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Silent Endorsement

by Jen Kuhn on May 3, 2012

What we ignore, we endorse.

Think about how many times you’ve seen behaviors that you find distressing (at home, at work or in public).  The child getting slapped by the angry parent, the bullying employee/supervisor that others fear, or the elderly person who needs help while everyone just looks in the other direction.

Yes. We all have these experiences. Our choice is simple.  Do I take a stand or do I endorse the behavior/situation by ignoring it?

In the workplace, if you are a supervisor you do not have a choice.  You’ve been paid and trusted not to endorse behaviors that are counter-productive to your culture, your norms, your expectations.

The problem is that we are used to looking the other way. It’s a quick fix easy solution that allows us to maintain our comfort. Yet for a company to do well (by it’s employees, consumers and the public), supervisors must never look away.  A leader must keep all behaviors in the spotlight, for it is in the spotlight that we shine. When it comes to negative behaviors, once the spotlight is removed, some people mistake that for endorsement.

3 things a leader can do to ensure they are not endorsing behaviors that are counter-productive to the culture:

  1. Positive reinforcement: recognize behaviors that your employee demonstrates that you do want to consistently see and experience.
  2. Discover their value: recognize the value each employee brings to your team. Then see #1. Lather, rinse, repeat.
  3. Address behaviors that do not meet expectations. It’s not about you. It’s not about your comfort. It’s about your obligation to your employees, your company and your consumers.

As a leader, what are some of the most difficult behaviors for you to address within your organization?  We promise, we won’t ignore you!

 

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Take Me to Your Leader

by Jen Kuhn on May 11, 2010

Leadership is (fill in the blank).  You can’t.  Neither can I. 

Despite articles, books, blogs and opinions written about leadership, what is often left unsaid is that leadership is over-defined.  Yes, there are characteristics that one might apply to a strong (or weak) leader.  There are behaviors one can observe, mentors one can model, quotes one can use and examples one can site.  I tend to agree with most of what I read about quality leadership and what that embodies.

Therefore, I would like to add a perspective on leadership by simplifying the definition to four dominant traits/characteristics/behaviors (fill in the blank!).  Consider a compass.  There are four primary directions: North, South, East and West.  And just like leadership, even something as precise as a compass has varying ways of defining and discovering North: there is True North, magnetic North and grid North.  No wonder I need GPS AND Mapquest to get me where I’m going!

So imagine that there are four primary elements of leadership, with varying degrees of direction.  Just like I might be traveling North-East to get to my destination, one can also move their leadership needle along the compass.

The Leadership Compass:

Moral Direction

In order to be an effective leader, one must have a moral compass.  Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.  Ah, the challenge.  Sometimes the right thing to do may have a negative impact on the bottom line.  The right thing may involve confronting an employee who is not meeting the standards and expectations of your organization.  The right thing may be to change a policy so it benefits both the consumer and the company.  The right thing may be the difficult thing to do.  Varying degrees of this compass point include: honesty, integrity, ethics, conscientiousness, virtuous, honorable, humane, compassionate and noble, to name a few.  How does your moral compass impact your leadership decisions?

Inspirational Direction

Another trait I would place on my leadership compass is the ability to inspire others.  Quality leaders, no matter their position within an organization typically make others want to do and be more.  They serve as an example of possibilities and dreams and courage.  Inspiring others at this level is a gift and a challenge.  Varying degrees of this compass point include: leading by example, encouraging, intriguing, motivating, refreshing, dynamic, persuasive and uplifting, to name a few.  What leader has made an inspirational impression on you?

Emotional Intelligence Direction

In Daniel Goleman’s article he discusses emotional intelligence as a quality of an effective leader.  This is often ignored when it comes to the promotional processes of many organizations.  Typically, one gets promoted into a leadership position because they are either highly effective at their current position, or they’ve been with the company for 78 years.  Neither of these reasons have to do with leadership; rather, they apply to job knowledge and longevity.  As Mr. Goleman points out, some varying degrees of emotional intelligence include: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills.  What are your guiding principles when choosing a leader within your organization?

Effective Communication Direction

There are multiple ideas, visions and expectations that a leader must communicate within their organization.  The ability to do so effectively can mean the difference between: success or failure, motivation or discouragement, buy-in or complaints, collaboration or sabotage, understanding or confusion. In order to effectively communicate, a leader must have a handle on all other elements of their leadership compass.  Some additional degrees one would find: open body language, approachability, willingness to accept and receive feedback, ability to see and verbalize the “big picture”, positive recognition, holding people accountable, recognizing effort, keeping people in the loop, authenticity and many more.  What opportunities do you have to communicate more effectively?

So there you have it…my leadership compass.  Each direction allows for further definition and corresponding behaviors.  What would you add to this compass?  What direction are you taking your organization????


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Wednesday: Whining Employees

by Jen Kuhn on March 17, 2010

I’ve never worked with, at or for a company that does not have one or two chronic whiners.  No matter what you introduce, they find fault.  These are the people that complain about a free meal (“Pizza for lunch? We had that last time. Why can’t we ever get anything else?”).  Ah, how pleasant.

Several years ago, I was working with a company to help enhance their coaching skills.  All of the people I met were in positions of leadership.  On one of the breaks, a gentleman approaches me and begins a conversation about their holiday party. He stated that it was the worst one yet. They were finally allowed to invite a spouse/significant other. Upon arrival, he said there was barely any food left. To paraphrase, “My wife got a first hand experience of how cheap this company really is…running out of food! Can you believe that?  Then they send people out for chips and order some pizza.  How tacky.”  I responded by saying something like, “Sounds like you were disappointed.” Way to add fuel to that fire. He ranted for 5 more minutes.

On the next break, I avoided eye contact with him. I was speaking with a newer employee, and she asked me, “Did you hear about our holiday party?!”  I wanted to run. She continued, “It was the BEST! My fiance and I got there after it started and there was no food left. Our CEO is calling pizza places and asking ME what I liked on my pizza! He doesn’t even know me and I just started working here! Then, he hands my fiance money and asks if he would mind going with some others to pick up chips and dip. How cool is that?”  She went on and on about how excited she was to finally be working for a company where they cared about their employees and where the CEO connected with everyone.

Same event, different interpretations. As a coach, how do you deal with chronic complainers if stun guns are not an option?

Here are some common employee complaints coaches have shared with me.  I’ve added some possible responses to consider.

Employee: Why do we have to do it this way? We’ve never done it this way before?

Coach: You’re right. We are using a new approach. What concerns you most about using a new approach?

Employee: Do they have any idea how busy we are? They keep calling us with the same questions!

Coach: You’re right. We work in a fast paced department. What ideas do you have to help other departments find this information on their own?

Employee: Why do I have to attend that training?  It doesn’t even apply to me.  What a waste of my time!

Coach: There may be some parts of the training that do not directly impact what you do.  I want you to listen for things that do apply to you and tell me about them after the training.  I’d also encourage you to attend the training with an open mind; my expectation is that you challenge yourself to discover something new and connect with at least one person from another department.

I could go on and on with complaints that coaches have brought to my attention.  Yet you’ll notice a pattern in the responses I’ve provided.  The coach validates what is true within the complaint, then challenges the employee in a non-threatening manner to work toward a solution.  If every complaint is addressed this way, eventually the complainers will learn that you will hold them accountable for solutions, and that despite their complaining you are not going to change your course of action.  This should lessen the number of complaints you hear (as long as you are consistent with your responses).  Whiners want an audience.  Don’t give them one.  Give them a coach.

If you have other ideas about dealing with whiners and complainers, please share them.  You’ll be helping a coach who is currently hiding under their desk in an attempt to avoid the chronic complainer!

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Take the Bite out of New Hire Remorse

by Jen Kuhn on March 10, 2010

“I’m writing a book. I’ve got the page numbers done.” ~Stephen Wright

Almost every person in a leadership capacity that I’ve had the honor to work with has, at one time, hired or inherited a new employee. At first there is usually a honeymoon phase.  You’re excited to have an energetic new player on your team; the employee is constantly smiling because they are trying to make a great impression and demonstrate their eagerness.  Yet after a few weeks, you may start to have some questions.  The questions may sound something like this:

  • Did I make the correct hiring decision
  • Is this really the type of employee I want on my team
  • How can I coach this employee so they reach their potential
  • Why can’t this employee be more like the one I had before
  • When will they “get it”
  • They whine so much…what’s wrong with them
  • Didn’t I already tell them how to do this
  • Why do they keep saying, “Well, at my last job, we did it this way….”
  • Why do they require my constant attention
  • Did they hit their 90-days yet

These are just the tip of the iceberg.  Positions of leadership are challenging.  When leaders do not take the time to coach, they turn into strong managers but weak coaches.  They are able to get many tasks done, but lack the substance and confidence to help develop their employees.  They have to micro-manage. They also may get frustrated with newer employees which can lead to misunderstandings and under-performance. This leads to employees who are uncertain of their value, and may become disengaged or difficult to manage later in their employment.

I am a new puppy owner.  Look at all those questions above and you get a clear picture of my life today.  I haven’t had a puppy in 12 years!  Last night I took the leap and became the owner of Bella…aka The Spawn of Satan.  Bella is a Newfoundland puppy.  I’ve never owned a Newfoundland puppy.  I’m sure Bella is like every other puppy in the world…but I forgot about what puppies are really like once you get past their cuteness. Say it with me…”High Maintenance”.

So far…all of the above questions have applied to my decision to get this puppy.  And since the Newfoundland breed is a “working breed”, that’s almost a literal statement!  I’ve had Bella in my possession fewer than 24 hours.  I’m already looking at the “return policy”…and then she does something cute.

Having a new employee is similar to having a puppy.  But at least your employees can locate the appropriate restroom on their own.  I’m questioning every brain cell that went into the idea that this puppy was the right one for me.  Once you make the decision to hire an employee, they deserve and require all of your leadership skills in order to reach their highest potential.  Challenging?  YES.  Aggravating?  YES.  Time consuming?  YES.  Worth the effort?  YES! (if they’re potty trained).

Coaching your new employee will reap rewards, but not necessarily right away.  They will have their moments of brilliance; yet ultimately will need your guidance and attention to develop to their fullest potential.

Some quick tips on adapting to, and coaching a new employee:

1. Praise, praise and more praise: Recognize their efforts and don’t hold out for perfection before letting them hear a good word from you.  The first time they take initiative, even if it doesn’t quite work out, praise what they did well and coach them towards improvement.  This may sound like:

YOU: “Sally, I’m impressed that you took the initiative to help that customer.”

SALLY: “But I felt really nervous and wasn’t sure I fully answered their questions.”

YOU: “My expectation right now is that you find opportunities to learn.  You just demonstrated that you can easily build rapport with customers. Very impressive. What questions did they ask that you thought were challenging?”

2. Pay attention and be patient: What are they doing well?  Where do they need support?  What will you do to provide them with the support they need? Have patience with mistakes made early in their tenure. Focus on the positive and redirect the negative. If you expect mistakes, you won’t be shocked when they make one. How you respond to their mistake will determine whether or not they learn from it.

3. Provide tools for success: My new motto: you can never have enough chew toys.  People have different learning styles. The primary three learning styles are: visual, auditory and kinesthetic (“hands on”).  Make sure to incorporate all styles into your coaching approach.  For example: show them how it’s done (visual); tell them how it’s done (auditory); allow them time to practice/demonstrate their understanding of how it’s done (kinesthetic).  Lather, rinse and repeat steps 1 and 2.

4. Be consistent: They are in a brand new environment.  The more consistent you are with the expectations, the easier it will be for them to adapt and grow.  You must be consistent with them if you expect them to perform consistently well.  Don’t expect more from them than you do of yourself.

5. Find their value: If you constantly compare them to other employees, it will be difficult to discover the unique value they bring to your team.  Once you discover and acknowledge their value, you will probably stop second guessing your decision to hire them in the first place.

Once you incorporate these 5 behaviors, things will start to fall into place.  There will be set-backs (like the one I cleaned up on my kitchen floor) and rewards (the sleeping puppy at my feet).  New employees want to be successful.  As a leader you have the opportunity to guide them toward success.  Before you know it, both you and the employee will become comfortable with each other and work more effectively together.  Enjoy the opportunity to coach your new employee.  Ultimately, how well they perform in the future is a reflection of the time you spent guiding them when they were a puppy…I mean, new employee.

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Be on the Lookout! Your business is counting on YOU

by Jen Kuhn on January 31, 2010

Have you ever heard the term, “moment of truth”? As in, “Jen had a moment of truth when she realized how out of shape she was”. Well, that is one accurate use of that expression. But when it comes to customer service, there is another meaning to the term, “moment of truth”, and it has absolutely nothing to do with my lack of stamina on a treadmill.

What is a moment of truth? It is a powerful concept for any manager and employee to understand. Let me elaborate…

What if I were to tell you that you are already fully aware of this concept…that you were aware of it before you even started working? You’ve experienced moments of truth almost every day of your life. Any time you’ve entered a business, you were experiencing the phenomenon of “moments of truth”!

Let’s define the concept, so you can understand how you’ve had this experience and never even knew it. A moment of truth is anytime a customer comes into contact with any element of your business and has the opportunity to form an opinion about your service quality. Wow. That’s a big statement. And it’s happening at your business as you read this. Must be important, huh?

So now let me explain how this occurs at every type of business you’ve ever entered, and then we’ll come back to what’s going on at your business.

I have the wonderful opportunity to travel all over the country, meet extraordinary people working toward a common goal and experience moments of truth in various businesses. In my life, it usually begins at the airport, but let’s look at other businesses one might encounter. This hotel, for starters!

I may be more critical than the average consumer because a large part of my professional life consists of identifying excellent service experiences. But you be the judge… I am staying at a hotel that advertises itself as a “first rate hotel”. I would hate to experience what they would classify “second rate”. Tell me what you think.

Arriving in the late evening, I am somewhat tired. I have little difficulty finding the hotel because they have a large sign that is displayed quite well. This is much appreciated by the weary road warrior. As I navigate the parking lot, I discover that there is no place to park that is fewer than 172 miles from the entrance. Nice. Good thing that I packed light…oh wait, that wasn’t me.

As I struggle with my suitcase, briefcase and extra bag I like to call “heavy”, I make my way toward the entrance. I am quite pleased to see that they have automatic doors. I continue my struggle toward the front desk. No one is there. No bell to ring, so I try the old standby…subtle cough (i.e. no phlegm involved) and key jingle.

Finally, this guy appears out of nowhere. He is wearing a heavy jacket, and no identifying name tag or hotel insignia. But apparently he works there because he says, “Sorry about that”.

I give him my name so he can verify my reservation. While he is doing this, he gestures to the TV in the lobby that is blaring in the background. “Ever watch this show?’ he wonders. Umm…no. But his enthusiasm is quite contagious. He begins to explain the concept of this latest reality show (designed to reduce the few working brain cells I have remaining) in a way that would impress the producers. Admittedly, I am absolutely charmed by his charisma. He appears genuinely invested in connecting with me. That is, until his cell phone rings. He answers it, “Hey, what up?” (Hey, that’s exactly what I wanted to ask!). Please note…I am reporting this incident EXACTLY as it unfolded.

The rest of my check in experience was watching him juggle the phone, my credit card and room key while typing information and telling his caller things I wished I hadn’t heard. Once he completed the process, he courteously leaned his head to the far right to motion where the elevators were located. Why thank you Mr. Manners!

Upon exiting the elevator I noticed a distinct odor. Not as in “distinct good”. I made it to my room, opened the door and was thoroughly unimpressed. No big deal. I was just glad to see the bed. The room was not exceptionally clean, and there was a questionable stain on the carpet (and that’s what socks are for!). Later in the evening I was also treated to the local infestation of ladybugs. Cute little guys, but I learned that they bite when provoked! Not that I spent any time provoking them, but an employee at the business I was working with the next day gave me a stern warning the about the danger of ladybugs.

The hotel advertised “wireless internet access in every room”. They forgot to mention, “at another hotel”. The hotel guy encouraged me to bring my laptop to the lobby and “hope for a connection there”. Instead, I tried closing my eyes and clicking my heels.

The rest of my stay was quite consistent with what I’ve described…except at check out. My cell phone lovin’ hotel guy was there to see me on my way. I asked for directions to the airport, and he was like Mapquest, only accurate! One little quirk of mine is an amazing inability to navigate with or without directions. I recognize exceptional directions when I hear them. And these were quite exceptional! I made it to the airport in record time that had nothing to do with speeding. Or not that much. In any case, the directions saved the day.

So…back to “moments of truth”. Let’s dissect this experience like a lab rat. I’ll list my moments of truth at the hotel as I encountered them…
• Large, well-lit sign with hotel name
• Parking lot
• Doors that open automatically
• Lobby (how does it look, etc)
• Greeter (or lack thereof) at front desk
• Professional image of hotel employee (which can include appearance, attitude, ability to build rapport, knowledge, friendliness, accuracy, not answering his cell phone while waiting on me…)
• Cleanliness of the hotel (including elevator, bathrooms, hallways, workspace, rooms, etc)
• Working amenities (internet access, in my case)
• Handling of complaints
• Speed of check in and out
• Accuracy with information (directions, etc)

As you can see, there were quite a few moments of truth that occurred both in and out of the hotel. Some included employees and some did not. There were others not mentioned, such as the hotel website, how they answered the phone, their rates, etc. There were many opportunities for me to come into contact with any element of the hotel and form an opinion about their service quality. Are you starting to see the relationship to customers and your business?

What do customers experience at your business…what are their moments of truth? Here are some things to think about as you ponder the customer experience. Moments of truth at your business include, but are not limited to:
• Your website (is it easy to navigate, does it give accurate, up-to-date information?)
• Parking lot
• Signage
• Product brochures (availability, accuracy, etc)
• Lobby, number of locations
• Greeting upon entering
• Wait time to see an employee
• Phone system…it may be automated, but can they press zero to speak to someone?
• Complaint resolution (is it timely, well done and preventable in the future)
• Employees (are they fast, accurate, friendly, knowledgeable? Do they make suggestions about services that will improve the customers experience? Do they follow up, go the extra mile, provide consistency and always maintain a professional image?)
• Is it easy to do business with you?

There are more moments of truth, but that should get you thinking! Remember the definition: anytime a customer comes into contact with any element of your business and has the opportunity to form an opinion about your service quality. You have a great deal of influence on your customer’s experience. I encourage you to challenge yourself and co-workers to make each moment of truth positive for your customers.

The next time you are in any business, assess your experience through each moment of truth. You will begin to have a deeper understanding of what your customers experience at your business, and you will also have a greater awareness of what it is like to live in my head! It’s tough in here people! I do this for a living and am endlessly aware of moments of truth in every business I enter…and treadmill I avoid.

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