Cranky Guru sayz
Tuesday, January 21, 2003
As some of you know, I attended a military high school. Over the last year, the alumni group has become quite active.
If you are an alumni and not on the list, please contact Doug Halbert {you can get the email address on the front page of the site]. BTW There is going to be a reunion May 2-4, 2003. So, if you are not already in the database, zip over there and get listed and find out the details of the meeting!
Oh ya, if you have any information on alumni, staff, and/or faculty, it would be greatly appreciated.
Brown Military Academy
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
Jon Carroll reminds folks to have a little empathy, and cites a study on the stress levels of call center workers [aka, telemarketers]
..THE REPORT is by Stephanie Luce. The sample was relatively small and perhaps not totally representative. Read for yourself: "According to a recent survey of 784 call center employees who answer phones in public utilities across the U.S., the constant pressure to meet quotas, follow scripts and deal with demanding customers has taken its toll.
"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the highest, one third (32 percent) report their stress level at ten. The overall average is 7.9. One third (30 percent) report that stress often affects them physically and emotionally, and forty percent report that stress 'often' or 'regularly' affects their work performance.
"Workers report a variety of physical manifestations of stress, including fatigue, irritability, inability to relax, headaches, backaches, and high blood pressure. Health problems are exacerbated because employees are limited in the number of times and minutes they can spend in the restroom."
Isn't that swell? Do you work in a place with bathroom Nazis? I did once, many years ago. It made me feel like a criminal every time I wanted to pee. I solved my problem by not going to work a lot, which is apparently typical -- call center employees have absentee rates as high as 50 percent.
The center concludes that employers may not be getting the best work from their employees by treating them badly. This is the sort of startling revelation that never fails to amaze some management types.
HERE'S ANOTHER PARAGRAPH from the report: "In some call centers, the pressure to meet quotas is so great that employees can be disciplined for varying even slightly from the script. At Northern Indiana Public Service Company employees are prohibited from saying 'please' and 'thank you,' in order to save time and get more calls in per day."...
He is surprised, I am not
One time I asked the owner/manager why they persisted in creating such a toxic environment. The response was chilling but expected..
"It is a cost benefit thing, it is cheaper to replace these people than 'coddle' them." I had my doubts then and I still do. I don't think they really have calculated replacement costs accurately. Their view was zero sum. I saw the situation as one where they could make much more money [22-34%] if they only invested an additional 9% in retention strategies.
Aside from this, I really don't understand the abuse quotient..the supervisors all seemed to enjoy the power tripping, humiliating, and general nastiness toward the line workers. I assumed that they were hired for these qualities. How do the managers sleep at night?
What he does not give are turnover numbers...30-50% some quit and others just leave the job. An odd phenomena where they just disappear. They don't communicate, some don't even pick up their checks..
The professional term in HR circles is Job Abandonment. When I first heard this, I thought it was a prank being played on me. When I realized it was for real, I was astonished. What kind of environment would produce flight like this..I found out.....this type of behavior is not necessary nor profitable in the long run...
Good evening, sir..
Sunday, December 08, 2002
Culture and Motivation
Work is serious, but shouldn't be grim. No, I am going to make a stronger statement: You cannot afford to let it become grim and toxic!
Real human beings will 'fade and die' in such a place. You need lively and excited folk to keep your business going.
Does this mean you need to implement a high profile, complicated 'employee motivation strategy'? Perhaps, but sometimes simple is best. A little gesture of kindness and as my Grand Mother used to say, a bit of gentlemanly behavior, can work wonders.
The author doubts that he had much of an impact, but I would bet that an old ODer like me could find some interesting productivity changes. I have seen good results with less effort than this [remember Gore Tex and the 'Golden Banana Award'].
KennyMoore starts a stealth RAK program. I love the intro..
I'm tired of listening to Tom Peters. I refuse to buy Jack Welch's book. I've grown weary of reading the latest management guru's list of Habits and Business Principles. I become depressed when I get to the part of the book that states: "...Get everyone together, tell them the business plan and demand that they believe and implement it fully." Then it quickly ends, with very little said on how to make this happen. I've started looking elsewhere for answers to my business needs....
Taking Charge
[full disclosure...I have no connection to the company in this link. I have no opinion about their services one way or the other. They do have a well designed site though. Love the graphics!! Oh yes, RAK = Random Acts of Kindness]
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Saturday, July 27, 2002
As most of you know, I advocate lots of information sharing in the organization. It builds trust and employee retention. This hold true for customers also.
The worst strategy you can use is silence. 'let's pretend no one will notice' . When you are trying to develop a strategy for getting out the bad news, don't forget your website.
Here is an excellent article that makes good suggestions [the examples are of the 'scandals' so these are worst worst case ].
Scandalous Sites
This article centers on the current 'scandals', but the author makes a good point at the top and close of the text.
Stan Davis said that managers too often confuse their organization with their business. They're different things. Organizations are defined by hierarchies, reporting relationships, departments, and budgets. Businesses are defined by competition, supply chains, channels, and customers.
Organizations look in. Businesses look out.
Ask yourself (and answer honestly): If you come back from lunch to a phone message from your boss and another from an important customer, which will you return first? If you're a manager, which would you want your subordinates to return first? And how can you go about getting those subordinates to make the right choice?
You may not be in crisis, but this little 'test' might be a good quick check on the message you are sending employees on activity priorities.
The correct answer to this business dynamic is not either/or, but a balance of both. Circumstances can alter this balance. It is a good thing to check once in a while so that the balance reflects the current situation.
"They watched the hole and not the doughnut"
Who's Minding the Store?
Saturday, April 27, 2002
Often, I refer folks to the writings of Peter Drucker. He is one of the best writers on management for folks trying to learn some lasting principles [as opposed to the trendy and frothy writers that pass for 'experts'].
One problem, Drucker is a very prolific writer and it has been difficult to pick which book to recommend. At last, they have compiled his thoughts on management into one volume! For those who want a very good 'handbook' on management This new compilation is probably the best place to start. Caution, you may become addicted to his direct and sometimes pithy analysis of business practices.
The following is one of his quotes on Executive Leadership:
"The effective executive looks up from his work and outward toward goals. He asks: 'What can I contribute that will significantly affect the performance and the results of the institution that I serve?' His stress is on responsibility. The focus on contribution is the key to effectiveness." Peter Drucker.
Here are the two key books for your purposes:
For those interested in management and organizational development..a must to any with aspirations of becoming a manager, or business owner.
The Essential Drucker: In One Volume the Best of Sixty Years of Peter Drucker's Essential Writings on Management . A Review:
"..Reaching back as far as 1954 with his treatise "Management by Objectives and Self-Control" ("Each manager, from the 'big boss' down to the production foreman or the chief clerk, needs clearly spelled-out objectives" that clarify expected contributions "to the attainment of company goals in all areas of the business"), Drucker's now-established ideas take on a surprising new relevancy when remixed equally pioneering ideas from the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s. Between the thoughtful "Management as Social and Liberal Art" through the provocative "From Analysis to Perception--The New Worldview" (both originally published in 1988's The New Realities), this book revisits some of modern management's most inspired writing and presents it in a way that should appeal to both newcomers and those needing a refresher course on Drucker's basic beliefs." --Howard Rothman
Drucker On Non Profit Organizations
A companion to The Essential Drucker. As he points out, most of the management innovation in private sector businesses have come from the public sector. [My work with the Dept. of Education and the Justice Department is a good example of this] Thus, I recommend this to both types of managers and CEOs. The difference doesn't make a difference!
Managing the Non-Profit Organization: Principles and Practices
Wednesday, April 17, 2002
Often I am asked to define management and leadership. This poses a bit of a problem since there is a short and long answer. Most want the short form so my response is "management is the ability to get things done with a group of folks". This says a lot and nothing at the same time [although it is pithy and is a fair candidate for a management slogan on a poster].
I came across a quote that is short and includes leadership. It is well written and I hope a bit more informative [the jury is still out on this]...
"The art of management is a high form of leadership, for it seeks to combine the act, the getting of something done, with the meaning behind that act.
The manager-leader would combine in one personality the robust, realistic quality of the man of action with the insight of the artist, the religious leader, the poet, who explain man to himself, who inspire man to great deeds and incredible stamina.
The man of action alone, or the man of contemplation alone, will not be enough in the situations we now confront; these two qualities together are required to meet the world's need for leadership."
David Lilienthal.
This quote is a bit 'lofty' but I think is useful. What is your reaction?
Tuesday, April 16, 2002
This is a light weight article on bossing. I reference it just to remind y'all to examine and reflect.
A large part of my coaching involves dealing with situations where an employee is being exploited and/or abused by a manager. Sometimes this is due to an untrained manager, but often the manager is off the line due to a distorted view of the world [training is useless in this case, and the behavior won't go away over time].
Senior managers and business owners really need to be on the alert for this because in the long run, keeping such a manager will cost you in employee turn over, passive aggression, sabotage, and possibly legal actions.
From an earlier post [Sept 1999].....
"...When I work with a client concerning recruitment and retention of employees, I generally look at the "management climate" which includes the style of the supervisors and managers. When I find someone that a manager fits the profile outlined in this article, it become a major priority to retrain them and to change their attitudes towards their employees [with varying results].
In fact, it always surprises me that some very good employees continue to work under these conditions. In the past, when the labor market was tight, folks like this could get away with this behavior. Now the situation has changed and the turnover can be high, since good employees can move else where at any time.
If you see yourself in this quiz, contact me. I can probably coach you out of some of the hidden assumptions you have about the nature of work and employees. Bad management costs business more than bad employees!.
There is one type of manager I can't help and that is one that fits the profile of "Serial Bully" . This is a term coined in Britain and indicates someone that takes poor management to another level--psychological violence... but I digress...more on Bullys in another missive...."
Note that the only change from 1999 is in the job market, not the prevalence of the problem.
Be the Best at Being Bad
"10 Tips for Tormenting your Employees
Working for a tyrant can be a drag, especially when you have to fork over money to buy your own coffee.
Being a bad boss is not only the easiest way to lose workers, it’s a lot of hard work, too..... "
Monday, March 18, 2002
Another information packed site by Financial & Tax Fraud--
Education Associates, Inc.--A Non-Profit Corporation.
"This website seeks to educate you about certain types of financial frauds, how these deals really work, and how you can manage your risk of financial fraud..."
Quatloos