Nan S. Russell
Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development, Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A. from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of Michigan. Nan is the author of "Hitting Your Stride: Your Work, Your Way" (Capital Books; January 2008) and host of "Work Matters with Nan Russell" weekly on webtalkradio.net. Nan is an author, speaker, and consultant.
Articles by Nan S. Russell
November 02, 2009
"Red tape. Infighting. Office politics. Employee morale. Can't get things done. Lack of communication. Layers of bureaucracy. Not valued. Rude, difficult people. Indecision. Lack of support. Inconsistency. No clear direction." These are sample answers from readers to a Winning at Working survey that asked about the biggest problems at work. And then we wonder, as supervisors and managers, why employees aren't motivated?
October 20, 2009
In the Black Hills of South Dakota, carved in granite, the six-story faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt create a grand impression viewed from a distant, or standing on the national monument's viewing terrace. Visiting Mount Rushmore on vacation, I found the documentary of its making fascinating. Weeks later, one story stayed with me.
September 30, 2009
When young children misbehave, many parents, teachers and caregivers insist on a time-out. Think how much better your workplace would be if you initiated the same approach. No, not for your boss or coworkers, but for yourself.
September 17, 2009
From the iron age to nearly the industrial age, blacksmiths prospered. Villagers needed plows, shovels, iron tires for wagons, nails and tools to build their homes, all of which the blacksmiths forged. They needed their horses and oxen shod and their tools repaired. Being a blacksmith was a sound professional choice.
September 04, 2009
Maybe you received the email offering cash in exchange for testing the Microsoft/AOL email tracking system. Or you heard that theaters were using subliminal advertising to increase sales of popcorn and soft drinks. Maybe it was the "buy one, get one free" Porsche promotion that caught your attention, or the warning that reusing plastic water bottles is unhealthy since components breakdown and are ingested.
August 20, 2009
The room was lovely, the bed inviting, the architecture interesting, and the philosophy appealing. That was my impression as we checked into a newly minted green-hotel in a resort town where we were eager to spend time relaxing.
August 05, 2009
You can have outstanding ideas, yet never leverage them into winning at working results. That's because the secret behind those ideas lies in performance. Yours.
July 23, 2009
Workplace decision-making often reminds me of a "Peanuts" comic strip I saw where Lucy and Charlie Brown were discussing their New Year's resolutions. "I'm going to be a changed person next year," Charlie tells Lucy. "That's a laugh," Lucy replies. "You'll be wishy-washy." "Well," Charlie says defensively, "One day I'll be wishy and the next washy."
July 10, 2009
I did exactly what the magazine wanted me to do. I bought it solely for an article featured on the cover. But when I got it home and started searching for the piece I wanted to read, I couldn't find it. The headline drew me in, but hidden behind other features was an article with a different title that sort of, kind of, talked about the topic. I felt cheated.
June 29, 2009
Reading in the airport while waiting for a flight to Houston, a housekeeper was tidying around me when approached by another facilities employee. After a few minutes of easily overheard chit-chat, she received coaching from her now apparent supervisor.
June 09, 2009
The story goes that after one of Ludwig van Beethoven's performances, several people were offering him their congratulations, when one woman commented, "I wish God had bestowed me with such genius." "It isn't genius, madam, nor is it magic." Beethoven replied. "All you have to do is practice on your piano eight hours a day for 40 years."
May 28, 2009
A friend's hairstylist saw her bookings drop as the economy fell, ultimately losing her job at a salon. But when my friend asked her if she'd be willing to make a house-call to style her ailing mother's hair, the stylist saw an opportunity. Ultimately, she launched a specialized in-home business and now makes more money than she ever did.
May 14, 2009
In the late 17th century, Lord Chesterfield, an English writer and politician, wrote to his son, "Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well." Three hundred years later, we still heed this advise from the fourth Earl of Chesterfield. Yet doing it well doesn't mean doing it perfectly. The 21st century workplace requires more than doing something well.
April 30, 2009
Coward. That word, along with others less printable, popped to mind when I heard a story about a friend's son. It turns out, he learned he was no longer employed via a text-message to his cell phone on a Sunday night. The brief message from his ex-boss informed him that his last work day had been Friday.
April 16, 2009
As I watched the tradeshow floor emerge, it struck me that people handle their careers in much the same manner. Some wait to demonstrate their initiative and ability until someone with authority is watching, believing someone else is responsible for their success. Others approach work as a paycheck rather than an opportunity, limiting both in the process. Still others align their efforts with the why behind the what, owning their results and learning and growing in the process.
April 02, 2009
Resist. Resist. Resist. That seems to be the congressional model these days. Whatever one party is for, the other is against. Before an idea makes it to the blogosphere, opposing party political pundits are railing against whatever approach or bill or stance was taken.
March 17, 2009
You may not be able to control if your job gets cut, but you can control whether you're a high performer who your boss is fighting to keep. You may not be able to control how quickly you get another job, but you can control the number of daily contacts you make in your search and how you "show up," future-focused, at the interview. You may not be able to control the amount of work you get, but you do control whether you're responding as a victim or taking action toward developing your skills and contacts for a new future.
March 03, 2009
Ancora imparo, translated as "I am still learning" or "Still, I am learning," is attributed to Michelangelo in his eighty-seventh year. The man who painted the Sistine Chapel and sculpted the Pieta and David, whose very name evokes mastery of his craft, exemplifies a lifelong learning philosophy
February 16, 2009
Poor Pluto. Stripped of its planetary status by the International Astronomical Union and reclassified as a "dwarf planet," two years ago, Pluto's demotion heralds new rules for planet classification. Debate by renowned astronomers from seventy-five countries culminated in the decision to reduce the number of planets to eight "classic" ones.
February 03, 2009
In 1883, as soon as construction ended on the Brooklyn Bridge, the scams started. George C. Parker is credited with originating the idea of selling the Brooklyn Bridge, convincing people they could earn a fortune charging tolls for bridge access. Some erected traffic barriers even as Parker boasted he "sold the Brooklyn Bridge twice a week for years." Eventually he was sentenced to life in prison.
January 20, 2009
I had just finished commenting to my husband how much I liked the use of copper in the Parade of Homes' kitchen we were touring, when I overheard another woman telling her husband how much she disliked the look. It made me laugh. It's funny how we see things differently.
January 06, 2009
I'm not a big fan of New Years resolutions. Sure I've made dozens of them, all with good intentions and a bit of magical thinking, believing this time the resolution will stick. Maybe a few have, but generally these wishful self-promises end up broken. And when that happens my self-esteem suffers.
November 27, 2008
Author of Hitting Your Stride: Your Work, Your Way (Capital Books; January 2008). Host of "Work Matters with Nan Russell" weekly on webtalkradio.net. Nan Russell has spent over twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President. Sign up to receive Nan's "Winning at Working" tips and insights at http://www.nanrussell.com
November 12, 2008
I once worked for a boss who was never wrong, never made a mistake or a bad decision. All you had to do was ask him. To his staff he was Teflon-man. Nothing stuck to him and everything came sliding toward us.
October 31, 2008
The message came from Human Resources. There's nothing to worry about with the newly announced organizational changes and pending merger, it reassured. The changes will be good for the company and good for the people who work here it coached.
September 18, 2008
During the Beijing Olympics, beach volleyball players Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh were undefeated in their second gold medal Olympics, with an amazing record of 108 consecutive wins. Watching the advancing duo during the Olympic coverage, I heard commentators mention that when either woman was asked during interviews which one of them was better, they responded, "We're better together."
August 28, 2008
"Treat everybody else as if they were you." These words gave me pause. I wonder what it would be like if we each did what this "unknown author" is advocating?
August 12, 2008
There's a line in the movie Gracie that I love. Gracie is a teenager in the 70s who is competing for a spot on the boy's high school varsity soccer team. In one scene, dejected and on the verge of giving up, her mother, played by Elizabeth Shue, tells her, "If you want to limit yourself, that's fine. But don't let other people do it for you."
July 16, 2008
People who are winning at working work for the right person - the one looking back in mirror. That differentiation changes everything. It's easier to know what jobs to seek, skills to enhance, and opportunities to seize. It's easier to know when you should change paths, companies, or bosses. And it's easier to weather workplace stresses when you're the one holding the compass for your life.
July 02, 2008
Booths featuring products and services related to employee engagement, web-based delivery, global performance, and talent management were overflowing with conference attendees as I walked the trade show at a national conference where I was speaking. Just a few years ago the magnets were initiatives like total quality management, six sigma, diversity, work-life-balance, and customer driven.
May 30, 2008
It was his perception that caused the outburst. "Why aren't there any managers at these sessions? Why aren't they required to attend, too?" he challenged. Hired to provide workshops on building trust in a workplace lacking it, I answered his question to the extent I could during that first session, "It's my understanding that everyone is attending," I offered. "But let me find out for sure and get back to you."
May 07, 2008
"I don't like to be kept waiting," he responded when asked by the travel-study professor why he delayed the entire group for a third straight day. "Next time," the professor warned, "we won't hold the bus."
April 03, 2008
It started with a turkey. In the early days of a start-up company I once worked for, a plump turkey was a small thank you token given to employees around the holidays. The turkey-giving practice lasted maybe three years, until the growing size of the organization necessitated its change. And while enhanced benefits emerged to replace that poultry gift, I found it amazing that the missing turkey still appeared as a resentment issue five years later in employee forums.
March 14, 2008
Once upon a time, a prince and princess lived in stressful palace, surrounded by a stressful village, inside a stressful land. They knew it was stressful because everyone said it was. Their parents, the king and queen, worked from sunrise to sunset hearing issues from their kingdom, weighing the requests, and appropriating the collective harvest to the people of their land.
February 13, 2008
Watching a rerun of "What Not to Wear" on The Learning Channel, I was struck by the dialogue between the individual being transformed and the cast of experts. While agreeing to follow the advice and input from these style-masters, "Joyce" was closed to the ideas presented of what she should wear, how her hair should be cut, and her make-up enhanced.
February 01, 2008
People who are winning at working understand relationship basics. Common courtesy, mutual assistance, timely communication are tools they use to build, foster, and enhance their relationships. They understand their relationship approach is a reflection of their foundational principles. And those principles start with giving.
January 14, 2008
"How could that be?" I muttered silently as I reread the message. This was not a person I wanted to encounter as I returned from a holiday vacation filled with family, friends, and fun. And yet, there he was on my calendar. My first meeting of the New Year was scheduled with my nemesis.
January 08, 2008
I'm not a big fan of New Years resolutions. Sure I've made dozens of them, all with good intentions and a bit of magical thinking, believing this time the resolution will stick. Maybe a few have, but generally these wishful self-promises end up broken. And when that happens my self-esteem suffers.
...
December 12, 2007
As I turned on the national news, two "experts" were debating one of the societal issues that divide this country. For minutes their ping-ponged comments volleyed about a controversial book and a soon-to-be-released movie.
Then, the commenter asked both guests if they had either read the book or ...
November 19, 2007
It was a dimly lit restaurant. Still she was dressed in pink, and while I admit it's hard to tell the gender of three month old babies, clothing color is a reliable clue. So, it surprised me when the waitress began playing with my granddaughter, asking "How old is he?"
Twenty minutes later, that ...
November 13, 2007
I learned in first grade that one plus one equals two. But, that's not the right equation when counting work experience. We often think we're building experience to help us get ahead. In reality, we're passing time. Ten years working like a cloned Bill Murray in Groundhog Day is not ten years worth ...
October 15, 2007
Involved in an expensive developmental workshop, Chad volunteered first when the facilitator queried the group about their objectives. It was the morning session of a weekend event that a friend of mine was conducting, and she'd asked me to sit-in. So, on a Saturday morning when I'd normally be slee...
October 03, 2007
Henry Ford is reported to have quipped, "Why is it that I always get the whole person when what I really want is a pair of hands?" The 21st century version doesn't sound quite like that, but its essence prevails in plenty of workplaces.
The functional equivalent of Ford's thinking is housed in st...
September 04, 2007
Once there was a young woman who didn't like her job. Everyday when she came home from work, she told her husband how terrible her day had been, how tiring the work and how unreasonable her boss. "Leave that job," her husband told her.
"Oh I will" she said. "But not yet. I have too many friends t...
July 06, 2007
Ever hear the story about the rich man who asked his unemployed son to build him a new house while he traveled for a year? "Build it well," he told his son. "Of course, you'll be reimbursed for everything, including your time, when I return."
After the father left, the son decided it didn't make ...
June 10, 2007
Sitting in a waiting area above the tradeshow floor, I watched the forklift drivers deliver crates and boxes to small groups who were waiting to transform their rented cement floors into inviting marketing endeavors for the next day's expo opening, hosting seven thousand conference attendees.
A m...
May 09, 2007
It was the third time in as many weeks he'd asked to see me. Once again sitting across the desk, Jeff was expressing distress at something. This time he was upset that Lydia was making more money than he was. Last week he was unhappy with the hours Joe wasn't putting in, leaving at five when he was ...
March 29, 2007
I once worked for a boss who was never wrong, never made a mistake or a bad decision. All you had to do was ask him. To his staff he was Teflon-man. Nothing stuck to him and everything came sliding toward us.
Accountability was not a concept he practiced unless things turned out well and then, he...
March 11, 2007
In 1881, the New York YWCA's proposed typing lessons for woman brought protests citing "the female constitution would break down under the strain." I wonder how many women believed that and didn't sign up? Or how many would-be-travelers listened when "experts" determined that riding a speeding train...
January 31, 2007
Most people are looking for the secret to success; the secret to being a millionaire; the secret to winning at working. To help them find it, Amazon.com currently inventories 1,797 books promising success secrets, everything from "Mustang Sallies: Success Secrets of Women Who Refuse to Run With the ...
January 08, 2007
Even now, months after it happened, it surprises me when I think about it. No phone call. No heads up. No discussion. As I opened the email from a business associate, checking my messages from an airport lounge, I expected a routine update. Instead, I read a message severing our relationship.
Wha...
December 04, 2006
Last time I was hiking in Montana's Glacier National Park, I stopped to view through binoculars, a mountain goat trekking atop a rock cliff. My husband, viewing the switch-back trail we'd just climbed, happened to see a grizzly bear cross behind a group of hikers a hundred yards below us. With my na...
November 21, 2006
"I'm sorry, but I have to vent. It was a horrible day at work," began my friend on our monthly catch-up call. "We've all been there," I offered. "Yeah, but not like this." As a substitute instructional aid, she'd been asked to assist teachers on a field trip for 275 fifth graders to celebrate the su...
November 10, 2006
My table-mates introduced themselves as the reciprocal protocol began. We chatted about what we did, where we did it and what we thought of the conference. Stan joined the table as the chicken was served. He'd been introduced to me earlier and we'd talked briefly during the pre-dinner social. Now he...
October 23, 2006
When more than half of Americans were identified as overweight, people took notice. Major news outlets began educating on how to stay out, or get out, of that statistic. I wish the same attention had been paid when the Conference Board released their statistics saying half of Americans are satisfi...
September 13, 2006
She was waiting for me when I returned from a meeting. Standing outside my office door, I could tell by her downward glance, Jodie was not there to give me good news on the project. Despite her confident, enthusiastic and definitive style, she failed to deliver what she had pitched. It was not the f...
August 30, 2006
Poor Pluto. Stripped of its planetary status by the International Astronomical Union and reclassified as a "dwarf planet," Pluto's demotion heralds new rules for planet classification. A week of debate by renowned astronomers from seventy-five countries culminated in the decision to reduce the numbe...
August 14, 2006
Ever hear the story of the two masons working side by side at a building site? They're doing the same work under pretty much the same conditions. Then, one day a stranger comes along, approaches one of the men and asks him, "What are you doing?" "I don't know and I don't care," replies the man, his ...
July 31, 2006
The Emperor's New Clothes was a favorite childhood story of mine. It made me laugh. I couldn't believe that all those adults were standing around, watching the emperor make a fool of himself and not telling him the truth. When I grew up and went to work, I discovered it wasn't that easy.
In twent...
July 21, 2006
Does it surprise you that only 400 cokes were sold the first year; Albert Einstein's Ph.D. dissertation was rejected; Henry Ford had two bankruptcies before his famous success; or Ulysses S. Grant was working as a handyman, written off as a failure, eight years before becoming President of the Unite...
July 05, 2006
Chuck was the best of the twenty-four candidates. Still, he didn't have exactly what I was looking for and my instincts warned me of his unusual personality. Yet the skills required for the job were specialized and he had most of them, and I'd been interviewing for five months, and my boss wanted th...
June 05, 2006
I've watched a few episodes of Nanny 911 and with the chaos, out of control children and seemingly irreparable behavior, it strikes me as a precursor to Workplace 911. No, not a new reality TV show, but everyday workplace problems.
You see, kids who don't get their way, who learn to hit, manipulat...
May 08, 2006
As a frequent traveler, my goal for each trip is to travel light. Despite thoughtful planning, sometimes that goal is shattered when I go to close the suitcase and realize I need a larger, or even second one. I can't always get my packing right and end up taking more than I need. When that happens i...
April 24, 2006
The line between average and exceptional work performance is dotted with ordinary day-by-day behaviors. I was reminded of that line recently. My husband was explaining to a nurse how he'd inadvertently taken the last dose of the live typhoid virus on the wrong day and wondered if he needed to retake...
April 10, 2006
You can have outstanding ideas, yet never leverage them into winning at working results. That's because the secret behind those ideas lies in performance. Yours.
Getting the okay to pursue your idea is directly related to the level of confidence other people have in your ability to deliver it. And...
March 27, 2006
The story goes that after one of Ludwig van Beethoven's performances, several people were offering him their congratulations, when one woman commented, "I wish God had bestowed me with such genius." "It isn't genius, madam, nor is it magic." Beethoven replied. "All you have to do is practice on your...
March 13, 2006
Author and management guru, Peter Drucker says, "People adjust to the level of demands made on them." I would add, we also adjust to the level we demand of ourselves. At some point we grow up and pass for adults by how we look. To match that look with action requires both discipline and determinatio...
February 27, 2006
"You ain't going nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck." What if Elvis believed this Grand Ole Opry manager's critique after his l954 performance? Or the Beatles listened in 1962 when Decca Recording Company responded, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out....
February 14, 2006
I spend a bit of time on airplanes. So, I was surprised by what I observed on a regional jet. Yes, it was holiday travel. Yes, the flight was overbooked. Yes, infrequent and tired travelers were creating challenges for the only stewardess. Still, she saw the small boy, no more than eight, seated in ...
January 31, 2006
With the opening of a new venture and numerous reporters arriving in an hour, it felt like one of those "chickens with heads off" days. We were close, but not ready. So like locusts to a wheat field, a swarm of people were devouring the last minute details. Then, it rained. With rain, came worms, hu...
January 16, 2006
"Stop being such a Pollyanna," a trusted, more experienced colleague counseled as we took the long route back to my office. He had just witnessed my project idea annihilated as co-workers eagerly argued why my idea wouldn't work, where it was flawed and why it shouldn't be funded. Despite naysayers ...
January 02, 2006
The expense was substantial. An immersion workshop with twelve participants sharing a common goal to hone their skills. With nervous eagerness like kindergarteners embracing school, we received input, critique, and suggestions about our work. Some of the feedback I used. Some of it I didn't. But all...
December 19, 2005
I'm not a big fan of New Years resolutions. Sure I've made dozens of them, all with good intentions and a bit of magical thinking, believing this time the resolution will stick. Maybe a few have, but generally these wishful self-promises end up broken. And when that happens my self-esteem suffers.
...
December 05, 2005
They're only words. Some believe the school-yard taunt: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." They're wrong. Words can hurt you in the workplace.
I'm not referring to the caustic ones spoken (or received) tainted with sarcasm, irritation, anger or frustration, carryi...
November 20, 2005
I agree with Brooker T. Washington, "Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him." I agree with Mr. Washington because I've experienced trust. I've been on both the giving and receiving side of the equation, and I know first hand t...
November 08, 2005
An industrious black-tailed ground squirrel has his home beneath a stump not far from my office window. I’ve been watching him squirrel away provisions for winter. He reminds me of people I’ve worked with.
Starting his journey by standing tall on the stump, the squirrel hurriedly looks side to sid...
October 27, 2005
A paperweight sits on my desk, etched in silver the message: Life isn't always black and white. It serves as a reminder there are few absolutes at work (or in life). Yet, it would be easier if there were; if good ideas from bad, trustworthy people from non-trustworthy, and right paths from the wrong...
October 10, 2005
I learned in first grade that one plus one equals two. But, that's not the right equation when counting work experience. We often think we're building experience to help us get ahead. In reality, we're passing time. Ten years working like a cloned Bill Murray in Groundhog Day is not ten years worth ...
September 26, 2005
Like huge anchors on cruise ships, other people can hold you down. Not intentionally, but their negativity impacts you. It’s hard to be winning at working when you’re anchored in place. It’s hard to see the next great idea and enthusiastically embrace it, when you’re feeling a sticky heaviness. And ...
September 12, 2005
Years after Disneyland was built, after the completion of Walt Disney World, the story goes that someone went up to Mike Vance, Creative Director for Walt Disney Studios and said, "Isn’t it too bad Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?" Without pausing, he replied, "But he did see it, that’s why it’s...
August 31, 2005
It only happened on Mondays. Sometimes I escaped the unpleasant ritual. But, more often than not, right before boarding I threw up in the ladies room of the train station. It wasn't the commute I hated. It was the job.
The reasons don't matter why a job I once enjoyed turned into a job I didn't. ...
August 29, 2005
Stories of intrigue, treachery, politics, lies, double crosses, and power struggles fill the history books, much like they fill today’s headlines. In the world of the 17th century musketeer, life depended on who you could trust. In the world of the 21st century employee, one’s livelihood may.
I’m...
August 15, 2005
When we ordered the stained glass window as an accent piece for our home, the artist-proprietor told us he was a bit behind. “So," he said, “to be on safe side, plan on six months." That was two years ago. We still don’t have the window. Each time we call or stop in, he has yet another plausible rea...
July 19, 2005
I like Simon, one of three judges on American Idol. I find his feedback refreshingly honest. And while his words startle me with their ego wounding potential, the traditional feel-good, let-you-down-easy, sugar-coated feedback is not much of a gift. It’s hard to tell someone they’re not good enough ...
July 18, 2005
Even before I checked my calendar on Monday morning, I knew the appointment would be there. Passed over for promotion again, Ralph wanted specifics on why I hadn't chosen him for the position. This was not a new conversation. I thought of Ralph as my chicken and egg dilemma. Ralph was the chicken. H...
June 22, 2005
Losing my job in the last recession of the last century, I discovered first hand the power of creating your own luck. A week later, I decided to locate an interim position while I looked for a "real” one. Accepting a temporary position at minimum wage in an industry I knew little about, I decided th...