Time To Shape Your Future Or The Kids For 2016? 

Merry Christmas From Workplace Evolution! (?)

Right now I have about two hours to call my own over Christmas before the family return from either shopping, drinking or the traditional Christmas walk. I have decided to spend these two hours writing to you. I hope you have some space to think about what next year will bring and how you want to shape you future. Being a dad I am also thinking about my kids future and I don't think SMART goals will work!!!


What Are Our Options?....Be DUMB?!!
You may struggle to stay to goals and perhaps let other things in life over-take them. SMART goals are great but I struggle with time constraints and whilst great for project management, I am not always inspired enough to be bought in to them. The DUMB goal model can also help to ask some really thought provoking questions to our kids. The concept developed by Brendon Burchard is worthwhile reflecting on this Christmas when you have some time free!.....

Dream-driven 
Let’s have vision for our lives, not just focus on our tasks. Let’s dream big again and get our heads out of our to-dos. Are the goals we’re setting aligned with our bigger vision for our lives and our contributions? Have you ever asked your kids what their dreams are for the future and really listened and explored them with them for just an hour away from mobile phones and social media!?

Uplifting
How is it that smart goals have no prerequisite for positivity? Shouldn’t our goals inspire something in us more than a need to meet a deadline? Let’s set inspiring, positive, joyous, uplifting goals for ourselves. Perhaps we need to know more about what excites and motivates our kids to really inspire them. 

Method-friendly
If we’re going to take aim at something, let it be something  that is friendly to developing practices of mastery towards. Most things we work towards requires methods, practices, forms, and habits that are built around a broader goal and help people move to mastery. A good goal allows us to create methods and practices that help us move toward them. Often as a Dad I know that I am not the best source of information / knowledge! Where are you getting your best practice from for your kids? How effective is the environment they are practicing in? 

Behavior triggered
When we set a goal, we should create a behavioral trigger that reminds us to chase it. A trigger means: if I am already doing A, then I’m going to add behavior B right after in order to habitually move toward my goal; it’s a reminder and an activator. For example, if we want to be a better parent, then we can set a behavior trigger to accomplish it, like a rule, so that when we pull into the driveway at night our first thought is to take a moment to center ourselves and finding a calm and loving space before entering the house.

MY DUMB Goal?

D: To write a blog which will lead to a book which will be published one day. The book will help Dads be the best they can be - support their family through the roller-coaster of life, set role-model behaviour and help their children reach their potential.
U: Helping other Dads who might be struggling with modern day demands will be a great feel-good factor for myself. 
B: My trigger for this goals will be when the TV is one and something rubbish comes on. At this point I will remind myself of D, U and M!
Have a prosperous 2016......if you liked this article please let me know
M: I will set time aside each month, one Sunday typically, to write my blog as well as receive feedback from friends / colleagues / other publishers / journalists / websites etc. I need an inspiring place to write though....watch this space.

Good luck with your DUMB goals. Mine is out their now (publically sharing your goals can actually help motivate you to accomplish them). 

How Well Are Your Staff Packing Parachutes?

How Well Are Your Staff Packing Parachutes?

"You woundn't catch me up there using this!..."

I'm preparing for a customer service workshop today and came across an old story that encourages you to put yourself in the customer's shoes and exceed expectations.

The famous story is about parachute packers in the Second World War who achieved a quality rate of 99.9% and felt satisfied with the result. Needless to say the thousandth parachuters did not share their satisfaction! One day it was decreed that once a week the packers would make a jump with the parachutes at random. The error rate promptly sank to zero. 

If 100% is available we should always aim to achieve it - just being good is never enough. 

Ways To Meet Or Exceed Customer Expectations.....

- Encourage your staff to take a little extra time explaining to the customer what they are doing and what they expect to happen and / or the result to be

- If your staff can't help in the first place instead of referring the customer to a third party make arrangement with that third party to call your customer 

- Send a regular note to all your current customers thanking them for their continued custom and expressing your pleasure at doing business with them (in your own unique way perhaps!)
- Write to or call customers who have complained to thank them for doing so
- Write a note or send an acknowledgement to those who have increased his or her level of spending or commitment to the organisation
- Add something extra to your service where possible e.g. a free smaller product with a large product that has just been bought

How Would You Performance Manage Jeremy Clarkson? Learn From The Big Egos.....

It was announced this week that the BBC would not rule out Clarkson returning to them in the future. This presents an interesting challenge for the next producer who dares to cross Clarkson’s path……how would they go about performance managing Jeremy Clarkson? 

This is a great question I use in my workshops to get the conversation going. Lessons can also be learnt from past workplace “Ego Disasters” such as Gerald Ratner, Brian Harvey (East 17), Nick Leeson and even Morrisey.

Challenging The Untouchables – The Collapse of Barings Bank…

Strong performance management explores how the line manager can support the employees’ capability to do the role as well as being able to challenge under performance. This can’t be easy if the results are coming in thick and fact (Top Gear ratings are unbelievably good!). This is a challenge that many banks are trying to face right now – performance managing not just the results but also the behaviours demonstrated. When I asked Nick Leeson “Do you envisage Banks providing bonuses not only on results but also behaviours?” he seemed to think this would be a model that would address the values challenge across the industry but would be hard to implement. 

This is not surprising – when Nick worked at Barings Bank (which is subsequently collapsed through his “Rogue Trading”) the traders were described as untouchables – as long as they bring the money in don’t ask any questions. This culture unfortunately led to the demise of Barings Bank (of course Nick played his part!)….however – we should ask what sort of silo culture was in place at Top Gear? Was this really an environment that Clarkson’s behaviours (and others) could be challenged in an appropriate manner?

Maintaining Credibility With Stakeholders - The Ratner Speech

Although the high street chain Ratners in the 1980s may have been regarded as "tacky", the shops were extremely popular with the public, until Ratner made a speech addressing a conference of the Institute of Directors at the Royal Albert Hall on 23 April 1991. During the speech, he commented:

“We also do cut-glass sherry decanters complete with six glasses on a silver-plated tray that your butler can serve you drinks on, all for £4.95. People say, "How can you sell this for such a low price?", I say, "because it's total crap."

For me the speech highlights a lack of awareness of who your main true stakeholders actually are and the need to consistently maintain credibility with them at all times. In this instance the customers’ needs were sacrificed for laughs in front of powerful and influential business people across the U.K.  Back to Clarkson – in this instance it appears he was focused on his own needs rather than those of the BBC teams and Top Gear followers. It may sound unfair but big egos often fail to consider the thoughts and feelings of even some of their biggest stakeholders under pressure and in the heat of the moment. 

Morrisey – A good example of Emotional Intelligence?

Morrissey was described recently as  a “rich, has-been egomaniac” by Scottish band PAWS, after the Smiths frontman allegedly demanded that their clashing gig in the same venue as his be cancelled. Morrisey was booked recently for a gig in California on with PAWS and We Are Scientists due to play in the next-door room. But reports state that Morrissey was not impressed with this set-up due to concerns that loud music would drown out his performance – suggesting they should re-schedule the gig. 

Morrisey is a great example of an individual with fantastic talent but perhaps lacks a few key aspects of emotional intelligence – problem solving with others and the maintaining of relationships where both parties needs are fully addressed. We Are Scientists’ Chris posted a follow-up message suggesting that the eventual solution – moving their show a little later – was fair. In any strong graduate programme the importance of the "Win-Win" approach to work is critical - where fixed positions are addressed through the exploration of common ground.

How to performance manage a successful person such as Clarkson?

It raises a great question of whether we would damage his actual strengths by working with him to focus on his development areas – could we really imagine a sensitive and thoughtful Clarkson in the workplace? No – but we could at least open up opportunities for greater levels of collaboration in his work which includes compromise with his peers. 

The BBC itself also needs to reflect on what might be a silo type culture in the Top Gear team – where values and behaviours have gone unchallenged and without follow-up. All individuals need to be objective driven and strategically aligned - whoever they are! This should not be compromised with the most talented (or gifted!) employees by any organisation. 

There is a positive to see that when the dust had settled Clarkson took accountability and responsibility for the situation claiming he wanted people to stop blaming the producer, Oisin Tymon, for his departure from Top Gear following him being the subject of threats on social media. Finally - great empathy and reflection, I wish him well in his future career post whatever his role and the best of luck to his future line manager!