ALMA E-News for March 2002
Greetings ALMA Members,
On your next monthly safety inspection, take a close look at the lab’s flammable storage cabinets. Check to insure that these contain only flammable and combustible liquids or aerosols and that they are located away from exits or office doors. The cabinets should either be vented to the exterior or plugs should be in place to seal the vent openings. Check to see if the cabinets are manufactured to Factory Mutual or Underwriter’s Laboratory standards and are properly labeled with signs reading “FlammableKeep Fire Away.” Make sure they are in an area away from tests or work areas requiring a flame. All chemicals should be in approved containers with proper labels and the cabinet should remain closed when not in use. Also, check the location of the nearest fire extinguisher and confirm that it is suitable for class B (chemical) fires.
Good managers use 360 feedback, evaluations, or comments to identify weaknesses in their performance in order to construct a plan for improvement. A recent article (“Know your strengths,” Harvard Business Review, March, 2002) points out that it is just as important to become aware of your strengths since these characteristics are instrumental in determining your management style, effectiveness, and the manner in which you interact with others. Failure to perceive strengths can cause individuals to either overuse or underuse these skills or behaviors. An example was cited of a manager who was recognized by his staff as having exceptional intelligence but considered himself to be only average. His perception created the expectation that others pick up ideas as quickly as he and caused him to be abrasively impatient when they didn’t. Other managers might under-utilize talents simply because they don’t recognize these strengths. For example, many technical managers may have strong mental discipline and problem solving skills that could be effectively applied elsewhere in the company where these skills may be less common. Several obstacles to the constructive use of strengths for improvement are cited:
- Positive feedback is usually viewed as an ego booster rather than as an actionable item for an improvement plan.
- Strengths that may be obvious to others may not be obvious to the individuals who possess them.
- People don’t immediately accept positive feedback—it needs to be reinforced and supported through repetition, specific examples, and, if possible, from several sources.
It is our natural tendency to focus attention on correcting deficiencies or improving weaknesses rather than building on strengths—the realization of this fact may open new opportunities for improvement for most of us.
If you have any comments, cost saving suggestions, opinions, etc. let me hear from you .
Wayne