Welcome to the September 2007 issue of Rise & Shine
Your Leadership Solutions and Resource Newsletter!
Bright Lights (Tips/Solutions)
Over the next four months, the Bright Lights section of Rise & Shine will continue to present various tips and suggestions from the Rising Sun model of Positive Productivity™:
As we suggested in last month's issue, traditional thought around employee productivity has included approaches that address employee knowledge, skills and attitude (KSA). More recently, however, a few authors have also begun to talk about the importance of morals and values to employee productivity. The Rising Sun Model of Positive Productivity™ has taken the study of productivity one step further by examining the relationship (i.e., integration) of these components: knowledge and skills (Competency), attitude (Commitment), and morals and values (Character).
We use the term "Competency" to refer to special qualifications and personal attributes that an individual needs to be successful in a particular job. The term "Knowledge" is used to refer to an organized body of information usually of a factual or procedural nature which, if applied, makes adequate performance on the job possible. The term "Skill" is used in the model to refer to the proficient manual, verbal or mental manipulation of data or things.
Naturally, competency is the easiest of the three areas or components to both measure, as well as to address. Applying Rising Sun's 10 Keys of Effective Supervision™, supervision in this area should focus on, but should not be limited to: competency based professional development plans, competency based performance appraisal systems, competency based training and development, ensuring employees have access to adequate tools and resources, and the effective use of performance based incentive programs.
Shining Stars (Best Practices)
This month's Organization of Excellence is the Phoenix Contact USA subsidiary. Phoenix Contact is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing of industrial automation, interconnection, and interface solutions. The business was started in Germany in 1923, and the U.S. headquarters was established in Harrisburg, PA in 1981. This organization provides the world with high quality products such as terminal blocks, circuit board terminal blocks, analog and digital interface products, industrial plug connectors and surge protectors. With a primary focus on customer service and a belief that motivated employees are their most important capital, it is no wonder that this organization won the Best Places to Work in PA award in 2005. The following are a few strategies they have in place to keep their 475+ employees engaged:
- They hold quarterly forums with all employees and administration to discuss what good things are happening, what goals are being met, what the stumbling blocks are, etc. These are not meetings where the president talks at the employees. They are opportunities for the employees to discuss issues with the president as a group and in person.
- One way they celebrate successes with their corporate employees and field sales people is through The President's Club. This is a yearly reward which recognizes the top 10-15% of the sales staff and corporate staff who have made considerable contributions by taking them and their significant others on a four to five day vacation. (In 2005, they took a trip to Hawaii.)
- They offer both flexible work times and locations. Some corporate staff are able to work from home with the IT and technology setup as if they were in the office.
- A mindset that creative ideas regarding potential products can come from any employee, and that having a culture of innovation is key to their success. No idea is rejected because of what department the ideas come from.
- A serious commitment to training employees and utilizing technology to maximize training success. For example, they have a systematic product launch training process that reaches field sales staff via webcasts and then the sales people take a test on the internet about the new product. Then, the distributors are trained (about 500 across the U.S.) via webcasts.
The administration of Phoenix Contact believes very strongly in an open door organization. Thorough and open communication throughout the organization, from the factory floor up to the president and back down, is a priority. They recognize that communication is especially important in a company in which employees are so geographically dispersed.
We thank Phoenix Contact for meeting with us to discuss their organization. More information about Phoenix Contact is available at www.phoenixcon.com.
World Views (In the News)
33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity
Heuristics are rules intended to help you solve problems. When a problem is large or complex, and the optimal solution is unclear, applying a heuristic allows you to begin making progress towards a solution even though you can't visualize the entire path from your starting point.
Suppose your goal is to climb to the peak of a mountain, but there's no trail to follow. An example of a heuristic would be: Head directly towards the peak until you reach an obstacle you can't cross. Whenever you reach such an obstacle, follow it around to the right until you're able to head towards the peak once again. This isn't the most intelligent or comprehensive heuristic, but in many cases it will work just fine, and you'll eventually reach the peak.
Heuristics don't ensure you'll find the optimal solution, nor do they generally ensure a solution at all. But they do a good enough job of solving certain types of problems to be useful. Their strength is that they break the deadlock of indecision and get you into action. As you take action you begin to explore the solution space, which deepens your understanding of the problem. As you gain knowledge about the problem, you can make course corrections along the way, gradually improving your chances of finding a solution. If you try to solve a problem you don't initially know how to solve, you'll often figure out a solution as you go, one you never could have imagined until you started moving. This is especially true with creative work such as software development. Often you don't even know exactly what you're trying to build until you start building it.
Heuristics have many practical applications, and one of my favorite areas of application is personal productivity. Productivity heuristics are behavioral rules (some general, some situation-specific) that can help us get things done more efficiently. Here are some of my favorites:
- Nuke it! The most efficient way to get through a task is to delete it. If it doesn't need to be done, get it off your to do list.
- Daily goals. Without a clear focus, it's too easy to succumb to distractions. Set targets for each day in advance. Decide what you'll do; then do it.
- Worst first. To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day. This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day.
- Peak times. Identify your peak cycles of productivity, and schedule your most important tasks for those times. Work on minor tasks during your non-peak times.
- No-comm zones. Allocate uninterruptible blocks of time for solo work where you must concentrate. Schedule light, interruptible tasks for your open-comm periods and more challenging projects for your no-comm periods.
- Mini-milestones. When you begin a task, identify the target you must reach before you can stop working. For example, when working on a book, you could decide not to get up until you've written at least 1000 words. Hit your target no matter what.
- Timeboxing. Give yourself a fixed time period, like 30 minutes, to make a dent in a task. Don't worry about how far you get. Just put in the time.
- Batching. Batch similar tasks like phone calls or errands into a single chunk, and knock them off in a single session.
- Early bird. Get up early in the morning, like at 5am, and go straight to work on your most important task. You can often get more done before 8am than most people do in a day.
- Cone of silence. Take a laptop with no network or WiFi access, and go to a place where you can work flat out without distractions, such as a library, park, coffee house, or your own backyard. Leave your comm gadgets behind.
- Tempo. Deliberately pick up the pace, and try to move a little faster than usual. Speak faster. Walk faster. Type faster. Read faster. Go home sooner.
- Relaxify. Reduce stress by cultivating a relaxing, no clutter workspace.
- Agendas. Provide clear written agendas to meeting participants in advance. This greatly improves meeting focus and efficiency. You can use it for phone calls too.
- Pareto. The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% of the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort. Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don't overengineer the non-critical 80%.
- Ready-fire-aim. Bust procrastination by taking action immediately after setting a goal, even if the action isn't perfectly planned. You can always adjust course along the way.
- Minuteman. Once you have the information you need to make a decision, start a timer and give yourself just 60 seconds to make the actual decision. Take a whole minute to vacillate and second-guess yourself all you want, but come out the other end with a clear choice. Once your decision is made, take some kind of action to set it in motion.
- Deadline. Set a deadline for task completion, and use it as a focal point to stay on track.
- Promise. Tell others of your commitments, since they'll help hold you accountable.
- Punctuality. Whatever it takes, show up on time. Arrive early.
- Gap reading. Use reading to fill in those odd periods like waiting for an appointment, standing in line, or while the coffee is brewing. If you're a male, you can even read an article while shaving (preferably with an electric razor). That's 365 articles a year.
- Resonance. Visualize your goal as already accomplished. Put yourself into a state of actually being there. Make it real in your mind, and you'll soon see it in your reality.
- Glittering prizes. Give yourself frequent rewards for achievement. See a movie, book a professional massage, or spend a day at an amusement park.
- Quad 2. Separate the truly important tasks from the merely critical. Allocate blocks of time to work on the critical Quadrant 2 tasks, those which are important but rarely critical, such as physical exercise, writing a book, and finding a relationship partner.
- Continuum. At the end of your workday, identify the first task you'll work on the next day, and set out the materials in advance. The next day begin working on that task immediately.
- Slice and dice. Break complex projects into smaller, well-defined tasks. Focus on completing just one of those tasks.
- Single-handling. Once you begin a task, stick with it until it's 100% complete. Don't switch tasks in the middle. When distractions come up, jot them down to be dealt with later.
- Randomize. Pick a totally random piece of a larger project, and complete it. Pay one random bill. Make one phone call. Write page 42 of your book.
- Insanely bad. Defeat perfectionism by completing your task in an intentionally terrible fashion, knowing you need never share the results with anyone. With a truly horrendous first draft, there's nowhere to go but up.
- 30 days. Identify a new habit you'd like to form, and commit to sticking with it for just 30 days. A temporary commitment is much easier to keep than a permanent one.
- Delegate. Convince someone else to do it for you.
- Cross-pollination. Sign up for martial arts, start a blog, or join an improv group. You'll often encounter ideas in one field that can boost your performance in another.
- Intuition. Go with your gut instinct. It's probably right.
- Optimization. Identify the processes you use most often, and write them down step-by-step. Refactor them on paper for greater efficiency. Then implement and test your improved processes. Sometimes we just can't see what's right in front of us until we examine it under a microscope.
(Adapted from Steve Pavlina. Workspace Magazine, September, 2007)
New Horizons
Question of the Month
Marc from eastern Pennsylvania writes: "What impact does leadership have on the productivity of the department and overall operation of a facility?"
Great Question, Marc …
As we stated in the Bright Lights section of last month's Rise & Shine, it seems that no matter what business you go to, you hear the same story: The leadership appears to be on a path to success, assuming that the employees are following along. They think that the employees are moving their business forward with great excitement and enthusiasm. On the other hand, employees are showing up to work every day wondering where their leaders are taking them and wondering if leadership has any idea what is really happening.
Research is clear that employee engagement is a significant issue and that leadership is the most critical part of the problem. Employees want to be engaged in their organizations and it is the leader's responsibility to help create an environment where their employees feel cared for and valued. However, when such an environment is not achieved, the cost to the organization is significant.
In his book, "The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave", Leigh Brahnam states that 89% of managers believe employees leave their jobs for more money, while 88% of employees state that they actually leave for reasons having to do with job satisfaction, the culture, the manager or the work environment. Forty-three percent of employees report that they do not feel valued by their employers (CreerBuilder.com) while 71% of workers in the United States rate themselves as Not Engaged or Actively Disengaged (The Gallup Organization).
Guest Columnists
Mr. Matthew Best
Customer Loyalty
Imagine that you've just broken a bone and have now arrived at the hospital emergency department. It's not a life threatening injury, but still painful and needs medical attention.
As you approach the check-in station, you hear children screaming and patients moaning from injuries they've suffered. You see parents anxiously pacing the room waiting for word about how their child is doing. You see some people who are ignoring the commotion, caught up in boredom from sitting in the waiting room for so long. You see many of the chairs in the waiting room are being used, there are newspapers and magazines lying around and you see wheelchairs and gurneys in the hallway.
You see people wandering the hallway, nurses with clipboards asking patients for information. You might even see an ambulance crew returning to their vehicle. You might hear yelling coming from one of the patient rooms, or even some of the medical staff raising their voices.
Take a moment and take stock of how all of this feels to you. For some of you, you might feel a bit anxious, or unnerved. It may appear disorganized or chaotic to others. Still others might feel a sense of hopelessness or despair in seeing so many others who need help who have come in before you. Should you stay? Should you attempt to try another medical facility? Is one even close? How do you make the most of this situation?
Now let's take an imaginary journey to another hospital emergency department. Imagine coming through the door to find a well lit and clean reception area. You might see patients or parents being comforted by a caring nurse or a doctor with great bedside manner. You may see an orderly arrangement of comfortable chairs, with many available seats. As you approach the desk to speak with the person registering patients, you see a person with a warm smile who sees you holding onto your injury, while you wince in pain. The check in person immediately reassures you that everything will be ok. She asks you a few basic questions about your name, address and what happened in order to get you to the proper location within the emergency department. A nurse comes to get you and takes you back to a room, asks more questions, and starts to treat you.
Now take a moment to identify how this imaginary experience feels to you. Many of you probably had much more positive feelings – feelings of true concern and caring. Some may have had a sense of hope and that help was imminent. I'm sure some of you had a sense of relief and maybe even a thought that the pain wasn't as bad as you thought it was.
What's the difference between these two imaginary emergency departments? Customer loyalty. I'm not talking about customer satisfaction – satisfaction is easy and superficial. In our example, the second hospital is focused on customer loyalty – both inside and outside customers. There is care and concern for patients who walk in the door, but there is obviously care and concern for employees. When employees are valued, they stay. Not only do they stay, they in turn value the customers. Customers know it and can feel it and they come back – again and again – they aren't satisfied customers, they are loyal customers. Satisfied customers are customers who have gotten their needs fulfilled. Loyal customers have gotten their needs fulfilled also, but they want more of what you have to offer. It's your job to keep raising the bar and give your customers (both employees and outside customers) more than what they expect.
Matt is an independent consultant in practice in Harrisburg, PA and can be contacted at:
Matthew Best
Best Solutions
717-557-5001
www.somedayisland.com
matt@somedayisland.com
Rays of Hope (Stories/Parables)
The Obstacle in Our Path
Author Unknown
In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many others never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.
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Thank You
On behalf of all of us at Rising Sun Consultants, we want to thank you for reviewing the September edition of our Rise & Shine Newsletter. As always, we invite you to visit our website (www.risingsunconsultants.com) and encourage you to submit a question for a future addition of Rise & Shine.
Until next month: Always Keep Your Eyes on the New Horizon! |
