Managing For Performance:  Building Accountability For Team Success

Contact Theresa Callahan at:  Theresa@TeamSynergyInstitute.com, or Call:  425-241-4855

If you own and run a business, or manage a business team, here’s your reminder call. When is the last time you sat down with your team to conduct a thorough check-up?

• •Is the team performing at its optimal level?
• Are you consistently achieving your goals with joy and ease?
•  Do you look forward to going to work every day?
• Do you receive consistent and productive feedback that your team members are happy?
• Do they tell you they are pleased with how they are growing personally and professionally?

If you answered “Yes” to the above, read no further: You have reached the highest level of entrepreneurial achievement. You are at the top of your game. (In fact, would you please call me? I’d like to hire you to do some team training with me! Because EVERYONE wants to know your secret!)

The reality is, your human capital — your team and the players on it — is your greatest resource. HUMAN CAPITAL IS ARGUABLY THE MOST VALUABLE ASSET HELD BY AN ORGANIZATION TODAY. This capital simultaneously represents the single greatest potential asset and the single greatest potential liability that an organization will acquire as it goes about its business.

Ask yourself: How balanced is your team’s scale?

•  Are you investing in your people?
• Do they have clear job descriptions?
• Do they have a professional development plan to guide them? 
• Is everyone committed and engaged?

My clients are telling me they need to do more with less. With industry standards and expectations high and resources low, it’s critical that we invest in our people. If you have someone on board who is less than 100% committed, you probably don’t have room for them. However, if you aren’t providing the tools and resources they need to do their job effectively, with a clear path to follow, you shouldn’t be surprised if they aren’t achieving results. It’s up to you to lead them to excellence.

The great thing is, you don’t have to do it alone. Here’s a solution: Bring in a partner to help you assess what’s working, where your team is getting stuck, and where there is opportunity. You can’t afford NOT to. Schedule a check-up for your business and do it now.

If you’ve read this far, you are likely a high-achiever and want the best for yourself and your business team. Take the next step and find out what is possible. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by investing in your people! And if you don’t believe me, just ask your team. They’ll tell you. How do I know? They tell me every day.

Surprisingly, the last episode of Undercover Boss was probably my least favorite episode yet. BUT, at the same time, it probably got ME, as owner of Team Synergy Institute, to think more about my business than I ever have! As a result, this week’s posting is going to be much more personal than it ever has been.

Perception vs. Reality

In short, when the COO of 1-800-FLOWERS went out in the field to visit his storefront 1-800-FLOWERS shops, he discovered that there was very little in-store business, especially in one very affluent neighborhood.  Why? The store was associated with being of less quality and lower value. The boss was totally surprised, because he was sitting in his ivory tower, thinking about what his vision and perception of the company was… and it didn’t match up with the customers’ perceptions.

THAT got me to thinking about perception versus reality in Team Synergy Institute. There is a lens I look through, a history that I know about the company and my work … but how many other people know about it?

For example:

*I recently launched a new blog and website. Do my previous customers know about it? Not yet.

*In doing so, I discovered that I have an amazing portfolio of team building, planning, and leadership workshops that I offer. Do my clients know about those workshops? Not yet!

*Have I identified what my product is, who my clients are, and what do they know about me? Not entirely!

*Every business – including mine — needs to ask ourselves those questions all the time!

The challenge for all of us is to be on our toes all the time, and not take for granted that people know what we do. As I saw this florist with 25 years of experience – probably one of the best in the business – standing there, and customers were walking by, I saw myself. Do people know to hire me? If I don’t let people know what I do, if I don’t let them know how Team Synergy Institute can help them, then I’m missing opportunities.

Creating an Entire Experience

From that point, the COO went to the top producing store in the country. Again, the florist there had more than 20 years of experience, BUT she added the human element. People come into her shop just to hug her, talk to her, get her advice, and, then, buy from her. But they don’t buy just flowers. They buy the entire experience!

The florist said ““I want them to feel like they are coming into my home when they come here.” She does what she loves, and the work comes naturally. When she’s being creative, and has the freedom to be herself, she can do what she’s good at.

How often do we feel that way? Like we really love our work because we’re creative in it, and we have the freedom to do what we do best?

As I said, this episode really didn’t do much for me as a coach or as a corporate consultant. But maybe it did the most important thing of all: It turned the mirror and lens onto me, so I could look at myself and vow to improve letting my customers know about me!

Theresa Callahan, Founder, Team Synergy Institute

Theresa@teamsynergyinstitute.com

http://www.teamsynergyinstitute.com

Roto-Rooter, a plumbing services company that serves 90% of the US population, has – like other firms – seen a decrease in business. Instead of complaining about it, this president said “There has never been a better time to find out who we are”, and to find out what resources the company should use to impact the bottom line.

“We are not a non-profit organization: we still have a business to run, and profit is NOT a dirty word,” he said. This attitude is inspiring to me, because some business owners have the attitude, in this type of environment, that they have to “give away the store”.

Finding Out Who We Are

Part of the interesting section of this program was the interaction with this Boss – who had come from a background of having an alcoholic father who hated his job – and a man who is a recovering alcoholic. Instead of being like his father – who’d hated his job – this man, who had raw sewage coming out at him, said “Seven years ago I went into rehab, hiding a lot of stuff. Now I have nothing to hide … and I’m a lucky guy!”

Because of his past, the Boss was inspired by this Sewer Tech. “I had a hard time sleeping. My dad caused a lot of heartache, and he went to his grave without us having any closure.” But by the end of the episode, the Boss said, to the Sewer Tech: “I reconciled with my dad through you.”
Then he did something truly inspirational. He said:
“You’re inspiring. Speak to the people of Roto-Rooter about your great attitude and about what you do. You have a choice. You fight the fight every day … and you’re winning.” And he gave the Tech training in public speaking, and promoted him to a position where he could inspire the entire company.
That is a vital positive that bosses often don’t do: Find talent within their organization, and “shine a light” on them so they can inspire others.

Create Systems As Though You Were Using Them

An “aha” moment for the Boss was when he was in the dispatch center, using a color-coded system he had helped develop. The clarity for this Boss was that he tried to use the color-coded system – although he is colorblind. Often in my consulting, I have to remind my clients: “If you’re going to create a system, process or equipment, make certain you can use it yourself!”

Being Selfless Can Pay Off

Working with one of the top techs in the company taught this boss another vital lesson: being selfless can help people create a great attitude. He was under the house, avoiding rats, and because he was one of the top techs, all the other techs were contacting him for advice.
THEN, when he discovered the homeowner, an elderly lady, couldn’t afford what needed to be done, he took money out of his own pocket to help her “get by”.
THEN the Undercover Boss discovered that this super-tech volunteers four nights a week to coach youth sports… to help keep kids off the street.
At the end of the show, the Boss gave the man a 15-passenger van, and said “You are the most selfless person I know.”
The tech said “You work hard, you do the right thing, and it pays off.”
And I thought to myself “I wish I could let my clients hear that … because they need to make certain it pays off for their employees.”

Creating a Great Work Environment

The Boss’s last job, at the manufacturing plant, pointed out a leadership principle I continually tell my clients: Create a great work environment!
At the plant, as a line worker, he heard concerns that – because the plant was going so slow – people were worried and coming to work scared they were going to lose their jobs.
The Boss knows that there are no layoff plans, that nothing is going to happen, but he hadn’t communicated that to his people. And he felt the pangs of guilt he should have felt, that all leaders should feel when they aren’t creating the optimum work environment.
He said: “When your employees are worried every day about losing their jobs, you’ve got to do something about it. If it sucks for them to show up to work because they’re worried, it’s on me.”
In my consulting work, that’s one of the first things I tell my leadership clients, because they often don’t get this simple fact. Leadership has to own making certain that their work environment is great. They have to create it.
I tell my leaders that it’s sometimes easy to forget that their responsibility is to create security. I also remind them that one of the best ways to do that is to call your employees forward, to let them help make it a great place to work.

Humility Brings Growth … and Change

When I first begin working with my leadership clients, many think that humility indicates softness and weakness. As I point out – and as this boss showed so well – humility shows leadership strength. I admire the integrity, honesty and vulnerability he presented when he got up on stage – in tears – and said:
“You have taught me how to do the work. But you have also taught me how to be a better person.”
Part of being a great leader is to be seen and be involved personally. As I tell my clients, every boss has the same opportunity, but you have to notice.
At the end, he got involved on a personal level. He said: “When I’m gone, and someone says “Here lies ol’ Rick. He made a lot of money for Roto-Rooter.” If that’s all they can say, then that’s not good. If that’s my legacy, that’s not enough.”
The most important thing we can do as leaders, and as people, is to reach the selfless place of knowing you made a difference.

Theresa Callahan, Founder
Team Synergy Institute
Theresa@TeamSynergyInstitute.com

This episode, about the on-line order fulfillment house GSI Commerce, could have focused on processes and procedures. After all, that’s what GSI Commerce is built on: order taking and shipping.

Focusing on The Human Element
But it didn’t. Instead of finding processes and procedures to fix, the CEO and Founder of the company – a veteran of the dot com era with a young daughter of his own – found that his personal life was opened up. He said: “I never expected this experience to be so impactful on my life. It’s given me perspective I never had before.”

His change – which is where true corporate change happens — started when he realized how hard the work was that he expected his employees to do. He first started working in the packing and shipping department, where he thought “I’ll be really great at this job”.

He wasn’t. The human element hit him where it hurt: in this case, everywhere. “This is the most difficult workout I’ve ever done in my life!” he said. “Every bone in my body hurts!”
“This is the first time I’ve ever wished for orders to stop coming in!” Yet, in all of that pain, he worked beside a woman who – even though she’d only been with the company a few weeks — already had great ideas for improving efficiency. That taught him a valuable lesson, one that I repeat in my workshops and training: Every human is of worth. Every person can – and should – contribute.

The Human Element + A Great Attitude
Imagine having a job where you KNOW the person calling is going to complain. Something is going to be wrong. Someone will depend on you to “fix it”. Who could stand up to that type of pressure? Not many people. One great example is a customer care rep named “Adam”.

His human element? His daughter passed away the day before Black Friday. He didn’t show up that day … so he was terminated. He could have complained. He could have said “Oh, poor me.” Instead, his attitude was: GSI gave him a chance. “They have shown me a lot of love”, and as a result, he was positive, uplifting, and really wanted to help out his customers. The boss didn’t know his story … until he asked about the human element, the driver that made him so positive, and Adam told him about his daughter and how he was motivated to help others.

As I tell many of my customers: “We all have our excuses, but at the end of the day, it’s really up to you on how you’re going to be that day.”

Outstanding Training Leads To Outstanding Results
Perhaps the funniest – and mercifully shortest – part of the episode was when this boss was put in the fulfillment center as a single line packer. He was expected to pack 90 boxes an hour. His trainer – a woman who said “this is such a GREAT company to work for!”, was doing 110 to 150 boxes an hour. He fell way behind, and got fired.

“I was more nervous packing boxes than I EVER felt as a CEO,” he said.

What did the woman – who worked seven days a week so she could help her sons play football – say about it? “I feel really bad. I take it personally when I train someone and they don’t make it.” It said a lot about her pride in what she did.

Compare that to the woman who was really bad – almost mean – in customer service. After hearing her, and letting her go – then being let go himself – the boss realized the impact that training has on a company. Without good training, it is difficult to have good customer service.

Acknowledgement = Recognition (of the Human Element) + Taking Action
Perhaps the most moving section of the episode was when the Undercover Boss when to work on the night shift to fulfill orders. His trainer had his daughter in the break room, because “that is the only time I get to see her.”

The Boss learned that this worker had grown up without a father influence in Detroit, and he was going to make certain that didn’t happen to his daughter. So, during break, he would go into the break room, play with her, and be with her.

At this moment, the Boss realized how much he needed to take the time to be a dad to HIS daughter, that he was spending a lot of time in his business and forgetting the important things which, to his trainer, meant everything.

“This experience,” he said, “has touched me as a manager and a man. All I could think of was my daughter….“

Because his trainer helped him realize not only the value of hard work, but the value of his family, he made certain his efforts were rewarded. At the end of the show he told him to his face what a great father he is, and because of his “winning attitude as a leader and manager”, GSI put him on fast track to be a manager.

Had this worker not brought in his personal element, the company would have never known, and an opportunity would have been missed. It’s like I tell my clients: Often, we don’t find out about the stories of the people. We miss that personal element and when you do, you miss a lot of things.

Acknowledgement can Lift Your Organization
As I remind my corporate and team leadership clients, an important talent of leading is not only to identify issues, but to acknowledge good things and DO something about them. This Undercover Boss said he “went out to find problems” in his company, but instead, he found superstars who were doing great work. The most amazing part of this episode was that he listened, saw people who were doing great things, and then did something about it. Leaders from all types and sizes of businesses need to ask themselves: “How many times do I listen to my employees? How many times do I acknowledge them? How many times do I DO something about it?”

This undercover boss not only heard his employees and found the talent – who he called “superstars”, within his organization, but he did something about it. By realizing that one of the missing links was good training, he implemented a training program using the gifts, talents and experience of these superstars. He told them: “You know how to do things this organization needs. Lead us there. Show us how.” AND he observed one man in particular, and realized how precious and short his life is and how he needed to spend more time with his own family and develop a more balanced life.

As I explain in my leadership and team building workshops, to be a true leader, sometimes you need to step back, let your employees step up, and learn to follow their example and leadership. That’s what can take leaders and their organizations from good to excellent.

Theresa Callahan, Founder and Leadership / Team Building Coach,
Team Synergy Institute
http://www.teamsynergyinstitute.com

This week’s episode of CBS’s Undercover Boss featured the Chief Operating Officer of Churchill Downs, home to the Kentucky Derby, the longest consecutively-running sporting event in the country. As the COO wore various hats – trainer, bugler, cleaner, backstretch and press box employee, and jockey valet – he entered a world he was not used to. It was a world not of spreadsheets and meetings, like he ran, but a world of tradition, passion, expensive horses and real people barely making any money.

And those real people reminded him that employees who are passionate about their jobs are the ones making the difference.

It Brought Out Emotions

I have to admit: This episode choked me up. It always surprises me how emotional I get when the “boss” has the courage to show a personal element, and this boss did. The biggest lesson he learned centered around people. From a world of spreadsheets, suits, and presentations about ROI and the bottom line, he learned about kindness, openness and passion. For example:

One employee, a trainer, barely makes any money unless her horse wins on the track… yet she gets up every day and has a “fun day”, even if it is hard work. The COO learned not only how much labor it took, but also the value of saying “Thank you”.

I hear leaders all the time saying they “really think about the people in the trenches”, but I wonder how many of them really do “get it”.

 Notice Details about Work and People

The COO also worked with a cleaning lady who barely made $8 an hour doing things – like cleaning the unseen table bases – nobody else would notice. Yet she took pride in every detail of her work. When he, as her assistant, asked her why she spent such time on detail, she said: “Yes, it’s a lot of work … but when I’m finished, look how beautiful it is!” She took the extra time to take price in her work.

Probably the most memorable moment came when the boss worked with a jockey valet, running around, taking care of every little detail, making certain the jockey was ready, in the appropriate silks, at the right moment for the race. So much attention to detail was required that his “boss” used a clipboard and a checklist. The work got so confusing that the COO actually became lost and wandered outside, wondering where he was supposed to be.

Yet, in a stunning moment, after having looked at his “boss’s” clipboard all day long, he finally noticed a photo attached to the clipboard. When he asked his boss “Why do you work so hard”, the man said, pointing to the photo, “I do it for her”. It was only then that the Undercover Boss noticed that the photo, of the man’s daughter, said “In Memoriam”.

Human Details Matter The Most

“I didn’t notice this little detail that was everything to this man,” the COO said. “And I thought: ‘How often do we overlook those things?’ The most important things in life start with human interaction. It’s about noticing and caring, and I have to do a better job.”

I frequently need to remind my clients this truth: “When you’re in a position of being responsible for people’s jobs, you have to notice. You have to care. You need to be responsible and take care not only of your employees, but of your employee’s families. You can’t forget that.”

 The result of this discovery for the Undercover Boss? He really recognized the depth of passion that the Churchill Downs employees had toward their work. He said: “I didn’t grow up on a horse track. These people showed me their world and they gave me a chance…and I want to do that for them.” In addition to giving people bigger responsibilities, increased opportunities and earning power, he also recognized the personal aspect. In a sport steeped in tradition, he dedicated the first race of the season to the jockey valet’s deceased daughter. AND he invited the valet to join him in the winner’s circle.

The result for his employees? As one employee said:  “To have people recognize what you do makes you excited to be here every day.”

 As I tell my clients: We all want to be wanted, needed and noticed. If a company is struggling with keeping people, I ask them: “Do your people show up at work excited to be here? What do you do to let them know they’re appreciated? Do you tell them you notice them? Do you take a few moments to say “Wow, if it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t be here.”

We need to notice the people who work for us. We don’t take the time to notice the small things that matter so much…but when we do, it makes all the difference.

Theresa Callahan, Founder, Consultant, Leadership Coach
Team Synergy Institute
http://www.teamsynergyinstitute.com

Attitude and Pride Needs Recognition
Another key point came up with an employee whose son was blind. Because of his son, the employee was used to talking a lot, describing things in great detail. As a result, he was engaging, friendly, and could lead his team by giving very specific and detailed instructions. People wanted to work with him, and people wanted to be his customer. In another key point, the “Boss” recognized that this employee was really good at leadership, so he promoted him to help write the corporate “Leadership for Tomorrow” curriculum.
That wraps into the final point: employees – whether they’re making millions a year or flipping burgers – want to be recognized and appreciated for their ideas. And what many corporations – and many people – forget is that some of these people, especially in the service industries such as White Castle, may have no other place to get recognition. They may not have families, friends, and other organizations to give them the kudos and the props and the applause that all of us need.
A powerful example of this was when I saw a woman who had health issues, but she was a good worker. She talked to the “Undercover Boss” about how she wanted to live a more healthy lifestyle. The powerful point was, at the end of the show, when the Boss announced the creation of a wellness program, named in her honor. As the woman wept, she said simply: “This is the greatest day of my life”.
And I thought to myself: “How simple, yet how powerful. Someone recognized her. Someone told her she mattered. And that became the greatest moment of her life.”
As I tell my Team Synergy Institute clients: “If you’re not empowering your employees, if you’re not calling them forward to greatness, and if you’re not recognizing them … you’re missing the opportunity to make your organization great!”
Theresa Callahan, Leadership, Team and Career Coach,
Team Synergy Institute
TeamSynergyInstitute.com

This episode, more than the previous show, was very self-serving toward the “Boss”. Profits for Hooters are down, and leadership wants to figure out how to increase business. In this episode, the boss wanted to figure out what was going on in the field. What is surprising is he wasn’t aware of how the public feels about his company in general.

But, as much as I didn’t like this particular episode, it did show an important lesson that I discover time and time again in my leadership training and consulting work:

Senior management has to KNOW what their company is doing and what image they are projecting, not only to their customers, but to their employees. And in order to project an image, the boss has to be visible. The customer experience has to be consistent. The CEO of Hooters had no clue that people thought his company was demeaning toward women, that women (and families) didn’t want to go into his place, and that the manager of a top-producing location is a womanizer, humiliating his employees and in a leadership role that disgraced the company.

How could this have happened? Even more important than changing their image as a “Girlie bar with food”, what I could see from this episode is that the company needs to increase morale and pride.

Like most companies, Hooters needs to acknowledge their people. As the company puts systems, processes and leadership in place who desire to do that, and to increase workers’ pride in their work, perhaps they’ll succeed at offering the public a more consistent experience.

It will be interesting to see if things change for Hooters … because (according to a guy friend), they DO have good wings.

Could it change the workforce world? Why not?
To summarize the show, the head of Waste Management got out “into the trenches”. He did the dirty jobs that, from his corporate office, he never saw. More importantly, along the way, he met his employees, and discovered that they had the ability to do great things. He learned that, if he wanted to get a better handle on what was going on in the company, and how to fix the problems they faced, all he had to do was look to the front line workers.
There was the guy he worked with who, despite the fact that he cleans Porta-Potties, has a great attitude. The Boss gave him the job to become basically a motivational speaker, to speak to the executive team about how to infuse that excitement and energy into others.
Another guy – the only person who as ever fired the boss in his entire life – has medical problems. He expects healthy people to run circles around him … but they don’t, because he just comes in and “gets it done.” They’ve now put him in a benefits leadership role, to help the company better help people in situations such as he is in.
And so on. Each person got recognized, each person got “called forward”. The boss had the wisdom to create task forces, to put front line people on them, and to let them use their talents to make a difference. As one person said, “This experience has changed my life. All of my hard work has finally been noticed.”

What if every company in America called its people forward?
In my business consulting and coaching role at Team Synergy Institute, I tell business leaders all the time this truth: Most employees are up to the challenge. We just need to recognize and acknowledge them. We need to realize that, without the people on the front lines, we have nothing. BUT if we tap into that talent and those resources, if we empower front line workers to make a difference, amazing things can happen.
When I work with front-line employees and they tell their stories and their suggestions, they really open up. And when a company lets them help solve the issues, it empowers and enthuses them. And what a difference that makes in the company!

So here is what I saw affirmed in the show, for every size of business, large or small:
* Bosses, get out of your own way!
* Call your team forward
* Not only allow, but expect them to solve the issues and make suggestions
* Let people co-create their own solutions.
* Let your people take the burden off of you.

The interesting thought is this: What if the leadership of every company in America watches this show and models the concept of “calling people forward”? What if employees could “do what they do best… every day?” What if they loved coming to work because they were able to share ideas? What if leadership didn’t have to solve everything?

What if a TV show changes the way America does business?
This TV show is a good start. I believe, with the proper coaching and help, every company has the ability to empower employees. I think we can change the way we do business … and help our employees be happy and fulfilled in the process!
I’d appreciate your comments, and look forward to hearing from you!
Theresa Callahan, Founder and Business Coach,
Team Synergy Institute
http://www.teamsynergyinstitute.com
Theresa@TeamSynergyInstitute.com

After all, this is what I suggest to bosses every day in my consulting business!

Why is this so powerful? I think there are a several reasons:
• People have always thought “I wish my boss knew what I do”.
• “I want to make a difference, but nobody notices me”.
• “I have some ideas, but I don’t feel like anyone cares.”

With the economy the way it is, a lot of people – even people with jobs they’ve been at for awhile – are nervous, frightened. Employees feel like they have no control at work.
As a team building and “employee optimization” consultant, I’ve been working with employers for years on these very issues. I’ve helped them
• Create trust within their organizations
• Find the “best fit” for their employees
• Call their employees forward in a new way, to empower employees to make suggestions

As management empowers their employees, they also discover a benefit to themselves: they don’t have to do everything! During the next several weeks I’ll be blogging about lessons learned in my consulting business from bosses who have actually empowered their employees. In addition, I’ll be commenting on the Undercover Boss show, giving my professional opinion about what lessons they’ve learned … and what more they could have gained from the experience.
Stay tuned!
Theresa Callahan, Founder
Team Synergy Institute

http://www.teamsynergyinstitute.com