Category Archives: Leadership

The First Change

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“So, you tell me. What could we do differently to get the behaviors we want that drive the results that we want?” Reggie insisted.

“You already have the first two steps,” I began. “The first thing you did was define the purpose for the program. You said the purpose to keep your managers focused on the company’s goals and to engage in behaviors to create those results.” Reggie nodded his head in agreement.

“Your second step was to communicate those behaviors you identified to drive the results you wanted, right? You did that in your individual KRA meetings.” Reggie continued to nod his head.

“So, if you didn’t have the bonus program, in two cases you would have achieved the results you wanted anyway?” More nods.

“And if you didn’t have the bonus program, three of your managers would not have spent counterproductive time trying to game your gross margin system?

“And if you didn’t have the bonus program, two more of your managers would not have become discouraged halfway through the quarter?”

“Okay, I’m with you,” Reggie interrupted. “But, what can I do differently, to make sure I get the behaviors I want?”

“Every week, you sat down with each manager and reviewed the behaviors you wanted, right? And each week, each manager promised to try very hard to do what you talked about, yes?”

“Yes.”

“So, stop talking about it. You stop talking about those behaviors.” Reggie looked puzzled. I continued, “The wrong person is doing all the talking. You stop talking. Your managers need to be talking about this stuff, not you. The first thing that needs to change is who is doing the talking.

“So, Reggie, here is my challenge to you. In what way can you get your managers to talk about those behaviors instead of you?” -TF

All Crumbs Lead to the Top

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“But the worst part of my little bonus system,” Reggie confided, “was not that my managers were manipulating the numbers, but I think it really changed their mindset. I corrupted their thinking and digging out of that hole is going to take time. And some of them will not survive.

“And the winner, the successful candidate who gets the position as the new division VP is going to think he got the job by gaming the system. It doesn’t matter how I explain it, in his heart, his experience will tell him that he got the job by playing with the numbers.

“It is really true,” Reggie continued, “the behavior you reinforce, is the behavior you get. I created the incentive. I got the behavior.”

“If you are going to create a different environment, what has to change first?” I asked.

“All crumbs lead to the top,” Reggie said. “I have to change first.”

Counterproductive To What We Stand For

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“So, you’re the culprit,” I repeated. “What specifically did you do that was so counterproductive?”

“No, I remember, it wasn’t anything extreme, but I began to hand out bonuses for the department with the highest gross margin, another for the highest revenue in the quarter.

“It’s funny, now that I think about it, when I handed out those bonuses, the room was really quiet. There was no jubilation or high-fives, just a nod and a polite thank you.”

“Tell me about the down-side?” I asked.

“I found out later,” Reggie explained, “that all of the departments were gaming the gross margins. They would pump up the pricing in the last week of the quarter and then rebate it back to the customer in the next quarter. In the end, we still got our standard margin, but the department was manipulating the bonus system.

“And it’s not so much that they had to pay the piper in the next quarter, but look at all the wasted energy, counterproductive to what we stand for. And the last thing on our mind was doing a good job for the customer.”

Motivated to Make Things Right

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“So, you were surprised that you didn’t get fired?” I asked. Kim and I were talking about her near disaster with a forklift.

“I was certain I would get fired. It was a boneheaded move on my part. But my manager, well, it was almost like he used a counterbalance. He knew he had my undivided attention over the forklift. He also knew that I was motivated to make things right. And he got someone to run the safety program, (me!), where it benefited the most.” Kim replied.

“How did that bring value to your thinking and your work?”

“Well, he could have fired me, he could have yelled at me. He could have embarrassed me in front of the team. He could have called me out to his boss. He could have suspended me. But what he did was to make me think.

“He had me motivated to sit down and learn more about how serious this safety stuff really is. It was one of the most important lessons in Leadership that I have ever been a part of.”

Big Mistake

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A good bit of the morning had passed when I met Kim in the coffee room.

“Okay, I came up with a list,” she said. “It’s not a long list, but I was able to think about some specific things that were helpful to me when I was a supervisor. It’s funny. At the time, I didn’t realize how helpful it was, but now, I can see it clearly.”

“So, what’s the biggest thing on the list?”

“We were under some pressure to get a big order pulled for shipping. I was supervising the crew. Things were hectic. I commandeered a forklift that had been pulled out of service. One of the buckles on its safety harness was being repaired. I was thinking, how stupid, not to use a forklift for a few minutes just because it didn’t have a safety harness.

“Big mistake. I told one of my crew to use it anyway, just to move some product about ten feet over in the staging area. That part was okay, but when I wasn’t looking, the crew member took the forklift over and started moving other stuff. He figured it was okay to use the machine, since I said so. He was turning a corner and ran over something, his load shifted and he came right out of the machine.

“I was lucky. No one was hurt, nothing got damaged. In fact, everyone that was there, thought it was funny. Well, except for my manager. I thought I was going to get fired. It was a stupid thing I did.”

“So, what did your manager do?”

“He never yelled at me. I remember, he just came into my office that afternoon. He said one word, ‘Lucky!’ Then, he put some safety books on my desk, said he would be very interested to attend my safety meetings for the next three months.”

“So, tell me, how did that bring value to your thinking and your work?” -TF

It Wasn’t Barking Orders

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Across the lobby, I spotted Kim. She was one of seven supervisors who had just been promoted to manager. It was a good group, positive vibes, but I could see Kim was a bit nervous in her new role.

“How’s it going?” I asked.

“Pretty good, so far,” she replied. “I think I can handle all the stuff I am supposed to do. It’s that other stuff, I am worried about.”

“What other stuff?”

“You know, being a manager. Team stuff, morale. You talk about bringing value to my supervisors. I want to do that, but I am not sure what it means.”

“It’s not that difficult,” I replied. “Just think back, when you were a supervisor. What did your manager do that really helped you, I mean, really helped you become the manager that you are today? Was it barking orders at you? Bossing you around? Yelling at you when you screwed up? Solving your problems for you?”

“No,” Kim replied. “It was none of those things.”

“So, think about it. What were the specific things your manager did that brought value to your thinking and your work?” –TF

Which Boss Are You?

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Great responses to yesterday’s mailbag question.

It is always tough to become a new supervisor, to an existing peer group or a new group. A new supervisor always means change. And most people don’t like change, at least they don’t like the unknown parts of change.

Respect comes, not from the authority of the position, or the experience of the supervisor. Respect comes from bringing value to the work and thinking of the individuals on the team.

In fact, team members will always seek out the person in the company that brings value to their thinking and their work. If it happens to be their supervisor, that’s great. All too often, it’s not.

Think about it. We all work for two bosses. We work for the boss who is assigned to us, and we work for the boss we seek out. The boss we seek out is the one who brings value to our work, our thinking and our lives.

So, if you are the new supervisor, that’s the boss you need to be. -TF

All Ears

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:

I have just been promoted to a supervisory position on the Hot-Line of a large kitchen. Unfortunately, I seem to be having a hard time gaining the trust and respect of my co-workers as well as other supervisors and managers. It seems to be difficult for some to grasp the fact that I have been entrusted with the charge of the kitchen once in a while. It might be the fact that I have not had a great deal of time in the position, as of yet, so hopefully it may get better with time and my ability to be patient. But if there is any bit of advice and/or support that you may be able to provide, I am all ears. -TM

So, what do you all think? If you have some advice for TM, please post a comment.

Hard Work and Control

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“It’s funny,” Curtis observed, “sometimes, after hours, it is quiet and I ask myself, why am I here? I should be home with my family, but there is still so much to be done. And if I don’t take care of some loose ends, something critical will blow up tomorrow.”

“Do you think you are the only manager in the world that is thinking that thought?” I asked.

Curtis chuckled. “You know, you’re right. So, why does it happen?”

“You tell me,” I replied.

Curtis had to think. He had been so busy working, that he never thought about what he was doing and why he was doing it.

“I feel guilty,” he finally responded. “I am responsible. It’s up to me. I guess I bring it on myself.”

“And if something doesn’t change, about the way you manage this department, what will happen?”

“I am already seeing the chinks in my own armor. I feel tired every morning. I stopped working out because I don’t have time. I feel like I have a cold coming on. But the harder I work, the more things seem out of control.”

“Think about that,” I said. “The harder you work, the more things seem out of control.” -TF

Skill or Capability?

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Eduardo was hanging up the phone when I arrived. I could tell he was puzzled.

“It’s funny,” he said. “This is the third time I have explained things to my Ron, but it just doesn’t seem to sink in. I don’t know what the problem is. For two years, he was doing great, but now, he seems to be in a fog.”

“Ron reports to you?” I asked. Eduardo shook his head.

“Yes, in fact, he was a good hire. We started him in a little office with only two people. He grew it to six, now he is at twelve. Somewhere along the line, he lost it.”

“Alcohol, or drugs?”

“No, I don’t think so. He is too conscientious for that,” Eduardo observed.

“But he seems to be in a fog? Tell me what has changed in the past year, going from six people to twelve people.”

Eduardo looked up at the far corner of the room, picturing the changes before he described them to me. “It’s like Ron was supervising the work pretty well, but now he is one step removed. He is now managing a couple of supervisors. Maybe that’s the problem. He is too far away from the what he knows how to do?”

“Is it a matter of skill, something he can learn, or is it a matter of capability?” -TF