Workplace | Tim Elmore

Archive - Workplace RSS Feed

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Making Emotional Connections

What separates great organizations from good ones?

One answer to that question is: they make emotional connections with the people they serve. As I have conducted surveys with leaders this year, I have noticed the great leaders are the ones who go beyond transactions; they don’t merely sell a product or a service. They are into transformations—and the do this through making emotional connections.

Chick-fil-A restaurants are a good example. When a customer walks in, all team members are trained to make emotional connections. They may open the door for you, they may bring your food out to your table, and they likely will refresh your drink when it’s empty. In fact, they try to practice three elements with all customers:

1. Excellent food.

2. Second-mile service.

3. Emotional connections.

So—how do leaders and team members accomplish these emotional connections? Let me offer a simple list below…but please, add to it:

* Go deeper in conversation. (Get past the surface)
* Show personal interest. (Remembering names and details)
* Express yourself authentically. (Be real and talk about heartfelt issues)
* Serve them extravagantly. (Give more than they expected; they feel special)
* Bond over a shared experience. (Create a memory over the phone)
* Surprise them with unexpected added value. (Show up in unusual spots)
* Provide an excellent product or service. (Provide an encore in the shipment)

Our team, at Growing Leaders, practices these so well. They build friendships with the administrators, the faculty, the youth workers, the coaches and the parents who call us. I love hearing them on the phone or with people who walk into our office. It’s not rocket science. It’s just about going beyond the bare minimum and caring.

So tell me. What would you add to the list above?

Tim

In: Workplace

Monday, October 3, 2011

Steve Jobs—Where Are You?

Tomorrow, Apple CEO Tim Cook will take Steve Jobs place, announcing the iPhone 5. It will take place in a smaller venue, and probably with fewer people watching than normal. It’s a new day for Apple.

A little more than a month ago, we were all shocked to hear that Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple’s CEO. That move sparked a wave of tributes that bordered on eulogies. According to Paul Saffo, a Silicon Valley technology forecaster, “The difference between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates—two great innovators—is that Jobs created objects of desire.” Peter Sealey said, “You’d have to go back to the 1940s and Walt Disney to find a CEO who’s had as big an impact on culture as Steve Jobs. Maybe it’s a stretch to compare him to Leonardo Da Vinci, but he was just as good.”

May I give my assessment?

Steve Jobs was a true leader who changed the way an industry worked. He influenced our very culture and created both work and hope. We didn’t even know we needed an iPhone or an iPad until Apple created them; now many of us don’t want to live without them. I am one of those people—I have an iPod, an iPhone, an iPad and a MacBook Pro. I’m hooked. Steve Jobs had led the way in the arena of technology and I have followed.

I was reminded of a press conference that took place some time ago, when President Obama fielded questions about the economy. When a journalist commented we need more jobs, someone said, “We don’t need more jobs. We need more Steve Jobs.” Leaders who create, rather than simply move things around or modify.

That’s the kind of leadership we need in every industry. Not merely people who keep things safe and hold on to what we have—but leaders who generate ideas and direction and make the way for others to live at a higher level than they could have alone.

How about you? Do you do this for students? For anyone else in your life?

Tim

UPDATE:

Late in the evening on Wednesday, October 5, I was shocked and saddened to hear the news that Steve Jobs had passed away.

The response to his death has been incredible as so many join together to remember the unique contributions he made.

Take a moment to read these responses as we attempt to answer the question:

Will There Ever Be Another Steve Jobs?

In: Culture, Leadership, Workplace

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Kernel to Ear

My colleague, Holly Moore, and I rediscovered an important leadership principle this year, without even trying. You might call it the “Kernel to Ear” principle.

In the same way a kernel of corn is planted in the ground and when it is eventually harvested, it becomes several ears of corn—certain acts a leader performs on behalf of their teams can produce a stunning ROI (return on investment). Over the last few months, our Growing Leaders team has worked extra hard on projects, ranging from hosting our National Leadership Forum, to an all-day Board Planning Day, to our Coaches Connection. Holly and I were proud of their efforts and wanted to somehow say thanks. We ended up taking them to the Chick Fil A LeaderCast in May. Then, one Friday afternoon in July, we closed our office early, and took our team to the movies. In August, we took our team out to lunch with Jeremy Affeldt (pitcher for the San Francisco Giants) then to the Braves vs. Giants game that night.

Our team took extra care to thank us, with notes and emails. But more so, I have seen them invest themselves in their work. The little gift of a game, a movie or a conference paid great dividends; the kernel has become an ear of corn. Just a little time spent on relationship has turned into incredible results. The truth is, small investments can become big harvests, if they fit the people you’re targeting.

At Growing Leaders, we didn’t treat our team to the game, or the movie or the conference just to get something back. But like the tide coming in on a beach, it sure did come back to us in force. I’d say a hundred-fold. Here’s to leaders discovering how to multiply the fruit borne by their team.

As you consider your own leadership, what kernels could you plant in the people around you, which could produce a great return?

Tim

In: Leadership, Workplace

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Leadership Test Number One: Self-Awareness

Has this ever happened to you? You are waiting at a store counter, ready to pay for the items you’ve chosen and the young clerk pays no attention to the fact that you’re there. They are chatting with a friend, filing their finger nails, or lost in a texting match on their cell phone. You clear your throat, attempting to allow them to notice you without losing their dignity. They still don’t seem to care. When they finally look up, they saunter over to you, but don’t give any eye contact. As they interact with you—they behave as if you are intruding on their time and space. You almost can’t believe what’s happening, but you do because it’s happening more and more these days.

This happened to me last week, and I couldn’t help myself. I looked at the young staff member and diplomatically said: “I’m not sure if this makes sense, but usually if someone is trying to give you money, you should make it an easy and positive experience—at least as much as possible.” I don’t think he understood my words.

I find an increasing number of people today who fail leadership test number one: self-awareness. They have no idea how poorly they come across to others. Or, if they are aware, they just don’t care. This is a sure way to diminish your favor and influence with others. They get an “F” in the class called: People Skills.

It’s not just the kids either. Most people experience a curiously low self-awareness in our culture. USA Today published the results of a survey that asked adults to evaluate their driving skills. About two out of three people reported they thought they were either “excellent” or “very good.” Another 27% said they were “good” drivers, which means a full 91% grade themselves well in driving. Only 1% admitted they were poor drivers. I am sorry. This just cannot be true.

When moms and dads were asked to grade themselves in their parenting skills, they gave themselves an “A” and all other parents a “D.” This is mathematically impossible. Each parent cannot be excellent but everyone else they know is poor.

Four Steps You Can Take

It seems we all have blind spots—and half the battle to overcoming them is simple awareness; admitting that they exist. Here are steps you can take to address them.

1. Invite friends you respect to hold you accountable for your conduct. Give them permission to reveal to you the quirks and habits that could sabotage your growth.

2. Capture yourself on video as much as you can. Watch the footage and evaluate how you come across to others.

3. Ask your supervisor, at work, to clue you in on your damaging patterns. In fact, invite a 360-degree assessment from bosses, colleagues and teammates under you.

4. Invest time daily evaluating your performance and other’s reactions at the end of the day. Ask yourself: If you were your own boss, what advice would you give?

Here’s to taking the first step toward healthy leadership: know thyself.

Tim

In: Generation iY, Leadership, Workplace

Monday, August 22, 2011

Millennials in the Marketplace: Are They Any Different?

A 2011 study conducted by Kenexa High Performance Institute reveals that the attitudes of Millennials (or Generation Y) in the workplace may not be too different than Generation X or the Baby Boomers.

What the researchers discovered was that, contrary to the stereotype of being malcontented, coddled, naïve and idealistic, Generation Y are in many ways just as satisfied as their older colleagues. The young workers, in fact, showed up as slightly higher than the older two generations in company satisfaction, job security and in satisfaction with recognition on the job. This is, obviously, great news in 2011, as we consider the state of our nation.

So what do we do with the hundreds of surveys and studies done in recent years that show otherwise? For me personally, what do I do with the truckloads of interviews I have done with employers who say “they will never hire another recent college graduate” due to the arrogant, cocky attitude they brought with them?

I think I see what’s happening. I believe both are right. Stop and reflect for a moment about three reasons for this recent news.

1. Generation Y continues to be the highest unemployed demographic in the U.S. More than a third (37%) are out of work. Don’t you think this fact might make those who are employed a feel little more grateful and a little less entitled?

2. Management and HR executives now have a decade of experience with Generation Y in the workplace. I think Boomers and Xers are adjusting to the new, young team members and helping them “on board” with greater efficiency.

3. The early hires that companies made, based mostly on talent and pedigree, have been corrected. Society has a way of weeding out the undesirables and allowing the cream to rise to the top. I think the kids who are good are the ones employed.

Let’s face it. In today’s economy, having a decent job is now a reason to be thankful. Perhaps the early years of kids being told they were awesome, and given trophies for simply playing on the soccer team—has now worn off. Everyone, including the young employees has been spoon-fed a dose of reality. It’s always good medicine.

I work with teens and twenty-somethings and I continue to believe in them. I predicted three years ago that our struggling economy would be the best thing to help the kids enter the real world. Perhaps, it is actually happening.

What are your thoughts? Am I being too tough? Do you see any other reasons for the good attitudes at work?

Tim

In: Generation iY, Workplace

Page 1 of 912 3 4 5 »...Last »