“here, let me show you” (leading by example)

(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 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!

Leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little.  Today, a coaching skill, leading by example.

It's not that the young ones can't do something.  They just need to be shown.  We demonstrate, step by step, how to put things together and they follow our lead.  We make it easy for them.  We relieve the stress they may have.  We show them how to do it right.  Once they learn, they go to the next level.  They experiment.  They do better than we can.  They now show us.

“You cannot create experience, you must undergo it.”  Albert Camus, French Novelist

The new CBS television show “Bosses” is one I enjoy because it represents leadership at its best.  It answers the question of how decisions made in the corporate office impacts those who have to perform the actual implementation of those decisions. 

Prior to consulting on topics I am not 100% familiar with, I spend time beforehand to familiarize myself with the workflows of the environment.  The two pictures are ones taken at the International Bridges in El Paso, Texas.  The picture on the left is a walk-over bridge for pedestrians, the one below, a drive-over for vehicles.  The time I spent following-by-example gave me a much better perspective on the associates' working environment on the bridge. 

A checklist for instructions includes the following:

1.  Find out what each employee knows (don’t make assumptions).  I found the associates to be well-versed.  They had to determine the crossing charge in both US change or dollars and Mexican Pesos.  I barely kept up as people walked or drove by and, many times, tossed in their change.

2.   Demonstrate whenever possible.  I took over for 5 minutes at a time and my head was reeling with the exchange I had to make between both country’s monies.

3.   Encourage questions.  I have always been one to drive my teachers crazy with questions.  As a (Dr.) Deming disciple, the "5 whys" comes naturally to me.  There are no stupid questions!

4.   Explain purpose of job.  Both associates were well-informed tutors.  I was able to tailor my course to the department with the knowledge they had taught me. 

5.   Follow up.  Their thirst for additional learning encouraged the manager and director to provide more team based education.  Procedures were tweaked to meet their respective needs.

6.   Recognize accomplishment.  Writing a column in the City’s online newsletter lets everyone know your Department news.  Everyone likes to see their name in print (and it’s zerO cost)!

My hands-on experience with the associates facilitated tailoring the team-based class to the needs of the department. Sometimes taking the lead means you have to follow first. 

"wanna see what else..." (creativity)

(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 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!

Leadership skills that make an environment successful are the same skills that we learned when we were little and playing in the sandbox.  Today's sandbox skill is creativity.

Kids can make something out of nothing.  A bucket and a shovel can make beautiful castles.  You take the shovel and scoop up the sand into the bucket.  Once the bucket is full, you pack it down.  Very carefully, the child will quickly turn the bucket over and very carefully pull the bucket up, et voilà, a castle form.  From there, they add doors, windows, a moat, a bridge, and whatever else they feel makes their castle better.  Their creativity has no boundaries.

Creativity is the ability to use the imagination to develop new and original ideas or things.  Creativity is the foundation of brainstorming sessions.  The first requirement is an environment where the associates and team leaders feel free to be creative, to brainstorm.  The old dysfunctional environment, the ‘me boss - you employee’ environment, prevents creativity.  One of the comments I hear all the time is “we tried to tell them” (ref my blog dated on “this is the last time I'm gonna to tell you! “ (listening), August 19, 2012).                                

“As a team, invent as many uses as you can for this pictured item.”  The above 2011 Family Circus cartoon represents an exercise I have used in my creativity, team building classes for many years.  This is a simple exercise to get the brains of the associates and leaders “out of their box”.  It’s also a lot of fun!  Fun is not a dirty word in a team based environment.

The World Class Leadership objective is to build excellence into every aspect of the company by focusing on creating a workplace that encourages EVERYONE to contribute.  The prerequisite is everyone must feel comfortable in voicing ideas and having them actively listened to versus the old dysfunctional attitude of “we (managers) know what’s best for you and we’ll tell you what to do.  We’ll make the decision for you and then we will hold you accountable to make it work.”  It obfuscates the associates.  Fear is not a motivator!

The associates who do the work 8 hours a day know the changes to make in their jobs to make it better.   Ask each associate and leader to “name 3 things that would make your job better?”  I am always (pleasantly) surprised to note the associates make changes that cost little to no monies but save time and increase productivity.  Think 3M, an engineer, paste, a tablet and post-it-notes – who woulda thought?

Associates are like the bucket – you fill them with the right education, top it off with a firm belief in them (based on your outstanding education and coaching to them) and then let them build their castles.  Allow their creativity.  Success is built on "can" not "cannot".   I find 99.9% of the time, they really can.

“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?

Leading From Behind - Team Based Management !

“Leading from behind" is a management style born from the genesis of team-based, learning organizations. The ship’s captain is the last one off the ship when problems abound, the shepherd is behind the flock guiding them, and the generals are not the ones on the front lines.  In former South African President Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, he references the shepherd and his flock. In his story he relates, “a shepherd walks behind his flock, making sure they all stay together and keeps them moving in the right direction”.

The pyramid as we baby boomers knew it – management on top and associates on the bottom - flipped in the mid-1990s. As the philosophy of “team based environment” grew, so did the understanding that the original bottom of the pyramid, the workers, were actually the ones who generated the dollars. The logic is simple and is in response to this business analogy – “If management did not come into work today, would the organization still run?” respond.  “If the associates did not come into work today, would the place still run?  respond.

The new pyramid reflects the value of the associates in the organization (they are, after all, our greatest assets). Our responsibility is to ensure we provide our management and associate staffs the tools they need to perform their job responsibilities.  Building excellence into every aspect of the company by focusing on creating a workplace that encourages EVERYONE to contribute is the primary component of World Class Environments.  Coaching and team building are the fundamentals of the lead-from-behind philosophy. 

Coaching High Performance Work Teams

Coaching is defined as education, lessons, instruction, training, or schooling.  Coaches instill fundamentals. Coaches build teamwork (“we are only as strong as our weakest link”). Coaches evaluate and adjust (H we are not all alike). Coaches reinforce and motivate. Coaches help every team member see how each of them is important to the team’s success. Coaches help find out which specific skills the organization values, and why (micro-education eliminates micro-managing). Coaches encourage staffs to take risks by building a supportive environment that lets them learn from failures (“experience is the fruit from the tree of errors”). Managers who see themselves as coaches tend to see their employees as individuals of innate talent and worth.

 

Today’s success in any organization large or small is its people. Empowering employees to make their own decisions based on sound educational judgment is imperative for survival (“give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man HOW to fish and you feed him for life”). Top-level managers recognize a team-based environment is a benefit (the key) to their organization and their bottom line cost savings.  Once you’ve coached your team and taught them the skills to achieve, get out of the way and lead from behind.

Leadership Negotiation Skills Learned in Middle School

                                                  
                                                  "If you behave …”     (Negotiation)



Classroom Behavior Agreement



To the left, you see a working agreement developed by middle school 7th graders.  At the start of the first day, the homeroom teacher led her 25 7th graders through, what we call in the business world of team, defining a working agreement.  She explained to them this year one of the school’s goals was to eliminate bullying.  She shared with them they were going to go through an exercise of writing down the rules of good behavior for the class.

There were several “bullies” in the class (although they were not pointed out) and it took a while to get them on board with the process. They were split up on all the teams. Once the students got to the "Positives” (what would they gain), they started coming around.  The "Consequences" clinched it.  Once you know what the consequences are then it becomes your decision on whether to follow the rules or not.  At 12 and 13 years old, they more than understood that.  The other area of opportunity that came up during the long discussions was many of the students did not recognize their (poor) behavior.  It wasn’t something that was actioned at home.  If they did something wrong, they received the back of someone’s hand and that was the end of that.  By the end of the class exercise, every student agreed with the list.

Since this was their agreement, one they had created, not the teacher, the commitment was there. When the teacher asked for a show of hands, every student raised their hand in agreement. The Agreement hangs on the wall, visible as soon as you walk in the door (the parents read it when they came in for their parent-teacher introduction).  It serves as a constant reminder (their promise) on manners, courtesy and respect for each other.

  



 

Team Working Agreement (behavior)



The statements above are part of the agreement created with and by a city's department associates.  I took them through the same exercise as the students.  There was a dysfuntionality with the team.  Some had been there for more than 20 years, others just came on board.  The multi-generational gap was great.  The objective was to get them to move to a positive mind-set before addressing anything else.

First, the participants in this workshop broke into groups.  Each had 30 minutes to brainstorm the response to:  "When people see our team, they will see a team that .......". 

After 30 minutes, each team presented their comments.  It was glaring - they were very similar.  Another 30 minutes was spent negotiating the sequence of each statement as well as the wording.

The team working agreement above is an example of the top 10 behaviors in team courtesy, manners, and respect.  The agreement was distributed to all attendees as well as those in other sections of the department.  Not one person disagreed with the list.  A copy hangs in each work place whether cubicle, inside a city vehicle, or office.  It acts as a reminder of (a negotiated) list of appropriate behavior.

Negotiation is defined as resolving disagreements through discussion and compromise (the word compromise is a good thing).  Both team agreements were successful because each was negotiated between those it directly affects.  The desire to make it work increased because it was their (the students, the city team) words, their rules of conduct.  They wanted to be held accountable for its (their) success.

It has been a year since the agreements were placed into action.  Both agreements are used as an introduction for the new members to the class / team.  Both groups continue to achieve their goal and both are happier (and hence more productive) because of it.  In the business world we call it a win-win negotiation strategy.

 



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?

http://educationnonpareil.webnode.com/home