Being a better partner

I hope everyone has been well! It's been a busy first few months here in AZ, but bit by bit I'm getting my feet underneath me. And getting out on the lake when I can! We're doing some exciting things and I'm fortunate to be a part of it. 

So something I've been thinking about lately stems from my experiences in a group setting. CEOs and executives cast a vision for who and what they believe their organization can be. Directors do the same for their departments. They strategize, collaborate, and set an expectation everyone can believe in. Everything seems like it fits: the team is excited, people say they're in, and we're about to get rolling.

And then, reality hits. 

We go back to the day to day grind and we stop acknowledging the change we wanted to make because we know our actions don't reflect it. Its easier to play status quo in an ever changing world. Whether it's a smart move or not is beside the point. We're happy doing the same thing over and over, even if it doesn't yield the same result. Why? We know how to do it this way, so why change the formula? It's hard to do something different. Most of us revert to this line of thinking when it comes time for putting the rubber to the road.

However, there's always one individual that walks away from these meetings amped up about the change, and actually trying to implement it. Whether its the planner, the exec, or the guy/gal that was personally affected by the vision, someone put a foot on the gas and started to try and make things happen. 

As that one person gets going, they realize everyone else is stuck in neutral. Imagine running a play in basketball that requires all 5 players to score, and 4 of your guys stayed in the backcourt. Maybe you can score (ask Kobe Bryant about this), but there's a whole lot more work that goes into it. More importantly, that work is already hard, because no job or initiative is a walk in the park to implement, and now it's harder because your team willfully made it harder. They don't budge, so it doesn't go. Mr Man who was ahead of the pack? Now he's not only overworked, he's upset with his teammates. 

Being a better partner is a saying I've come to find myself trying to use in my own life. It requires looking at your individual commitments to growth, your accountabilities that drive your organization, and following through! If anyone of those 3 areas is not followed, the results can tear apart your team. 

No one wants to feel like they're the only one giving it their best on a day to day basis. All that person can think is "why am I working so hard to get the same results we got before? Why does no one care like I care?" Great companies lose A players who think like this. They crave accountable teammates who are passionate about being great, and do what it takes to get there.

More importantly, think about as an executive, what this could mean to your organization. Imagine having a partner who talked the talk, but didn't walk the walk while you did? You're not only frustrated, you're also in a world of trouble. The highest level of your organization is reflecting two different mantras: promises matter, and promises don't matter. 

Whether one is right or one isn't is not the point. The issue lies in the mixed message you send to everyone else. Employee #1 says "Well, I'm jazzed up and ready to work today, so I'll works hard because executive A works hard". 

Employee #2 says "I'm wiped after a long weekend with the kids. I can coast this week...after all, executive B did it last week"

While they say these things to thenselves, they look at each other and internally question what the other is doing. "Why is he working so hard?" Or "why is he hardly working?" Both situations create mistrust and frustration. All because someone else didn't paint the picture the way you all agreed it should be painted. 

Integrity to your systems starts with integrity to your partners. Whether at the C suite level or the call center, people are depending on you to be who you say you will be. The day you aren't is the last day your word is your bond and the first day you have to rebuild your credibility. 

Take this to your personal lives as well. Try to grow, be accountable to those who expect you to be, and follow through. Sounds like a recipe for a happy  marriage/party/family/spiritual lifestyle. In any case, when you see this not shining through in your organization, sniff it out and do something about it quick. The sooner you squash it, the clearer it is where your organization stands on the issue of partnership and accountability. 

I'm trying to stay cool out this way, but Mother Nature is having her way. Triple digits for 2 weeks straight. Hope everyone had an awesome 4th, and keep out of the heat as best you can!

Be inspired, stay engaged, be the change!

-AI

Gossip...the culture killer

Long time no see all! I've been a busy bee these last few months. The good news? I've moved! I'm now in Arizona working with an extremely exciting young and dynamic group. I hope you all keep me in your thoughts as I embark on a new journey, still blogging away when the passion comes!

You know there are a lot of things that impact a company's culture. One of the ones that I always come back to that continuously perplexes me, and why people use it, is gossip. Why do we still need to gossip? What is gossip?

Rumors and secrets and lies, these are the types of things that come from gossip. They create fractions within an organization, they rob teammates of trust within an organization, and most importantly they make it extremely difficult to work together. When you work in an organization that has gossip as an unintentional core value, you're in trouble. Unintentional meaning it happened without you intending it to, but your culture fostered an environment to allow the behavior to manifest itself. 

Culture is how people experience an  organization. If people experience your organization by seeing others talk about their colleagues, what are they supposed to expect? They know they'll be talked about too. 

Gossip is not to be mistaken for keeping one another in the loop. Managers should talk to one another about what's going on in their departments, as long as it is beneficial to the organization. Camaraderie in the office is not a bad thing. We spend more time with colleagues than family these days. But when that camaraderie becomes detrimental to the overall work environment, then we have a red flag. The keyword is beneficial. Open lines of communication can be fostered, and trust can be built without gossiping about other people.

I always challenge my teams and the organizations that I work with this premise: that if they hear gossip, if they see people gossiping, or if they are in the middle of gossip, to stand up and be different. Countless numbers of organizations today call integrity one of their core values. If integrity is one of your core values, the  stand up for what's right and protect your teammates from your teammates who aren't being teammates.

Despite what individuals think, gossiping fractures teams because when teams do not trust each other, they find it very difficult to work together. They withhold information, they no longer have the organization's best interests at heart, but rather their own. And most importantly within the tribal leadership spectrum, they are at best level 3 leaders. They are about themselves, and not the organization. If you want to move from a level III to a level four tribe, a "we're great" organization, make sure everyone knows they have to lift up their teammates, not tear them down.

We are all human, and we all make mistakes. No one is immune from the gossip. That includes your executives. But it's important that when you recognize it, to be adamant about squashing it. Whether it means you have to be accountable to others, because you've done it, or if you have to hold others accountable, do it. Be self-aware, and challenge your teammates to be self aware. It can affect the bottom line more than you know. 

Be inspired, stay engaged, be the change!

-AI

What's your mission question?

Hi all,

Great article I just read about mission development. It's not always about the flashy and articulate statement you formulate, but rather the substance behind it. Mission questions make your mission statement more complete.

Take a look!

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1672137/forget-the-mission-statement-whats-your-mission-question

Stay inspired, be developed, be the change!
~AI

On Board, or Over Board?

Too much info, your new employees will be drowning!

Hi all,

It's been a while, but I've been traveling quite a bit lately, so thanks for bearing with me.

When it comes to building a successful organization, we've already agreed it comes back to the people. First it starts with a leader that has a compelling vision. Then that leader grabs like minded individuals who will be partners to that vision. Then the selection process of everyone that aligns with that vision begins. Once you bring someone on to your team though, the work has just begun.

Employees need a few things to be successful and also happy upon joining a new organization. They need to understand their roles, and they need to understand the company culture they are a part of. If you don't provide these things, you run the risk of setting the employee up to fail, or worse, damaging your credibility with that employee and their network. Here is the benefit of investing in an effective on boarding program...you can cover both of these things.

US and UK employees cost businesses an estimated $37 billion every year because they do not fully understand their jobs, according to IDC

Here are a few areas that you can and should control when developing an on boarding program:

1. Duration
• When  you select people to join your team, understand that there is a need on both ends. The department or office needs the new person to fill the void that's currently open, and the new employee needs to be trained to be the person the department or office is looking for. We are guilty of wanting everyone to be factory equipped and ready to roll on day 1. That's just not fair to the new member of your team. On the other hand, you can't take weeks to get someone in the office so that they are "fully prepared".
• Be moderate in the time your on boarding process takes. You have to balance the need to fill a void with the need to be successful, and you can do that with a process that isn't a millisecond long but also not a century. Traditionally a week is long enough to create initial acclimation to culture, systems, and people, as well as set expectations for future growth and success.
2. People



The right people need to meet your team...make a good impression!

• When members of the organization come to see new selections, they are getting an opportunity to see new talent, and also explain what their roles are within the organization. It's a "who's who" introduction within your company. Who should your new selections meet during their on board process? It would be easy to say everyone and anyone. Unfortunately, the way schedules are and the way companies are moving, this isn't possible. Everyone has responsibilities and meeting the newest members of the team isn't always on forefront of their minds. The best way to do this is to divide the introductions into two areas: nice to know, and need to know
• Nice to know:
• These are your executives, high ranking members of various departments, and maybe even an emeritus if you have one. You don't need them all to come, in fact you don't want them all there because it's not a productive use of the entire team's time to be at a new employee orientation. One representative per area usually can do the trick. 
• The visibility of these individuals enable each new employee to see that the company is globally invested in each and every one of its people, to the point that they want to see the new talent coming into the organization. Also, it creates some facial recognition and approachability for new employees, who can see that the even the members of the highest level of the organization are friendly faces who still exemplify the company values to this day
• Need to know:
• These are direct supervisors, and people that each new employee will deal with on a consistent basis. Some examples include a member of HR, Accounts Payable, a Benefits Administrator, etc. 
• These introductions and the explanation of their roles will clarify who to go to when the employees need a specific service. You don't want to be the reason an employee asks their direct manager about when they're being reimbursed every time. You'd rather that go through the proper channels. The on board process is integral in creating and maintaining effective and efficient communication within an organization. Without it, too many people get copied on too many emails that don't even concern them. This drags out the resolution process, and in turn creates frustration between teammates. Head it off at the pass guys. Introductions to the "need to know" will pay off dividends that you'll never need to see to know they're effective.
3. Content
• "Manage the message"
• We hear this a lot in business these days, and it's not a bad thing if the spirit is pure. Meaning, you manage the message to create the right environment for your new employees to flourish. Your employees should feel informed, educated, and most importantly excited with the content you provide them with. Some key areas you should cover in the on board process are new hire paperwork, company policies and procedures, culture, and systems training. If you touch on these areas, you ensure that your team is clear in the expectations set for them by the company from a tactical and cultural standpoint
4. Mentorship



Mentors do wonders...even among felines

• Mentorship is an overlooked component of the employee life cycle. It's a shame, because individuals who fit this mold can really make a difference in the employee experience. Mentors are "A" player individuals within your company. The ones that you wish you could clone and then clone again. These individuals have unique traits that you hopefully look for in other employees you bring on, but they are the ones that are usually the most excited about and engaged in the company and it's future. Many times they are the most successful individuals you've ever had on your team. Do your best to pair up each individual with a mentor in their RESPECTIVE department. Succession planning comes into play huge here, because if you're identifying your talent and nurturing it, then selecting individuals to be mentors shouldn't be hard. Your performance review and succession planning processes have already identified who your "A" players are, and then they should have mentorship ingrained in them at a relatively early age in your company.
• Mentors are not just for the on board period. They should be providing status updates and coaching throughout the first 90 days of being on the team at minimum. They are building a relationship that should help the new employee get acclimated to the company, and at the same time give HR and the department manager a pulse on how the new member of the team is coming along.

Ultimately, the on board process can be a game changer for you. Individuals who are better prepared to do their jobs are naturally more successful. But employees who better understand your company's values, culture, and what they stand for are more inclined to be more invested in your company, because it becomes their company as well. Involve every department, whether through development of content or appearances, in the on board process so that you can create global value for the program throughout your organization. The more people that know this program happens, the better and more successful it will be. 

May your on board processes be shorter than a century, and longer than a millisecond. All aboard!

Stay inspired, be developed, be the change!
~AI

Seattle tidbits...

Hi all,

It's been a while since I've been here...I've been traveling quite a bit. I spent last week in Seattle attending an amazing conference on the future of dentistry, The Summit. Networking with colleagues, sharing ideas, and discussing systems that will steer groups toward success were the highlight of my week.

This matters, no matter what industry you come from

The beauty of organizational development is that it is a field that transcends industry. Regardless of whether you pull teeth, you operate on hearts, or you manufacture tires, people are people and culture is culture. If you can create an environment that fosters hard work, mutual respect, and accountability, your team can and will be engaged in your mission, vision, and values. It starts with the right leadership and the right vision. Nonetheless, a people strategy matters in every industry. Apple, Google, Zappos!, and the Ritz Carlton are all in different industries. What makes them great though? The same exact things. 

The Director of Training at the Ritz once told a group of us that bench marking for success wasn't about competitors in an industry. Moreover, it's about the organizations that are truly great. Benchmark against the greats, do what they do, and adopt their strategies. There's a reason Zappos! does its own trainings for outside groups: what they have is universally adoptable, and it transcends industry. Culture is culture, people are people. OD and what we do will and should matter to you, because it affects you, no matter your craft. 

We've been talking about mission, vision, values, and lastly talent strategy. I'm feeling like we should keep walking through the employee life cycle, and so retaining your talent will be our next series. On-boarding, performance management, accountability, tough conversations, all of this is key if you're keeping the right team once you bring them on.

Stay inspired, be developed, be the change!
~AI

Goldman Sachs...Perception vs. Reality

Hi all,

Hope everyone is doing well. Happy February! 

Posted a link to an article I read a few months back, but I'd love to share. Last month we spoke about how to build a culture. A former employee of Goldman Sachs came out last year with a scathing opEd in the New York Times about the company. I've attached both his article and the response from the Executive Vice President of Human Capital.

So tell me guys, who's right here? Perception vs. Reality is a time old struggle...here it is again. Fire away in the comments section!

Greg Smith OpEd, NY Times

Goldman Sachs Responds (Video)

Stay inspired, be developed, be the change!
~AI

The Seats on the Bus...Build the gauntlet, trust the gauntlet

4. Build the gauntlet, trust the gauntlet

Don't take the gauntlet literally...it won't end well

They say patience is a virtue for a reason. Virtues are hard earned, but well deserved. Patience in your selection process is so crucial for a myriad of reasons, starting with the mighty dollar. According to an AARP study, the cost of replacing an experienced worker is at least 50% of that person’s base salary in turnover related costs. According to a study at Berkeley, the hiring of a new recruit alone will cost about $7000. Links to both articles are posted below. If you’d like to look at how much it will cost to replace an employee at your organization, Express scripts has a cool calculator you can use as well. Their link is below as well.

• AARP on Turnover
• Berkeley on Turnover
• Turnover calculator

Long story short, it’s not cheap to replace someone, so you want to keep your talent once you select them. That in mind, your process should not be a rapid fire, one and done type of interview. Your HR team is talented I’m sure, but they should not be the final say on whether someone moves forward or not. You need to paint a full picture of the kind of candidate you want, but as a selecting manager you should be actively involved in the process from start to finish. The process itself, for you strategists out there, should touch every aspect of the organization. You want individuals that not only have the requisite skills to do the job; you also want individuals who can fit into the culture you are trying to build. This is why it’s so important to define your values and the behaviors you believe reflect them early in your company’s life cycle, because behavioral and cultural style interviewing is crucial in garnering the right fit for a team.

The selection process should touch HR, the selecting department, and whichever departments the role is to interface with. It sounds a like a lot, and the recruiter side of me is screaming “hurry up! We have requisitions to fill”, but you don’t want to get this wrong. It’s too easy to do it, so take your time. If you’re going to implement this strategy, you need to earn buy-in from all the parties we mentioned. It’s not a haphazard process to ask people to give up an hour of their day every few weeks or so to sit with a candidate that won’t even be in their department. Remember to be a creator of value when you are asking someone to sacrifice their time for you. You are letting them know you value them as a partner, but that you also want to get this right for everyone’s sake.

Once you’ve communicated the importance and you have the buy-in, everyone needs to be speaking the same language. Interview training is a rarity within smaller companies today, and for larger practices it’s not widely practiced within a department. Take the time to either partner with HR or a member of your team that’s well versed in the legal and behavioral intricacies of talent selection to build and host these trainings. If you put a bunch of people in a room and just tell them to ask questions they’ll do it, and they’ll all be looking for different things. Create the expectation of what to look for, and your team will take that expectation and make sure it aligns with their own personal expectations. Once we get this process in place, we’re ready to get cooking.

So long recruiter, hello in house system!

The selection process is not easy at any level. Your entry level positions many times get overlooked because they don’t command the salary of a C suite, but trust me, they will affect your bottom line too. One paper cut doesn’t hurt, but ten or fifteen and you’re regretting the day you asked for more stationary in your office. If you don’t have integrity to the systems that permeate every level of your organization’s talent management strategy, you’re going to have too many of those bad hires and not enough good selections. Be deliberate, involve the right people, don’t settle, and look at what you needed, want, and will need and want. Say goodbye to those recruiters, and hello to your new talent management system! Enjoy!

Stay inspired, be developed, be the change!

~AI