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Organizational development articles on topics like change management, human resources, transformational leadership, customer service and more.

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25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Uncategorized Permalink

Leadership Follies – Admit It Your Baby Is Ugly

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

LEADERS OFTEN STRUGGLE WITH ADMITTING THAT THEIR COMPANIES HAVE FLAWS, AS WELL AS DEALING WITH FAILURE. HOW CAN LEADERS SUCCEED IN GROWING A STRONG EFFICIENT COMPANY IF THEY DON’T FACE THEIR ISSUES AND MAKE SOME CHANGES? THEY CAN’T.

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

DANGEROUS THINGS TO DO

HERE ARE SOME REALLY DANGEROUS WAYS TO SPEND YOUR DAY…

  • Wrestle an alligator
  • Tell your spouse they really do look fat in that outfit
  • Admit that your baby is ugly
  • Honestly analyze your organization, admit it’s flaws, and put a plan together to work on those issues.

Although there are not many ways to deal with the first three, organizations have found an excellent method to help with the fourth; hiring management consultants.

Yes, that’s right I said it…

Hiring management consultants can be a good business practice and actually helps organizations succeed over time.

WHY HIRE THEM?

Generally speaking, there are thousands, possibly millions, of highly intelligent and capable individuals that work within organizations. However, after a certain amount of time people get “relationship blind.”

Regardless of capability and intention, over time issues and concerns regarding our relationships or an organization tend to magnify if they are not dealt with a remedied.

Good management consultants help an organization shine light on areas of that aren’t working and help to fix them. These are usually areas that aren’t a surprise to the organization to learn about.

Yes, the solutions are things that may even have been discussed previously, but no action has been taken on them and things have gotten worse.

Enter the management consultant…

They are not all incompetent “Bobs” from Office Space (an excellent movie) or those shady characters from House of Lies.  Many management consultants are intelligent,hard working, and dedicated professionals that want to help their clients succeed.

They all allow for a purview into an organization that self-analysis does not.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A CONSULTING PARTNER?

There are numbers of excellent ways to find a consulting partner (find some great tools here). But, all of the processes boil down to some key things.

3 KEY SELECTION CRITERIA THAT WILL MAKE OR BREAK A GOOD CONSULTING RELATIONSHIP

1. CULTURAL FIT
The consultant is a good cultural fit with the organization.

It doesn’t really matter how smart or able the consultant is if they are the opposite of your organizational culture.

People won’t listen if the consultant is tone deaf to how the organization communicates.

Partner with someone that mirrors your organization’s style.

2. FLEXIBILITY
The consultant is willing to update or modify their approach tools to best align with the culture of the organization

One size fits all only works in fantasy.

All approaches need modifications to be a fit for …wait for it…your culture. Make sure that the consultant is willing to make changes to materials and approaches to ensure that folks will “hear” them.

3. SITUATIONAL EXPERIENCE
The consulting organization has a wealth of experience and experienced consultants that have lived through this situation, issue, or problem that your organization is facing.

If you are hiring a consultant to help you with a technology problem, it’s probably a good idea that they are technology savvy or have experience in IT .

SUCCESS FOR CONSULTANTS NOW AND ORGANIZATIONAL SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE

Contrary to popular belief, management consultants really want their clients to succeed for two reasons.

Reason Number One:
Many management consultants are passionate about making workplaces great.

Reason Number Two:
Great references. Those great references are former clients that are successful as a result of the management consultant’s work.

In fact, many really good management consultants want clients to be even more successful after they leave. That takes work both on the consultant and client’s part. As a client, it’s important that you pave the road for the management consultant to be successful.

  • Make their role visible.
  • Show leadership support.
  • Give them access to the information they need.
  • Encourage folks to be open with them.
  • Make sure they know the scope of their role.
  • Make sure that their recommendations come with implementation plans.

Don’t be afraid to end the relationship if its not working.

It is important that the organization gives enough time for the relationship to form. However it shouldn’t be too long.

PLAN FOR THE END

In the end of the project, the consultant will leave. It is important to ensure that you select a consultant that is setting your organization up to sustain the success of the project or initiative after they leave.
 
It’s important that the consultant works with you to create practices and initiatives that enable or encourage organization to pull the change instead of it being something that’s a “bolt on” or “additional step to take”.

That will increase the likelihood that the work they do will be successful after they leave.

THAT’S A WRAP

Management consultants are very important to the success of an organization.

Consultants Provide:

  • An objective expert opinion about the progress or current situation of the organization.
  • Very real feedback about why the organization or department is not as successful as it could be.

What successes have you had working with management consultants? How are you using them? What are areas that you think an outside perspective could make all the difference? I would love to hear your thoughts!

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This blog also appears on the Linked2Leadership Blog.  Please visit them!

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Leadership Articles, Organizational Change Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – Lipstick On A Pig Does Not Make It Sexy

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

CHANGES IN ORGANIZATIONS  AND MANAGERS ARE OFTEN ESSENTIAL IN ORDER FOR YOUR BUSINESS TO GROW AND THRIVE.

Let’s just be very clear about something.

If there is a need to make big changes in how an organization is performing and being managed, there are three things that will not make a difference.

1. Giving people new titles.
2. Making personnel changes without process changes.
3. Moving failed leaders into new positions.

The last one is surprisingly common in organizations.  Somehow it seems that if a leader is not performing well in their current role, moving them to another part of the organization will fix that.

That is like saying if I put lipstick on a pig, it will be sexy.  No, no it won’t.  It will just be a pig with lipstick.

WHY CAN’T LIPSTICK ON A PIG BE SEXY?

The misguided belief that a long term failing leader can be moved into another role and can magically perform effectively or exceptionally is another example of Organizational Learned Helplessness, based on a theory discovered by Martin Seligman.

“People who see themselves in situations where they have no control are reported to have higher stress levels and lower productivity.”- Martin Seligman

One of the biggest factors in this malaise is the organization’s inability to change the situation, even if it is in their power to do so.  Many organizations are made up of teams that have grown and matured together.

They have long histories, sometimes spanning decades.  For the most part that is excellent.  However, when a member of that long standing team fails to perform over time there is a tendency to excuse this as “just the way they are”.

There are circumstances when it is even defended.  What if that failing person is a leader?  Should excuses for non or under performance be acceptable because “that’s just the way they are”?

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHAT TO CHANGE?

When an organization is failing there is a simple process to follow:

ASSESS WHY IT IS FAILING

  • Interview customers, employees, leaders, vendors, etc.
  • Look at competitors and how they are performing.
  • Determine the “line of sight” for each department and team in the organization.

Line of sight is the direct impact that an employee, team, or department makes; not the end customer.  Each and every person and group in the organization should be able to articulate how what they do either gains or retains customers.

Fix the things that are not working based on the assessment.

REPLACE FAILING LEADERS

  • Leaders that have under-performing groups or are failing due to their lack of ability should be replaced.
  • If it is possible, promote a high potential candidate from within who has shown promise.

If there is not anyone in that position, do two things:

1. Hire someone capable of succeeding as a leader from the outside.
2. Have that new leader mentor two or three high potential employees to replace her when she wins the lottery and decided not to come back to work on Monday.

GET RID OF TEAMS THAT ARE NOT POSITIVELY IMPACTING THE CUSTOMER

  • Move the employees from those teams to areas that have shown their “line of sight” and are high priority to the business

Do not be naive – this change is hard and its fruits will not bear right away.

There are stages of change that organizations must go through to come out successfully.  Whether you follow William Bridges philosophy, Kotter’s or any of the other excellent models, the changes will take effort, require work and difficult choices.

The issue of leadership is clear:

If a leader has a history of not performing, they should be removed from leadership. Nothing says, “we’re serious about this change” more than the removal of a leader everyone knows is not performing.

No matter how much lipstick a pig wears, it’s still a pig.

Don’t fall into the Organizational Learned Helplessness trap.  Changing roles will not make a person or group more effective, being more effective will.

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This blog also appears on the Linked2Leadership Blog.  Please visit them!

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Organizational Change Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – What’s The Point Of Half A Face Lift?

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

EXECUTING BIG CHANGE-MANAGEMENT PROJECTS WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS IS SOMEWHAT LIKE PERFORMING MAJOR SURGERY ON HUMAN PATIENTS.

These are not just single, static events performed within a vacuum…

They are actually a symphony of intricate processes that must be performed in sequence in order to achieve the desired outcome of healing a sick organism.

TRENDING OUTCOMES

As a consultant, I have noticed a trend in many organizations that are going through big organizational change. Often times, there is great interest in putting together a comprehensive solution that includes these elements:

1. Altering the structure of an organization
2. Putting in new processes
3. Establishing new ways of interacting together as a team or between departments (normally known as the three components to organizational change)

ONLY GOING PART-WAY

More often than not, what ends up happening is the organization only has the “stomach” for the first part of the change. It as if they believe that by just doing a restructuring of the organization that somehow magically all problems will be solved.

Unfortunately this is the equivalent of just getting half a facelift.

Of course, getting half of the facelift  is ridiculous. It makes no sense. Yet, the equivalent to this phenomenon occurs regularly in organizations.

GLORY DAZE

Taking on a long-term effort to transform or alter how the organization operates, only to stop after the first step.  Some people call it “change fatigue.”  William Bridges called it “the Neutral Zone.”

I call it “Glory Days Syndrome.”

For those of you unfamiliar with the term “glory days,” it is a term from a 1984 song, written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen, describing where people recount bygone days in an effort to gain satisfaction by recounting and reminiscing their “glorious” past when they were “someone” or “popular” in the highlight of their lives lived during high school.

But in reality “real life” has passed them by. And all they have left is clinging on to their fond past.

People who work in organizations do the same thing.  They remember when the company was smaller; or more profitable; or easier to manage, etc.

Unfortunately, organizations rarely get back to those “glory days” without some effort and some pain.

3 WAYS TO AVOID GLORY DAYS SYNDROME

There are three ways to avoid this issue of driving forward while looking in the rear-view mirror:

1. Make sure that you have a comprehensive plan for all three components of an organizational change (there are great tools and checklists – here and here. Remember, planning is vital.
2. Set aside the budget and resources to ensure that the change is going to take place in its entirety.
3. If there is any inclination that not all three components of the organizational change can be filled, don’t start to change.

That’s right, I said it: Don’t start the change!

The truth is that 70% of change efforts fail. It is better to look in other areas or figure out other ways to improve performance than to launch an organizational change that you’re only going to be able to do the first part.

There are thousands of small tweaks that can be found to make incremental changes.

Without completing all components of the change, organizational inertia will likely pull people and teams back to the way they used to act.

Don’t fall into the Organizational Helplessness trap of only finishing half your facelift because you are stuck in the “Glory Days.”

Commit to the change in its entirety or don’t do it at all, going half way could make it worse.

Have you encountered organizational changes that were only partially completed?  What were the results you encountered? I would be interested in hearing your stories and input!

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This blog also appears on the Linked2Leadership Blog.  Please visit them!

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Customer Service Articles, Human Resources Articles, Instructional Design Articles, Leadership Articles, Organizational Change Articles Permalink

It’s Not All About The Money

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

It is time that all of us get into the 21st Century regarding motivation and driving high performance in the workplace.

Over 20 years of research regarding what motivates individuals and teams to perform at their highest levels have consistently shown that it is NOT money. Yes, it’s true.  Money is not a primary motivator for a highly engaged and high performance workplace.  There are many Organization Development, Human Resources and other professionals that understand this fact.  The research that leads us to this conclusion includes, but is not limited to:

  • Research from the Daniel Pink’s book Drive

    • 1. Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives.
    2. Mastery— the urge to get better and better at something that matters.
    3. Purpose — the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves. NOT MONEY.

  • Research conducted by The Coffman Organization
  • 2011 Engagemetn study Towers Watson
  • Meta-data research study by Gallup
  • Forbes article by Katzenback & Khan

    • As a matter of fact, it is likely that the pursuit of money alone is a motivator that leads people and organizations down the wrong path (see Enron, Wall Street, Jimmy Hoffa, etc.). It could be why leaders layoff instead of innovate or employees skip safety for speed.  Is money important?  Yes, but it will not encourage those elements that turn into an organization’s strategic advantage(s).

    MO MONEY?

    Money plays a factor only in that people need to be paid a fair wage.  If employees are fairly compensated for the work they do and it is clear that this is the case, it generally is not a primary motivator.  The underlying issue regarding money and pay is that people really base what they believe about pay in relationship to those around them (or in their industry).  For example, if you are paying one engineer $10 and another $100 for doing the exact same job, then money is a demotivator.  However, if everyone is equally paid, relatively speaking, then pay alone is not going to make people work harder, smarter, or produce more results.

    SO NOW WHAT?

    The solution is not as simple as pointing out that money is not a motivator to an engaged and highly productive workforce.
    There are some awesome lists of actions to take created by some excellent organizations based on heaps of research.  Do some or all of the things they suggest.

    Here are three things to keep in mind:

    1. The money cop out – Do not let managers/leaders say that the reason people don’t perform is their pay.  That is a cop out.  It is a way to say its not their fault when in fact they are the people that can create a motivating environment

    2. Meaningfulness – Make sure that every single person understands what he or she does to gain and retain customers.  They must have a clear line of sight to the end customer to understand their impact.

    3. Make sure money is not a factor – Calibrate pay against your industry and ensure that you are paying employees fairly.  

    Make that known. Do NOT ask about it on employee engagement or opinion surveys.  NO ONE thinks they are getting paid enough.

    It is NOT a differentiator between low and high performance teams.

    Once money is off the table as “the reason teams aren’t productive” or “the reason morale is low” the real work of creating a highly engaged, productive and profitable organization can begin.

    How do you deal with the question about money as a motivator?  What have you seen as factors in highly productive workplaces?  Let me know!

    Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

    Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Organizational Change Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – Believing The Chameleon Fallacy

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

ONE OF THE WORST THINGS THAT YOU CAN DO AS A SERVICE ORGANIZATION IS TO TRY TO BE ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE. THERE IS NOTHING WORSE THAN WHEN, AS A CUSTOMER, YOU HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF SERVICE THAT CANNOT BE DELIVERED BY THE SERVICE PROVIDER.

Is it  better to turn away business than it is to promise something and not deliver?

On a recent vacation, my wife and went to the tropics. We were told by the resort that they would be able to accommodate my wife’s dietary restrictions. However, we found that not only was that wrong but that they were actually incapable of providing a level of service that they had promised.

THE ANTI-CHAMELEON

One of the best ways to avoid having this happen is to be clear about “who you are” and  the type of customer that you are looking to service as a provider.

  • Ritz Carlton knows it has a certain clientele, but it will never be the kind of hotel that masses will be able to afford. That is actually not only okay with Ritz Carlton, but it is that kind of aura that they wish to project.
  • Southwest Airlines do not want to be the airline of the “seat that folds into a cocoon and five-star meal” travelers. They want to cater to cost conscious travelers.
  • Apple does not market to people that want to tinker, enhance, and fix their computers.

There are thousands of great examples of successful companies that know who they are, and the kind of customer they want to serve.

AVOIDING THE CHAMELEON FALLACY

There are few simple guidelines that will help to avoid the pitfall of being all things to all people or the “Chameleon Fallacy:”

1. BE A CHOOSY PROVIDER, BE SELECTIVE.

Once you are clear about the type of company that you are, and the type of clientele that you’re looking to service, it is very important to be as strict as possible with the type of customers that you can’t service moving forward.

It is better to be up front that your organization can not help a potential customer than it is to frustrate them. Giving them names of alternatives, or pointing them in a direction in a polite and professional manner, will gain you “points” and likely engender a recommendation from the customer you couldn’t service.

People like honesty.

2. CORRECT MISTAKES QUICKLY:

Once you’re clear about the kind of customer you want to provide service for, provide that service impeccably. Make sure that the customer is ultimately satisfied.

Customers are never looking for perfection, but they are always looking for opportunities to point out mistakes. Customers look to see if providers can show a real opportunity to get a customer for life.

“Take swift action the moment you determine a mistake has been made. Contact your customer immediately, by phone/email/fax, informing him/her of the error and being truthful about what happened. If you messed up, admit it, apologize profusely and offer to make things right. – Linda Nagamine

3. FOLLOW UP
Make sure that you follow up with your customers once they have completed using your service.

They are the most able to give you feedback good or bad.

This will enable you to improve your service. If you implement a suggestion that is given to you by a current or former customer, it will solidify their belief  that they are part of the brand.

If you make sure you don’t try to be a chameleon, you will set your organization apart. This will help make you sought out by the customers you want to serve.

Not only that, but your business will be less stressful, more fun, and much more profitable!

Does your organization try to be all things to all people?  What could you do to avoid the Chameleon Fallacy?  I’d love to hear your stories, thoughts and blinding flashes of insight!

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This blog also appears on the Linked2Leadership Blog.  Please visit them!

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Leadership Articles, Organizational Change Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – Know When To Quit

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

SUCCESS IN THE WORKPLACE IS DETERMINED BY PLANNING, SCHEDULING, AND EFFICIENCY. THESE ARE ALL ASPECTS THAT MUST BE CONSIDERED WHEN PLANNING OR WORKING ON ANY PROJECT IN RELATION TO YOUR TEAM AND TO YOUR COMPANY.

Have you ever worked on a project or initiative that was not going well?  If everyone knew it was failing, why was there not even an attempt to stop it?  What does that cost us as leaders in our companies and organizations?

TAKE ACTION WITH YOUR WORDS

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE DON’T KNOW WHEN TO SAY ENOUGH?

Often times, under pressure, it is difficult for people to speak up and get the courage that they need in order to stop a project that is failing. It is unclear whether this issue is caused by a mixture of pride and hubris, dogged determination, or  just the feeling that “quitting itself is failure.”

However, it struck me hard one morning on my way to a client that in order to be a highly productive team or organization, we have to know when to end an effort that is failing.

I passed a man holding a sign that read, “Hunger Strike, Protesting not being allowed to see children since 2001.”

He had been standing in the same spot for 11 years to protest, not being able to see his children due to divorce. I was struck by the fact he was standing in front of a train station that was nowhere near a courthouse or media outlet.

When I asked him why, he stated that he had gone through his court appeals, and that no media outlet would listen to him.

Because of this, his family had given up on his cause.

He told me:

“I’ll never give up because I’m not a quitter!”  

He had lost his job, his house, his life savings, his friends, his family, and everything else.

Nothing at work seems that dire.

TIME TO TAKE NOTE

Similarities between this man’s plight and unspoken clients in the workplace:

  • Unwillingness to remove a leader that was obviously failing because “it would make us look like we didn’t know what we were doing.”
  • Unwillingness to change a reorganization that occurred 2 years before because “the senior leader pushed for the reorganization, and changing things now would make him look bad.”
  • Unwillingness to change a marketing plan that not only want not working but was turning customers away because “we invested time and money into this and we are going to make it work.”
  • Unwillingness to find a new partner to work with on an employee survey that had proven to be flawed because “the senior leader that selected the vendor would be cast in a bad light.”

This list could likely be endless.  But why do we do it?

FAILURE TO QUIT

If your organization sticks with a mediocre idea, facility, or team too long because it lacks the guts to create something better, you have failed.

Failure to quit infects the health of your company like a disease.

Our unwillingness to admit when we are wrong, and “course correct,” limits our ability to grow, prosper, and drive innovation.

Scott Anthony, in a recent HBR blog wrote:

“That led me to think of the parallels inside some of my corporate clients. Most corporate cultures fear failure so viscerally that they will lock up great talent in a fatally flawed project, investing resources well past the point where everyone can see that the plug should have been pulled.”

What you can do better:

ADMIT FAILURE; THAT THERE IS A NEED TO “COURSE CORRECT”

Honestly admitting that the initial original solution was not optimal is a sign ofstrength, even if the problem still needs to be solved.

Leaders that can admit they are not perfect and are willing to change course are seen as winners. There are also seen as profitable… see recent news about Domino’s Pizza.  

“Failure is a necessary part of a flourishing innovative ecosystem. Not every idea is destined for greatness. A talented individual working on an idea with fatal flaws by definition isn’t working on an idea with transformational potential. When great talent is stuck working on the wrong things, the ecosystem as a whole suffers. The failure of failure leads to stagnation.”-Scott Anthony HBR.or

SEEK INPUT FROM THOSE AFFECTED BY THE “FIX THAT FAILED”

The people affected by the failed solution can see the good, the bad and the ugly of how the solution worked and how to make it better.  With the firm knowledge that things can’t go back to the way that they were, everyone can work towards a more effective way to solve the problem.

“IMPLEMENT THE “NEW” SOLUTION AND CHECK TO SEE PROGRESS. CHANGE THE COURSE IF IT IS NOT WORKING. 

This is by no means saying that you should change direction at the slightest hint of upset or when the first issues arise, but when there is a consistent drumbeat of data that shows the solution implemented is not working, (New Coke, McDLT, Netflix’s recent issues only to name a few), admit it isn’t and change it!

Refusing to admit failure or that a solution implemented is not working is a recipe for killing innovation and inviting bigger failure in the future.

Know when to quit so that energy can be put towards a plan, solution, or person that will make the difference.

As a leader do you see these failures in your workplace? Is it time for people in your organization to speak up? What can and will you do to fix this issue so that your company can thrive?

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This blog also appears on the Linked2Leadership Blog.  Please visit them!

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Change Management Articles, Instructional Design Articles, Leadership Articles, Organizational Change Articles Permalink

How To Increase The Success Of Change

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

Why is it that some organizations believe that employee engagement is either “a thing to do to employees” or it is “a destination” that is over once it is reached?

Employee engagement is neither of these things.

To help you understand this, take a look at the root word. Engagement is a concept or way of thinking that stems from the verb “engage.”  The idea behind engagement (employee or customer) is to get the full commitment, passion, and energy from that group toward your company, product, service or brand.

But over time, it seems that within organizations, something has gone terribly awry with this concept of engagement with the many of the people who work there.

So what happened to engaging people?

Understanding Futility

Engagement has turned into the age-old “creating a budget” exercise.  If you make a budget, you probably feel good about setting a responsible course for fiscal prudence. But unless you actually USE the budget, this is just a wasteful exercise in futility. The same thing holds true with employee engagement. Otherwise, futility reigns.

This concept started to dawn on me at the tail end of a recent conversation with a client.  The client executives were in the midst of talking about changes in the credit card business, huge losses in receivables, etc.

What should we do?” they asked.  In addition to some sound advice about process changes, the other piece of advice transpired like this:

“Ask your employees.  They are passionate and engaged.  Let them help you.”

“Our employees?  We don’t want to scare them.  And, they probably won’t understand what is going on anyway” was the Senior executive’s response.

“Really?” I asked becoming incredulous. “It seems to me that every employee can understand a simple message like we are losing money or don’t have enough new customers.”

“Now you are making it much too simple” stated the senior executive.  “We have decided to bring in a consulting company to help us figure out how to get back on track.”

If anyone has seen Office Space, you can imagine this experience.  As the many “Bob’s” walked around gathering “information,” the rumor mill was running rampant. As is the problem with many “change efforts,” the vast majority of information is misinformation.  In the absence of any communication from the organization, employees make assumptions. We, as human beings, do a great job making things up.

In the end, the client organization decided that layoffs were the best way to get back on track.  Although it has been proven that layoffs are not the best method to improve performance, they can be useful depending on the goal or desired outcome. The layoffs were not the worst part though.

The worst part was how they handled it.

Effective Engagement Examined

On the first Monday of August that year, certain employees were met by security guards around their desks.  One of them was holding a box.  The employee wasescorted to a trailer in the parking lot, asked to sign some papers, given a severance check and asked to leave the premise.

The following year, we were back with the same senior leader group talking about Employee Engagement.  Their employee engagement assessment scores (surprise!) had gone down.

“Employee Engagement has to be a focus of the organization moving forward.” the CEO   stated.  “We have to be a more focused organization.”

“Could it be that the employees are feeling like no one engaged them on recent issues, initiatives and organizational changes.” I asked.

“That’s not what engagement is about!” The CEO stated.  “It is about making this a great workplace, not asking people their opinion about how the business should be run. That is why we are here.”

You can imagine how the rest of the conversation went.

Needless to say that the company was never the same.  Not because it laid off employees, but because it did not honor the culture of the organization nor the intelligence of the folks that worked there.

The Success of Change
Here are four things that every organization needs to do to vastly increase the success of change due to performance, market erosion, etc.:

1.  Find out the state of the state
Dips in organizational performance can come at any time for many reasons.  It is vitally important that leaders, managers and employees are aware of the condition of the organization.  This is from an “are we engaged” perspective AND from a “how do the financial numbers say we are doing” perspective.

2.  Be thoughtful and thorough in communication
All the experts are adamant about communication as the key for successful organizational change.  But, companies STILL don’t do a good job in communicating in a cohesive, comprehensive, and transparent manner.  Employees don’t trust what they hear from companies because it is sanitized and word-smithed.  It is absolutely vital that PRIOR to any change being implemented that communication is planned and developed.  Be ready to tell groups what is happening and why.

3.  Engage your employees in solving the problem
Employees know that there are problems and how to solve them.  They often know before leaders because THEY ARE DOING THE WORK. When there is an issue identified or on the horizon, get employees that are involved with the issue to help figure out how to solve it.  This is engagement.  Employees engaged in solving a problem that will help the business and they have expertise in is the essence of creating an “engaged workforce.”  Let employees help solve the issues.  Outside consultants can help lead conversations, guide direction and give best practice solutions.
If you can’t trust employees to solve problems why are they working for you?

4.  Arm your managers to be successful
The front line of change initiatives is the manager.  This is where change can either be monumentally successful or a dismal failure.  Employees will go to their managers first to find out what they know.  Make sure your managers know something.  It would be preferable if they know the facts, how to present them, what not to say and are as transparent about it as possible.  If managers are not well equipped, then they will join the crowd of disengaged and drag their team down with them.

Don’t go out and do another Engagement Initiative.  Engage your employees and customers into making your organizations better by engaging them.  Ask their help to solve problems, offer ideas and drive innovation.  Doing so will honor their intelligence, support the culture and assuredly drive success.

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Leadership Articles, Organizational Change Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – Leading Right Under Your Nose

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

THE 99TH PERCENTILE

Each day people strive to:

  • Do their jobs well
  • Get through the day
  • Reach their goals

But what do they do better than anyone else?  What does their team, organization, company do so well that no one else could possibly compete?

WHY DON’T WE ASK THE QUESTION?

In a recent client meeting, we discussed the idea of increasing productivity and effectiveness in the organization.  I asked, “Why do you want to do that?” “What is the reason we want to be more effective”.  As you could imagine, there were some quizzical looks.

“What would you suggest?” the CEO of the organization asked me.

“Well,” stalling a little for time. “Maybe we could think of something a little different.  What is it that we are better than 99% of other companies doing or providing?  What can we do, as an organization, do help our folks manifest that?”

“I’m not sure what that is,” the CEO admitted.

“Maybe we should focus on figuring out what that is.  Being effective and productive will be a natural outcome.”

After working with a number of organizations, I felt like another conversation aboutbeing more effective and productive was like telling school-kids to get into a straight line for lunch in front of the bathroom.  It was a conversation that didn’t really make sense.

It seemed silly to me that there was time and energy spent on trying to be better at something we were not even sure mattered.

“Let’s figure that out.” The CEO responded.

STRIVING IS NOT ENOUGH

As we took the journey to determine what, if anything, the organization was better than 99% of all others a reoccurring issue arose.  Words.

At our first update meeting, a few of the senior executives brought up some ideas:

  • We strive to be the best at customer service
  • We strive to be the first choice of our customers

Strive?  How does one strive, I thought.  Could you pull a hamstring striving too hard?  Is that inspirational?  Would a World Cup Football/Soccer team put that up on the locker room wall – We are Striving to Be the Best in the World?

Let’s all think about that….The answer to that would be NO.  Striving is a concerted effort not to fail.  No employee will be moved by that.  You are either 99% better than any other organization or you are not.  If you are not, that is okay.  But be honest about it.  There is no partial credit in business.

The decision was made to eliminate striving, trying, intending, attempting, etc.  from the end result.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE NOT THE BEST?

The question that many of the managers and executives asked was, “What happens if we say that we are 99% better than anyone else at (fill in the blank) and we are not? Won’ that be demotivating?”

“That is a great question.  The short answer is no.” I said.  “Let’s just say that you proclaim you are 99% better than anyone else in the world at making coffee.  There is a taste test done and it ends up that you are not.  You come in 3rd, so you are better than 90% of all other companies at making coffee.  Is that bad?”

“No, but that is not what we want.” Stated one of the executives.

“True, but now you know where you are and can either accept it or work towards making it so.  That is when you are going to look for how to be better and more effective by eliciting your employees’ help.  That is where the magic is.  You already have the knowledge internally.  All they need is a spark to make it real for them.”

HOW DO YOU FIND OUT?

The very best method to determine what your organization does better than 99% of all others is to ask.  It may not be what the core business is or even what the desired “best” would be.  But, the magic is in finding out.  I suggested that the client ask:

  • Customers
  • Vendors
  • Employees
  • Loan providers/Creditors
  • Advisors
  • Their Spouses

It is a great idea to ask face-to-face if possible.  If not, a survey will do.  Make it easy for the folks answering the questions.  Let them be as honest as possible However, this is not just a whining session.  There are thousands of questions to ask, but three that are needed:

1. What is it that we do better than anyone else in our industry?
2. What is it that we are known for?
3. What is the one thing that we are known for that we would not be proud of?

This will give you a good flavor for what the organization does well and not so well.

WHAT DO YOU DO ABOUT IT?

The mistake that most organizations make is that they bring in external consultants to figure out how to grow marketshare and increase their effectiveness. Consultants can help, guide and give advice but cannot and should not do the work.  Coming from a consultant, that sounds crazy.  But, it is true.
This work needs to be headed up by and resourced with internal people.  Nothing is worse than having an external person set direction for an organization.  They have no stake in the end game.  Not to mention that there is natural push-back internally.  It is a GREAT idea to have a consultant or consulting company resource a “non-core” activity. For the future success and continued growth of the organization it is vital that a vast majority of the effort comes from within.

Here is a good process to implement:

1. Create a compelling strategy around the 99% effort –

  • A promise for Life – Abbot Laboratories
  • Relax, it’s FedEx or FedEx and forget it

2. Align your culture to the strategy
3. Tap your internal brain power to realize the strategy
4. Check in with key stakeholders (those folks you asked earlier) to see how you are doing
5. Revise your efforts based on your progress
6. Repeat

Are you ever done?

No. The effort to become and stay at the top 1% of all your competition is a never ending battle.  It is not only worth fighting but the only way to ensure that your organization stays creative, engaged, profitable and productive for the long term.

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Leadership Articles, Organizational Change Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – Wake Up And Smell The Stupid – More Learned Helplessness

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

Do you deal with an organization or service provider whose performance is lacking, but somehow you continue to accept their poor performance? If you honestly think about it, you’ll probably answer “yes.” But don’t fret too much because we all do it to some degree. But why do we put with mediocrity and worse?  What is the benefit from it?  What can we do about it?

Do smart people really allow themselves to be in a bad situation for prolonged periods of time?

How long did you let it go on?

Bad marriages, hostile workplaces, and even unsafe living conditions are just some of the things that we see and read about on a regular basis that show us that we put up with unsatisfactory conditions in our lives.  Most of us know people and deal with these levels or poor performance in our lives much of the time.  We can see that these low-level providers are unproductive at best and unhealthy at worst.  We often complain about them, much of the time.  But seldom do we work up the courage to alter them.  We do this because of something called “learned helplessness.”

Learned Helplessness

Based on a theory discovered by Martin Seligman, people who see themselves in situations where they have no control are reported to have higher stress levels and lower productivity. 

It can be related to the workplace easily:

An uncontrollable situation can be harmful to a person even without it being physically painful or recognizable to them. Feeling helpless can do serious damage to motivation in any situation, even those filled with luxury and privilege. An example of this is the poor little rich boy whose daddy does everything for him.  As a kid he breaks a window with a ball, and daddy fixes it.  He gets regrettable grades in school but gets into college anyway because daddy gave a big donation.

After graduation, he gets a job with a big salary and a corner office in daddy’s firm. He has learned that
Surprisingly, the poor little rich boy’s situation is similar to the unhappy worker suffering under a hypercritical boss.

While the worker is overloaded with criticism and the rich boy has an overabundance of goodies, both lack a sense of control. Neither feels they can influence what happens to them. Seligman emphasizes in his research on learned helplessness that it is not the quality of the situation that causes feelings ofhelplessness and depression. Even though we tend to think that the cause is punitive circumstances, situations filled with rewards can also lead to the same debilitating learned helplessness and depression when the person does not have to perform to get those rewards.

When we don’t feel like we have control, the workplace can be “toxic”.  Given the economic situation, there are many organizations, departments and teams where employees perceive a sense of learned helplessness.  True or not, it can be detrimental.  It can lead to simple forgetfulness, decease in attention to safety and outright aggression.

What can a leader do to impact organizational learned helplessness?

1) Determine what is vital to the organization’s success.

Identify the critical keys to the organization’s (company, group, team, etc.) success.  This is not a simple undertaking, but one that is necessary to long-term and sustainable success.  It is akin to Jack Welch’s belief that GE should be in the top 3 of every industry it played.  Or, it could be like Lexus’ “beat Benz”.  Many organizations try to be too many things to too many people.  They think by taking on more they can please many but end up disappointing instead.  Organizations should focus on what they do well (core competencies).  Find ways to expand them and do them even better.

2) Uncover the trends in your organization

Too often trends within the organization, including learned helplessness, are unknown at best and accepted at worst.  In order to shed light on the current situation it is vital that an engagement study is conducted.  The results of the study will uncover the nature of the organization and highlight issues/opportunities.  It will show where learned helplessness may lie within the organization and where things are exemplary.

3) Acknowledge what is so.

The road to recovery from any bad place starts with acknowledging where you are.  It is very important to not be overly harsh nor sugarcoat the situation.  If your team or organization seems to be in a pattern or viscous cycle of:

  • Constant personal problems
  • Failure to meet deadlines
  • Chronic business partner or internal customer issues

Then it is time clearly state what the problem is and what it is costing you. Quantifying the cost is the first step to understanding what you are losing by keeping the status quo. The status quo in many cases is the enemy of altering the pattern of learned helplessness.  Even if the current situation is not desirable, the “devil that you know is better than the devil you don’t” to most people.

4) Align strategy/uncover culture

Next it is vital to begin the work of aligning strategy and culture throughout the organization.  This can be accomplished in a number of different ways but should not be taken lightly.  The first step is to educate and communicate to leaders.  Due to changing need of employees, having a powerful on-line tool is critical to making this a reality.  Of course, a comprehensive game plan- including communication, tools, etc. – is necessary.  The first six months is critical and can work to make the cultural/strategic alignment a reality.

5) Show managers /leaders there is another way

Probably one of the most important methods of breaking out of organizational learned helplessness is to educate leaders/managers about alternatives.  It is vital to have consistent and readily available training and tools to show managers how to do things differently. Making it easy to understand and implement is important.  Not that the change itself is going to be easy but the “how” must be easy to find and use.

6) Reward innovation and smart risk taking

There is a saying – “People do what they rewarded to do”.  That is true, but even more true is that people are compelled by what others rewarded for doing.  This is where the rubber hits the road.  True innovation should be rewarded.  People and teams that get results in different ways SHOULD BE REWARDED.  Unless it is either illegal or demeaning, innovation must be cultivated and encouraged actively.  This goes hand in hand with smart risk taking.  People should be rewarded for failure if they tried something that did not work and helped the organization learn.  Of course the risk cannot have sacrificed organizational reputation, clients or be unethical.  Outside of that, risks and the people that take them should be commended.  Taking smart risks and stretching to be innovative is a sure fire way to break the cycle of learned helplessness and make sure it doesn’t come back.

Can you break the cycle?

There a numerous instances of organizations breaking out of the malaise of learned helplessness.  Although not an exact science, the organizations that were able to get past LH used some combination of the six steps outlined.  Ford Motor Company is a perfect example of a company that has broken the cycle of learned helplessness.  Hundreds of teams have accomplished this feat within companies.  Go ahead give it a try, if couldn’t get any worse…

Is your organization suffering from Learned Helplessness?  What are you doing to determine if your organization’s state? Or are you just hoping that things will work themselves out? 

Anil Saxena is the President of Cube 2.14, an organizational development consulting firm that works with clients to increase both customer and employee engagement while decreasing turnover, improving customer retention, and increasing profitability within organizations.

Saxena is a certified High Impact coach and trainer and a Joint Application Design facilitator. He is also certified by both Rush Systems and IBM as a focus group facilitator. He is an inaugural member of Northwestern University’s Learning and Organizational Change program, and he earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

25 Aug 2015
Sticky Post By Posted in Leadership Articles Permalink

Leadership Follies – Too Stupid To Lead?

Sticky Post By On August 25, 2015

WHY IS IT THAT EVERY TIME I TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THEIR MANAGER, WHAT I HEAR FROM THEM IS HOW BAD THINGS ARE WITH THEIR BOSS?  I ASK MYSELF “IS THIS THE NORM?  DOES THAT HAPPEN TO EVERYONE?“

With all of the management knowledge available, I would think that managers should be able to lead in any situation involving people.  Conferences, training, experience…..It would seem obvious, but I still wonder: “Do we really understand how to lead others? Do we understand the simple things that we can do to be effective leaders?

OR ARE WE SIMPLY STUPID LEADERS?

After working as a consultant for many years, it certainly seems like many leaders simply don’t understand how to lead teams effectively.  This thought became crystal clear after speaking to my neighbor on a train ride into the city.  We had a conversation about work (I live in Chicago so sports are out of the question during baseball season).  I asked him if he had ever had the privilege of experiencing an effective manager.  His answer was similar to many others I have heard recently.

He said “No.”

He told me after working for the same company for the past few years, that he was not going to take the bad behavior of his manager any more.  He quit his job.  What made him quit? I asked him if it was it harassment? No.  Was it a hostile work environment?  No. Was it favoritism?  He said that it was nothing that nefarious.  He said that it was a simple lack of common leadership courtesy. Once again, someone quits their boss.

HE RELATED A COUPLE OF RECENT INCIDENTS:

For instance, when he came in 5 minutes late because he had to take care of his new born child, his manager immediately called him into her office and grilled him about it.  But, when he stayed until 11:00 PM on a Friday to make sure the client’s project went live successfully,  there was no response or acknowledgement. Being late: unacceptable. Staying late: expected.

In another case, his boss refused to reimburse him for a meal when he was working over the weekend at a client site to make sure a project was implemented correctly because he “did not get approval for the meal.”   However, she did not say anything about how great it was he was working over the weekend. The lack of common courtesy was palpable!
Unfortunately, that sounded very familiar to me.  It probably sounds pretty familiar to you, too.  We have all heard numerous examples that sound just like my neighbor’s.  It’s likely that there are hundreds of examples at which we all could point collectively.

SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

The problem is that many managers and leaders don’t think about how simple actions from them can have huge upside emotional and productivity impact. Things like acknowledging when someone gives extra effort and stays late; giving a high performer some slack about start time; or giving recognition to an individual or team that finishes a tough project costs nearly nothing, but has massive performance implications.

These are not “rocket science” ideas.  It is not about giving people money or plaques; it is about treating folks with dignity and respect.  Gone are the days that employees would be willing to stick with a job or leader that doesn’t do the simple things.  Sure, they will take the job now or stay with a bad manager until the economy changes.  But when the economic environment does get better, they will be gone in an instant. Stupid leaders beware.

WHERE SHOULD YOU START?

Take the time now to do the simple things to treat employees like human beings.  Make sure to recognize what they do well and efforts that rise above the call of duty with as much zeal as you point out what they did wrong.  Simple leadership techniques will encourage people to work harder, be happier and enable all of us to reap the rewards.  It is critical that you concentrate on a few fundamentals especially when times are tough.

ANTHONY TAN , MANAGING PARTNER OF CUE BALL VENTURE CAPITAL WRITES THE FOLLOWING:

1) Help create a meaningful role. Ask in an interview what she would be doing if she had all the money she needed; explain and remind the employee why her role is critical and how it fits into the bigger picture. This is the foundation and most critical component of long-term retention.

2) Give feedback . Do so regularly, with both honesty and thoughtfulness.

3) Offer professional development . Keep her larger career path in mind; ask what she wants most to learn. People want to know where they are heading and that you care in helping them get there.

4) Say thank you . This means both intrinsic and extrinsic recognition — that is, reaffirm your appreciation for their role (a simple hand-written note or verbal thanks from time to time goes a long way) and pay them fairly.”

Ask yourself any of the following questions…

  • When was the last time you thanked an employee for extra effort?
  • Do people dread coming to talk with you, doing so only when they have to?
  • Do you only coach people when there is a problem?
  • Do you praise your folks in public and reprimand in private?
  • Do you know if people genuinely like working for you?

If you don’t know the answers to the question, you could be a stupid manager.

I am not suggesting giving people a standing ovation for coming into work, but I am saying that treating people like adults goes a long way.  Taking the time now to make simple investments into good management will go a long way when the economy gets better.

Don’t be a stupid manager.  Don’t fall into the habit of only coaching when something is wrong.

People leave companies because of bad leaders.  Do the simple things that will make your team, the people you are around, and in the end YOU, more successful!

What are you doing to insure that you are proactive against acting like a stupid leader? What steps can you take to insure that you are thinking more effectively toward the real motivators of your team members? How can you create new communication gateways that help lesson the likelihood of your being thought of as a stupid leader? I would love to hear your thoughts!

FIND A SOLUTION

Cube 2.14 will increase your organizational effectiveness. We specialize in developing innovative, practical solutions to create productive workplaces that exceed goals.

CONTACT INFORMATION

  • Anil@Cube214.com
  • (847) 212-0701
  • www.cube214.com

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