“wanna play wif us?” (Team Building)

(part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or is ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

I believe the leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills learned on the playground.  Today's skill, team building.

Children love everyone!  The eagerly want to join others and play.  They pick their friends  and others they believe will help them win the game for their side. They help each other out and they enjoy interacting with each other. They learn the rules of the game(s) and follow them.  They learn what happens if they do not follow the rules of the game(s). Their parents or other adults are there to oversee they play agreeably.  

Let's identify true team-based environments using one example of what should be a very simple process. Do your associates schedule their vacations and days off with the approval of their team mates (the people they work with 8 hours a day and who are the ones directly impacted by their absence?)  or

is there still a signature process that involves a litany of people up the "management chain" - supervisors, managers, HR?   if yes, why?  Ninety percent of the responses suggest the "team" is unable to "make those kind of decisions". 

If, as a supervisor or above, you are still spending your time signing off on vacation or time off requests (except for your direct staff) you are unnecssarily adding to the cost of a simple process and negatively impacting the growth of your staff to becoming a self-directed work team. (see blog, ABCM 7/14 and 7/19)

In a true team based environment,

1.) the associate team (those that work together 8 hours a day) would deliberate the "request for absences" at the morning associate team meeting. “Absences or request for time off” would be listed as an agenda item (daily, weekly, monthly— depending on the size of the business).

(the team leader would share the work or tasks for the week in a daily “data-exchange” agenda item)

2.) Together, the associate team would evaluate the team leader's input and make their "yes, no" decision.  The team leader would assist in the process only if needed.

The prelude for the above team process is:

1. We have educated the associates on the process of  “decision-making" in a team building class.

· We have implemented job / skill sharing (some still use the vernacular "cross training") with each member on the team.

2. We have educated the associates on the company policy specifics for “time off”. (identify the rules)

· My policy:  we will not hire temporary worker(s) for the job;  the work will not fall behind  (read:  job / skill sharing [cross training] has taken place).

3. My policy:  All desk procedures are written and up-to-date. (identify the rules and what happens if they are not followed)

· "Your vacation will be interrupted if something happens and no one knows what to do.  This will also negatively impact your request the next time you ask for time off. It will also be noted in your performance review."

Just as we do with children, if we share the rules of the game (read:  set policy) with our team, they should be able to carry them out (read:  implement the procedure) and be held accountable for their decisions. Decision-making is an invaluable skill for the team to learn. It is the basis for any problem solving technique.  Vacations and time off is one that impacts them directly.  Teaching them how to approve or disapprove this request is a good start to their skill set addition.

This is but one example of how true team-based environments should operate.  Does yours? If not, why not?

CHECK YOUR EGOS HERE

In January 1985 (yes, I know before most of you were even a thought)  director/producer Quincy Jones together with co-writers Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson (rest in peace) wrote a song titled “We are the World” for the famine relief campaign, USA for Africa. The American Music Awards (Grammy awards) brings the best of the best into LA every year and Quincy felt this would be the most opportune time to develop this project since everyone would be in town at the same time. After the Awards show, the stars gathered together.  Over 30 participated on a night when many had won Grammys and would have rather have been celebrating.  Singers Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte, Kenny Logins, Cyndi Lauper, Smoky Robinson, Hall-n-Oates, Huey Lewis, Jackson brothers, Bette Midler, and Janet Jackson to name but a few.

Quincy had hung a sign on the door outside that read “CHECK YOUR EGOS HERE!” in big, bold letters for each to see on arrival.  He wanted to remind them they were coming to help others.

•          His objective:  Focus on why we are here not who you are!

The song sold over 800,000 in the first weekend it was released and it raised millions of dollars in support of  USA for Africa.  What a team!

A team is defined as a group (i.e. a collection of persons having at least one thing in common) that has developed toward a set of conditions that, in turn, eventually lead the group to extraordinary productivity. Simply, a team is a group of people coming together for the good of the purpose or goal.  The basic purpose of working in teams is the opportunity for several individuals to stimulate the creativity of each other resulting in multiple ideas, instant feedback, and heightened levels of productivity.

Today’s success in any organization large or small is its people.  Empowering employees to make their own decisions based on the education provided is imperative for survival.  Top management must recognize that a true team effort is a benefit to their organization and their bottom line cost savings.  The objective of team building is to understand first that we are successful when we believe in building excellence into every aspect of the organization by focusing on creating a workplace that encourages EVERYONE to contribute.  We too must leave our egos at the door and walk into the workplace wanting to make a difference each and every “today”.

“this is the last time I'm gonna to tell you!“ (listening)

 (part of the Total Quality Leadership (TQL) Skills series)

How an organization achieves world class quality excellence depends on its leaders within the organization, at all levels of the organization.  Whether your organization has just started its quality journey with ISO certification or are ready to apply for the world renowned Deming award, the critical success factor to world class quality excellence…it’s all in the leadership!

It is my (proven) belief that the leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little and playing in the sandbox.  The next sandbox skill I want to talk about is listening.

So you ever get the feeling you’d be further ahead if you were talking to a wall?  Children listen for things that impact them positively. 

“Vegetables are good for you”…tuned out!  “I have candy”...tuned in!

Adults are the same:

“Take out the garbage”…tuned out!  “The (insert any sports here) game’s on”…tuned in!

“Is dinner ready?”…tuned out!  “Let’s go out to dinner”…tuned in!

It’s human nature.  If something interests you, you’re listening skills are piqued!  If you don’t particularly care, you’re listening skills are off.

Selective listening is tuning out to anything you don’t agree with or do not want to address.  I share this story as an introduction

A mother is on the phone chatting with a friend.  Her son runs in (as children always do when you are on the phone.  They just have that instinct) and yells, “Mommy, mommy!” Mom assumes it’s the usual nothing, shushes him and asks him “can’t you see I’m on the phone?”.  He does this several more times, finally in an the exasperated tone adds, ”but Mo-o-o-o-m, there’s a fire.” She continues to talk on the phone, ignoring him.  Ten minutes later, as they are standing outside on their sidewalk and looking at the embers of what is left of the house, the child looks up at his mother and quietly says,  “I tried to tell you.”

We assume because we know someone, we know what they are going to say.  We shut them out and don’t hear them.

Leaders need active listening skills.  What do those skills “look like”?  When people are speaking to you, show your interest and enthusiasm for what they are saying.  Body language is critical.  Lean forward and share an acknowledgement (not the little bobbing-head dog - an occasional nod will suffice).  Paraphrase back to them what you heard them say.  Ask them questions that help them articulate what they are trying to tell you.  This tells the speaker you are with them in the moment.  You haven’t tuned them out and are not thinking about what your response is going to be “as soon as they take a breath”.

The open door policy is a people-oriented, team based policy that gives (or makes) Managers the time to talk with employees and ask their opinions.  This is extremely critical especially if you do not have daily or weekly meetings with your associates.  I remember the grumbling that went on when this management philosophy was first introduced.  Managers were aghast at the fact that they were actually going to have to talk to “them”.   note:  this was back in the day when we were living in the “me boss, you employee”,  pre-team management environment.  Look at this way, who does the job 8 hours a day?  Are they not (should they not be) the experts?  “They” can make us look good or they can let us walk off the cliff, shaking their heads, thinking, “We tried to tell you.”

Active listening... a critical skill to your achievement as a leader.

In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data

ABCM:  “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

In the movie Superman III, "Gus" Gorman’s (actor Richard Pryor) first job was in the computer department located in the basement of a corporation.  He was responsible for the company’s 500+ employee’s salary checks.  As he settled into the job, he discovered that when calculating salaries, the computer actually went out four decimal points, and then rounded to the two-digit cents amount.  Not wanting to be too greedy, Pryor programmed the computer to forward the fourth decimal digit amount into his personal savings account.  The first week, his savings account increased $85,789.25 (the computer always rounds to two-digit).  ABCM is the programming of that fourth digit.  It may not seem like a lot, but if you add those pennies up…

ABCM measures costs at each step of the process, enabling managers to quantify the tax levied by inefficiencies and delays.  ABCM focuses on specific details such as scrap or absenteeism that must be tied to a specific product or process.  Once defined, actual problems can be resolved and eliminated.

Many organizations still run on emotions and gut feelings that have never been tried or tested.  Eliminating the emotion and getting down to the root cause of the matter will take us more quickly to the problem resolution phase and on to the next area of opportunity.

In order to get this point across in our European plants, I had t-shirts made with the saying “In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data” emblazoned across the front.  The associates questioned the meaning on the t-shirts.  I explained to them the t-shirt was multi-purpose:

§         “In God We Trust” from the face of the US dollar

o    signified the monies we were recovering through our continuous cost savings efforts.

§         “All Others Bring Data”

o    focused on reducing the time between defining the root cause of the problem to implementing the resolution. (the old “if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem” reiteration)

ABCM and performance measurements make it possible for us to immediately address the competitive endurance of the company versus focusing on the petty emotions that keep us from moving towards solution.  The shirts served as a daily ABC example that negative emotions (“it wasn’t me”) only wasted time, effort, and productivity.  The t-shirt was a constant visual (mindset change) reminder of the plant culture towards excellence (and, hence, individual contribution and team performance), not the non-value action of finger-pointing.

 

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“To Belittle Is To Be Little”

Too often, children grow up in home environments that perpetuate screaming, hollering, yelling, and are demeaning.  The low self-esteem of the parents is transferred to the child who then grows up thinking that demeaning others gives them power. 

Back in the day, business thinking was the more one would yell, holler, and scream, the more terrified the employee.  The more terrified the employee, the more work they would do.  It was a time of “if you don’t like it, don’t let the door hit you in the behind.”

Thanks to the introduction of Japanese ABCM (Activity Based Cost Management), we know that type of dysfunctional behavior costs companies millions of dollars in high employee turnover and low productivity.  Simply put, being nasty comes with a heavy price tag to the corporation.   

Employees at all levels of the organization need to develop the skill of giving praise and encouragement.  This does not mean lying to people, this means being able to select some positive comment to the person.

The Power of Praise

þ  Build the skill of giving praise and encouragement.

§         If you did not grow up it, it will take time to understand that “demeaning only” is not “tough love”.  It’s dysfunctional.

þ  Look at the entire situation and emphasize the positive first.

§         It’s part of current “coaching” management style.

þ  Give positive direction not just negative criticism.

§         Anyone can belittle others.  Go to a playground and see.

þ  Distinguish and praise incremental steps taken towards achievement.

§         It takes time for people to change their ways.  Give credit where due.  It will encourage continued good behavior towards success.

To both parents and leaders, sit down at the kitchen table at home or the conference table at work.  Have everyone at the table list one “praise” phrase.  It doesn’t have to be more than 2 words – good job, great job.   As a start, just add an adjective to the word “job”.  Expand the phrases as you get more comfortable (high five, WOW, etc).  Use at least one phrase every day.  Eventually, it will come naturally. 

Let’s be honest:  Who does not want to work in an environment that appreciates and therefore, motivates you?

There Are No "S's" In Team!

“Our people are our greatest assets”.  So sayeth 99.9% of organization’s Value Statement.  It is usually the first declared bullet point in the Statement.  Why then would we refer to them as the “s” word?  I shudder when I hear the word.  It is so demeaning.  The “s” word is still used in employee handbooks, in policies and procedures, and, yes, even in job listings (in the same paragraph defining the organization as team-oriented).    It is contrary to the leadership skills of coaching and motivating our human resources in today’s environment. The disparaging "s" word…subordinate. 

Webster’s dictionary defines subordinate as 

• inferior in rank
• inferior in importance, secondary
• under the control or influence of something else; dependent

A subordinate environment yields low productivity

Ê low productivity yields high quality issues

Ê high quality issues increases customer complaints

Ê high customer complaints increases loss of customers and hence, revenue for the organization.

An associate, by definition

• joins
• unites
• combines for a common purpose

An associate environment yields high productivity

Ê high productivity yields little, if any, quality issues

Ê little, or no, quality issues decreases customer complaints

Ê low customer complaints increases the chances of  net increased revenues for, and the financial achievement of, the business.

Team is more than just changing verbiage to meet today’s expected vocabulary.  The word team coupled with the "s" word is a contradiction in terms.  There are no “inferiors” on today’s team.  Team is accepting as true the “us” not “they” or “them” philosophy.  Team is believing everyone brings something (positive) to the table.

The first step in the belief conversion begins with our daily language.  Edit company documents.  Where applicable, insert words that mirror world-class best practice human resource nouns - employee, associate, team member.  Our statements of value should imply we walk the talk.   Your thoughts?

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