Top Ten Telecommuting Tips

According to Global Workplace Analytics 56% of the workforce could use    telecommuting to accomplish their work and 62% feel they could  telecommute  part of their work week.  In a time of crisis or because of limited space, telecommuting becomes important to employers as well.

For various reasons, you may need to work from home or another location other than your company office.  Working from home can relieve the stress of traffic going to work.   The reduced travel time can be used to create a different work schedule.  To be as effective as possible working from a home office there are a lot of things to consider.  There are lots of conflicting ideas on how best to telecommute by working from home office.  Below are the top ten tips for telecommuting.

Top 10 Telecommuting Tips

1. Set Work Schedule.  Work-at-home means you set "work" hours for doing the job and keep them separate from "home" time.  Impose "do not disturb" guidelines for your job time.  Set break times, as well as start and stop times.  Make is clear to family that, although you are home, you are really on-the-job during work hours.  Getting dressed, doing laundry or dishes is home-time activities, not part of the job you are being paid for.  Arrange for childcare during work times to eliminate distractions.  Just as you keep work time promise to your employer, keep your promise to family by calling an end to the work day when that time comes.

2. Get the Right Technology.  You must have a good internet connection to work from home.  A LAN connection will typically work more efficiently than WIFI.  Ask your corporate IT for their hardware, software, bandwidth, and cloud/server storage recommendations.  Consider audio/microphone headsets and webcam needs. Make sure your computer/laptop and internet service provider meets those requirements before you transition to home office or telecommuting.  Download the Applications you will be using before you need them.

3. Dress for Work.  Experts say that getting dressed as if you are going to the office will help you concentrate on work and be more effective at the job.  Not only is this a good idea to put you in the right mode, if you end up in an emergency video-conference you will not be caught in your pajamas. 

4. Create a Workspace.  Set-up your work area or office/room with everything you need to perform your job at maximum potential.  When choosing your space, a room with a door is best. Avoid common areas like the kitchen or family room to prevent distractions.  You need a computer, paper and pen for notes, phone, and any job-specific supplies for telecommuting. Using a dedicated workspace in your home lets the rest of the family know when you are "at-work" and therefore you should be left alone.

• Organizing Your Computer Work Space 
• Organize Telecommuting with a Mobile Office

5. Tackle Priority Duties.  Make a "To Do" list for each day and then develop a plan to accomplish the highest priority items first.  If you want to remain a key employee, as an off-site worker you must show your worth by finishing important projects.  This requires good time management and planning.  Being busy with low-level activities gets work done but it does typically not get recognized.

6. Do not Multi-task.  Trying to do too many things at one time will result in sloppy work or missed deadlines.   Finish each work task before starting another.  While at work. do not get distracted by household chores.

7. Be Available to Co-workers. Quick and easy communication with co-workers, customers, and suppliers is important.  Although it is a good time management technique to limit your phone and email use, most of the time that is not an option when working outside the office.  Keep your email or chat windows open and minimized so you receive notifications when something comes in.  Then immediately decide if response is needed or if it can wait determine when to respond.  Prepare to delete - do not keep items that do not require any action on your part.  Same applies to calls and texts on phone.

8. Prepare for Virtual Meetings.  Even though you are not physically at company office, you will be expected to attend team or staff meetings.  Your meetings may be via teleconference, however many corporations are moving to the internet in order to emulate face-to-face meetings.  You need to prepare for virtual meetings in the much the same way as for live meetings, the only difference is the added technology component.  If you listen to music while you work, be sure to turn it off and be in a quiet location before your meeting starts.

• Increasing Focus in Meetings
• Improve Virtual Meetings with Tips and Tools

9. Take Creative Breaks.  Staying in one place for too long can be boring.  Boredom can result is less productivity.  Go to another room or go out for lunch to break the monotony.  You do not have to be in a corporate office to take a business lunch or attend a professional association meeting.  Take the dog for a quick walk or run on your short breaks to revitalize.  Set a timer to keep from extending your breaks too long.  If you need to do a lot of on-line research or write creative text, consider taking your laptop and phone to Starbucks, the back yard, or the park for that small portion of your work day.

10. Attend Meetings and Training.  Going into the office for meetings weekly or a couple of times a month keeps your face in front of co-workers, team members, and superiors,  It allows you to develop a bond for working together and keeps you more up-to-date on what is going on.  Attending corporate classroom training is another way to develop a company network, in addition to enhancing your skills.  Although you can do on-line training from your home office, it does tend to isolate you from other employees.

As you can see from the above, telecommuting can be challenging.  It requires proper planning and dedicated effort.  For ideas from the leadership side of telecommuting, see Ten Tips for Preventing Isolation in Your Remote Workforce

Bonus tip: Stay-off social media!  Unless it is your job to monitor a business account - Facebook, Twitter, Linkedn, Instagram, etc. can be distracting.  Do not let what others are saying or doing keep you from getting your work done.  If you do, then you ,ay be forced to make up work-hours during home-time, which will make both your family and employer unhappy.

Four Ways to Get Noticed for Promotion or Transfer

Are you wanting to move your career along, but feel stuck?  Do you think you are due for a promotion or want to get that transfer?  Get unstuck and start doing something to get noticed.  Below are four ways you can do that.

1. Remember ambition is not a bad thing.  So showing off your success is not bragging, it is just getting noticed.  Write it on progress reports and share it on social media if it is not corporate confidential work.  No need to be specific just post a quick bullet in hopes of attracting a mentor, network associate, and possibly the career you want.

2. Speak up in meetings.  If you have an idea that solves a problem or moves a project along, share it.  If you have a resource for necessary research or a needed skill set, let others know.  The more you show how you can help, the more you get noticed.  Getting noticed means being asked for opinions or getting assigned to more visible projects.

3. Take action whenever possible, do not wait for permission.  Do the work that needs to be done.  Take the lead on a team or volunteer for key projects.  Pro-activity and productivity get noticed too.

4. Find a mentor or coach who will recognize your capabilities and be willing to help you get there or guide your path. If you have a career goal, go for it by finding someone who will listen to your vision. 

Leadership Development – Report Confirms Top Three Needs

I reviewed the 2014 Trends in Executive Development survey by Executive Development Associates and various summaries of it and passed reports.  This report is conducted every 2 years, so the one in the link above is the latest version at the time of this post.  I thought I would share their results that may show the top 3 needs in developing leaders. I have also included links to posts and articles that may help define what some of these mean if you are not already familiar with the terms. 

#1 A leader needs the ability to create and communicate VISION (formerly #2 under Leadership).  A quote from the report says:

“Vision without strategy will not get far.

And neither will move forward without engagement.”

So we need to include:

• Strategy Execution (formerly separate as #3)
• Engaging Others (formerly part of #2)

Where can you get help with all three components of #1?  Check out The Work of Leaders in Vision, Alignment, and Execution.

#2 A leader needs CRITICAL THINKING (formerly #1 and also ties very much ties to all parts of new #1)

• Creative thinking
• Problem solving
• Strategic thinking
• Decision making
• Attentional control
• Intuition
• Cognitive readiness
• Sense making
• Adaptability
• Metacognition

#3 A leader need to increase COLLABORATION (formerly one of the components of #5) 

Short URL for this post = https://tinyurl.com/2bnssp8t See also post on Report Indicates Top 4 Needs.

Talent Development Is a Key Element in Talent Management

We hear the terms “talent development” and “talent management” more and more in Human Resource (HR formerly personnel) circles.  Some think they are the same thing while others may believe they are separate or somehow connected.  Are these just new buzzwords that take the place of old HR terms or are they a new form of employee empowerment?  Will these terms disappear in a few years like so many other business buzzwords have? 

The answer to the buzzword question is Yes and No.  Yes in a way, talent management is a new term that encompasses many old HR departments into a more integrated and strategic plan for hiring and retaining the best employees.  According to ERE.net (Electronic Recruiting Exchange) talent management is a major breakthrough. It requires an integrated approach from HR (recruitment, benefits/compensation, and training are no longer separate functions working on their different projects) and more involvement from non-HR management.  The purpose being to hire the right people (and when necessary let the wrong people go) and make sure they develop into great representatives of the organization. HR professionals who want to learn more should read The Talent Management Handbook (available on Amazon #ad).

No, talent development is not a new term for employee empowerment. Empowerment is pretty much a given in most successful companies now.   However, this newer term may encompass the different levels of personal and team development that leads to empowerment through OJT or formal learning/training.  According to Forbes, there are 3 barriers and 5 keys to talent development that leaders must understand. Talent development is more about improving performance and providing training opportunities to help employees excel.  If talent development is still a puzzle, check out 5 Talent Development Strategies to Enhance Long-Term Employee Engagement and Commitment to better understand how the old training department fits into the new talent management culture.

Whether or not these new business buzzwords will disappear? Only time can tell for sure.  However, it has been 17 years since the McKinsey & Company research that prompted the talent management term, 13 years since the book The War for Talent (on Amazon #ad) was published, and 10 years since the above ERE article on talent management was written.  Yet, many HR folks are still using the term.  As far as the term talent development goes, let us hope it sticks around because ASTD, the American Society for Training and Development changed their name to include that term (Association for Talent Development - ATD) this year after over 70 years with versions of their old name.

Productivity Experts – for process or people?

What do you think of when someone tells you they are a productivity expert or consultant?  The first thing that should come to mind is someone that helps an organization to improve their process or help their people to become more productive. This is what I do.

However, I find that many people think the role of a productivity consultant is someone who goes into companies to help them downsize by noting which employees are “deadweight.”  Then the company can easily fire or lay-off those people since the expert told them who they did not need.  The leaders of the organization paid good money for the advice so they plan to use it as their excuse for reducing costs verses increasing productivity.  I understand when the economy is bad you want to reduce costs, but what does that have to do with being more productive? 

Some might say is too costly to train people to be more productive and that there are some people who take advantage of their employees by not fully working for their pay  I feel training is an investment and most people want to do their best work regardless of how long they have been on-the- job. If employees are not productive, then they need to be engaged and/or trained.  Engaged means they find fulfillment and empowerment at work.  Trained means they have been taught the skills and processes to become more productive.  Which do you want your employees to be?

I hope you said both!  Employees who work as part of a team often feel engaged in their work and a connection with their fellow employees.  Team training is more than just a few courses on team phases or activities in an annual team-building event.  It must include the technical skills related to process development, role flexibility, project planning, quality improvement tools, both time and meeting management, as well as job-related needs.  With the right skill-set, open and honest leadership, and a good model to follow employees can become highly productive.  High production typically means increased revenue, so invest rather than just cut costs.

Flexible Work Options = Low Cost Productivity or High Motivation

With more and more companies becoming global, it is not so important that everyone show up at the office or plant in order to get their work done.  The introduction of the “mobile office” concept for traveling manager and salespeople came about as a way to help them do work while on-the-road.  Does this concept work for other employees as well?  Working from home (aka home office) is the newest example of a flexible work schedule and has become quite popular since it can save the company space while still getting key functions done by employees who may have reasons not to come into the office every day.  Being able to get work done anywhere and anytime motivates employees to do their best work when they choose to focus on their job tasks.

Before working from home and mobile offices, many corporations instituted flexible work schedules within their plants.  These “flex-time” schedules could mean an employee choosing to work hours outside the normal office hours or it might be working different hours on various days to provide the worker time to be off for a child’s school function or a personal appointment.  As long as an 8-hour day was put in by the employee, they could do their 8-hours within a 2 hours window of their standard start or stop working hours.  The only issue with this attempt at work-life balance was when people shared a work-station over shifts.  To keep in the 8-hour frame, employees had to work together to ensure both shifts are covered without inconveniencing job functions.  If this could not be worked out among the employees’ hours, then the employee who needed the change in hours would have to take time-off for the hours that were not worked during the 8-hour shift.  This type of flex hours must be discussed with HR representative in order to weigh the pros and cons and determine if it is within company policy.

Whether the above worked or not, many companies instituted something called “Flex Friday” as another alternative to try for work-life balance.  This provided the benefit of giving people extra time off on Friday or a 3-day weekend.  How it worked was employees could opt to work 1 of 2 alternatives if approved by their work team and immediate supervisor.  Alternative 1 was to work four 9-hour days and only 4 hours on Friday (employee electing to do this worked with the team to decide if they got off at lunch or came in for the 2^nd half of a shift) for a 40-hour week (9x4days+4hours). Alternative 2 was a 40-hour week where the employee worked 4 days at 10 hours each.  Many companies let employees choose whether they want to take the typical Friday or opt for Monday off instead.  A 3^rd flexible Friday alternative companies can consider is called ”9/80” work schedule where employee works 5 days one week and 4 days the next at 9 hours each day. 

Does your company offer flexible time or mobile office options?  If yes, please share the interesting options they offer in the comments below.  If you participate in a flexible work option, how does it help you be more productive or motivated?

Every Employee Can Be a Problem Solver

Do you hear employees complaining “Somebody should do something about this problem”?  Well that “somebody” can by “everybody” in your organization.  Employees are in the best place to solve problems because they are closest to where the work actually gets done.  However, many employees either don’t feel empowered to initiate problem solving or have never been taught how to do it.

What your employees need are tools for problem solving they can use when the opportunity presents itself.  If you teach people problem solving techniques they will feel empowered to take the initiative to not just complain about problems, but also offer solutions. 

 I like to teach a four step problem problem-solving process.  1) Identify the Problem, 2) Analyze the Problem, 3) Solve the Problem, and 4) Implement a Solution and include several possible tools to use during each step:

1.    Identify a Problem: Utilize a Problem Solving Wheel to answer the Who, What, When, Where, How and Why questions about the problem to be able to articulate in detail, the specific situation.

2.    Analyze a Problem: Now that you have identified the problem, it is time to analyze it thoroughly to determine the cause of the problem. A Fishbone Diagram is helpful in clearly identifying the relationship between a topic and all the possible factors that relate to it and may be causing the problem.  Typical “fishbones” can include the 4M’s: Manpower, Method, Material and Machines.  In Flowcharting, all the steps in the process are listed which may reveal which step may be the cause of the problem

3.    Solve the Problem: After the problem has been analyzed, it is time to determine solutions.  Brainstorming is a typical method but Storyboarding and Mind Mapping can also be used to generate possible solutions.  In Storyboarding, every person writes their own ideas on small slips of paper rather than waiting for a facilitator to record responses.  The ideas can then be grouped and moved more easily.  Mind mapping is a very creative approach where branches are extended out of the central problem to record ideas which can be pictures as well as words which stimulates both sides of the brain.

4.    Implement a Solution:  You have chosen the best solution based on all the ideas generated in step 3, it is time to get it implemented.  Start by creating a Checklist with every task needed to be accomplished, who will be the person responsible for each task, and the deadline for completion.  A visual representation of your checklist can be created using a Gantt Chart.

When employees are empowered to not only identify problems but also to help solve them in a logical, business focused manner, they will become more engaged in the success of your organization.

Increase Employee Satisfaction=Increase Customer Satisfaction

>In today’s competitive climate, organizations must focus on not only attracting new customers but also retaining their existing customers.

Team Rebuilding and Recognition for the Holidays or New Year

My most popular on-line team-building article is The Five Stages of Team Development (over 43K hits). Why do you think that is? I think it may be because most people are familiar with the first 4 as defined by Tuckman’s teamwork theory: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. However most do not realize that as he studied teams, he found many teams begin to slump sometime after the performing stage. This may be because they became complacent about their success, got too far away from the learning gained at the beginning, or no longer felt as valuable to the compnay as in an earlier stage. Tuckman called this phase Transforming for continuing teams and Adjourning for teams that needed to be discontinued. I also like Quick’s (author of Successful Team Building) term for stage 5 – Assimilating or Reforming.

Either way, the primary emphasize from the experts for phase 5 is to either show thanks to the disbanding team via a celebration or to use recognition to rejuvenate and motivate the continuous work team. (If you are not sure what the differenc is between a work team and temporay teams, see articles: 8 Considerations For 3 Types of Teams and Difference Between Self-Managed and Self-Directed Teams.) Company management and Human Resource departments need to be more aware of this 5th stage and the importance to making decisions about when team should be disbanded or when employee recognition efforts need to be enhnaved. Do not use budget cuts as a reason to dismiss reward and recongintion programs. Instead look for alternatives methods that can help a team grow but will not be too expensive. Find some ideas in these articles:

• 10 Ways Leadership Can Motivate Team Building and Performance
• Project Celebrations and Team Recognition are Important
• The 3 P’s of Reward and Recognition
• A Few Tips on How to Do a Team Building Activity
• 10 Ideas to Reward Teams and Members
• Evaluate Team Performance and Determine Training Needs
• 3 Ideas for Team Recognition Gifts or Gift Baskets 
• Power Totes for Team Roles and Rotation 
• 10 Ways Teams Can Motivate Team Building and Performance

Find a way soon to recognize the high achieving teams during the holidays. It can be a end-of-year celebration with small rewards and positive reinforcement. Or you may choose to make it a new year ceremony with recognition elements, role rotation to increase member flexibilty, and setting of new stretch goals using The 4 C’s of Team Goal Setting with each team.

Please note: I will have a team-building book coming to Amazon soon. The plan is to release it first as an e-book. Watch for it under my author name: Shirley Fine Lee. In the mean time, if you are looking for some books for Making Teams and Projects Effective, check out my recommendations by clicking that title within my Amazon Lists.

RELATED STATS:  In a Group Processes and Work Teams survey done by Lawler, Mohrman & Ledford of Fortune 1000 companies over a 10-year period (1987-1996), they discovered that the use of problem solving teams increased from 70% to 90%.  Also the use of self-managed teams in companies grew from only 27% to 78%. 

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PLEASE ANSWER question in poll at upper-right of blog to give your opinion of team use now.  You can return to the blog at anytime to see the current poll results before it closes.  Poll closes at end of year 2011.

Getting Passionate Performance from Employees

I recently read through the booklet Passionate Performance by Lee J. Colan and found it full of very good information for company leaders in how to engage their employees. Colan says to achieve the best possible performance from employees requires engaging both their emotional hearts and intellectual minds for the organization. To engage the mind, leaders must provide employees with a sense of achievement, autonomy and mastery in their jobs. To engage the heart requires proving a purpose of feelings of intimacy and appreciation. He provides 2 strategies for management and leaders to use to achieve their goals in each of these 6 areas which are described below.

Engaging the Mind via:

Achievement

1. Eliminate barriers by providing necessary resources, giving employees the authority they need to be accountable for their responsibilities, and making timely decisions when needed.

2. Define clear goals so employee can focus on them and know when they are met.

Autonomy

1. Empower employee involvement in improving their work processes and team performance.

2. Set broad and clear boundaries that allow the employee to determine the best way to do the job.

Mastery

1. Fit the right person’s abilities and interests to the requirements of the position or task responsibility.

2. Seize teachable moments to coach employees and build upon skills.

Engaging the Heart thru:

Purpose

1. Connect employee/team roles to a compelling company purpose.

2. Stay focused on activities that directly support that purpose to best take advantage of employee’s time and energy.

Intimacy

1. Keep teams small to foster better co-worker and customer relationships.

2. Create and reinforce team rituals/celebrations to create an atmosphere of fun and belonging.

Appreciation

1. Find daily opportunities to thank an employee for their contributions and reinforce the desired behaviors.

2. Demonstrate a sincere interest in employees as people.

Will these strategies work for your company?  If you are already doing some, great!  Let us know how it works in your organization with a comment on this post.  If there are some you are not doing, try out a new one each month and let us know how it works for you by adding a comment on this blog post.

Nine Reasons Managers Fail

Denny Strigl and Frank Swiatek recently collaborated on a book titled Managers, can you hear me now? It focuses on success lesson from the management style used at Verizon Wireless. In this book, 9 reasons managers fail to be as successful as they can are presented, along with ideas to implement as solutions in different chapters. In this post, I hope to summarize their points and add a little of my own perspective. For more details on becoming a better manager, please consider getting this book.

1. They fail to build trust and integrity.
How to build it:
- Say what you mean and mean what you say
- Seek input and feedback from your team
- Treat customers and employees with dignity
- Be dependable and meet your commitments
- Create clear focus and objectives
- Create a climate of open communication

2. They have the wrong focus.
Focus on:
- Growing revenue
- Getting new customers
- Keeping existing customers
- Eliminating costs

3. They do not model or build accountability.
How to be accountable:
- Take action
- Make decisions
- Be proactive
- Own issues and problems
- Demonstrate your commitment
- Rise above the circumstance
- Take necessary steps to get results

4. They fail to consistently reinforce what is important.
Reinforce:
- Your message of what is important
- Goals and objectives for organization

5. They over rely on consensus.
How to make decisions:
- Empower employees to make decisions about their work
- Consider others opinions but make your own decisions when time allows
- Decide yourself when quick action is necessary
- If you make a bad decision: admit it, fix it, and move on

6. They focus on being popular.
Focus on:
- Building trust and respect among co-workers
- Delivering concentrated results
- Holding concise “to-the-point” meetings
- Putting people in the right job

7. They get caught up in their self-importance.
Remember to:
- Drive results by meeting company goals
- Recognize contributions of your team
- Stay focused on what is best for the organization

8. They put their heads in the sand.
Rise-up by:
- Stressing open and honest communication at all levels
- Encouraging employees to bring up problems and issues
- Sharing accountability for results
- Learning to better manage your time

9. They fix problems - not causes.
How to fix it:
- Prevent reworking same issue
- Assign appropriate resources to solving the problem
- Take the time to discover root cause(s)
- Do not point fingers - work together

“The ultimate goal of a successful manager is to have this total commitment spread throughout the entire organization at all levels so that a results-focused culture is created.” - Denny F. Strigl

Undercover Boss Goes Bananas!

Have you watched this season? It’s really fun to watch the big guy learn about and appreciate the little guys in the corporate world. In my last blog I talked about the first 2 shows of the 2nd season which emphasized customer service. Now, let us take a look at what went down the October episodes of the show.

Having taught empowerment in the corporate world for many years, it was great to see the CEO of Chiquita and Fresh Express learning that productivity and training are important, but it is the enthusiastic people that make the difference for a company. After first-hand experience on how labor intensive factory and farm work can be, Aguirre makes an effort to provide better tools and equipment to help the employees be more productive and he encourages his executives to find ways to increase knowledge sharing within the companies.

So the last one was about individual empowerment, what about empowering teams to do more? The previous week on Undercover Boss, NASCAR SVP/CMO sees how hard teams have to train and work in order to be highly efficient and effective. Phelps also recognizes the challenges employees face related to diversity, process and quality, positive attitude, and work-life balance. As a team-building event planner/facilitator, while watching this, I thought WOW a Pit Crew simulation would make a great exercise. Now I am looking for ways to make it happen in an indoor setting. Anyone have some suggestions? Add them as comments or send me an email!

In episode 4 of season 2, Frontier Airlines CEO acknowledges change management, keeping faith, and recognizing employee commitment is necessary during and after corporate mergers. Bedford asks himself to review a few hard leadership questions many managers face on-the-line. What do we need to get better in the company - time, people, or tools? How does cross-training and recognition influence employee flexibility and the professional image that is presented to our customers?

CEO of DIRECT TV finds dedicated employees providing good customer service, some without the necessary support, supplies, and equipment to do a superior job. The mission White assigns to his leadership team is to find ways to make sure technical and support employees have everything they need to excel in current jobs and provide great service to customers.

Are your company executives learning lessons from Undercover Boss? What are the problems your organization is facing? Encourage they watch it and see what they can learn to better your company without having to spend the time traveling to multiple sites to see what great employees they already have. Watching these shows could be free training and advice for management at all levels.

Can I make it special for you?

Last week I had dinner with some friends who shared a recent customer service experience with me. As a big proponent of quality customer service, I am always interested in hearing success stories. I like hearing about situations where service people have been educated, prepared, and empowered to deliver outstanding experiences. Their story demonstrated two different sides of what quality service looks like.

My friends were at a nice island resort. One morning they decided to eat breakfast in one of the resort restaurants. They asked for oatmeal as part of their healthy diet. Their waitress didn’t think they offered it but decided to ask her manager for verification. The manager, hearing the request, quickly answered, and offered what he thought was a helpful answer. “No, we don’t serve oatmeal here. However, it is available at the restaurant across the street. Is there anything else we can get for you?” He did not offer any alternatives. My friends decided to stay anyway, and for future reference, went to see what was on the buffet line. Halfway down the line, they saw a sign that said “Hot Oatmeal” sitting in front of a large hot bowl of the same. Wondering why the staff and manager didn’t know it was there, they mentioned it to the manager. He replied simply “Really? I didn’t know we had it.” My friends ate their meal, including the oatmeal, and left.

The next morning, they decided to try the restaurant across the street. Even though their request was eventually met at the first restaurant, the oatmeal wasn’t very good. They hoped the new place would offer not only more informed service but also better oatmeal. They were greeted on the way in by the manager. They immediately asked if this restaurant served oatmeal. The manager said that no they didn’t but the restaurant across the street did, and that she would be happy to send someone over to pick some up. My friends declined while sharing their experience from the previous day. Hearing this, the manager stated that she could also have her chef make some just for them. My friends said sure and received a batch of hot oatmeal cooked just the way they liked it. They were so impressed, they returned to this restaurant every day for the rest of their trip. Each morning, there was a batch of fresh oatmeal waiting for them. On the last day, as they left for the plane, the manager raced out to hug them goodbye. An experience to remember. In fact, they did, with me.

Listening to this story started me thinking of my own business and people. The following key questions came to mind.

1) Do my people know what my product offerings are?

2) Do they know how to get answers to special requests?

3) Are they checking out the “buffet line” and staying up-to-date on new offerings?

4) Are they, and do they know that they are, empowered to make on-the-spot decisions to accommodate reasonable customer requests?

5) Are my manager’s leading the way?

How do you answer these questions? Which “restaurant” are you?

Satisfied Employees = Satisfied Customers

Have you ever noticed that some companies truly have "their act together?" They have excellent processes in place so service appears seamless. In their book Service Profit Chain, Heskett, Sasser and Schlesinger talk about how to improve profitability through improved customer service and employee satisfaction. "Value is created by satisfied, loyal, and productive employees. Employee satisfaction, in turn, results primarily from high-quality support services and policies that enable employees to deliver results to customers." Employees feel successful when they can provide good service to customers and frustrated when support systems are slow, cumbersome, or make it difficult for them to do their job.

I recently had two great customer service experiences that I believe truly demonstrate this concept.

We took a cruise on Royal Caribbean recently. The ship holds 2,500 passengers and I wondered aloud how they were able to plan and feed that many people for a week! A frequent cruiser overheard and proceeded to tell me that Royal Caribbean has created specific menus. They use those menus on every 7 day cruise. So that means whether you are sailing in the Caribbean, Europe, or Alaska; if it is for example Italian night, every ship is serving the same menu. That makes so much sense when you think about it. Can you imagine how easier this process makes it for the food purchaser, the cooks, and the servers who describe the menu to passengers? Consistency is improved and satisfaction is achieved because everyone has a familiar process. Passenger satisfaction goes up because their meals are served efficiently. Because customers are happy, employees are happy.

My second example is with Southwest Airlines. I flew from Dallas to Houston this week and back again. The flight is advertised as lasting an hour but both trips were less than that. Taking into consideration that the flight attendants cannot serve beverages for the taxiing and ascending and descending parts of the flights, how do they manage to serve approximately 130 people during this short flight? The answer was again high-quality support systems. Instead of dragging out a bulky cart, they go down the isle with a clip board with a credit card machine attached to the back. The chart on the clip board identifies the row and seat number to ensure the passenger receives their requested beverage. The credit card machine is for purchase of alcoholic beverages. The flight attendants then have a tray with indentions for the cups. This is also organized by row and seat number to quickly and accurately provide the passengers with their beverage. There was still time left over on the flight for serving their famous peanuts. Again, happy customers = happy employees.

Does your company make it easy for your employees to provide quick and efficient service to your customers? How can you apply this concept to your own company? One of the key methods you can immediately implement is to find out what support systems (manual or electronic processes) frustrate your employees when they are trying to deliver good service. Then enlist their help in developing ideas to remove the barriers and you gain two things: Satisfied customers and satisfied employees.

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Lessons in Leadership from Undercover Boss

This post is a simple review of the February episodes of the television show Undercover Boss, along with opinions by viewers. From this show upper management learns how their attitudes and policies can affect the company bottom line and lower rungs of the career ladder. It is meant to make managers think and acknowledge the value of employees at all levels of the business. The primary episode summaries here are merely my expressed opinion using a little more text than available for 2bproductive tweets. Also includes a few comments from other people on Twitter regarding their feelings as they related to a particular episode.

If you want to check out someone who made a Twitter comment, please click on their Twitter name at the beginning of the tweet to view their profile. If you want to see a longer review of an episode, please click on the company featured to link to an on-line story featuring the company’s participation on the show. If you missed an episode of the show Undercover Boss, check out video clips and reviews athttp://www.tv.com/undercover-boss/show/76698/videos.html?tag=page_nav;videos

Episode 1 = Waste Management story was about the guys who pick-up our garbage and recycle the stuff we put out on our curbs. This show emphasized breakthrough improvement ideas and true customer service come from the bottom up and that C-levels should listen. This show was very popular although no one who commented on it mentioned the “green” aspect related to the recycling part of that business. We got to see that the COO thought recycling was important, but it is an expensive and labor-intensive business to be in. Has our appreciation for the man on the back of the truck increased? I hope so…What a few people said on TwitterKellyFerrara: #UndercoverBoss - perhaps my new favorite show! Featured Waste Management President and COO Larry O’Donnell...like reverse Apprentice.BGdoesPR: Same here, would work for the COO of #WM after watching #undercoverboss. He is ethical and real, qualities rarely seen in todays execSoSoulfull: *wiping my eyes* It’s so sad how companies will work the life outta folks. This Waste Management Exec really gets it! Kudos #undercoverbossginavergel7: Especially multitasking. This Waste Management CEOs mind is blown! #undercoverboss
Episode 2 = Hooters story was more on the people aspect of the business. The CEO had the right idea that employees were a key part of the brand. If mutual trust/respect exists between employees and managers, it can motivate work performance and company loyalty. Customer service and employee attitude says a lot about the business the people are working for. However, the show seem to take a different turn than what the CEO said for his main goal of changing minds about the brand and hopefully resulting in broadened customer base. Did being on this show accomplish his goal since it spurred a Blog and Twitter campaigns to fire one of their managers? Would promoting that they have more than wings and beer on their menu have been a better way to get in new customers? How about specially-priced quick-lunches to attract professionals working nearby like many of their competitors are doing?
What a few people said on Twittermrobin032009: Anyone else disappointed w/ how the Hooters CEO handled the inappropriate manager on #UndercoverBoss last night? Even hubby said "fire him"!mariva: #Hooters CEO may not be able to #FireJimbo because of corp. bylaws/contract w/franchise. Maybe franchise OWNER is the prob.? #UndercoverBoss404techsupport: Hooter’s #UndercoverBoss instead of just giving the female manager a vacation, should have built a mgmt class from her style.worknclassbunny: This new show is an amazing insight on American companies. Every CEO/President should do this #UndercoverBoss
Episode 3 = 7-Eleven story appeared to result in the goal stated at the start by their CEO. He noted that employees are the key to the business and their attitude supports the business processes and affects customer service and support. He recognized his best workers at the end of the show and emphasized how many people are loyal customers based on how they are treated by the employees at the store they visit regularly. It wasn’t just about how many cups of coffee and donuts are sold, it was about building customer relationships. Isn’t relationship selling the new buzz in business? What is your company doing to build the best customer relationships possible? Can customer service and better relationships be what turns the tide in the success of a company?What a few people said on TwitterChareeKlimek CEO Joe DePinto of @7eleven is the real deal. Humble, genuine, passionate about EE's - the heart of every successful biz #undercoverbossmelindamusil: This #undercoverboss show is so moving! I mean- he improves his company, he gets some free pub, but most of all he improves PEOPLE!childsplayx2: The secret to greater sales is creating relationships. Dolores at 7-11 knows that. #UndercoverBossjingstri: I LOVE Igor on #undercoverboss. He’s so passionate and upbeat about his job. It’s nice to watch. Igor: "Big boss comes to the plain worker. Only in America."JLWNEO: Imagine how many great employees with real capabilities who go unchallenged/unrecognized everywhere. Every boss should be an #undercoverboss
Episode 4 = White Castle story where the owner looks to the youth at his restaurant to find new leadership as well as ideas for future business improvement in various areas of the business. Hopefully the new managers don’t forget where they came from, like one on the show seemed to, and will continue to look to those who work for and with them for process improvement. After all, the people on the front-line know the business the best and can find quick, easy improvements that save time and money. Every business can benefit from building teamwork between peers and supervisors as well as encouraging upward movement and career planning within the corporation to keep the talent and get return on their investment in training employees.
What a few people said on Twittertericee: Kudos to @OfficialWC for pursuing corporate change instead of just individual employee solutions! #undercoverbosscindybutts: Lessons after 60 min of #undercoverboss: have employees write the procedure manual, have wellness programgenochurch: I guess I’m a helpless romantic… but it’s great to see regular folk getting the limelight for just doing their jobs #undercoverbossteresamhauck: Thank you Dave for putting faces on the numbers! Others should do the same! It’s the people #undercoverboss //agreed

If you want to see another nice boss story, view the ABC News video story where Red Mill Natural Foods owner gives company to 200 employees athttp://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/boss-company-workers-9881720.
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The DIAL Method: Do It And Learn

In this information age learning is more important than ever. But learning is not a spectator's sport nor is it a passive, non-thinking activity. Learning can and should be an active, exciting, fun-filled adventure for all ages.

Often times we associate the old "trial and error" method with learning. With this type of thinking there will usually be more error and less enjoyment. Why? Because the supposition is you have to fail repeatedly before you can succeed. I’ve never met anyone who really enjoys failing in order to learn. A new method with a different attitude can open the door to more enjoyment, quicker learning and greater success. It's called the D.I.A.L. Method. D.I.A.L. means Do It And Learn.

The primary thing that keeps people from being an active aggressive learner is fear. Fear binds people, freezing them in their tracks. Fear intimidates its victims causing them to wither and withdraw. The D.I.A.L. Method conquers fear by taking specific positive action directed at the source of the fear. Growth and advancement in life are easier and quicker when we D.I.A.L.

You conquer a fear of public speaking by doing it. The more you practice speaking you'll learn that you can improve each time and become better and more confident after each endeavor. With doing comes competence and competence breeds confidence.

If you fear failure in seeking an education, a better job, or better relationships you should D.I.A.L. You commit yourself with every ounce of strength and all the courage you have and move forward. As you do it you will learn that you can succeed while accomplishing each goal you set for yourself. The more clear and concise your purpose is the greater your success will be as you D.I.A.L. We can gain wisdom and understanding if we take the time to evaluate our progress compared to our purpose.

We can and should be learners for life. Some of the greatest and fastest learning we ever achieve is between the ages of 1-6. Our young minds are open, meek and receptive and we have more of a trusting attitude toward those who are teaching us. We typically have little if any fear so we’re ready to try new things. In trying more and in doing more we learn more. It is also possible to maintain this type of learning attitude even as an adult.

The greatest learning comes from being the greatest doer. As you do something repeatedly you can learn new insights each time. As you do those activities you fear, you learn the power of action in overcoming fear and bringing success.

Adults learn quicker and retain more by doing than by hearing, discussing or just thinking. The D.I.A.L. Method works being founded on principles that work. It has a more positive focus than the “trial and error” method.

Don't try and err. Do it and learn. You will find some obstacles and you will probably make some mistakes along the way. The most important thing is that you will change because you will learn in a simple, proven and powerful way. The D.I.A.L. Method is ‘believing in action’. When it comes to learning, aren’t you glad you use D.I.A.L?

Giving Green for Recognition during Administrative Professionals Week

Green can mean different things in business today, as can reward and recognition. Rewards are a form of recognition and they can be monetary or take the form of gifts. Green can mean money or it can be an ecological or economical contribution. Since April 19-25, 2009 will be Administrative Professionals Week, with the main day for recognition on Wednesday, April 22 (formerly know as Secretary’s Day) consider that April 22 is also Earth Day this year and Arbor Day just happens to fall on the 24th. So why not recognize the special contribution your administrative staff gives you by offering green options or other alternative gift ideas?

For years flowers have been given to secretaries and clerks, which are always appreciated. However flowers may only last the week in which they are given. So the only remembrance maybe the empty vase or container they were in. Consider giving a nice houseplant or plant arrangement instead. This lasts for months as a cheery reminder of the recognition and appreciation on the desk or in the office area of the recipient. Also, plants also help reduce carbon monoxide and other pollutants in the area and refresh oxygen.

If you want to make the recognition more personal (as in the 3 P’s of Rewards and Recognition), you will need to find out what the recipient wants or enjoys doing. For instance, is there something the person needs to make their job easier or more pleasant? This type of reward is for personal productivity and can be a book, specialized office supplies or equipment, or simply a nice desk accessory. To personalize it more, does the person have a hobby? If they like gardening then a plant still works but maybe give a shrub that is flowering for their office now that they could put in their garden after the blooms are gone to enjoy in future years. Do they like to cook or consider their self to be a foodie? If yes, then maybe they would appreciate some gourmet food item or cooking utensil – visit a gourmet shop and ask for green ideas or items that make kitchen chores faster and easier. If the individual’s family or friends outside of work is often spoken of, then consider giving tickets to a group or outdoor activity or maybe a very nice frame they can put a photo in. Another option is to offer them a special daycation they can take off work to enjoy alone or with others. Be sure to keep green in mind when selecting the gifts, green being both cost and good for the environment.

For ideas on what your office staff can do together for Earth Day, see last year’s post Greening the office with the 3 R’s.

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Will you finish the year well?

Years ago, I attended an association meeting in sunny California. Many speakers inspired us with their stories. But one man's message still rings in my ears. "Whatever you decide to do, whatever you agree to do, whatever you embark upon doing... do it to the best of your ability!" He received a standing ovation that afternoon. The message had touched all of us. That evening, over dinner, there was an excitement as each person animatedly told of their plans for the coming year.

The years have come and gone since that speech. Yet, to this day, those words always come to my mind at the end of every calendar year. Some of us let up. Some of us take the foot off the gas pedal. Some of us slow down toward the finish line. A popular best-selling book teaches that "finishing the race and not wearing down at the finish line" is the only way to win. Sometimes we hear people in the winter years of their life say: "I wish I had...." or "I always wanted to..." Leonardo Da Vinci said, "Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do."

Run the race - finish well. I think this means, in every day life, some of the following:

• If I am a friend, then be a good one to the end!
• If I have good health, then protect and nurture it to the end!
• If I am surrounded by family, then gather together to the end!
• If I have a good job, then do the work "all the way"!
• If I don't have a job, then use all of my abilities to find one!
• If I am learning, then truly absorb all the lessons!

What happens when you don't finish well?

• You give up.
• You can't "get over" a past hurt.
• You leave things undone.
• You make a mess for someone else to clean up.
• You leave hard feelings behind.
• Your self-esteem slides downward.
• You do not focus on helping others.
• You "wear thin" on those around you.

It's possible you feel that you're in a tentative position right now. Can you finish strong in times like these? Yes! Yes, you can! In fact, a younger generation needs to see us model strength, perseverance, creativity, innovation, and hope - until times get a little easier. Don't quit before you're finished. Your and my legacies will be counted by all the things that we finish!

Dreaming is good. Planning is necessary. But finishing is best. Get results on the job. Build a marriage that demonstrates everlasting love and durability. Nurture business relationships that grow stronger through the years. Feed friendships so they outlive decades of trials and tribulations. Be an inspiration to those coming behind you! With just one life to live, live it fully and finish well!