One of my rare bets

Normally, I rarely venture into betting. But recently I had an opportuninty that I found to be too good to be missed.
I had the opportunity to enter into a bet with a CEO I have the pleasure to know. He has a quite natural interest in the image of his management team within the company - an image, which has the measurable indicator of a score in the annual satisfaction survey filled in by the employees.
This was the foundation, on which I made him an offer: "If you make yourself more physically visible in the offices, start applying Management By Walking Around on the days when you are not out of office on other business - initially, just start visiting coffee machines in remote corners of the offices - I am fully convinced that the Management Team score in the satisfaction survey will increase." The bet concerns a book - the loser will give the winner a book, which book is chosen by the loser.
I am quite certain that I will win. And even if I lose, I still feel that in a way, I will have won - because even in that case, I get the pleasure of picking a good and inspiring book to give away.
(Translated from Et af mine sjældne væddemål, originally published February 10th, 2018)

Vacationing with a clean conscience

In some circles, it seems that managers consider it a good idea to be a role model, spending time working during vacation periods like the upcoming Christmas holidays. Apparently with the purpose to give the people they manage a good example to follow, spending some time themselves, thus increasing the overall productivity.
However, I'm afraid it's just not a good idea at all - on the contrary, it might rather be a bad idea. Vacations are not intended for work. Vacations are meant to be days off for the vacationing person. Time to spend to recover - recharge oneself physically and mentally to be able to once again perform optimally when returning to work and the daily life. And often, it will prove to be a better investment to let employees keep a clean conscience while doing nothing productive at all during vacations, rather than pushing them to squeeze some extra hours out of them, thereby only achieving a lower overall performance.
But this of course demands the ability to see the bigger picture.
(Translated from: Ferie med ren samvittighed)

On the topic of answering honestly

At work, I'm blessed with a small tool that will ask me once a week how I am at work - how my energy level is; do I get good feedback; do I appreciate my boss; would I recommend my workplace to others. If there are any points where I think there is room for improvement, I will be asked anonymously to put an idea forward on how the improvement could take place.
That way, my boss gets a snapshot of the satisfaction level in the department, and an insight into whether there may be points where something should be done.
It is all very well.
Apparently.
Because I've discovered that unconciously, I will start thinking: if I answer this question in this way - will the tool come forward and ask me why? And would I have the energy, the space, the time or the ability to explain why?
Once you have this kind of thoughts, it suddenly becomes all to easy to jump to the conclusion: I just answer a little more positively than what I really feel - then I will not be asked.
The problem is: if I do, I simply undermine the whole process.
So, therefore, I've made a virtue out of - especially when I get that kind of thought - answering as honestly as possible. In the anonymous answer to the question that will follow, I will always be able reflect my thoughts as well as possible. Including whether I have to refrain from answering because I do not have the energy, the space, the time or the ability to explain adequately.
In that way, we maintain at least one figment of justification for spending time on such things.
(Translated from Noget om at svare ærligt, originally published March 18th, 2017)