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Change Brings Discomfort – Even to Leaders

I have a challenge for you today. Take your watch off the wrist on which you normally wear it, place it on the other arm and leave it there for the rest of the day. How does this feel? Count how many times during the day you look at the arm where you normally wear your watch, only to find that it is no longer there. Even this most simple of changes is uncomfortable to fully incorporate into your life. Since you’re reading this, you probably realize how difficult change can be on a scale much larger than wrist watches.

Change is not possible without discomfort, and because of this, great leaders keep their people uncomfortable. The most successful leaders also keep themselves uncomfortable. It is the job of the leader to improve the condition of their organization or the causes for which they are working. Improving something means creating change. Whether it is improving a process, implementing a new idea, lowering costs, improving quality or taking customer service to a level that challenges just about everyone in the organization, change is uncomfortable.

Before leaders can be successful at improving organizations, they must first take a look at themselves and identify ways in which they must change. The following 6 tips will help you become more comfortable with the discomfort caused by realizing that in order to lead change, you must first be able to change yourself.

Continue reading “Keep Yourself Uncomfortable” »

Sometimes, despite your best effort, things just don’t go as planned. You experience challenges, setbacks and outright failures. You look back at your life and begin to count the few failures, losing sight of your many successes. What you forget is that so many success stories have resulted from failure to accept failure as an end result. If everyone gave up at their first failure, no one would learn how to ride a bike, read or tie their shoes. Accomplished people realize that failure is just a part of the path to success. Here are few examples of famous individuals who had a taste of failure before succeeding:

Continue reading “The Beauty of Failure” »

Basic to leaders gaining followership are two critical leadership components: humility and transparency.

When you think of humility as a leadership attribute, it can connote a lack of toughness and resolve. You many think of a humble leader as a weak leader. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Humble leaders set their ego aside to best serve the good of the team. They are assertive, but not aggressive. They are confident, but not arrogant. They admit their faults and freely acknowledge that they don’t know it all. Consistently, they have the ability to set aside their ego and self-aggrandizement in the best interests for the success of the team, rather than the promotion of themselves.

Humble leaders lead with an unpretentious, outer focus. Over time, they find themselves surrounded by followers who clearly align themselves with the leader and contribute freely for the good of the team. These humble leaders are role models for we and not me or I.

Continue reading “Transparent Leadership” »

You Don’t Always Need a Formal Education to be a Success

Throughout your primary education, how many times were you told that your success in life, or in business at the very least, was tied to going to college? 10? 50? Lost track? Us too. Looking at unemployment statistics, we see that as of July 2011, the unemployment rate for High School graduates was at 9.5%, while the unemployment rate for those with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 4.4%. These figures speak about the importance of a higher education, but don’t necessarily prove that higher education is a prerequisite for great success.

Would you say that Steve Jobs, Rachel Ray, Richard Bronson, Glenn Beck, Mark Zuckerberg, Coco Chanel, Jay Van Andel and Joel Osteen are succesful? Each of the people above has achieved great success in their career without ever graduating from college. And they certainly are not counted in the unemployment rate.

Continue reading “The Great College Myth” »

How to Get Leaders on Board with a Change

There is no such thing as organizational change. Organizations don’t change. The only thing that does change in an organization are the people within it: when enough people have bought into the change, we then see the changes happening.

Any change that impacts our life is uncomfortable. If you don’t believe that, just move your watch for one day to the opposite arm. Most of us like the comfort of predictability. When organizational change impacts us personally, it rocks our status quo. If given a choice, we’d typically rather keep on doing it the way we’ve always done it.

How do organizations successfully lead organizational change? They don’t, until their leaders champion the change. Organizational leaders have the power to lead the change, or sabotage it. Employees grow immune to the flavor of the month when it comes to accepting change and will look closely at their leaders to see if they are walking the talk when it comes to buying into the change being mandated.

The following tips will help ensure that your organization’s leaders are role models for leading the change being proposed.

Continue reading “Getting Leadership Buy-In” »

Globalization, dazzling advances in technology and increased customer demands drive organizational change. To remain competitive, your organization and its people must be willing to adapt, or even completely reinvent, to stay relevant.

As opposed to waiting for the market to force you or your organization to change, why not try leading the change?

For inspiration, keep the following case studies in mind. For over 150 years, these companies have survived a dynamic, competitive market, the ups and downs of business cycles and the whimsical nature of customers. In an economy of constant change, they’ve figured out where they need to be next and how to get there.

In 1850, American Express began as an express mover of goods, securities and currency throughout New York state. Realizing that it was difficult for people to obtain cash outside of their immediate banking area, American Express introduced large scale travelers’ checks in 1891, and, in 1958, began issuing travel charge cards.

Continue reading “Reinvent or Die” »

Navigating the Slippery Slope of Employees Using Social Media at Work and at Home

We live in interesting times, as evidenced by the provocative Tweet erroneously sent by Congressman Anthony Weiner recently. As high profile examples similar to this incident seem to be surfacing on a regular basis, they certainly highlight the power of social media.

Without a doubt, the Internet is the greatest technological innovation of the 20th century. It is an extraordinary tool, helping us find answers in a keystroke or two, increasing our efficiencies and productivity, and of course, connecting us to the world and potential markets.

Despite all its tremendous benefits, if not managed appropriately, the Internet’s strengths can quickly become an organization’s worst nightmare.

Recently, two Domino’s Pizza employees filmed a prank in the restaurant’s kitchen, then posted it on-line. While preparing sandwiches, they jokingly included foul ingredients that clearly violated health-code standards. In a few days, thanks to the power of social media, the clip was viewed more than a million times on YouTube, causing Domino’s Pizza a huge PR problem and earning the pranksters a felony charge.

Continue reading “Employees and Social Media” »

This blog entry has been adapted from the May 2011 issue of The Quest for Leadership Excellence newsletter (sign up here)

“I don’t like change.”
How many times have each of us heard that statement? In reality, this statement is only partly true. It’s not so much the change that unnerves people, as it is the fear of the unknown. What will happen? What could go wrong? Some of us might remember as a kid hiding under the covers, thinking that there was a monster lurking under our bed. We remained terrified until a parent turned on the lights, checked things out, and reassured us that everything was going to be okay. The same sort of irrational fear often impacts the workplace. As the leader, you are the one who needs to show your employees that the change is nothing to fear. In fact, it could even be the best thing that ever happened to your team or for your organization. It’s also important to realize that as an individual, you may not always agree with every change your team is asked to carry out. However, as a leader you must get on board in order for your team to get buy in and accept the change.

Tasked with implementing a change that you might not be in agreement with is one of the most difficult challenges that leaders face. Perhaps a merger or acquisition occurred. Maybe you have begun working with a new boss. Almost always in these situations, leaders are required to implement significant changes to better align their team’s contribution to the organization.

Continue reading “Triumph Over an Unwanted Change” »

How to Empower Employees While Ensuring that Everyone is on the Same Page

We recently worked with the VP of a financial institution who was challenged by the fact that one of his managers was constantly trying to change the ways of the bank. Although many banks have had to change radically over the last 36 months, historically, banks have not been well known for rapid change and innovation.

When we talked with the manager, we found out that he had come from a consulting firm that specialized in working with banks and he felt that all of the ideas he shared and wanted to implement were proven strategies that would improve the organization. The VP felt that the current processes and products were working well, customers were happy and, if ain’t broke, don’t break it.

On this project, we made several recommendations to both the VP and the manager. First, our recommendations for the VP:

Continue reading “Successfully Lead an Innovative Culture” »

Make Sure that Your Vision is More than Just a Piece of Paper on the Wall

Employees may like reading a mystery, but they don’t like working in one. Heidi Grant Halvorson, writing for Fast Company, says it right when she says, “Make a point of saying exactly what you mean, and asking for exactly what you want, and you will be pleasantly surprised by how often you get it.” It is difficult, if not impossible, for employees to arrive at their destination if you, their boss, are not crystal clear in providing them the directions and road map detailing their journey.

In our twenty years of conducting employee opinion surveys, we have collected data from 100,000 employees and have noted significant variances between the Overall PBS Benchmark and the Best-of-the-Best PBS Benchmark-the top 25% percent of organizations surveyed. (Click here for more information on PBS Benchmarks)

One thing that has caught our attention over the years is that the Best-of-the-Best PBS Benchmark is significantly higher than the Overall PBS Benchmark in the communication category. Here’s what the Best-of-the-Best organizations do better:

Continue reading “3 Keys to Clearly Communicating the Organizational Vision to Employees” »

Creativity is Today’s Competitive Weapon

Innovation is quickly becoming the word du jour despite being around as a concept since the beginning of man. For the longest time, it has simply been called creativity. The other day I noticed that on almost every TV commercial, the word innovation was mentioned at least once. And it’s not just commercials, it manages to creep its way into articles, books and now even job titles, like Chief Innovation Officer. This has got me thinking…

Who’s in charge of creativity (spotting problems and identifying new and different solutions) at your organization?

Ideally, your answer should be “everyone.”

Up until recently, creativity and innovation were typically viewed as the responsibility of a small number of people, usually those residing in the R & D department. Today, it is widely felt that those organizations that will be the most successful are those which expect, value and reward creativity throughout the organization. These organizations will work hard to create an environment where creativity thrives, leading to even greater employee engagement, motivation, productivity and ultimately, a stronger bottom line.

Continue reading “Promoting a Creative Work Environment” »

Common Manifestations of Employees’ Anticipation of the Unknown

The past few years have brought many changes to companies, good and bad. Although the economy seems to be turning around, many organizations will still be facing major changes to come, mostly for the best. As a leader, realize that employees react to organizational changes in a variety of ways—some positive and some negative. It is important for managers and supervisors to understand that these reactions are simply a normal part of the process employees go through during periods of change. The following are some typical responses to be aware of:

Continue reading “Employee Responses to Organizational Change” »

What to expect when you begin to hold employees accountable

Continue reading “The “J” Curve of Employee Accountability” »

We often train clients’ employees in the art of customer service, but, up until recently, we have not touched on the power of Social Networking as it relates to creating highly satisfied, loyal customers. Our goal is to share with you information that will raise your awareness about the power of Social Networking when it comes to customer service.

It has been predicted that Social Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are the main sources where people will soon be getting all their news from. Recently, we realized that this is where the NEWS gets their news from. Shortly after we felt a 7.2 earthquake here in San Diego, we turned the television to CNN to see if they had any reports on the magnitude, central location, etc. After only three minutes had passed, CNN reported on the earthquake, saying that they heard about it through users’ updates on Twitter.com. Then they presented a live screen cast of Twitter user’s comments on the event which were coming in by the hundreds every few seconds. Twitter informed thousands of people, including major national news stations, before the USGS was able to.

Continue reading “Social Networking Sites make Customer Service the New Killer Business App” »

Strategies for Uniting Cross-Departmental Teams

The stress of the economy has had a negative impact on organizations and has hampered the ability of employees to work cross-departmentally or divisionally as one team. In many cases, employees are working harder, faster and having just enough time to focus on their own survival. They don’t have the time to make communication with other team members a priority.

Recently, we have worked with several clients that are struggling with cross-departmental teamwork. We like to describe this phenomenon as misidentifying the enemy. The cross-departmental teams get into turf wars and start battling each other instead of working together to achieve shared objectives liked increased revenue, or improved customer service.

Continue reading “Build Strong, Cross-Departmental Teamwork” »

Monday mornings can be difficult. You come back from a relaxing weekend to be bombarded by meetings, phone calls, and basically any other distraction under the sun. To help inspire you to seize the week, we send out a free Leadership Quote of the Week email on Monday mornings. Quotes from inspirational leaders will remind you of your role as a leader, and inspire you to look at the upcoming week in a new light.

Sign up here to start your week off with a little perspective.

Here’s a preview:

Never under-estimate the value of an open mind.

“I am a man of fixed and unbending principles, the first of which is to be flexible at all times.”

-Everett Dirksen, U.S. politician who helped pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Continue reading “A Cure for the “Case of the Mondays”” »

Guiding Employees Through Change

Change proves to be a challenge not just for supervisors and managers, but for employees as well. This adds another dimension to the already difficult situation: guiding the employees through the change. After all, organizations don’t change, people do.

The following are eight suggestions that will help managers and supervisors guide employees through organizational change.

Continue reading “Eight Tips to Help Managers and Employees With Organizational Change” »

Anticipating Employee’s Responses to Organizational Change

When your organization is facing obstacles that require change in order to succeed, staff, ie, the people in the organization, need to change.

Simple, right? Wrong! The problem for managers and supervisors is that most employees do not respond with the attitude of, “Fantastic! Another organizational change. I can’t wait to get started.” We have found that when change is introduced to an organization, or better yet, rumored, employees will respond in one of these three ways:

Continue reading “Three Ways Employees Handle Change” »

Creating a Culture Rich in Innovative Product Development and Creative Problem Solving

Thirty years ago, when you had a unique product, you knew you were probably going to be safe from a competitive price war for two or three years. Today, the time it takes a competitor to figure out what you are doing, copy your product or service, and have it on the market competing head to head with you at a lower price has dropped to days, not months or years. And when everyone has basically the same products and services, it may seem that the only way you can differentiate your products from a competitor’s, is on price. When the only differentiator is price, eventually margins erode and everyone loses.

If a low price doesn’t make you stand out, what will? Innovation. Exactly what is involved in innovation depends on several factors, such as your desired company culture, mission statement, vision etc. For example, Zappos‘ mission is to provide excellent customer service. It is mandatory for all new employees, even executives, to spend four weeks as a customer service representative and one week in the Kentucky warehouse prior to entering their position. Also, Zappos handles a great deal of customer service through their Twitter page and YouTube Channel. They even pay (bribe) their employees to quit in order to ensure that every employee’s interest really is in serving the customers! Watch the video below for more details.

Continue reading “Business Innovation” »

Great Managers Keep Their Employees Uncomfortable!

Most managers feel they should keep everyone on their team happy and comfortable. But, we have found such managers usually have poor long-term job security. They are secure for a period of three to five years, then they are let go or moved to a less significant position by the organization. Why are they moved to positions of less influence? Because the whole world rapidly changed while their focus was on keeping people happy and comfortable. Major problems in the areas of customer satisfaction, quality, timeliness, or cost-competitiveness have usually occurred.

To be successful, your focus needs to be on staying ahead of your competition. The problem with rapid change is that it usually makes people feel uncomfortable, unhappy, and fearful. The following recommendations can help keep your people “uncomfortable” while ensuring your department or firm’s long-term success.

Continue reading “Not All Employees Welcome Change: Don’t Let that Stop You” »