| Many managers and executives sabotage employee | | | | are worth their weight in gold, if you want to survive. |
| performance systematically and regularly.Why would | | | | g. pay attention to your "gut" feelings, they will be right |
| they consciously or unconsciously sabotage | | | | more than they are wrong,regardless of what you |
| organization success with this destructive | | | | hear or are told.Ego.Would you rather be happy or |
| management style? Change can be either a curse or | | | | right? Uncontrolled egos have destroyed more |
| a blessing. Most people fear, dislike and resist any | | | | enterprises than any other single ingredient. It takes a |
| change that they perceive threatens their security, | | | | certain amount of ego to be successful when running |
| future success or well being.Regardless of the best | | | | a business, regardless of its size, but too much will |
| corporate intentions or agendas surrounding any | | | | earn people's wrath, contempt and scorn. None of |
| change in policy, procedure, re-organization or | | | | these make for a healthy corporate environment. I |
| expansion, employees from the boardroom to the | | | | recommend the following:a) does your need for |
| lunchroom tend to think the worst when change | | | | power, fame, control ever get in the way of sound |
| appears on the scene. Regardless of its purpose, need | | | | practical business decisions? |
| or anticipated outcome change is often a saboteur of | | | | b) are you more concerned with getting vs. giving |
| individual performance and organization productivity | | | | credit? |
| and profits.In order to maintain and or increase market | | | | c) are you more interested in being right than the |
| share, competitive posture, or long term financial | | | | health or success of a project, activity or your |
| stability, while keeping customer satisfaction high and | | | | organization as a whole? |
| turnover to a minimum, it is essential that the | | | | d) do you spend more time talking or listening? |
| perceptions, attitudes, values and expectations of your | | | | e) do you tend to over power, intimidate or manipulate |
| human resources be taken seriously into account. In | | | | people toward your opinion, answer or |
| my thirty plus years of experience as a trainer, | | | | method?Management style.It is easy to determine; if |
| speaker and consultant to a wide variety and size | | | | your overall management style is positive or negative, |
| organizations worldwide I have discovered there are | | | | if it contributes to increased or decreased market |
| twelve key issues that sabotage employee | | | | share, greater or lesser profits and increasing or |
| performance and productivity.They are,1.Arrogance | | | | decreasing customer base, if it contributes to improved |
| 2. Ignorance | | | | employee performance or increased stress and |
| 3. Poor or no coaching | | | | employee turnover. There are six questions to ask |
| 4. Poor hiring practices | | | | yourself:a) is your organization a fun place to work? |
| 5. Isolation | | | | b) do people look forward to coming to work? |
| 6. Clouded perceptions | | | | c) do your people love their work? |
| 7. Ego, Management style | | | | d) are people waiting in line to join your organization or |
| 8. Inconsistent communication patterns | | | | do many of your employees have their resumes on |
| 9. Inadequate human resource development and | | | | the street? |
| training | | | | e) do people trust and respect each other or is |
| 10. Negative motivational climate | | | | mistrust rampant? |
| 11. Poorly communicated corporate direction and goals | | | | f) do your people take ownership of department and |
| 12. Not in touch with reality | | | | corporate outcomes or do they showup, do their job |
| 13. Inconsistent feedback mechanisms | | | | and go home?Your answers to these questions will |
| 14. Corporate Culture.Let's look at a few of these | | | | give you a reasonably accurate assessment as to |
| briefly.Arrogance. This is the general attitude that the | | | | whether you need to modify your management style |
| organization is invincible regardless of its abuses of | | | | or if you are on the right track.Communication |
| customers, employees, the environment, vendors or | | | | patterns.Do your people have to be in the right place |
| competitors.Ignorance. This is often related to | | | | at the right time to know what is going on in your |
| arrogance, but it goes even deeper. It is being out of | | | | organization? Are all your employees kept informed in |
| touch with the realities that exist within the organization | | | | a timely manner on key corporate decisions that |
| as well as those outside the organization. It includes but | | | | affect them? Is there excessive redundancy |
| is not limited to: a lack of effective understanding and | | | | anywhere in the organization? Are there mini kingdoms |
| or use of technology, a lack of awareness of | | | | where people have circled the wagons and edit |
| customer attitudes or perceptions, a lack of interest in | | | | information before it leaves or enters a department? |
| employee position needs, desires, concerns or | | | | Do you have excess employee turnover? Are stress |
| problems, a lack of understanding of marketing or | | | | levels throughout the organization increasing? Is your |
| consumer shifts or trends, a lack of awareness of | | | | corporate culture defined by, "you better get it in |
| competitor activities, objectives or agendas, and a lack | | | | writing?" These are just a few of the symptoms of |
| of empathy for supplier issues, problems, needs, or | | | | poor communication. I recommend the following ideas |
| desires.Isolation. This is the approach of keeping | | | | for your consideration:a) remove any layers or blocks |
| employees, customers and suppliers at a safe | | | | between employees and/or departments that may |
| distance so that your perceptions, opinions, philosophy | | | | bepreventing "real world" information getting to the |
| and /or opinions are not challenged.Clouded | | | | people that need it. |
| Perceptions. This is being unwilling to see past the | | | | b) bypass your direct reports, and talk with support |
| visible and the evident to the underlying causes, | | | | staff to test the integrity of the messages that are |
| symptoms or contributors.Ego. This is the desire to be | | | | getting through to your organization or department. |
| right, control, manipulate, hold on to rather than delegate | | | | c) ensure that there are no duel or mixed messages |
| power, authority and responsibility beyond your office | | | | that are penetrating the organization. |
| door or trusted inner circle. It is having an open door | | | | d) correct destructive rumors that may be creating |
| policy, but a closed mind when people walk through | | | | incorrect perceptions. |
| it.Management Style. This is the style in which | | | | e) encourage the upward flow of unedited |
| management staff interact on a routine basis with | | | | information. |
| other managers, support staff, customers and | | | | f) listen and read between the lines of all |
| suppliers.Communication patterns. This is the manner in | | | | communication. |
| which information flows throughout the organization. | | | | g) listen for the emotion and feeling behind |
| From top down, bottom up, department to department, | | | | conversations. |
| inside the organization to outside and how outside-in | | | | h) weigh truth on truth scales and sincerity on sincerity |
| information is distributed.Human resource development. | | | | scales.Human resource development.The investment |
| Simply stated, this is the overall philosophy about how | | | | you make in your people's skills and attitudes will come |
| much of your corporate resources should be invested | | | | back again and again to your bottom line. It may not |
| in the skill development and attitude management of | | | | always be evident directly but it will show up in |
| your people.Lack of clear communicated direction. One | | | | improved loyalty, morale, ability and overall |
| of the greatest obstacles to effective employee | | | | performance. Training is an investment in a secure |
| performance is when your employees haven't a clue | | | | future not a cost. There is never a bad time to train |
| as to who you are trying to become, where you are | | | | and educate people. Training should be on-going and |
| going and why.Poor feedback mechanisms. One of | | | | relevant. I recommend the following:a) use inside |
| the biggest weaknesses of managers today is the | | | | resources for technical and industry training and |
| ability to give both positive and negative feedback. | | | | out-source general skills and attitude training. |
| Negative feedback should not be designed to punish, | | | | b) off the shelf training programs have limited benefit, |
| but modify behavior. Positive feedback is to insure that | | | | consider only custom designed in-house programs |
| people know and understand the expectations and | | | | when out-sourcing this activity. |
| standards under which they are to function.Culture. | | | | c) training must be regularly reinforced. You can not |
| Corporate culture is the personality of an organization. | | | | change behavior for the long haul with a half day public |
| It is the written and unwritten rules and expectations of | | | | or in-house seminar or video. |
| behavior, interaction, and performance. It is the rites | | | | d) prior to developing a training or human resource |
| and rituals that govern peoples attitudes and activities. | | | | development program survey the real needs, issues, |
| It is the corporate paradigm that permeates every | | | | problems and opportunities that are present with the |
| strategy, action, and decision.Let's go into a little more | | | | group that will participate. |
| detail on the above items.Arrogance.To succeed in | | | | e) have clear focused objectives for any program |
| today's competitive ever-changing global environment | | | | and develop some form of measurement device no |
| will require:a) a willingness to admit defeat and wrong | | | | matter how simple or unsophisticated.Lack of clear |
| decisions. | | | | communicated direction.Do your people, all of them, |
| b) humility | | | | know where you are going, and do they care? One of |
| c) flexibility | | | | the biggest obstacles to effective employee |
| d) compromise | | | | performance is a lack of awareness as to the |
| e) a willingness to let go of people, products, policies | | | | direction or mission of the organization. Your mission is |
| or procedures, regardless whosupported them, | | | | your general statement of purpose. What you stand |
| created them, hired them that are no longer in the best | | | | for and believe in. It is your corporate identity. There is |
| interestsof the organization as a whole. There will be a | | | | a right and need to know when it comes to corporate |
| greater emphasis on what is best forthe health and | | | | information. Not every employee needs to understand |
| welfare of the organization rather than who said it, | | | | your financial statement, the details of future growth |
| decided it,or supported it. | | | | plans or acquisitions, however, every employee has a |
| f) adapting to change regardless of how | | | | need and right to be privy to your general direction, and |
| uncomfortable or challenging the new environmentmay | | | | how they will fit into the new picture.I recommend the |
| seem.Ignorance.The use of information is power. | | | | following ideas for your consideration:a) if you have not |
| However, if you lack current information on market | | | | written a corporate mission statement, I encourage |
| trends, competitor strategies and activities, customer | | | | you to do so. When developing it, ensure that it is |
| attitudes and employee perceptions you will be | | | | consistent with who your organization really is not who |
| operating in a vacuum. I recommend the following to | | | | or what you believe it to be. |
| ensure you are making the best possible decisions on | | | | b) once written share it with every employee to |
| strategy, finance, marketing, manufacturing and | | | | ensure both understanding and acceptance. |
| distribution:a) use your field sales people as an | | | | c) put your top three goals in writing and see that |
| information gathering resource. | | | | every employee gets a copy. |
| b) conduct regular employee surveys to discover | | | | d) constantly re-evaluate to determine if your |
| department, product/service, employeeand procedure | | | | activities, communication, tasks, objectives and |
| strengths, weaknesses, and needs. These surveys | | | | agendas are consistent with your mission |
| should be conductedconfidentially and evaluated by an | | | | statement.Poor feedback mechanisms.Everyone |
| outside resource. | | | | wants and needs to know if what they are doing is |
| c) conduct regular customer audits to evaluate | | | | correct and how they are doing it is acceptable. |
| perceptions, needs, trends, attitudes,problems and | | | | Negative feedback should not be designed to punish, |
| produce usage profiles. | | | | but modify behavior. Feedback both positive and |
| d) meet regularly with suppliers to determine where | | | | negative can dramatically improve performance and |
| the relationship could be improved | | | | results. I recommend the following:a) praise in public and |
| e) network with other business leaders both in and | | | | private. |
| out of your industry. | | | | b) criticize in private. |
| f) become a voracious reader of business and | | | | c) don't ignore negative behavior. It sends the |
| industry publications that directly orindirectly impact on | | | | message that it is acceptable or tolerable. |
| your present or future. | | | | d) annual reviews are generally a waste of time. Most |
| g) bypass your direct reports and regularly meet with | | | | are conducted poorly. Besides, if you have behavior |
| support personnel to discoverprejudices, judgments, | | | | that needs changing you don't want to wait a year to |
| problems and opportunities that are being missed. | | | | correct it. I suggest quarterly informal discussions on: |
| h) use your outside resources as information centers | | | | expectations, needs, problems and issues either from |
| to fill in the gaps where yourprejudices or the | | | | the perspective of the supervisor or the employee. |
| prejudices of your employees may be | | | | e) feedback should be immediate and delivered in a |
| jaded.Isolation.You can't run your organization | | | | manner to ensure understanding,acceptance and |
| successfully from behind your desk or locked in the | | | | ownership. |
| boardroom. The job of management is to manage not | | | | f) ask your employees to give you a review every |
| hide. If I have heard it once I have heard it hundreds of | | | | time you give them one. If you think you are perfect or |
| times. "We have too many meetings at the upper level | | | | they don't know your weaknesses you are living in |
| of this organization that are generally a waste of time." | | | | fantasyland.Culture.Culture is the personality style of |
| I concede that meetings are necessary but evaluation, | | | | the organization. It is the unwritten rules, rights and |
| implementation, execution and directed purposeful | | | | rituals that act as a filter through which every decision, |
| action takes place on the street, on the shop floor, in | | | | project, task, goal and activity must pass. Corporate |
| the distribution center not in the meeting room. I | | | | culture has its stamp on every person, policy and |
| recommend the following:a) start your day with a | | | | procedure. There can also be department, division and |
| "walk-about". get to know your people. Be visible | | | | group cultures within the overall corporate culture. The |
| andinterested. | | | | impact of culture on the health, success and longevity |
| b) end your day with another "walk-about" for the | | | | of an organization can not be denied. I suggest the |
| same reason. | | | | following:a) conduct an employee culture audit. This |
| c) be accessible for people when they need | | | | can be done either formally or informally. It can be |
| information, decisions, feedback, counsel, tovent, share, | | | | written or verbal. It can be confidential or public. |
| learn, grow, help with your insight, experience, | | | | b) see if your culture is consistent with your mission |
| knowledge and sense ofhistory. | | | | statements' premises and philosophy. |
| d) have an open door as well as an open mind when | | | | c) is your culture changing? If so how? How fast? In |
| people get there. | | | | the direction you would like? |
| e) learn to listen between the lines. | | | | d) remember all culture is top down. It flows down |
| f) ask lots of questions. | | | | from the senior person in the group, |
| g) never be too busy to coach an employee who | | | | department or organization. You must take full |
| asks for help, advice or guidance.Clouded | | | | responsibility for it regardless of its nature or |
| perceptions.Perceptions become reality. What is | | | | description. |
| believed to be true regardless of whether it is true or | | | | e) if you want to change your culture it will take time, |
| not is acted upon as if it was true. When you make a | | | | lots of time.Well there you have it. Woven in the above |
| decision, any decision, or form a judgment with less | | | | concepts are the seeds of improved employee and |
| than a clear vision of what is really true, you are bound | | | | organization productivity or the seeds of destruction. I |
| to make mistakes. Some mistakes at the top cost | | | | challenge you to reflect on these ideas to determine in |
| organizations very little, while others have put | | | | which areas you, one of your executives or managers |
| organizations out to pasture. There is only one way to | | | | or the organization as a whole needs modification or |
| ensure that your perceptions are in line with reality.a) | | | | improvement.Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally |
| create an organizational environment where it is safe | | | | renowned sales, relationship, management and |
| to share openly problems, issuesand concerns without | | | | leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. |
| the fear of retribution. | | | | Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 |
| b) don't edit the information you receive regardless of | | | | countries on a variety of sales, management and |
| the source. | | | | relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over |
| c) remember disagreement doesn't mean disloyalty. | | | | 60 books including; Soft Sell, Your First Year in Sales, |
| d) encourage disagreement. | | | | Peace of Mind and The Male Gift Giving Survival |
| e) don't criticize, punish or discipline employees for | | | | Guide. His latest books just released are; 81 |
| bringing reality to you. | | | | Management Challenges and Above Ground, A Story |
| f) some of your best employees will be the most | | | | of Life's Gifts To You. |
| outspoken. They may be difficult tomanage but they | | | | |