The
ability to mobilize and implement requires energy.
Energy is defined here as a sense of opportunistic
optimism married to a sense of urgency. If we look
at the history of some of the world’s corporate
giants—those who have weathered all types of
challenges and adversity—we see a commonality
shared by all great managers and leaders: With an
eye to economic cycles and market indicators, smart
managers seize the moment and act with surety.
Great
leaders also realize that they cannot make change
happen alone. To drive an organization, leaders must
create a “why not” versus a defensive
“why” culture. They must be open to new
ideas and resistant to bureaucracy.
I
had the pleasure of interviewing Ron Johnson when
he was vice president and general manager for Target’s
Home Décor. Ron considered Target to have a
“why-not” culture. When new ideas were
suggested under his watch, he answered, “Why
not?” Says Johnson.
Johnson
believed strongly that, “The key merchandise
trend for the next decade will be design. So my team
identified a person that we thought was one of the
foremost architects and product designers of the twentieth
century --- Michael Grave. My team said, ‘We
need someone who can provide great design at a value
that we can market.’ So in order to accomplish
that, we had to make a major, up-front commitment
to Michael for something that was unproven in the
market. Will it work? Will people really want to move
into this standard? After all, we knew this was Target.
This wasn’t Bloomingdale’s. We went forward
and signed the agreement to launch over 250 products
in the stores. It set an example of Target’s
ability to have an idea and go for it.”
For
organizations to survive, they need this type of “why
not” attitude—the energy and optimism
to find opportunities everywhere, in both the good
and the bad, and the flexibility and fearlessness
to take advantage of the out-of-the-box thoughts of
those who work with you and for you.
Another
factor in the energy piece of the dynamic leadership
matrix is the management process that relates to rewards.
We can generally assume that all people will work
for the corporate or organizational good, and in some
cultures the group is more important than the individual.
But, the group still wants to be rewarded. The effect
of rewards cannot be ignored. Rewarding people for
a job well done with a reward that is meaningful is
the lifeblood of any organization. “Meaningful”
is a key word in this sentence. Employees are motivated
to put forth their best effort when they value the
reward. So, it’s important to get into the shoes
of the receiver of the rewards and find out culturally,
individually, communally and fiscally which rewards
a person or group will appreciate and value.
Recently,
James Smith, a manager at Departmente de Formadoras,
Formax, in Illinois, sent me the following story:
When it comes to recognition, non-monetary rewards
are quite effective. I currently have 45 highly skilled,
well-paid technicians working directly in my service
department. Several years ago I implemented a customer
satisfaction survey which I sent to the customer following
every service visit. The purpose is to evaluate the
performance of the technician and measure the satisfaction
of the customer.
You
can imagine the reaction of these technical people
when it was announced we would begin this program.
Overall, they did not like the idea that big brother
would ask the customer to fill out a survey and return
it to us. The decision to proceed was, however, a
democratic one. We proceeded, and for every returned
survey that we received back, the results were tabulated
and proper scoring was kept in order to monitor satisfaction
levels. The overwhelming majority of the surveys were
being returned with excellent reviews and comments.
Occasionally, surveys would arrive back with less
than favorable results and comments. These were used
to fine-tune our technical services and improve.
As
time went on I began to see that a number of the surveys
were being returned for the technicians that showed
perfect scores. A number of technicians received repeated
perfect scores. I thought that some form of recognition
for these perfect scores was appropriate. In order
to recognize these outstanding performers, small quality
gift rings were purchased. Etched into the key ring
were the words, “In recognition of outstanding
service performance,” along with the company
logo. During our regular monthly meetings, all technicians
who received perfect scores on two or more satisfaction
surveys over a six-month period were brought up before
their peers, thanked for their performance, and handed
the gift. In addition, all the individuals from this
group were added to a drawing for a gift certificate
to a fine dining local restaurant.
I
would like to say that this was a magical moment and
that every technician improved his or her performance.
You always get some complainers. And, in light of
all the jabbing and joking around that these technicians
received from their peers about receiving the rewards,
it appeared that perhaps this form of recognition
in front of peers may have been the wrong way to go
about it and may not be making much of a difference.
The general perception was that the technicians viewed
this as silly.
The
month of May should have been the fifth time that
recognition awards would have been handed out. Being
unable to attend this meeting, one of my supervisors
stood in for me. Not considering these recognition
award ceremonies as being anything looked forward
to, I had not taken the time to prepare the awards
and decided to put it off until the June or July meeting.
Surprisingly, during the May meeting, a number of
technicians inquired where the recognition awards
were.
It
became apparent that although the appearance is that
recognition may be unfruitful, the truth of the matter
is that deep inside the rough exterior of most people
is the desire to be appreciated and recognized for
a job well done. While it may not show on the outside,
the satisfaction felt on the inside can’t be
achieved totally through only monetary reward. Public
recognition in front of one’s peers, no mater
how embarrassed a person may appear, is an excellent
tool to motivate, not demotivate.
Smith
is a good example of a dynamic leader who was open
to feedback. His “of the people” accessibility
and willingness to do something different gave each
individual on his team the feeling that they, too,
were dynamic leaders in their own work, performers
worthy of recognition.
While this kind of energy is something that can be
taught, it’s easier if it comes naturally in
the person. But, when people enjoy what they do, energy
tends to thrive. When they don’t, even if it
is part of their nature, it’s difficult to act
energetic.
- Do
you bring out the energy in your people? Consider
these questions:
- Do
you have a “why” or “why not”
culture? Are you open to new ideas, different ways
of doing things?
- Once
a week, ask your team to examine every corporate
habit or process within your area of responsibility.
Is there a more efficient, effective way to do things?
- Do
you consider yourself energetic? Do others?
- When
things get tough at home or at work, do you see
the glass as half empty or half full?
- Do
you reward people for innovation and quick decision-making?
How?
Larraine
Segil is the author of
Dynamic Leader, Adaptive Organization,
Ten Essential Traits for Managers, Partnering - the
New Face of Leadership, Fast Alliances, Intellegent
Business Alliances, and, Alliance
Metrics.
What
Makes a Dynamic Leader?