Random ruminations

Random ruminations while wondering whatever happened to Joe Biddle …

Cuss Away the %$!&! Pain

There was an article in the paper last week about the therapeutic power of expletives. According to a study by Keele University in England, published in the American Journal of Pain, weaving a tapestry of obscenities (like Ralphie’s dad in A Christmas Story) really can relieve pain.

The caveat to that pain relief however is that “persistently profane persons” who weave that tapestry throughout the day don’t experience the same benefit. While some may choose their words a bit more carefully than others, I’ve seen similar studies in the past that said it was really just the emotional release through the words that actually provided the relief.

Like most things, it seems you won’t really get relief unless you express yourself.

Tebow – Live and Let Live

If you have a problem with the way Tim Tebow plays, or you just think he’s not a very good quarterback, fine. If, on the other hand, your problem is with who he is as an openly religious man, that’s a you problem, not a him problem. This is the same Tim Tebow we’ve seen for the last 6 years since he started sharing time at QB with Chris Leak as a freshman at Florida – known then as a running QB, and an open and devout Christian.

Look, we hear people complain all the time about celebrities using the spotlight to bring attention to their causes – tree hugging, gun rights, presidential preferences, whatever. So what. I really can’t consider those things when I’m choosing my entertainment. I figure if I chose my movies, music, books or sports teams by which ones have stars that see things my way, I’ll probably not have entertainment at all.

You’re really only cheating yourself if you weigh those things before deciding who you’ll like and dislike. Besides, the Denver Broncos are a whole lot more interesting with Tebow playing.

It really is a wonderful life

We went to see It’s A Wonderful Life last weekend on the big screen (!) at The Historic Belcourt Theater. It’s one of my Christmastime must-see movies, so seeing it there was a particular treat.

I won’t go into too much detail – if you haven’t seen the movie, you’re really missing out. Anyway, there’s a part at the beginning where they send for Clarence (a long-passed-over angel still waiting to get his wings) to brief him on how to help George Bailey, and Clarence asks, “Is he sick?” and the answer is “No, worse. He’s discouraged.”

When I heard that line (for probably the hundredth time or better) I thought, “Isn’t that the truth!” Few things can negatively impact our lives like being discouraged. Being discouraged really is worse than being sick – it can really take its toll both mentally and physically. At least when you’re sick you have reasonable expectations about the recovery time; you never know how long you’ll be discouraged. And it’s the same in our personal lives as it is in our work: Being discouraged prevents us from being our best.

In order to do our best work, we have to be motivated, and discouragement beats down our motivation – it’s the first cousin of frustration. One leads to the other and vice versa. No matter where you fall in the hierarchy of the organization, you can have a positive impact. If you have to, you can wage a personal fight against discouragement and frustration, and that translates not only into a happier you, but a more productive you too. I’d wager it’d have a positive impact on those with whom you have contact on a daily basis as well.

Like George Bailey, we may not realize it, but our lives touch many other lives. What we do and how we do it isn’t just our own business – it’s the business of those around us as well. We all have bad days from time to time and it’s much easier to get past those days when we have positive interactions with those around us. Oftentimes it’s as simple as a smile, but it makes a difference. Don’t underestimate your impact on the lives of others – maximize it. How wonderful it is is largely up to us.

Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy holidays!

(George Biddle is a longtime sports columnist and sports radio guy in Nashville. He used to write a column on Sundays with that Random Ruminations header. I miss that column.)

Learning Lessons from Mr. Scrooge

I wrote last week about how much I like cold weather for the holidays – between Thanksgiving and New Years. And then no more!

Christmas movies are something else I really look forward to, and we watch ‘em all. From Ralphie and Clark, to Susan and George, and even The Santa Clause movies. One of the movies we watched this week is A Christmas Carol. I like the one with Alistair Sim as Scrooge; it just seems like the real thing to me. I’ve seen the one with George C. Scott, and I just can’t get past the General Patton as Ebenezer Scrooge thing.

Anyway, as I was watching, I cringed at the notion of “face time equals quality time” in the workplace. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the scene where Bob Cratchit, working late on Christmas Eve(!), asks for Christmas Day off “if it’s quite convenient.” Of course, Scrooge decries its inconvenience and begrudgingly gives him the day off contingent on him being back at work “all the earlier” the day after.

I’ve beaten this drum before, and I’ll probably do it again (and again, and again), but there are organizations out there that are still stuck in this model. It’s the 21^st Century people! It doesn’t even matter that the workplaces of yesterday were the only place workers could access the tools needed to do their jobs; it should be about productivity. Are you getting the job done? If the answer’s yes, what difference does it make if you’re there “all the earlier” or staying later?

Granted, some jobs require workers onsite for a certain period of time – it’ll always be that way. But even for those folks, as long as the job is getting done and customers are being served with the exceptional service they expect and deserve, why should it matter if the Facebook account gets some attention from time-to-time? That’s the world we live in – it won’t end. Just get your stuff done.

I’ve talked a lot this year about transparency and open communication; it's what makes communication meaningful. Real constructive organizational communication requires the conversation to flow from all directions, not just directives pushed from the top. Speak up, give feedback, express your ideas – it’s a team effort. That’s how we grow.

I came across this the other day in an article and thought, “These guys really had it together.” This is the way Stanford University classmates Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard, who founded HP in 1939, ran their company from the outset. Look at their success. It’s worth emulating.

The HP Way

We have trust and respect for individuals.

We approach each situation with the belief that people want to do a good job and will do so, given the proper tools and support. We attract highly capable, diverse, innovative people and recognize their efforts and contributions to the company. HP people contribute enthusiastically and share in the success that they make possible.

We focus on a high level of achievement and contribution.

Our customers expect HP products and services to be of the highest quality and to provide lasting value. To achieve this, all HP people, especially managers, must be leaders who generate enthusiasm and respond with extra effort to meet customer needs. Techniques and management practices which are effective today may be outdated in the future. For us to remain at the forefront in all our activities, people should always be looking for new and better ways to do their work.

We conduct our business with uncompromising integrity.

We expect HP people to be open and honest in their dealings to earn the trust and loyalty of others. People at every level are expected to adhere to the highest standards of business ethics and must understand that anything less is unacceptable. As a practical matter, ethical conduct cannot be assured by written HP policies and codes; it must be an integral part of the organization, a deeply ingrained tradition that is passed from one generation of employees to another.

We achieve our common objectives through teamwork.

We recognize that it is only through effective cooperation within and among organizations that we can achieve our goals. Our commitment is to work as a worldwide team to fulfill the expectations of our customers, shareholders and others who depend upon us. The benefits and obligations of doing business are shared among all HP people.

We encourage flexibility and innovation.

We create an inclusive work environment which supports the diversity of our people and stimulates innovation. We strive for overall objectives which are clearly stated and agreed upon, and allow people flexibility in working toward goals in ways that they help determine are best for the organization. HP people should personally accept responsibility and be encouraged to upgrade their skills and capabilities through ongoing training and development. This is especially important in a technical business where the rate of progress is rapid and where people are expected to adapt to change.

It’s great to work for a company that thinks like this, so be a participant, not a bystander. You’ll not only have more fun and be more productive while it’s happening, you’ll be able to look back in a few years and say, “I helped do that.”

Civility: It's Not Just For The Holidays!

As a rule, I hate cold weather. No, I mean, I really hate cold weather. I’m ready to defend possession of my Man Card, but I’m that guy that starts bundling up when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. Yeah, I know.

As with most things though, there is an exception to this rule: I love the cold between Thanksgiving and New Years. It just feels more like the holidays when the temperature drops, and the forecasters talk about snow.

The other thing that seems to happen more around the holidays is people treat each other better. They’re more polite. They’re more patient. They smile more. There even seems to be more politeness on the road. It always makes me wonder why, if they’re capable of being that way for 6 weeks, they don’t do that year round.

The book I’m reading right now is titled The No Asshole Rule. It’s written by Robert Sutton who’s a professor at Stanford University. His evidence shows not only how much more productive a workplace can be when people are nice and treat each other with respect, but how damaging to a workplace those jerks are. (He also contends, right up front, that “jerks” just doesn’t quite “capture the fear and loathing” that he has for those “nasty people.” Asshole has that impact.)

Dr. Sutton also cites evidence that assholes cause more damage per impression than nice people can compensate for with good deeds. So apparently you need a higher ratio of good to combat evil. Seems like a lot of unnecessary work to me. Be nice. Treat people well.

Too often, it seems like we get caught up in the day-to-day, and lose sight of how much easier it is to be nice than to snipe and cut (mean people also have to think up way too many clever and mean things to say and do). The workplace is the best place to keep in mind that we’re all working toward the same goals, and that the best rule is The Golden Rule. Treat people the way you want to be treated. Very simple.

Enjoy the holidays. Enjoy the cold weather. And carry that holiday spirit of treating people well throughout the year. There are a zillion studies that show how much healthier happy people are than the grumpy ones. So do it for your health!

The 3 keys to positive impact in your organization

A while back I wrote about how Jim Schwartz of the Detroit Lions and James Franklin at Vanderbilt University had managed to change the culture and expectations of their respective football programs. Well, the Lions are still in the thick of the playoff race and Vanderbilt became bowl eligible for only the fifth time in the history of the program with a win on Saturday at Wake Forest.

It got me thinking about how aligned they were with the authors of the book I just finished reading, The Enemy of Engagement. The authors say that, “By successfully connecting three things – people, strategy, and culture – CEOs can improve their business results, enhance employee productivity, and increase the likelihood of achieving their business objectives.”

Isn’t that what Schwartz and Franklin have done? As CEOs of their football programs they have linked these three keys to create this new Detroit Lions and Vanderbilt Commodores. This stuff works, and it gets results.

To achieve the synergy between these, the authors insist that engagement and enablement MUST go hand in hand. Their postulation asserts that you can have engaged employees but if you don’t have people in the right jobs with the tools they need (that’s what they mean by enabling), their frustration can lead to disengagement and ultimately separation from the organization.

Let’s understand something critical to the success of making this happen: the employees (the players in the cases of Schwartz and Franklin) have to be willing to do their part too. It works the same way in organizations of all kinds. The employees can’t be baby birds waiting to be fed; they have to be active participants in working the plan and making it happen too. If you need something, ask for it. If you want to know more, ask questions.

When Vandy was preparing to play Tennessee a couple of weeks ago there was a story in the Tennessean in the days leading up to the game featuring an interview with sophomore defensive end Walker May. He was asked what it would mean to become bowl eligible and May said, “It would be real cool for these seniors. If it happens, it happens. But we’re just focused on this game. One game at a time.”

May was asked if Coach Franklin handed out scripts when his players were going to face the media, and he replied, “We’re just consistent with our message.” This second-year player (a fairly new employee, right?) understands the company mission and vision and knows how to articulate its application. Shouldn’t all employees be able to do that within their organizations? It’s a shared responsibility between employees and their managers at all levels.

Yes, managers can oftentimes do a better job of communicating. Too often there’s an assumption that “I know what’s going on, so everyone else does too.” Or it may be that they have been exposed to the message so much that they assume everyone else has too. Here’s the thing; if you’re not getting the information you need to understand where the company’s headed and how you fit in, ask for it.

Get involved, and do your part. Be an active participant in understanding the people, strategy, and culture of your company.

The path to productivity is paved with trust

I think sports provide some great lessons for life and the workplace. They can demonstrate not only the power of teamwork, but also how absurd selfishness can be. (It’s also possible that this is just the delusion of a weak mind trying to justify its love for baseball and football.)

There’s the guy who starts celebrating before he gets to the end zone only to be stopped short because he didn’t know an opposing player was right on his heels. (I’m thinking Leon Lett of the Cowboys being run down by Don Beebe of the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII – a classic display of selfishness being punished immediately.)

There are also demonstrations of selflessness in sports, like the guy who lays down a sacrifice bunt to move a base runner into scoring position. This happens all the time, and the guy who lays down the bunt, but gets thrown out at first base, is broadly congratulated when he gets to the dugout because he gave himself up for the good of the team.

Sports can also provide opportunities for lessons about the treatment of others, and respect for yourself – lessons that have application in the workplace as well as throughout life.

At any rate, here’s my case from sports this week:

This week’s lesson comes from the Tennessee Titans versus the Carolina Panthers game. On Sunday, the Titans – in the midst of a Jekyll & Hyde kind of season – beat the Panthers 30-3. That’s a pretty thorough beat-down, but the really incredible part of the win was how the Titans defense controlled rookie sensation Cam Newton.

Coming into the game, Newton and the Panthers had the NFL’s 5^th-best offense to match against the Titans 17th ranked defense – on paper that’s a pretty favorable matchup for Newton and the Panthers. His numbers have been good for any quarterback, but downright, off-the-charts amazing for a rookie.

But a funny thing happened: The Titans defense held the Panthers offense to only 279 total yards, and Newton to only 212 yards passing – well below the season averages of 415.1 and 285.5 respectively. You know what the Titans did? They used a “spy” to contain Newton – someone on defense who is responsible only for keeping track of Cam. It worked. Basically, they micromanaged him and his performance suffered because of it.

It got me thinking: How many of us do our best work when we’re being micromanaged? You know what I mean? It’s the kind of thing that can really put a damper on productivity and kill morale.

On the Harvard Business Review Blog Network, Ron Ashkenas wrote on Tuesday, November 16 about “Why People Micromanage” and drew a huge response – 117 comments already! And whether you agree with Ron or any of those who felt compelled to comment, you can’t mistake one thing for sure: Micromanaging is not a good thing.

In Dan Pink’s book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, one of the big ideas discussed is the R.O.W.E. (Results Only Work Environment). I’m not going to go into the particulars – you need to read the book – but suffice to say there is no need for micromanagers in a R.O.W.E. It’s a workplace built on trust.

I read something today that included this little tidbit: “Not trusting people will generate people you can’t trust.” Hmm, that makes sense. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

On Thursday, November 17 Gary Dinges of the Austin American-Statesman had this on www.statesman.com:

“Managers make or break workplaces,” says alex Charfen, CEO of the Austin-based Charfen Institute. “Talented leaders motivate, are approachable, offer opportunities for advancement and provide routine feedback. Not-so-skilled bosses often micromanage, rule by fear and spend most of the day locked in their offices, unavailable.”

I don’t know about you, but the R.O.W.E. – or any other workplace founded on trust – sounds a whole lot better than Cam Newton’s workplace last Sunday.

Inclusion wins in a landslide!

There are so many things to write about this week that have real application to the workplace, but the one I just can’t write about is the horrific events at Penn State. It’s stories like that that turned me away from a career in journalism in the first place. I know they have to be reported, but I just can’t be the one doing it.

Another topic that keeps rearing its ugly head is the continued research indicating workers will leave their current employer the first chance they get. I’ve lost count of the number of studies I’ve seen this year, but the latest comes from Mercer and the news ain’t good.

Randy McClain had a story about it in last Sunday’s (Nashville) Tennessean. He called it the “Era of Bad Feelings.” Basically it boils down to this: Employers have been treating employees so badly for so long in this economy that employees are ready to bolt the first chance they get. Yikes!

I’m not going to write about that this week either, but I’m certain I’ll get to it sooner or later.

And I’m not going to write about Rick Perry, although I can’t remember why.

Instead, I’m going to write about my youngest son’s 15U baseball team that played in the 21^st Annual Fall Desert Classic last week in Las Vegas. I guess it’s only fair that I write about one son the week after I wrote about the other. They probably see it more as coming under fire, but they both have experiences that teach excellent workplace lessons.

This team comes together for tournaments 4-5 times per year with kids from all over the U.S. – Illinois, the Carolinas, Tennessee, Colorado, New Jersey, California, and more that I can’t recall.

As you can probably imagine, it’s not easy for coaches and players to coordinate all that, and usually there are at least one or two new players at each tournament.

Here’s the cool part: In the three years my son’s been on the team, new players have always been embraced by the others immediately. The attitude of inclusion is downright amazing. It’s as though they’ve adopted the mind-set, “If you’re here, you must be one of us.” No dues paying, no initiation, nothing like that. If you’re here, you’re part of the team. You’re one of us. Period.

What’s so impressive to me about that is how grown up that attitude really is. What’s bewildering is how many grown-ups can’t seem to adopt that approach in the workplace. Occasionally it’s people with bad intentions (not a lot we can do with that here), but I’d say more often than not it’s a communication breakdown somewhere.

It would be great if communication flowed freely both vertically and horizontally throughout organizations, but the fact of the matter is that too often people assume everyone’s in the loop and that just isn’t true. Good communication – which flows up, down, sideways, back AND forth – doesn’t just happen. You have to work at it. Don’t let misunderstanding cause workplace friction.

Assume first that we’re all on the same team, working toward the same goals, not that there are nefarious intentions lurking around every corner. It's a WE thing.

As for that attitude of inclusion: Do your part. Treat people the way you want to be treated regardless of their tenure, but especially if they’re new to the team. It’s not rocket surgery (or brain science either); everyone performs better when they’re happy and being treated well.

And oh, by the way, my son’s baseball team? They win a lot. And it all starts with the right attitude and approach.

Lessons from an 18-year old

My oldest son turned 18 last week. Whoa! That was fast. It seems like just yesterday blah, blah, blah, but it’s true! They say, “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Ain’t that the truth.

I looked forward to being a parent for many years before we had kids (two boys), and now they’re getting to the age when they’re going to leave home – REALLY not looking forward to that. The usual kid and parent clashes notwithstanding, my wife and I have a great relationship with both boys.

The 18-year old, of course, is thinking that now that he’s 18, he’s a man. And I guess by law he is, and I’m certain I was the same way. So naturally he felt compelled to express his new-found adulthood and independence with a few quick decisions to announce his arrival with authority: The ears are now pierced and sporting diamond studs, and the hair has gone from a dark brown to a goldish color (not blondish, goldish – like the color of the precious metal).

Because I write about workplace issues, and oftentimes how life can mimic that experience, this seminal life moment – his and ours! – got me thinking about how we transitions from one stage to the next in the workplace. Do we handle them like responsible adults, or like teenagers still learning to be responsible adults?

How many times have you had an initial reaction to a decision or situation that, with time, made you go, “huh, that wasn’t the end of the world after all.” As I’ve said before (and will probably say again), everyone has to take some of the responsibility for their workplace environment. When you have options – and we do most of the time, don’t we? – control the spin, put a happy face on and make the best of your situation. I know that’s easier said than done sometimes, but it beats the heck out of being miserable.

If you want better communication, make sure you’re communicating well and hold others accountable too. If you want more responsibility, be willing to stick your neck out a bit when you feel strongly about something. If you want more autonomy, take more initiative and prove you can handle autonomy. Sometimes a supervisor is afraid to delegate for fear things won’t get done. (Of course, sometimes there are micromanagers who won’t delegate – COMPLETELY different topic to address some other time.)

As for my son, the truth of the matter is that I don’t have a problem with guys and earrings (anyone who knows me well could tell you that). And the hair? Well, like my mom always used to say, “It grows.” Neither earrings nor hair coloring is a life-changing decision. And in the process he’s learning how to be a responsible adult.

How are you handling your transitions?

4 ways to find the communicators among us

The other day, I was reading a blog post from noted communicator Shel Holtz and he was talking about how company information used to be exchanged during smoke breaks – it probably still is to some extent. Some of us remember how people would gather around the doorways outside and chat for however long it took to get that nicotine fix. Often, what was communicated was invaluable information from one department to another – they were sharing with each other what was going on in the company from one departmental perspective to another.

I remember those days. The relaxed conversation was like going out for a drink with people from work – it breaks down barriers, and people let their hair down (those with hair). And you’re likely to get an unvarnished viewpoint.

It was the next step after smoking in the workplace ended. Can you believe we ever did that? We’d sit at our desks smoking cigarettes! Just the idea of that is outrageous now. Anyway, I digress.

Here’s the point: There’s a lot of information being exchanged throughout most companies that is useful and important. We need to share that information on a broader scale so that people can get a better idea of what’s going on outside their area of expertise. It not only opens up lines of communication, it gives everyone a better understanding of how what they do relates and contributes to the whole organization.

It got me thinking about you can apply those to your workplace. So I thought of four easy ways to increase inter-departmental and cross-location communication throughout the company:

1. Start a blog on your intranet: With so many talented folks out there - creative thinkers and excellent writers - you should have plenty of stuff to share. Tell us a story. Really.
2. Write a departmental update: Every department has meetings. Volunteer to be your department's scribe (let everyone take a turn at it if they want), and then let the rest of your colleagues know what's going on.
3. Shoot a video: With the proliferation of video cameras - god bless the Flip - anyone can shoot video. Many (most?) of you have smart phones that probably shoot great video. See something interesting? Know something interesting that's going to happen? Shoot it and share it.
4. Do an interview: Is there something you heard that was interesting and you want to know more? Follow up with that person, and do a little Q&A. Chances are if you find it interesting, some of your co-workers will too. Write it up or shoot a video.

The truth is that there’s interesting stuff going on throughout the company that others don’t hear about – some of it work related, some of it not. Share your interesting stories, ideas, and anecdotes. In addition to your co-workers getting educated or entertained, you’ll have a chance to do your thing too.

Shel ended his post with this: “Is your company’s culture encouraging staff to share their stories so you can turn them into sharable content? How?”

The answer to that first part should be, “Yes,” and now you have a few ways to answer the second part.

Three reasons the Millennials may be right

Did you know that it costs 1.8 cents to make a penny, and 9.2 cents to make a nickel? That’s right. Apparently the rising costs of these not-so-precious metals make their production a money-losing proposition. That’s ridiculous!

I got that little tidbit from Spirit magazine’s October 2011 issue. Spirit is the magazine of Southwest Airlines that gets tucked into the seatback pockets on the plane – right next to Sky Mall, the magazine with all those cool toys. (I’ve learned to stick to Spirit so I can avoid the peril of ever speaking words that sound like, “I’d like to order the Ginsu knife please.”)

I like to think that an organization’s investment in its people and the people’s investment in the organization is more give and take than the penny or nickel ratios mentioned above. Those ratios are too lopsided for the symbiotic relationship necessary for an organization AND its people to grow.

I read an article the other day (if you follow me on Twitter @cruze24, you might have seen it) that talked about how Millennials are turning corporate culture on its head. This has been coming for a while, but I think the pace of change is going to accelerate because more and more Millennials are joining the workforce every day.

The big three for the Millennials are:

1. Work is Personal – You know the old saying, “Do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life.” Find something you want to do and that you’re good at, and do that.
2. Work is Life – You’ve probably heard me say that work-life balance is becoming a thing of the past. It’s the 21^st century. We have our work tools with us all the time; let us work when we want to. That’s work-life integration.
3. Open Culture – Keeping your opinions to yourself sucks when you feel you have something to contribute – have the freedom to say it! An author I read a lot (W.E.B. Grffin) trumpets an old military SOP that general officers solicit the opinions of subordinates before they offer their own so that they get honest feedback. That’s a good idea.

The workplace the Millennials anticipate is a real break from the traditional workplace of the past; the one we’re all really trying to break free from. After all, who wants someone constantly looking over their shoulder? How about the concept of face time is quality time? Antiquated. The real measure of quality time is productivity. What are you accomplishing? Not, “what time did you come in?” And, “what time did you leave?”

Another real break is one you’ve probably heard me trumpet (ad nauseam?): Open Culture. Yep, Millennials want to have the freedom to express themselves without fear of reprisals. Duh! We all want that, don’t we? Haven’t we always? Well there’s no time like the present – go Millennials! (and take the rest of us with you!)

The Millennials are getting a bad rap in some circles as the entitlement generation, but it’s starting to sound more and more like sour grapes. They’re just demanding the things we all wish we’d had all along.

As it turns out, we may have as much to learn from the Millennials as they do from us. They’re willing to invest in the organization that’s willing to invest in them, but it can’t be a 2-1 ratio like the pennies and nickels.

What’s your two cents?

A Man FOR the People

There are a lot of corporate CEOs who have high name recognition, and some probably even conjure definite images in our minds.

Nowadays when you think of Rupert Murdoch, it’s likely that there are some negative things that you associate with him. His empire has been rocked by the scandalous tactics that appear to have been commonplace under his watch.

How about Warren Buffett? You might think about his philanthropy, but thinking about his wealth is certainly top of mind too. Maybe the same holds true if you hear the name Bill Gates. Both of those guys do an incredible amount of giving of their wealth.

What about Mark Zuckerberg? If you saw The Social Network you might have some thoughts, but most everyone knows he’s the Facebook guy. He’s also the guy that gave Newark public schools $100 million. Wow!

A lot of business professionals know the name Jack Welch. He’s the legendary CEO of General Electric renowned not only for growing one of the world’s biggest company during his 20+ years as the head of that company, but also for developing leaders.

Now think about Steve Jobs. It’s quite different what comes to mind, isn’t it? Of course we all know he was the guy that ran Apple, but the outpouring of emotion with the announcement of his death was just incredible. We probably all assume he had a certain amount of wealth, and that he likely did some very generous philanthropic work as well.

But in watching and reading all the coverage the past couple of days, what really seems to resonate most is that he changed people’s lives. He changed their lives! There were innumerable accounts of shrines set up all around the world, people posting emotional comments online, and all kinds of creative things with apples, Apple logos, and plays on their signature names like iSad. What a remarkable thing to elicit that kind of reaction from people with whom you’ve never had personal contact.

Many leaders would give their eye teeth to have their employees feel a fraction of that connection with their companies, and I’d bet employees would love to feel that way about their companies. People want the opportunity to get excited about stuff, and work shouldn’t be an exception.

The truth is that he really touched all our lives whether we bought his Apple products or not, watched his Pixar movies or not. The innovations that Steve Jobs led spurred on the innovations of his competitors. We all benefitted.

I didn’t know Steve Jobs, and I’m not an Apple junkie, but greatness this big can be seen from very far away.

In his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford, Steve Jobs said that he asked himself this question every morning: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?” Find that thing you want to do, and give ‘em hell.

What kind of an impact are you having?

We went to see Moneyball last weekend. If you haven’t seen it, I recommend it highly. Whether you’re a baseball fan or not (and if you know anything about me, you know I’m a HUGE baseball fan), it’s just an excellent movie. Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill are great together, and the story is nice and tight all the way through.

Pitt plays Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s GM who uses data to find players to fill out his roster when it becomes apparent he won’t get the payroll dollars to compete with the big boys. Jonah Hill plays Peter Brand, Beane’s fictional assistant GM based loosely on Paul DePodesta who was with Beane during the time around which the movie is based.

The movie is based on the 2003 book by Michael Lewis of the true story of the Oakland A’s. The premise is that Beane and Brand, with a pauper’s budget in the baseball world, build a team based on the concept of Sabermetrics which analyzes baseball players based on data. This, as you can imagine, is a REAL problem for the old boy network who has been evaluating talent based on gut instinct and gas pain successfully for years. They don’t need no damn numbers, they got eyes for god’s sake!

There were a couple of things that really stuck out for me in a general business sense though: 1.) How tough it is to challenge the status quo, and 2.) Affecting culture change within an organization is BIG work.

Challenging the status quo inevitably involves stepping on toes – sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly. (By the way, knowingly is always better). Like the baseball scouts, people get used to doing things a certain way, and having their success being measured in certain a way. When something or someone comes along to challenge “the way we do it around here,” people are likely to put up a fight – figuratively, hopefully. When our work, and our work product, have been measured in certain ways for an extended period of time, it can be tough to see that there might be a better way of doing things.

As for changing a culture, that’s one of the toughest tasks in any organization whether they’re wildly successful or teetering on collapse. You could make the argument that if an organization is wildly successful you should leave the culture alone. But I’m here to tell you that success happens sometimes in spite of leadership rather than because of it. Likewise, circumstances sometimes overwhelm companies with strong cultures. Either way, culture change is tough, but it can transform an organization.

If Billy Beane hasn’t done anything else, he’s managed to keep his small-market A’s relevant for a fraction of the payroll of other clubs, and he’s made others in the game reconsider the real value each player.

Make it your business to understand your company’s goals. If they’re trying to change the status quo, understand why and get on board.

Culture & engagement aren't soft, they're actually pretty hard

Employee engagement. Corporate culture. Those two terms – hot buzz terms in human resources, and business and finance journals alike – oftentimes make “serious” executives roll their eyes. Those so-called serious executives say they’re “soft” terms that are all touchy-feely and don’t really contribute to bottom line results.

These are the same guys that look at scientific research, polling and case studies, and if it doesn’t agree with their anecdotal opinions, long-held beliefs, and of course their wealth of experience, they discount it. The truth of the matter is that there are tremendous gaps – in all areas of business – between “what science knows and what business does” (I ripped that off from Daniel Pink. Check this out: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.html).

There’s a certain amount of arrogance that needs to be set aside – on both sides – because, as with most things, the best solution probably lies somewhere between what science knows and what the serious executive does. The truth is that even if you really do know everything, chances are you don’t remember it all, so keep an open mind – there are other smart people out there with valuable insights that won’t always agree with our long-held opinions.

In an interview with Sean Silverthorne, Harvard Business School Professor Emeritus James Heskett talks about the issue of culture and his new book, The Culture Cycle: How to Shape the Unseen Force that Transforms Performance. Heskett says that, "organization culture is not a soft concept. Its impact on profit can be measured and quantified."

I’d also contend that unless a company deals in something that no other company deals in – something unique in the marketplace – the only real sustainable competitive advantage any company can have is it’s employees. A company with a strong corporate culture that recognizes the value of employees, and encourages innovation and input gets more from those employees – engagement.

Yep, they go hand in hand. Engaged employees are the ones that go the extra mile because they want to, not because they think it’ll get them brownie points. They actually care about their companies, because their companies have demonstrated it’s a reciprocal relationship.

Here’s another unsettling fact: Up to 75% of mergers and acquisitions fail. You know what the number one reason the leaders of those companies cite as the reason for that failure? You guessed it, the lack of attention to culture.

Research is pretty clear on the bottom line return of engagement too. Companies with engaged employees show a 22% improvement in net profit. 22%! That’s huge! You know what else they get? Less turnover and absenteeism – more huge savings for the company.

Here’s the kicker though: It IS a reciprocal relationship, and employees have to do their part too. Employees who sit and wait for the culture to come to them are going to miss the boat. It’s an active relationship that requires effort from both sides.

Remembering the Golden Rule

My youngest son, a friend of his and I drove down to Atlanta on Saturday to see the Braves take on the Mets in their last home stand of the season. We’ve been to a bunch of games at both Turner Field and the old Fulton County Stadium over the years, but it’s always tricky navigating downtown Atlanta.

We were in bumper-to-bumper traffic and trying to get into the left-hand lane. I motioned to the driver of a van beside/behind us and he waved us over. After sitting there, not making any progress getting through the intersection, this guy in the van pulls out from behind us and over to the passenger side and motions for us to roll the window down. He says if we’ll follow him through the intersection instead of trying to turn left, he’ll get us to the stadium. After 10 minutes of twisting and turning, sure enough he had us at a parking lot about a block from the stadium. We pulled alongside him and thanked him profusely, and he smiled and waved, and said, “No problem, enjoy the game.”

How about that? This guy had nothing to gain but the gratitude of some out-of-towners visiting his city. I was so happy that my son and his friend, who are both 14, were there to witness this man’s unsolicited graciousness. What a great example to follow.

I sometimes wonder how we lose sight of the value of the Golden Rule. It really is so much easier to be nice. You don’t have to think of clever things to say, or keep a running tally of who’s worthy and who’s not. And it makes your days more pleasant all the way around.

Have you ever looked back on a really good day? Wouldn’t it be great if all days could be like that? We had a great day on Saturday – the Braves won on a an RBI single by Chipper Jones in the bottom of the eighth – and it all started with that guy who went out of his way just to be nice.

If the Lions can do it, anyone can

I have an old Fox Trot cartoon strip I clipped from the newspaper about 20 years ago, where the guy is talking to his wife and says, “Can you feel it? The changing of the seasons … one season gradually coming to an end, another moving in to take its place” His wife says, “It’s summer, fall doesn’t start for another month.” He looks at her confused and says, “Summer? Fall? I’m talking baseball, football!”

I love this time of year. The MLB season always gets more interesting at this point with the pennant races heating up (of course it looks like my Red Sox are cooling down at just the wrong time!). The NFL season is getting cranked up with all the optimism only a new season can bring (all those “wait ‘til next year” guys are still blind).

Everyone starts out even supposedly, but some things are as certain as death and taxes: The Patriots will be one of the best teams in the league (Brady for 517 yards on Monday night, followed by 423 more on Sunday!), Rex Ryan will shoot his mouth off AND BACK IT UP – which is great(!), and the Lions will be pathetic. Right? Right? Well, not necessarily. Detroit’s off to a 2-0 start after dismantling the Chiefs 48-3 on Sunday.

Now in his third season as head coach of the Lions, Jim Schwartz has not only turned over the roster in his short time there, he’s doing something nobody else has been able to do in my lifetime (and that’s a while): Schwartz is changing the culture in Detroit. These guys look, talk and act like they expect to win. Whoa! The Lions expect to win? That’s cool. Changing a culture can be very hard to do, but Schwartz is doing it. He’s got the fans (who knew the Lions had fans?) believing and he’s even got the so-called experts believing.

It can be just as hard to change the culture of a company. If you’ve ever worked for an organization that’s experienced some kind of turmoil – restructuring/reorganization, merger/acquisition, or explosive growth – you know how those things can impact the culture, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil (you may know these guys too). Regardless of the circumstances, it can be very hard for employees to embrace a new culture (imagine how hard it would be if the organization also had fans that wanted to tell you how to do it better). It can be a difficult transition.

One thing that’s pretty consistent about the culture conversation is that two companies oftentimes make their way into the discussion: Southwest Airlines and Google. A lot of us use SWA when we travel and understand how they are different. Their flight attendants and pilots joke with passengers – that’s relaxing to a traveler. And their founder, Herb Kelleher was devoted to culture maintenance. In fact, in the September 2011 issue of Southwest’s Spirit Magazine, current Chairman, President, and CEO Gary Kelly talks about the importance of culture as they integrate with recently acquired AirTran.

Likewise most everyone who uses a computer uses Google – they’ve become a verb for god’s sake. (Whoever you are, if your name becomes part of the modern vernacular as both noun and verb, you HAVE arrived.) Google has amenities onsite for employees that are unbelievable – go to the website and snoop around a little, it’s really quite something. They have everything from on-site daycare and massages, to decompression chambers and an assortment of cafés throughout the complex – it’s ridiculous.

I’m always a bit dismayed though when I hear leaders and even frontline employees say, “yeah but we could never do that here.” Yes, you can. Maybe not to the extent Google does it (you’d need their incredible resources), and maybe not with the flair Southwest does it (some workplaces just aren’t conducive to that style), but you can create a culture that others look at and go “Wow, I’d love to work there.” It starts with the leadership, but the whole organization has to drink the Kool Aid in order for it to become interwoven into the fabric of the company.

In order to do this, a company needs to get its head out of the 19^th & 20^th century business model, and get with the 21^st century program. The workforce isn’t the same as it used to be, and technology has changed the game. Many workers no longer need the workplace to have access to the tools required to do their jobs. Autonomy is the name of the game, and real motivation can come from their ability to manage their own time and make a meaningful contribution to the organization’s success.

The truth is that if expectations are clear and the parameters are understood, everyone will be surprised at what employees are willing to give. Autonomy is a powerful motivator and people will rise to the expectations of the organization if that’s the culture that’s established.

It doesn’t happen overnight, and resistance along the way is to be expected – it can be a tough transition – but if Jim Schwartz can change the culture at a perennial loser like the Lions, it can be done anywhere.

The only real, sustainable competitive advantage any company has is its employees. Get involved, make a contribution and help make your organization a front-runner by being part of a culture that makes it a great place to work.

Take it from a Salmon

We went white water rafting on the Ocoee River over the Labor Day weekend. What a rush! Diving into those rapids in that rubber boat was like riding a roller coaster for an hour and a half.

It struck me as we were making our way down the river (during one of the calm transitions of course) how much it was like the workplace: Everything seems so much better when you’re working together, paddling in rhythm, taking cues from the guide as he shouted instructions above the din of the rushing water. And like the workplace, these elements were the foundation for our success.

Our guide, Salmon (interesting that we were going downstream, huh?), was like the company CEO. He was confident, articulate and unquestionably in charge. Before we got started on our adventure, Salmon addressed the group and basically laid out our “company’s” mission (to get safely to the end), strategy (to stay down the middle), and tactics (paddle together in rhythm). He laid out his communication strategy (commands he would bark out throughout the trip), and his expectations of performance (that we would all be capable of following his simple instructions).

So we had a clear understanding of our leader’s direction, and we were motivated to implement his vision. Like many workplaces all that went to hell in a handbag once the action started, but we were periodically reined in when we lost our way. The two paddlers in the very front of the raft are tasked with staying in rhythm so that those directly behind them can just follow that person’s paddle stroke. But there were times when the two lead paddlers were out of sync. So guess what? Yep, the whole team was out of sync. Oftentimes it works that way doesn’t it? A team leader gets off task and next thing you know the whole team is in disarray, working on something that is only vaguely related to the original project.

Fortunately, Salmon was quick and even-handed with his admonition that we stay in rhythm. Likewise he was liberal with praise throughout when we were in sync (which I’m proud to say was most of the time). It was the workplace in a microcosm – and very well run. And like a very well-run company where the expectations are clear, the boss communicates well, and everyone works as a team, we had a great time!

Isn’t that the ideal? To create a workplace where leadership is obvious, goals are clearly communicated, and motivation follows? Like the paddlers in our raft, everyone has a responsibility for the success of the group, and it certainly helps when your leader inspires the kind of confidence Salmon instilled in us.

Do your part to contribute to a great workplace culture: Be a team player, communicate well both horizontally and vertically, and have some fun while you’re at it. Life’s too short and we spend too much time at work for it to suck. The cool part is that when these all come together, productivity soars too!

Compromise, it's for grown ups

So I picked up yesterday’s Tennessean, and the headline, “Obama bows to Boehner on jobs speech” jumps off the page. Really? That’s what it’s become now: You didn’t compromise, you caved in.

Both sides contend differing points about how this whole jobs speech/GOP debate was supposed to go down. But in the end does anyone really come out ahead? What we really learn from this – another in a long line of examples – is that the two parties can’t agree on anything. And it really appears as though they look for points of contention just to keep the animus in full bloom.

The other big headline was for a story updating the breathless masses on the latest development in Titans running back Chris Johnson’s contract negotiations. This is another situation where compromise undoubtedly advanced the development of progress. Johnson, offensive tweets notwithstanding, is the uber-talented running back who has demanded to be paid as a “play maker” rather than within the confines of his position.

On Thursday, Johnson signed his new deal, a four year extension that puts the total value of his six-year deal at $53.5 million. Now that may seem like he “won,” but the Titans would probably argue that they won as well. They did retain one of the NFL’s marquee players for at least the next three years (yeah, that’s the true length of the deal – the six years is window dressing).

It’s really unfortunate that when you compromise nowadays, you have no backbone. When you change your mind, you’re a waffler. What if you got new/better information than you had before? Tough. You’re supposed to stand your ground.

The truth of the matter is that productive relationships of any kind are built on the ability to compromise, and to learn from each other. I know; I’ve been married for 22 years. I’ve compromised and I’ve learned a ton too.

Workplace relationships are no different. You have to be willing to compromise from time to time, and be open to new ideas and information. Enhance your workplace relationships by keeping an open mind. Be willing to compromise, and to accept the validity of other opinions.

That’s how we really get better with age.

Encourage sharing opinions

For many (most?) of us, when we think of communication we think about information sharing, collaboration and learning in a give-and-take relationship. The essence of dialogue is that we engage one another with an open mind.

There was a letter to the editor in The (Nashville) Tennesean on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 that really hit the nail on the head:

Nation now needs dialogue rather than debate.

Dialogue or debate? Many people do not understand the difference. In these times, the difference is very important.

About 10 years ago, my wife and I were involved in leading interracial study circles. We were trained and led groups of 10 people for five sessions. The difference between dialogue and debate was discussed. Dialogue was always the objective. Several points help to explain the difference:

1.      Dialogue is to work toward common understanding. Debate is to prove the other wrong. Debate listens to find weaknesses and seeks to win; dialogue listens to find understanding and agreement.

2.      Dialogue enlarges and possibly changes a participant’s point of view. Debate affirms a point of view.

3.      Dialogue reveals assumptions for examination; debate defends asssumptions as truth.

4.      Dialogue opens the possibility of arriving at better solutions; debate defends one’s own positions as best.

5.      Dialogue creates open-mindedness, even to being wrong. Debate creates close-mindedness, with conviction one is right.

6.      Dialogue calls for temporarily suspending one’s beliefs; debate encourages complete conviction in one’s own beliefs.

7.      Dialogue remains open-ended; debate implies a conclusion.

Would dialogue help our country at the present time of challenge and uncertainty? Undoubtedly, if people are brave enough to try it.

Can our country continue without dialogue? That is perhaps the vital question.

James Zralek

Nashville 37205

While Mr. Zralek’s letter is directed toward a civil discourse in our country, it seems to me that understanding the difference between dialogue and debate could make a HUGE difference in workplace relationships too. What it really boils down to is respecting each other enough to appreciate the opinions of others whether we share their beliefs or not. Difference of opinion is a great way to get your mind in gear, and broaden your perspective through viewpoints of others.

Be a communicator in your workplace – encourage dialogue!

Support Change - Don't Be A Resister

Have you ever had a root canal? It’s not as much fun as it sounds, trust me. I was sitting in the dentist’s (actually, he’s an endodontist – these guys should all be dressed like Jason from the Halloween movies) chair one morning recently waiting for that full-face numbing that anyone who’s had dental work knows and loves – one of the worst things ever, actually.

Anyway, with plenty of time to think, and my speaking ability completely disabled (a welcome relief to those around me), I got to thinking about some of the new stuff going on that companies can take advantage of to get their employees involved in the conversation. A lot of companies have had blogs, and IM for a while, but new social intranet products are making inroads with good reports from the companies using them.

It's not unusual to have some hesitance when companies introduce new communication tools. There's some hesitance from a few, usually skewing into an older demo. That’s understandable – it’s new, and, “I don’t do Facebook.” Yeah, I get that too, but if you think of it more as a resource for getting to know your colleagues better, collaborating across locations and departments, and getting the latest company information, it’ll be much more useful for everyone.

Sometimes change for the sake of change is good, but change for the sake of improvement is always a good thing. Changes like this are made with the hope of advancing the company both internally and externally - getting more people involved in the conversation, and facilitating open communication. Initial hesitance is understandable with new things, but resistance rarely advances positive initiatives. I encourage everyone to embrace social intranets, and help continue to move the company forward.

You know what the dentist/Jason said to me as I was leaving? He said, “The good news is that this will only be uncomfortable for a couple of days, but at least you know it’s going to get better real soon.” Introducing a new social intranet is very similar: It may be uncomfortable until you get used to it, but all signs point toward positive things. Be an enthusiastic supporter. It helps the cause, and it’s more fun anyway.

Internal social media

Social media is here to stay. You don’t have to embrace it now, but if your future is in the business world you might as well.

Executives acknowledge the importance of incorporating social media into the strategic plan for companies externally, and it’s going to be equally important as an internal communication and collaboration tool. Tomorrow’s business leaders, as well as tomorrow’s customers are already logged in, posting and sharing information.

"It's not really a choice of if [corporations] want to take advantage of it [social media] or not," said Anders Gronstedt, president of Gronstedt Group Inc., a firm that has specialized in corporate learning for the last 14 years. "It's here - and the choice is whether they want to unleash it or whether they want to try and stop the inevitable."

According to an Associated Press story on Sunday, August 28, 2011, “the Pew Internet & Life Project found that, of U.S. adults who use the Internet, nearly two-thirds use social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.” Even baby boomers, like me, are up 12 percentage points from just one year ago! That’s a huge jump. Remember five years ago when nobody even heard of Twitter (200 million active users), and Facebook (600 million active users) was something for the kids to do? How about that iPhone you can’t live without? Yeah, it’s barely more than four years old – it was born on June 29, 2007.

Some of us remember when email was introduced into the workplace, and the response then was similar to the resistance some folks are having toward social networks. The telephone was also similarly “embraced.” The hard truth is that social networks are going to be an integral part of communication – they already are for some!

A cool advantage with internal social media is that you can get used to it at your own pace. And it doesn’t have to happen in front of the “www.” So our mistakes, while probably still embarrassing, don’t have to be out there for the world to see.

If your company is implementing an internal social network, get on board early, embrace the opportunity to connect with your coworkers, and learn how to use it.

You can do it now or you can do it later, but you are going to have to do it eventually.