2025 Jan-Feb RETA Breeze

authority over money. However, don’t make the mistake of not paying them well – because someone else will! Third, most spark plugs will interview you. It’s a little un-nerving. Some will be vocal and ask a lot of questions. Others will listen and watch your interactions with others. Promoting spark plugs is easier. No one will suddenly become a spark plug after their promotion, chances are you will get no more hustle and drive from an employee in a new position than you got in their old position. Another note on promoting spark plugs, offer but don’t force. Spark plugs can easily become disheartened when forced into a position. This may be the number one position that spark plugs leave a company. It’s best to discuss promotion and ask if they would like to advance. Every team has a team dynamic. Some teams enjoy spending time together away from work, some never want to see each outside of the workplace. Some teams work best when they are interacting, some work best when each team member is semi-isolated and come together only when needed. None of these are wrong, this slide makes the point that it’s very important to realize how your team works. You can break this rule on occasion, a great team may “convert” someone with a different working style. Most times, the wrong person on your team will hurt team dynamics. It is important to include your team when adding to it, which brings me to the next slide.. I didn’t get this one at first. The presenter explained it like this. “When someone buys a dog, they go and visit the dog and try to see if the dog meets what they want in a pet… but no one ever brings the cat. Everyone should bring the cat, because while you’re at work the cat must deal with the dog. It’s great that you get along with the dog, but the poor cat will be with the dog 24/7.Shouldn’t you make sure the cat and dog are compatible before you bring a new dog home?” Now I get it! HR won’t be working with a new maintenance employee. The maintenance supervisor may work with a new maintenance employee sometimes. But the rest of the maintenance workers will work with the new maintenance employee all the time. Doesn’t it make sense to involve them in the interview process? If it isn’t feasible to involve the existing staff in the interview process, at the very least, keep the team dynamic and culture in mind during the interview. The goal is to add an asset to the team. Cats and dogs that do not get along can wreck a home. The same is true in the work environment when the wrong hire is made. This makes sense. If you hire people whose only motivation is money, they will leave the company for money. It only works if you can always out pay your competitors, something that is very difficult to do. Assume that any mercenary you hire will be temporary. How much do you want to invest in a temporary employee? This slide seems complicated, but it’s not. Determine where your team lives. For people who work a lot, work is home. Recognize that, it has a bearing on how problems are perceived. Someone who looks at work as someplace they must go, may not take changes as personally as someone who “lives at work”. The slide is showing waking hours at work vs. home based on how many hours someone regularly works. For some employees, they spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else. I used to be in a position like this, I was always at the office or on the road. There were days where I felt closer to my co-workers than my family at home. I think this slide can’t be emphasized enough. It’s important for your team to

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