Crystallizations
Embracing CHANGE
October 2009
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| Events |
October 19 - 20 - Early Voting
November 3 - General Election
If you are in District 3, please vote for Rob Rodriguez for the San Antonio River Authority. Become a fan of his Facebook page.
October 23
Three Tenors - San Antonio Opera - Call 210-416-7043
Every Saturday
Pearl Farmer's Market
December 9
Small Business Conference
Volunteers
Exhibitors
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Greetings!
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Finally some rain! Now does anyone have a recommendation for a lawn service? My "native Texas grasses" are starting to look a bit wild.
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Embracing Change
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"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are
challenged to change ourselves." - Victor Frankl
This month has been full of situations that cannot be changed, especially
for my friends. One friend lost her job. One lost her husband. One lost her
daughter. These adversities were made even worse by the fact that in each
case, there was no warning.
Losing a job, of course, is not comparable to the loss of a loved one. But it
is the one of the three where the change could have been easier to deal with if
the supervisor had been a decent manager.
Cutting back on staff
In these economic times, cutting back on staff is sometimes a necessity.
Certainly, it can be a good time to get rid of staff members who are not
pulling their weight, using the need for belt tightening as an excuse. This
reason does not work well if people in the same or similar position are making
more than the one you are firing. Make sure the financial cutback rationale
holds true if you use it.
In my friend's case, I don't think anyone in upper management could have
believed she was not pulling her weight. But even when getting rid of less
effective employees, a few guidelines are worth following.
Give some warning
If you are planning to let one or more employees go, let your employees
know that the financial situation is such that you are keeping your options
open and may have to let go of some employees. If you do not want to share that
much information with your employees, think about why you do not. You may need
to assess your management ability. Do not announce that there will be no more
cutbacks in staff unless you mean it.
Build the case. Let the employee know what he or she needs to do to retain the
job. If you truly just don't like the person and do not feel that he or she can
improve, at least give the person some warning. Most people, once they are put
on notice, start looking for other opportunities.
Be honest and decent
Be honest. Let the person know that your personalities clash or you do
not feel that the person is a good fit for the job. Unless the employee is
doing something that is dangerous to the organization, try to give the employee
a month or more to find something else. Give the person a chance to exit
gracefully.
Change is difficult for all of us. When it is forced upon us with no warning,
it becomes so much harder to accept. If you are in a situation where you are
forcing change on someone, be decent. There are too many situations in our
lives where no warning is possible. Don't
add to those.
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Puzzle
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 David Puente of FirstMark Credit Union was the first to know that according to T.R. Reid, Japan controls health costs the best. Thank you all for playing and reading the article.
This month, here's one for my mathematically inclined friends. (You
know who you are!) There is a number that is 6 times the sum of its
digits. What is this number?
The first person with the correct answer will win a $25 gift certificate at Nicavid's.
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Crystallizations Training
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Watch this space for exciting new training programs that will help you through these difficult economic times. Meanwhile, if you know of an organization that could benefit from training in Business Writing, Interpersonal Communications, or Customer Service, please forward this email to them or contact me to schedule a free training consultation.
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Opera fan? You'll love this!
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I recently discovered a new non-profit organization, Karma.
The mission of KARMA is to
enhance the quality of life, as well as expand opportunities for youth, through
activities that energize the mind and body of youth to seek success in life and to provide youth with the most basic of
all human needs: "A Sense of
Belonging" It's a wonderful organization and I'm thrilled to help the effort in any way I can.
Karma has a number of special events through the year. Join Karma and Luciano'Ristorante Italiano at our next one, as we honor the great Italian opera singer, Luciano Pavarotti with an evening of fine dining and fabulous opera performed by three tenors from the San Antonio Opera.
- when: Friday, October 23,2009 7:00-9:00pm
- where: Holy Trinity Catholic Church 20523 Huebner Rd., San Antonio TX 78258
- price: $30.00 individual tickets,$250.00 table of 10
Includes dinner and show performed by members of the San Antonio Opera. Wine & Beer purchases available. Reception and silent auction beginning at 6:00 pm.
One of the three
tenors is Donald Braswell who competed on America's
Got Talent. If you haven't heard these amazing voices, visit Three San Antonio Tenors.
To purchase individual tickets or table call Glenn Faulk (210) 416-7043 or Bianca Centofanti, Karma Board Chair, (210) 289-6746.
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