The Attitude of Reality TV

Let's not be confused here, organizations don't have values. Corporations don't have values. Businesses don't have values. They may have a culture but a culture is not values.

It's the individual who has the values not the collective. Therefore, it's the people who come to work each day that have the values, not the organization they work for. Individual values create an organizational culture. Erode personal values and you erode the corporate culture.

Over the last ten years, we have witnessed a substantial erosion in personal values which has led to questionable organizational culture. People are caring less about others and more about themselves now than they did 10 years ago. A recent Adecco survey pointed out that a shocking 41% of Gen Y's are willing to sabotage others and lie and cheat to keep their own jobs. These are the future business leaders of tomorrow? Think twenty years down the road when these same 41% hold management positions and positions of influence.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Turn on Big Brother, Survivor, The Apprentice, any reality TV show and watch manipulation, backstabbing, blackmail, lies, cheating and ganging-up in action. Decent people don't win these shows. They get crushed. The nasty win the prize money. This is what parents allow their kids to believe is real life in the work world because there's no discussion about values after the show is over.

It's time for us to make up for the lack of personal values that parents aren't giving their children. How about designing personal development courses right in the workplace that deal with values, ethics and morals? If something isn't done soon, almost half of new-hires are going to change the decency of your work place and your corporate culture. Otherwise, we're all in deep sewage. You don't want to work for the 41% who think it's OK to lie, cheat, steal and blackmail.

Just Got A Feeling

You have assembled a group of four university graduates into your interview room. All four graduated from the same university, all with relatively the same marks, and all are willing to work for the same money.

You’ve perused their resumes. They’ve all had the same basic life experiences, history and upbringing. So how do make sure that the candidate you choose will be a perfect fit with the rest of your staff, that your customers will like them and that they bring something to the table that is valuable to your organization?

You will trust your gut. It’s that same gut instinct that you’ve used to help make your business grow, to make good choices, to seize opportunities and to take risks. Your gut has been your best ally throughout your business career. Now you’ll make a gut-instinct choice for the best candidate.

You use your gut instincts, so why aren’t you encouraging the development of your employees’ gut instincts too? Instead, you train them in Time Management, Communication Skills and Team Building – all courses that appeal to the brain. You say you want your people to be more creative in solving customer problems but the courses you’re offering just teach them how to conform. You say you want new ideas and new innovations but you train them in last year’s old-school seminars using old ideas that are mediocre at best.

You’ve taken your cue from the educational system which is all about the marks and not about creativity. A University grad who finished at the top of his class doesn’t guarantee your organization any new ideas. “Top of the Class” just means someone knows how to study and remember course information and be able to regurgitate it when called upon.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: You need creative thinkers on your team who are not satisfied with “good enough.” Perhaps you have employees that are already capable of developing new ideas. But they don’t because since taking the Time Management course you sent them to, there’s no time for idle (creative) thought in their workday.

You want your people to develop new ideas and innovations. You want them to solve customer problems and internal productivity. You want them to be adventurous. You want them to treat others with decency. You want them to step up and be accountable. You want them to discover their leadership abilities. These are all personality and character traits and yet you’re trying to appeal to their brains in a logical way?

Soft-skills and personal development training is where you will find the skills your people need to succeed in the future. Build better people and you build better organizations. Get on it now or be left behind.

Why Should You Be Hired?

My friend and mentor, Brian Stecyk, sent me an email recently in response to a Blog entry I had written called Memo From The Customer. In it, I mused aloud as to why front-line staff feels that everything else, other than serving me, is more important at the time of my transaction. All I was asking for is a little attention and a genuine thankfulness for my business – not a tall order really.

Brian sent along the following comments that included a great observation at the end.

Great column. Every time I interview someone, I ask them the question, "Why should I hire you?" I have received the following responses:

• Because I am nice.
• Because I need a job.
• Because I am a hard worker.
• Because you need someone.

But not once in 28 years has anyone ever said, "Because I will help your business earn a profit."

When I inform them of what I am looking for, I usually get an absolutely stunned response. It is as though the thought that they must make a contribution to the bottom line is heresy. On a couple of occasions, interviewees even remarked, "It shouldn't be all about money and profit." Obviously those people did not get hired. Without profit I cannot hire anyone.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: As the market heats up with increasing competition for the same numbers of jobs, what are you bringing to the table that is better than the last guy who was interviewed? What is it that you possess that you do better than anyone else?

At no time in history (I am guessing here) has a paycheck ever been handed to an employee with a little notation in the bottom left corner of the check that reads, “For Being Nice,” or “Because You Needed A Job,” or “Because We Needed Someone.” That’s not why you get hired.

If your Attitude on the job is one of “that’s good enough,” when it comes time for performance and pay review, your employer is likely to say, “What we’re paying you right now is good enough.” If you want to be paid more, you need to be valued more. If you want to be picked over all of the other job seekers, you need to have more value than they. If you want to be promoted, your number of years on the job aren’t enough – you need to be more valuable than the others being considered.

If you think you’ve gotten as far in your current job as you can go and you’re not the person running the place, then people don't think you're worth more and you obviously haven't given them any reason to think differently.

If you won’t do the work to get better, become more knowledgeable and to become the most valuable person in your organization, then why should anyone pay you more? That’s like paying more money for the very same item, made by the very same manufacturer at the store next door. Why would you pay more for it? It hasn’t been improved and it will do the same thing it always does.

What’s your edge? What makes you more valuable? What is demonstrably different about you?

Training – Necessary or Perk?

Are you treating training as a perk? If your organization has chosen to forego training sessions for your people at this time in our economy, then you are telling your people that training is not really necessary. You’re telling them that their improvement on the job is a perk. And that’s a horrible message to be sending your people at this time.

Employees are looking for reassurances right now: that they are valued, that their contribution matters and that business continues in spite of what the economy may be doing. If you’ve pulled your training programs until the economy gets better, you’re saying that you want your people to be nervous, to be frightened, to be uncertain and that is the message your people will pass on to your customers.

Training, the right kind of training, is not a perk – it’s necessary. In fact, training your people to become more confident, more resilient and stronger individuals is exactly the kind of leadership these times require. Not hosting continuing training sessions for your people because you may be scrutinized in the same light as AIG (after they were handed bailout money) is a follower’s way of doing business - not a leader’s way.

You need confident, resilient and strong individuals on the job right now. You need individuals who are not afraid of a turn in the economy away from the Boom times. You need individuals who, in spite of what the media may be saying, are confident that they can get a leg up on the competition.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: When the economy starts to rebound (and there are glimmers of that happening right now), will you choose to be ahead of the competition or lagging behind the competition? Second place is not leadership. Tenth place is not leadership. Leadership is an attitude of busting through the difficulties and not allowing reasons, excuses or justifiers to stand in your way.

Anyone can be a naysayer. That’s easy. But not everyone can say to their staff, “In spite of what’s happening in the world, we think we have a great shot at taking extra market share. We think you’re the people who can do the job and we’re going to make sure that you have the right tools, the right products and the right attitude to be successful regardless of the circumstances.”

Professional athletes are still being coached even if the stands are not full of fans and gate receipt revenues are down. The coaches of these teams aren’t saying, “We’re not coaching you to be any better until the economy is better.” No way. It’s “game on” right now. So how come you’re not coaching your players?

Training is not a perk. If you’ve pulled your training budgets, then when it does come time to train your people, they won’t take it seriously because you didn’t take it seriously when your people needed it most. In leadership, it’s not what you say that matters – it’s what you do. Your actions determine your outcome.

If you want your people to take their jobs seriously, to take their contribution seriously and to take you seriously, then you had better take them seriously. Your people are the one asset that never depreciates. Treat them like the investment they are. Invest in them and they will invest in you – regardless of where the economy is at. You will get what you give.

Make A Decision To Make A Decision

Louise Hay’s book, “You Can Heal Your Life” is a bit of a mind-bender when it comes to understanding that every disease or physical ailment has a psychological root. I first read this book about eight years ago and it opened my eyes to the possibility that physical ailments are nothing more than the manifestation of psychological problems – not that I'm saying you have mental health issues but instead it's about the stuff you have been thinking about but done nothing about.

Now before you go off and think that the reason you have a bad back is because you’re crazy, let me explain what Hay is offering.

A nagging sore lower back, according to Hay, is the result of experiencing financial problems. A sore upper back comes from difficulty in your current relationship (that doesn’t give you the right to tell your partner to get off your back). Colds and the flu are the result of too much going on – too many balls being juggled. A toothache is the result of not making decisions. A stiff and sore neck comes from not being willing to be flexible.

If you follow the logic, you can use your body to assess what is going on in your head at any given time and to adjust your attitude accordingly.

In essence, from what I read, Hay is saying that if you start making decisions on the unresolved issues in your head, you can start moving forward with a solutions-based focus and that many of your physical ailments that manifest as a result of a current crisis can be lessened in their severity.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Nagging thoughts, indecision, analysis paralysis (not making any decisions for fear it may be the wrong one) and worrying about change and not embracing it may be the reason you’ve got little aches and pains. Trying to treat the symptoms and not the root cause of aches and pains will leave you in a long battle with that stuff that just never seems to go away. Putting a heating pad on your lower back may bring you some short-term relief but tomorrow you're likely to still have the same sore back because you didn't deal with the underlying issue.

Make a decision to make a decision. That’s the answer. If there is an issue that you have been resisting making a decision on, simply set a date and time for when you will make the decision. For example, you could declare, “I will make my final decision next Thursday at eleven o’clock in the morning on whether or not to pursue that job opportunity I’ve been thinking about.”

I can almost guarantee that the missing piece of information that you need to make the final decision will show up between now and then. When you make a decision to make a decision, you set the wheels in motion that attracts the answers and information you require.

Now before you go off half-cocked thinking this is some sort of new-age fluff, why not test your attitude on it and give it a try first. After all, you’ve been putting up with aches and pains from not making decisions. Why not give this a try. Worst case scenario: nothing changes – you still have pain – but you’ve finally made a decision on something you’ve been avoiding and can move to the next step. Honestly? This process has worked for me for eight years now so I thought I'd bring you a little relief too.

Hope I Didn't Complain Too Much

I spent a little time with Bill recently. He’s in his eighties now and lives alone. He spends most of his days in front of the TV as he needs a walker to get around. He has a boarder who lives downstairs and she is supposed to fix his meals and keep him company in exchange for a substantial reduction on her rent. Meals are mostly frozen prepared dinners from the grocery store. She never spends more than five minutes at a time with Bill and he complains about it. And I understand that. For a man in his eighties, he’s being taken advantage of.

Our conversation lasted about an hour. We covered a lot of things including some regrets he has in his life, his loneliness, his estranged family and his quality of life. There’s no one to talk to. His meals come out of a microwave. He can’t drive anymore. He’s bound to his house. It’s kind of tough to be upbeat about life when those are the results you have near the end of it.

As I was walking down the front walk after our visit, he simply yelled out, “Hope I didn’t complain too much.”

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Perhaps Bill’s last words to me that day should be the last words you leave people with. Instead of saying, “goodbye” or “so long” perhaps you should close with, “hope I didn’t complain too much.”

What different conversations you’d end up having with others if you knew you were going to end the conversation with, “hope I didn’t complain too much.”

In fact, I think ending a conversation with “hope I didn’t complain too much” would actually cement the conversation you had with someone else. Both of the talk partners would be forced to reflect on the conversation to see if one or the other did complain too much.

But it will never fly. People just don’t want to be accountable for their conversations. People just want to complain. They want to whine and moan about how tough their lives are and use it as an excuse for not doing better. They don’t want to get out of their ruts and routines and enjoy something better. They don’t want to improve their circumstances or their lives because, well, it’s hard work and they already work hard enough. No. You’ll never hear those words at the end of a conversation because no one really would mean it.

So I guess life will just go on the same way, getting the same results and complaining about the same things. It’s easier to be lazy and complain than it is to fix a sorry life. So feel free to make your choice. It probably won’t be any different anyway.

Hope I didn’t complain too much.

Is Stress Really The Problem?

The Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health conducted a survey to determine the Top Ten Stressors at work. Here they are:

• 10. "The treadmill syndrome" - Employees who consistently have too much or too little to do create a lot of stress.
• 9. "Random interruptions" - Keeps employees from getting their work done - telephones, walk-in visits, supervisor's demands.
• 8. "Pervasive uncertainty" - Created by constant, unsatisfactorily explained or unannounced change.
• 7. "Mistrust, unfairness, and office politics" - Keeps everyone on edge and uncertain about the future.
• 6. "Unclear policies and no sense of direction" - Causes additional uncertainty and undermines confidence in management.
• 5. "Career and job ambiguity" - Creates a feeling of helplessness and of being out of control.
• 4. "No feedback - good or bad" - People want to know how they are doing, and whether they are meeting expectations.
• 3. "No appreciation" - Generates stress that endangers future efforts.
• 2. "Lack of communication" - Leads to decreased performance and increased stress.
• 1. The greatest stressor in the workplace is "lack of control" - Employees are highly stressed when they feel like they have no control over their participation or the outcome of their work.

In reading this list, I was struck by a single thought: there really is only ONE stressor at work – lack of control. The lack of control is really the one constant in every one of the other nine stressors. Lack of control in workload, interruptions, change, mistrust, direction, job security, feedback, appreciation and communication are what are causing the stress.

Now it’s been said that stress is a killer. I don’t buy that. Instead I believe that our inability to handle stress is the killer. It’s not the stress. It’s our in ability to handle it.

It’s not the job. It’s our inability to handle all of the issues that come up in the job.

As I wrote in a recent Blog entry, there’s a difference in the outcome of the work you do when you take on the attitude that your job is your career, even if it’s only your career for now. It no longer becomes just a job. A career is something you manage. A job is just something you grumble about having to do.

Change your attitude on your work and your work will begin to improve. Don’t argue with me on this one. I am right (been there done that). The moment you change your attitude on your “job” being more than just a job and instead being a career, you will begin to see the “job” in a whole new light. And believe me, there is a whole lot less stress when you start taking control of where you work, how you work, the quality of your work and the contribution you make to your work.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Are you feeling out of control on the job? It’s likely because you’re letting every one else decide your career for you. Stop it. Take back the control.

You may need A job but not necessarily this one. Are you working because of the pension you’ll receive at retirement? Then you’ve already checked out mentally and are counting the days until you retire. That’s no way to manage a career. That’s a prison sentence.

I’ve said it before and I perhaps need to say it again: the more valuable you become on the job, the less likely you are to be replaced. Increase your value. Get better at communicating, thinking, sharing ideas, focusing and embracing change (it is a good thing most times). Read the Leadership books. Listen to the CD’s. Go to the seminars. Get better. Get stronger. Get more valuable. And if you choose to NOT do the work to improve yourself and your value, well then sorry. There is no one then who can possibly guarantee that something drastic won’t happen to you. That should stress you a little.

Leadership Versus Management

Question Posed This Week:

 

If everyone seems to know what leadership is when they see it, why do most organizations seem to bewail lack of leadership continuously, and why is there an apparent huge dearth of leadership at the top of most corporations these days?

 

Is it?
a) Accident of birth? Leaders are born not made?
b) Demographics? Maybe there is only one leader for every 1000 managers?
c) Training? Do our education systems train managers rather than leaders?
d) Selection? Maybe true leaders don't get selected in favour of managers or get screened out, or just maybe are not recognized as leaders?
e) Desire? Maybe folks just don't want to lead even if they have the skills & aptitude?

 

My answer:
Sorry, I don't buy into the belief that Leaders are born. Anyone can become a leader of any organization at any time. All that is required is a firm commitment to better oneself at every turn, acknowledging every foible and be willing to accept it and to continuously make improvements – real lasting improvements in becoming a better, more decent human being.

 

The more we read, the more we learn, the more personal discovery seminars (not that Meyers-Briggs or DISC fluff – a twenty-minute personality assessment which only explains why you are the way you are but not any real tools to change it) from real hardcore, locked-away for weeks at a time personal development journeys that we can attend, the more work we do on ourselves the more we become real.

 

Leadership must be authentic. In order to be authentic, a leader must be prepared to show all of him or herself - warts and all. Leadership comes from confidence. Real confidence requires no proof (think about that statement until you get it).

 

Management, however, can be done by anyone (I didn't say quality management). That's why it would be easier and more expedient to send someone to management school instead of self-discovery programs. It's quicker. It's cheaper. It doesn't remove the person from the workplace as long. And if he or she doesn't work out, the company can start again and send someone else.

 

You can be a jerk most of your life but it's in the "why" of being a jerk that we can discover many of our subconscious driving needs. Once we figure out what makes us tick, we can find more appropriate avenues to realize those needs.

 

Until organizations around the world figure out that you can't send a jerk to manager's school and expect him to become a leader, we'll keep ending up with the same old - same old. Leaders CAN be made. But they have to want to go out and get it. And it's hard work - I mean HARD work. Most people don't want to do the work. That's why there are so few leaders.

 

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: If you need to have power and control – then you will only ever be a manager. If you want to help people become better, more proficient and help them find meaning in their work – then you are a leader.

 

If you need to demand respect – you will only ever be a manager. If you give respect knowing deep down that you get what you give, then you are a leader.

 

If you believe that your people serve you – you will only ever be a manager. If you believe that you are, in fact, in service to your people – you serve them - and that you work WITH them – then you are a leader.

 

You see, Leadership is an Attitude. Management is a position.
Service is an Attitude. Customer Service is a department.
Safety is an Attitude. Occupational Health & Safety is a program.
Engagement is an Attitude. Work is a job.

 

The moment you give up the NEED to be in control is the moment you stop being a manager and start being a leader. Managers control. Leaders inspire.

Employee Engagement Free E-Book

David Zinger from the Employee Engagement Network released a free e-book this morning, 52 Powerful Sentences of Employee Engagement Advice. I am one of the 52 contributing members of the network.

 

David Zinger writes, "With 52 contributions, you could read a different sentence each week in 2009 and work at applying the advice to your organization each week. Imagine how much stronger employee engagement would be in your organization if you did this each week! Follow our authors’ suggestions or create a sentence of your own."

 

Click here to get the PDF e-book for yourself. http://www.davidzinger.com/wp-content/uploads/free-e-book-52-sentences-of-employee-engagement-advice.pdf

 

If you would like to join the Network or simply read the posts, go to http://www.employeeengagement.ning.com.

 

Step-Aside Attitude Adjustment

So it’s the Christmas season. “Tis the season of giving. And as we all trundle through the malls during this busy gift-buying season, what better gift to give to your fellow man than a little courtesy.

 

This column was inspired by stand-up comedian John Pinette’s “Get Out Of The Line.”

 

This is the “Step-Aside” Christmas Courtesy Attitude Adjustment.

 

When you encounter a friend you just “have” to spend a little time with chit-chatting at the mall, remember you’re not the only customers in the building. Take your shopping carts and yourselves and step aside to allow other shoppers to not be impeded. The hallways are crowded enough without having to circumvent people who don’t care that they’re in the way of others.

 

As you try to find that perfect parking spot at the mall, you know, the one you circle like sharks in the blood-infested water, remember that you’re driving slowly. Step aside and let the other cars find a spot further down the row.

 

Has all that shopping got you a little hungry? When you get to the front of the line at your favorite restaurant at the Food Court, if you’re not ready to order (I can’t imagine what you were doing in line that you didn’t think to be ready to order), step aside and let someone who is ready to order do so.

 

Got your shopping cart full at the grocery store and the person behind you has just a few items? Step aside and let the lesser items customer go ahead (This especially applies at the $300 Store – you know – Costco? Honestly, when’s the last time you spent less than three hundred bucks there?)

 

When your full order of groceries has been bagged and the total comes up, please don’t suddenly remember that you have a coupon “somewhere.” Please be ready or step aside.

 

Feeling frustrated because the staff of the store can’t seem to comprehend simple customer service? Don’t lose your mind about it. Step aside, cool off and let this season be a happy one – it’s your choice after all.

 

Feeling less than your best with customers as you work in the stores at this busy time of year? Don’t even think you’re entitled to lose your patience with customers. Step aside. Cool off. Remember that everyone’s a little nuts this time of year. Trust me; you’ll be looking for someone to talk to in January. Don’t ruin it for yourself.

 

Are you a boss and conduct yourself as though being the boss is more important than serving the customer? Step aside and let someone who understands that “revenue” and “expense” are on opposite sides of the balance sheet. Step aside until you fully comprehend which side of the sheet your position is on.

 

Do you see that Salvation Army kettle right in front of you? This is the only time you DON’T step aside. Drop a few bucks in the kettle. The Sally Ann does good work. Just because there won’t be a gift tag with your name on it doesn’t mean your gift won’t make a difference in someone else’s world.

 

And on Christmas morning, when it’s time to open gifts, remember it’s not all about you. Step aside and let everyone else have their moment of sheer joy and wonder. Holiday time is for everyone.

 

Playing For Change

My friend and mentor, Bobby Ng, of The Pursuit Of Excellence personal development courses based out of Edmonton, sent me a link to an astonishing video today. This video is just a small sampling of a much larger project called Playing For Change. The video is part of the documentary that has traveled around the world collecting video of street musicians playing songs then piecing them together to form an outstanding musical experience from around the world.

 

From the award-winning documentary, "Playing For Change: Peace Through Music", comes the first of many "songs around the world" being released independently. Featured is a cover of the Ben E. King classic Stand By Me  by musicians around the world adding their part to the song as it traveled the globe. This and other songs such as "One Love" will be released as digital downloads soon; followed by the film soundtrack and DVD early next year.

Sign up at www.playingforchange.com for updates and exclusive content. Join the Movement to help build schools, connect students, and inspire communities in need through music.

 

Check out the video, check out their web site and then try to tell me that isn't a project that will change your attitude that we are all connected.

Bringing Outsiders In

You are, no doubt, familiar with the “swear jar:” putting money in a jar for every time you use a curse word? Rarely does anyone voluntarily contribute to the jar without being caught uttering a profanity. It requires a witness to make the other party cough up the cash. A contribution to the jar usually requires a little teasing or at least some chiding before the guilty party will ‘fess up. Once admitted, the realization is usually followed by another curse word at being caught and a double fine is issued.

When my daughter was growing up we had a jar in the house called the “I can’t” jar. Every time she uttered the words “I can’t,” she would contribute to the jar. I wanted to instill the lesson that she can - whatever she wanted to do she could do. The jar didn’t last long.

I was asked this week, while being interviewed for an article in Safe Supervisor magazine, how to bring “safety cowboys,” those who won’t get with the program by ignoring safety procedures, not wearing their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) or doing things they way they’ve always done them because they haven’t been hurt yet, into the fold and getting with the program. My answer was based on the “swear jar” concept.

Instilling a peer-patrolled, PPE-Check program that allows members of the work-site crew to monitor each other would be more beneficial than a top-down, supervisor-led program. Any member of the crew flagrantly flaunting the safety procedures could be assessed a fine of either a fixed cost (for example $20) or have the offender immediately jump into a vehicle and run to purchase a round of coffees for the rest of the crew at the offenders cost.

Currently, many job sites workers watch for the supervisor’s vehicle to approach and yell out a warning to the workers to “safety up” because the supervisor is on the way. This, unfortunately, makes the one person responsible for the safety of the crew the bad guy (Is the one person who actually cares that everyone goes home safely really the bad guy?). Whereas, the peer-patrolled program ensures that the workers are abiding by the rules at all times by being able to issue a fine to their fellow workers without the need for a supervisor to issue a warning or consequence.

The workers become judge-and-jury and majority rules in the assessment of a fine. Instantaneous gratification to those abiding by the rules at the expense of those who break the rules forces those who wish to operate outside of the rules to get in line or pay up.

The threat of teasing or chiding by one’s peers is a far more powerful compliance tool than the top-down philosophy in place in most workplaces. This same program could be applied outside of safety to issues like workplace tardiness, lack of customer service procedures (for example, customers not being acknowledged within a specific timeframe), missed deadlines that may hold up the progress of fellow workers or even an open display of disrespect for the workplace, the employer or one’s fellow workers.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Negativity, flaunting of the rules, not complying with procedures and grumbling are only allowed to foster in the workplace because there is no immediate consequence to the offender – and more importantly, there is no benefit for following procedures. So switch it up. Let managers manage and let the staff, the people who do the job everyday, police themselves. Empowering your people to improve workplace culture themselves encourages people to take ownership of what they do. People engage better when they have some control over what they do and how they do it. Call a brainstorming meeting and throw out an idea like this. Let your people take the idea, develop the mechanics and institute it themselves. You might be able to hide from the boss but it’s pretty tough to hide from your co-workers. And if you’re one of those on the outside refusing to get with the program, well, step up or pay up. If your workplace is fraught with whiners but you’re not one of them, you may never have to buy yourself another coffee ever again.

Cheap Or Safe? You Choose.

Last December, the government of the Province of Quebec passed legislation requiring all drivers in the province to have winter tires on their vehicles or face a fine equivalent to a new set of winter tires. It turns out that 38% of the accidents during winter months in Quebec are caused by the ten percent of the drivers who choose to drive all year on all-season tires. Quebec made the case, based simply on numbers, that in order to lower the number of collisions, lower insurance claims and lower numbers of injuries simply required a conscious decision to prepare oneself for less than optimum driving conditions. If the general public wouldn’t do it voluntarily, then in order to lower those numbers it would have to be mandated.

I made the switch to winter tires about four years ago and swear I will never attempt to drive in winter conditions on all-season tires again. There is a huge difference. In discussions with tire technicians over the years, I learned that all-season tires start to lose their grip at temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius (44 degrees Fahrenheit). Even with seemingly good driving conditions, a thin layer of frost on a road can cause you to lose your road grip and can cause you slide into another vehicle. If you live in any of the Canadian provinces or any of the Northern States, snow, ice and frost is a reality in the winter. Any barrier that comes between the rubber tread on the tire and dry pavement forces a driver to question him or herself while on the road. Any question, even a split-second of insecurity, makes you a worse driver than you would be in ideal driving conditions.

Drivers across Canada, however, are faced with a lack of selection of winter tires this year, some would say due to the new legislation in Quebec. Tires stores across the country are sold out of popular sizes (especially the less expensive tires) but if you look around, you can still find tires in your required size. You may just have to pay a little more.

Do you carry precious cargo in your vehicle (family, kids, etc)? Do you consider yourself to be valuable enough to your company and family to keep yourself safe? Do you possess a little courtesy when it comes to sharing the road with other drivers? How would you feel if your vehicle was damaged and you were hospitalized due to another driver’s decision to forego winter tires when those winter tires could have clearly helped avoid an accident with you? How would you feel if you took the life of someone else by simply trying to save a few bucks?

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Safety is an attitude. You either have the attitude or you don’t. There is no “sort-of” safety attitude. Far too many drivers choose to “cheap-out” when it comes to tires. The fact is that the average passenger car can be outfitted with winter tires for about $100 or less per tire. Let’s work that out. There are about one hundred and fifty days where snow, ice, slush or frost can come into play during the average Canadian winter. That works out to a daily cost of winter tires of about two and a half dollars per day for a set of four tires. Spread that figure over four winter seasons and the cost is just over sixty cents per day. What do you spend daily at Starbucks or Tim Horton’s each day? The truth is, you will have to replace your current tires at some point – especially if you drive all-season tires in the winter as the tread wears faster in colder conditions. But by driving on winter tires in the winter, you extend the life of your summer tires. If your tires are rated for 100,000 kilometers lifetime, then for every mile you drive on winter tires, you extend the life of your summer tires. Do the right thing and save your own life and perhaps the lives of others. Stop being cheap and start being safe.

Your Mission Statement

Do you know your organization's Mission Statement? If called upon, could you recite it correctly in front of your boss and co-workers? If you ARE the boss, could you recite the Mission Statement without hesitation and flawlessly?

If you've never taken the time to figure out what your Mission Statement is, then I'm going to hazard a guess that the organizational Mission Statement is full of generic messages that mean nothing at all and doesn't resonate with you or the people you work with.

"To be the best while offering superior service to our customers." (Boring)

"Treating our employees with respect so they can respect and serve our customers." (Yawn!)

"To be a successful organization making a healthy profit and leaving the world a better place." (Huh?)

How in the world are your people supposed to engage themselves on specific work if the mission or purpose of the work is not specific? Be specific. Be creative. Be bold. No really. Do it.

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Employees get a job description which is fairly detailed and specific in its duties. Why then is the purpose of the work not specific. Here's what needs to happen in your place of work during those slow days over the Christmas holidays when people are in the office just no one feels like actually working: assemble a team of thinkers and doers among your people from all levels of your workplace. Lock yourselves away in a board room and don't come out until you have a single sentence that every single person on staff can buy into - helping each employee engage in a purpose for doing the work. This is a great New Years resolution. Get at it and start making the work more meaningful.


Kevin Burns
Author & Attitude Adjuster
Adjusting Attitudes in Employee Engagement - Service Leadership - Corporate Safety

Toll-free 1-877-BURNS-11 www.kevburns.com

A Disturbing Question

I received a question this morning that disturbed me. The question is real.

 

"My father bought me a gold bracelet years ago for my seventeenth birthday. Every time I wear it, I get bad luck. And after I take it off, it takes me weeks to wash off the bad luck (financial loss, emotional roller coaster, weight gain, getting pulled over, etc....) Fast forward years later, I want to sell the bracelet because I can use the money. I have no desire to ever wear it again (although it looks very good). Every holiday season, my father asks me about the bracelet, and if I still have it. Should I sell it and say I lost it? Advice please."

 

Here is my response:

 

I think you answered your own question. You said that when you wear the bracelet you experience financial loss and now you want to sell the bracelet because you need the money? I'm going to guess that you weren't wearing the bracelet when you decided you needed more money. In fact, you said "fast forward years later" and you are still having financial difficulties. The problem isn't a cursed bracelet from your father. The problem is not being accountable for your life issues. No piece of jewellery comes with a curse. So stop blaming the jewellery for your "bad luck." Bad decisions create bad luck.

 

You don't gain weight from wearing a bracelet. I'm going to guess that poor eating habits, lack of exercise and insulating yourself from hurt may be to blame.

 

You don't get pulled over by police for wearing a bracelet. You get pulled over for speeding or driving poorly.

 

Bracelets don't cause emotional roller coasters. An inability to handle stress, poor view of your life circumstances and/or feeling out of control usually are the reasons behind an emotional roller coaster.

 

When you step up and become accountable for what you are and where you are in your life, you will soon figure out that good decisions overcome "bad luck." Life gets better when you get better.

 

Attitude Adjustment: No amount of blame on an inanimate object is ever going to improve your life circumstances. Blame is an outward view that something other than you is responsible for your results. Blame is what "victims" do. Stop being victimized by a loving gift that obviously meant much to the person who gave it to you - your father. Start figuring out what your decisions are that have led you to where you are in your life today and you'll soon figure out that the one common denominator in every difficult situation you find yourself in is not a bracelet. Take control of your life and stop handing all of the control over to a piece of jewellery. It's not making the decisions - you are.

How To Engage Employees

I have been saying it and writing about it for a couple of years now. And this week, proof positive that it works. What is it that I am speaking of? I'm speaking of getting employees more engaged in their work.

 

A new University of Alberta study, The Promise of Spirit at Work: Increasing Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment and Reducing Turnover and Absenteeism in Long-Term Care was published last month. The findings are no real surprise.

 

Everyone takes a job - or should I say, makes a career choice, for a reason. It is that very reason that most people can re-engage themselves with their work. All it takes is a little reminder once in a while that there was a reason each person chose initially to take a certain job. Rarely do you find yourself taking a job of last-resort. There are usually choices. It is in those choices that people find themselves with a mission or purpose for their lives: to feel that their contribution means something. It is in that feeling that engagement on the job takes place.

 

The study finds that for people who find a deeper purpose in their work, being of service, appreciation of themselves and others as well as a sense of community and self-care actually reduced absenteeism by 60% and reduced staff turnover by 75%.

 

In addition, those who reconnected with their mission saw a 23% increase in teamwork, a ten percent boost in job satisfaction and a seventeen percent jump in morale.

 

Employers benefited too: $12,000 of absenteeism-related costs saved in the five months following the study than over the same period last year.

 

And how difficult is it to see profound changes in employees from employers? It is simple really. Simply help your people remind themselves that the work they do has meaning. The employer must ensure that each employee's contribution is important.

 

Attitude Adjustment: Reminding employees that their work is valued is not done by memo, by email or by setting a policy. The work is done in a face-to-face discussion with an employee (formal or not as it doesn't really matter). The manager has to be willing to help his or her people see that the employee's contribution is being noticed and matters in the big scheme of things. If a manager finds it difficult to have a heartfelt conversation with a staff member, I will guarantee that engagement under that manager is low. Employees, however, can't sit around waiting to be stroked before they apply themselves. If the employee can't find any meaning in their work, then they should leave voluntarily or should be set adrift to find something that matters to them. Enough of the mindlessness at work. If you won't wrap your head around what you're doing, then find something else to do and let someone who can apply themselves do the job instead. 

Whiners Are Leaders Too

Kris is a retail sales representative in a department store. She has been with the store a long time and has proven herself to be one of the store’s top producers in sales. She has enjoyed her status as one of the top producers but unfortunately her success has made her a little arrogant on the job and this is where the problem begins for her.

 

Kris’s attitude is an air of self-deluded superiority and she harbors negative attitudes towards the store, the company and especially her immediate supervisor. She prattles on to some of the newer staff to ignore what the manager has to say and to just do things her way. She believes that her sales success affords her some kind of freedom and an entitlement to do as she pleases. However, time and again she is hauled into the manager’s office and has her hands slapped for saying negative things about the store and her manager - sometimes blatantly right in front of him.

 

“What are they going to do?” she asks some of the newer hires in the store. “Fire the top producer? They wouldn’t dare.”

 

After a hand-slapping, Kris will emerge from the manager’s office only to chide him again by laughing about getting her hand slapped.

 

There’s no doubt about Kris' arrogance on the job. It’s as though she is blatantly attempting to goad her manager into a showdown. Some of the staff resent her and the “I’m going to do things my way – to hell with the manager” attitude she possesses. It is a very uneasy situation for new hires. The new employees are responsible for working with Kris and maintaining a good working relationship with her and while also attempting to demonstrate their loyalty to the company and the boss – the person who gave them the job to start with. Most of the new staff and other department sales reps find themselves in a push-and-pull relationship between Kris and the boss.

 

You can imagine how difficult it would be to be working with a person who blatantly disrespects the boss. The tension in the air would be thick in this kind of work environment.

 

But as I studied Kris’ “could care less” attitude, the question that I came up with is how can Kris, with conviction, offer any kind of genuine customer service if she harbors feelings of resentment, disrespect and negativity towards her boss and her employer? How can she wave the company flag and be believable and genuine in her dealings with customers? Well she can’t. And she needs to be fired immediately.

 

Attitude Adjustment: I don’t care if the cause of a “cancer” in the workplace is the top producer. Anyone who will not show respect to a boss and to co-workers will not show any sort of respect to anyone – including the customer. Remove the cancer before it spreads to the rest of the staff. The boss, unfortunately, looks like a jellyfish by not doing the right thing and sending her packing as soon as possible. Until Kris is fired, she will continue to negatively infect the rest of the staff. Kris, sadly, is a leader. Leadership isn’t about who is in charge. Anyone who has followers is considered a leader – even if they whine, moan, complain and flaunt the rules on the job. Kris’ leadership abilities are misdirected and are causing pain for her, her manager and her co-workers. The solution is to kick her to the curb as soon as possible and send a message to the staff that disrespect is not tolerated. (I am sure a sigh of relief would collectively be breathed by the staff anyway.) At the same time, the staff will rise to the occasion and pick up where Kris left off and will serve their customers in a manner more befitting them. Unfortunately, sometimes “leaders” can be misdirected and negative. That sort of leadership will kill an organization. The negative leader must be deposed before morale goes into the toilet.

Get Rich - Right Now

The world economy is a little shaky right now. The politicians are throwing bail-out packages around like treats at Halloween (all you have to do is come to the door of government and hold open your pillow case and magically that pillow case will be stuffed with cash).

 

Personally, I believe that some businesses can actually turn things around by offering a helping hand during this tough economic time and I am willing to support some of them being helped. But I will never go so far as to say that government should just blindly give money away. I think there needs to first be a trade-off. Here’s what I’m thinking: before money ever gets doled out to a company, there needs to be a caveat in place that requires that the senior management team that lead the business to the point of needing a bailout must first resign and a new management team be put in place or there will be no forthcoming bailout package.

 

Why would anyone reward any senior management’s poor performance with more free money?  How will anyone ever be held accountable if a CEO is allowed to make poor decisions and poor choices and recklessly lead his company to a state of financial turmoil while at the same time being given bags of free money to do it all again? No, no, no. If the money is to save workers’ jobs, then the guys at the top need to go so the workers can be spared.

 

It’s the same idea as one company buying out another company. Senior management of the company being purchased is usually sent packing in a buyout. The same rules should apply here. Since the new investor is government (technically that means you and I), then we should have the right to remove poorly performing managers before we invest our money. Einstein said it best: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” So the guys who got their companies this close to bankruptcy need to go before any more money changes hands.

 

Other businesses and organizations are restructuring, re-tooling, re-thinking, re-adjusting and sometimes regretting not putting enough away for a rainy day – and guess what? It’s raining today.

 

But the point of my writing today isn’t so much about whether or not there is a need for bailouts. My point here today is to discuss the almost certain onslaught of shady individuals and businesses who will attempt to cash in on scared workers and those who fear for their livelihood. When people begin to fear losing their livelihood then without fail, along come those despicable individuals who will offer the “overnight millionaire” scam. They will make grand promises of quick money, easy riches and millionaire lifestyles if you would only purchase their “sure-fire” program. They will sell that program with grand promises of easy money and openly lie to you that if you would purchase their program, you will be able to quit your job and live the easy life - if you would only part with several hundred or several thousand dollars (usually the last of the savings for families hovering close to poverty).

 

The problem here is that most of these “overnight millionaire” scams claim to require little or no effort. Look, if a program or scheme promises you won’t have to work, won’t have to make any effort, just part with hundreds or thousands of dollars and follow a “simple” 1-2-3 step program, you’re getting cheated.

 

Attitude Adjustment: This is not a time for rash decisions and depending upon wild hopes and dreams. Anyone who promises you overnight riches with little or no effort is only after your money. Don’t be a fool. Don’t get taken. Don’t buy the “overnight millionaire” scam. Look, you didn’t get where you are financially overnight. It took a lot of years to get to exactly where you are today. No “1-2-3 program” is going to solve your problems overnight. Don’t buy in. Resist as much as possible. If you want to help yourself right now and you don’t handle money very well, find someone (a financial planner for example) who can help you do better with what you have. Read. Learn. Study. Become better informed about you, your money and how you handle it all. Please. Please. Please. Don’t get sucked into the get-rich-quick schemes. The only one who gets rich is the one who just took your money.

 

 

Silliness Is Everywhere

A trip to the grocery store is usually a mundane thing. But not yesterday. As I walked through the Produce department of my neighborhood grocery store in Calgary, the sign above the bananas display had me in fits of out-loud-laughter.

 

The sign simply read: "Imported Bananas. 78 cents a pound."

 

Just to be sure that we, as consumers, didn't think we were being duped into buying Labrador Goldfingers or Winnipeg Bluefields or, heaven forbid, Prince Rupert Brazilian Dwarf bananas, they had to erect a sign that actually read: "Imported."

 

I had to buy some and surprisingly, the imported bananas taste every bit as good as the regular, run-of-the-mill Canadian bananas we buy every day.

 

Attitude Adjustment: Go looking for it and you'll find a chuckle every day.

What Goes Around Comes Around

A few months ago my friend and business partner, Marty Park, blogged about how he doesn’t watch the evening news anymore.

“So how much media do you need to take in before you start to recognize you feel bad about the state of the world, the state of your city, your health, your car, your community, etc? I have said be careful of your inputs before. Be careful what you listen to, what you read and what you absorb. The media is often the absolute worst source of information. The news is now made up of opinion as much as it is fact today.”

I witnessed first-hand this week exactly what Marty was writing about. The eleven o’clock news on Global Television (owned by Canwest Global) lead with this story: an Internet television production company catering to the energy sector is laying-off ten employees (out of 100). Could this be the sign that the energy sector in Canada is in trouble? Even the spokesman for the company played it down, “We had to hire pretty quickly when the big boom was on. Now that things have started to settle down a bit we’re simply letting go some of the people who aren’t a really good fit with our organization.”

Are you kidding me? The energy sector is in real trouble because an Internet television production company is laying-off a few people – can you smell my sarcasm in this one? Is this story big enough to justify the “lead” story on any newscast? Will the people of Alberta wake up tomorrow morning and find that their world has changed because of these ten layoffs?

Even the next story, in a blatant attempt at sensationalism, was a little over the top: Westjet Airlines only made a $55 million profit in the last quarter – down from $72 million in the same quarter one year ago. As the Westjet spokesman said, “We are still the most profitable airline per ratio in North America and Top 3 in the world.” Global news tried in vain to show how the economy is crumbling because of Westjet’s "huge" drop in profits.

Literally, I was swearing at the television and the twenty-something news anchor who simply reads the story the way her News Director says to. Oh tell me it isn’t so. The world is coming to an end. Ten people were laid-off and Westjet only made $55 million profit (just in case you missed that last word - PROFIT) in ninety days. Just to put it in perspective, that's a profit of over $600,000 each and every day for 90 straight days.

But then today, proof positive that what goes around comes around. Newspaper publisher and broadcaster Canwest Global announced Wednesday it was cutting five per cent of its workforce across the country, or about 560 jobs, as part of its streamlining of operations in the face of an economic slowdown. The elimination of 210 broadcast and 350 publishing jobs involves voluntary buyouts, attrition and layoffs, and is expected to reduce annual operating costs by about $61 million, the company said in a release.

Attitude Adjustment: What you think about you bring about. You will always find what you look for. You will attract those things that you most worry about. Be careful what news and opinions you expose yourself to. Become a voracious reader. If you’re going to read a newspaper each day, read two – just for balance. If you’re going to watch evening news, watch them all and sort of the chaff from the wheat yourself. If all you do is subscribe to conspiracy web sites, well there's no hope for you. The more we read, the more we know. The more we know, the better our judgment. With good judgment, we are already ahead of most. As Mark Twain once said, “A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.” And be very picky about who you get your information from and the influences that surround you daily.

Web Surfing In The Sky

Now, I don't get the chance to congratulate Air Canada for much these days (what with the fuel surcharge, extra bag charges, overweight bag charges, yadda yadda yadda) but I couldn't pass this one up. Starting sometime in the spring of 2009, Air Canada will start offering live Internet web service on some of their flights.

Here's some of what their Press Release had to say:

Air Canada intends to begin operating Gogo (on-board Internet Service) by spring 2009 aboard Airbus A319 aircraft on select flights to the U.S. west coast and will be accessible by customers with a standard, wi-fi equipped laptop or Personal Electronic Device (PED). Initially, the Gogo system will be powered by Aircell's (the company providing the Internet service) existing network and only available in the U.S. in order to make Air Canada's rollout fast, economical and simple. Upon successful completion of the initial phase, Air Canada plans to extend the system throughout its North American and International markets as Aircell's coverage network expands.

So, the only question I have: Will I have to pay for it once I'm on board? You've got to know that there will always be a charge while you're being held captive in a steel tube hurtling through the air at forty thousand feet. Where else can you go?

Quality Service Marketing Interview Part 2

A couple of weeks ago, I let you know that Part 1 of my interview with Sybil Stershic of Quality Service Marketing was available on her site. Part 2 is available now. Click here!

Human Resources - The New Corporate Sales Force

The battle for new talent is on. As Boomers are retiring in record numbers over the next few years, finding a workforce that can replace a Boomer's experience, ethic and diligence is going to be a tall order. In fact, too many organizations are resigned to the fact that they won't be able to replace their retiring employees as well. That to me is bullfeathers. Only one thing has to change - the Human Resources Attitude.

Corporations are competing with each other now more than ever over potential employees who don't speak the same language as the people trying to recruit them. It's not done purposely. It's just that Gen Y's fresh out of university don't often get appointed to the post of HR Director. Therefore the people doing the hiring now are older than the people they're hiring and the truth is that the recruiter and potential employee may not speak the same language.

Once upon a time, a Human Resources manager was pretty much the go-to person if you had questions about company benefits or wanted to confirm your number of vacation days. Outside of those two things, most employees were at a loss to explain what HR really did. So, what exactly is HR's responsibility in the corporate world today? Outside of what any HR professional would care to explain, ultimately the job is Sales. HR pros, you can go ahead and argue this one but if you do, you're missing my point (and probably a lot of really good people in the process).

Every job is sales and service. Think about it, sales and service is the starting point to how every company grows and prospers. If your organization is looking for the future stars of tomorrow then you've got to start finding them, attracting them and selling them on why they should come to your organization. That means you're in sales. And you had better be able to speak the language too.

Now, don't get me wrong. There are plenty of people who are willing to drop their resume on your desk in the hopes that you will hire them. There are a lot of people looking for work throughtout the USA and Eastern Canada. There will always be a steady flow of applicants. But what I am talking about is the top talent - the talent that every organization would love to have and the kind of talent that probably already has a job and is in high demand.

So, as an HR pro, consider stealing away valuable people from other organizations. If you want the good people you will have to go out and get them. Their current employers are probably trying to keep them too. Getting them to talk to you is going to take a little selling.

(Note: If your good people are being lured away and not near as many good people are joining your organization, then you have a corporate culture problem. You are going to have to sell even harder now to change that culture.)

The new Gen Y worker doesn't speak "Boomer" and has a resume that looks more like a road-trip hotel itinerary than a Curriculum Vitae. HR pros need to brush up on the jobs they are trying to fill. They need to know exactly what is entailed in every job (probably wouldn't be a bad idea to actually spend a little time in each department getting to know the inner-workings of your own organization if you expect to be able to attract and sell that top talent to come work at your place).

The new HR pro had better know their competitors too. Potential employees will want to know how you stack up against your competitor and you had better have a really good answer - something more than just platitudes of "honoring employees" and "respectful communications" and (ugh - my favorite) "a team-focused environment." Be real. Tell the truth. Acknowledge your weaknesses and show a potential employee how their contribution will actually make a difference to the organization and the culture.

So let's see: HR people have to know the language, need to be able to see through the gaping holes in resumes, need to know virtually every job in their own organization (that's called Product Knowledge), they need to network where these new workers are and lastly, they need to know their competitors and find that competitive advantage. Yep, sure sounds like Sales to me.

Attitude Adjustment: the HR pro that looks at the job as a sales position will be the winner in the search for top talent. If you think the job is some ivory-tower position, the best you'll ever do is to get is the leftovers after the good ones have already been picked. Start reading the books on selling and you'll quickly move further ahead than the HR person who refuses to believe that good talent needs to be acquired, schmoozed and ultimately, communicated with on a completely different level than the person who walks in with a resume hoping that you're hiring today. The marketplace is changing quickly. So should you.

Arrogance vs. Attitude

Question posed this week: What would you do from your own professional perspective to overcome an arrogant attitude in management and encourage to them in being proactive in accepting the necessity, convenience and relevance of an organizational change?

Let's be clear. In most instances, it's not "management" that is arrogant. It is the individual people who hold the title "manager” who may be arrogant. Some managers have come to believe that their title carries with it a deluded belief that they are superior to those who work for them. Change the attitudes of the individuals and you can begin to successfully change the culture throughout the organization. But without acknowledging the existence of the arrogance attitude within oneself, there is likely to be little change in this regard.

Management is not the same as leadership. Management is a title. Leadership is an attitude. I doubt that a true leader, one who genuinely wanted his or her people to become better, smarter and more efficient and to become the best people they could become, would operate from a place of arrogance. But one who chose to try to keep his or her minions down would be operating from that arrogance place.

Here’s a self-test for managers: have you met every single person in your department and had at least one conversation with each of them? If not, what is keeping you from doing that? I can guarantee that employee engagement will increase when the employee begins to feel that their contribution matters. Leadership is encouraging performance that perhaps even surpasses the abilities of the leader. Leaders are selfless. It’s impossible to be arrogant when an individual is selfless.

In any organization, it is not only leaders holding management positions. In fact, arrogant managers actually fear employees who are perceived by their peers as leaders within the ranks. Employees with leadership abilities are influencers. Arrogant managers fear influencers who could undermine their position.

But a real influencer may also be able to influence the arrogant manager by having a private conversation, away from prying ears. It takes courage but it is possible.

Also, it takes courage from consultants and speakers to say what needs saying instead of plying platitudes to ensure the check gets signed. This is an all-too-sad truth in our industry – saying what is safe to say instead of saying what needs to be said.

Attitude Adjustment: There is good news on dealing with arrogant managers. As the market changes (customers expecting better service, expectations of quality products, purchasing patterns, economic forces, etc.,) so will the attitudes of managers ... eventually. All is not lost. This transition time, as Boomers leave the workplace and are replaced by Gen Y's or Millenials, the dynamics of the relationships between those at the top and those who actually do the work will begin to change. The one saving grace is that the customer (us) can tell the difference. We customers vote with our dollars. When the polls (dollars) start to swing away from those organizations with arrogant leadership, the shareholders of those same organizations will correct the problem in short order. The market always has a way of correcting itself.

One Person Makes Every Decision

Here’s a question that was posed to me this week: what do you think is the major cause for an organization suffering unnecessary employee attrition or turnover?

I would hazard a guess that the vast majority of people would point the finger at: bad hiring, bad management, poor wages, stifling organizational culture, not keeping promises, misrepresentation of the work involved or failure to align with the corporate vision or mission statement.

There are a ton of possible reasons, most of them pointing the finger at a nebulous position or something else. Have we lost sight of the prime component here? Don't we undertsand that as long as we blame an entity or a position that we can’t quantify, that we will continue to face the same issues?

What about the employee who “needs” daily ego-stroking? Is it management’s job or the responsibility of “culture” to ensure that needy employees get their daily dose of Vitamin “Ego?” Not every single employee is cut from the same cloth. Just because they may have attended the same school doesn’t mean they have the same qualities and values as the next person.

HR needs to stop considering candidates for interview primarily from resumes. The world is changing. The new generation of worker bounces around from job-to-job looking for a fit. The new generation of workers doesn’t interview as well as older workers (unless they can interview by text message). The new generation of worker doesn’t even think like their interviewer (generational gaps). Can your HR department figure out what makes this worker tick?

Ask yourself this question: when your place of business has an opening, does it simply hire a body or does your place of work see the value and skill-set in a potential candidate and make a place for that person? There's a difference. Discover what your people are really good at and encourage them to do what they do best. Then hire someone else to do the work not being done but make sure they want to do it.

Want to change the culture? Change the people. I’m not talking about firing the lot. I’m talking about providing tools that employees could grow as people, could get better, more confident, build their individual self-esteem, improve their decision-making capacity, improve their communication skills and improve their daily dispositions and attitudes. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know. It’s soft skills training. But if you really want to grow your organization you will first have to grow your people.

Organizations work fine. It’s people who screw them up. Fix the individual and you will fix the organization and the performance of the organization. But unfortunately, we’ve become a society of finger-pointers and blamers. And in doing so, it’s easy to blame an entity or a title (department) for the results.

In fact, some will actually argue with me that it’s got to be harder than just making the people better. My response is; have you tried it yet? Have you fully experienced poor results from actually implementing some sort of personal-development culture within your organization and can, from a place of experience, say it doesn’t work because you’ve actually tried it?

Attitude Adjustment: If you don’t make a change on the focus of the problem, you will never solve it. Every decision, every success and every screw-up in every organization can be traced back to just one person. Improve the person and you improve the decision. Improve the person and you improve the work. Improve the person and you improve the performance. Improve the person and you improve the attitude towards the job. Improve the person and you improve the attrition rate. Simple huh? Now stop blaming “management” for not allowing this to happen and go talk to the one person who can make the decision. It all boils down to one person – always.

The Leadership Philosophy

“How many people have actually read the ‘Belief’ Statement?” I said as I pointed to the large Belief Statement banner which stood upon the stage next to me.

A single hand out of almost two hundred attendees was raised. That hand, funny enough, belonged to meeting planner who had hired me.

“Are you serious?” was my incredulous response.

The one item out of the seven listed on the Belief Statement banner that I was drawing attention to made reference to each staff member being responsible for their own ongoing, continuous self-improvement and learning. I personally think that the responsibility for self-improvement should be on the individual and not the employer, no matter what.

So over the course of the hour that I addressed this group, I continually referenced the importance of self-improvement and a dedication to continuous learning.

I believe that taking fifteen minutes a day, a single coffee-break, to learn something today that may improve you personally or professionally, will show results exponentially down the road. Reading a chapter in a book that can improve your job performance, your willingness to stretch yourself, to learn a new skill or to enhance your skill set will, down the road, affect your paycheck.

The more you learn, the more valuable you become, the more likely you will be rewarded for your value.

Your employer is likely to see little reason to invest more resources or more money in you if you have not demonstrated a return on investment by investing in yourself first. And the truth is that if your employer is not able to see the results of your self-improvement strategy, it is likely that another employer will see it and offer you more to come to work there instead.

You don’t have to be in a management position to continually upgrade yourself. Just because someone has the title “manager” doesn’t mean they are a leader. Sometimes, and contrary to what many employers believe, people who could lead a revolt against management have much more leadership ability than the managers they themselves work for.

Attitude Adjustment: Leadership is an attitude. Management is a title. You can possess one without the other. The two do not necessarily go hand in hand. The person who continuously self-improves puts him or herself in a much better position to influence others than does the manager who stops learning one he or she gets the title. Just because you’re not the boss doesn’t mean you’re not a leader. And just because you’re not a leader doesn’t mean you can’t be the boss. I mean, c’mon, we’ve all worked for bosses that had little leadership ability. The leader is the person who has demonstrated that he or she could always improve and makes a plan to make sure they are ahead of the pack. If you’re ahead of everyone else and they seem to be following you, then you must be the leader right? Open a book and start learning how to get in front.

Pursuit Of Excellence

About eleven years ago, at a time when I had lost my Dad and my marriage, I was searching for something. I'm not sure what it was I was searching for but I was damn sure I didn't have it.

At the time I was selling photocopiers and fax machines (because faxes were the "in" thing at the time). It was an honorable profession and one that I learned how to hone my sales skills in very quickly. Honorable profession but tough.

I had been invited to attend an introductory session of a personal development course in January that year and after the one-hour introduction, I spent eight months resisting what it might do for me. Why? Honestly, I gave a lot of reasons but the truth was I didn't have the money and was afraid to admit it. Then someone invited me barbecue. About 40 people attended and I knew probably half of them. These forty or so people were all graduates of the same course I was resisting. They seemed to have what I wanted - some kind of sense of purpose and a joy of life. Within thirty days I was in the course.

Over the next few years I took other courses in the series and even chose to be a team assistant at many of these same courses. I lost touch for a few years but never lost the tools I developed.

Last weekend, I went back to sharpen the tools I had gotten those years earlier. It's true what they say about this course - "You will learn something new every time you go back." And I did this past weekend.

I'm feeling a little more peaceful and a little less stressed today. I recognize the things that have made me successful and the little areas I need to improve on. I know I am on track with my life today and know where I am going. A lot of questions got answered in a long-weekend.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the name of the course. It's called The Pursuit of Excellence. Curious? Click here.