2009 SHRM Annual Conference Blog

SPREADING CONTAGIOUS ENTHUSIASM

by Barbara Glanz

Ever since I was in junior high, when people were asked to describe me, they always mentioned my constant smile and my positive spirit and “contagious enthusiasm.” (When I moved to Florida several years ago, my new dentist told me I had the strongest smile muscles he had ever seen on a patient! So, when I began my first job at age 14 in Harlan, Iowa, that became my personal motto: “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™.”  I cleaned and sterilized instruments in a doctor’s office, so having “contagious enthusiasm” in a job like that was a wonderful lesson for my later work in corporate America!

As I was working on my Master’s Degree in Adult Education many years later, I came across a quotation from a well-known management guru named Francis Likert:  “If a high level of performance is to be achieved, it appears to be necessary for a supervisor or manager to have high performance goals and a contagious enthusiasm as to the importance of these goals.”

That thought has become the basis for much of my speaking and writing today.  In order for a person to give his or her best to their work, they MUST have a contagious enthusiasm and a deep sense of purpose or mission about the importance of their work. 

When I ask people, “What is your work?”, what they most often tell me is a job title or a job description.  Every single one of us is so much more than a job title or a job description – that is just the “head” or the business part.  When I repeat the question, here is what I say:  “When I ask you, ‘What is your work?’, I want to know HOW IS WHAT YOU DO EVERY DAY MAKING SOMEONE’S LIFE BETTER? That is your very important work – the ‘heart’ part of your job and the purpose or mission.”  

I don’t care whether people carry garbage, clean toilets or run a whole company,  they can all find a way that their work “makes someone’s life better.”   I love watching people’s faces when they realize they have a choice about the way they view their job and that they CAN make a difference every day – they sit up straighter and prouder, and little smiles appear all over the room.

The question I have for you today is this:  Are YOU contagiously enthusiastic about the importance of the work you’re doing?  And if you are a supervisor or manager and YOU are not contagiously enthusiastic, HOW do you expect your employees to be? 

As this spirit of enthusiasm spreads (it IS contagious!), you will find your workplace, wherever it may be, overflowing with new passion, purpose and ultimately, increased productivity.  It can all start with YOU!

To learn more about Barbara’s work, go to www.barbaraglanz.com.

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Editor’s note: Barabara Glanz  will be speaking at SHRM’s Annual Conference on Monday, June 29 from 10:45 a.m to 12:00 p.m. and on Tuesday, June 30 from 2:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Her books - Simple Truths of Appreciation, Simple Truths of Service, 180 Ways to Spread Contagious Enthusiasm, Handle with Care, and Care Packages for the Workplace are currently available at the SHRMStore and will be available at Annual Conference in the SHRMStore.