Overcoming Faith in the Old Ways
January 29, 2009
A cartoon character helps to illustrate people’s reluctance to change in the workplace and how we can overcome it.
Sometimes there are areas that clearly need to change, but when you try to initiate the new approach, you meet with reluctance or even resistance from your management. To be successful in promoting change, it is important to understand what drives this resistance.
Sometimes the answers to the challenges facing organizations can be found in the strangest places…like in cartoons.
There is a Bugs Bunny cartoon you may remember from your childhood—or perhaps from college—where Elmer Fudd has the shotgun pointed at Daffy Duck, and asks, “Should I shoot him now, or shoot him later?” Whenever a cartoon character is faced with a dilemma, he usually gets advice from a pair of characters who appear on his shoulders: the angel and the devil.
The same thing happens to middle managers in organizations. The angel springs up on one shoulder and says, “You have to focus more on your people! You have to develop processes that can allow flexibility and encourage initiative!” As the manager begins to nod his head in agreement, the devil pops up on the other shoulder, slaps the angel off, and shouts, “Don’t be an idiot! The way you got to be a director or a vice president was by putting out fires—even if you had the fire extinguisher in one hand…and the matches in the other!”
Does this sound familiar? People have faith in what has worked for them in the past. It is very difficult to get someone to change behavior in this kind of situation. To be successful, you must make the “right” thing to do be the easy thing to do. Demonstrate to your managers how the situation has changed over time, how the old methods are no longer adequate in the new environment, and how the new behaviors and actions you are suggesting will help them achieve their objectives.
Understanding their reluctance to deviate from past behaviors will help you formulate a plan that will lead to meaningful and effective change.
Learning Makes the Difference
January 27, 2009
Experience with a two-year old child shows us how to identify unique opportunities to learn something new.
To be successful in today’s changing environment, we need to broaden our skills and learn new ways to contribute to our organizations. In the heat of an argument, people often shout, “Stop acting like a child!” What they didn’t realize is that children exhibit certain behaviors that we would do well to emulate.
At a family gathering over the July 4th weekend, I got to spend some time with my niece’s two-year-old daughter, Kayla. She was adorable! She had an amazing vocabulary, spoke very expressively, and just seemed to love being around people.
But what I most enjoyed about her was how she was so focused on learning. If you’ve ever spent any time around two-year-olds, you know that their favorite expression is, “What’s that?” Kayla was no exception as we walked around the house together. Pointing at the fireplace, she would say: “What’s that?” Pointing at the phone, “What’s that?” Pointing at the candle, “What’s that?”
With each answer I gave her, I could see her mind cataloging the information. Later that evening, she pointed at a candle in another part of the house, and confidently stated, “Candle!”
Children seem to be in a perpetual state of learning—observing, inquiring, organizing—for no other reason than their natural inquisitiveness. Unfortunately, as we get older, enter the workforce, and become more cynical and jaded by what we see around us, we seem to lose our desire to learn. We become set in our ways, relying on what we already know, and attempting to use tools and methods that were adequate yesterday to work in an environment that is altogether different today.
In today’s rapidly changing environment, it may be useful to examine the world with a child’s sense of curiosity and wonder. Try to identify opportunities from which to learn—from your peers, from formal classes, from reading—and you will be more able to make a greater contribution to your organization, to your staff, and to your own well being.
Behaviors Demonstrate Your True Vision
January 22, 2009
Your behaviors communicate your true values more than words in a newsletter or presentation.
Part of a leader’s role is to provide a vision for the organization—a set of long-range objectives and a set of values that indicate how these objectives are to be achieved. But the true values of the organization are determined much more by the actual behaviors the leader demonstrates.
Early in my career, during my days as a software engineer, I had the opportunity to work for an organization that was relatively small but involved in some very exciting development efforts.
One of the things I liked most about the organization was its focus on people. During my initial interview with the company, the director explained that in his group work was just one component of life, not the only one. He talked with pride about how the small size of the organization made for a very close-knit community. This sounded wonderful!
Several weeks after I joined the group, though, I began to see another side of the organization and the director. The project we were working on was more complex than had been expected. We were all happy to put in the extra effort needed to make it successful. But this began turning into 70- and 80-hour weeks. We asked the director about adding some people, but because of budget constraints he said there was no funding to hire any additional help.
This pattern continued for several months and got to the point where it was affecting the group both mentally and physically. A group of us met with the director and explained that several people were beginning to seriously burn out. His response? “It’s okay to burn out engineers.” Yes, he actually said that to a room full of engineers! So much for his people-oriented values.
Remember that your behaviors—as perceived by the people you work with—communicate your true values more than any newsletter or presentation that you make during a staff meeting. Make sure that your behaviors are consistent with the values you want to instill in your group.
Focusing on Team versus Individual Performance
January 20, 2009
One manager’s unique approach to evaluating and compensating his employees leads to a greater understanding of teamwork and group responsibility.
One common roadblock to change is that organizations reward individuals, often at the expense of team accomplishments—or team burnout. To overcome this situation, try to set the example from within your own group and let others follow your lead. There are many different approaches to recognition that stress the work of the team over the contributions of the individual, and these can have a significant impact on group performance.
A former colleague of mine developed a novel approach to applying the organization’s employee evaluation process in his group. Instead of using it to set individual goals and measure individual performance, he used it to establish team goals and measure team performance.
He still followed the guidelines and timetables established for the process, but he simply shifted the focus from the individual to the team. While somewhat frightening at first—for both his managers and his staff—there were some tangible benefits. Most notably, the team members started supporting each other. When one person was having problems completing his assignment, other members of the team would rally to help, instead of complaining to the manager.
And, by the way, the team met its objectives for the year.
If you preach the importance of teamwork, try to reflect this philosophy in your reward and recognition programs as well. You will soon see the positive results this kind of approach can bring.
Tot’s Taxi
January 15, 2009
Having a clear vision of the organization’s purpose, whether through culture, tradition, or a formal vision statement, is an important consideration in maintaining customer satisfaction.
Having a clear vision of the organization’s purpose—whether through culture, tradition, or a formal vision statement—is an important consideration in maintaining customer satisfaction. But if your actions and behaviors do not support this vision then the customer may have a different impression of your company altogether.
A situation last week provided an excellent example.
On my way home I stopped at a red light behind a van. On the back of the van was painted the name of the company, Tot’s Taxi, in large brightly colored letters.
If I had to guess, I would say that Tot’s Taxi is a shuttle service for transporting children to their after-school care providers—sometimes necessary in a household with two working parents.
The only problem was that the entire rear end of this van was bashed in and looked as if it had been hit by a truck. Was the accident the driver’s fault? Was it the fault of the other vehicle? Were there even any children in the van at the time?
In the ten seconds I waited at that intersection I imagined all kinds of answers to these questions. But the first impression that came to my mind was of a frightened child trapped in the van as the accident occurred. At that point there was no way I would have ever let my own children be transported by this service.
Customers form similar impressions based on their perceptions of the company through its actions and behaviors. Look at your organization from the customer’s perspective and be sure that the impressions people are receiving are the ones you are trying to make.
Getting the Right People in the Right Position!
January 13, 2009
A disappointing co-op position during college provides a valuable lesson in job selection.
How do you find your passion? How do your employees find theirs? Sometimes you find it by stumbling upon something you really love to do. But sometimes you can find your passion by a process of elimination.
When I was in college, I participated in a co-op program where we alternated quarters of school with quarters of actual work experience during the final two years of the curriculum.
One quarter, I worked in the research lab of a large company, designing a computer system to analyze the data from their research. It turned out to be quite different than I was led to believe during the interview.
The work was very basic and lacked any significant challenge. The environment was very theoretical with no real practical application in sight for any of the work being done. I was very bored. In retrospect, of course, I realize there were many things I could have done to make the situation more exciting and the work more interesting, but I was only 19. What did I know?
When I finished this co-op block, I returned to school and met with my advisor to review the experience. I complained that it was a complete waste of time. I could have spent the three months doing something I liked—something more similar to what I wanted to do after graduation.
He just smiled and told me that I’d probably just had the most beneficial co-op experience I would ever have—I found out in only three months what I didn’t want to do for a living. Had I not had this experience, I could easily have accepted a full-time position doing this kind of work, moved to a new city, and been at least morally committed to staying there for a reasonable period of time.
If you have employees that are underperforming, it may be that they’re not capable of working effectively in the organization. On the other hand, they may just be in the wrong position, or they may have been in the same position for too long. Looking at mismatches in this way can help you protect the investment you’ve made in your people while still maintaining the integrity of the team.
A Clean Sweep
January 8, 2009
A house-cleaning service provides an outstanding example of communicating an organization’s vision.
How can you communicate your company’s vision effectively so your employees deliver the highest level of service? While actions speak louder than words, the right words at the right time can work wonders.
Last month, I was working on a complex project and needed some seclusion—a break from the office and the interruptions. I had my laptop and a stack of books laid out across a table in a local coffee house; and although I was focused on my work, I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation at the booth just behind me.
It was an interview for a job cleaning houses. Normally I would have ignored the conversation. But the owner of the business was doing such an extraordinary job explaining her expectations for the position and her reasons for having them that I found myself totally engrossed. These were some of the comments I overheard:
“Most of the business we get is from people who were dissatisfied with their previous cleaning service, and heard about us from a friend.”
“The houses we clean are like our own houses—we don’t just drag a cloth over the shelves, we pick up the items and clean under them.”
“We follow the checklist, but that doesn’t limit you to what’s on it. If you see something that needs attention, take care of it.”
It went on for about ten minutes like this, with a level of enthusiasm I hadn’t heard for some time. Finally, the owner asked the applicant to take a minute and fill out an application. While she did this, I introduced myself to the owner and asked her for her card. I explained that I had overheard most of the conversation, and it was the most effective sales pitch I had ever experienced.
How does this apply in your situation?
A shared vision, clearly communicated, can do more for the success of an organization than any cheerleading or clever posters hung on the wall. People will align themselves in the presence of a compelling vision and will respond with their best effort.
Make sure your organization’s vision is clear and that you are communicating it passionately with your words and your actions!
Bringing Passion to Your Work
January 6, 2009
Maintaining a high level of passion about your work is an essential ingredient to sustaining the company’s performance. A recent trip to California really drove this point home for me.
I was flying to California to attend a magicians convention in Sacramento. On the first leg of the trip, from Raleigh to Chicago, we had an interesting welcome as we boarded the plane. The captain was standing at the doorway greeting each passenger with absolute enthusiasm.
“Hi, how are you this morning! Welcome aboard!”
“Here, let me help you with that bag!”
“Welcome aboard, we’ll get you safely to Cleveland! Just kidding—we’re going to Chicago!”
Once we were in the air, he gave the standard “we’re glad you chose to fly with us today” announcement, and apologized to anyone he hadn’t personally greeted! And, of course, when we were getting off the plane in Chicago, guess who was by the exit doorway wishing each and every passenger a pleasant day?
Here was a man who was clearly passionate about his job.
As I was walking through the terminal to get to my connection, I happened to see the captain getting a bite to eat. I explained that I had been on his flight from Raleigh, commented on how much I had enjoyed his enthusiasm throughout the trip, and then asked the question I had been dying to ask him: “So what’s your story?”
You see, anytime someone is so passionate about their work, there usually is a story behind it. Some “near-death” type of work experience causes them to rededicate themselves to their work with a fever pitch.
That was exactly what had happened to our captain. In the early ’80s, he was forced to stop flying for a while because the airline had too many pilots for the routes it was flying at the time. He was miserable.
After a few months things picked up again and he was finally back in the cockpit. His first day back on the job he made a commitment to himself that dramatically affected his attitude towards passengers: since his passion is to fly, and to keep a lot of other people flying, he would take exceptionally good care of every person on every trip.
Developing that kind of passion for the job and dedication to the customer is what makes companies successful. Try to do something today to make this happen in your organization.
