It’s Time For Action

Well it has taken almost 3 years before the President actually said something that I agree on. Pres. Obama asked the Congressional Black Caucus to “stop whining.” I don’t necessarily agree with the rest of the speech. But I find the complaints about paying way too much in taxes very interesting. We want to get the government out of our live yet we look for the government to:

• Pay for our retirement because everyone expects social security to cover our retirement.
• Pay for people who are not employed for almost 2 years!
• Pay subsidies to certain industries so that they can be competitive in the global market.
• Pay for development of advancement in technology or new technology.
• Pay for research for diseases.
• Pay for natural disasters.
• And I am sure there are much more.

I believe it is time for individual action. It time to stop saying:

• I don’t have time to…
• I don’t like to….
• I really don’t want to….
• It’s not my job….
• They don’t pay me to ……
• I shouldn’t have to….

We need to start taking PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY for improving yourself and your organization. If you are not working then you need to go out and get a job. I find it interesting that out of work individuals that I know could get a job but it isn’t the right job. So they would rather sit at home on unemployment instead of going out and working. That is not what the country needs.

In most companies I hear that there is a lack of trust in the organization. But I think that it goes deeper than that. No one wants to take responsibility for anything. Nor do they want to be held accountable. And as I pondered on the topic I began to think that maybe it is even deeper to that. Is it really a cause of lack of loyalty to anyone or anything?

Loyalty is faithfulness or a devotion to a person, country, group, or cause. We have become a society that is not loyal to anything. We are not loyal to our spouse, our company and any more I don’t think most Americans are loyal to our country. 

I believe that if we were loyal then maybe the accountability would be easier to build. But without accountability I do not believe that we can develop trust. We have to be ready to fire people who are not accountable even if they are a good performer. Now you are probably wondering how that could happen. I have seen many times where individuals do not involve others in their work as they are directed to, or they are consistently late, but yet they get the job done. I don’t believe that behavior is good for the company. I would have trouble trusting that individual. I would question his loyalty to my organization. So I would have to let him go. 

I believe as businesses should set accountability structures and hold their people to it. 

We are getting what we asked for…

I have to shake my head at everything that I am hearing on the news these days. But not for the reasons you may think.

Examples of getting what we asked for:

• We believed that everyone should be able to buy a house. The banking industry came up with a product to meet that demand. People who really couldn’t afford to buy and maintain a house didn’t read the contract and the future payments. RESULT: defaults on mortgages and the banking industry stuck with a lot of houses instead of money.

• We asked for cheaper products. The business community has answered us. To produce the product at those prices they have had to computerize, create robot, or go overseas to meet the price desired. RESULT: fewer employees.

• We pushed for an increase in minimum wages. It was passed. Now it the cost for employees has caused companies to computerize, create robot, or go overseas to continue to beat the competition. RESULT: fewer employees.

• In 2008 when companies were struggling and either closed or had to lay off employees we asked for help. The government extended the unemployment benefits. RESULT: higher unemployment taxes that companies have to pay (potentially at the federal and state level), thus increasing the cost of every working employee.

Secondary result: this probably isn’t true for everyone but these are some of the effects I heard from CEOs and business owners:

1)      Employees tell them that they can make more from unemployment and don’t have to work hard.

2)      Employees will work for a couple months and then quit so they can get back on unemployment.

3)      Would rather be on unemployment than take a cut in pay.

4)      They want to start out at the same rate that they were receiving at their old job. (Not at the starting salary/wage.)

So individuals are not working really hard to get jobs.

• According to reports the amount of debt most families are carrying is at an all-time high (they keep raising their debt ceilings). And we are being told that if we go out and spend more it would create more jobs. RESULTS: not 100% sure but would bet that it will increase the debt load of the same families.

• Companies are asked to create jobs. RESULTS: again not 100% but will this lead to increase cost of products or increased debt to the organization.

• We asked for lower taxes. The government has been working different programs to reduce the tax impact. RESULTS: the government has to reduce staff and that causes reduction in services or the ability to perform the services.

• We scream that the government has to do something when: there’s a flood, fire, hurricane, tornado, or any other disaster. WHERE IS THE MONEY SUPPOSE TO COME FROM?

In the last election I heard people interviewed that were sure that Pres. Obama would buy them a house, get them insurance and a job. Now where is that money coming from?

The situation we are in reminds me of a quote by Mao Tse Tung:

“It is well known that when you do anything, unless you understand its actual circumstances, its nature and its relationship to other things, you will not know the laws governing it, or how to do it, or be able to do it well.”

In this quote I believe that he is referring to the natural laws that govern life. The natural cause and effect involved in every interaction. Individuals make decisions or take actions based on their view of the situation. They think they know all the facts or all of the consequences of their actions but they don’t. They believe that they are making “logical” decision and don’t realize that every decision has an emotion connected to it.

When I work with groups/teams I am amazed at their hesitancy to really look at the downside of the proposed decision. It someone will be negatively impacted their answer usually is something like “the good of the many out way the need of the few”, or “it will impact on a few people”. In a local debate the comment was “it will only negatively affect 1 business.” 

So I believe that until we are really able to quit making quick decisions (or believing that there is one answer and your know it) and look at the better decision we will continue to spiral. I feel this is especially important within organizations. Employees, management, leadership, and owners need to work together to find the best solution for the organization. What is the overall best decision. I am sure that the impact will not be the same on everyone but what isn’t the goal for the organization to succeed so that everyone will benefit?

When will we get our pride back and take responsibility not on for our self’s but also for everyone around us. Why is it better to be on unemployment better than working 2 jobs? Why do we hate the government but yet want it to take care of everything?

We have met the enemy and yes it is us.

“Quick Decisions lead to Faulty Solutions”

Organizational Decoys

Why is it so easy for personal issues take center stage? I believe it's because most people believe that these issues are quick to fix. Plus it gives us a chance to solve something. We don't feel so helpless.

Take the newest "sex scandal." Why is it taking so much of our press time? Why is it the main topic in the news, conference rooms, and legislative resources? Sex scandals are "sexy". We are intrigued with the people who are in the light. And in a way we like to see the flaws. Then they are seen as mere mortals.

Political scandals have been around since the country was born. And yes there were "sex" scandals back in 1796. (Wikipedia) Yes they put into question the morals and ethics of the individuals involved. Yes, most individuals would find it appalling.

However, scandals (of all types) occur not only in the government but also in other organizations. It seems so easy to focus on that. People are fascinated with it. And while we are focusing on this issue the really important issues get put on the back burner.

Rep. Anthony Weiner may have made major mistakes. But let's look at another notable: President William Jefferson Clinton. Why didn't Pres. Clinton leave office? Why wasn't he impeached? How many CEO's, executives, actors, athletes, or other high profile individuals have been caught in improper behaviour? How many "regular people" have committed acts of discretion?

I am by no means saying that what Rep. Weiner or any of the others did was right. That includes my ex-husband. What I am saying is that what we should be focusing on. Yes Rep. Weiner has some explaining to do to his wife and the other women involved. But why is it taking up all the time and press. Shouldn't we be focusing on the important issues of our nation.

We need to realize that people are people and we all make mistakes. Even those religious leaders, remember Jim Bakker? (Christian evangelists scandals of all types go back to the 1920's and that doesn't include the scandals of the various faith organizations) Bakker has returned to preaching. Does his mistakes mean that he cannot continue his ministry? Don't know.

I for one would like to see Rep. Weiner and the rest of his colleagues get back to work and solve the issues that are plaguing our country. Those are issues that will take a lot of energy and creative thought to solve. I don't believe that Rep. Weiner should resign, I believe he should continue the work he was elected to do. Then at the next election, if he chooses to run for re-election, the voters of his district will decide whether he is the best person to represent them in Congress.

What about your organization? Do you have "personal" issues that are plaguing your success? Have you solved these issues? Let us know how you were able to resolve the issues and what you learned through the process.

Why Would You Fire the Team’s Star?

It was interesting to read today that the University of Indianapolis dismissed their leading scorer. Why you may ask would you let go your leading scorer (who for the record was on target to become the top scorer in the university’s history)?

According to the reporter’s article Coach LeAnn Freeland dismissed her leading scorer because of inappropriate on-court behavior.  Finally, an individual is held accountable for how they act. How many people do you know that are real jerks at work but they are allowed to be jerks because of their expertise or ability to “score” for the organization? 

I know watching a basketball game may not seem similar to watching the actions of people in a work place but I would disagree. Work processes are a series of “passes” leading to a “score”. Some people believe that if they are good enough, the “star” of the unit, then they can act anyway they want. If I am a production manager I can be the biggest jerk around as long as I can make the impossible happen. The more miracles I can make happen the more bad behavior is accepted. 

Why do we let this happen? For a variety of reasons but the two that I see most often are:

• “We want the “scores".
• “I don’t know how to address the behavior.” It is difficult to write expectations of behavior in a form that is easily understand.

As a business owner I understand that it can be extremely frightening to eliminate your prime revenue source, however what is the inappropriate behavior doing to your entire organization? Are you losing other key staff people on a regular basis? Is it worth keeping the “star”?

Holding individuals to behavioral standards is very difficult. It is easy to try to justify their inappropriate  behavior. “Steve only yelled because of ………..” We make these justifications for a variety of reasons; the main one that I hear is that the supervisor can understand why the behavior may have occurred. “If my mother was in the hospital I would be on edge too, so I can understand why he was upset when ………”

Until we start holding people accountable for their actions (the how we do things) and not just their accomplishment (meeting the goals of the organization) we shouldn’t expect their behavior to change. But I find it interesting how the team blossoms when the negative force is removed for the picture. It may take a little while for the organization to totally adjust but the environment of the organization will change immediately. It’s almost like weeding a garden. The flowers will take a few days to get use to the space but then they multiply and become fuller.

Tell us about the inappropriate behaviors in your organization and what is it cost of the behaviors?

When Production and Sales Collide

I find it interesting that no matter what organization I work with there always seems to be a major disconnect between production and sales. Even in service organization there is disconnect between the service providers and their sales. Shouldn’t they be on the same page? Aren’t they trying to achieve the same goal? 

If you ask them why there is such disconnect, they will say things like:

“Sales doesn’t understand what it takes to make the product. They make promises that we can’t keep.”

“Production just doesn’t get it. We have to have it this way or we can’t make the sale. The competition is doing it why can’t we?”

When they get together all they do is fight. No one stops and listens to the other side. Why you may ask. Unless you are in sales or production in which case you think you already know the answer. I believe it is because we haven’t trained people to effectively problem solve. Therefore all the past experiences of the individual come into play. And of course our past memories are never wrong….Right? 

Wrong. Most people remember at least of version (their view point) of the past situation. Of course the future will be a repeat of the past. But it doesn’t have to be. 

All segments of the organization need to be able to sit down and withhold judgment not only on the issue but also the individuals involved. Sales and production can and should be an incredible force for your organization. They need to see the other as a trusted partner not an evil force that needs to be conquered.

Tell us about how you have been able to get your sales and production teams to work together.

Rake Constantly

I find it interesting when companies don’t think they can learn from other companies outside their industries. Especially since I recently learned something watching the landscape company I hired to cut down dead trees in our yard.

As I watched the small crew work, it was a 4 member crew; I noticed that at least one was raking up debris constantly through the process. As I began to watch I wondered if the job could be done cheaper with fewer people? Do they really need 4 people? I know none of you have ever seconded guessed a contractor while there were doing a project.

While I watched the crew I realized that the tree removal was never messy.

• Large branches were cut down. The branches were hauled off and shredded and the mess was raked every time the ground was free of branches.
• Sections of the trunk of the tree were cut off. A small “gator” took the sections to a spot in the back yard where they were stacked (for the family to cut and split). All the debris was raked as each section was mover. 
• The stump was removed, the final mess was raked and the ground was smoothed over the location the tree once occupied.

I was amazed at how fast these 4 individuals removed 4 fully grown (although dead) trees plus 3 other stumps in less than 5 hours. I mentioned to the owner that I was surprised how quickly they removed the trees. The owner told me that they usually use a crew of 3 people but they found that by adding one person to their crew they were able to get more accomplished in a day.

Of course I don’t have access to their numbers, but I firmly believe that if they didn’t have the 4^th member the project would have taken as least 2 more hours. Which I would assume would mean that the company would not have been able to do another contract.

But the bigger lesson for me was what the seeing the cost of choosing to ignore the “raking”. Even though at the time it doesn’t seem to be really important urgent and there will be time to do it later. But that is where I get in trouble because it just piles up.

When working with organizations I find that managers tend to not “rake” up the mess in their interactions with each other and their staff. I’ve heard many times “it is not a big deal, I’ll wait till it is something big before we talk about it.” Until we learn to “rake” the debris and get rid of it, our relationships will continue to get more cluttered. And unfortunately that is usually when an issue becomes a wildfire and burns through the entire organization turning it to ash.

Make 2011 the year you are going to start “raking” up issues constantly before the chaos causes wild fires in your organization.

Expectations - Are They Realistic?

I have found it interesting how we expect everyone to know what are our expectations. Every boss should know how to motivate me? Every sales person should know what I want? All employees should know what I need from them? All my vendors should know what I need? Right. Yet when I ask if they voiced what their expectations are I usually get a response like "They should know".

How are they to know what is expected from them? Are they suppose to pick it up through telepathy? I've seen managers and supervisors let their staff fail because they should know how to do something. Or better yet how many of us expect that our spouses or significant others know exactly what we want or need. That is by far the craziest thing I have ever heard.

I was at a meeting last week that was a tough meeting. After the meeting I was told that some of the staff were not happy with how the meeting went. Why didn't they mention it during the meeting? Why did they tell everyone but the people that needed to know?

I've decided it is because we are afraid to let people know what we really want. If I voice what I want or need other may either make fun of me, tell me I am wrong, or I may actually get what I need. That I believe is the scariest thought for most people. Because if I get people to treat me the way I want to be treated then I have nothing to complain about.

How much time would we save if everyone wasn't complaining after every meeting? What increase in productivity would we see if people were effectively working together? I don't know but I sure would like to find out.

What is Truth?

I had the opportunity to see a performance of the musical “Wicked” yesterday and was struck by a couple quotes.

"Where I'm from, we believe in all sorts of things that aren't true... we call it history.”

“Truth is what we agree on” (this one may be not quite exact)

But it got me thinking about the concept of truth. Everyone thinks they know the truth of an issue. Or they feel there is only one way to look at the facts and that is the truth. When I talk about perceptions, I am really referring to how we interpret the events and information around us.

The show was an interesting idea of how the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz came to be. It also gave you a glimpse of what Paul Harvey may have referred to as “And now you know the rest of the story.” Did the wicked witch actually die or was it a hoax.

So do we really know the truth of any issue? Are facts really the truth?  I’ve always heard that you can make statistic say anything you want 85% of the time. How many times have you heard both sides of a political debate use the same data to tell a different story? I mean is the glass half full, half empty, or do I have too much glass?

I think we need to get away from trying to find out what is true and false but rather what are the views and concerns of an issue. By changing the conversation to views and concerns you change the entire complexion of the discussion. After all it is the views and concerns that need to be addressed.

As Max Planck said “A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” Just think about some of the “truths” of our history that we laugh at today. Who will be laughing at our truths in the future?

Do We Have a Jealousy Epidemic?

I believe that one of the issues that we need to solve is what I call the “jealousy epidemic”. Yes it has been around for a long time but I believe it is getting worse. Whenever I talk with staff in an organization they always feel like they should be making more. In many cases I have been told they should make as much as the owner. 

I think a good example was in the Dayton Daily News today (12/25/10) regarding the suspension of 5 Ohio State Football players. The majority of the articles about the event were not written about the fact that maybe not only these young men but also others involved should have thought about the situation first and the rules of the game (the scholarship rules). There wasn’t much mentioned about why the NCAA has such a strict view on what is amateur status. I didn’t see anything talking about how much their scholarships were worth (having a son getting ready to go to college I would estimate at least $45,000/year). Or an estimation of the value of the coaching and training to continue to develop these athletes. And of course I didn’t see anything talking about the potential any of these young men have for a pro contract which we all know is worth a lot of money. Or the fact that there are employers value having college athletes work for them.  Instead much was written about the how other people were making money on the talent of these young men. How did they think the organizations made money to pay for the scholarships?

It is the same in organizations. Why do we believe that individuals working for an organization should have everything the owner has? Why should an employee that has been working for a company for a few years, who works an 8 hour shift, and hasn’t invested anything in the organization, receive the same benefit as the owner. When the owner by the way has worked 70-80 hours a week for years to get the company started and keep it running so that the employees can get paid. The owner has probably invested his personal assets to grow the organization. And it is the owner that stands to lose the most if the company doesn’t succeed because he is the one that has guaranteed any borrowed funds. 

I don’t quite know when this epidemic started but it seems to be growing stronger every day. Until we can be proud of the job we do and understand the contract we have made with our organization.

If you are working for a company you have made a contract to do the best job you can do for the wage they offered you and following the procedures of management.

If you are a college player you have made a contract to continue to develop into the best player you can be while abiding by the rules of the NCAA.

 As I have told many employees, if you don’t like your “contract” then you have at least 3 options: 

1. Leave and go somewhere that pays what you want for the work that you do.
2. Learn how the organization makes money and what you can do to improve the bottom line.
3. Continue to complain and be miserable (which by the way does nothing for you, the people around you, or your company).

We need to understand that nothing comes easy; if it did we all would have had it. In the past when organizations were successful they spoiled us by increasing our pay strictly based on the fact that you were still working there. Today organization need more from their employees. Sitting around being jealous of the management and complaining won’t get you anywhere. Organizations need people who are willing to work hard, continually expanding their knowledge, and focus on what is best for the organization.

Our organizations are fighting to survive against increased competition for the world market while their employees are fighting with them. Does anyone else see the problem here?

Weather Happens!

If anything brings out the Grinch in people its weather delays. It’s December 16^th. It’s snowy and icy in several of the major cities major cities along the east coast. Flights are being delayed and canceled. Thus travel plans are being short circuited. All this equals highly stressed and irritated passengers.  But what are the airlines/airports to do???

Well it depends on who you listen to. As I set at the gate an announcement is made “Flight xxxx has not left their airport because of weather. It appears that they will arrive at least an hour late. Please come to the counter if you have any questions or need any assistance.” If you travel as much as I do this is not an unusual situation to be in. Maybe because I do travel frequently I know this is going to happen. I try to plan my travels to include time for just such situations. Especially in December in the Northeast or Northern Midwest states.

As I sat and watched people (one of my favorite past times in the airport) I couldn’t help but over hear the conversation at the counter. The passenger was really upset because the flight was going to be late and they might miss their connecting flight. As I listened further I learned that her (we’ll call her Ms. M) plans included her husband, son and mother. They were going to a graduation of one of her other children. The airline representative informed her that there weren’t any other seats available at this time but they could guarantee them a seat on an early flight the next day. Ms. M went on to lecture the representative on the fact that they had been waiting there for 6 hours on standby (because their earlier flight had been canceled) and now the airline was suggesting that she take her family home and get up at 1:00am to come back to the airport. “Would you want to do that to your mother?” she asked repeatedly. Along with trying to make them feel bad because Grandma was going to miss the graduation.

Now I realize this was a tough situation however what was the airline to do part the skies and melt all the snow and ice so the plane could magically appear at the gate? Were they to create an extra plane, get a flight crew, plan the flight, register it with the FAA , and the airports in the next 30 minutes? I am sure she would have said yes to all of these.

Why do we expect that all our problems can be made to go away if we are condescending and arrogant with people who are trying to help? Are we the only people that are having issues? Maybe someone else has a more serious reason for getting to their location? When did we become such a rude society? I watch several people go to through the line and treat the representatives as if the representative was purposefully trying to ruin their lives. Did they really want all the flights to go out as scheduled? If the flights did take off as scheduled, when they really shouldn’t have, and an accident happened then everyone would sue the airlines for making a bad decision. Do travelers not realize that winter weather happens?

Maybe instead of getting pushy and obnoxious when things don’t go as planned we should take a breath and work with people to find solutions to the problems.Especially the ones that no one can control. Last time I checked no one can control the weather. There are things in your organization that you cannot control (like a break down in equipment, illness, etc.). Some of these situation require all the creative juices you can pull together to overcome. Getting angry and stressed will not help the situation. In fact it usually makes the situation worse. I have to give credit to the United Airlines staff for keeping their cool and working as efficiently as possible to get people to their desired destinations. My trip took 6 hours longer than I had planned but the important point is that I made it home safely. Thanks United Airlines.

Merry Christmas to all and safe travels!