June, 2010 | Lorne Rubis

The “Weasel Rule” and Respect

Ray Dalio runs one of the world’s largest hedge funds; Bridgewater Associates. His fund oversees $75 Billion and he is personally worth over $4 Billion. It’s a challenge for me to write a constructive comment about many of the people on Wall Street these days but this is worth reflection.

Money talks. People listen. And, Dalio has outlined 295 principles for his employees to follow in an 83 page manifesto (Wall Street Journal June 19), “Money Talks: A Hedge-Fund King Philosophizes on Truth and Weasels”:

“Principle 8: There is nothing to fear from truth …Being truthful is essential to being an independent thinker and obtaining greater understanding of what is right.”

Principle 11: Never say anything about a person you wouldn’t say to him directly. If you do, you are a slimy weasel.”

Okay, I haven’t read the rest of the billionaire’s principles and I’m not a fan of calling anyone a name (although there is something provocative about the word “weasel”) but seeking the truth by focusing on facts, data, behavior and not talking about people behind their backs are important ingredients for a respectful culture at work.

Respect in business is a fully compatible with getting business results. You and I can reinforce a greater culture of respect by seeking fact- and data-based truths and avoiding gossiping about others. When we present views, bring data. When we are tempted to bad mouth someone behind their back – don’t.

with Character,

Lorne

Smile or Die

Abundance Organizational leadership

I believe that positive optimism is important in a work place. It is connected to the value of abundance in the sense that one focuses more on the “have” than “have not.” On the other hand I don’t promote nor believe in blind optimism. Sometimes things are just plain difficult, painful, and lousy. We get hurt, feel bad, and frankly can mistreat or get mistreated by others. These are facts and part of the human condition. How we respond though is often in our control and a choice we can willingly make. Being abundant is the choice to move forward, which often appropriately involves getting help from others. Acclaimed journalist, author and political activist Barbara Ehrenreich provides a measure of balance in acting/thinking realistically while remaining positive.

In the work place we need both: tough minded realism on the status of things; and positive, forward movement in response. They are not mutually exclusive. One thing you can do is to insist on providing and asking for data in reviewing job related matters. Facts keep blind positive thinking and helpless despair in check.

There are two great articles linked in my May 13 blog on smiling too.

with Character,

Lorne

The 4 Most Important Words

Contribution Organizational leadership Respect

I strongly believe one of the keys to treating others with respect is listening. And arguably the most important four words in support of listening are, “What do you think?”

Please consider the impact if we asked each other more often, “What do you think?” Then, really listened to the answer. I strongly believe it would state, “You are important. I respect your insight, judgment, experience, and contribution.”

Unfortunately we can get trapped into thinking more about what we want to transmit than what we might benefit from listening. Through all of next week try this: increase the number of times you ask others, “What do you think?” And then, see what happens.

with Character,

Lorne

$5 a Day

Abundance Well-being

Hi Characters,

Harvard did a study that affirmed that spending $5 dollars a day on others increased people’s sense of self and well being. (According to Dr. Phil June 6, 2010. You can also refer to a study by University of B.C. psychologist Elizabeth Dunn.)

The overall message here of course is that giving is one of the most powerful elements in creating positive well being.

So why do we have such difficulty with this in the work context? We do not literally have to spend $5 dollars on people at work, but we can generate positive well being by giving in small yet meaningful ways. One of these ways is to give encouragement and recognition. When we take the time to observe and acknowledge other people in a positive way, everybody wins.

Tom Peters suggests in his book The Little Big Things, 163 Ways to Pursue Excellence that the positive to negative ratio might be out of balance at work, “A lot of managers have the hardest time giving any positive reinforcement.” So how about you and I commit to spending “five dollars” on each other at work EVERY DAY by recognizing one another in a genuine way. The Return on Investment is fast and bigger than we may realize.

with Character,

Lorne

Coach John Wooden – Character Hall of Fame

Accountability

Hi Characters,

“Never try to be better than anyone else …but always try to be the best you can be.”

This was the fatherly advice given to the legendary college basketball coach John Wooden, who passed away on June 4 at the age of 99 years. The great thing about John Wooden is that he was revered more for the man he was then for being college’s best basketball coach ever. And while his fame can be attributed to the remarkable championship run coaching the UCLA Bruins hoop team, my belief is that Wooden would have stood above the crowd regardless of the size of his platform. Much has been written about Coach Wooden and I encourage you spending some time to get to know more about his character. Please see the links below and much more that’s available on the web. I really enjoyed the audio interview conducted by Anthony Robbins, called Power Talk. While talking to Robbins, Coach Wooden emphatically notes that from very early in life, he learned to focus on what he could control; his own behavior. By doing this, Coach looked at every minute of every day as an opportunity to contribute and did not waste time concerning himself with what he could not control. This is core to self accountability. But with Wooden one could also easily expound on his living and breathing respect and abundance too. He was truly a man with character and another member of the Character Hall of Fame.

with Character,

Lorne

John Wooden’s Love Letter; Rick Reilly, December 7, 2009

Coach Wooden’s last lesson is one of simple devotion, Bill Plaschke, LA Times, June 4, 2010

Is Abundance “Too Distracting”?

Abundance Kindness Organizational culture

The difference between a scarcity and an abundant attitude is profound. Yet I am still surprised when we become almost blind when scarcity acts out in front of us. In Maureen Dowd’s June 6th NYT op-ed column she reports on an incredible situation where a 33 year old single mom was dismissed by Citibank’s Chrysler Center branch for looking “too sexy.” The woman dressed like other women who worked at the bank in turtlenecks, pants, jackets but just looked “too beautiful” and was “too distracting.” So how about when other people dress too well, perform too well, look too well, problem solve too well, work too hard? Do we just expect that everyone level out at mediocrity? This makes us all feel better….right?!

Someone else’s success does not take away from our success. On the contrary, it often validates what is possible. When others get harassed because of who they are and their accomplishments we have some serious work to do in reshaping our thinking.

Be abundant. Reach for the top. Please don’t hope for a race to the bottom by wanting others to “suck” too.

with Character,

Lorne