“What we have here is a failure to communicate.”

As I was getting ready to type in my father’s second installment of “Managing People Principles”, I was thinking about what to use as a introduction.  The line from Cool Hand Luke came to mind. Because, after all, isn’t most of managing people about communicating. Communicating expectations, communicating culture, communicating feedback, communicating, communicating, communicating. I don’t know if I have ever watched Cool Hand Luke and so I thought that maybe I should  find out what it is about before using a quote from it.  So, I went to the authoritative site for all things movies (www. imdb.com) and read the comments and storyline write-up on the movie. The site stated:

“Luke Jackson is a cool, gutsy prisoner in a Southern chain gang, who, while refusing to buckle under to authority, keeps escaping and being recaptured. The prisoners admire Luke because, as Dragline explains it, “You’re an original, that’s what you are!” Nevertheless, the camp staff actively works to crush Luke until he finally breaks.”

Wow, I think that this storyline is from a company I used to work at. How many managers have employees that refuse “to buckle under authority” and feel that they need to “crush” that employee until they finally break?

Captain, Road Prison 36

That certainly gives some food for thought. I guess that makes my father’s write-up  even more fitting.

You may remember that a month or so ago, he did a piece about A, B, and C employees and the need to work employees up to be more motivated and engaged to be more productive and fulfilled. My question to him was “Good advice, now how do you go about doing that?”

Here is his next installment:

Be sincere and helpful – Pick a time and place to meet with the employee. Be sincere, because it shows that you mean what you say. Remember that you need their help to make your work place more productive and efficient. Tell them that this meeting is to help both of you.

Start with a question they can answer with a yes or no such as “Do you like your work?”. If they say “yes”, ask them what they like about their work. If they say “no”, ask them what they don’t like about their work.

That will give you a clue about their attitude and having to come to work. It is important for the employee to do most of the talking because you need that feedback in order to help them to become part of the team. Their answer will help you to suggest solutions to change their attitude and help them to be more cooperative.

Another good question that I have used is “If you were the manager, what would you change?” I have been surprised at some of the answers that I received. They have been very helpful because they look at it from a different perspective.

More good stuff, Dad, thanks. Which of the two communication methods are evident in your management style? Man, this stuff is not easy.

I think I’ll work on my dad to see if I can convince him to write part three and share some more of his hard-earned wisdom. Until then, let us know any comments you have, Facebook, twitter, http://www.mcdonaldcontainers or here on the blog.

Thanks,

Jim

“What not to wear” – management version

My wife and daughter like to watch the TLC show “What not to wear”. My understanding is that they want to volunteer someone from our family for participation on the show. (It couldn’t be me, could it?). The premise of the show is that Stacy and Clinton (the stars) take a individual that had been nominated by “friends” or family and give them a fashion makeover. The nominee had evidently lost track of what style is, didn’t know what was appropriate or had just gotten lazy about their appearance and needed a lot of help getting back on track. It is often amazing the transformation that these individuals go through and the change it makes to their life.

Isn’t the same thing true for many of us in management positions. Don’t many of us forget, get lazy or just not know how to be a great manager. I know that I am a guilty party.

Stacy and Clinton from “What not to wear”

So, I thought it would be good to hear from someone again that has spent their life in “fashion” to give us some makeover pointers. My dad was in the banking industry (primarily at the branch level) managing people for over 40 years. I asked him again (see blog from last year) to help us out. Here’s part one of his reply:

A style of management

I’ve learned by experience how to become more productive. My attitude with employees is to work side by side with them and help them to feel a part of management when goals are accomplished and profits are increased. Sharing concerns when things do not go smooth can lead to solutions and get people on the right track again.

I believe there are 3 kinds of employees:

Group 3: People that will only do what you ask them to do. They are late for work, take longer lunch hours and are absent a lot.

Group 2: People who are willing to do anything  you ask them to do, show up for work on time and take very few sick days.

Group 1: “The cream of the crop.”  They are willing to do everything that you ask them to and also look for work to be done to keep busy. They realize that when everybody works together, more can be accomplished in less time. They also will make suggestions to improve work systems and good work relationships.

The challenge for you as a manager is to move group 3 to group 2 and move group 2 to group 1. You will find that your work is less stressful and you will have more time to accomplish your work. No more late hours because there will be less interruptions and you are able to keep on schedule.

Small rewards for good work such as a smile and/or thank you will help the employees to realize there are reasons to pitch in when everybody is busy.

Great stuff, dad, thanks. But, how to move those employees from group 3 to group 2 and group 2 to group 1? Stay tuned for the next episode. Part 2 is on it’s way.

On “What not to wear”, one of the problems is getting the participant to give up their old habits and take what they’ve learned and apply it, so too with managers. Think about it.

Does this employee classification system help your thought process on how you manage your people? On the flip side, as an employee, which group are you in?

Let us know your thoughts, either here, on Facebook, twitter or our site at http://www.mcdonaldcontainers.com

Hey, are you sure parachute pants aren’t still cool?

Jim

“I don’t get no respect”

Wow, this may be the first time I have actually disagreed with a dictionary. I’ve had a couple of situations in the last couple of months that have had me chewing on some thoughts about respect. What is it? What does it mean to respect someone or something? Is there a lack of respect in today’s culture? Why? What is the starting point for respect?

Let me start with  a definition that I found (online of course). Respect is “A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.” Really?! As I was rumbling around the web looking at other people’s thoughts about respect and then tweeting some great quotes, I found myself stumbling across this saying a number of times “Respect is something that is earned, not something given”.

I guess I would have to disagree with both the definition and the quote. It seems to me that respect is a starting point and not something that has  to be earned or is deserved by someone because of their accomplishments.  Stating that respect is something that is “earned” or “deserved” would naturally infer that some people or things are undeserving of respect. This would seem to come from the prospective that only those things / people that we “value” are then worthy of our respect and if we don’t value something or someone then we do not owe them respect.

So, maybe respect is something that comes out of our value system. I guess that I would argue that everyone is of value (created in the image of God) and therefore is deserving of respect. Others, I suppose, have a different value system and do not see value in all people and do not deserve respect. BIG PROBLEM. Many of our relational difficulties occur because they don’t start from a place of respect.

Why this post? In a number of situations recently, individuals and companies, I’ve observed, have shown a lack of respect (and in turn value) to customers and others. It has been extremely disappointing to me. It seems to happen especially frequently in the political arena, not only among politicians, but also normal citizens to the leaders of our country. I think that if we could all work from a place of mutual respect (given not always earned), we can certainly move forward with less agitation.

So, too, in the business world. Respect for our customers comes not only from who we are and what we believe, but also from the value that we place on each and everyone that visits our website, posts on our Facebook page, subscribes to our tweets, views our YouTube videos, emails comments and even CALLS US ON THE PHONE. I hope that the respect that we have comes through in each and every contact that you have with us.

Please, give us some feedback. We “value and respect” your comments. Post them here or at http://www.mcdonaldcontainers.com.

Jim