Long term solutions

A third rate public educational system – right here in America

by

Arizona watched the antics of the Superintendent of Schools and other public education officials in total dismay.  The latest was a scuffle over a microphone at a public meeting.  No one is paying attention to the fact that Arizona ranks virtually dead last in the country for public education.   And the top state officials are in a contest over a microphone?  Seriously?

Why is this issue important to those in the corporate world?  American companies are looking overseas for qualified workers because the U.S. is producing too few STEM qualified workers.  The Phoenix area reportedly lost an opportunity to have two major tech companies relocate to the area because of the lack of qualified workers.  Even more telling was the reluctance of management staff to relocate their families to a state where public education is obviously held in low regard.

If business in the U.S. is to remain competitive and commit to hiring qualified American workers, business leaders are going to have to step up and help the education side of the house.  This has been done in the past and continues in some regions.  Leaders in business and communities will need to exercise their leadership skills to insure the American public education system becomes second to none and insure that future generations have a solid foundation in the educational essentials that will take their businesses well into the 21st century.  Americans must realize that having students graduate from high school with the skills of a sixth grader will insure that they qualify only for menial jobs, nothing like the highly technical positions the job market of the 21st century demands.  When are we going to implement the needed changes to our public education model?

Change

by

For the past week I’ve made it a point to spend a few minutes watching the night sky,  marveling at the vision of the crescent moon in line with Venus and Jupiter.  We’ve just experienced the summer solstice and the axis tilt has occurred without incident.  We’ll experience another change with the winter solstice.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could plan all our changes within our organizations and have them go as smoothly as the changing constellations in the night sky and the axis tilt with each solstice?

Change in any setting can be stressful.  As leaders, we have a responsibility for insuring that changes are implemented as needed and done so in such a way that our staffs continue to know that they are vital members of the organization.  Any time a change is implemented without first informing the staff, we ask for problems.  The biggest problem will be addressing the perception that our people’s contributions to the organization are no longer valued and they, as individuals, have no further value.

Effective leaders will empower their staff members to encourage them to take a vested interest in the successful implementation of change.  They can be trusted sources of information on potential problems and possible resolutions.  Leaders can be effective role models by showing their staffs that they know some changes are necessary and some changes are implemented to try out new ideas and stimulate creativity.  For whatever reason change is implemented, quality leaders will need to take the time to reassure their staff and properly convey that each individual is valued.  That approach will go a long way toward insuring a successful change.

Change or Chaos?

by

Implementing change, even in the best of times, can be problematic and frustrating. If you want a real life example, did you see Tiger Woods’ less than stellar performance at this year’s Phoenix Open?  It raised a question in my mind – why would one of the best golfers in history seek out advice from recent swing coaches who, in my assessment, apparently rely heavily upon reading books and observing others?  Isn’t that like going to an elephant trainer to learn how to ride a horse?  Obviously Tiger has chaos, not change.

As the leader of your organization, do you want to do something better than Tiger?  Successful implementation of change means involving key players in the development of your implementation plan.  Would it surprise you to learn that your key players may not be the people you think of first?  Your key players are those folks who know their jobs better than anyone else in your organization and can talk easily to you about those jobs.  They constantly seek out opportunities to improve their skills, expand their knowledge, and share that with the team.   They have an inherent desire to excel and to give the organization their best every day. Identify those folks, engage them in a dialog (you ask questions and then actively listen to their responses) and task them with developing a realistic plan to implement the changes needed.  I think you’ll be pleased with how smoothly that whole process goes.

Oh, and a note to Tiger – drop the swing coaches and go talk to  the legends in golf like Arnie, Jack, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player and others who have proven their greatness. You’ll gain more from a session or two with these stellar players than from all the folks you’ve hired recently.

Boundaries

by

About a month ago a large four-year old red Doberman “pup” joined the household.  I share this with you because of some lessons I’ve had reinforced for me.  Elliot was, until about a month ago,  emotionally neglected.  The basics of food, water, and shelter were met but the emotional connection was missing. To tug on your heart strings, he cried himself to sleep that first night, forlorn sobs reflecting his confusion and his anxiety.  It’s been a  daily task to help him learn the rules and boundaries.  Why put him through this?  Because dogs can completely stress out when boundaries are not clearly stated and enforced.  As he learns what is expected of him Elliot’s behavior is getting much better, his anxiety is lower and life is getting so much easier for him.

Let’s jump to your organizations.  Do you and all your employees know the boundaries?  Are the rules, regulations, policies and procedures of your organization clearly stated?  Does everyone know the consequences of failing to adhere to those boundaries?  Are you consistent in enforcing the boundaries or do some employees get a pass while others have their feet held to the fire?  If the latter scenario is at play is it any wonder that employee morale, loyalty and performance may be much lower than expected. Given that scenario it’s no surprise to me that problems persist and collaborative problem solving may simply exist on paper as a goal to be achieved.  Take a good hard look at your organization – better still have a professional problem solver take that look with you.  Identification of the boundaries will be more accurate, as will the assessment of how well they’re enforced.

Boundaries – they really are that important.

Emotional Correctness

by

Effective problem solving is an essential tool to help insure the success of any organization.  In the past decade or so many organizations have surrendered to the social pressure of implementing political correctness into the organizational culture.  I suggest that rather than help solve problems PC has stifled constructive dialog and collaborative problem solving.  PC advocates have basically shut down any differing viewpoint. This has eliminated any real chance to find common ground where the parties can begin to work toward finding long term solutions.

I propose that leaders implement a new approach – emotional correctness.  What is emotional correctness?  We all have learned it by another name – the Golden Rule.  Treat others as you would like to be treated.  No fancy titles, no fancy outcomes.  By providing your employees with opportunities to get to know one another and modeling the same behavior, you set the stage where dialog and collaboration are valued.  It’s very difficult to be a negative influence when all around you are showing respect and decency to one another.  Emotional correctness (“EC”) encourages collaborative problem solving because we start from a point of common ground and a point where manners and respect are valued.  Treating one another with respect encourages brainstorming and realistic evaluation of the various selected alternatives.  Why?  Because it encourages people to treat others as if they have value.  With EC in place, the focus remains on the issue, situation or behavior, not the individual.

So, by whatever name we call it – EC, the Golden Rule, mutual respect, or whatever, let’s give this approach another try.  Let’s see if we can return to an atmosphere of problem solving which focuses on the issues rather than allowing PC attacks on those who dare to have an original thought or idea.

 

Disneyland or Disney World?

by

I recently made my first visit to Disneyland and admit that I made some comparisons with previous trips to Disney World.  I was asked by a cast member at Disneyland if there was a difference and after answering “yes,” I found myself qualifying my response.

Obviously there’s a difference in the physical layout.  Disneyland appears as an oasis of gentility and customer service but escaping the surrounding urban environment is hard to do.  Disney World is a community unto itself.  Escaping the everyday world is easy once you pass onto the grounds and easier still if you stay at one of the resort hotels.  My favorite?  The Wilderness Lodge.

But there the differences end.  The similarities are easy to find. All the staff and cast members are dedicated to the philosophy of making each visitor’s stay memorable.  Whether they agree with management or not, it’s hard to find a Disney employee who imposes their issues on visitors.  What’s the end result?  The Disney product, whether in Anaheim or Orlando, reflects a successful customer oriented approach that works.

Can you adopt a similar philosophy that works for your organization?  You may not be Disney but your work ethic and customer service are just as important.  Are you, as the leader of your organization, willing to work with your staff to identify and support a philosophy that enhances the success of your organization?  After all, what do you have to lose by following such a path.  You might even regain Aunt Nell’s support by such a customer and employee oriented approach.

Disneyland or Disney World – two entities within the same organization offering two unique experiences while showcasing a unified customer service oriented philosophy.

Own your ignorance – and change it!

by

Let’s be honest.  Ignorance is not bliss.  Nor is it the negative connotation that most people get when we use the word.  Ignorance, in the context I’m using it, means not having the skill set or the mind set to tackle the persistent personnel issues hurting your organization.  So own your ignorance to the extent that you acknowledge that you have neither the time nor the skills to personally address the issues.  Unless you’re willing to expend both time and effort to become a professional problem solver you’re going to have to have the courage and grace to accept help from others.

Now to change the ignorance and become wise – professional problems solvers have no agenda other than helping you resolve the issues which you’ve identified.  An additional advantage to using the problem solver is that they may be able to identify the real source of the problem rather than focus just on the symptoms.  Accepting help from others won’t diminish your authority or influence within the organization.  Can you imagine the positive impact upon your staff?  It enhances your leadership by letting others know that you’re comfortable calling upon others with better developed problem resolution skills than yours.  It showcases your decision making skills while also demonstrating the importance you place on people.  Having the problems resolved once and for all can only enhance people’s work experience and eventually the organization’s success.

Lesson to be taken from all this?  Accept that you can use the help of a professional problem solver and gain the experience and knowledge needed to  become wise.  Everyone comes out a winner.

Can it get any worse?

by

Aunt Nell was furious with you.  Over the objections of the board you went ahead and commissioned a new program to implement political correctness.  After spending almost half a million dollars on your plan, the new employee job satisfaction surveys have come in.  Good Lord!  Aunt Nell pointed out that despite the money spent productivity is no higher and surprisingly, employee satisfaction is flat in some areas and down significantly in others.   “All you’ve done is introduce our employees to tyranny cloaked in the appearance of manners,” she pointed out.  When you stated that we’re now in the 21st century and political correctness was the dominant approach, meaning the company had to consider the feelings of people, she slammed her hand on your desk.  “You’ve forgotten our history,” she said in a frosty tone of voice.  “You’ve just told me that treating people with dignity and respect is obsolete.  When your grandparents started this company people were hired on the basis of their qualifications.  We didn’t care about their race, sex, color or creed and we still don’t.  We don’t even care what they do in the privacy of their own homes as long as it’s not illegal.  What matters is that we created and maintain a business where people feel valued for their contributions.  You’ve created an atmosphere where people can’t even talk with one another about issues or behaviors, for fear of being labeled a racist, bigot, sexist or whatever.”  She got up to leave.  “Since when have the demands of a vocal tyrannical minority been more important than treating everyone with dignity and respect?  All of our employees matter, not just those who want to promote their own agenda.  Give me one concrete example where your political correctness has built a cooperative sense of belonging to a team that truly values you as an individual.  You need to take a good hard look at what you’ve done to this company. More importantly, take a hard look at the message you’ve sent our employees. You don’t listen to what our employees have to say.  Instead, you hide behind some fad set of policies. You think I’m a meddler because I frequently visit with our employees.  What’s the name of the foreman in our Branch #2?  How’s his wife doing after her surgery?”  Aunt Nell walked to the door.  “We don’t need your political correctness.  We need to continue to treasure our employees because at the end of the day, they’re the foundation of our success.”

Some thoughts

by

I was fortunate to spend time at Walt Disney World recently and I was struck by the change in people as they stood in line for rides, food, etc.  The Disney corporation has certainly created a happy place for millions of visitors.   Another thought also struck me.  Disney could not successfully create such a place if it were a truly horrible corporation in which to work as some media stories over the years have tried to portray.

If you’re going to be an effective leader you need to understand that happy employees make far more significant and positive contributions to the success of your organization.  Those contributions tend to improve the bottom line as well.  Making sure your employees are “happy” doesn’t mean bending over backwards and kowtowing to every demand.  It does mean that you lead effectively.  That means you educate yourself on the importance of group dynamics, especially in your organization, and use those dynamics in a positive way to achieve your organizational goals.  It means being fair and consistent in your dealings with people.  Customer service is important especially when extended to employees.  Set goals that both challenge and fulfill your staff.  Work should never be toxic but hard work never hurt anyone.  Have the courage and persistence to look at the way work gets done and see if new ways might be more effective and profitable.  Don’t settle for mediocre either in yourself or your staff.  Knowledge and proper use of group dynamics can lead to a workplace where everyone dares to be extraordinary.  How bad can that be?

Frustration 101

by

I have been traveling lately and have used my iPad liberally on the flights.  I’ve even downloaded a few game apps to kill some time while in the air.  I recently found myself a tad bit frustrated when a screen message popped up telling me that it appeared I was having trouble and perhaps the purchase of several expensive power boosts would help.  Ya think?  What to do with the frustration?  How stupid would it be to throw the iPad down the aisle?  Would that really make it easier for me to complete the level and move on?

How do you deal with the frustration of thinking a problem has been solved only to see it rear its ugly head time and time again?  What about all those phone calls and conversations with Aunt Nell where she tells you every little thing you’re doing wrong and why can’t you just do things her way?

Something to consider – group dynamics.  Both formal and informal groups exist within your organization and both are communication channels.  Why not communicate your sense of frustration, not so much to vent but rather as a way of seeking input from your staff?  Let your staff know that you’re aware that some problems never seem to get solved.  Will a realistic and lasting solution be found?   Consider asking your staff members how they would tackle the issue.  Keep the boundaries clear, whatever boundaries you set, but then listen as an active listener.