Reflections

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It is that time of year when many of us reflect upon our accomplishments in the previous months and begin thinking of new goals or resolutions we hope to meet next year. One thing is certain – we are all facing some potentially serious changes in the coming year. As the leaders of our organizations we must have our plans in place for implementing those changes. Our employees, our staffs are relying upon us to present the changes in a calm and reasoned fashion. As we reflect upon what has passed and what will be, let us all make a concerted effort to understand those who disagree with us (“do we really need to make that change?”), model emotional correctness, and engage in collaborative discussions and problem solving. With such an effort we might find that the chaos which seems to dominate the news will become a thing of the past.
If it helps to calm your concerns about how to implement changes in the short and long term, consider a new resolution for 2016. Know that we at Problem Solving Consultants are committed to working with you to find realistic and lasting solutions to the issues you have identified. Working together we can help you implement the changes you want.

Can your organization survive an all out PC attack?

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Do the actions of the political correctness (“PC”) movement gone wild bother you?  They should.  The attacks taking place by the small but vocal minority of intellectual tyrants should grab the attention of every CEO in the country.  This movement is not about to stop with institutions of higher learning and our organizations could be next.  Can we survive?

I am a strong advocate of emotional correctness.  This is a philosophy which advocates that people treat one another with civility and respect, even when they disagree with a position, policy or statement.  Political correctness advocates that everyone is entitled to an opinion, so long as it agrees with the opinion held by the vocal minority.  Nothing suggests that when the PC  supporters encounter a different viewpoint that they have to be respectful of others or even civil.  On the contrary – shouting expletives seems to be the usual response.

On the other hand, emotional correctness is founded upon the belief that all people have value and are entitled to form their own opinions, whether they agree with ours or not.  As the leaders of our organizations, insuring that our organizational culture fosters and advances emotional correctness can be an effective first line of defense against PC assaults.  If allegations of harassment are made we have a responsibility to report that behavior to the proper authorities.  If the facts support a prosecution, we must support the actions by law enforcement and the courts.  If the facts do not support a prosecution our organizations must take steps to insure the situation is fully discussed and addressed.  Now is not the time to take the ostrich position.  Become proactive, implement emotional correctness within our organizational cultures and be prepared for the PC assault which may be heading our way.

Problem Solving 101

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As I listen to many of those taking center stage I wonder how many of these individuals know the first thing about problem solving.  It seems like we have heard this story time and time again. How about if we do “Problem Solving 101” and let’s see if anyone is really paying any attention.

To everyone in a management or leadership position: The key to problem solving is having the courage to admit that there is a problem.  This can be especially hard if the problem is with one of your ideas or your brainchild.  But if all you are going to do is address the symptoms you are going to have to accept the full responsibility for the consequences of not doing your job.

The next important key is to close your mouth and listen.  You hired the best and the brightest for your organization.  Trust them to do their jobs properly and ethically.  When they tell you there is a problem, do not dismiss them as being incompetent or assume that they are worrying unnecessarily.   How foolish is it going to look for your bottom line to continue repeating the same old mistake and wondering why your organization never seems to show improvement.  Why are others in your field passing you by as if you are standing still?  Could it be that your problems are, in fact, keeping you from making substantial progress?  What do you have to lose by giving us a call and letting us come in as objective observers and facilitators to help your organization address the issues and begin moving forward?  What do you, as the leader of your organization, have to lose by having the problems correctly identified and addressed?  We are here to help.  Give us a call.

A third rate public educational system – right here in America

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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?

My Goodness!

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Recently, I watched a news conference and witnessed something I never thought I would see in a chief executive – an exquisite non-verbal temper tantrum worthy of a two year old.  Now you know that seeing such behavior got me to thinking.  Are we aware of the non-verbal messages we send?

Any leadership or management class will teach us about the importance of attending to the non-verbal cues in any communication.  The various communication theories tell us that the majority of our interpersonal communication is non-verbal.  Are we cognizant of the non-verbal messages we send?  When a colleague is speaking do we glance at our watch, perhaps more than once?  What message did we just send?  When we are involved in conflict management, do we listen to opposing opinions with arms crossed?  If we make eye contact are we doing so in an aggressive manner, daring the individual to continue to publicly disagree with us?  Do we get aggressive in our stances, invade the other individual’s personal space?  Do we engage in non-verbal tantrums to let people know we are displeased?  Are we aware of what we are doing?

Here is a key point.  I do not know about you but I want my colleagues to disagree with me.  Their viewpoints and perspectives are critical to keeping me focused on our goal – resolve the problem in the best possible manner.  I am not diminished because someone has the temerity to disagree with me or point out where my approach might need some improvement.  I think we all improve our decision making when our staffs and colleagues provide honest assessments of those decisions.  I work hard to create a work environment where people provide constructive criticism.  The end result makes us all look good – an effective, realistic resolution to a difficult problem.

Change

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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.

Our Fresh Approach!

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Several weeks ago we noted that change was coming to Problem Solving Consultants. We’re pleased to now share our fresh approach.

We are now affiliated with the Jay Block Companies, LLC.  As many of you know, Jay is renowned in the world of résumé writing and career counseling, as well as his work in motivation and empowerment.  After working with Jay in achieving my certification as an empowerment and motivational coach, he and I continued our conversations.  Last year Jay offered us an opportunity to help bring job search techniques and résumé writing into the 21st century reality that is the global job market.  Since Angela and I both teach at the college level, we think our affiliation with Jay will help us prepare our students for the reality of their job search in today’s market, as well as preparing them for the changes to come.  We will be utilizing Jay’s most recent program, set out in his bestseller, “5 Steps to Rapid Employment.”

Problem Solving Consultants has received accreditation by the Better Business Bureau in Arizona.  We are very pleased with this recognition as we have worked hard to establish ourselves as ethical professionals and consultants.

Finally, and most exciting to us, we are adding a new service.  Angela Buer is a recognized expert with the online presentation format of PREZI and both Angela and I are very experienced at developing training and teaching materials, especially materials used in conjunction with that format.  Our new service will be made available to organizations seeking to update and refresh their training materials and/or change their current presentation format to PREZI.  We are also very experienced in the development of workshops for presenting new materials and training others to make such presentations.  We are looking forward to providing this new service to corporations, businesses and other organizations, both large and small.

We are very excited about the positive changes we have implemented.  We look forward to working with you when our services can be of use.

Ethics – Is a Double Standard Acceptable?

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I admit that watching events over the last weeks and months has been interesting because one thought has come to mind. We apparently have some folks held to a higher ethical standard than others.
The success to problem solving lies primarily in correctly identifying the real source of the issue and engaging in a collaborative approach to implement realistic and long lasting solutions. But another key component is whether you, as the leader of your organization, are seen as an honorable and ethical individual. Why? What motivation is there for your staff to follow you if you are perceived as unethical? What if you are perceived as having a personal agenda that will undermine any solution supported and implemented by your staff? In today’s world of instant news via social media, even a momentary lapse in ethical judgment can be devastating to any serious attempt to resolve problems.
In your organization are all held to the same ethical standard? Or are some held to a higher standard than others? If the latter one applies to your organization and you’re okay with it, good luck in finding reasonable and realistic solutions to your problems.  Accepting a double standard on ethical behavior will serve only to eventually undermine the credibility of the leadership,  the reasonable expectation by employees that ethical conduct is valued, and will create an organizational culture that does not value or insure success.

Blind Eye? Deaf Ear?

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I, like many others, have watched with increasing horror the genocide now occurring in parts of the Middle East and the deliberate slaughter of individuals for no other reason than their religious beliefs. What comes to mind (at least that part that can be discussed in public) is the old adage that if we don’t learn from our mistakes we’re bound to repeat them. I have to wonder what we failed to learn from the horrific slaughter of tens of millions of people between 1933 and May 1945, solely because of their religious beliefs or where they lived.  What did we fail to learn from the more recent genocides in other parts of the world?
What does my concern have to do with our discussions or your organizations? Just this – when you see or hear of a clearly identified wrong, as the leader of your organization you have both a moral and ethical obligation to right it. Turning a blind eye or deaf ear doesn’t help. Your silence implies that you condone the wrong being done. Your silence can undermine the morale of your staff, leading to additional issues which will probably impact your bottom line in a very negative way. You may find your staff seeking other jobs elsewhere just to get away from the negativity your silence engenders. As your silence continues you will have to face a myriad of problems that may ultimately result in the collapse of your organization.
So – when faced with a moral and/or ethical obligation to right a wrong, can you, should you remain silent?

Change or Chaos?

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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.