The Value of Blog

An Untapped Retention Benefit

2008-10-06T07:12:00.001-04:00

I do a fair amount of executive coaching and naturally a good portion of it focuses on leadership. It is in this area that I have been able to help my clients make the greatest changes – reap the biggest benefits. Then I thought why don’t businesses offer coaching as a benefit to non-executives? Oftentimes it is due to cost constraints. However, a group coaching program could even be a-ford-able to businesses that traditionally do not use coaching, e.g. healthcare. I have clients, friends and relatives in the healthcare industry, nurses, nursing aides, etc. and they have never been offered coaching as a benefit.

Great athletes, actors and business professionals have all benefited from coaching. The side benefit is that the organization benefits from it as well with improved relationships, productivity and efficiency. Coaching can be done in person, telephonically, via email, or some combination of all three.

Reaching your full potential often requires having a coach. What potential could be brought out in you or one of your employees with coaching? What would be the end result for your organization? This is often an untapped retention benefit because coaching focuses on the individual, building their personal skill set that makes them more valuable, marketable and successful – it’s a great win-win option.

The Total Package

2008-10-03T07:01:00.001-04:00

It’s been a while since I’ve discussed my leadership philosophy. In light of the current political and economic situation in our Nation, I thought I would revisit it as a refresher.

The Value of Philosophy:

1. Give to get – what you give greatly determines what you get as a leader.

2. Learn for return – it’s about your ROI; Return on Influence.

3. Meet and greet – because where you stand in life is greatly determined by who you stand with.

4. Train to gain – demonstrates the vital role and impact each individual has on the overall performance.

5. Convey an array – the way you communicate with yourself and others helps determine the quality of your life

6. Weigh to stay – you get inspiration from making sound and timely decisions.

7. Walk the walk – you must demonstrate your tactical and technical proficiency.

These seven ideas have shaped my leadership philosophy for years. Granted, there’s more to them than I wrote here. There are associated character traits, behaviors and values for each one. The bottom line is that many of our leaders today don’t understand the leadership equation; Character plus Conduct equals a consequence. You need to have both a positive character and positive behavior to equal a positive consequence. It’s called the total package.

My questions for you today is this: What is your leadership philosophy? What consequences is your character and conduct producing for you? Are you the total package?

Remember, if you don’t like your current leadership style, change one thing and everything else will change as well.

Who or what will be first to go?

2008-09-30T07:03:00.001-04:00

Now’s the time to see what an organization’s leadership will do in tight economic conditions. What do we (leaders) cut first? Typically the first thing to go is training. This typically leads to employee disengagement as training is but the first line item cut in an effort to trim financials. If this is your organization, the next question you should ask yourself is who will be first to go?

I saw this first hand in 2000. As a similar situation occurred, tough economic times, a company started to struggle and started slashing everything. Employees began to put their feelers out for positions in other companies who were lead by stronger leaders and things began to unravel quickly.

Keeping employees engaged during tough times is a great leadership challenge. The American workforce is up to a challenge if rallied around a common purpose and treated appropriately. Challenge your employees to come up with ideas where there are holes in the current market that your company can fill or brainstorm how you can improve any of your processes.

Furthermore, now is a great time to spur innovation, creativity and training. Training doesn’t need to cost a lot. As a matter of fact, you can implement hip pocket training. This is what we called it in the Army. Soldier’s have a Soldier’s Manual of basic tasks and core competencies. Whenever soldiers had down time or things were slow, they take the opportunity to train. They would literally pull this small manual from their hip cargo pocket and begin to train.

What core competency, basic task, or other training topic can you or one of your staff provide? You won’t have any travel expenses and you’ll get the opportunity to build trust, rapport and cohesion with your organization. If you feel completely challenged by this, call me and I will conduct a teleseminar train-the-trainer training session for your staff for one hour. Your staff could then take this program and train your entire organization. This is an extremely cost-effective method of implementing training in a tight economic market.

People Matter

2008-09-29T07:11:00.001-04:00

Every individual matters, every individual has a role, and every individual makes a difference. – Jane Goodall

An important literature review was recently conducted that looked at studies linking leadership and employee well-being. It was published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The study reviewed men and women from many countries. The studies looked at leadership style and employee well-being.

The dimensions of leadership style that were focused on were consideration and support. Guess what they found? Not all leaders are considerate, treating employees kindly and fairly. They also found that not all leaders are supportive, treating employees with concern and encouragement. Wow, there’ s a shocker!

The dimensions of employee well-being were job satisfaction, amount of sick leave taken, and job well-being (anxiety, depression, burnout, lower engagement).

One aspect though was not considered. The impact of leadership style on productivity. However, there is sufficient evidence to support that leadership style does in fact affect employee productivity. Well, back on topic. Leadership style affecting employee well-being. Let’s see, as an employee when your boss is considerate and supportive, do you feel better?

I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles, but today it means getting along with people.—Gandhi

How are you getting along with your people? And what impact is it making on your organization?

Work / Life or Life / Work Balance?

2008-09-27T07:19:00.001-04:00

I’ve been going Mach 5 with my hair on fire. Well, at least that’s the excuse I use for my receding hair line. Ok, I’ve been busy. Haven’t we all? I’ve noticed over the past few years that I’ve been unbalanced…okay, no jokes. I have close friends who have thought that for years. I’ve found myself putting my work before my life and then I thought…is this priority right for me?

Well let me tell you that there is a distinct difference between work/life and life/work balance. Since changing my focus, I’m happy in my own personal life and my business life. There is a connection but it is not a two-way street. If you are happy at work, it doesn’t mean you are happy at home. However, when you are happy with your home life, you are typically happy at work. The problem that most people have is they get consumed in or by work. As a nation, we are for the most part work-o-holics.

The trick…balance. For me, it is setting aside specific time each day (when I’m not on the road speaking or working with clients) to take time with my wife or just take time for me. Look at your workforce. Are they balanced? Maybe a better question is are their priorities work/life or life/work? Tell someone to take an afternoon off and go spend with their spouse or loved one, maybe pick a child up from school to go to the zoo. Let them know that life is important and you want to help them enjoy it.

What's Your Strategy?

2008-09-26T06:43:00.003-04:00

Many businesses I have worked with do not have formal retention programs. They do have a recruitment program. However the recruitment program does not always fit with the organization's culture or values.

There are a few things to consider when you look at establishing your strategy. These include and are not limited to the following:

Hiring right. You need to know your organization's culture and values well enough to know who will fit and who won't.
Clear expectations. New hires must know explicitly what they are getting into when they join your company. Also, you need to have a system of regular two-way feedback in place to ensure success.
Flexibility. Work, schedules, and teams are some areas you should consider having a flexible aspect to your strategy.
Share the business. You have to give to get and your business is part of the deal. Have a mechanism where employees can take some sort of ownership and feel a vested interest in your company's success.
Listen. Employees have great ideas. Schedule regular listening sessions with a cross section of your organization for things you should start doing, stop doing or keep doing.

These are just some of the things you should consider when establishing your recruiting, attrition and retention strategy for your company.

Cynical View or History Relived or Just More of the Same?

2008-09-25T06:59:00.001-04:00

“Nothing is more unpredictable than the mob, nothing more obscure than public opinion, nothing more deceptive than the whole political system.” Cicero, 106-43 B.C.

It’s ironic that this was said thousands of years ago. Is this a cynical point of view, or is history reliving itself? Some would argue that it never changed. However, I think you can look back at certain periods of American history to find leaders of great integrity, courage and moral fiber. Leadership has been a challenge throughout man’s history. It’s the people throughout history that make the difference. What difference will you make today?

Your Annual Report

2008-09-24T07:03:00.002-04:00

Companies and organization’s produce an annual report. I’ve been thinking that it would be great to have you think about producing your own annual report. The report would give you a snapshot of where you stand as a leader over the past year and where you want to go. The report has several sections. Let’s take a look at each one:

1. Cover – In an actual report, this would reflect the company’s image. For you as a leader, this represents your image. How you present yourself physically, your brand.

2. Narrative statements – your personal mission and vision statement for the past year.

3. Performance / Year in Review – look back over the year:

a. Significant Events

b. Analysis / Significant trends (like employee turnover)

c. Testimonials from employees (why they like working with you and the organization)

d. Things you’ve learned

e. Things you’ve taught to employees

f. Leadership opportunities you created

g. Significant decisions you made or pushed down to the lowest level

h. Books / seminars / tele-seminars / audio books consumed

4. Looking Forward

a. Immediate future plans

b. Long-term plans

c. New initiatives

d. Skills or values to teach

e. Books / seminars / tele-seminars / audio books to consume

f. Your new mission and vision statement or restated statement

I often speak of taking personal assessment or awareness of who you are and where you are in life. In light of the many issues with business leaders in the news, I thought it was appropriate that we stop, take inventory and assess who you were, where you are and where you want to go as a leader in your organization.

The Key Issue Facing Business is ...

2008-09-23T07:03:00.001-04:00

Leadership.

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, Morgan Stanley, AIG and others have dominated the news over the past several weeks. Unfortunately, it wasn’t just the CEO’s who failed these and the other organizations who are struggling or going under in our current economic situation. Leaders at all levels failed all of the stakeholders; customers, employees, shareholders, etc.

I’ve spoken to many groups about the 3C’s of leadership. Character plus Conduct equals a Consequence. I wasn’t always the greatest math student growing up, but remember this basic rule; two negatives equals a negative, and two positives equals a positive. So what is going on in American business?

Leaders at all levels are not remembering this basic mathematical equation. If leaders don’t keep their character and conduct aligned and positive there are untold consequences to be faced. The issues facing the failing companies are not national secrets. It wasn’t just the CEO who knew what was going on. Leaders at all levels had to have been aware to some degree. Where has all the leadership gone in our country.

My challenge for you today is to look within yourself and your organization. Does your character and conduct align. What little thing(s) are you overlooking, turning a blind eye to, or just flat out ignoring that could be, and should be done right or better? Fix it. There is incredible inspiration that comes from making a decision, even a tough one. Employees will respect you and it will help build an unwavering loyalty.

What action will you take today?

You're No Shinning Star...

2008-09-22T07:03:00.001-04:00

During an economic slow-down, your star performers sometimes lose their luster. All too often, valuable information is put out about retaining the star talent or getting rid of the dead weight. However, there’s another group that sometimes get left out. They are the middle of the pack and they are susceptible to leaving, even in an economic slow-down.

This morning, I want to ask you about how you value consistent contributions? How do you show respect and appreciation to those individuals who show up each day and provide consistent contributions to your organization’s work efforts? What have you done in the last week to show gratitude?

Throughout your leadership journey, you may have heard the term transparency. Your clear, visible action(s) towards the consistent performers says a lot about who you are as a leader, what you value and who you respect. Your ability to communicate appreciation for their efforts is critical especially in a down-turned economy.

It is the value of the consistent performers who continue to keep your organization afloat during the valleys of your business cycle. Here are a couple of things you can do to let them know you recognize their efforts:

1. Pull them off to the side and Tell them you appreciate them being consistent.

2. Have a consistency celebration that recognizes them throughout the company.

3. Create an award for the most consistent performer.

It is important to let your entire organization know that consistency is valued. All of this will help you build stronger relationships within your organization.

Remember, leadership is a behavior, not an attitude or position.

Reviewing "Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership"

2008-09-19T07:09:00.001-04:00

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn about a fantastic President. The book Theordore Roosevelt on Leadership: Executive Lessons from the Bully Pulpit by James M. Strock is well written and contains a wealth of information for leaders. Be sure to read this one.

As a military veteran, I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know that President Roosevelt had been awarded the Medal of Honor, our Nation’s highest military award. There is an abundance of specific information taken from the President’s own writings regarding leadership that you can immediately apply tomorrow.

There is also some valuable information that pertains to our current Presidential race.What Governor who had been in office less than two years, who had five children, loved to hunt and fish was put on the Republican national ticket? Well, most today would say Governor Palin, while this is correct, President Theodore Roosevelt is also a correct answer.

The insight into his personal life, the challenges he overcame, his persistence, and more is clarified. You also get a good picture of how he ran his office, negotiated, and lead. He spells out the importance of putting others first and making a contribution. President Roosevelt was a values based man, you will see how his values drove him to succeed in life and how you can do the same.

"of the people, by the people, for the people"

2008-09-18T06:58:00.001-04:00

How can businesses fulfill President Lincoln’s words? They must ensure that everyone has the tools to participate. Just as our nation needed everyone to do their part in the early years of establishment, businesses need everyone to do their part today to ensure we step up and out of our current economic crisis.

As leaders, you have a responsibility to interpret the role and impact each individual has on the organization. Furthermore, our nation was founded on the premise of making a contribution, citizenship participation. Leaders must create and encourage opportunities for others to contribute, both to the organization and society.

American business is made of the people, by the people and for the people. We all benefit when businesses prosper, either directly or indirectly. The values of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution has served to unify Americans. Do your organization’s values serve to unify your company?

Retention Begins at Recruitment

2008-09-17T07:19:00.002-04:00

I’ve recently had some discussions with a client that has a very high turnover rate. Their industry is known for having a high turnover rate. The irony is that the individuals being hired would leave their employer for a quarter more in pay. Unfortunately, taxes will eliminate what little amount of a raise the employee was after.

So why did they really leave? Often the employee that was hired is not the right fit. Many employers are not aware of the value or the cost associated with assessments that can help in the hiring process. I explained to my client that spending less than $100 per potential new hire was less expensive than the cost of hiring, training, the loss of customer satisfaction, and lower employee morale. Using assessments will also reduce your overall turnover rate because you are hiring the right person from the group of qualified applicants. It is important to ensure that you have the values and culture fit for a lasting relationship.

There are many assessments on the market, and you’ll need help to determine the one that best fits your needs. Get a professional to help you with this task. This is something that even small businesses can ill afford to neglect.

What You Measure Gets Managed

2008-09-16T06:43:00.003-04:00

Finally, what I’ve been talking about for years is being validated. Some companies use assessment tools as a pre-hire screening mechanism. However, they have been focused on specific job and core competencies. There is now a shift to either include or solely use assessments that measure what some call the softer side of life; attitude and personality.

My focus has been on organizational fit and values; how will the potential employee fit within your organization’s culture. I’ve always believed that you should hire for attitude and train for skill. My years in the military taught me that you can train an individual to perform almost any task as long as their attitude is right.

So my questions to you this morning are: What are you measuring? And are they the right factor(s) to be measuring?

If you are interested, contact me to discuss the proper assessment tool to use in your organization.

Engaging Referrals

2008-09-15T07:20:00.002-04:00

Oftentimes employers over look their best source for finding new employees. What is this resource? Their own employees. You may be thinking, what does this have to do with keeping employees? Everything.

The likability factor even has its role in the workplace. As Dr. Robert Cialdini, a noted Social Psychologist from Arizona State University and author of the book Influence: They Pscyhology of Persuasion, states that we like those who like us. This is part of the likability factor. If you allow employees to help you hire your workforce with people they like, they are less likely to move on to another employer. It doesn’t hurt if you provide an incentive to your employee if you hire their referral.

This accomplishes several things:

You get a larger pool of applicant
Employees stay engaged
Employees feel valued
Employees get to make a contribution
Employees are more likely to stay

Sharing Professional Knowledge: A Leadership Example

2008-09-14T20:22:00.005-04:00

This weekend was another meeting of the NSA/Carolina's chapter in Charlotte, NC.As usual, the chapter's leadership exhibited part of my leadership principles; Give to Get. The board's willingness to give of their time and leadership to provide the highest quality content for the business of speaking was evident this past Friday and Saturday.

Give to get makes me think of Christmas. You've heard the saying, it's better to give than receive. This leadership principle requires a servant heart and that's exactly what was exhibited by the board this weekend.

If your business requires you to speak publicly at all, it would be worth your while to join us for a meeting in Charlotte, NC if you are available. These leaders set the example throughout the year providing a great model for others.

Hope to see you at one of these events.

The Leadership Storm

2008-01-30T09:51:00.000-05:00

Our next Enron or WorldCom could come from within government. The fact government sets many of the ethical standards for business means they must have a high standard themselves. It appears those standards are slipping.

The Ethics Resource Center's National Government Ethics Survey (NGES) shows that nearly two thirds (63%) of local government employees said they observed at least one type of misconduct during the reported year. Local government also had the highest rate of workers who witnessed misconduct but did not report it. The combined rate of state and federal workers who stated they had witnessed ethics violations was 57%. The 2007 study did not show improvement over the previous study. This should sound alarms for both government and business.

(To download the full report visit http://www.ethics.org)

The Value of Assessments

2008-01-23T07:58:00.000-05:00

Are you currently using assessments to assist you in qualifying candidates for your organization? Understanding human nature and how the potential candidate would best fit within your organization's culuture can save you thousands of dollars if not more.

There are assessments that cover a variety of areas. In some instances you may want to use more than one. Here's a brief list of the areas that assessments cover:

Attitude, Behavior and Communication Styles, Business Motivators, Corporate Culture, Conflict Resolution, Computer Abuse, Customer Service, Honesty, Integrity, Job Fit Benchmarks, Leadership Development Skills, Reliability, Sales Skills, Substance Abuse, Succession Planning, Team Development, Training Needs, and Workplace Hostility.

There are many valid tools available. It's best to have a qualified expert to interpret the results. Just as I recommend that you as a leader interpret your organization's values and value to your employees.

If you need any assistance email me: assessments at thatvalueguy.com

Technologies Leadership Challenge

2008-01-15T21:39:00.000-05:00

I've been speaking with many folks lately and doing some research. It seems that spam email has doubled in the past year. The average business user has in excess of 50 emails per day. The average user takes approximately 2 minutes per email. That's one hour and forty minutes per day. The average worker works 260 days per year. This equates to 15 days of lost productivity each year on average.

What if you could cut this in half? How much could it save your business in lost productivity? How much could your business grow with 15 more days of productive work from each employee?

This is why I've created a program to help businesses work efficiently with email. Some of you may not know that I've been working in the technology field for over 10 years. I like to think of myself as a recovering geek. As a former Microsoft Trainer, I know the value of productivity increases. As a businessman and consultant, I understand the financial performance impact this has.

How much will you save this year?

Sore Spot with Teachers Teaching Values and Beliefs

2007-12-26T11:47:00.001-05:00

I've often been surprised when parents complain that their child is being taught values and beliefs at public schools. Parents take their values and beliefs to work with them each day and impart them on their employees; what makes Teachers any different?

The enclosed link refers to a news article in California where a Teacher put down Jesus. I'm not here to say it's right or wrong because I don't have all the information. I want to peak your interest. http://www.modbee.com/opinion/letters/story/162291.html

Did you give any thought to the School Values where you send your child(ren) to school? What about the Values of the School's Principal. Now, let's bring this closer to my expertise. When you went to work for your employer, did you consider the organization's values or those of it's leadership?

If we blindly choose employers and schools, can we really be surprised by the outcomes?

Welcome The Newest Member to the Team

2007-12-21T13:33:00.000-05:00

Today is not about business, it's about family. My first grandchild was born this morning at 10a.m. Brody Ford is 8lbs. and 20 inches with a head full of dark hair. It's moments like this that remind us of the true value in life, it's family and relationships.

During this holiday season, keep this thought in mind and value those relationships that you have.

Merry Christmas to all!

Culture Values Create Wealth

2007-12-20T10:24:00.001-05:00

Organizational values have value. The best method to accelerate wealth creation in your organization is to ensure that your leaders live, model and exhibit the organization’s values. The leaders must ensure that they model those values with valor; setting the example and having the character to do the hard right versus the easy wrong.

Leaders must be mindful that the values you reward in your organization will foster a subsuquent behavior. The question is; is this the behavior that you want from your employees?When you build total organization development that includes emphasizing organizational values in every aspect, it drives your workforce to achieve organizational objectives.

Here’s a suggestion; create a continuation program. It is a program designed for employees to appreciate the organization’s uniqueness, value and culture. It’s an ongoing process beyond orientation that reminds and reinforces your organizational values.

How do you exhibit the rich culture of your organization?

Create a detailed history of your organization from the time of its establishment and the challenges it faced along the way and list what it has been able to achieve thus far.

Link each challenge to one or your organizational values. Create the roadmap for success that illustrates your business can overcome challenges and hard times.

What are your Organization's Values Worth?

2007-12-02T14:12:00.001-05:00

I conducted a fun and interesting workshop this past week. First question out of the gate was "How many of your organizations have organizational values?" Of course, as you would expect, everyone's hand went in the air. My next question quieted the room so much, you could hear the electrical current running through my laptop. I asked, who can tell me what their organizational values are? Stunned silence!

Every business and association I work with has values, and very few of them can tell me what those values are. Values drive an organizations mission and objectives. If the workforce doesn't know what the businesses values are, how can they possibly accomplish the mission and achieve the business objectives? Going through the motions will keep a business going, but will not allow it to thrive and grow.

If your business really wants to create value for all stakeholders; shareholders, customers, the public and employees, then you need to ensure the following three things happen:

1. Have clearly defined organizational values and value
2. Interpret those values and value for all stakeholders
3. Ensure the values and value are reminded and reinforced regularly

One participant came up to me after the program and stated "You know, your're right. I can't begin to calculate the financial cost to our organization. I can guarantee you this though, we will go back to the drawing board, have you come in to assist us and calculate the difference between our current and past performance."

How much is it costing your organization in terms of financial performance?

Lack of Appreciation has Consequences

2007-11-19T06:59:00.000-05:00

I attended a banquet this weekend for an organization in which they give out awards for achievement and for longevity. The awards are presented to both the employee and their spouse for support of the organizaiton's efforts. During the longevity awards, which are given for 5 year increments of service, there was a gentlemen at my table who had a noticeable look on his face. My wife attended the event with me and she leaned over to him and asked "was he okay?"

It seems that the organization neglected to recognize he and his wife for his five years of service. This organization has a rather high turnover rate (an organization with whom I have not consulted with on retention) and a seemingly simple mistake like this can act like a pebble in a pond.

I was approached by the organization's leader and the subject came up. His response was "I was unaware that he was due this award." Unfortunately, that excuse doesn't fly in our technological age. The ability to parse data and determine when someone joined the organization and in turn to recognize them is a rather simple task, if organizational retention is important to the organization and it's leadership. Apparently in this case, it is not.

After some discussion, it seems that this neglected employee has decided that he will be moving on shortly. It's unfortunate that the lack of emphasis and attention to detail will cost this organization a highly skilled worker.

Who is your organization failing to appreciate?

It's Not My Job!

2007-11-16T02:10:00.000-05:00

I've spoke with many business professional's who have become extremely frustrated with employees and leaders who state "It's not my job!"

Unfortunately, leaders do not do a great job of setting expectations when it comes to onboarding employees. An employee's or leader's "job" is to create value for all stakeholders; shareholders, customers, employees and the public. They accomplish this by doing whatever it takes, so long as it is legally, ethically and morally correct. Their career; accounting, HR, IT, sales, etc., does not matter.

I've held senior leaderhsip positions and I've mopped floors, taken out trash and answered the ringing phone. It's a leaders responsibility to set the example and the expectation from the begining, at the recruitment phase.

American businesses are loosing their competitive advantage by not setting the standards upfront, holding people accountable and growing their business on many of the values that this great country was founded upon.

Leadership's Competitive Advantage

2007-11-15T22:52:00.000-05:00

As a values-based leader, your values define the culture of the organization. The culture you create is your competitive advantage in the marketplace. In order to change the organization, it must begin with personal change.

Once the individual leaders change, and begin to build team cohesion amongst the leadership team, then and only then will a true competitive advantage be achieved.

Organizational change will only occur when individual leaders at the top set the example. Here's the simple truth:

1. Developing values-based leaders drives employees engagement.

2. Employee engagement drives customer satisfaction.

3. Customer satisfaction drives your profits.

I've said many times that Aristotle got it right when he spoke of the three proofs or appeals. He spoke of Pathos (emotions), Ethos (Character) and Logos (logic). It takes leaders with Values (emotions) who execute them with Valor (character) to create Value. We determine value logically.

In order to create a high performance organization, values-based leadership development must take place. In doing so, you will create value for all stakeholders; shareholders, customers, employees and the public.

The Leadership Effect: Influence

2007-11-14T19:37:00.001-05:00

It seems as leaders, we get short-sighted sometimes. I experienced a great joy this evening. Nine years ago, while I was a soldier at Ft. Bragg, NC assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), I had a young soldier named Michael P. that worked for me.

One of the things that I did with new soldiers was have them write down their personal and professional goals. I couldn't help them achieve them if I didn't know what they were. Michael's goals were to go to Officer Candidate School (OCS), finish his degree and eventually become a Special Forces Qualified soldier.

Michael and I stayed in touch over the years as he completed OCS. Then attended degree completion for his Bachelor's. We talked more as he was a Rifle Platton Leader in the 101st Airborne in Kentucky, before and after his deployments to Iraq. We spoke even more as he returned to North Carolina to attend the Special Forces Qualification Course.

I had the tremendous honor of watching my former soldier, and good friend Michael P. earn his Green Beret this evening at a ceremony at Ft. Bragg.

See, leadership is about influence. We often get short-sighted about the task or project at hand, and neglect to look at the bigger picture. Leaders with values, who really care, influence lives, not just company's, projects or tasks.

Well done Michael!
De Oppessor Liber!

Grow Employees - Grow Your Business

2007-11-10T09:39:00.000-05:00

One mission will grow your business. Build your people, focus on that mission, and they will build your business. It may sound simple, but many things in life are. Notice I didn't say easy, just simple.

When illness strikes: Leadership Succession

2007-11-05T11:34:00.000-05:00

It's a terrible thing to loose a beloved leader. I know this from first hand experience during my military career. It takes a strong organizational culture to continue at the same peak levels when the death of a leader occurs.

The glue that holds it together are the organizaiton's values. As long as the leader who succeeds continues to live, model and exhibit the values of the organization, their transition will be relatively smooth.

Here are some suggestions for helping to get through this difficult time:

Acknowledge the passing leaders contributions and provide examples of how they modeled the organization's values.
Reassure personnel that those values live on with the organization.
Provide personnel with an immediate example of how you will execute a project, task or mission with the same values.
When employees feel they share the same values with executives and senior leaders, difficult times can be overcome. In the end, everyone is better for it.

Gossip Kills

2007-11-04T13:33:00.000-05:00

Is Office Gossip Hurting Your Business?

As leaders, we have a responsibility to stop all gossip in our organizations. First, it kills morale. Second, it impedes productivity. What values is your organization investing in? Look at the values you reward and you should be able to determine the behavior you can expect. There are a few things you can do to squelch office gossip:

1. Set the expectations during recruitment, the interview and during orientation.

2. Stop it immediately when noticed and remind the offenders that it is not valued at the company

3. Terminate repeat offenders. These individuals are not the proper values-fit for your organization

The greatest impact on organizational performance and employee behavior is the example that executives and senior leadership provide.

Follow the Leader

2007-11-03T11:02:00.000-04:00

We all remember this game we played as children. There's a great lesson to be learned from follow the leader. As Dr. John Maxwell says, "Leadership is caught as much as taught." Remember, the gist of the game was to always to do whatever the leader did. It didn't matter whether the leader jumped, you jumped, if they stepped on a line, you stepped on a line.
The same is true in business. People do what people see. Leadership is about setting the example, what I call Valor. It's having the character to do the hard right vs. the easy wrong. While setting the example, we create experiences. People will remember memories long after the gift is gone.

Leadership is:

Chosen
Fun
Visible
Valuable
Memorable

Lead, follow and get out of the way. Sometimes you must do all three at some point. Remember, Valor is visible so take the hard right over the easy wrong.

Engaging Employees

2007-11-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

Organizations have the greatest impact on employee engagement. A new study released by Towers Perrin, a Management consulting firm in Stamford, CT titled "The Global Workforce Study" confirmed the most powerful driving factors are Senior Leadership, learning and development and the organizations reputation. The study examined the relationships with supervisors and areas of rewards, development and leadership. The study examined 40 global operations and found a direct relationship between "high employee engagement" and better financial performance in operating margin, net profit margin, revenue growth and earnings per share grow as compared to "low employee engagement" companies.

Organizational Values are critical factors to engaging employees. The study revealed that the words and actions of the senior leadership had the greatest impact on worker engagement. Only 21% of workers feel engaged. This leaves much room for improvement. Furthermore, the companies that have highly engaged employees have higher retention rates.

The study confirms the 3V Leadership concept of Values, Valor and Value; it takes Executives and Senior Leaders who live organizational Values with Valor to create Value. This is how employees stay engaged and retained while organizations grow and prosper.

The Value is Greater than the Behavior

2007-10-28T09:02:00.000-04:00

It's a mindset. You have to know somethings value rather than the behavior you expect. Let's use respect as an example. Growing up, I was taught to say "Yes sir, No sir, and Yes ma'am, No ma'am", but that was the behavior. Instead, I value respect. Meaning, I place a great importance on showing others respect. It's the intent behind the action. I've often said, "Action without intent, is merely motion." Don't be in motion.
What value is greater than the behavior for you?

Business Rules Have Changed

2007-10-25T08:58:00.000-04:00

For centuries business have been afraid to break the rules. The rule was that customers ruled. Well, the rules have changed. If you keep employees happy, they'll keep customers happy.
The truth is, and yes, I'm going to say it...there's a "paradigm shift" happening. The looming workforce shortage requires that we take a different look at our businesses. Otherwise, it will become costly to your business.

The single greatest expense to any business are it's employees. If your turnover rate is double digit, it means your loosing a bunch of money! How do you fix it?

You must realize that as people stay longer in your organization, values and what they value shift. When you hire a new college graduate, are they really concerned about the medical benefits...I know when I was in my early 20's I felt invincible. So do they. They want the red sports car, time off for adventure and to be challenged. As the years go by, they want to marry, have kids and trade that red sports car in for a mini-van.

Tips for breaking the rules:

• Conduct "keep'em" interviews regularly
• Offer flexible/modularized benefits packages
• Create a values-based culture
• Develop Valuship - Values-based leaders
• Encourage and assist life/work balance not work/life balance

If your business neglects to make these changes:

• Your recruitment costs will increase
• Your profits will decrease
• You'll lose intellectual capital
• You'll lose customer continuity
• You'll lose profits...did I mention that?

Remember, breaking the rules doesn't have to be painful or costly. You can make them fun, rewarding and profitable.

Leaders with Values executed with Valor create value for both employees and customers.

Where do you stand?

2007-10-23T08:01:00.000-04:00

Have you ever thought about all those friends you grew up with? Where are they now? Many of you may still live close by and see those individuals. We all knew kids that we thought just wouldn't make much of themselves, and then there were those we knew were destined for greatness. Why?

Well, I have a few toughts on the subject that directly pertain to your growth as a leader. I strongly believe that where you stand in life is greatly impacted by those you stand with. I've often told my daughter that she should choose her friends wisely, they have a large influence on you. Organizations are the same.

Have you chosen a company that you are willing to stand with? Will this company allow you to grow to your destiny? Who have you surrounded yourself with?

Retention is like a Marriage - Part III

2007-10-19T09:56:00.000-04:00

The Marriage

Now we have the new hire on the job. You've both made a commitment. Hopefully for life. Some relationships even have pre-nuptial agreements. This might not be a bad practice for businesses. If certain expectations and criteria or performance standards are not met in a given time period, then it sets forth the guidelines for dissolution, but let's not discuss that quite yet.

If you give your employee the following:

• Support
• The opportunity to grow and learn
• Challenges
• Creative leverage
• Flexibility

Then you start to set the stage for a long lasting relationship. My parents have been married for 47 years. Their generations employees did the same, stuck it out, worked on the relationship as it evolved. It takes valor, courage to make a relationship work.

You can use some of these ideas to help along the way:
• Date night. This is the opportunity to keep those embers glowing.
• Remind each other why you joined together
• Communicate regularly, openly and respectfully. Don't say or do anything that you wouldn't want to do in front of your mother.
• Take sabbaticals from one another - do things with others. It helps you appreciate what you have. Employees can do volunteer work.

This third part of this series encapsulates my philosophy. It takes Values executed with Valor to create value to both employees and customers.

In the last part of this series, we'll discuss the divorce (exit interview and termination).

Retention is like a Marriage - Part II

2007-10-15T08:48:00.000-04:00

The Engagement
Guess what? This means she likes me, she really likes me. And now, she's agreed to stay with me for a while. Now it's time to meet the family. You've already discussed your shared values, so now it's time to test this portion of the trust relationship.

What I'm referring to is the orientation process. You take the new hire around to meet the team. Introduce them to the key players in this family. But like most families, it's dysfunctional like any other family. Hopefully you've share this too.

Now's the time when you get to share:

Individual and organizational expectations
Performance standards
Criteria for success

This is just like when my wife and I engaged. We spoke and set forth that she would have her money, I would have my money and then we would have family money. I would pay the mortage and investments, she would buy the groceries and we'd split the utilities.
We discussed that the household chores would be shared. We even discussed the things to avoid.

Like my every weekend addition to sky-diving.
These are the same discussions you need to have with new hires. As with my marriage, this discussion...process took time. Months to be exact. So too should your orientation process. It gives you time to re-recruit them during this process. Keep stoking the fire of their heart.
In the next section, we'll discuss the marriage.

Retention is like a Marriage - Part I

2007-10-13T09:45:00.000-04:00

There is a very close correlation between marriage and employee retention. I've been discussing this for sometime now, but thought I would write about it. I've often said that retention begins at the hiring process

Woo-Me
Often times when courting, you ask friends or friends of friends about the individual you are interested in. This is similar to sourcing and selecting candidates for your organization.

You begin asking questions - the interview process begins
You may use flowers, dinner, movies, etc. - these are your organizational interview practices.

Are you punctual?

You chat, email, text message - these are your communication processes with applicants. Are you "fronting" or being truthful?

You can see where I'm going with this. This is where you lay the foundation for the relationship. Is it love at first sight or do they grow on you?

I know that when I asked my wife for her phone number the first time, she said, I'll give it to you, but "you won't call," most guys are that way. You see, the trust factor wasn't there, so I (as the employer) had to prove my trustworthiness. When we parted that first evening, I knew she had a long drive home, so I immediately went to a pay phone (you can tell this was some time back) and called, left a voice mail for her stating I would call the next day at 2pm.

What did I do, Sunday, the next day? I called at 2pm, sharp.

How are you convincing prospective applicants that you are different, that you have something special to offer that is worth a lifetime?