Inclusion and Diversity

The title of this blog post is not hyperbole. These two words have become the key company employment driver and target marketing. Just watch any Netflix or Amazon production and commercial television ads; they contain many diverse couples.

Ironically, there is actually a risk of alienation, when diversity and inclusion are not fully defined. I recently reviewed a company’s "team". The 55 members did reveal ethnic diversity, but I could not detect anyone over 40. Is this considered inclusive or diverse? From a marketing perspective, Millennials rule, but GenX and Baby Boomers are still in the workforce and GenZ is now joining the workforce.

The question: Should inclusion and diversity go beyond sexual orientation and ethnicity and include all generations?

Team vs. Individual Structure

Below is a simple diagram of the difference between a team based department or organization verses letting the associates drive the structure. I have witness both environments. Team is not a corporate buzzword, it is a key ingredient to successful company growth. Large teams consist of teams within a team.

Team Based	Individual Based
Develop Leaders	Anarchy
Staff Growth	Power Struggles
Member Contributions	High Turnover
Self-sustaining	Stagnant

Why Teams Fail

Lack of Management Support

Wrong member make up

Lack of correct tools to succeed

These elements are tried and true team based analysis and experience. Let me focus on the Team based structure, as the Individual based structure is counter-productive.

Teams can be functional or cross-functional:

• Functional - Specific expertise
• Cross-functional - Project driven areas

The goal of both teams is goal setting, process improvement, trends sharing, and subject matter collaboration. This list is by no means inclusive of all team elements.

The Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is streamlined operations or process efficiencies. Remember the profit equation contains two sides revenue and expenses. Although a department may not be revenue generating, it can add to the bottom line with performance efficiencies by having less overhead costs, i.e. fewer associates required output the current workload, or handling more workload, contributing to the revenue side of the profit equation.

I hope this blog entry will encourage you to recognize the benefits of a team base structure or review your current teams’ structure.

It's All About People

The title of my website displays the convergence of People, Process and Technology, but nothing can occur without people.

Process and technology cannot function separate from people. People write and follow the process. People write and execute code. People communicate with people to achieve a goal. Teams cannot exist without people. Customers are comprised of people, whether internal or external of the organization. People are the key to any successful project. 

People skills should be the highest valued acumen, in any successful organization.

Is it real or is it Rhetoric?

Companies love buzzwords. Every industry has them and many are common between them. What is their etymology? Is it generational? What is the purpose?

I’ve been involved with companies where buzzwords we literally comical. In a roundtable meeting with "C" level executives, the CEO would laugh at you, if you used a buzzword in your update. He even created on-the-rock glasses with the current buzzwords printed on them. Other companies have distributed posters to incentivize associates to be "team players" or "innovative."

The real question is "Why do buzzword exist?" In the case of motivation, are the effective? I have an answer, "It depends." I purport the axiom, "Put your money where your mouth is." Take the word "game-changer" or "disruptor" if the company takes an associate’s suggestion and implements it, then it’s real. Take the word "empower". This buzzword has been around for decades. If an associate takes an initiative and gets reprimanded, then it’s rhetoric.

Personally, I prefer quotations over buzzwords. The quote doesn’t need to be from a famous person, and least of all, from an actor. As long as it is positive, truthful, and/or inspires action, I like it. I’ll share two I came across in preparing for this blog.

There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow.

Jack Welch

Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.

Stephen R. Covey

How many companies adhere to these words of wisdom? Only the successful ones!

If you’re up for some more buzzword fun, here are two links I enjoyed researching this subject.

Business buzzwords to watch in 2018

List of Buzzwords from Wikipedia

The Perfect Team

There are many articles on Millennials in the workforce, with some comparing them to Baby Boomers.  To be fair, I read these articles as generalization. People must be viewed for their individual merits, experience, education, most of all, skill sets and company/position fit.

So, what does this have to do with teams? It might be obvious - diversity. Currently, I’m using my decades of project management experience, including managing project managers, from multiple industries, to online banking software. I am teamed with a Millennial. When our team was first formed we were literally inverse ages. Our diversity does not stop with age, we are different ethnicities and gender.

The Perfect Team - Millennial and Baby Boomer. We work extremely well together, which like any team, is based on respect. One of the main differences is our problem solving approach. Having different approaches, which at times is exhausting, augments a collaborative environment providing a sound solution. Our collaboration does not stop with problem solving, but extends to process, customer focus, all facets related to our responsibilities.

This blog post is specific to our skill sets, but I hope to illustrate how diversity can benefit any company, by blending Millennials with Baby Boomers.

How Do You Communicate?

With all the technology to communicate, email, text, chat, phone (landline or cell), what is the best tool?

I had a rule, when I was in corporate America, after three consistent emails back and forth, I picked up the phone and called the person. After two consistent phone calls , I’d show up in their office. Of course, this was before text and chat. Now, the rule would still apply. Just include text and chat with email.

It seems we have become to dependent on texting. Sometimes I think to avoid face-to-face communication. Don’t get me wrong, I think texting is a good thing (as long as you’re not driving). It can be less intrusive, like email, allowing the recipient to respond on their own time or get a quick answer to an immediate need.

A colleague of mine told me he sends an email and then calls the person. He’s in sales and informed me people have a harder time saying no over the phone. The concept is valid in all communications. Working with someone in their presence has its own dynamics - facial expressions, tone of voice, body language, etc. I think these are positive traits, whether the conversation is positive or negative, typically some result is accomplished.

If we all could adopt a similar policy to communications, as mentioned above, I believe humanity in the workplace can be augmented or even restored if lost. Life is all about relationships.

Work/LIfe Balance

You can't help but to have heard this term before. The tech industry is showing both sides of this cultural spectrum, with Netflix offering unlimited maternity time-off for both the mother and father on one side and Amazon pushing their associates to their limits on the other. Work-Live-Play complexes are sprouting up everywhere.

The operative word here is "balance". Managing a company strictly by data eliminates humanity. Too much flexibility and productivity can suffer. Every humans' needs are different. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, management is responsible to learn what motivates their associates. So how do you create the perfect balance, when no two people are the same?

The basic factors:

• Data - In business you must have measurements, financial and productivity
• Competition - I believe that a certain level of competition is healthy among associates, as well as "constructive" conflict. This country was founded on free enterprise and has thrived on competition
• Family or social life outside of work
• Health - Physical, mental and financial

What's the magic formula for work/life balance? I don't think anyone has developed it, nor do I believe it exists. How can it exist, with so many factors? If I took the time to dig very deep, I could probably write a Doctorial treatise on the subject. This would take years of research on a constantly changing target, as society evolves and companies come and go. Not only are no two people the same; no two companies are the same.

The question that needs to be asked, when choosing a company culture, is, "How much does the company own you." You can state what a miserable workplace exists at Amazon, but they were just rated the most valuable retail company over Walmart. That doesn't mean you should work there. As a company, you may decide your most valuable assets, hopefully after your customers, are your associates.

Companies will continue to push associates. Associates will continue to push back. This is how change works.

Does Your Manager Help or Hinder You?

Over the past month, I’ve been contacted by two individuals complaining about their direct supervisor hindering their work. In one case, to the point of seemingly sabotaging them. Let me include, these are high level positions with C-Level managers. During this time period, I have received two articles on workplace antics, that validate this situation is more prevalent than most realize.

Company cultures are rapidly changing, as the economy improves and hiring is on an upswing. Qualified leaders will be required for success.

Here’s a litmus test to answer the headline question:

Traits of a supportive manager.

• Freedom to perform your duties
• Open to new suggestions for improvement
• Communicates on timely matters
• Gives you the tools you need to succeed
• Gives clear direction

Traits of a non-supportive manager (besides the obvious reversal of the above bullets).

• Critical of your performance without some form of validation
• Interferes or overrides your decisions (applicable to your responsibilities)
• Clearly undermines your tasks
• Evasive or aloof

Consulting on this matter is precarious for me. I end up asking more questions regarding the company culture, than directly applying any advice. Here are my thoughts:

• Job descriptions are becoming more defined with technology maturation. Be sure to understand your deliverables. This applies to an interviewee or a current associate.
• Know your net worth to the company. What would happen if you were not there? Be careful in this review, as everyone can be replaced. Be honest in your assessment.
• What is your impact of error on the company?
• Can you detect a company culture shift? Good or bad? Does it give you hope or is it time to move on?
• Is your performance accurately represented in your reviews?
• If you do not have written reviews, start/demand them immediately.
• Can you compare your performance to others in the company? Again, be careful, stick to performance not personalities.

In conclusion, mentors, inside or outside the company, will help you air your thoughts. Stay informed of your industry trends. Read blogs and articles on this subject to stay current, as times change faster than ever.

Start the New Year with Knowledge

In a recent conversation with a couple line associates, it came to my attention that many managers have no experience managing people. I commented about education and thought maybe they don’t teach management in college. The response I received was “they do in business school.”

Personally, I don’t have a business degree, but my very first college class was management. I have been managing people my entire career. One possibility is the proliferation of MBA graduates has caused the mindset you must have this degree to be a manager. Let me tell you here and now, managers exist in all industries! And most don’t have business degrees. Unfortunately, with or without a business degree there are many bad managers. I firmly believe management of people is an innate skill, either you have it or you don’t. People with marginal people skills can be coached. There is no dearth of management training books, seminars, or courses? 

So why are there so many poor managers? There is a plethora of answers and I can not begin to cover them all. Here are just a few I’ve learned while consulting:

• Haphazardly promoted into management, because the associate was good in their previous position (Peter Principle, of course many managers didn’t learn it)
• Education credentials in their expertise, but without people skills
• Sychophants
• Great sales people
• Age discrimination - the company wanted young managers
• Nepotism or favortism

How can this situation improve, as it is detrimental to productivity, company culture health and creates higher associate turnover? 

• Like the 12 step program, the higher level managers must recognize the problem. To do this they must have an open-door policy or mechanism to hear from the lower ranks. The 360 program is a good tool for this.
• Upper level management must be in touch with operations and human resources
• Provide management training and feedback
• Be bold enough to make manager changes
• When hiring, look for management courses, experience or people skills on the résumé
• Recognize people management skills can come from any industry

If you’re a job seeker or looking to grow in your career, look for ways to develop your management skills. I learned many of my techniques from excellent senior managers. I picked what I saw was effective and ineffective ways to motivate people. The most effective tool, I’ve experienced, is a mentor. A mentor does not have to be within your company. Stay in touch with your mentor frequently to review observed and your own people management techniques.

Start the year off with new skills and knowledge.

Work and Fun

A poor company culture can not be solved by the HR department planning and executing a bowling day or an Office Olympics picnic. Creating fun is relative to the associate’s perception of the company, and more importantly, to their job. I’m not stating these actives are not fun, but they can have little influence on associate motivation. The concept is great, as it shows the company, on a global scale, they appreciate and reward those who contribute to their success.

This blog post is about drilling down to the individual associate. I see too many times where upper and middle management are oblivious to their direct reports feelings. Yes, I used the word “feelings”. Associates are human beings and possess emotions. The greatest of these at work is appreciation and appreciation is displayed by recognition and recognition leads to motivation and motivation leads to productivity. You get the picture.

My question to today’s managers, many of whom are young and/or first time managers, is “Are you in touch with your reports feelings about their job?” This leads to further review:

• How do you communicate? If you believe knowledge is power, do you share information or believe you need to use it to protect your own position?
• Do you disseminate timely performance factors, positive or negative?
• How often do you meet with your reports, individually and collectively?
• Do you know their significant other’s name?
• Do you know their birthday, without HR reminding you? Studies show that a person’s birthday is one of their most valued days.
• Are you consistently learning to be a better manager?
• If you manage managers, are you equipping them to improve their people skills?

HR should augment a positive company culture. Managers must be tuned to individual associate motivation, which varies person-to-person. If your feel your job is not fun, then no corporate event will change it.

There are managers out there that should not be managers. Just because you are skilled at your given vocation, doesn’t mean you can manage people with or without these same skill sets. Do management schools still teach the Peter Principle? I have seen managers with only one report. Where this exists in my company structure influence, I eliminate this arrangement. Supervising one person is a poor situation. This creates a conundrum for the manager-associate relationship to either be friends or enemies. A worse case is when it’s a “working” manager scenario. You both have the same function, but one is privileged and only associate animosity can result. Unfortunately, this is more common than you may realize.

One last thought. Corporate sponsored events should take place during the workday. People have their work life and their personal life. Making an evening or weekend event, will impose “force company socialization.” It devalues the company’s goal to show appreciation. People may, and do have, work friends, but let them decide when to socialize outside the workplace. This is not the company’s role.

What are your motivation techniques?

How to Start 2014

Two of my key subject matters are leadership and hiring. The start of the New Year is the best time to review these strategies. Here is a recent article from The Wall Street Journal that hits the nail on the head.

The Most Important Leadership Trait You Shun

This subject matter is one that I stress in my consulting – honesty. Unfortunately, I have experienced too much where this in not a known practice, especially in a competitive work environment. Associates, managers and leaders are frequently to scared to admit, much less hire, someone with more knowledge than their own. These companies survive for some time, but eventually this culture erodes productivity. The result is loss of clients and worse loss of the business.

My experience has also proved companies who embrace this honest culture thrive, just as this article conveys.

This situation is so prevalent, I experienced it on New Year's day. A sycophant style associate sent an email blast stating the work he accomplished to all levels of the organization. His goal, I presume, was to let the world know he was in the office on the Holiday in hopes of recognition and advance his career in the long run. I'm not involved with this company, so I don't know if the culture will accommodate his goals. Experience will prove danger to the company's well being, if they do. I feel sorry for his family that did not get to enjoy New Year's day with him.

If you're in a hiring position, I hope you will admire a candidate that may not know everything and admits it. Today's job descriptions include everything from strategy to execution for one person. Weigh your preferences, by applying percentages to each trait and hire the candidate that has the experience on the higher attributes.

If you're a leader, admit your weaknesses and surround yourself with those whose augment your shortcomings.

Try this honesty practice wherever you are in the company hierarchy. Trust me, honesty is the best policy.

Smart Hiring (Somebody Gets It)

This was the title of one of my posts in April 2009, without the parenthetical addition shown today. That blog emphasized the job role (blending) and leadership to build an effective structure and team. I followed up with "Hire the Best", identifying over-qualified candidates as a hiring benefit.

After four years, the world of hiring is finally showing improvements. I have just signed onto a company providing production, process and business expertise. Their selection process involved a panel interview; five candidates and seven company members. I entered the foray at the last minute, due to overcoming the initial over-qualified perception.

Sidebar: 

There are several articles touting the benefits of hiring older people, including Entrepreneur, Huffington Post, Inc. A Forbes article last fall compares young verse old(er) entrepreneur's advantages.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/08/ageism_n_1881619.html

http://www.inc.com/eric-v-holtzclaw/5-ways-older-workers-benefit-a-business.html

http://bostinno.com/2013/02/18/age-discrimination-startups-why-older-employees-deserve-a-chance/#ss__298652_227579_0__ss

http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2012/09/03/do-older-or-younger-entrepreneurs-have-the-greater-advantage/

This selection format was new to me, but I liked it. You get a brief brain break to formulate the question's answer, as the other candidates respond, except when you're first on the rotation. This beats the rapid fire questions one-on-one (of course, this style is appropriate, if the position requires quick thinking and response skill sets). You also know the interview ends, when the last person on the panel asks their question.

After the panel interview, the company team immediately meets to select those worthy of returning for individual interviews and a screening test.

Two days later, I received a call to have lunch with the company president. During lunch, we discussed my motives, intentions and deliverables. He offered me the position on the spot, without further steps in the process.

Why this works:

• The playing field was level between candidates
• The playing field was level on the company side
• Time was efficient -  no long hours with individuals or return trips (see "Are You Smart Enough Not to be Stupid, my last blog post)
• The company gave me the opportunity one-on-one with the president to clarify my goals and motives, rather than be dismissed

Most importantly, they recognized the value, abilities and contributions beyond their current needs.

The question today - Where do you stand in your best hiring practices? You might be missing out on the best candidate, using preconceived, or worse, antiquated beliefs.

What is your greatest strength?

You have all heard this question. If not, you have never looked for a job. This blog post is to update the question.

The strength question had a partner, "What is your weakness?" Regardless how you answer either question the response can be reversed. Say your greatest strength is team building. Does this mean your weakness in working independently. Most people will steer their answer based on the job description, or worse when answering their weakness, will attempt to make a negative a positive, i.e. "I'm a workaholic."

What about updating the question to, "What are your qualities?" Qualities are character traits that can define your work habits or your personality, which are both regarded important to fitting in the company's culture.

If your résumé clearly demonstrates you credentials, as it should, the interview process is to confirm and dig deeper into the position's specific skill sets. Depending on the interview process, at some point the interview will eventually be about "fit".

This post will not list qualities or provide a cheat sheet to answer the question. It's time for you to think about what qualities you can bring to the company. Remember, it's not about you. You can also apply this new thought to your current job for potential advancement, enhancement or just to save it.

Hiring managers, strongly consider this approach. You will discover more than just the best and worst of a person's traits (if the response is even reliable). You will discover multiple applicable "qualities" with potential and existing associates.

The Golden Rule

Does anyone remember The Golden Rule? I think you have to be over 50, as I learned it in elementary school. Now our schools are not allowed to teach morality in the public system.

It's a very simple rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. It is universal across all cultures and religions. Wikipedia explains it well in their article and references every culture, since the beginning of civilization. It is in the Bible several times, old and new testaments.

The concept appears to be lost in the 21st Century. Just contact customer service in any industry, whether it's a bank, ISP, retail store, manufacturer, etc. and you will not experience the Golden Rule. 

Example One:

I contacted Comcast three times, via email, over the holidays, because my cable internet dropped to pre dial-up speeds. I used email, because I wanted a written record of their responses. (Yes, it took minutes to upload an email, but I was stubborn).  Although the written responses were polite, they never addressed my issue and were clearly  "cut-and-paste" stock answers from some type of company approved response list. Each response took 24 hours. None of the disconnected paragraphs addressed my issue or even came close to a resolution. They also appeared to be written by someone possessing ESL (English as a Second Language). I finally capitulated and called them.

Example Two:

A recruiter called me regarding a company's contract position. I suspect I would not have received the call, unless they felt my qualifications matched their need. I returned the call several times. Each time a different person answered the phone and stated, the recruiter had just step out. They forwarded me to a general voicemail system that didn't even identify the mailbox recipient. You would think I was an ex-wife calling, with this treatment, rather than a qualified candidate.  Also, the company initiated the contact.

If you believe in the Golden Rule, remember it is reciprocal.

Given this is the start of a new year, I appeal to everyone to reinstate this simple life maxim. I believe, the company that adapts the Golden Rule first . . . .wins!

Corporate Culture As A Marketing Tool

In a conversation with a close friend of mine, regarding employer/employee relations, she questioned why other companies' products were preferred over theirs.

To answer the question, the companies' cultures give us some insight.

At my friend's company, employees are called to 5 AM meetings, sometimes an additional hour's drive from their normal workplace. They are still expected to complete their workday around or after 6 PM. My friend is so "burned out" when she arrives home, she can only muster a small bite to eat and head to bed. Sometimes this scenario repeats the very next day.

The competition, in this example, does not work over 40 hours/week, has fewer employees and benefits to make you happy to be alive.

You can see the answer is very clear:
Corporate culture is directly related to product quality.

But is this correlation clear? Unfortunately in the U.S., this scenario is very prevalent in today's economy. It follows the "be thankful you have a job" mentality adopted by this and many employers.

Where do you fit into this scenario?

From the marketing perspective, can you see a competitive advantage?