Survey Paranoia

Employee Surveys. You either love them or hate them. For those that love them, you probably feel that as a whole they usually do make a difference and call (management’s) attention to areas that need improvement in a company. For those that hate them, you might be rolling your eyes and dismissing them as a “corporate fluff” and assume the position that survey results never get acted upon. I’ve heard arguments for and against surveys, yet I truly do believe that they make a difference – if employees are truly honest in their feedback, which brings me to the topic at hand; paranoia. It’s quite common that regardless of how many times management assures the work force that the results are anonymous and confidential, the majority of folks still believe that their answers are somehow tracked and that they will derive some kind of punishment if they get overly critical.

People. Stop. Being. Paranoid. Confidential surveys ARE confidential. Usually conducted by outside agencies or companies, they are designed for anonymity. Answers are tallied up by an independent third party and the individual answers never shared with ownership or management. In addition, do you know how expensive it would be to track each person’s IP address, match it up with the survey answer and then set out to analyze the degree of criticism in a large work force? Even in a 50-person office, this would probably cost more than the survey itself. Owners or managers who put forth an employee survey are not interested in using it as a punishment or tracking tool. The goal is nearly exclusively always to learn more about the organization and what’s on the mind of employees.

If you just mindlessly find yourself clicking through a survey without much thought to your answers, you would do everyone a favor and not engage at all. Employee surveys are VERY costly to design, implement and analyze. They provide employees with an opportunity to stop complaining under their breath, and to put forth some actual engagement into improving their work environment. If you provide only positive feedback (yet in reality feel miserable about work), you are only sending a thumbs up message to management that what they are doing is working. Consider yourself fortunate if you get an employee survey as your management is clearly investing in you and hope you will do the same in return, by providing constructive, honest and engaged feedback. The goal for management and ownership should be to keep the survey results transparent and communicate an action plan for follow up (UPS does this very well). The feedback loop is thus closed where the employee feels empowered to give feedback because he/she is actually heard.

Don't Exit With a Bang

In 15 years of being in a corporate environment and management I have seen plenty of Corporate Rockstars come and go, some more talented and memorable than others. The one defining departure factor has usually been surrounding dissatisfaction with a particular manager and/or corporate culture issues. Having gone from a small company to medium size to now very large, I can easily say that this is a universal exit factor regardless of size or structure. There will always be that one manager that you either do not like nor get along with. Some folks manage to exit gracefully, others less so. There are plenty of urban myths out there about exiting a company, many of which play into people’s daydreams of what they really would like to say to their nemesis manager upon departure. One in particular, a disgruntled employee supposedly sent this resignation letter to his boss, sparking a shock wave across the web as it first was published. Many a cubicle warriors snickered as they got it, secretly wishing they too could write something similar. People wanted the letter to be real, hoping someone really had “stuck it to management” like this. Sorry; urban myth # 456334. Letter was made up.

Funny? Yes. Smart? Not so much. The resignation letter above may be just an urban myth, but the sentiment behind it is not. The disgruntled employee/boss relationship has existed for eons. That said, there is a lot to be said for not burning your bridges, hard as that may seem to do when you feel like you want to skip out of the department singing with your new job offer in hand. You never know what may come down the road; lay offs can happen in your new company, you don’t meet expectations during your probationary period or you may find yourself on the job market again several years down the road, in need of a career reference and history. Employers may not be in a legal position to comment on your character or performance, but make no mistake, they can send a strong message using tone of voice and enthusiasm when saying “Yes, she/he used to work here”. Regardless of how you feel about your boss or management, always exit gracefully and professionally. It will reward you down the line.

Developing Leaders

Here is the difference between a smart professional and an equally sharp college grad: assertiveness. Nothing more, nothing less. There is no magic bullet to leadership, no "secret", no ingredient other than time. Folks who have been in a corporate environment for some time know to take risks; they put their ideas out on the line and they back them up, even when the boss questions or challenges them. College grads, or less mature professionals, usually back track, pay lip service (to the boss) and/or acquiesce. Mind you, compromising is not a bad thing and in my opinion, highly underrated. However, there is a thin red line between compromising and not fighting for your ideas or giving up. Know when you are doing what.

I often look around my office and our meetings, observing people and how they present themselves as well as their projects. We have a director who likes to play devil's advocate and who thinks in a very linear fashion (all together now; "IT GUY!"). As such you can rest assured that nearly every idea or project you will put forth will be strongly challenged, if not even shot down at first glance. Argument after argument is dissected and sometimes dismissed, with only the most assertive (strongest?) still standing firm when the meeting is over.

The less assertive folks nervously nod in agreement, while their gaze is fixed into the table in front of them, as if some magic spot in the cheap wood veneer will calm their upset and rejected selves. I've done it, we've probably all done it. However, as the years went on and I truly believed in my ideas (while making sure I was darn well researched and informed prior to going into the meetings!) ... I grew more assertive, more confident and more strong. Nowadays, being assertive on business issues is second nature to me but it took time.

It should be noted that sadly, some managers or senior business folks never get there, regardless of tenure. Makes you wonder about the quality of leadership in Corporate America today, or rather, the LACK of leadership. True leaders develop leaders, over time.

"I'm Working On It ... "

Welcome to the Oh-Well parade. One of my biggest pet peeves in Corporate America today is the lack of accountability when it comes to meeting deadlines. Between the indifferent co-worker, cable company or tech representative, I’m ready to tear my hair out. Does anybody care anymore??

Most companies will never fire you for missing deadlines or for over-promising and under-delivering; something many employees working for them take advantage of. “Not my fault”, they claim while shrugging their shoulders, “I’m just waiting on XYZ”.

Toll free tech support operators “accidentally” hang up on you, often after you have been patiently waiting in a twenty minute phone que (make no mistake, this is no mistake!). The graphic designer who assured you the website would be finished by end of week is nowhere to be found, email or phone. The bank manager who guaranteed that the erroneous bank charge would be reversed (you know, the one that cost you $120 in overdraft fees??) by tomorrow morning “apologizes sincerely” when it wasn’t done.

We all know the stories, we all get equally frustrated at the lack of service and accountability, yet none of us know what to do about it. I suggest that we can only start with ourselves; create a personal credo to do unto others the way you would have done to you. Provide the best service, be utterly reliable and most importantly; stand by your word if you give it, whatever it is and to whomever it is, even if that customer is a faceless voice on the other line. It could be your self.

Keep It Brief

While driving to work this morning, listening to my favorite radio station (Sirius: Lime), I literally wanted to zap a lady who was on via phone (with the host). She was going on and on about her point, all the while the radio host was trying desperately to get her to wrap up. Finally, the host had to just literally cut her off mid sentence and go into break. Recently a similar incident happened at work where a fantastic (but long winded) co-worker of mine was going on and on to a senior executive who had asked for her feedback about a topic. As my colleague was waxing on about her experiences, it was quite evident that the executive’s eyes had glazed over and that she was already thinking about her next meeting. The entire point of the conversation was for naught as the point was lost in excessive verbiage.

Coming from someone who likes to talk (this is where my husband would nod vigorously while rolling his eyes), even I know when to keep it brief and concise. Brevity seems to be a lost art in the business world today as most of us just experience verbal diarrhea when asked about our opinion (or decide to provide it unsolicited!). It seems that that worst offenders are those who aren’t good observers of people.

If you observe your listener, you will know immediately when their attention starts to wane and when it’s time to wrap up or turn the mic back to the other guy or gal. Eye contact is lost or weakened, their “uh huh” and “oh, interesting” responses start to fade and their notepad doodling gets increasingly artistic. Seth Godin, someone I consider the God of Permission Marketing, has a very good point when he points out (about blogs in general but still … the point is the same): people really just want to hear your story or point as it relates to them or put forth in a summarized manner that might apply to them.

So keep it brief, keep it concise and above all … observe the body language of your listener (if via phone or web, listen to your listener … when they get too silent, take your cue). Brevity is often king.

It's a Google World

I just finished watching a TV special (WTTR) on Google that I highly recommend; "The World According to Google". Having read multiple articles about how Google is the best employer on the market, how their culture allows for more of a college campus culture than corporate and how Google employees are the best taken care of in the world, it is easy to want to work there. Google becomes the Holy Grail for programmers, engineers and computer scientists. For marketers ... frankly ... not so much. Let's get real, it's not a marketing or sales organization. It's an algorithm company mostly consisting of Stanford, Yale and MIT grads. A friend of mine that works there recently told me; "Google is all about the education". After talking to a recruiter there (not for work mind you, merely at a networking event) their reputation as being education snobs is true. Not saying that if you have a community college degree you are ruled out, but an Ivy League stamp seems to be the preferred choice (and why not, they can get them!). As a candidate you are put through rigorous interviews, scrutiny and multiple panels where your every educational step, accomplishment and personal achievement or community involvement is examined. It can be mind bending and probably very intimidating. I will say, however, that some of the nicest and most professional folks I know in the corporate world work at Google. They are clearly doing something right when choosing their teams.

Back to the point of big brothering, which is what the documentary was all about; the fear of Google taking over our lives and what the big brother factor is all about. Having read about this issue in several newspapers I hadn't paid too much attention. Watching the documentary caused me some concern suddenly. I blog on a Google owned blog machine. I own and use a Gmail account. I search on Google nearly exclusively. I use Google Maps. I practically live on Google platforms (online). Google stores ALL my personal data performed on these engines for an unlimited amount of time. Yikes. Then there are these sites ... clearly being VERY anti-Google and frankly, really freak me out.

That said, there is something to be said for the Google culture. The Google folks I know and have heard or read about are fanatic about their brand. The typical culture of yes present in most of Corporate America does not exist at Google but something else does ... something I cannot put my finger on tangibly but that is so evident in every interaction I have with them both as a consumer and as a business contact; a culture of transparent ambition. The people, the engines and the culture is ambitious. I only hope it's not too ambitious ... if you know what I mean.

Are you worried about Google and if yes/no, why?

What is your personal trademark?

Personal expression has many forms. Some paint, some dance and yet others ... blog. ;-) In the corporate world, many think that personal expression has no place. If you are a good worker and/or a "true" professional, you will hide your feelings or position, they say. Anybody who has known a Corporate Rockstar can attest to the erroneous nature of this statement.

Throughout your career, who of your managers (or peers/other managers etc.) do you remember? What do you remember about them?

Usually the memorable folks are the most expressive, those that either championed your causes, brought humor to the work place or somehow differentiated themselves. Everyone does not have to be extroverts, assertive or outspoken. Personal Expression can take the form of simply standing up for what you believe in, backing up the stance of the team (in uncomfortable situations) or simply making sure that your final output is always excellent, not just average. Being consistent, reliable and professional simply is not enough in today's competitive world. Those traits are assumed to be present if you are in the position you are in. You need something else to stick out; something else that makes you memorable - be that in an annual review or five years down the line as you find yourself in a different department or company. When was the last time you said "Oh Yeah, I remember Bob! He was so reliable!"?

Regardless of what your personal trademark is, if you want to be a Corporate Rockstar, you better have one.

Some great personal trademarks include (granted, these are "big" names, but you get the point): Oprah - The Champion of The People, Mike Wallace (60 Minutes) - Is Not Afraid of the Uncomfortable Questions, Barbara Walters - Makes People Cry, Bill Gates - Uber Billionare Philanthropist, Richard Branson - Risk Taker ...

Leadership and Courage

I had a team discussion with my team today in regard to leadership and courage. I recently had the great (mis) fortune to be "forced" to watch Braveheart for (what felt like) the hundreth time as my husband held quite firm about not changing the channel. Although I had seen th emovie multiple times before, there were messages in it this time around that I had missed when watching it (earlier in my professional life). Picking up on messages of courage, honor and integrity, I jotted down notes and thoughts as I received the movie's message. One line in particular stuck out at me:

"People don't follow titles or ownership of land. They follow Courage."

Ah, how true that is in any era, any world and any industry. Even today this line strikes a chord, with many leaders who hide behind titles, assumed prestige and credentials. Courage is not a trait we often see in today's business world or corporate culture. Courage requires sticking your neck out, taking occasionally uncomfortable stances and championing issues that are "right" and true to yourself. So many are fearful of losing their jobs, or the favor of their leaders, with expression or signs of courage. As in my previous post about speaking up for success I proclaim, you have nothing to fear. "See No Evil ..." philosophies are not courageous; they are archaic and conformist. If you are in doubt about what this type of fear can do, watch the movie Office Space, one of the greatest movies ever made about corporate culture in America today.

More to come tomorrow.

Speak up for success

There are close to 100 people in my department and on my floor alone. There are several thousand more in our corporate office. Out of all those folks, possibly 10% speak their mind or have no fear of expression. Speaking out, or speaking frankly, seems to be a relic of the old guard mentality in Corporate America. Suppression and fear of "getting fired" remains and the general employee population whole heartedly buys into this belief. "Lay low", "Fly Under Radar" and "Don't Stick Out" are popular belief sets in our cubicle (often even exec offices) rows. Dilbert is a great example of this mentality, providing us a welcome opportunity to laugh out loud and relate. "That's me!!", we think and silently wish our bosses could read the comic strips. Let me give you a heads up if you didn't know; they do and they are thinking the exact same thing that you are.

Every boss has a boss, unless you're at the very top and if so, you're probably not reading this anyway. Few remember that bosses too are human beings, with their own frustrations, challenges and obstacles. Even the most moronic and arrogant bosses have their human side, they just choose to not show it to you. As such, every boss is also an employee and I can guarantee you that they too wish their boss would change, appreciate them more or just "improve morale". How often have you not read a self-help book and thought to yourself; "I know EXACTLY who NEEDS to read this book!". How often did you think that perhaps you are the one needing to read it?

One of my favorite speakers on this topic is David Taylor, the author of "The Naked Leader". He speaks of many things, including motivation, leadership and innovation. However, one of the things posted on his site are the 7 Principles of Success, which I like to share anytime I get the chance to. Keep in mind that these may SOUND "fluffy" or "New Agey" but in reality, they are not. Read on:

1. Success is a formula, and it is simple
2. This formula does not "belong" to anyone - it belongs to everyone
3. To be successful, you need rely on no-one, other than yourself
4. Success is whatever you want it to be, by your own definition
5. Success can happen very fast, often in a heartbeat
6. Everyone has value, can be anything they want, and is a leader
7. The biggest mystery of life, is to discover who we truly are

Let me tell you why I don't think this stuff is fluffy: Success will come naturally when you simply are yourself and sit comfortably in your own skin, which touches upon my previous post. Think about the truly successful people that you know in your own life. How many of them fidget, conceal their opinions or make excuses for what they want out of life? Of those that do the above, how many do you respect and admire?

Remember, there is NO difference between yourself and that interviewer, boss or senior executive. The only difference is in your head, and what you perceive, will be. Speak up (nooo, I didn't say DUMP - see my other post on Verbal Diarrhea), and know that with your voice, comes success.

The Giving Boss

I read an article in INC Magazine this month title "Etiquette: Pick Me! A boss's guide to buying flowers". The article followed a conversation I had with a colleague today about whether or not a boss should buy donuts, pizza or even flowers (or other suitable gift of choice) from time to time. Many managers have caught onto the "giving bug", yet not nearly enough. Giving, regardless of size, clearly makes a difference. A study recently revealed that providing chocolate during a meeting makes the recipients, in this case clients, more favorable to your presentation. The thought behind the chocolate buffer is clearly the pleasure inducing effects of chocolate, but the concept can be applied across the board. Provide donuts, cookies or M&Ms and the results are similar; your audience is seduced into being more attentive, receptive or straight out swayed!

Similar results can be had with small tokens of appreciation, such as a flower, a book or a gift card, but few managers or department heads actually put their hand in their wallet to provide such a small gift. Often the logic behind their (poor) decision is a fear of displaying favoritism or individuals "getting used to it". Every small holiday, special occasion or event I try to give something to my team members, be it a box of chocolates or a bottle of wine. Every opportunity to show appreciation is an opportunity to give back.

Edible Arrangements (example in photo) is a gift site that works for any occasion, any recipient and any moment as it contains fresh fruit beautifully arranged for a special person or office.

Like the INC article states, "Whether or not you have time to smell the flowers, it's often worth making an effort to give them. Flowers convey thoughtfulness and a personal touch". Some occasions to give flowers include:
- Get Well (for recovering team members)
- Apology
- Client Thank You
- Birthday (duh!)
- Sympathy
- Company Milestone (this one scores big!)
- New Baby (another duh, yet often missed opportunity)

Maybe we should include this one in the "New Managers Guide" ...