Unaverage Leadership

A Great Way To Get Educated

I have discussed open book management and employee ownership as a means to improve bottom line performance and enhance company cultures.  At this time of the year, there are several national conferences that provide a huge learning opportunity for those of you considering open book management or employee ownership.

These conferences are some of the best deals you can find on educating yourself before you spend additional dollars on professional fees or consulting.  All three conferences utilize experts in the field, but one of the best values is that you will hear the real life stories of companies from the people themselves. 

These conferences also allow ample opportunity for you to network with your peers and pick their brains on what they did well and mistakes they have made.  This kind of value is not always easy to come by.  I have personally attended all three of these annual conferences and it is well worth the value.

The information for the conferences is as follows:

• NCEO (National Center for Employee Ownership) Annual Conference, Apr.20-22, Minneapolis,MN 
• National Gathering of Games (Great Game of Business), May 5-7, St. Louis, MO
• National ESOP Association Annual Conference, May 12-13, Washington D.C.   

Make the investment of time and resources today - you will not be disappointed.

The Power of Passion

My father has lived alone the past two years and has just recently started to see a wonderful woman. The other day, he made this statement to me: "Vacuuming and dusting the house is not so bad when you have a good reason for doing it." He has a new passion for life and it has changed his perspective at all levels (he was married to my mother for 40+ years, the only women in his life until two years ago).

I am sure that all of you can relate to the feelings that my father is experiencing. It is truly amazing what happens to individuals and organizations when passion has been lost. Daily tasks become burdensome, we start to question why we do what we do, and cynicism comes alive. Our energy seems to leak away and we feel like we can never make any headway.

Why is it that organizations and individuals loose their passion for life? It is fear, lack of knowledge and getting stuck in the rut.

It is safe to stay in the rut or routine of life or work. We know what to expect and it is simple. As time goes on the safety is comforting, but everything starts to dull and tarnish as we continue to do the same thing. Gaining new knowledge can change this. New knowledge allows us to change perspective and gives a new luster to the former dulled and tarnished tasks.

The lesson, as my father would advise, is to face yours fears and take the first step. There is knowledge to be gained everywhere. Break out of the rut once in while to truly see what life has to offer.

Find your passion and you will find a new way to live life. 

Recession 101

The other day I saw a billboard that had this message:  "Recession 101: Self Worth Beats Net Worth".  What a wonderful message in these trying times.

I have had several conversations in the past weeks with people who feel tired, worn out, beat up, and defeated.  The constant pressure is tearing down their self worth.  They are giving their best efforts to keep their businesses alive and profitable, but they feel like they are dropping the ball.

Many organizations say that their people are their greatest asset.  I fear that even those that truly do care about their people are beginning to cave in to the pressure of this recession.  The constant bombardment of bad news makes it difficult for individuals to feel like they are making a difference.

I have a "feel good" file that when I am feeling down or frustrated, I pull it out and read the kinds words that have been given to me by my friends, peers, customers and supervisors.  It usually takes about five minutes of reading and I am on my way to being refreshed.

If your organization is feeling the pressure of the economy and the moral is low, you may try a "feel good" event.  Conduct a meeting where all you talk about is what you have done well.  Get people talking about all of things you have done right.  You will be amazed at how it will give new energy to your organization and make it a brighter day for all.  We all can use a little help sometimes in remembering that we are good people and have done great things.

Its All About Perspective

Have you spoken or heard the phrase "Walk a mile in my shoes and then you will understand?" This saying clearly explains the power of perspective.

Understanding the perspective of individuals, work teams and the organization is critical when implementing change.  In many cases organizational change has unintended consequences for failing to appreciate the perspective of those impacted by the change.

You may think that everyone is in the front row ready to take action, but there are most likely groups that are in fear of the front row.  Understanding others perspectives is like peeling an onion.  It will take some time, it may well stink, the stink may linger and may not go away easily, and there could be tears involved.

Making the decision of what is right or wrong is not easily decided until you can appreciate why a person is the way his or she is.  This appreciation takes time, effort and patience.  

It will not eliminate hard decisions, but it will lead to a stronger culture based on respect, responsibility and acceptance.  Remember, we each have our own skeletons in the closet!

Because They Care

Caring is a trait that many believe is a good trait in organizations. Many hours of training, worrying and even tears are spent by leaders, employees and families in the pursuit of caring.

Yet, as with anything in life, too much of it can be harmful. You may ask yourself - how can you care too much?  Caring too much is harmful when it invades your personal life and when it inhibits the growth of others.

There are leaders and employees that will sacrifice their own families because they care about what happens to the organization in an extreme way. These individuals also have a tendency to expect others to care as much as they do. When this occurs, it creates a lot more organizational stress than what people may think.

Individuals that care too much can also have a tendency to take care of all problems. This behavior does not allow for others to make mistakes and then learn from them. Mistakes are in many cases the best opportunity for individuals to experience critical learning that becomes part of their behavior.  

Does your caring come with a cost to others?  If so, you may need to take a step back and make some adjustments.

Is Your Contingency Plan In Order?

The economy is struggling, a vital customer quits ordering, you loose a key employee, or a natural disaster strikes – is your business ready for these types of scenarios?  Great businesses answer YES and they may even be offended if someone asks.  

The reality is that most businesses have not given the time to create a contingency plan.  Why? Below is short list of reasons:

• Business is thriving

• It requires discussion on tough issues that typically are avoided

• It takes too much time

• We are rock solid and do not have to worry

• Poor management

Contingency planning is equally as important as your annual business plan or your strategic plan.  Remember that you have a group of employees, owners and their families counting on the fact that business survival means their own survival.

Without a contingency plan, recovery from a tough situation becomes difficult and may lead to the death of the business.  Gather your key people, talk about the issues that could drastically impact your business and create a plan to cope with the issues.  Contingency planning should be a part of sales, profit and stock growth planning. 

Do not wait for the storm to happen, make sure you are equipped and ready when the storm arrives!

Finding Fresh Eyes

Remember years ago as a child looking for the elusive four-leaf clover in the yard?  The hunt could last for hours as you strained and focused on trying to find the lucky piece of clover.  Eventually, you started to wonder if it really existed.  Then your mom or dad would walk up and see how you were doing.  The look of frustration on your face explained the situation all too well.  They sat down and within minutes they would find the four-leaf clover.  The same story can be told for working on puzzles, coming up with ideas and changing the culture in your company. 

The fact that you did not find the clover sooner is not due to a lack of effort, knowledge, or willingness.  It is that your eyes and perceptions become clouded due to your intense focus.  That is why your parents found the clover so quickly – they had the fresh eyes.

Those responsible for changing company culture to improve the bottom line and their employee's lives, sometimes suffer from the same tired eyes as the child hunting for the lucky piece of clover.  They have the want, knowledge and willingness, but blinders have narrowed and clouded their view of the company and its employee owners.  They become frustrated, cynical, and start to lose the passion once at their fingertips.  It does not take long for the company to begin to mimic the same symptoms.  This is a time when you need to find ways to re-energize your eyes or bring some fresh views into your world.   

Does this sound familiar?  You preach the same ideas, practices and stories, but it seems to have no impact.  It is similar to how parents sometimes feel about their children – they just do not listen or get it.  This is opportunity where an outside influence may be the answer.  In the family it may be a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or a good friend that can help the child to understand.  In organizations it can be the independent board member, an outside speaker, consultant, or even your customers.  These resources bring the fresh eyes that can see issues clearly and provide solutions.  Do not be afraid of the “outside“ perspective. 

Do not let the routine of business, personnel issues, or individual habits restrain you and your organization from reaching new heights.  Take the actions that can widen the view of possibilities to increase the bottom line and enhance your employee's lives.  Remember that fresh eyes are the best eyes!

 

 

The Cause Of Plane Crashes

What do you think is the number one cause of plane crashes?  Many people answer birds, lack of sleep, weather and other reasons.  Pilot error is the macro answer.

In his book, Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell gives a mirco answer for plane crashes - the PDI (Power Distance Index) rating.  The PDI was created by a Dutch psychologist, Geert Hofestede.  PDI is one of "Hofstede's Dimensions", a paradigm used in the world of psychology. The PDI is concerned with attitudes toward hierarchy.

Gladwell points out in several plane crash examples how PDI was strongly correlated to the cause of these crashes.  Simply stated it was the fear of questioning authority that led to these fatal crashes.

What is the PDI in your company's culture?  If you think is does not matter, then think of those who died on these plane crashes.  Those passengers counted on the crew in the cockpit to safely fly them to their destination.  Similarly, employees count on the company for a pay check, benefits, education and social interaction.

How easily do your employees question authority in your organization?  Their questions and the answers to them may very well be a silver bullet waiting to kill your organization or it may be the saving grace for your organization.  Create the culture and take the time to hear the questions and answers of your employees before you experience a fatal crash.

Do Not Be A Fool - Take Your Time Off!

Last June I took a week long vacation in the Boundary Waters of Northern Minnesota.  Complete isolation - no phone and no computer - and a lot of free time to ponder life (in between the paddling and portages).

I find it extremely odd that to this day, I still know people who actually lose vacation because they do not take it.  Absolutely absurd!  The typical answers - they can not get away, to much work when they get back, and the company really frowns on long vacations.

Highly developed company cultures encourage and even force their employees to take the vacation they have earned.  Why?  During an extended vacation (no less than one week) people tend to come back with one of two attitudes - they have recharged and are ready to get back into the fray or they have realized that their current work situation is not meeting their needs and make a decision to move on.

The first attitude is easy for companies to accept. The second, well that is a different story.  Far to many organizations fear the second attitude and that is why they frown on extended vacations.  They would rather keep an unsatisfied employee than go through the work of finding a replacement or even more exasperating, they fear the challenge of creating a culture where people do not want to leave.

I say give vacation, make employees take their earned vacation, and celebrate when your employees make a choice to leave and better themselves.  Quit being selfish and bitter, and support the growth of your people.  We all need to take time to drive down the road and see what is out there!

The Perfect Time For Training

If you want your company to be ready for the upswing in the economy, then start with training your people.  This is a perfect time for training.  You have the time so make the investment.

It is far to easy to get caught up in the short term thinking of slashing, cutting back and maximizing short-term profits.  Break the cycle and think long term.  It it your people that will create the long term value for your company.

Studies show that the educational and training variable is the best predictor of a company's success.  This should not surprise you since we are in a knowledge economy.  Training your employees builds knowledge and the use of that knowledge.  Another buy product of training is employee engagement, which is another significant predictor of company success.

Training should be a regular agenda item at your management meetings and a part of the strategic plan for your company.  By being proactive towards training and having a plan that is actually implemented, you will reduce the risk that your training dollars will be squandered on ineffective efforts.