tool employees need
to increase productivity is a straightforward, clearly
written sourcebook on organizational policies and
procedures. Even if a company is quite small, there
will be more cohesiveness if employees understand
the do’s, don’ts and how to’s of a firm. For example,
the owner of a small enterprise “just figured” his
employees knew what was the vacation policy and
when salaries would be reviewed. Unfortunately,
without a written document, even the boss forgot
his intended policy. The resultant confusion and
arbitrary handling of vacations and reviews netted a
disgruntled staff. And unhappy staff does NOT work to
capacity.
Consider examining the material developed by The
Motley Fool, a small but growing company created
to educate, amuse, and enrich the individual by
providing easy-to-follow, appealing, and accurate
information about investing and personal finance. The
spirit behind The Fool Rules! is to present policies
that all employers need to communicate to their
employees in a way that makes it more enjoyable for
all concerned. After a recent profile in INC. Magazine,
this small organization has been inundated with
requests for its handbook.
The third and equally important step to take in
improving communication for more productive
employees is to provide training in writing, listening
and other communication skills.
Because we all have learned to talk and someone put
a pencil in our hands and showed us how to make
words with an alphabet, there is a tendency to think
that we know how to communicate. Nothing could be
further from the truth.
Speaking clearly, with vocabulary and message
tailored to the audience, is a task mastered only
through learning. Listening, without training, is a
selfish trait. Learning how to listen actively, to “hear”
the additional messages sent by nonverbal signals
and emotions, is a priceless skill. But it must be
taught. There are numerous workshops available for
in- house classes as well as sessions at local colleges
and universities.
Since group meetings are a highly preferred
communication source, organizations may also
consider training individuals to conduct meetings,
brainstorming sessions and teleconferencing skills.
Page 38 - The Lama Review
Likewise, seminars in oral presentation skills allow
all levels of managers to learn effective methods for
delivering audience-oriented reports and speeches.
E-mail now offers another form of communication,
which can be both wonderful and terrible. In fact, I
am convinced that in too many cases, the “e” stands
for “error” and “escalation”. Humans send their
most accurate messages vocally and visually, two
components missing in e-mail. Additionally, responses
are often out of context and sent days later. Use
e-mail for facts, immediate answers, and simple
requests. But when emotion is involved, opt for phone
or face-to-face conversation.
Forgetting for a minute the statistical definition
of productivity, let us re-define that term. To me
productivity is the sum total of work accomplished by
an employee in a given job which affects the bottom
line. The work environment may be considered a
lake. If miscommunication, poor communication,
or non- communication hinders an employee from
performing duties in a cost- efficient manner, it’s a
ripple felt throughout the organization. Addressing and
then working to improve communication increases the
chances for smoother sailing in the white water world
of a global economy.
Eileen McDargh, McDargh Communications. All
rights reserved. You may reprint this article so long
as it remains intact with the byline and if all links are
made live.
Since 1980, professional speaker and Hall of Fame
member Eileen McDargh has helped Fortune 100
companies as well as individuals create connections
that count and conversations that matter. Her latest
book is Gifts from the Mountain-Simple Truths for
Life’s Complexities. Her other books include Talk Ain’t
Cheap…It’s Priceless and Work for a Living and Still
Be Free to Live, one of the first books to address the
notion of balance and authentic work. A 59 year-old
grandmother, she recently returned from climbing
among the highest mountains in the world. Find out
more about this compelling and effective professional
speaker and join her free newsletter by visiting http://
www.eileenmcdargh.com.
Back to Basics
Steam Sterilization priniciples &
common Mistakes
By:
Wayne Parker, Consultant, Steam Sterilization
Marcel Dion, Director of Marketing, Washing & Sterilization Systems, STERIS
Steam sterilization has been used for more than a century to decontaminate items that
can withstand moisture and high temperature. Steam is water in the vapor state; it is
therefore non toxic, generally readily available, and relatively easy to control. A good
understanding of basic steam sterilization principles and cycles is necessary to avoid
mistakes that can lead to non-sterile load items, poor performance of the equipment,
lower productivity, higher operation and maintenance costs, and damage to load items.
Steam Sterilization Principles
There are several factors that are particularly critical to assure successful steam
sterilization, namely; time, temperature, moisture and direct steam contact.
Chart #1
1.
Time. The exposure (sterilization) time is a critical factor simply
because all organisms do not die at
the same time. The number of survivors is usually plotted on a logarithmic scale. A straight line survivor
curve such as the one showed in
chart #1 is typical. The typical DValue (time to reduce the microbial
population by 90%) for Geobacillus
stearothermophilus is two minutes at
121° C. A typical sterilization cycle
at this temperature will include an
exposure phase of at least 20 minutes at ≥121° C for a Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) of 10-4. Assuming
a starting population of one million
(106) organisms, this means there is a
-4
one in ten thousand (10 ) chance of a viable organism surviving the
process. For each additional two minutes of exposure at ≥121° C, the
SAL is increased by a factor of ten.
2. The second critical factor in steam sterilization is the temperature of the saturated
steam controlled in the chamber of the sterilizer. Chart #2 below clearly demonstrates how increasing the temperature dramatically reduces the time needed to
achieve sterilization. The table illustrates how much time is required to achieve
equivalent microbial lethality (SAL 100 with starting population 106, D value 2 minThe Lama Review - Page 39
utes) at different exposure temperatures. The temperature of saturated steam is directly related to the pressure at which it is controlled. The pressure-temperature relationship values are
shown in saturated steam tables. A typical cycle at 121° C will require 15 to 17 lbs of gauge
pressure in the chamber of the sterilizer. The pressure is limited by the specifications (ASME
rating) of the sterilizer pressure vessel.
3. Moisture in the steam has a major impact on its ability to denature, or coagulate proteins.
Hence the importance of using saturated steam. Not all steam is acceptable for use in a sterilizer. A dedicated clean steam supply is recommended. Superheated steam, steam containing
excessive liquid water, and steam
containing excessive boiler additives
or contaminates (such as rust) should
be avoided.
4. Steam coverage. Direct steam
contact with the surface of the object
to be sterilized is required for the
steam to transfer its stored energy to
the object. Without direct steam contact to all surfaces, the item will not be
sterilized.
Chart #2
5. Presence of air. Air is the biggest deterrent to steam sterilization.
Air must be removed from the chamber and the load completely before
direct steam contact and sterilization can occur.
6. Drying of the load items. Items must be dry before they can be aseptically removed from the
sterilizer. Condensation is the natural result of steam contact with the cooler surfaces of the
load during the heating and exposure phases. The presence of condensation (wet packs or
pouches) can cause re-contamination of the load when removed from the sterilizer.
Steam Sterilization Basic Cycles
Steam sterilization cycles typically consist of three phases:
1. Pre-conditioning (for dry goods only): During this phase air is removed from the chamber and
the load is humidified by means of alternating vacuum and pressure pulses.
2. Exposure: During this phase the chamber temperature is heated to and held at the programmed sterilizing temperature for the programmed exposure time (both are user selectable).
The exposure may also be controlled by accumulated Fo for liquids if a load probe and appropriate sterilizer controls are used.
3.
Post-conditioning: During this phase dry goods loads are cooled and dried or a liquids load is
cooled. The chamber pressure is brought to atmospheric.
Over the years, various cycles have been developed for different applications. It is critical that the
proper cycles be used for a given applications. To name a few examples;
- A basic gravity cycle (cycle without vacuum) can be used for items such as unwrapped surgical
instruments, glassware, or non-porous items that do not entrap air.
-
Liquids require modified gravity cycles to prevent liquid loss from boiling over. Liquids in open
or vented containers or in bottles with loose caps can be processed in a “basic” liquid cycle (slow
exhaust). The cooling phase of this cycle allows for the chamber to slowly return to atmospheric
Page 40 - The Lama Review
o Glass ampoules are also used when the
indicators must be placed in a liquid product to be sterilized (culture media as an
example).
pressure to prevent boil-over. The time required for the slow exhaust phase can vary
considerably depending on the quantity of
liquid per container and per load. Larger volumes require slower exhaust rates. Vented
containers only are to be used with this process. Use of a load probe is recommended
for liquids sterilization. Sealed containers
require a special overpressure cooling phase
to prevent explosion of the container(s) during
the cooling phase or unloading process.
-
Spore Strips
Since air is generally a deterrent to sterilization, a
“Prevacuum” cycle (alternating vacuum and pressure preconditioning pulses) is recommended for
all loads other than liquids (see Chart #3).
Self-Contained BI’s
Typical Prevacuum Cycle
Glass Ampoules
Chart #3
Measuring performance
Several methods can be used to verify the
efficacy of the sterilization process. Typical
methods use biological indicators (BI’s) and
chemical indicators (CI’s) that are placed in worst
case positions in the load and/or in test packs.
- Biological Indicators provide the best test for
sterilization and are used to establish the efficacy
of the cycle. In this category, we can find:
-
o Autoclave tapes that show the process has
occurred with no correlation to time/temperature.
o Chemical Integrators that are correlated to
time and temperature. These particular indicators can help reduce cycle development
time by providing immediate indication of
sterilization efficacy.
o Inoculated spore test strips. The strips must
be aseptically transferred to an incubated
growth media soon after the sterilization
process is complete.
o Self-contained biological indicators
(SCBI). Because they are self-contained,
SCBI’s reduce chances for false positives
due to poor aseptic transfer technique.
They are typically used to monitor the effectiveness of steam sterilizing process.
Chemical Indicators provide immediate proof of
steam penetration (not necessarily of sterilization).
In this category, we can find:
-
Steam penetration studies: Temperature sensors
can be placed in hard to reach locations to provide
indication of steam penetration.
The Most Common Mistakes in Steam
Sterilization
Most mistakes regarding the programming and
The Lama Review - Page 41
operation of typical steam sterilizers are related
to the basic principles of steam sterilization.
allow the condensate to be absorbed. This also
aids in drying.
1. Steam does not directly contact the surface of the objects to be sterilized
4. Wet or damp items are observed at the end
of the cycle. Because the items are not
dry, they cannot be aseptically removed
from the sterilizer.
When items such as closed valves, empty glass
bottles with tightened screw caps or secured
aluminum foil are placed in the sterilizer, the
steam cannot directly contact the inside surfaces
and sterilization does not occur. This problem
can be resolved by making sure that all items
in the sterilizer have a way for the steam to get
in and the air to get out. If there is uncertainty
about whether an item’s configuration, set-up,
packaging, or orientation will allow adequate
steam penetration, a chemical and/or biological
indicator can be placed inside the item to be
certain.
2. Insufficient air removal
When pouched and/or heavily wrapped items are
tightly packed in a chamber, air may remain in the
items after the preconditioning phase and prevent
sterilization. The preconditioning vacuum and
pressure pulses must be set correctly to attain
complete air removal from the load. Typically,
four (or more) preconditioning vacuum pulses
should be programmed to reach at least 28 in
Hg vacuum to assure complete air removal from
worst case loads. Some very dense loads may
require a short (3-5 min) hold phase at peak
vacuum to allow time for additional air removal.
Preconditioning pressure pulses should be
programmed for 3 to 5 psig.
3. Water droplets and/or stains are observed
on the outside of wrappers after the sterilization cycle is complete. Because the
items are not dry, they cannot be aseptically removed from the sterilizer.
Condensation is the natural result of steam
contact with the cooler surfaces of the load.
The condensate will fall from shelf to shelf. The
denser the load item, the more condensate is
created. Therefore, place heavier items on the
bottom shelf. In addition, consider placing a
cotton sheet on each shelf prior to loading to
Page 42 - The Lama Review
Items (wrappers, pouches, filters, or other porous
biological barriers) that remain wet at the end
of cycle cannot prevent contamination of the
load when removed from the sterilizer. As the
load cools outside the sterilizer, the water in the
wrapper will be drawn into the wrapped item. Any
contamination that is present in the environment
can be drawn through the sterile barrier along
with the water. There are numerous possible
causes for wet loads. The most common are:
a. Insufficient drying vacuum level or time
programmed
b. Items are positioned in the sterilizer incorrectly
c. Load is too dense or heavy
d. Rubber or plastic items in pouches require
additional drying (a pulsed-air vacuum process is recommended for these items)
e. “Wet steam”
f.
Product was wet in the first place. Product
should be dry when placed in the sterilizer.
While there is no single solution to eliminating
wet loads, it’s likely that experimenting with
drying time, repositioning items, reducing load
density, modifying cycle settings and investigating
steam quality will resolve the problem.
5. Pouches have water droplets inside and
cannot be aseptically removed from the
sterilizer.
Typical cause is when the condensate naturally
created when steam penetrates the pouch and
contacts the surface of the item within is not removed during the post-conditioning drying phase.
Pouches should be spaced properly and placed
in rack that holds the pouch on its edge (as illustrated here) to prevent pooling of the condensate
inside the pouch. Pouches should not be placed
flat on the sterilizer shelf.
Pouches should not be
overloaded. Remember
that more mass means
more condensate.
Sufficient drying vacuum
level and time should be
programmed to allow for
complete evaporation of
the condensate. Wet steam should be corrected.
exposure at temperatures other than 121.10 C.
As the liquid is heated, the calculated F0 (from
the load probe temperature) is accumulated
until the selected F0 exposure value (minutes) is
achieved, at which point the cycle proceeds to
the exhaust/cooling phase. For example, from
the chart we see that 1 minute at 118.10 C is
equivalent to 0.5 minute at 1210 C.
6. Liquids in vented containers are placed in
a deep pan to catch boil-over.
Chart #4
Conclusion
The pan will hold water, therefore it will hold air.
The steam cannot contact the tubes within the
pan because of the trapped air, and they will not
be sterilized. The solution is to eliminate the
pan and adjust the sterilizer slow exhaust rate to
prevent boil-over. A shallow pan (<1” deep) can
be used in the event that a small amount of boilover cannot be eliminated by adjusting the slow
exhaust rate.
7.
Steam sterilization is a process that is dependent
on basic principles that are sometimes unknown
or disregarded by the sterilizer user. A large
percentage of steam sterilizer failures can be
solved by logical and practical application of
these basic principles. It should be noted that
proper training for sterilizer users should include
this education. Proper wrapping and loading
techniques are critical for safe and successful
sterilization.
Media is “overcooked”.
Over sterilization of media will caramelize the
sugars and render the media useless. The
exposure phase should be programmed to
achieve the desired SAL and no longer. Use
of a load probe and F0 exposure control is
recommended for sterilization of media in
containers larger than 100 ml. As illustrated in
chart #4, F0 is a calculation of the equivalent
The Lama Review - Page 43
The Exceptional Presenter,
A proven formula to OPEN UP! and own the room
Written By Timothy J. Koegel
www.theexceptionalpresenter.com
As leaders and managers one of the most important things we do is to present ideas to our
teams. These presentations may review existing procedures or introduce new ideas. The
ability to effectively communicate information
in a group setting is a skill some people think
you either have or you don’t. Any opportunity to
improve in public speaking and/or the dissemination of information should then be attractive to
a manager as “another tool in the toolbox.” In
today’s world a manager that can’t communicate
effectively with their staff in a group setting may
be considered a handicap to the organization.
The book The Exceptional Presenter by Tim
Koegel is written in an easy to read style and
provides definitive action items that can be
immediately used. The book will be useful to
a wide range of individuals, from those wishing to simply become more effective at public
speaking to those who are convinced that it will
never be them “up there” in front of the group.
The book stresses that every contact counts
and highlights the cost of being average when
you can be exceptional. The Open Up acronym
used for an Exceptional Presenter is as follows:
O = Organized
P = Passionate
E = Engaging
N = Natural
U = Understand Your Audience
P = Practice
Book Review by - Dave Mallon
Page 44 - The Lama Review
Included in the book are “Presentation Sheets”
which are template forms for improvement
goals, assessment forms, practice sheets,
outlines and prep sheets. Honest and objective
use of these sheets will help the vast majority
of presenters improve their abilities, if they are
used and practiced.
Following the guidance and using even some of
the tools provided in this book should allow anyone willing to devote the effort to improve their
effectiveness at speaking in front of a group.
The last point, Practice, is the most important in
the book, and the one anyone can do.
“Those who practice improve. Those who don’t,
don’t.” – Timothy Koegel
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” - Aristotle
Using VHP to turn
your Cage & Rack
Washer into a VHP
Decontamination
Chamber
Olivier Van Houtte,
Associate Product Manager, Life
Sciences Washing Systems
John Klostermyer,
VHP Process Engineer, Life Sciences
VHP
2012-11-09
Introduction
Many laboratory animal research facilities
require a room that is dedicated to
decontamination of heat sensitive items,
or items that cannot be sterilized in a
steam autoclave. These decontamination
rooms, or material air locks, are often
designed to use Vaporized Hydrogen
Peroxide to decontaminate various types
of equipment prior to being introduced into
the facility or entering the controlled area.
Not all facilities can dedicate valuable
space for these types of enclosures.
Most LAR facilities also require an
automated washing system for cleaning
and drying animal cages, racks, debris
pans, drinking bottles and other articles
used in the care of animals. Cage and
rack washers typically have a chamber
large enough to accommodate items
that might otherwise be processed in a
decontamination room. Many facilities are
now considering the option of using the
washer chamber as a decontamination
chamber, thus eliminating the need to set
up a room for this purpose.
Using such a system brings many
benefits which can go from rationalizing
construction costs to increasing time
efficiency. Cross contamination is a
critical aspect in all Laboratory Animal
Figure 1 : Fundación Centro Nacional de InvesƟgaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III in
Madrid.
Facility
CNIC (Fundación Centro Nacional
de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares
Carlos III) is a Madrid-based, publicprivate research institute working in
three main areas of activity: Scientific
Research, Translational Medicine and
Training. This laboratory animal research
facility is specialized in Vascular Biology
and Inflammation, Cardiovascular
Development and repair and Epidemiology,
Atherothrombosis and Imaging. Its animal
colony is comprised of more than 30 000
rodents, including a number of pigs, zebra
fish and rabbits. The state of the art facility
is equipped with modern decontamination
and cage processing systems, including
fully automated cage, bottle and bedding
management systems, STERIS Cage
“Innovations”
Marcel Dion,
Director of Marketing, Life Sciences
Steam Sterilization and Washing
Systems
Research settings and the application
described below explains how the chosen
approach can help reduce this risk while
assuring animal’s longevity and health.
This article discusses the successful
integration of a VHP system with a Cage
and Rack washer. It describes the setup and decontamination process and
outlines the reasons why this option was
adopted by the user. The operation of the
system is explained in detail. A description
of the hardware configuration, items
being processed and decontamination
cycles being used is provided, as well
as a summary of the qualification tests
performed and results obtained. Finally,
the user discusses the benefits and
limitations of this application.
The Lama Review - Page 45
and Rack Washers, as well as STERIS VHP® Vaporized
Hydrogen Peroxide Generators to decontaminate rooms
and heat sensitive devices.
and penetration of vapour may be restricted,
two high volume compact fans may be hung on
the arms supporting the spray bar. Once dry,
the wash chamber can be loaded with the items
to be decontaminated
(see figure 3).The VHP
generator is simply
hooked-up to the washer
with flexible hoses and
an electrical interface
cable (see figure 4).
The electrical interface
allows for communication
between the washer
Figure 2 : VHP 1000 ED positioned outside the loading side of
and VHP generator
the 5700 washer.
control systems and
prevents the user from
Application
accessing the washer
CNIC recently acquired and installed a Basil c h a m b e r d u r i n g t h e
5700LSR Cage and Rack Washer to be used in cycle. Once connected, Figure 3 : Rabbit cages loaded
conjunction with a VHP-1000EDS generator to clean t h e a p p r o p r i a t e into the 5700 washer prior to
VHP decontaminaƟon.
and sterilize large animal cages and heat sensitive decontamination cycle
items that cannot be processed in a traditional can be selected on the
steam sterilizer. The rack washer, which is installed VHP generator and set
through a barrier wall, is located in the large animal to ready mode. The VHP cycle is initiated via the
area. It is presently mainly used for cleaning and washer control panel. Once started it progresses
decontamination of pig and rabbit cages, as well through its typical phases including dehumidification,
as surgical and monitoring equipment.
conditioning, decontamination and aeration
The existing VHP generators have been used for (see table 1). If necessary, the washer can be
several years, mainly to decontaminate animal programmed to run a drying cycle prior to the start of
holding rooms and heat sensitive equipment. Since the VHP cycle to lower the humidity at the desirable
the chamber in the Basil 5700LSR Cage washer is level (20% RH) and warm the load to eliminate
designed for containment, it is ideally suited as an cold spots. The first part of the aeration phase is
enclosure to decontaminate heat sensitive surgical controlled by the VHP generator (approximately 15
and monitoring equipment with VHP (see figure minutes). The second part of the aeration phase
2). The existing autoclaves are not large enough is handled by the washer air exhaust system,
to accommodate all cages simultaneously. Thus allowing for the generator to be disconnected from
sterilizing them in the cage washer chamber using the washer ports and
the VHP was the best option.
used for other needs
Based on the success with the current room in the facility while the
decontamination applications, CNIC is also washer eliminates the
considering the option of sterilizing X-ray last remnants of VHP
machine parts and magnetic resonance system from the chamber.
components.
These cycles are
currently performed
during the day but they
Operation
The chamber is designed not to retain standing could eventually be run
water. A heated drying phase can be initiated to during the night should
Figure 4 : VHP hose/electrical
assure complete dryness following the wash cycle. the need for higher connecƟon on the 5700 washer.
For loads of higher density where the movement productivity arise.
Page 46 - The Lama Review
Dehumidification
Conditioning
Decontamination
Aeration
Flow
(c.m.h)
40
34
34
40
Time
(mins)
25
6
27
15vhp+15
Basil
Humidity AH
(mg/l)
4.6
6.8
3.2
Injection Ratio
(gm/min)
Table 1 : Cycle parameters used on the VHP unit. These can be stored for future use.
Depending on the application and model of washer
STERIS’ VHP generators can be set to operate in
closed loop or in a single pass configuration. In this
case, the first option was chosen.
Qualification tests and results
Prior to adopting the regular use of the VHP ready
5700 washer, CNIC, with the help of STERIS,
went through a rigorous cycle development and
qualification program. This included the use of a
combination of chemical indicators (STERIS PCC051)
and biological indicators (STERIS NA300P) to
evaluate the distribution of VHP within the chamber.
Indicators were
placed on various
load items and in
all corners of the
washer chamber
Figure 5 : Exposed chemical indicators
(see figure 7 &
placed throughout the load. The dot on the
8).
All chemical
leŌ is iniƟally purple and changes to red
indicators turned
then orange then yellow with increasing
exposure to VHP. Light orange to yellow
to yellow within
indicates thorough exposure. Consistency
minutes
between indicators suggests an even expo- 1 5
of exposure,
sure throughout the load.
confirming that
VHP (Vaporized
Hydrogen Peroxide) was evenly dispersed
throughout the chamber (see figure 5). At the end of
the cycle, biological indicators were incubated for a
period of one week by CNIC’s personnel and results
have shown that all 20 indicators were inactivated.
A positive, unexposed test indicator was used as
a control (see figure 6).
It was also necessary to determine the amount of
time required to exhaust VHP to a safe level after
the decontamination phase (see figure 9). The
results of this test show that H O concentration
reached a maximum value of 800 ppm during the
cycle described in table 1. After the 30 minute
aeration phase performed by the VHP generator
and the washer, the VHP concentration was
reduced to 1ppm or below.
For consistency, an initial humidity set point of
20% relative humidity (RH) and 4.6 mg/L @25
°C was selected in order to minimize the onset of
condensation risk when injecting H O , which
is more likely to happen in a smaller area like the
washer chamber, as opposed to a larger space
such as a decontamination room. The cycle was
run twice. Almost identical results were obtained
confirming consistency in the process. Following
decontamination, items were removed from the
unload side of the wash chamber, which is located in
an area where a powerful
HEPA filtered ventilation
system maintains a clean
environment.
Benefits
“We could not consider
acquiring a large steam
autoclave, a cage
washer and a separate
decontamination room.
We simply did not have
the space and couldn’t
Figure 6 : Exposed biological
indicators were placed into
growth media and grown for
a week at 55C. Only the unexposed control grew indicating at least a 6 log reducƟon
in bioburden through VHP
exposure.
The Lama Review - Page 47
Figure 7 : Map showing posiƟon of the biological indicators
placed in the chamber.
says Mr. Morgado. “In our case though, the washer
is not in operation all day due to the small amount
of cages and parts to be washed and sterilized,
so the system suits very well our current routine
operations. Also, it was noted the VHP process
cannot be fully efficient if the humidity level is too
high in the chamber but this can be avoided by a
good drying in between cleaning sequences’’.
The costs associated with converting a room to act
as a decontamination chamber can be considerable
and may include the installation of air tight doors,
isolation dampers, ventilation ducts, the application
of suitable surface finishes, fans for distribution
and ports for injection. By utilizing the washer as
justify it with our current volume for this
specific application” states Mr. Morgado,
Facility Manager at CNIC. “The only way
we could manage the barrier installation
was to combine the washer and the VHP
pass-through chamber. Space is really
the number one reason why this approach
was chosen over others” continues Mr.
Morgado.
“Since using the washer with VHP, no
Figure 8 : Map showing posiƟon of biological indicators placed inside the load.
nosocomial infections have been detected
after surgery. On the other hand, working
with pigs does not normally require using
these stringent measures but it was decided by the a decontamination chamber, the costs of installing
management to be proactive in this manner. A lot of a dedicated decontamination chamber can be
invasive procedures and surgeries are performed spared.
on a daily basis and everything needs to be sterile... A VHP equipped washer can add flexibility to a
we don’t want to lose such valuable animals’’ states site’s operations by allowing technicians to quickly
and safely decontaminate heat sensitive equipment
Mr. Morgado.
“The main drawback we see is that the productivity such as monitoring and imaging devices. The
of the washer itself is reduced since it cannot washer/decon chamber can act as a pass through
process wash and VHP cycles simultaneously” to decontaminate materials entering the barrier
from the outside. Furthermore plastic carts can be
utilized instead of
more expensive
stainless steel
ones.
Conclusion
Figure 9 : Graph showing the concentraƟon of water vapor and VHP in the chamber throughout the course of the
cycle. Note that with a 35% H2O2 soluƟon 65% of the soluƟon being vaporized is water thus the higher concentraƟon of water vapour.
Page 48 - The Lama Review
Overall, the
process of
merging the
cage washer
chamber with the
decontamination chamber has proven to be
highly efficient for CNIC. It has saved a
significant amount of space in the facility,
reduced the need for handling of material,
and eliminated the cost associated to the
procurement, installation and maintenance
of a separate decontamination chamber.
The Allied Trade Association
(ATA) “Corporate Partners for
Better Science”
The Allied Trade Association (ATA) was formed in the late
1950’s by a small group of firms providing products and
services to our industry. The ATA was chartered as a non-profit
association in 1968. The initial role of the ATA was to act as a
liaison between exhibitors at the AALAS annual meeting and
National AALAS. Today, we do much more than that. The ATA
has input in the site selection of National AALAS meetings
and in the rules that govern the exhibit hall. The ATA has also
expanded its business relationships to include LAMA in 1997,
Vicon Business Media (ALN/Turnkey) in 2005 and we work with
AALAS districts and branches across the country. The ATA has
a vested interest in the success of all of these organizations as
our member representatives populate many executive boards,
committees and councils.
Our relationship with LAMA is a partnership where Lab Animal
Management meet Corporate Business. Many of the newest
industry innovations, technologies and educational programs
have been a result of networking between the facility manager
and the ATA business partner. Collaboration and cooperation
leads to better science.
CNIC Facility Layout
One worthwhile task carried to
a successful conclusion is worth
half-a-hundred
half-finished tasks.
Malcolm S. Forbes
A good percentage of our member representatives were, at
one time or another, Lab Animal Facility Managers. So it should
come as no surprise that a major emphasis on our part is to
support the educational programs of LAMA. Again, this year
ATA and its members are supporting the annual LAMA meeting
through sponsorships and the “Corporate Partners” program.
We understand that our financial support is necessary in order
for these meetings to be successful and ATA members spend
thousands of dollars annually in support of it.
Not all companies doing business in the industry belong to
the ATA. Currently there are 86 companies that make up the
association. It is the “legacy” companies that belong to the ATA
and we are the ones that support the LAMA mission and goals.
Our member companies are the ones that provide both financial
and human resources to the organizations that support the
Lab Animal community. While this is just a business venture to
some, ATA members have made a career of providing products
and services that have enabled institutions to conduct research
in the most professional and expert manner possible.
The ATA supports the responsible and humane care of animals
used in research and the professionals engaged in it.
For a complete list of Allied Trade
Association companies please visit us
at http://www.go2ata.org/ata-membercompanies
The Lama Review - Page 49
Strong Leaders are Strong
Communicators
By Jim Clemmer
“The man who can think but does not know how to
express what he thinks is at the same level as he who
cannot think.” — Pericles, leader of Athens around
450 B.C.
It was the dead of winter in the middle of a very cold
snap. As we approached departure time, judging
by all the activity outside the plane, we weren’t
likely to leave on time. In a few minutes the captain
announced, “You can see a lot of activity on our left
wing. This is a maintenance crew trying to replace a
defective fuel pump. We find it’s best to fix a problem
like that on the ground before we’re in the air. The
good news is that there is another fuel pump available
here at the airport. The bad news is that it will delay
our departure by about 30 minutes.”
Within 10 minutes the captain was making another
announcement, “Folks, you can see the little truck on
the right coming in with our fuel pump. Unfortunately,
this is work that can only be done with gloves off.
Working with jet fuel on your fingers in this freezing
weather is extremely difficult and taking longer
than expected.” We started to feel sorry for those
“hearty heroes” working in such tough conditions to
get us underway! The captain continued to give us
updates on progress every 10 - 15 minutes. When he
announced the problem was fixed and we were finally
ready to go some 90 minutes late, a cheer went up
from the passengers.
I am sure there wasn’t a single complaint among the
passengers on that plane. That’s because the captain
treated us like adult customers and not “the cattle
in the back” who don’t really need to know what’s
going on. Communication is one of the key marks
of a leader. Like motivation, it’s also a word that’s
overused and misunderstood. For example, what are
often called “communication problems” in many teams
are really process, system, or structure problems.
People don’t communicate because the way they are
organized doesn’t let them do it effectively.
The strength of our communications spring, in part,
from our personal values. The captain communicated
with us from a values set that said we’re important
enough and responsible enough to be told what’s
going on, even if the news is bad. If my values are
superiority over others, I won’t bother communicating
Page 50 - The Lama Review
with “the peons.” If I am arrogant, I may call my loud,
one-way horn blowing “communication.”
If I have disdain for others, the only thing my tone
of voice may arouse is resentment, hostility, or
defensiveness. If I see customers, suppliers, or
organization members in other departments as
interruptions or adversaries rather than people, I’ll
brush them off with minimum effort. If I am suspicious
and distrustful, I will parcel out information on a
“need to know basis.” If I think all the EQ (emotional
intelligence) research is hogwash, I won’t bother to
develop my verbal communication skills.
With few exceptions, highly effective leaders have
very strong verbal (and often written) communication
skills. They connect with people. Since leadership
deals with emotions, energy, and spirit, verbal
communication skills have a huge role to play in
mobilizing and energizing. No matter how “right” a
vision, deeply held principles, or purpose may be,
they won’t mobilize others if they can’t be effectively
communicated.
That means moving beyond dry logic, sterile printed
statements, or speeches read with all the passion
of a bored old professor giving his same old lecture
to a group of bored young students. Highly effective
leaders transfer their energy and passion to the
people they’re trying to mobilize with words that
paint exciting pictures, ring true, fire the imagination,
or touch the spirit. Like the leader, their words are
charged with energy.
Jim Clemmer’s practical leadership & personal growth
books, workshops, and team retreats have helped
hundreds of thousands of people worldwide improve
personal, team, and organizational performance. Jim’s web
site, JimClemmer.com, has over 300 articles and dozens
of video clips covering a broad range of topics on change,
organization improvement, self-leadership, and leading
others. Sign-up to receive Jim’s popular monthly newsletter,
and follow his leadership blog. Jim’s international bestsellers include The VIP Strategy, Firing on All Cylinders,
Pathways to Performance, Growing the Distance, The
Leader’s Digest and Moose on the Table. His latest book is
Growing @ the Speed of Change.
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The Lama Review - Page 51