People first – Gallup backs it up

We continually harp on the value of paying attention to the people who work for you or with you. In fact, that concept and how to achieve it, is the total basis for the two books, The Wrong Bottom Line and How To Change It, and The Wrong Bottom Line Still – Components for Success (to be  released within the next couple of months.)

 But we aren’t alone.

The Gallup organization has studied this phenomenon for many years under the name of employee engagement, and involving more than 17 million employees. They estimate that not engaging employees cost US businesses some $300 billion in lost productivity alone.

According to Gallup in its recent analysis from data of more than 152 organizations, there is a dramatic difference between top and bottom–quartile work groups on key business outcomes directly tied to employee engagement. It shows up in productivity, profitability, safety incidents, and absenteeism. Our own investigation shows it also affects employee attitude, loyalty, and the length of time individuals remain with the organization.

So how do you ensure maximum employee engagement? There are many ways, and we will share them with you in future articles. However, the underlying concepts – ways of thinking – are critical:

1. GNSP = HLOS (Greater Number of Successful People = Higher Level of Organization Success). We suggest you view the video: Don’t Overlook the Trees for the Forest.

2. “I am the boss, they work for me.” So often we hear this statement stated the wrong way. Don’t emphasize the first part; concentrate on the last. That is, your success as a leader is completely dependent upon the work of others. Without them, you completely fail. They really do work for you.

Do the people in your organization view themselves as mere cogs in a machine or do they feel appreciated, and as important contributors? Do they believe that their opinions count – that they count? According to the research and to maximize your success, you need to make sure they have positive answers to those questions.

Their feelings and attitudes make a big difference in the success and profitability of your organization

Foundation for more effective dispute resolution

After last week’s article, Dealing With Angry People, a reader commented that he totally agreed. The problem, however, was how to actually put that into real life. I agree. It is always easier to talk than to implement. This is especially true where emotions are involved.

The key is to determine direction before emotional involvements, and to become proficient in dealing with them. Here are some suggestions.

First, there must be a belief in the philosophy. If you believe arguing is the way to solve problems, there is no need to go further. Enjoy your sessions and increased blood pressure. If, however, you think there is validity in the idea of an alternative path, you can make some changes.

Second, a procedure or practice must be developed that will actually facilitate bringing the philosophy to fruition. Back to targeting and focus. Remember that you hit only what you aim at. And, if you think you are not aiming, you still are. Sounds confusing? This is a discussion for another time. Just realize that you are going in a direction – one you consciously chose or one determined by the environment. 

Third, the philosophy, procedures,  practices, and training must be an integral part of the system. Particularly, it must include the front-line people; those individuals who meet customers, associates, students, parents, etc.  It must not be just another policy or procedure prescribed by the head office and trained at the head office. That brings us to an important issue.

We are seeing extreme salary differences between leadership and line workers. Some CEOs are paid more per day than their workers receive in a year. That is obscene and negatively affects people. That king-servant attitude also often infiltrates the training and individual development practices. The top of the ladder – kings – get the training while the bottom get only what is necessary for them to function. Of course, that is foolish.

The key people in organization image, customer relations, repeat business, and word-of-mouth advertising are usually the lowest paid and poorest trained individuals – telephone operators, return desk clerks, and cashiers. These are the people we all deal with every day. These are the people who set the image of companies. They become the company to the people who call, have a concern, or want to return an item. How much training do they receive in dealing with conflict? How many workshops are they involved in, and at company expense?

If we want to be optimally successful, we need to provide increased training in how to deal with people – that includes angry people – more professionally and successfully. And, to be most effective, it should be provided before the problem arises.

Dealing With Angry People

Whenever you think you are arguing with a fool, consider the possibility that your opponent may be engaged in a similar activity.

From time to time, everyone has the opportunity of dealing with angry – upset – people. It can be with customers, employees, employers, or even adults and children in your home. It doesn’t matter whether it is a three-year-old or the CEO, the rules for success are the same.

Rule 1: Start  with yourself.
Make sure you are not contributing to the problem by being angry yourself. Take a deep breath and intellectually and emotionally “stand back,” and look at yourself as objectively as possible. If this is an ongoing occurrence, ask an associate or an unaffected observer to evaluate how you operate. 

Rule 2: Allow the anger – in the other person. A disgruntled employee, customer, teenager, or little child is upset. The best thing you can do is let them vent – even if you know they are completely wrong. The worst thing you can do is try to cut them off. After they have let off the steam, they are more ready for suggestions and solutions.

Rule 3: Listen - but not looking for a response. Don’t cut in. Don’t inject comments; just listen. You will gain some understanding, and sometimes, the upset person will get around to providing solutions.

Rule 4: Clarify. After the individual is done venting, attempt to playback the main points you heard. Do ask for clarification as needed – do so in a respectful manner.

Rule 5: Respond appropriately. “You forgot to plug it in, you stupid jerk!” is not an appropriate response.

Rule 6: Don’t argue.
It is surprising the number of people who think they win arguments. “Winning” an argument doesn’t happen for the participants.  No one wins an argument. If you walk away from an argument with a smug feeling because you “won” that one, look again.  Arguments are lose, lose situations; no one wins. Sometimes they think they do. You may have the last word. Your opponent may be visibly shaken. However, it may have nothing to do with a change of thinking, only that the individual is worn down, has given up, or decides the whole thing is a waste of time.

I have observed many lose – lose situations. You can read some for nothing. Just go to Amazon, type in “The Wrong Bottom Line and How to Change It,” do the “Look Inside” p. 23, or click this link:  http://tinyurl.com/7x5xsvt, in the index, click "Think Ahead." The incidents noted there are absurd.  They are also common. These are normally intelligent people who, in the heat of battle, make no sense, and think they have won when they have really lost.
Don’t argue; you will win nothing and can lose much.

Skillfully working with angry people can be very rewarding both personally and for the institution.

Shut Up and Listen

This may be a rather crass way to start a new year. However, it tells a critically important story. I have several children; I have learned a lot from them. One particular lesson continues to play an important role in my life.

Late one night one of the teens came home from a school activity. He was upset. I do not remember the situation. However, as a caring father, I tried to solve his problem. In a moment of extreme frustration he said to me, “Dad, shut up and listen!” I was stunned. My children never talked to me that way, and here I was trying to help.  My first reaction was one of indignation with a twinge of hurt. Fortunately, I was so caught off guard that I stopped talking. He then poured out his problems and his feelings. After getting it all out, he asked for my input and my help.

Through all of my experiences, training, and education, this advice from a child tops the stack. Through my observations of many organizations, this one change – leadership talking less and listening more – would mean the difference between marginal success and optimal success, or even between success and failure.

As I look around at businesses and organization, I want to shout that advice to them: “shut up and listen!” No, I am not talking about listening to me. I am talking to leadership about being willing to stop amid all of the “stuff” that goes on unceasingly around them. I am saying, as my son did to me, to just close the mouth long enough to hear what is really going on. With all of the really poor decisions  many American businesses have made in the past, they need to get out of the telling mode and into the learning mode; perhaps starting with their employees.

As a New Year’s resolution, perhaps we could all be more willing to listen and more willing to learn.

Base new action on a closer look

Although I continually complain that particularly in the business world – in training and practice – regardless of the talk, there is little change. Sometimes, I am wrong; I need to take a closer look of specific situations. I recommend you do the same – even of those things of which you are very familiar.

Let me give you an example.

I have a piano that is over 100 years old. I have had this instrument over 40 years. In that time, I have spent hundreds of hours playing it. The other day, I decided it needed to be cleaned. The edge of most keys was dirty. I assumed that was the result of deteriorating ivory. However, as I began cleaning those areas, I realized the reason for the dirt was paint.

On the edges of most keys was a strip of white paint. It very closely matched the ivory. A little scraping revealed complete, unworn key surfaces. How long had the paint been there? How many times had I cleaned those keys without noticing the paint? Perhaps, it had been there for my 40 years and more. What is the point?

If you are a MBA teacher, how closely have you examined what you teach and how you teach it, and compared it with what really needs to be in tomorrow’s business leaders?

If you are a business leader, how closely have you examined the potential of those who work for you? How closely have you examined your personal practices, and your reasons for them?

Although, I recommend standing back and looking at your practices, I suggest you also take a very close look. Sometimes, we accept what could and should be changed, even if it is in plain sight and under our very nose – even if we have used it for 40 years.

Fish catching, pony roping, and saber-tooth tiger bashing

I have observed trends in societies and perused a number of university and business schools, and have concerns about what is transpiring and what is being taught. Let me start with an illustration.

A long time ago there was a valley. In the mountains above the valley was a glacier. The glacier was slowly melting which produced a stream to the little valley. Because there was water running through the valley, fish developed. Because there was water running through the valley, little ponies came down to drink. Because that was a good place to find little ponies, saber-toothed tigers often roamed through the valley.

Related to these events, the local young people were taught how to catch fish, rope ponies, and bash saber-tooth tigers. This all worked  well for many, many years.

As time passed, the glacier got smaller and smaller. Finally, it was gone. When the glacier dried up, so did the little stream that went through the valley. When the stream was gone, so were the fish. The little ponies no longer came into the valley to drink. Because there were no little ponies in the valley, saber-tooth tigers roamed elsewhere. However, long after these events transpired, the young people were still being trained in fish catching, pony roping, and saber-tooth tiger bashing.

We have just come through a devastating recession. We are still feeling the effects of that, and will likely feel them for many years to come. Although the reasons are complex, a number of truths have become evident: (1) over emphasis on the bottom line of success being measured by money; (2) a lack of concern for those who might be injured by that emphasis;( 3) an increase in production, and the loss of buying power; (4) and, a stronger emphasis on financial gains on the short-term. Unfortunately, this condition has actually proven very profitable for a certain faction.

So, what are we teaching in society and business schools today? Is there a stronger emphasis on equity, on ethics, on sharing the wealth throughout the organization? Have we modified the curriculum to echo more the thoughts expressed by dear old Spock, that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few? Is the bottom line people or money? Is there a focus on service to others or profit for me? Are we still fixated on a past process that got us where we are today? Is that where we want to be?

Trick or Treat

Since this is the Halloween season. It brought to mind the difference between salesmanship and suckers-baiter, promoter and deal-cincher, tricker or treater. Ethics require that in dealing with others, regardless of our position, we play the game honestly. Let me relate a story.

A few years back, we moved from northern Idaho to the Boise area. Because the individuals purchasing our home wanted the sound system left, the new home we were building would be without one.

The old system was not very good. Since part of my work is in music, the system needed to be better.

We went shopping. After visiting a number of furniture stores and listening to their systems, we ended up at a stereo shop. When we informed the salesman of what we wanted and how much we expected to pay, his comment was that we had an impossible dream. But, he was willing to show us what he had.

He sat us down in the listening room, took the CD we had brought, offered to play it through any system. In the process, he also played the CD over a system he felt we had described. He was right. Instead of the very inferior sound we left behind, here was a bright, beautiful reproduction of what was really on that CD.

We bought his recommendation at a price three times more than we had planned on spending.

Was our salesman ethical? Was he honest? Was he merely after a higher price? Was he thinking of himself or was he honestly trying to meet our needs? Was this a trick or a treat? Seven years later, would I make that same purchase from that same individual?

The answer is absolutely, yes. It doesn’t always work this way. I have had individuals help save money by recommending the opposite – a less expensive remedy than the one I proposed. The key is in the effort to meet the needs of the client, customer, or employee.

It doesn’t matter whether you are advising students or selling horseshoes, Ultimately, paying attention to the people you serve – everyone – brings the greatest satisfaction, success, and loyalty. Remember, this is not about you; it is about them.