My 13 year old son is a member of the BC Boys Choir. This week sopranos and altos (unbroken voices) received an invitation to sing with Sarah Brightman, who is performing at one of the 2010 Olympic venues. We couldn’t figure out why he was so resistant until we realized that he thought he would be performing at the Opening Ceremonies; a stressful and overwhelming thought for him. Once he understood that this was not the case – he was happy to commit.
We all come at life with an existing framework; an understanding of how the world works. Sometimes our preconceptions get in the way and hinder us from moving forward and making decisions. This is particularly true when we ask employees to go through change.
The usual management strategy is to try and persuade employees with facts and figures. The only trouble is that employees will take the facts and figures and interpret them within their existing framework or mind set, and the interpretation might not be exactly as management intended.
To influence effectively we need to understand the world from the other persons point of view. We also need to be ready to trade, in other words provide them with something of value, in return for their support of the change process.
I am currently working with a client on a technology change project. The rationale for the project is solid and the change necessary. The trouble is the group has gone through a number of earlier technology changes that were not positive. This is their existing framework. This is how they see the world and no amount of facts and figures will change that. That’s because decision making has a strong emotional component to it. Research shows that at the point where we must decide, emotion is necessary.
Employees will decide to adopt a change when they can see themselves, and the role they play, within the change. This allows them to make decisions at an emotional level and adapt the change to their internal framework.
The client I am currently working with has opted for a multi-pronged approach to ensuring their employees connect with the change, and understand its value for them.
Here are some of the things you can do to make sure you are not one of the 70% of change initiatives that fail because the people who are to make the changes are not engaged.
1. Long before the change begins talk to your employees about the world the business operates within. Share with them key business results, market information, issues and challenges the industry faces, trends, and other relevant information. Interpret it so they understand what the business needs to do to move ahead. If you are involving them in key business information before you ask for change you are in effect giving them something of value – information , but also trust in sharing information usually meant for senior leaders. This value can then be traded for cooperation at a later stage.
2. Have a clear vision for your project. This will help people to connect with it at an emotional level - and understand their personal contributions.
3. Engage the employees in defining how business processes will change with the adoption of the new system. It’s their work, so they will be able to tell you what they do now and how that will change. There is great value in being seen and acknowledged as an expert.
4. Give the technology a chance. Answer all the important business questions before you introduce it.
5. Be clear about what the technology can and cannot do. Manage expectations.
6. Communicate regularly. Resist the temptation to only communicate when you have all the answers – you never do.
7. Understand clearly how different people will use the technology. Not every group will need to be communicated to in the same way.
8. Work with champions of the change to illustrate early wins. Show the behaviours people need to adopt to be successful.
9. Ensure training is relevant to each group and offers employees a real way to apply the technology.
Change is never straightforward but an acknowledgement that implementing it is more about the people then the technology and process is a good place to start.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Climbing up Maslow’s hierarchy
So much of what we do is about meeting needs.
Maslow outlined it perfectly in his hierarchy of needs; you have to meet basic requirements before you can deal with higher level needs. At the bottom of the Maslow’s pyramid are needs associated with food, water and sleep, this is followed by physical safety, then belonging and affiliation, next is esteem and right at the top of the pyramid is self actualization. This is the point where we fully realize our potential.
Here in North America we have made good strides in meeting employees needs as outlined by Maslow’s hierarchy. We pay decently and frequently offer benefits, safety is a focus for all out organizations, and we work hard at developing culture and recognizing our employees. But somehow that whole actualization thing is a little bit trickier then it should be. Not all our employees feel like they make a contribution to the success of the organization and the direct impact of that is poor engagement. Not surprising given engagement is all about the involvement, commitment and satisfaction that employees have with their work.
The level of employee engagement is directly associated with performance. Some 32 % of Canadian employees are partly or fully "disengaged." Companies with the lowest percentage of engagement show declines of 33 per cent in operating income and 11 per cent in earnings per share.
I can’t think of one client I have worked with who hasn’t imagined how exciting it would be to have the majority of employees right at the top of the pyramid. Most of us can recall a situation where we have been involved with a motivated, excited group of individuals - people who feel they are making a major contribution to the organization. It is a powerful experience!
I have worked with several such teams and observed a number. The common denominator is excellence in leadership. More specifically leaders who establish a clear vision and create the kind of environment that deliberately takes care of all Maslow’s levels – pushing people up to self actualization, where they are at their most engaged and most productive.
One of the most effective means of helping people understand their contribution and how valued they are is by connecting them directly with customer needs. Helping employees understand the Maslow equivalent of client needs and what this means for them.
I was privy to an excellent example of Maslow-focused project management. This particular project manager worked to put her team in the shoes of the client, building understanding and relationship between the two that would pleasantly surprise any client. Together her team established service criteria based on client needs. She then worked very, very hard to model the kind of behaviour she wanted her employees to adopt. Her team was a screaming, happy mess of actualized success. Her company made money on the project and brought in more business because of it.
What she did sounds pretty straightforward, but it’s not always that easy to build a self-actualized team when you’re dealing with the reality of getting things done. The approach that the project manager above took meant that she had to do a lot of planning and thinking about the people stuff. Often it’s easier to simply do the work at hand.
Another example came from a manger who helped his employees connect their own needs with those of their customers – right at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy. He encouraged employees to become involved in community projects of their choice. In this way he blurred the lines between customer and employee.
Helping your employees reach their fullest potential begins with leadership. Here are six steps you can take to begin to build your employees toward self actualization.
1. Begin with yourself. How far on Maslow’s hierarchy are you? What do you need to do travel further? Understand what makes you most fulfilled.
2. Build a customer-focused vision with your team. They will be more likely to accept a vision they have been involved in developing.
3. Together with the team establish your customer-service standards.
4. Work individually with each team member to ensure s/he understands their personal contribution. Plan with each employee to find opportunities for his or her special talents. Help them build their own self-actualization plan.
5. Build a community giving program. This helps shift the focus to the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.
6. Develop your own local reward process.
Maslow outlined it perfectly in his hierarchy of needs; you have to meet basic requirements before you can deal with higher level needs. At the bottom of the Maslow’s pyramid are needs associated with food, water and sleep, this is followed by physical safety, then belonging and affiliation, next is esteem and right at the top of the pyramid is self actualization. This is the point where we fully realize our potential.
Here in North America we have made good strides in meeting employees needs as outlined by Maslow’s hierarchy. We pay decently and frequently offer benefits, safety is a focus for all out organizations, and we work hard at developing culture and recognizing our employees. But somehow that whole actualization thing is a little bit trickier then it should be. Not all our employees feel like they make a contribution to the success of the organization and the direct impact of that is poor engagement. Not surprising given engagement is all about the involvement, commitment and satisfaction that employees have with their work.
The level of employee engagement is directly associated with performance. Some 32 % of Canadian employees are partly or fully "disengaged." Companies with the lowest percentage of engagement show declines of 33 per cent in operating income and 11 per cent in earnings per share.
I can’t think of one client I have worked with who hasn’t imagined how exciting it would be to have the majority of employees right at the top of the pyramid. Most of us can recall a situation where we have been involved with a motivated, excited group of individuals - people who feel they are making a major contribution to the organization. It is a powerful experience!
I have worked with several such teams and observed a number. The common denominator is excellence in leadership. More specifically leaders who establish a clear vision and create the kind of environment that deliberately takes care of all Maslow’s levels – pushing people up to self actualization, where they are at their most engaged and most productive.
One of the most effective means of helping people understand their contribution and how valued they are is by connecting them directly with customer needs. Helping employees understand the Maslow equivalent of client needs and what this means for them.
I was privy to an excellent example of Maslow-focused project management. This particular project manager worked to put her team in the shoes of the client, building understanding and relationship between the two that would pleasantly surprise any client. Together her team established service criteria based on client needs. She then worked very, very hard to model the kind of behaviour she wanted her employees to adopt. Her team was a screaming, happy mess of actualized success. Her company made money on the project and brought in more business because of it.
What she did sounds pretty straightforward, but it’s not always that easy to build a self-actualized team when you’re dealing with the reality of getting things done. The approach that the project manager above took meant that she had to do a lot of planning and thinking about the people stuff. Often it’s easier to simply do the work at hand.
Another example came from a manger who helped his employees connect their own needs with those of their customers – right at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy. He encouraged employees to become involved in community projects of their choice. In this way he blurred the lines between customer and employee.
Helping your employees reach their fullest potential begins with leadership. Here are six steps you can take to begin to build your employees toward self actualization.
1. Begin with yourself. How far on Maslow’s hierarchy are you? What do you need to do travel further? Understand what makes you most fulfilled.
2. Build a customer-focused vision with your team. They will be more likely to accept a vision they have been involved in developing.
3. Together with the team establish your customer-service standards.
4. Work individually with each team member to ensure s/he understands their personal contribution. Plan with each employee to find opportunities for his or her special talents. Help them build their own self-actualization plan.
5. Build a community giving program. This helps shift the focus to the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.
6. Develop your own local reward process.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Dalai Lama guides workplace productivity
Some weeks ago the Dalai Lama was guest editor for the Vancouver Sun. In his lead article he commented that our purpose in life is to be happy. Certainly no-one can argue that most of us want to be happy. Just look at the self help section in your local bookstore.
The Dalai Lama then goes on to say that we achieve a greater sense of well-being when we care for the happiness of others. This takes care of the simplistic, and indeed destructive, notion that we can and should strive for continuous personal happiness. In other words, if I understand the Dalai Lama correctly, our happiness is a by-product of our striving for the general good.
Things become a little bit more complicated when we look at the workplace. Should happiness be something we strive for within the workplace? How do we collectively define happiness and what is the greater good within an organizational setting?
These are hard questions to answer. Let’s tackle two of them:
1. Is happiness important in the workplace?
2. What is the greater good in the workplace?
As a result of research by John Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics at UBC, we now understand that the pay cheque is only half the story in terms of employee satisfaction. Just as important is how far you think you can trust your boss. If, on a scale of one to 10, you can give your employer a one-point rise in rank on trust issues, the flood of well-being you'll experience will be equivalent to a one-third increase in income. So – improve trust levels – employees will be happy and performance will improve?
Well, maybe – but didn’t the Dalai Lama also say something about happiness being the by-product of working for the greater good. So what is the greater good in an organization – the vision? Many visions are centred around making more money, selling more product. Perhaps we have to look at the organizational values; the accepted standards and behaviors that hold us together.
Values throughout the western world espouse notions such as; honesty, integrity, respect, loyalty, innovation, teamwork, excellence, accountability, pride. These are all concepts we can relate to and probably adhere to in our personal lives. So if we can connect the organizational values to those of the employees – we have something that is a common good. Something we can work toward together.
I have been involved in not-for-profits where the personal and organizational values were so closely linked that it was hard not to feel like everyone was working for the greater good. It’s a little more challenging when you deliver janitorial services. And yet my friend Steve says the company he works for is hot on values – it’s something he talks with employees about all the time, topmost among them pride and teamwork.
Happiness and values – these are tall orders for a busy organization. If you don’t have a retreat planned when you can build your values or an HR consultant to help you develop strategies to improve trust, try these two simple strategies:
1. Each senior leader take a value that is important to him or her and does three things:
a. Live that value very deliberately – every day
b. Talk about that value
c. Comment on others living that value.
2. Just as the Vancouver Sun did when the Dalai Lama edited the newspaper, ask people to submit stories about themselves or fellow employees who live the values. Display them on the notice board. Give out prizes. You will create a groundswell of goodwill and coincidentally break down silos.
Here’s to happy, value-driven workplaces!
The Dalai Lama then goes on to say that we achieve a greater sense of well-being when we care for the happiness of others. This takes care of the simplistic, and indeed destructive, notion that we can and should strive for continuous personal happiness. In other words, if I understand the Dalai Lama correctly, our happiness is a by-product of our striving for the general good.
Things become a little bit more complicated when we look at the workplace. Should happiness be something we strive for within the workplace? How do we collectively define happiness and what is the greater good within an organizational setting?
These are hard questions to answer. Let’s tackle two of them:
1. Is happiness important in the workplace?
2. What is the greater good in the workplace?
As a result of research by John Helliwell, professor emeritus of economics at UBC, we now understand that the pay cheque is only half the story in terms of employee satisfaction. Just as important is how far you think you can trust your boss. If, on a scale of one to 10, you can give your employer a one-point rise in rank on trust issues, the flood of well-being you'll experience will be equivalent to a one-third increase in income. So – improve trust levels – employees will be happy and performance will improve?
Well, maybe – but didn’t the Dalai Lama also say something about happiness being the by-product of working for the greater good. So what is the greater good in an organization – the vision? Many visions are centred around making more money, selling more product. Perhaps we have to look at the organizational values; the accepted standards and behaviors that hold us together.
Values throughout the western world espouse notions such as; honesty, integrity, respect, loyalty, innovation, teamwork, excellence, accountability, pride. These are all concepts we can relate to and probably adhere to in our personal lives. So if we can connect the organizational values to those of the employees – we have something that is a common good. Something we can work toward together.
I have been involved in not-for-profits where the personal and organizational values were so closely linked that it was hard not to feel like everyone was working for the greater good. It’s a little more challenging when you deliver janitorial services. And yet my friend Steve says the company he works for is hot on values – it’s something he talks with employees about all the time, topmost among them pride and teamwork.
Happiness and values – these are tall orders for a busy organization. If you don’t have a retreat planned when you can build your values or an HR consultant to help you develop strategies to improve trust, try these two simple strategies:
1. Each senior leader take a value that is important to him or her and does three things:
a. Live that value very deliberately – every day
b. Talk about that value
c. Comment on others living that value.
2. Just as the Vancouver Sun did when the Dalai Lama edited the newspaper, ask people to submit stories about themselves or fellow employees who live the values. Display them on the notice board. Give out prizes. You will create a groundswell of goodwill and coincidentally break down silos.
Here’s to happy, value-driven workplaces!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Yesterday morning my 17 year old decides to shake up her routine a little. She’s up at 6:15 am – out for a run and ready to hit the bus for school at 7:45. Her 13 year old brother, who is usually the one waiting for her, has the tables turned on him.
My daughter sits at the kitchen counter waiting for younger sib. Irritated by his homework spread over the surface she comments that she had never realized how annoying it is when someone (?) leaves papers and binders in the common area.
Her brother is tardy – she goes to the bottom of the stairs to give him a yell.
“Gosh mum”, she says, “I think I now understand why you get frustrated with me when I’m late.”
Eureka!
There is nothing like experience to help people learn important life lessons. All too often we expect employees to get it when we tell them, when in reality the best lesson will be the one they take from their own experiences.
Memo to managers: We need to get out of the way and let our employees learn from life. Our role is to help them make the connections.
My daughter sits at the kitchen counter waiting for younger sib. Irritated by his homework spread over the surface she comments that she had never realized how annoying it is when someone (?) leaves papers and binders in the common area.
Her brother is tardy – she goes to the bottom of the stairs to give him a yell.
“Gosh mum”, she says, “I think I now understand why you get frustrated with me when I’m late.”
Eureka!
There is nothing like experience to help people learn important life lessons. All too often we expect employees to get it when we tell them, when in reality the best lesson will be the one they take from their own experiences.
Memo to managers: We need to get out of the way and let our employees learn from life. Our role is to help them make the connections.
Friday, October 2, 2009
TELL STORIES AND CONNECT EMOTIONALLY WITH EMPLOYEES
Each of us has our own unique "mental vocabulary", an internal library of words and pictures that we associate with certain events, places, people and feelings. When we hear a story about a little girl in Africa who is hungry and would like to go to school, our internal library is hard at work looking for associations and eliciting emotions - and it is these feelings that will make us decide to act.
Skeptics might argue that all we have done is create an imaginary scenario in someone's head. But imagination and action are very integrated. Electrodes placed on a person's brain while he or she visualizes an activity will see the same parts of the brain turn on as if that person were actually doing the activity. Top sportsmen know this and integrate visualization into their practice routines. Similarly if we want employees to act, we have to get them to the point where they are visualizing their own actions.
The key is to reinterpret all the contextual information we provide; relate it to what is happening in your organization. There are two strategies we can employee to do this. The first is the more traditional reporting of information in the newsletter with statistics and interpretation and through the established cascade process. This is good and should be continued. It begins the process of making the information relevant to the front line. The only trouble is that it does not provide employees with a blueprint for how they should act.
That's where stories and examples from within the organization come in. Real stories of people who have understood the urgency and taken action are personal, powerful and provide a clear framework of expectations and behaviors. With stories we tap into an individual's internal library and we take a step toward connecting with them emotionally.
Each of us has our own unique "mental vocabulary", an internal library of words and pictures that we associate with certain events, places, people and feelings. When we hear a story about a little girl in Africa who is hungry and would like to go to school, our internal library is hard at work looking for associations and eliciting emotions - and it is these feelings that will make us decide to act.
Skeptics might argue that all we have done is create an imaginary scenario in someone's head. But imagination and action are very integrated. Electrodes placed on a person's brain while he or she visualizes an activity will see the same parts of the brain turn on as if that person were actually doing the activity. Top sportsmen know this and integrate visualization into their practice routines. Similarly if we want employees to act, we have to get them to the point where they are visualizing their own actions.
The key is to reinterpret all the contextual information we provide; relate it to what is happening in your organization. There are two strategies we can employee to do this. The first is the more traditional reporting of information in the newsletter with statistics and interpretation and through the established cascade process. This is good and should be continued. It begins the process of making the information relevant to the front line. The only trouble is that it does not provide employees with a blueprint for how they should act.
That's where stories and examples from within the organization come in. Real stories of people who have understood the urgency and taken action are personal, powerful and provide a clear framework of expectations and behaviors. With stories we tap into an individual's internal library and we take a step toward connecting with them emotionally.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Should we be introducing a new term for fully engaged employees? Read the article posted by Michael Sabastian and make up your mind. http://ping.fm/AxjcN
Don't have time for the entire article? Here's a quote from the author to give you the gist of it:
"So, it seems engagement in the traditional sense and the corporate sense are similar. Someone who is “engaged” in the corporate sense is much like a man or woman engaged to be married, which means they are committed—to a point. But they aren't committed to the fullest extent, which is marriage.
And that brings me to “employee marriagement,” a new term (I think), which means someone who is fully committed to the company in a lifelong “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer” kind of way.
How many of your employees are married to your company? Is it time you launched an employee marriagement program?
Don't have time for the entire article? Here's a quote from the author to give you the gist of it:
"So, it seems engagement in the traditional sense and the corporate sense are similar. Someone who is “engaged” in the corporate sense is much like a man or woman engaged to be married, which means they are committed—to a point. But they aren't committed to the fullest extent, which is marriage.
And that brings me to “employee marriagement,” a new term (I think), which means someone who is fully committed to the company in a lifelong “for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer” kind of way.
How many of your employees are married to your company? Is it time you launched an employee marriagement program?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Great article from Kaihan Krippendorff. Storytelling really is fundamental to communication and learning. http://ping.fm/rrM8z
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