Innovation, Collaboration, and Trust

The Tennessee Titans recently named Ruston Webster their new general manager. Now Webster is not exactly a household name, so The Tennessean (Nashville’s daily newspaper) did a big story about him so Titans fans could get a better sense of the guy that’s going to be putting the team together for the foreseeable future.

So you know how these stories go, right? Whenever some “unknown” gets promoted to a high profile position they go back and talk to a bunch of people – old coaches, bosses, coworkers, etc. – and get opinions about who he is (as a person and a football guy), and they try to figure out how he’ll be as a GM. By all accounts, the Titans have landed themselves a real gem. Good guy. Great talent evaluator.

Through all the accolades though, the one thing that really jumped out to me were the comments from Jerry Angelo. Angelo is the current GM of the Chicago Bears and a former coworker of Webster’s at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Angelo’s assessment of Webster is that, “he is a real team guy. His only agenda is winning … He wants to know what everyone thinks and feels, knowing he is going to make the best decision for the team. And he doesn’t care who gets the credit.”

Wow! Really? He doesn’t care who gets the credit?

That’s really the attitude of a culture that makes a workplace most productive. It’s a culture built on a foundation of trust with people making decisions based on what’s best for the organization without regard for who gets the credit. I know that sounds "pie in the sky," but if stuff works, everyone benefits.

If we’re all on the same team, working toward the same goals, we have to let go of the need to “control,” and open up to those around us who also have excellent ideas. It truly is a new day, and 2012 isn’t the workplace of yesterday – we have to be more nimble than ever before and it’s going to require effort from all corners for organizations to succeed.

Sustained, long-term success won’t be achievable unless everyone in the organization can embrace and demonstrate the trust that fosters innovation and collaboration.

The truth is that if we can be less concerned with “turf” and who gets “credit,” everyone is better off. Intuitively, we know this is true because that’s how it works in our personal lives. Think about your friends and family: Are you constantly vigilant to make sure you’re watching your back? (If you are, you might consider who your friends are and whether your familial ties are as strong as they should be.)

The book I’m reading right now is The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge Into Action by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton. The book is about exactly what the title suggests: How hard it is sometimes to get things done even when everyone knows the right things to do. One of the reasons cited is that organizations often mistake talk for action and meetings for movement.

We spend a lot of time in meetings and a lot of time talking about things (and writing about them!), but it takes more than meetings and talk to turn talk into action. And it takes effort from the top of the organization to the bottom. At some point, if we want to progress, we actually have to start doing what we’re saying. All this bluster about innovation, collaboration and autonomy needs to be tested, right? Step up and pull the trigger.

I used to work for a company where nobody wanted to answer a question in the presence of the CEO until they heard his answer – that’s a real pain. No opinions of your own. No expression of ideas. It was the ultimate “you don’t get paid to think” place. That really sucks.

In today’s workplace, knowledge is power more than it has ever been and those who suppress their workers will find themselves S.O.L. We live in a great time, with great access to information. Smart leaders will encourage the workplace as an idea incubator, and smart workers will take them up on it.

New Year's Resolutions (Revelations?)

I used to dismiss the idea of New Year’s Resolutions as a waste of time. It wasn’t that I didn’t think I needed to work on stuff; I’ve always been virtually awash in stuff that needed improvement. In hindsight, it may have just been youth – I haven’t been a “youth” in a long time.

About 15 years ago I decided that a New Year’s Resolution was in order. You hear a lot around the holidays of the Red Cross’ need for blood, so I decided to become a blood donor. I figured the 4-5 times per year of doing something good would offset my “bad hair days” (you know I don’t have any hair, right?). Each year since, I’ve just renewed that one and thought that was pretty good.

Until this year.

This year as the end of 2011 got closer, I started thinking about a really good resolution – I’m not ready to give up beer and cigars, so that’s not up for debate (yet). As I thought about it, I wanted it to be something meaningful – something that wouldn’t just make me a better person, but would actually benefit those unfortunate souls around me too.

As I thought about the last year, it seemed to me I’d gotten less tolerant than I used to be (or thought I used to be). I don’t know how those close to me feel about it, but I felt generally more small-minded than I’d like to be. Maybe it’s really just impatience, but resolving to be more tolerant overall seems like a pretty good thing for me to strive for. It might also stave off my becoming a curmudgeon before I’m really due.

To understand the challenge of this for me, you have to realize that I’m borderline OCD – either that or I can be incredibly anal about some things. Are they the same thing? I won’t go into all the little idiosyncrasies that go along with that, but suffice to say that I could probably get on your nerves, although I really do try to keep it a “me” problem and not subject others to my little annoyances.

So that’s it: In 2012, I resolve to be more tolerant. I’m counting on anyone who reads this holding me to it too.

Now, I don’t want to foist my little commitment on anyone (wait for it …), BUT (there it is) I will issue a challenge: Think about the person you are, and the person you want to be. Are they the same?

Do you treat others with the same respect you appreciate? (I read recently that the ultimate measure of a person can be taken from how they treat those subordinate to them in the workplace.) How are you with deadlines? (The funny thing about deadlines is that they usually impact others.) How’s your communication? Does your workgroup have all the information they need to be successful? (Do you have all the information YOU need for them to be successful?) Do your coworkers and your friends think of you as a “go to person” – someone who’s always dependable? Just a thought. Obviously it’s your call.

I always tell my boys (ages 18 & 14) to make decisions that will reflect the person you WANT to be. I’m going to make a concerted effort to follow my own advice this year.

Finding Mr. (W)Right - or not

This is a tale about customer service (kinda).

For the past few years we’ve taken a trip the week after Christmas – it’s a really cool tradition that I hope we can continue. This year we decided on San Francisco as our between-Christmas-and-New Years destination. It’s a great city with all kinds of attractions – tacky tourist stuff, great places to eat from all ethnicities, and practically unlimited cultural pursuits. We indulged in all of them for five days.

As has been the case with our trips over the years, the time spent at the destination is outstanding. This trip was no exception. Travel to the destination is also usually good, but not this time. This time we flew American Airlines – yeah, the company that just filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 29, 2011. (I’m a Southwest loyalist; I should’ve known.)

Now in our defense, we made our reservations long before they made their reorganization declaration, but after spending a week in their clutches it’s pretty clear that one of their big issues is customer service. My bother-in-law, a Delta loyalist, commented that they seemed much more concerned with their own convenience than with that of the passengers. That approach will cause problems for any company.

Here’s my problem – O.K., here's just one of my problems – with poor customer service. First of all, it really just boils down to common courtesy and treating others the way you want to be treated. But more than anything, if you’re in a customer service industry the first priority should be customer service. DUH!, right? It doesn’t really matter if you’re selling products or services, in the money-for-widgets exchange program, those selling the widgets should show some deference to those shelling out the money.

Issue #1: My brother-in-law, Barry, made reservations back in early October and then we mirrored what he did. At some point between the time they made their reservation and check-in, their return flight got changed from a 9:15 a.m. departure to a 6:00 a.m. departure. No explanation – just bumped. There’s a HUGE difference between a 6:00 a.m. departure and a 9:15 a.m. departure, especially with 7- and 10-year old kids in tow. Not good.

Issue #2: Our seats got changed on the second leg of our flight – from Chicago to San Francisco. No longer would we be sitting together. No, instead we (me, my wife, my son, and my mother-in-law) all had middle seats at various positions throughout the plane. No explanation – just changed.

When we got to O’Hare we had about an hour and a half layover, so we asked the agent at the desk if he could help. His name was Mr. Wright, a real misnomer!. (And why do any grownups expect others grownups to call them “Mister,” or “Missus?”) Anyway, this guy was one of those people who who thinks he’s busier than you. We all know these people – in our personal lives as well as at work – who seem to think you can’t possibly understand the load I’m under. I think that’s a load.

I digress. Anyway, Mr. Wright worked feverishly for us as the plane is boarding – Group 1, Group 2 (our group), and so on – until he can do no more. It’s just impossible for anything to be done. And oh, by the way, your reservation is “just a request for seats.” By the time we board the plane (NOT in Group 2) the plane is already full so there’s no room for our carry-on bags. (We intentionally pack only carry-ons so we don’t have to fight baggage claim and risk losing luggage!) Now we’re checking bags too!

So we get on the plane – in our middle seats. My son and I are on the same row, opposite sides of the aisle in our middle seats. Guess what? The couple on either side of the aisle would rather sit together, so they ask my son if he’d trade and take the aisle seat – right next to me! My mother-in-law and wife get similar requests and end up in aisle seats directly behind me and my son. Apparently all that blood and sweat by Mr. Wrong didn’t show him how they’d screwed everyone else up too.

O.K., my rant is over. Here’s my point: Whether you serve internal customers (like HR) or external customers (like sales or customer service) nothing beats treating others the way you want to be treated yourself. This approach works almost all the time, and everyone feels better too.

According to research, negative interactions have five times the impact of positive interactions – FIVE TIMES! Do your part to offset whatever negative your customers may encounter – keep it positive.