I have just posted a new mini-seminar on where workplaces are headed over the next three years. It addresses the challenges in management, generations and hiring. Take nine minutes out for yourself today and view the mini-seminar.
What The Future Holds - A Mini-Seminar
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Kevin Burns – Workplace Expert – Management Consultant – Keynote Speaker
Monday, October 31, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Closing Time And Employee Engagement
"We're closing in five minutes!!!!"
How many times have you been told that by "customer service" personnel (yes I used quotations on purpose)?
I have even been yelled at upon entering the store twenty-five minutes before closing. What does that say about the staff? Worse yet, what does that say about management that lets staff get away with, in essence, saying, "your needs are less important than me getting out of here so hurry up Buster."
While looking at expensive dishes in a small, Independant store, I was approached hurriedly by the sales clerk who seemed impatient that we were still in the store so close to closing time.
Exasperated she exclaimed, " we are closing in like two minutes."
I immediately shot back, "we'll leave then" looking her square in the eye.
She backpedaled making some lame apology. Too late. I didn't want to buy here anymore.
The evidence in retail establishments is staggering but this happens in every organization: people who don't want to start something that they know they can't finish before closing time. Clock watchers are time-thieves. They cost your organization money and productivity and take a big bite out of a culture that claims to be customer-focused.
How your people handle the end of the day is more tell-tale than how they handle the start of the day - especially around engagement.
If you, as a customer, get the warning that they will soon be closing, walk away. You deserve to be treated better. Besides, there's a huge difference between locking the doors and being "closed."
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Kevin Burns – Workplace Expert - Management Consultant - Keynote Speaker
How many times have you been told that by "customer service" personnel (yes I used quotations on purpose)?
I have even been yelled at upon entering the store twenty-five minutes before closing. What does that say about the staff? Worse yet, what does that say about management that lets staff get away with, in essence, saying, "your needs are less important than me getting out of here so hurry up Buster."
While looking at expensive dishes in a small, Independant store, I was approached hurriedly by the sales clerk who seemed impatient that we were still in the store so close to closing time.
Exasperated she exclaimed, " we are closing in like two minutes."
I immediately shot back, "we'll leave then" looking her square in the eye.
She backpedaled making some lame apology. Too late. I didn't want to buy here anymore.
The evidence in retail establishments is staggering but this happens in every organization: people who don't want to start something that they know they can't finish before closing time. Clock watchers are time-thieves. They cost your organization money and productivity and take a big bite out of a culture that claims to be customer-focused.
How your people handle the end of the day is more tell-tale than how they handle the start of the day - especially around engagement.
If you, as a customer, get the warning that they will soon be closing, walk away. You deserve to be treated better. Besides, there's a huge difference between locking the doors and being "closed."
- Like this post? Pass it on.
Or better yet, Invite Kevin to address this issue live at your next meeting.
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Kevin Burns – Workplace Expert - Management Consultant - Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Some People Need To Be Left Behind
I sat on a panel at a Chief Information Officers' Conference this week with other thought-leaders from around North America. One of the questions posed to me concerned the push by populist politicians to gain points with the public by endorsing a "leave no child behind" policy when it comes to education and how a policy like this will affect workplaces in the future.
The truth is, although noble, it is not reality-based - at least not in the workplace. In the workplace, not everyone moves ahead. Some people get left behind. Some perform better than others. Some are management material. Some are not. Some are leaders. Some are followers. Some succeed. Some fail. Some are promoted. Some get laid-off. Many get left behind. Maybe you've been left behind once or twice yourself. If you did, I'll bet it changed who you are and how you apply yourself. If it didn't then you'll likely be left behind again.
Success is not a right. It is a privilege. It is earned. It is not simply given away.
In the real world, we don't turn low-achievers into managers and corporate executives. Bottom-achievers are the first to be laid-off when the economy turns. Look, we are already whining, moaning and complaining about poor service, low initiative, poor employee engagement, declining morale, rock-bottom motivation and terrible work-ethic. I'm not sure how lowering the bar so that more mediocre employees can squeak through university makes our workplaces better.
Sorry, but sometimes we need to leave people behind. Not everyone is a top-achiever. Not everyone is a star employee. Not everyone is future management material. If we lower the bar in education, the expectation next will be to lower the bar in employment. And that, in my estimation, is non-negotiable.
We need to raise the bar when it comes to personal performance, to how we deliver service, to how we engage in our work. Removing the consequences of not applying oneself seems counterproductive.
People need to experience difficulty and turmoil. It shapes character and resilience. People learn more from failure than from an easy ride. And I am all for those who do the work, make the effort and achieve what they are capable of. THAT builds better and more cohesive workplaces and I am completely and utterly in favor of that.
If you're still having trouble with this, imagine a world that leaves no person behind when it comes to testing for a Driver's License. Now do you see my point?
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Kevin Burns – Workplace Expert - Management Consultant - Keynote Speaker
The truth is, although noble, it is not reality-based - at least not in the workplace. In the workplace, not everyone moves ahead. Some people get left behind. Some perform better than others. Some are management material. Some are not. Some are leaders. Some are followers. Some succeed. Some fail. Some are promoted. Some get laid-off. Many get left behind. Maybe you've been left behind once or twice yourself. If you did, I'll bet it changed who you are and how you apply yourself. If it didn't then you'll likely be left behind again.
Success is not a right. It is a privilege. It is earned. It is not simply given away.
In the real world, we don't turn low-achievers into managers and corporate executives. Bottom-achievers are the first to be laid-off when the economy turns. Look, we are already whining, moaning and complaining about poor service, low initiative, poor employee engagement, declining morale, rock-bottom motivation and terrible work-ethic. I'm not sure how lowering the bar so that more mediocre employees can squeak through university makes our workplaces better.
Sorry, but sometimes we need to leave people behind. Not everyone is a top-achiever. Not everyone is a star employee. Not everyone is future management material. If we lower the bar in education, the expectation next will be to lower the bar in employment. And that, in my estimation, is non-negotiable.
We need to raise the bar when it comes to personal performance, to how we deliver service, to how we engage in our work. Removing the consequences of not applying oneself seems counterproductive.
People need to experience difficulty and turmoil. It shapes character and resilience. People learn more from failure than from an easy ride. And I am all for those who do the work, make the effort and achieve what they are capable of. THAT builds better and more cohesive workplaces and I am completely and utterly in favor of that.
If you're still having trouble with this, imagine a world that leaves no person behind when it comes to testing for a Driver's License. Now do you see my point?
- Like this post? Pass it on.
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Kevin Burns – Workplace Expert - Management Consultant - Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Critical Key To Succession
Succession Planning is on the minds of many organizations today. As older workers retire, the challenge is to get the information out of the heads of the retiring workers and into the heads of a new generation of workers.
And this is where it all falls apart.
Don't even try.
Yes, get the information out of the heads of your retiring workers. Yes, do whatever is necessary to get retiring workers to commit to disseminating what they know and yes, put it someplace where future generations of workers can get to it.
But don't expect that the new generation of worker will WANT to put all of that information into their own heads. They won't. They don't. In fact, what's the point? They change jobs more often than any other generation. Really? Do you want to invest in getting the info into their heads only to have them walk away from the job within a year or two?
No. Put it in a place where everyone can access it. Get it on video, audio, written word, seminar, workshop, PowerPoint but DO SOMETHING.
Generation Y is probably the best generation for being able to locate information only when they need it and not have to walk around with it in their heads. Theirs is a generation of written (albeit short form text code but it is written) word. They will want to access the writing or video or other media. That's where it should be anyway - not wasting away in someone's head where you're going to have to try to retrieve it when they leave.
Think ahead.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
And this is where it all falls apart.
Don't even try.
Yes, get the information out of the heads of your retiring workers. Yes, do whatever is necessary to get retiring workers to commit to disseminating what they know and yes, put it someplace where future generations of workers can get to it.
But don't expect that the new generation of worker will WANT to put all of that information into their own heads. They won't. They don't. In fact, what's the point? They change jobs more often than any other generation. Really? Do you want to invest in getting the info into their heads only to have them walk away from the job within a year or two?
No. Put it in a place where everyone can access it. Get it on video, audio, written word, seminar, workshop, PowerPoint but DO SOMETHING.
Generation Y is probably the best generation for being able to locate information only when they need it and not have to walk around with it in their heads. Theirs is a generation of written (albeit short form text code but it is written) word. They will want to access the writing or video or other media. That's where it should be anyway - not wasting away in someone's head where you're going to have to try to retrieve it when they leave.
Think ahead.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Monday, October 10, 2011
How To Build Better Teams And Engagement
Organizations spend a lot of money on trying to build better teams, better culture and better communication in an attempt to build better engagement. Companies want their workplaces to be more warm and fuzzy, friendly and personal so that employees might connect better with their work, coworkers and managers. And yet these same companies still hire using the most impersonal (and broken) model available: ARIH (Advertise-Résumé-Interview-Hire).
Advertising job duties (instead of desired personal qualities), selecting shortlist candidates based on impersonal stuff written on paper (applications and résumés), asking interviewees questions from a prepared list of impersonal questions and then hiring based on who was best able to remain cool and detached from stress during the interview seems like a surefire strategy to hire cold and impersonal people. All you create are workplaces that make it difficult to build organic teams and a sense of personal connection to the work.
Still, companies complain about employee disengagement, employees who don’t feel a connection to the mission of the company, employees who lack any sense that their work matters, employees who don’t really like or respect their co-workers or their boss. Yet these same companies continue to use the detached approach to hire people who they will later complain aren't connected to their work.
If the whole hiring process is based on disconnect, is it really a surprise that your people end up disconnected from their work, boss and workplace? Really?
If you want to change your culture and build your team organically, you must first change up those who do the hiring, conduct the interviews and set the tone for the expectations of the new employee. The first point of contact of most organizations is Human Resources and it needs to change.
Start hiring personable HR people who are prepared to have side-by-side conversations with potential employees instead of the adversarial model of job-candidate facing the power-panel of intimidating interviewers. Get rid of the "power trip" and start finding ways to make connections with candidates. Start building relationships instead of attempting to justify your job.
If you want to attract people who connect naturally to other people, their work and contribute to a warmer culture, you need to model that behavior for every new employee right from the very first contact with your company.
A couple of ideas that attract a completely different candidate can be found here http://buildingabetterworkplace.com/?p=971 Sadly, most HR people would find a million reasons why it can't be done that way because it is out of their comfort zone. But it can be done and is being done. And it works.
If you keep doing what you've always done, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Advertising job duties (instead of desired personal qualities), selecting shortlist candidates based on impersonal stuff written on paper (applications and résumés), asking interviewees questions from a prepared list of impersonal questions and then hiring based on who was best able to remain cool and detached from stress during the interview seems like a surefire strategy to hire cold and impersonal people. All you create are workplaces that make it difficult to build organic teams and a sense of personal connection to the work.
Still, companies complain about employee disengagement, employees who don’t feel a connection to the mission of the company, employees who lack any sense that their work matters, employees who don’t really like or respect their co-workers or their boss. Yet these same companies continue to use the detached approach to hire people who they will later complain aren't connected to their work.
If the whole hiring process is based on disconnect, is it really a surprise that your people end up disconnected from their work, boss and workplace? Really?
If you want to change your culture and build your team organically, you must first change up those who do the hiring, conduct the interviews and set the tone for the expectations of the new employee. The first point of contact of most organizations is Human Resources and it needs to change.
Start hiring personable HR people who are prepared to have side-by-side conversations with potential employees instead of the adversarial model of job-candidate facing the power-panel of intimidating interviewers. Get rid of the "power trip" and start finding ways to make connections with candidates. Start building relationships instead of attempting to justify your job.
If you want to attract people who connect naturally to other people, their work and contribute to a warmer culture, you need to model that behavior for every new employee right from the very first contact with your company.
A couple of ideas that attract a completely different candidate can be found here http://buildingabetterworkplace.com/?p=971 Sadly, most HR people would find a million reasons why it can't be done that way because it is out of their comfort zone. But it can be done and is being done. And it works.
If you keep doing what you've always done, you're going to keep getting what you've always gotten.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
A Place To Go To Die
I spoke with a manager today whose employees score their workplace low on "passion for the work" while at the same time, that same company boasts of some of the longest serving employees in any industry.
Simply put, although the employees don't have a lot of passion for their work, they are willing to put aside their apathy for the work and stick it out for 30 plus years - all the way to retirement.
Got a few of these in your own workplace? How would you manage and/or attempt to change a Culture like this?
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Simply put, although the employees don't have a lot of passion for their work, they are willing to put aside their apathy for the work and stick it out for 30 plus years - all the way to retirement.
Got a few of these in your own workplace? How would you manage and/or attempt to change a Culture like this?
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Or better yet, Invite Kevin to address this issue live at your next meeting.
And join us on Facebook
Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Relevant Managers vs Irrelevant Managers
Irrelevant managers say things like: I don't have time to read management books. I don't have time to subscribe to management Blogs and email newsletters. I don't have time to get away to attend that seminar on working with the new generation. I don't have time to work with social media. I don't have time to coddle every one of my employees just to tell them they're doing a good job. I don't have time to go over it and over it again just because a few don't get it.
Relevant managers say things like: I make it a point to read at least 4 new management books each year to stay current. I subscribe to a handful of solid management thought-leaders by email and Blog because they inspire me with new ideas. I have worked out a schedule to attend at least one seminar or training session each year that can help me help my employees. Since I started working with social media, I now see how employees and customers use it to communicate better. I reach out to each employee everyday so that they feel value in the work they do and valued for the contribution they make. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure that every employee gets it right and does it right because our customers deserve our best.
So, are you too busy for the people who depend on you to be your best or are you just too self-absorbed to really care? If you cared, don't you think you'd do something about it?
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Relevant managers say things like: I make it a point to read at least 4 new management books each year to stay current. I subscribe to a handful of solid management thought-leaders by email and Blog because they inspire me with new ideas. I have worked out a schedule to attend at least one seminar or training session each year that can help me help my employees. Since I started working with social media, I now see how employees and customers use it to communicate better. I reach out to each employee everyday so that they feel value in the work they do and valued for the contribution they make. I will do whatever I have to do to make sure that every employee gets it right and does it right because our customers deserve our best.
So, are you too busy for the people who depend on you to be your best or are you just too self-absorbed to really care? If you cared, don't you think you'd do something about it?
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
Monday, October 03, 2011
New Productivity Tool
I don't often openly endorse a product but this one is a brilliant tool for anyone wanting to help build better performance for themselves and their company. And it's FREE.
http://idonethis.com/ is a brilliantly simple program to get you focused on not just keeping busy ... but more importantly, being productive. And I am using it and loving it.
I get an email at the end of each work day asking me to take a few moments to itemize the things that got done today - hence the name "I Done This." Then, by simply replying to the email, my accomplishments are placed on a calendar of things I got done. Once you register, you can view your calendar of accomplishments and all of your past history at any time.
Anything that didn't get down today gets moved to the top of the To-Do list (your own list) for tomorrow. This is so much MORE than simple time management.
This is about that voice in your own head that forces you to make decisions, take action and get things done. And did I mention it's free?
Start focusing on what you DID get done and stop placing too much emphasis on what still needs doing. You, like me, will find yourself working smarter and getting a lot more done in the same amount of time.
- Like this post? Pass it on.
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Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
http://idonethis.com/ is a brilliantly simple program to get you focused on not just keeping busy ... but more importantly, being productive. And I am using it and loving it.
I get an email at the end of each work day asking me to take a few moments to itemize the things that got done today - hence the name "I Done This." Then, by simply replying to the email, my accomplishments are placed on a calendar of things I got done. Once you register, you can view your calendar of accomplishments and all of your past history at any time.
Anything that didn't get down today gets moved to the top of the To-Do list (your own list) for tomorrow. This is so much MORE than simple time management.
This is about that voice in your own head that forces you to make decisions, take action and get things done. And did I mention it's free?
Start focusing on what you DID get done and stop placing too much emphasis on what still needs doing. You, like me, will find yourself working smarter and getting a lot more done in the same amount of time.
- Like this post? Pass it on.
Or better yet, Invite Kevin to address this issue live at your next meeting.
And join us on Facebook
Kevin Burns - Workplace Expert and Speaker
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