Miss Manners Where Are You?

Normally, my wife Francine and I spend the holidays here in Montreal with my five kids and their families (three grandkids and another on the way).

This year we tried something a bit different… we decided to take a Caribbean cruise followed by a few days in Orlando doing the theme park rounds. My eldest son Jonathan, his wife Sylvie and son William joined Francine and my youngest daughter Veronica on the trip. We had a really good time and created a lot of great memories.

When we got off the ship in Fort Lauderdale we had to take a bus to rent a car. It was a 10 – 15 minute ride. The bus was very crowded… standing room only. That included my wife Francine who we tried to support while she held William, my 16 month grandson. Not one of the healthy young adults sitting right in front of Francine offered to get up and give her their place during the ride. They just sat and watched her.

I thought to myself, “Miss Manners Where Are You?”

But seriously, what has happened to our basic rules surrounding politeness and basic human decency? We have lost something over the years. Everybody is in such a hurry that we seem to have forgotten we don’t live in a bubble and that there are others who deserve our respect and kindness.

I truly believe that as a society, we need to take a step back, take a deep breath and reflect on the fact that what we give… or don’t give, goes round in a circle.

Creating a healthier more positive workplace

My colleague Roy Saunderson president of the Recognition Management Institute, will be speaking at the American Psychological Association-Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program in Washington DC in March.
Click here to learn how to you can get the chance to hear him explain how employee recognition can increase both productivity and well-being in the workplace.

New Beginnings

Still being smack in the middle of winter I can’t help but think about when spring is coming, and to me, spring has always been a “new beginning.” It’s an exciting time, a new season, a new chapter.

But why wait? Take today as an opportunity to try something new, do something different, get inspired and inspire those around you.

Happy Friday!

Ask the Experts

Looking for more information on recognition? In the Janury edition of Incentive Magazine’s “Ask the Experts,” my colleagues Michelle Smith, Dee Hansford, Kevin Cronin and I answer the following questions:

• What is a good New Years recognition resolution?
• Last month, your column discussed the high percentage of employees intending to change jobs in 2010. What can I do to prevent my staff from leaving?
• A recent 360-degree feedback survey of my staff, my peers, and my boss indicates that I need to do some work in the area of recognition. I’m not sure how to begin.
• What are the key elements of a performance recognition program?

My contribution dealt with the last question. Find out how to get the very best out of your employees here!

Do you have any other recognition questions? Drop me a note in the blog’s comment section below!

Haiti ~ Faith, Hope & Charity

Montreal has a very large Haitian community because of our common language (French) and relatively close proximity to Haiti. Over the years our government has encouraged Haitians to immigrate here and they form an important part of our rich cultural mosaic.

There are almost thirty Haitians working at Rideau and each one has family members in Haiti that have been touched by the tragedy that occurred on January 12th and which continues to unfold every day.

One young girl who recently joined Rideau had seven siblings on the island when the earthquake occurred. Her brother was trapped for three days in a church that had collapsed. Another employee’s mother was missing. It is stories like these along with images coming out of Haiti that are almost too difficult to watch which make us realize there is little we can do to relieve the suffering other than donating money for food, water, clothing and medicine.

Rideau has tried to help out in practical ways. We had a meeting with our Haitian colleagues and told them our fund raising efforts would immediately focus on providing monetary assistance to a charity of their choice. They unanimously chose the Red Cross. We also told them that we could provide individual psychological counseling through our employee assistance program. We also provided them a room and phone lines to try and communicate with their family members. Finally, we told them they should feel free to approach us if they needed emergency financial assistance for their family members in Haiti.

I am so proud of my company. The other day, Rideau’s fund raising committee organized a lunch with proceeds going to the Red Cross. Forty-seven people donated various dishes and raised over $6,000 for the Red Cross Haitian Relief Fund, which is actually resulting in a grand total of $12,000 – our Federal Government has promised to match contributions from citizens and businesses who have donated to eligible organizations in support of humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

And our efforts will continue.

It is times like these that make faith, hope and charity so important.

Please click below if you would like to donate:
US
CANADA.

My Friend Mark!

None but an ass pays a compliment and asks a favor at the same time. There are many asses.
- Notebook, 1902; also in More Maxims of Mark, 1927

Artists and Their Times

A few years ago my wife Francine and daughter Veronica visited the Pompidou Museum of Fine Art in Paris.

On the side of the building there was a huge poster that was really neat.



I love the powerful message it conveys.

It is a message we should all remember.