Astronauts, Dinosaurs and Zombies: Halloween or your Workplace?

Ghouls, goblins and things that go bump in the night! Enjoy - it’s the season.

Halloween has grown into a major holiday. The American Federation of Retailers estimates that 7 out of 10 Americans will get into the haunting celebration – spending about $80 on festivities including food, costumes and decorations. Many offices now offer celebrations in addition to the parties and trick-or-treating events that go on after hours.

The idea of the alter egos individuals assume during the celebration started me thinking about how we classify employees when the costumes are packed away for next year. How would you rate your employees when it comes to these categories: 

Astronauts

Dinosaurs

Zombies

Understanding these work style preferences can aid in the design of appropriate engagement strategies.

Astronauts – creative, energized and self-motivated individuals who are invigorated by the challenges of change, technology, and new opportunities.

Dinosaurs – individuals who are significantly connected to the past. They usually can be spotted by the phrases, "We already tried that and it didn’t work" or, "We never did it that way before." They’re seriously reluctant to accept change and often create drama when change is presented.

Zombies – totally disengaged employees. They report to work physically, but aren’t engaged emotionally or mentally. Definitely your "walking dead."

The best time to begin engaging employees is through the hiring process. Integrate information about the organization’s mission, vision, values and goals into sourcing and recruiting documents and processes. Ensure that your HR staff and managers participating in the hiring process also understand the importance of incorporating this type of information into their interviewing and selection practices.

 

The on-boarding process is then an extension of the type of culture, performance expectations and engagement the organization is expecting from its employees. On-boarding, or what we used to call orientation, is a planned, progressive indoctrination of the organization’s expectations for employee involvement and practices for empowering and starting each employee on the right foot. The process is usually planned to cover information that should be understood and integrated into day-to-day performance by the employee after 30, 60 and 90 days.

Partnering a mentoring process with on-boarding can also be extremely successful, as the employee now has another avenue to for getting information and checking in on assumptions, perceptions, etc.

If you’re not familiar with a good frame work for on-boarding, check out Michael Watkins' book, The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels.

The following tips can also help to motivate and excite new employees, as well as those established in the organization:

• Share the enthusiasm and energy of the owner, leader, management team, etc. Communication about passion for the work the organization is doing can be very contagious. Celebrate and visibly acknowledge the events, outcomes, deliverables, and results the organization is proud of.
• Invite employees to be involved in what’s going on in the organization. Employees are more likely to be engaged if they believe the organization values their insights, opinions and ideas. Organizations get into trouble with "Zombies" when employees feel neglected and unappreciated.
• One solid way to keep employees motivated is to make sure they know how much customers and stakeholders appreciate them. Make sure that messages regarding customer appreciation are shared with the employees who deserve it, as well as their counterparts. Celebrate the compliments and help to remind employees of the impact of their work.
• Link work expectations with performance management. Employees need to see how their work aligns and supports the overall mission of the organization in order to become personally invested. Employees that recognize their value are more likely to be enthusiastic, creative and willing to go the extra mile without being asked.

So What’s Next?

Implementing a successful employee engagement process can greatly reduce turnover and improve performance results. Research indicates turnover costs can be estimated up to 200% of an employee’s salary. Once you find the right talent, and you’ve invested in the training of that employee, the wisest next step is to engage and retain them. However, not all employees are going to be Astronauts.

The performance management system also needs to support the training and development of Dinosaurs who are afraid to step into the 21st century and engage change, technology and flexible work styles. No organization today can afford the drag of employees who are not motivated and engaged about the future. Yes, we need to honor the past and the success that old practices brought to the organization, but at the same time, we need to have a mentality of forward thinking that provides the competitive edge to compete in the global economy.

Taking care of the Zombies. Organizations that spot Zombies in meetings, cubicles, or strolling down the hall on any day other than Halloween need to take action. Addressing Zombie attitudes and behaviors needs to be a priority and can easily be integrated with a good performance management system.

Organizations need to be clear when it comes to performance expectations, including behavioral characteristics. Employees who do not exhibit the expected behaviors and/or performance levels need to be counseled, and/or provided with assistance if it’s determined they need some additional training in order to be successful. They also need to be put on notice after an appropriate time goes by without expected results, that unless performance improves the organization may have to take action, as it appears the requirements of the position are not a fit with what the employee has to offer.

That’s tough medicine, and a diagnosis managers often shy away from. But every employee needs to make contributions for the success of the organization. No organization today can afford to have a "part-time" effort being put forth from a "full-time" position. If there’s a mismatch of requirements and talent, deal with it and move on, the sooner the better.

Halloween is a one day occasion. I hope you were able to enjoy the festivities - without allowing Zombies to invade your organization.

Daniel Pink

This article was written by Deborah A. King, SPHR, CEO and Sr. Organizational Effectiveness Consultant with Evolution Management, Inc. Debbie and her team are energized about transforming human performance through the evolution of workplace culture. Contact EMI for more information about how we can assist your organization: www.evolutionmgt.com; 770.587.9032

Strategies for Managing in Difficult Times

It appears the economy is in for a wild white water experience through the rest of this year; and perhaps into 2012. Questions I’m hearing include: "What does this mean for my business?" And, "I was thinking of making some changes in 2012; does it make more sense to implement them now?" And, "How much longer can we afford to hang on?"

What does the dialog with your leadership team sound like? What are you thinking about when you hear how your customers are reacting to these challenging times, and how their "adjustments" might influence your need to adjust?

As a business owner I too am concerned, trying to make sense out of where things are headed. The optimism of the first half of the year seems to have melted away, scorched by the heat of this unusual summer weather, leaving us with the familiar uncertainty of global markets, a lagging job market, Wall Street instability, unsuccessful political leadership (on all sides) and lots of hard-working individuals feeling high levels of stress and frustration about their jobs, careers and dwindling retirement accounts. But just as we do when confronted by other major issues, we have to take a step back to assess what we know and make decisions based on facts and research (90%) and then of course, integrate our decision with our expert judgment based on experience (10%). After that, it’s a matter of working the plan and continuing to modify it as time continues to change the global atmosphere.

We continue to hear that it will be small- and mid-sized businesses that lead us out of these troubled times. But these business owners can only take on so much debt and risk without customers lining up for their products and services. In order to assess the level of risk and determine reasonable next steps, management should gather the leadership team to take stock of what’s going on in the firm, with customers, and around the globe. The next six to nine months may not be as promising as the first half of the year suggested they would be, but with the right level of leadership and preparedness, strategies associated with operations, finance, and the workforce can be adjusted to make the ride through the white water up ahead more bearable.

5 Business Strategies to Incorporate

Today, looking through the consulting lens of Organization Effectiveness, I see a worthwhile need for incorporating these five strategies into a ‘Second Half Business Review and Planning Retreat.’ Would these work for you and your team?

Planning - Assess what’s currently going on in your industry and business community, and envision what the next 12 months will require. Engage your leadership team, as well as gather ideas from employees, customers, suppliers, etc. Your agenda should include, at a minimum, the following. After you conduct the planning retreat, modify your Strategic Plan as appropriate and communicate the near- and far-term expectations with employees.

• Gather and analyze feedback from customers about their plans for the next 6-12 months.
• Generate ideas from a variety of stakeholders about short- and long-term trends in marketing, technology, day-to-day operations. What does the organization need to keep doing, what can it let go of, and what should it add?
• Review the Strategic Goals previously planned for the 3rd and 4th quarter. What changes would you suggest?
• Examine the markets that are working, and others where investment may not be paying off at the moment. What changes might be useful here?
• Conduct a SWOT Analysis to identify organizational Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats/Risks, and analyze the data in order to develop themes that will aid future planning efforts.

Workforce - Based on where the organization is headed and the changes in technology that have been or will be implemented, what impact can the organization expect to see on its workforce? Is the organization structured in a manner that drives strategic goals through an environment of collaboration and transparency? Are employees engaged for a healthy and productive day of work, or can they be organized in a more efficient way to improve the effectiveness of their time and contributions? Is retraining or new training required? Are part-time contractors the answer for now, or is the organization ready to commit to full-time workers? Hopefully the idea of layoffs can be avoided, but if not, what transition assistance can the organization offer those displaced workers?

Roles - Considering the jobs employees should be doing, are job descriptions and processes for communicating performance expectations up-to-date and effective? Has leadership communicated changes to the vision/mission/goals and specifically informed employees about what they are responsible for and how their contributions impact the success of the organization? Employees need to be engaged in order to produce the performance expectations that will drive the strategic goals. Is leadership satisfied with how engagement and performance management goals are articulated and implemented? If not, what changes should be made?

Performance - What does the scorecard look like? Do metrics reflect organizational goals and objectives? Are expenses reasonable for the growth and productivity you are achieving? Are there initiatives the organization should explore such as teleworking, volume buying, or consolidation of facilities that would make sense and save money? Are there ways to introduce technology applications to streamline processes and reduce costs? Can a variety of workforce solutions (full-time, part-time, consultants, temporary) help manage payroll and benefit costs in the short-term until workload is more stable and predictable?

Investments - What’s on the horizon to drive and support business growth that the organization should be considering investing in right now and down the road? What’s the plan for how these investments will be financed? Does capital need to be secured? What expectations does the organization have for how these investments will pay off and when?

So What’s Next?

A good project manager will tell you that planning is essential for success. As significant changes are taking place in the business and financial markets, leaders are well-served by taking a step back to objectively assess the impact of market changes on their organizations. And no successful leader would take on this type of assessment and planning without the participation and collaboration of thought leaders and stakeholders.

In order to improve the results of the leadership retreat, be sure to engage with a skilled facilitator who will partner with you to design the meeting agendas with a focus on full participation, strategic objectives and desired outcomes. The benefits of having a facilitator assist will be evident in the quality of the conversations, creativity produced from seemingly conflicting viewpoints, and outcomes achieved from collaborative brainstorming and open dialogs.

Often impartial facilitators are available internally. (Not to sound like a commercial, but if you don’t have someone available within your firm to assist with meeting planning and facilitation, please consider having us work with you.) The point is, a key stakeholder should not plan to design, facilitate and participate in the meeting. That’s too much to expect and usually negatively impacts the ability of the group to achieve quality outcomes.

I’m the eternal optimist. I see the events of the last few weeks more as a sad statement of what our political system has disintegrated into rather than what we are capable of achieving. My glass is definitely more than half full, and I’m hopeful that we’ll find a way to embrace solutions that will spur the growth and innovation I believe our country can achieve. For anyone in Washington reading my blog, please note that I’d be glad to work with you to facilitate some productive meetings focused on what it’s going to take for leaders to act as leaders. Call me (770.587.9032).


Now, my question for you -- What do you think? Do my five strategies resonate with you?   What would you add or change?
I’m interested in hearing your thoughts. Please share your comments below.

Collaborate for a Solution

www.evolutionmgt.com

770.587.9032

Music and Nature - Enjoy!