Be Good to Yourself

Along For the Ride

Some may not remember Ziggy, a cartoon character that peeked over the fence and had a long nose. His nose was hanging over the wall, and this image became a popular car sticker. Everywhere you drove, Ziggy was riding along. People could go all night and work extremely hard to get somewhere; there’s Ziggy. He had ridden along and gotten there too. If you clean the car, Ziggy gets an excellent clean vehicle. It did not matter what you did; Ziggy rode along. He gained the same fun and the same fame. He was there just hanging out, peeking over the fence, literally along for the ride. Have you ever known an employee or teammate that seemed to be along for the ride? Can you get this person motivated? You and your team worked hard for your successes while some ride along, and they achieve the win when they have done very little. Project management is a difficult job, and many projects fail. The successful performance of the team is necessary. The project manager's job is to get everyone on the team on board, moving in the same direction, and motivated toward successfully completing the project goal. The following are ten recommendations for getting team members like Ziggy motivated.

1. Do not ignore the problem
2. Correct issues immediately
3. Find the root of the problem and get the facts
4. Make expectations and objectives clear
5. Train and retain
6. Put expectations and goals in writing
7. Give feedback regularly
8. Communicate often and openly
9. Monitor progress and take note
10. Notice small successes

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”
-Estee Lauder

Along For the Ride

Some may not remember Ziggy, a cartoon character that peeked over the fence and had a long nose. His nose was hanging over the wall, and this image became a popular car sticker. Everywhere you drove, Ziggy was riding along. People could go all night and work extremely hard to get somewhere; there’s Ziggy. He had ridden along and gotten there too. If you clean the car, Ziggy gets an excellent clean vehicle. It did not matter what you did; Ziggy rode along. He gained the same fun and the same fame. He was there just hanging out, peeking over the fence, literally along for the ride. Have you ever known an employee or teammate that seemed to be along for the ride? Can you get this person motivated? You and your team worked hard for your successes while some ride along, and they achieve the win when they have done very little. Project management is a difficult job, and many projects fail. The successful performance of the team is necessary. The project manager's job is to get everyone on the team on board, moving in the same direction, and motivated toward successfully completing the project goal. The following are ten recommendations for getting team members like Ziggy motivated.

1. Do not ignore the problem
2. Correct issues immediately
3. Find the root of the problem and get the facts
4. Make expectations and objectives clear
5. Train and retain
6. Put expectations and goals in writing
7. Give feedback regularly
8. Communicate often and openly
9. Monitor progress and take note
10. Notice small successes

“I never dreamed about success. I worked for it.”
-Estee Lauder