Protected?  Embraced? Adored? Better for choosing to do business with you? 

If you don’t know, then your customer strategy is incomplete; then you are missing your chance to create an intended customer experience.

If you do know the answer, but can’t articulate what you do in support of your intended experience, then your strategy is still incomplete.

Intentions alone do not make for a strategy.  And when in doubt, ask your customers for their help understanding what you could do better.  After all, they want you to be as amazing as you do.

I wrestled with topics, with the courage to open up, with the humility that someone unknown may find and dismiss my ramblings.  And then a year ago this very month I made a left turn by deciding instead  to focus on an internal blog at work.

A first in our sizable company.

And the experience has been phenomenal.  I have learned to have appropriate expectations of my readership.  I have learned to expect both everyone and no one to read any given post, as I have expected both of them to engage in any sort of dialog.

I have learned that impact posts come in many different sizes.  And I have learned that I can learn exponentially more from those who have thoughts, ideas, feedback, and ultimately comments to contribute.  Therefore, I have learned that each post is more a journey than a destination; that the post becomes a platform.

I have also learned that my wandering style isn’t considered (by most) to be annoying or difficult to follow or rambling or… the feedback I receive is that others appreciate the stream-of-consciousness of the format, and that it feels less contrived and more human.

Score!

So, while it may be difficult (for me) to maintain two blogs, I am making a decided effort to try to do so.

Welcome to my (re) launch.

It is a song which will never be heard.  A picture no one will see.

What happens to productivity? Morale? Engagement? Emotional commitment? Customer service? Customer engagement? Customer loyalty?

Retention.

Referrals.

Profits.

I worry that I have posted several articles now, but I have not been forthcoming with my own shortcomings.

I haven’t paused to share my introspection.  I haven’t demonstrated my own humility.

1. In my life I have been accused of being arrogant, dismissive, walking over people, and so on.  I was first faced with this “feedback” by a classic, power-hungry, manager; someone whose inclination to lead rather than control is less than 0%.  It is null.  The chances of this person ever being revered, inspirational, or even just adored are null.  Less than zero.

It turns out I was failing to acknowledge the thoughts and opinions of others before I offered up my own perspectives.  In doing so, my coworkers felt as though I was dismissing them without regard, and dominating the conversations with my own opinions, and therefore I was arrogant.  I would feel the same way.

Much thanks to my brother-in-law for helping me understand.  (My classic monolithic manager couldn’t explain it, and was then literally mad at me when I resigned!) It was an invaluable lesson.  But to say I have overcome this challenge would be a lie.  I still struggle with hearing others out, but often because I feel like the problem is crystal clear before they finish or others have had a chance to weigh in.  Other times, I may quickly recognize that the problem they are describing is one I have seen before, and because of that, I may not entertain them as they talk/work through the problem.

In the end, it doesn’t change the fact that I can give others the wrong impression of my intentions – and in doing so I may alienate them.  It is my problem.

2. Regarding seeing straight through to the underlying issue, I have come to learn that many people need to have the opportunity to peel the layers of a problem away until they finally reach the root of it.  To complicate things, my delivery can be very candid at times, and I think sometimes the combination of my candidness combined with others’ unwillingness to take ownership for a problem can be a lethal mix.  I do work on it.

But, again, this is my problem – not theirs.

3. I don’t know how to articulate this one, so I will talk through an example of it.  ”Victims”.  I refer to people being victims a lot.  I use it as a catchall term which is a little sensational, a little dramatic, but is intentionally startling to move the notion into the front of someone’s conscience – and the word itself is one most people do not want to be labeled with.  The problem, however, is that some are more sensitive than others, and using a term like “victim” may immediately cause people to check out because of its negative connotation.

Yep. My problem, not theirs.

And there are others, but I do try to keep my posts relatively short.  Why?  Because I also don’t do well with too many words!  :)

I often use the analogy of a stewardess’ safety instructions when taking a flight; specifically, that passengers are instructed to put on their own oxygen mask before they attempt to help others.  My analogy is that you must help yourself before you can be of help to anyone else.

Managers, this applies to you.  If you aren’t growing. If you are continuously reinventing yourself and refreshing your skills.  If you aren’t engaged in your own growth and betterment, then how much help can you really be to your associates?

Like I tell my kids, over and over, “To be good at anything takes a lot of hard work, a lot of practice, and generally a lot of help and coaching.”  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that just because you have been in a management role for a long time that you are good at it.  Leadership is a craft.  You have to work at it.  You have to learn new skills.

The next time you are inclined to demand some sort of improvement from your team or an associate, ask the mirror if you can demonstrate how you have improved in your role.

]]> http://ibrettferguson.com/2009/12/16/who-am-i-to-judge/feed/ 0 ibrettferguson http://ibrettferguson.com/2009/12/13/this_is_nob_no_1/ http://ibrettferguson.com/2009/12/13/this_is_nob_no_1/#comments Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:00:16 +0000 ibrettferguson http://ibrettferguson.com/?p=136 ]]> Performance reviews seem to be a challenge almost everywhere.  Some managers simply don’t do them; some managers only go through the (obligatory) motion of completing the forms.  Expectations can be unclear while the reviews themselves become more like a report card then something the associates participate in.

As managers we must decide that we are going to work on behalf of our associates in order to help them grow (and in order for them to help us grow).

This is Job No. 1 if you subscribe to The Service Profit Chain.

But why?  What is the correlation between putting my associates 1st and achieving results?  Why might satisfied associates be engaged and loyal associates?

Does your boss:

• challenge you
• provide you with opportunities
• solicit your input
• value your perspective
• encourage you
• provide relevant and timely feedback
• employ Personal and Team SWOT Analysis
• enable you
• believe in horizontal teams
• have knowledge to bestow upon you
• continuously grow and challenge his/herself
• effectively lead up
• have humility
• set measurable goals
• set clear expectations
• deliver on promises
• execute
• influence other teams
• challenge the status quo
• demonstrate commitment to your growth/training/education
• create a safe environment to challenge, question, explore

Does your boss do the right thing, or does s/he do things right?

• Do you trust that your boss will go to bat for you; that s/he will fight for you?
• Do you feel like you are empowered to solve problems, to innovate, to inspire and affect change?
• Do you believe you have a voice on your team?
• Does your boss push you to learn more about yourself and the world around you?
• Does your boss challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone in order to find out what you are capable of?
• Do you know what is expected of you, and what you can do to exceed expectations?
• Are you recognized for your contributions?

That’s what a satisfied associate feels like.  Not a “happy” associate, but an engaged and vested, challenged and valued, “satisfied” associate. We are talking about creating a healthy, sustainable, innovative culture.

So, let me ask you, “What lengths you would go to for your leader, your team, and your organization if you could answer ‘Yes!’ to all of the above?  What kind of pride might you take in the work you do and the results you deliver?  When you talk to your customers, how much of your satisfaction do you think would carry over into those conversations?  How willing would you be to refer your friends, family,  and colleagues to work for your company?”

Think about it.  Most of us are trained to accept whatever our manager du jour is dishing out.  Even when we know we are working for someone of suspect skills we just keep plugging away – day in and day out.

And I am hear to say, “How terribly unfortunate for you and your manager.”

Each of us who have direct reports are but temporary custodians of the lives (and livelihood) of those who work for us.  We have an opportunity with each and every associate to make an impact on the rest of their lives; to help them realize who and what they can become – and who and what they will not be so willing to settle for going forward.

This responsibility should not be taken lightly.  You associate’s performance reviews should never – E V E R – be copy and pasted from the previous review; they should never be allowed to have but a single line of text for feedback OR expectations; and they should never be one-sided (your side).  Finally, your performance reviews should never be comprised of low expectations, nor should you reward your associates for simply meeting expectations.

I know it feels nice (easy), but you really aren’t doing anyone any favors if you fall prey to this.  Your associates cannot be lead to believe they bring more value than they do, and at the same time your company deserves to see evidence that the associates it invests in are growing in value with tenure.

If you aren’t doing these things for your associates, then you are slowly crippling your organization; like a cancer, you will bring it to its knees from the inside because its infrastructure will not be able to support it longterm.

Healthy.  Sustainable.  Innovative.  That’s the culture we should aspire to.

It starts with Job No. 1:  Your associates.

Ugh.  How does this happen?

“Well, that’s exactly my point.  If non-leaders are in management roles, won’t they be inclined to value and promote those who are most like themselves?”, and I’m starting to get worked up.  ”They perpetuate their own mediocrity!  They breed incompetence and fail associates’ careers along the way!  That is a great responsibility!”

For a little added drama I slide up to the edge of my seat and ask, “Why wouldn’t you insist upon having leaders in management positions?  How do your associates ever learn to be leaders if they have no leadership themselves?”, and I throw my hands up in the air.  ”I just don’t get how this happens!”

And I realize that this perspective is one I have not considered.  I also realize it is an obvious miss, so I am a little irritated, too.  ”Blog it.”, I think.

Perpetuating Mediocrity.  Breeding Incompetence.  Failing, if you ask me.

I point out to her that the one guy she has worked for in all of her years, the only one she looks up to as a leader, has had such an impact on her because he inspires her – because he is the only leader in all of her experiences…and that the others were not.”

His leadership inspired her.  He invigorated her career goals, her excitement about her work, and her willingness to get outside of her comfort zone.  She was a different person during the time she worked for him.  She was more than a satisfied associate, she was an engaged and loyal associate.  She seemed to work tirelessly, and she loved it.

When I consider where she works (a Fortune 500), the enormity of it washes over me.   How many years can one waste working for bad managers?  In her case, she’s had 1 leader.  10 years of experience.  1 leader.  1 year.

That’s 9 additional years she could have spent growing and learning.  It will take her another 9 years to reach where she should be right now.  She will be 46 in ten years.  Imagine who she could be if she knew now what she can hope to know by then.

Imagine who you could be today if you had had better leadership yourself.

Tragic.  And inexcusable.

Sometimes who you want to be can seem to be defined as much by who you do **not** want to be, so I suppose a bad manager has his/her place, too.

But, it’s still tragic.

[This is a very true story, by the way.]

Over and during a flurry of chopsticks, my buddy Shaun proceeds to describe to me something I really can’t comprehend; an environment of feral managers, intoxicated with some ridiculous sense of power and control; lunatics who treat their teams like inmates who have no alternatives and even fewer expectations.

He’s a Sr. Developer, serving in a Lead Developer role.  (Pretty timely, huh?)

Shaun starts telling me his story…and I’m fighting back the urge to blurt “Victim!”

His project is falling apart.  His Project Manager continues to mismanage the project.  The dev team is forced to work long days and weekends to try to keep the project on track.  The others on the team aren’t willing to speak up, so he feels like he is alone when he raises concerns – about quality, about the project, about morale.  His team feels the same, but they aren’t prepared to speak up.

When Shaun does escalate to the Project Manager, nothing happens.  When he escalates to his Development Manager, nothing happens.  When he escalates to the Project Office Manager, still nothing happens.

It isn’t even that nothing changes; its that nothing changes AND he has no idea whether or not anyone tried to do anything.  He doesn’t know if those he depends upon have gone to bat for him or his team.

Betrayal.

For caring enough to raise concerns; for caring enough to do his part, my friend Shaun is rewarded with a heavy dose of betrayal.

And his team?  He feels like he has failed them.

“What else can I do?  I don’t feel like I’ve been a victim – but no one is listening.  What am I supposed to do about that?  What do you suggest I do?”, and I am paralyzed.  Speechless.  This man works for people who are more interested in being “right” than in doing “the right thing”.

Leads, Supervisors, Managers, Directors, and so on, I implore you to recognize that you work for your team(s); they do not work for you.

The weight of the world…and I couldn’t muster a single encouraging word for him.  I couldn’t help him find a way out.  His principles and how much they are worth to him are his alone to weigh, but no associate should be allowed to find themselves in a situation like that, in an environment like that.

But, someone will read this and assume it is about someone else.   Someone will tell themselves a story which supports their org-chart-power and megalomaniacal tendencies.

And someone will lose believers, followers, associates…

So, support your teams.  Enable them.  Encourage them.  Reward them.  Make them better.  Help them grow.  Exceed their expectations.  Fight for them.  Listen to them.  Knock down barriers for them.  And trust them.

You have to decide to be a leader.

Sure, some people are naturally charismatic, energetic, and so on…but I’ll bet you that even they have to “decide” to become a leader; they must still make a decision to leverage their inherent skills to motivate and lead others.

I have met several people along the way who are merely – and literally – a decision away from reinventing themselves as leaders.  Not Supervisors.  Not Managers.  Leaders.  These are people with knowledge, history, and great relationships; people who are likable, smart, and helpful…but fall just short of being anything more than “well respected” on the team, like  a Lead.

A Lead is generally a subject matter expert on the team, someone who will help new-hires navigate systems, teams, organization, and so on.  Leads are generally asked for information, asked to train new hires, etc.

But, a Lead moves into leadership as soon as s/he decides to be proactive in the sharing of knowledge, ideas for improvement, and so on.  After all, a great component of leadership is in learning to anticipate others’ wants or needs – and often when they aren’t quite aware that they need it.

You could say it is like having your Manager show up unannounced to provide you with feedback and guidance, vs. having to schedule time with your manager to ask how well you are performing.

One says, “I am committed to your growth and development.”  The other says, “Sure, if you need some help, let me know.”

One says, “We are in this together.”  The other says, “I’ll be right over there if you need something.”

You will be amazed at how simply deciding who you want to be in your career (not what), can set everything into motion – who you model yourself after, who and what you value, what skills you need to build upon, and so on…

So, who would you like to be?

If you aren’t prepared to answer this question, then you should be.  It could be the life-changer you’ve been looking for.

I remember being surrounded by people who could not, or would not take action.  In an environment comprised of shattered employees at all levels, I looked around and I couldn’t find another leader anywhere who was prepared to take ownership of fixing the problems, accountability for the calamity, and responsibility for making dozens and dozens of employees’ lives **not** suck anymore.

Have you ever been in an environment where you knew people would work somewhere else if they had an option?  I could feel it when I stepped off of the elevator.  I could taste in the weight of the air.  I could hear it in the silence on the floor.  No hope.  No camaraderie.  No team.  No encouragement.  No empowerment.  No safe place to speak up.

No leadership.

Yet, there were victims.  Oh yes, there were plenty of those around.  ”Executives make unrealistic commitments…Clients change scope and requirements…Processes are cumbersome…Others steal our best talent…No one accounts for how much extra work it takes to offshore…”

Blah.  Blah.  Blah.

So, maybe I do lack empathy, but maybe there are environments which could benefit from those of us who really don’t give a damn about the excuses.  Maybe, what all of these shattered people really need is someone with enough (eh-hem) “charisma” to go to bat for them.

Either you choose to be a victim, or you choose empowerment.  Either you choose to reward the victimization of your employees, or you choose to encourage and empower them.

“Managers do things right, and Leaders do the right things.”

Do the right things for your associates and they will reward you and your organization 10-fold.

Satisfied and Loyal Associates = Satisfied and Loyal Customers = Increased Revenues and Profits

Read: The Service Profit Chain