Please Help Me
Jim Taylor
I am very earnestly trying to find a helpful and fun way for employees
at our organization to remember what values the organization needs to
demonstrate to customers. I think that a series of quotations that
deepen the understanding of the words will help. These would be offered
over 6 months in consistent 2 week doses.
Anyone having suggestions associated with any of the 6 values would be
very much appreciated.
The values are
Moving Forward (making improvements)
Courtesy
Confidentiality
Honesty
Respect (for customers and each other)
Teamwork
I very much appreciate any contributions to this collection. I will
include the name of the author and yours as a contributor as well.
I sincerely wish to help employees gain a better understanding how each
of us can and should approach our jobs and each other as well as the
customer.
Thank you!!!!
Jim Taylor
drg
>
> I previously sent a request but it seems to have been garbled.
>
> I am very earnestly trying to find a helpful and fun way for employees
> at our organization to remember what values the organization needs to
> demonstrate to customers. I think that a series of quotations that
> deepen the understanding of the words will help. These would be offered
> over 6 months in consistent 2 week doses.
> Anyone having suggestions associated with any of the 6 values would be
> very much appreciated.
> I sincerely wish to help employees gain a better understanding how each
> of us can and should approach our jobs and each other as well as the
> customer.
>
> Thank you!!!!
>
> Jim Taylor
I've lost the reference, but someone, somewhere, once commented that if you
saw values statements on the wall at a company you could be reasonably sure
that the company did not possess those values. That said, and in
recognition of your obviously sincere efforts, here are a few quotes that
you might be able to use:
Enthusiasm finds the opportunities, and energy makes the most of them.
--- Henry Hoskins
Diamonds are chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.
--- B.C. Forbes
There are two ways of meeting difficulties. You alter the difficulties or
you alter yourself to meet them.
--- Phyllis Bottome
Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does
not make any progress.
--- Alfred A. Montapert
Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
--- Mark Twain
The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing
how to get along with people.
--- Theodore Roosevelt
Nothing is ever lost by courtesy. It is the cheapest of pleasures, costs
nothing, and conveys much. It pleases him who gives and receives and thus,
like mercy, is twice blessed.
--- Erastus Winman
The service we render others is the rent we pay for our room on earth.
--- Wilfred Grenfell
Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together.
--- Johann von Goethe
Always be a little kinder than necessary.
--- J. M. Barrie
Goodwill is the mightiest practical force in the universe.
--- Charles F. Dole
Finally, for thousands of potentially motivational quotes, try this book:
The Book of Positive Quotations
Compiled and Arranged by John Cook
Fairview Press (paperback)
ISBN 1-57749-053-3
No affiliation, etc.
Debbie
Jim Taylor
these things more than just words on a card in a wallet.
Jim Taylor
singerson
Helen Keller
It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the
credit.
Harry S Truman
Respect is love in plain clothes.
Frankie Byrne
You can tell when you're on the right road; it's uphill.
unknown
Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt
to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on
unreasonable people.
George Bernard Shaw
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Finds us further than to-day.
Longfellow 1819-1892
Even if you're on the right track, if you stand still you'll get run over by
the next train.
Will Rogers
And from the discontent of man the world's best progress springs.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
In article <38341B4E...@apex.net> , Jim Taylor <jam...@apex.net>
wrote:
> I previously sent a request but it seems to have been garbled.
>
> I am very earnestly trying to find a helpful and fun way for employees
> at our organization to remember what values the organization needs to
> demonstrate to customers. I think that a series of quotations that
> deepen the understanding of the words will help. These would be offered
> over 6 months in consistent 2 week doses.
> Anyone having suggestions associated with any of the 6 values would be
> very much appreciated.
>
> The values are
> Moving Forward (making improvements)
> Courtesy
> Confidentiality
> Honesty
> Respect (for customers and each other)
> Teamwork
>
> I very much appreciate any contributions to this collection. I will
> include the name of the author and yours as a contributor as well.
>
Daniel P. B. Smith
notice on a company wall espousing certain values, you can be sure those
are values that the company _lacks_. The reason is simple: they would
not have put up the notice unless someone perceived that there was a
problem. The notice is trying to correct the problem which tells you
that the problem exists.
Similarly, whenever you hear that an organization is working on a
"mission statement" (or "vision statement") you can be sure that the
company is chaotic and organization--in an organization where everyone
is clear on the mission it never even occurs to anyone that there's a
NEED to put it into words. The Church did not develop creeds until
there were heresies...
Jim Taylor wrote:
>
> I previously sent a request but it seems to have been garbled.
>
> I am very earnestly trying to find a helpful and fun way for employees
> at our organization to remember what values the organization needs to
> demonstrate to customers. I think that a series of quotations that
> deepen the understanding of the words will help. These would be offered
> over 6 months in consistent 2 week doses.
> Anyone having suggestions associated with any of the 6 values would be
> very much appreciated.
>
> The values are
> Moving Forward (making improvements)
> Courtesy
> Confidentiality
> Honesty
> Respect (for customers and each other)
> Teamwork
>
> I very much appreciate any contributions to this collection. I will
> include the name of the author and yours as a contributor as well.
>
> I sincerely wish to help employees gain a better understanding how each
> of us can and should approach our jobs and each other as well as the
> customer.
>
> Thank you!!!!
>
> Jim Taylor
--
Daniel P. B. Smith
email: dpbs...@bellatlantic.net
"Lifetime forwarding" email address: dpbs...@mit.alum.edu
David Milsted
excellence you can be sure of finding crap.
Related observation: Wherever you see 'You Don't Have To Be Crazy
To Work Here But It Helps!!!!' you can be sure the staff are the
most boring people on earth.
DM
Jim Taylor
I sincerely appreciate your contribution.
It appears that many persons have a strong view about wall mounted value
statements. I can only say that we are genuine in our desire to make a
difference regardless of the conventional wisdom.
Thank you again for your time and your effort to our improvement.
Jim Taylor
singerson wrote:
Jim Taylor
I can intellectually agree with you about official framed notices. I too have
seen these in various places, sometimes covered with dust, sometimes placed in
public areas for public consumption.
I can only say that we are genuine in our desire to make a difference to our
customers regardless of conventional wisdom about such things.
We are developing information that will be published in employee newsletters
over time to help all of us remember why we are here and how important the
customer is to our existence.
We very much appreciate anyone who takes the time to assist us in our quest.
I also respect the opinions of those many persons who have a strong view about
wall mounted vision or values statements.
Thank you for your response.
Jim Taylor
"Daniel P. B. Smith" wrote:
> My personal observation is that any time you see a official framed
> notice on a company wall espousing certain values, you can be sure those
> are values that the company _lacks_. The reason is simple: they would
> not have put up the notice unless someone perceived that there was a
> problem. The notice is trying to correct the problem which tells you
> that the problem exists.
>
> Similarly, whenever you hear that an organization is working on a
> "mission statement" (or "vision statement") you can be sure that the
> company is chaotic and organization--in an organization where everyone
> is clear on the mission it never even occurs to anyone that there's a
> NEED to put it into words. The Church did not develop creeds until
> there were heresies...
>
> Jim Taylor wrote:
> >
> > I previously sent a request but it seems to have been garbled.
> >
> > I am very earnestly trying to find a helpful and fun way for employees
> > at our organization to remember what values the organization needs to
> > demonstrate to customers. I think that a series of quotations that
> > deepen the understanding of the words will help. These would be offered
> > over 6 months in consistent 2 week doses.
> > Anyone having suggestions associated with any of the 6 values would be
> > very much appreciated.
> >
> > The values are
> > Moving Forward (making improvements)
> > Courtesy
> > Confidentiality
> > Honesty
> > Respect (for customers and each other)
> > Teamwork
> >
> > I very much appreciate any contributions to this collection. I will
> > include the name of the author and yours as a contributor as well.
> >
> > I sincerely wish to help employees gain a better understanding how each
> > of us can and should approach our jobs and each other as well as the
> > customer.
> >
> > Thank you!!!!
> >
> > Jim Taylor
>
Windows2001
The Sanity Inspector
http://www.cybernation.com/victory/quotations/subjects/quotes_subjects_a_to_b.html
and here:
http://www.arrakis.es/~avendano/quote/quote4.html
Also phone your local library and ask for these, or anything similar:
A Dictionary of business quotations / compiled by Simon James and
Robert Parker. , 1990
A Treasury of business quotations / [selected] by Michael C.
Thomsett. , 1990
The Executive's quotation book : a corporate companion / edited by
James Charlton. , 1983
--
bruce
The dignified don't even enter in the game.
--The Jam
Brendan Macmillan
: My personal observation is that any time you see a official framed
: notice on a company wall espousing certain values, you can be sure those
: are values that the company _lacks_. The reason is simple: they would
: not have put up the notice unless someone perceived that there was a
: problem. The notice is trying to correct the problem which tells you
: that the problem exists.
It makes sense, but so does the observation that people in the gym are
unfit, those at university are ignorant, anyone trying to improve themselves
is deficient. And of course it's true - in a sense.
--
br...@csse.monash.edu.au +61 (3) 9587 2117 tel: +61 (3) 9905 5194
Email is checked daily voice mail Phone is rarely attended
The Sanity Inspector
http://www.bus.okstate.edu/sharda/mba5161/lancel/laublib.htm
Daniel P. B. Smith
Brendan Macmillan wrote:
>
> Daniel P. B. Smith (dpbs...@bellatlantic.net) wrote:
> : My personal observation is that any time you see a official framed
> : notice on a company wall espousing certain values, you can be sure those
> : are values that the company _lacks_. The reason is simple: they would
> : not have put up the notice unless someone perceived that there was a
> : problem. The notice is trying to correct the problem which tells you
> : that the problem exists.
>
> It makes sense, but so does the observation that people in the gym are
> unfit, those at university are ignorant, anyone trying to improve themselves
> is deficient. And of course it's true - in a sense.
Touche.
Although... as I try to wiggle out of this one... because I believe my
observation has some validity to it... it does occur to me people at the
gym are trying to make THEMSELVES more fit, those at [a] university are
trying to make THEMSELVES more knowledgeable--while those who frame
slogans and put them on a wall in a public area are trying to improve
OTHERS...
Jim Taylor
Is it not possible that sometimes the words are put upon the walls by employees
who want to remind themselves why they are there rather than elsewhere?
Jim Taylor
"Daniel P. B. Smith" wrote:
Michael Conover
>It makes sense, but so does the observation that people in
>the gym are unfit, those at university are ignorant, anyone
>trying to improve themselves is deficient. And of course it's
>true - in a sense.
Daniel's insight isn't lost, though. If an establishment claims that it is
"committed to customer service", you can safely assume that they perceive some
deficiency in that department. It's also true that a person in a gym or a
student in the university also percieves some deficiency (otherwise they
wouldn't be there). But in the case of a person in the gym or a student in the
university, you're not going to them to buy a product or a service. So, to
some degree (though probably not enough to make you avoid that establishment)
you can be wary of that establishment's customer service. Who would you rather
see in court? A judge that has a plaque saying "I am committed to objectivity"
or one that does not? One assumes that a judge strives to be objective, but
only a judge who perceives some deficiency would feel the need to state that he
is objective.
---Michael
Dave Kifer
>
>Daniel,
>
>Is it not possible that sometimes the words are put upon the walls by employees
>who want to remind themselves why they are there rather than elsewhere?
Rarely, very rarely. In the <mumble-mumble*> years I have been with my
company, such graffiti are always put up by management in the main
employee working areas, not in their own offices. They change words,
but seldom meanings (since they seldom mean much to start with), about
every 4-5 years, as a new buzzword salesman manages to convince management
and Human Resources (which group is an insult in its very name! Not to
mention most of its usual practices! Oops, I digress, when I should egress.)
that THIS time, THIS slogan, THIS technique will actually work.
Employees tend to put up more useful, more meaningful graffiti:
"They pretend to pay us, we pretend to work."
"This is a test job. If it were a real job, it would be followed
by higher wages, better benefits, and appreciation from those it
is done for."
A company is like a tree. Those at the top look down and see
smiling faces. Those on lower branches look up and see assholes."
Which reminds me of a pair from my Misbehaved Matched Maxims:
"Shit rolls downhill.
Shit floats to the top."
And then, there's the classic "Shit Happens", at:
http://www.cat.pdx.edu/~alf/html/shit-corporate.html
<Who? Me? Bitter? Nah, not really. I might, maybe, admit to being cynical
about most management attempts at employee manipulation.>
Dave *(that mumble was 26 years, and still counting)
"Tam multi libri, tam breve tempus!"
(Et brevis pecunia.) [Et breve spatium.]
Daniel P. B. Smith
> Is it not possible that sometimes the words are put upon the walls by employees
> who want to remind themselves why they are there rather than elsewhere?
It's possible, surely. And I don't want this to degenerate into a stale
thrust/counterthrust argument about cynicism/idealism, assuming it
hasn't already. I shouldn't mock what you're doing without knowing what
you're doing... But in my experience, putting words on the walls in a
public area usually requires management approval, and framed mottos in
public areas are usually put there by middle managers as directed by
company policy.
Most signs put up by employees in places I've worked are things like:
3x5 cards saying "Snowblower for sale;" signs saying "REMOVE ALL
PAPERCLIPS before copying!!!!"; cartoons; invitations to participate in
a summer weight-loss contest; copier samizdat; sign-up sheets to sponsor
someone at a walk-a-thon or order Girl Scout cookies; signs saying "Help
yourself" around a box of home-grown zucchini in the cafeteria... etc.
There is a guy at work who has signs around his work area on the factory
floor saying things like "The next time you're depressed remember that
your garbage disposal eats better than 80% of the people in the world."
Now, these signs IMHO do contribute to some kind of feeling of community
and coherence...
But I can't quite imagine nonmanagement employees spontaneously putting
up things like the Successories signs you see in business-supply
catalogs (Achieve! Win! Teamwork! and pictures of mountains or athletes
or the Blue Angels...). It's POSSIBLE, though, and I'm sure it has
happened...
But usually teamwork is a fairly specific commitment to specific fellow
employees toward some fairly specific project, involving things like
small exchanges of favors... Doesn't have much to do with abstractions,
"Let's all pull together to meet the Six Corporate Goals: #1--to achieve
7.1% profit in Fiscal '99; #2--to be recognized as one of the four
leading companies in the Foithboinder industry..." But perhaps I'm
setting up a straw man, here...
> "Daniel P. B. Smith" wrote:
>
> > Brendan Macmillan wrote:
> > >
> > > Daniel P. B. Smith (dpbs...@bellatlantic.net) wrote:
> > > : My personal observation is that any time you see a official framed
> > > : notice on a company wall espousing certain values, you can be sure those
> > > : are values that the company _lacks_. The reason is simple: they would
> > > : not have put up the notice unless someone perceived that there was a
> > > : problem. The notice is trying to correct the problem which tells you
> > > : that the problem exists.
> > >
> > > It makes sense, but so does the observation that people in the gym are
> > > unfit, those at university are ignorant, anyone trying to improve themselves
> > > is deficient. And of course it's true - in a sense.
> >
Frank Bohan
>
>
>Brendan Macmillan wrote:
>>
>> Daniel P. B. Smith (dpbs...@bellatlantic.net) wrote:
>> : My personal observation is that any time you see a official framed
>> : notice on a company wall espousing certain values, you can be sure those
>> : are values that the company _lacks_. The reason is simple: they would
>> : not have put up the notice unless someone perceived that there was a
>> : problem. The notice is trying to correct the problem which tells you
>> : that the problem exists.
>>
>> It makes sense, but so does the observation that people in the gym are
>> unfit, those at university are ignorant, anyone trying to improve themselves
>> is deficient. And of course it's true - in a sense.
>
>Touche.
>
>Although... as I try to wiggle out of this one... because I believe my
>observation has some validity to it... it does occur to me people at the
>gym are trying to make THEMSELVES more fit, those at [a] university are
>trying to make THEMSELVES more knowledgeable--while those who frame
>slogans and put them on a wall in a public area are trying to improve
>OTHERS...
Would anyone care to frame these:
THE END OF THE DAY (1)
All work completed;
All customers satisfied;
All staff happy;
All pigs fed and ready to fly.
+++
THE END OF THE DAY (2)
All deadlines met;
All bosses pleased;
All important decisions made;
Temperature set at 0 deg C in hell.
===
Frank B
David Milsted
only a judge who perceives some deficiency would feel the need to
state that he is objective.>>
Hmm. Well, the Old Bailey (Courts of Justice) in London is
adorned with the bronze figure of Justice, with her scales. I
suppose that's a sort of 'We Try Harder' sign, too. How terribly
depressing!
DM
Marci Wolcott
achievement and success have no meaning."
Benjamin Franklin
Karen Weber
sufficient. Needed, also, are loyalty, sincerity,
enthusiasm and team play.
William B. Given, Jr.
A single arrow is easily broken, but not ten in a
bundle.
Japanese proverb
All of us, in the flow of feeling we have pleased,
want to do more to please.
William James
The hundred point man is one who is true to every
trust; who keeps his word; who is loyal to the firm
that employs him; who does not listen for insults nor
look for slights; who carries a civil tongue in his
head; who is polite to strangers without being fresh;
who is considerate toward servants; who is
moderate in his eating and drinking; who is willing to
learn; who is cautious and yet courageous.
Elbert Hubbard
Nothing astonishes men so much as common-sense
and plain dealing.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The highest compact we can make with our fellow
is,--"Let there be truth between us two forever
more."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Act honestly, and answer boldly.
Danish proverb
It is not the lie that passeth through the mind, but
the lie that sinketh in, and settleth in it that doth
the hurt.
Francis Bacon
When people honor each other, there is a trust
established that leads to synergy, interdependence,
and deep respect. Both parties make decisions and
choices based on what is right, what is best, what
is valued most highly.
Blaine Lee
You might try searching my database on keywords like
change, honesty, integrity, character, relationships, etc.
Hope that helps. -Karen
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Find motivating quotes in our Quotes Database
http://motivationalquotes.com/cgi-bin/s/db.cgi
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~