Root Cause Analysis Blog

“Leadership is all about unlocking the potential in others.”
Carly Fiorna, Hewlett-Packard CEO

There are too many so called “leaders” who act and sound artificial, “phony” when they interact with their staff, friends and even customers. When you demonstrate, through thought, word and deed that you’re an authentic human being and leader who really cares about your employees and the organization, the chances are great that you’ll get your employees, friends, and yes, your family’s best efforts. Simply stated, you must walk the talk, not talk the talk.  Here are a few tips:

Adhere to your core principles. In my 50 plus years experiences as a military officer, civilian employee, speaker, author, burn survivor and son, I’ve learned that’s the best and most effective way to lead. You must have credibility with your employees, family, friends, clients and your audience. The greatest people and leaders I’ve known said what they meant and meant what they said. They were unambiguous about their dreams, passions, goals and core principles. They were consistent in their beliefs and never wavered; they were trusted and trustworthy.

“Everyone inside him has a piece of good news … that you don’t know how great you can be (or) what you can accomplish.”
Anne Frank, diarist

Money, power and fame are a two-edged sword. They can ‘buy’ access to persons, places and things you might not otherwise have and enjoy. But, as with most things in life, they often come with a price. Money, power and fame can’t buy you health, happiness, integrity, peace, respect, true friends or authenticity.  When you place most of your values in them, people are often thrust-off the foundation of the core values that helped them get to the ‘top.’ We’re born with free will and life is all about choices. Therefore, choose the right path—to remain true and authentic to you first, then others.

“High ethics and religious principles form the basis for success and happiness in every area of life.” John Templeton, investor

It starts at the top. When leaders are authentic, that often leads to trust. A Maritz Research poll in 2011 showed that just 7% of U.S. workers viewed leadership’s actions as consistent with their words. “We need our people to be engaged, trusted, leaders,” said Lynn Lieber, a San Francisco-based employment lawyer and legal advisor to compliance training advisor Workplace Answers. “You see companies like Apple where people had huge amounts of trust in their leaders.”

“Passionate leadership won’t succeed if contradictory signals are sent out.”  Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder

Establish panels. Bill George former CEO of medical device maker Medtronic calls them True North Groups.  They’re small groups of people who know each other well enough to offer objective and honest opinions. They act as a sounding board for each member. “The people trust each other and are willing to be open,” George said.  His group helped him realize he had drifted away from his core values when he was in line to become CEO at Honeywell International.

“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after awhile he gets to know something.”  Wilson Misner, playwright

Focus inward. George said leaders must be introspective about how they function and operate. He meditates twice a day. You can write a journal or talk to someone close to you. Or, do all three. Think about who you are…really; where you’re going; how you’ll get there; who’ll be on your team. The process you choose can give you time to reflect on how your core values affect the decisions you make,     

“If you go, go, go all the time, you’re not real grounded” he said.

Demonstrate that you care. Employees, friends and family will see you and think of you as genuine if you prove by words and actions that you care about their well-being. Write thank you notes to your staff, friends and hosts. It’s probably the most important and well-received praise they can receive. Thank you notes are a lost art. We’ve become too reliant on technology. When you take the time to write a note, address it, seal it, put postage on it and deliver it to the Post Office that sends a subtle, but important message that you do care.  Thank you notes are another way that you should do business.  Teach it and demonstrate it in the home, it will transfer to the office.

“I don’t let my mouth say anything my head can’t stand.”  Louis Armstrong, musician

Spread the wealth. Not only financial rewards but praise and credit when and where it’s due. Steve Jobs did it with his resignation from Apple’s CEO in August 2011.

Know your people.  You can’t do this by sitting in your corner office and hiding (or the perception you’re hiding) from reality.  Get out and walk around. This is a way to help you understand the issues your employees face and allows you to get to know them better. Creating an authentic workplace is a challenge if you sit in the corner office.  CEO Howard Schulz walks in to his Starbucks stores unannounced to see how things are going. The TV program “Undercover Boss” has the same result. Sometimes you really need to get into the trenches with the people who do the ‘dirty work’ every day.

Create the rules. Establish a Code of Conduct that lists the core values and behaviors that are expected. Follow through with them and make certain no one, regardless of their position, is exempt.  There may be some who will test the Code of Conduct and invent all sorts of excuses as to why they shouldn’t be held accountable.  In my long career, I’ve heard them all! Their inventiveness is extraordinary; if only they’d put as much effort in trying to follow the Code of Conduct as they did trying to tap dance around it.  Provide training on the Code that’s specific to you organization and talk about it when issues of conduct arise.  That can also impress an outside agency if problems do occur. You show that you act in good faith, and that is reflected in everything you do. A Code of Conduct is also useful in personal situations. It’s not a sometimes thing or to use when needed thing; like breaking the glass when a fire breaks-out. To be effective, a Code of Conduct must be part of who you are and seamless from your personal life to the workplace. You can’t be a phony and a say you Code of Conduct. It just doesn’t work!

“Are you green and growing or ripe and rotting?”  Ray Kroc, former McDonald’s CEO

Be honest and dependable. Take responsibility for yourself, your life and your job.

====================

This article was reprinted with permission from “Captain George” A. Burk, USAF (Ret).  Visit his website for information about this keynote speaker, trainer and author:   www.georgeburk.com

3 people like this post.

Unlike

Share on Facebook

At a recent training, I was curious as to why there were a dozen colorful “fidget” toys strewn around the tables.  To me, they seemed like a distraction.  Later I learned that people focus better and absorb information faster if they have something to do with their hands.

If you are having a hard time focusing on a task at work, fidgeting with a desk toy may provide stimulation your mind is craving, calming your brain and helping you get the task finished.

Stress balls may also ease office stress.  The simple process of acute muscle tension and relaxation as you squeeze and release the ball flushes out muscle tension and, thus, helps you feel calmer.

According to Stressfocus.com:

There is stimulation of nerves in the hands. These nerves carry the signal to different areas in brain especially the limbic area which is linked with emotions. This mechanism is similar to the popular Chinese method of ‘Acu pressure’ for treating health problems. Moreover stimulation of brain also results in the production of endorphins which act as natural pain relievers and as sedatives.

Fidget toys may also be used to help when creative solutions are needed.  Office brainstorming sessions are typically very “left-brained” and creative solutions require using the whole brain and the whole person … so fidgeting with desk toys can invite the creative right brain into the solution.

You may notice you tap your finger, shuffle paperwork or doodle when you are talking on the phone at work or are in a meeting.  A fidget toy provides the same relief and may be less distracting to others.

Not all fidget toys work the same for all people.  People who enjoy tactile input will prefer a bumpy fidget, while others will prefer a smooth stress ball they can squeeze.   If you decide to try it, you may need to try various types to see which helps you play attention the best.

5 people like this post.

Unlike

Share on Facebook

I am a positive person by nature, and I’ve read many books on positive thinking. However, I’ve never read anything that I felt would be useful to someone who views the world through a more critical lens. Even though I enjoy positive psychology books, I recognize most are a little too “hearts & flowers” to influence a true change in others. That is, until I read “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work” (Shawn Anchor). I think this is one book that every manager should read.

The reason I think this is because the author writes about seven actionable “happiness” principles proven to improve human performance. It’s not a “don’t worry, be happy” sing-a-long, it’s practical.

If you are like me, you will probably recognize a couple of the principles and realize you’ve been using them your entire life. For example, “The Tetris Effect” is when you train your brain to see the positives more than the negatives. Our brain takes in so much information each day that it has to filter much of it out. Which do you choose?  The positive or the negative?  In this video, the author explains the principle in more detail:
.

Improving our skill in reducing negativity in the workplace will reduce stress, increase productivity and decrease turnover.  Not only that, it’s good for our own career development.  Most people believe that hard work alone predicts success, and after they become successful, they will finally be happy.  What if happiness itself influences our successes?  What if it accelerates our successes?  What if we can be happy now because Douglas Adams (English humorist and science fiction novelist) was on to something when he said, “I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”  Don’t wait for the next promotion to be happy … test it yourself by learning the simple principles in “The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work.”

3 people like this post.

Unlike

Share on Facebook

If you’ve ever fired someone for poor performance, did you know without a doubt that the employee understood the expectations of the position?  One clue that you may not have trained the employee properly in executing his or her job duties is when you find yourself reaching for an awkward “it’s not you … it’s me” speech at the termination meeting instead of holding the employee accountable.  You can’t hold someone accountable for something they didn’t know they were accountable for.

Good training is essential.  Managers must make expectations clear when training an employee for a job.  If your staff isn’t trained, then you have no basis for managing performance.  As a result, your staff will lose focus and work will be unreliable and inconsistent.

Accountability is not a big stick to bang people on the head with.  People who are doing a great job want their results to be measured and recognized … they actually want to be held accountable.

The only thing worse than training your staff and having them leave, is to not train them and have them stay. ~ Zig Ziglar

Some managers view training as an expense of both time and money they can’t afford to lose.  This is because they have not determined measurable results.  You must decide an acceptable rate of return on any investment of training.   When you can envision concrete results, it’s much easier to budget time and money for training.  A employee who has had adequate training is clear on what the expectations are and has had an opportunity to acquire the skills to meet them.

Did you know that all TapRooT® root cause analysis courses come with a 100% guarantee?  In fact, attendance at the upcoming 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit guarantees 10 times the return on investment:

Attend the Summit and go back to work and use what you’ve learned.
If you don’t get at least 10 times the return on your investment,
simply return the Summit materials and we’ll refund the entire Summit fee.

Summit attendance can help maintain and expand an employee’s skill level, motivate them to grow, and help them improve professionally.  Decrease employee turnover this year and be confident you’ve given your employees a chance to show you their best.  Learn more about the 11 exclusive pre-Summit courses as well as the 8 tracks of learning on the Summit website: http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

2 people like this post.

Unlike

Share on Facebook