Let Them Do Their Job

One of the things that Jim Phelps did very well was to allow his team to do their jobs without micromanaging them. 

Willy was an expert at logistics.  Phelps didn’t dictate how Willy was going to set up a fake hotel or hospital in the middle of a hostile country.  Willy was an expert at this and Phelps let him do his job.

Barney was an electronics expert and engineer.  Phelps didn’t tell Barney what brand of listening devices to use.  Barney was an expert and he let him do his job.  

Rollin Hand was a master of disguise.  Phelps didn’t dictate to him what brand of disguises to buy or how to apply them.  He was an expert in his field and he let Rollin do his job.

Remember also that there was a lot at stake... on "Mission: Impossible", Phelps was warned that every mission carried with it the risk of being "caught or killed".  On top of this was the fact that a failed mission could have led to the outbreak of war (including nuclear attacks!) Despite this, Phelps was smart enough to let his people do their job every time.  He didn’t dictate their tools or methods.  He judged them for their results. 

The last time I checked, nuclear war has never been the likely result of a water line break or a sewer spill.  If you think about it, you will realize that there really is time to let your people take ownership of their work and do their jobs without excess micromanagement from you.  They need a little time to think through the process, to plan a course of action, to gather the proper materials.  If you make all the decisions for them, then they will never learn on their own.    

What is YOUR job as a manager?  

- To establish what success looks like.  

- To communicate this to your people. 

- To let them do thier job.

- To judge them for results.

- To work with those who can be improved.

- To replace those who fail to deliver results consistently.  

You have PLENTY to do without doing your people's jobs for them. Stick to what is your and leave them to do what is their's.  

ACTION:  Let you people do their jobs and judge only their results.  This is the way to both win and build ownership amongst your team.  

Get Them What They Need

GET THEM WHAT THEY NEED –  Imagine you are on the "Impossible Missions Force" from the classic TV show MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE.  Jim Phelps, your team leader, arrives to brief you on the mission.

“Okay, this will be a tough mission but I am sure you’ll pull it off.  The first thing you need to know is that each of you needs to be in Munich in the morning.  Now, if you’ll recall, we’re over budget at the moment so I had to cut out all of the travel funds to keep us in the black… so you won’t be able to buy any plane tickets…but you still need to be in Munich in the morning.

When you get there, you’ll need to show a expertly-made fake IDs with your secret alias names on them at the border.  They had better be perfect or the Immigrations Officer will have you arrested.  Now, I know I cut out a Documents Expert from the staffing budget for this year but I am going to try and plan for one next year…but you still need your new IDs for this trip.

Oh, one final thing… when you get there, the most crucial part of the mission is to precisely measure the distance to the target within less than 12 inches from over 2 miles away.  This is absolutely critical...that's why we always use our laser range finder.  Oh, but if you’ll remember, it broke a few weeks ago and the repairs were going to be over $800!  We’re a little short of funds until we get more in a few months so I haven’t been able to get the range finder repaired.  But you guys have been doing really good estimating (guesstimating?) your ranges lately so I am confident you’ll do find this time, too.  Now get out there and have a great mission!”   

How many of you would think that you were being set up for failure?  You would be absolutely right!

If you fail to get your people what they need at your utility, you are setting them up for failure…and your team knows it.  How do you think that affects morale?

“Getting them what they need” might mean a tool…but it could just as easily mean training…or enough people to do a job right…or it could mean support from upper management when a tough but right decision needs to be made like laying off a bad worker who might be related to someone high up in the company.  Your people deserve the tools to do their job right.  The only thing left to be decided is whether you will provide them…or set your people up for failure. 

ACTION:  Get your people what they need to be successful.  It is the only way for them to attack the mission with the confidence it takes to win.

Another Great Conference in Indiana!

Things have been very busy and I am sorry for the lag in my postings!  Last week, I traveled to Bloomington, Indiana to speak at the Alliance Indiana Rural Water Conference.  While I was there, I provided three different addresses:

-          The keynote address at the opening ceremony:  This was a short talk I love giving about the things my father passed on to me over the years and how they have helped me build a steady and prosperous career over time.  My dad was hilarious in the stories he would tell me and in the things he would say.  Some day, I am going to write a book just about that.  He always knew exactly what to say to me to get my attention so that I would actually hear his point rather than blowing him off as not nearly as smart an me in my youth.  I am reminded of the Mark Twain quote about his father.  “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”  Priceless!

-          An hour-long presentation on my "Good Enough Isn't" Method:  Again, great participation and a lot of follow-up requests for additional information.  That is always great feedback to a speaker!

-          The Guest Speaker at the Operator’s Awards Luncheon:  I spoke about the powerful return on investment from having a great customer service program and again used my father’s words as illustration of the points.  Special thanks to “Duke” who helped me through one of my illustrations.  I had no idea that this person was quiet and shy when I picked him from the crowd.  It turns out that he was the perfect volunteer!  Thanks again!

Thank you to AIRW Executive Director Connie Stevens and her entire staff for putting on such a great conference.  It was truly a first class event from start to finish!

Lesson #6: Effective and Complete Job Offers

A coach recruiting a great player would never say, “Will you be my running back for a salary of X dollars?”  The problem with this approach is that it bases the entire relationship moving forward solely on money.  This might be great if you will always have more money to throw at them in the future, but we know that this is not the reality in the real world!  If this great player will only join your team for X dollars, then they would be just as open to leave you and join another team for a dollar more than you have offered.  What will you have left to offer if there is no additional money for pay raises or promotions?

To build a better, stronger, more permanent relationship with the player, a smart coach lays out an offer that is much more powerful than just a dollar figure.  Sure, the subject of money comes up, but it does not rule the conversation, and money is certainly not the only thing discussed. 

When we think of “job offers” in the utilities industry, we focus too often on money. An effective offer should focus on FOUR KEY AREAS:

1)      Total Investment – That includes the full compensation package, not just their pay, including vacation, company-paid health benefits, sick leave, and other benefits…every dollar the company will shell out to have them working for you each year.  You should also mention the other costs that the company will bear such as the cost of their work truck, their tools, uniforms, initial training, etc.    It is not uncommon for a company to expend twice the worker’s salary just in year one of his employment to get this new hire outfitted for the job.  The company will often spend greater than 30% over and above each worker’s salary just on the company portion of the benefit package.  This means that a company needing to hire a new worker making $30,000 per year may spend $60,000 in year one of that person’s employment just getting them up to the point that they are fully productive and then spend more than $40,000 in salary and benefit costs every year beyond that.  Most workers are oblivious of this fact.  You might say, “Our company is willing to invest more than $55,000 in salary and benefit costs to have you come make widgets for us. It can be broken down this way…”

2)      Personal Growth – Explain what the company will invest in your personal development.  For example: “We’re going to keep on investing time and money in your professional development every year you work with us because it is good for both you and the company.  We’re going to work with you to build a career, not just have a job.  What we plan for you is this…”

3)      Work Life – What’s the mood or vibe of your company? What kind of events do you participate in at work and after hours? Softball? Bowling? Company outings? “Our company is tight knit like a family.  If you like working on a team where everyone pulls together to win, you’re going to love working for us.”  Whatever you do, BE HONEST about this!  Some companies simply don’t offer “work/life balance”.  Their offer is completely different.  “You are going to work hard and put in some long hours while you are here.  We are doing some cutting edge things and glad that you are going to be a part of it.  It will certainly pay off for you in the long run…but, for now, please know that everyone is putting in long hours and we expect you to as well.” 

4)      Corporate Future – Are company prospects good? Are you in a stable business environment or laying people off? Are you offering a career or just a job?  “We intend on being around for a long time and we intend to keep you around for a long time as well.  Sound business decisions by our top management and Board of Directors have positioned us well to ride out this downturn in the economy and we are poised for big things once the turnaround arrives. ”  What prospect doesn't want to hear that?

If you want to start each new hire relationship off in a strong, effective and powerful way, learn to weave these four points into your job offers.  You will be amazed at the difference they will make!

Build Momentum

Running a great company is a lot like paddling a canoe upstream: when you stop paddling, you don’t just stay right where you are.  You are quickly washed back downstream where you were.  The best way to keep from losing ground is to constantly paddle hard and fast against the currents of mediocrity.

Remarkable companies never stop improving. They never stop pushing forward. Regardless of what achievement or milestone they just obtained, they never consider themselves “there” or rest on their laurels.  Keep the momentum going by constantly raising standards. As you achieve your goals, set new, even higher ones.

Remember that the challenge only means something if it is a tough one.  No one would be impressed if the top NFL football team beat a high school junior varsity squad.  When you are lining up challenges for your people, look for ones that you are not sure you can attain.  The best challenges seem to be just out of reach of our fingertips.  You want ones that make you stretch and reach and strive.  This stretching is where your staff gains strength and confidence. 

As you gain victories, take the time to celebrate them with your people.  This is an important step because winning is extremely fun and will motivate your people to work even harder at the next challenge set before them.  Winning against tough odds is rewarding even in the most difficult of times.   It’s hard to get tired of winning.  That is, it’s hard to get tired of winning as long as the challenge was tough!  Finding the challenge that will keep people motivated is the key challenge for managers today. 

Row, row, row your company to a GREAT future!   

Eliminate the Competition

One of the hardest problems to tackle in business is what to do when you sell products you can’t change in any way. It’s a difficult problem, yes…but it has a simple, highly effective and low cost solution.

You see this all the time.  You prefer eating at one certain Burger King over others even though the Whopper must be served identically at every franchise.  There are two different pharmacies across the street from one another yet you find you shop only at one of them…even though your insurance coverage makes the price the same at either one.  You stop at the same gas station every week even though the other three stations on the corner sell gas at the same price.

Why?   Most likely, it’s because the managers of these stores have changed the one part of their product that they absolutely can affect:  the customer’s service.

We all have competition, even in public sector agencies such as city  government or utility companies. Rising prices in typical household expenses (insurance, food, fuel, etc.) compete with us for each dollar we charge our customers for our services.  To maintain your fiscal health, every company must eventually raise their prices in response to various pressures such as inflation, regulatory requirements, etc.   We must constantly communicate our value to the customer to prove that we have earned this additional funding.   

Regardless of your business, you can “eliminate the competition” by making every interaction with your customer a remarkable one!  In this light, outstanding customer service is the best investment you can possibly make.  Think about it this way, a water utility company could spend a million dollars improving water quality and there is a very good chance that not a single customer would even notice.  Teaching your employees to smile at customers and treat them with personal care and concern doesn’t have to cost you a dime! 

Remember:  The product you sell is more than just the product.  It’s also interaction between your staff and the customer.  Create bright lines of distinction between yourselves and your competition by delivering superior customer service every day!  It’s highly effective and the price (free) is right for the times!

Compete In Order To Win

If any team, even the reigning NFL champs New Orleans Saints, practiced seven days a week but played no real games against opponents, they would inevitably grow weak and slow.  Without regular games against tough opponents, they would have no way to improve and sharpen their individual and team skills.  They could not identify if their game plan was effective, which specific plays worked or which players were truly great.   Even constant practicing in the absence of regular competition would lead a great team to a failure. 

In business, we see the same thing happen.  Showing up every day and doing the same old thing day in / day out will not help us improve.  We must regularly put our company up against tough competition in order for us to learn where we are strong and where we need to improve.  The opponent we select cannot be “internal standards” either since we may likely set a goal that is too low.  (If the Saints played the staff at St. Mary’s Nursing Home, it might technically be called “competition” and the Saints would surely win, but setting themselves up for an easy win would in no way help them improve as a team.) We must look for other great companies to compete against or a set of outrageously high business standards to reach for the competition to show us where we are both strong and weak.   

Competition is vital for any team (or business) trying to get faster, leaner, more efficient, more agile and in this economy, we cannot afford to be anything less than the great in these areas.  Winning motivates people to stretch a little more each time and trophies are important reminders of this feeling.  Find ways for your people to compete and win.  Look especially for hard-to-get awards and trophies. Never underestimate the ability for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results when challenged effectively.  What this competition will do for you is incredible!  It will show you and everyone on your staff the path to success and greatness.  You can afford to be no less!

Let Them Do Their Job

If you’re 25 year old son was taking his girlfriend out on a date this weekend, would there be anything odd about you driving the two of them around on their date?  Sure, your son has his driver’s license, but you have much more experience driving than he does.  Plus, you know the best route to take to avoid traffic.  On top of it all, you really are comfortable driving and don’t mind doing it.  Would this still seem odd to you?

Of course it would!  Your son will never learn how to drive on his own if he does not have the opportunity to do it.  He may make a mistake…but that’s how we all learn.  It’s scary to let go but we, as parents, must do it for our children to grow, mature and gain the experience they need to carry them through life.  What’s more, if a parent cannot let go, the child grows to resent it because it is very embarrassing to have your parents drive you around on a date in front of your friends.

The same is true of your workers and the jobs they hold at your company.  As young supervisors or managers, they do not have the level of experience you may have.  You may be able to avoid common pitfalls and steer their work to a more successful conclusion.  You may even like making decisions at all levels.  However, if you step in and make decisions and do their job for them, they will never learn to stand on their own.  They will never mature, grow and develop their skills if you never allow them to walk on their own.  They will grow to resent it because your interference into their job makes them look impotent in front of their peers and subordinates.   

Resist the natural urge to “help” too much. This is called micromanaging. Employees take ownership of a company when they are allowed to think through problems, make decisions, learn from their mistakes and grow from the process. Don’t rob them of their chance to grow.

Get Them What They Need to Succeed

In many organizations, workers may want to do a top quality job but simply don’t have what they needed to accomplish the task. 

If you job is to build a house, you must have a hammer and nails, a saw and most likely some training on how to build certain critical elements.  If your manager does not provide these needed items and just sends you out to “get the job done”, the reaction of most workers is frustration.  They cannot help but feel that they are being set up for ultimate failure (which will result at some point in their firing).  To avoid this as long as possible, they fall back on “looking like they are working hard” but not actually accomplishing much to bring success to the company as a whole. The one party that absolutely notices this is the Customer (who’s home is not being efficiently built which increases the cost of the work). 

This benefits no one…not the worker, not the manager, not the company and not the customer.  Seldom does depriving your workers of the tools they need to do their job right lead to satisfied customers or repeat business. Management simply must get employees what they need in order for them to have a fair chance at performing their job successfully.

I’m not suggesting that management should fund every worker’s wish list of “wants”, but rather that we will get you whatever you need for you to do you job properly and be a success at our company.  “What you need” doesn’t have to be a piece of equipment and it need not cost a cent.  What you “need” may be the proper tool or piece of equipment to do the job…or it may be adequate support from other departments, training and development, manpower help from other departments or from temps, or just support from upper management when standards need to be enforced.  The power of this statement is that it shows workers that you are not setting them up for failure, but instead outfitting them for success and are willing to invest time and money if necessary to bring their success to life.  This step alone does much to build powerful relationships between workers and management and will yield you great returns over the long haul.

Build a Winning Team

The greatest vision or business plan in the world will do you no good without an effective Team to carry it out.  Building an effective Team is a great responsibility and is a fundamental cornerstone of running an effective and successful company, division, department or even group.  The success of the company depends on how well the people you select for key positions do their job and work well with others so that no one fails.   Without a Team attitude, it’s “every man for himself” and this never leads to success for a company (or any sports team either!)  You can either win together or you’ll lose together… but, as a Leader, YOU get to decide which one!  Winners do not allow parts of their team to lose for any reason. They run to back each other up…both on and off the field.  They rise quickly to defend one another.  They encourage one another.  They never brag about their personal accomplishments at the expense of their teammates.

As a Leader (whether you are CEO, Director, VP, Manager, Supervisor, etc) you must assemble the best possible Team and constantly monitor the players to insure they are working well together.  Remember, the Customer always notices whether your people work well together and support one another.  Teams that do not work well together do not operate as efficiently as they could.  This leads to increased costs…and telling your Customer that your costs are higher than they need to be is NOT a way to demonstrate value!  Building a great Team is absolutely critical to business success in any economy!

Over-Communicate…Even When It’s Obvious

Once you have had your “zen moment” and formed in your head the vision of what you want your company (…or division…or department…or team) to become, it’s time to share this with others.  Practically speaking, it’s impossible to get anything done alone in an organization, regardless of what your title may be.  You need help to get you there.

Share your ideas, your vision, your dreams of what your organization could become with others around you.  Paint a picture for them.  Make it vivid and tangible.  (“Better” is not tangible.)   In salesman’s terms, you want to sell the sizzle. 

For instance, if you were trying to rally a team to win their championship, you don’t talk about “winning” in the abstract.  You describe for them how they will feel when the crowd is cheering and they are standing at centerfield holding the trophy high in the air.  How proud their spouse will be of them for this hard fought achievement.  How good it will feel when reporters are asking you how you did it.  How good it will feel to have other teams courting you to come to their organizations.  Paint a picture that they can see, touch and feel…both of you will benefit!

Don’t keep the Vision you have for your Company a secret. Your employees deserve to know where they’re going and what part they will play in it.  Tell them again and again to insure they hear you and don’t forget the goal ahead.  Repeat it at every meeting in the simplest terms you can find.  Over-communicate this basic building block and you will have taken a key step forward…but never put it down either.  Your team deserves to be reminded constantly what the goal of their hard work is all about… and only you can provide that to them.

Decide Where You Are Going

If you don’t know where you’re going, every road will take you further from success.  Decide what you are going to be.  Decide to change your company from what it is to what it can be. Close your eyes and picture the “perfect” company.  What would it look like? What would it be known for?  How would your people interact with each other?  This is your Vision. 

As the Leader, you need to understand where you are going to help map out the way for the rest of your people.  People will want to know where you are taking them and you need to be able to describe the destination in terms they can see, feels, touch and understand.  Remember that "better" is not really a destination. 

Also remember that most people can spot a phony a mile away.  If you can't convince yourself of the benefits of going on this journey, how can you expect people to follow you down that road?

Take the time to think this through, talk to associates about it and develop a clear picture of the both the journey and the destination before you set about rallying support for your cause.  It's not as complicated as it sounds but it is a crucial foundation that must be laid to have the rest of your house founded on a solid footing. 

Getting Started!

Getting us from where we were to where we are today involved a series of steps that are simple yet incredibly powerful.  They can work for you, too!  We've created this blog to help you understand a little more of the background of what makes these tools so effective.  The first few posts will lay the foundation of our philosophy of how to bring effective change to any company. 

Here is a quick overview of the process we’ve developed:

DECIDE WHERE YOU ARE GOING – Give birth to the Vision of what your ideal company would be.

OVER-COMMUNICATE… EVEN WHEN IT’S OBVIOUS - Don’t keep the Vision a secret.

BUILD A WINNING TEAM - Winners will not allow anyone on their team to lose.

GET THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED – How to outfit your employees for success…and it doesn’t have to break the bank!

LET THEM DO THEIR JOB –Don’t rob your employees of their chance to grow.

COMPETE IN ORDER TO WIN - Never underestimate the ability for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results when challenged effectively.    

ELIMINATE THE COMPETITION – Don’t compete with the competition…eliminate them by being simply remarkable in all you do!

BUILD MOMENTUM - Constantly raise the bar.  As you achieve goals, set new, even higher goals.

As we go through each of these, we’ll give you more depth on how to implement them and why they are so effective.  Alone, any of these points is powerful.  Applied together, the synergy is truly remarkable.  You’re going to love the way your company looks when you have these tools working for you…and so will your customers!  Let’s get started!!

Welcome to my blog!

After much inquiry from people across the country to learn more about turning their companies around, I have decided to create this blog to help give you answers.  It will contain an overview of the process I have developed along with my colleague Danny Lyndall that has transformed the company I manage, Daphne Utilities, from a troubled utility verging on bankruptcy to a prosperous company noted by the Wall Street Journal and Inc. Magazine as one of the best places to work in America.  We have received numerous quality awards including the coveted EPA “Award of Excellence”, the highest award issued by the federal government to a public utility operation.  We have developed a great, winning team of employees that are doing extraordinary and innovative things every day that are bringing down our costs and increasing our efficiency.

The incredible product of this is a customer base that truly understands the value we provide to them.  Doesn’t this sound like something YOU want for your company?  Couldn’t YOU do amazing things if your customers believed in you and looked to you with community pride rather than frustration and disgust?  Wouldn’t YOU like to see significant improvement come to your company regardless of what business you are in or what state the economy is in?

I think I know the answer to that question…and helping you find the path from where you are to where you want to be is what this blog is going to be all about!