The Contented Cow Blog

Building Workplaces That Work

Alexander McCall Smith, the Scottish author of the acclaimed “Number One Ladies Detective Agency” series, set in Botswana, is one of my favorite novelists. In his latest work, from his Isabel Dalhousie series, entitled The Lost Art of Gratitude, he relates that Isabel, the Edinburgh-based editor of a philosophical journal, has received a letter from the company that prints the journal.

“They had bought a supply of superior Finnish paper, they revealed, and would keep some of this for Isabel if she wished; a sample was enclosed. The offer reminded her of her obliging butcher, who, from time to time would pull something out from under the counter and say that he’d been keeping it for her, some delicious cut that he thought she would particularly appreciate.  Small acts of commercial friendship, binding together customer and provider.”

These days, “small acts of commercial friendship” are especially appreciated by customers. And especially savvy on the part of providers, most of whom need to explore every way possible to win the loyalty of customers who have less disposable income, and usually more choices, than ever before.

I like it when Shenequa, my Starbucks barista, sees me approaching the store and fills a cup with my “usual”, a tall Pike Place, and then asks me how my family (every member of which she knows by name) is doing.

Likewise, I appreciate it when I stay at one of the chain of Kimpton Hotels, and they automatically provide me with feather pillows and a room near the elevator. Sure, they got that info from an online profile that I filled out, and so it’s different from Shenequa’s personal gesture, but it’s no less appreciated.

I enjoy reading comments from the customers of a bank for which we manage a customer satisfaction survey. It’s not uncommon to read something like “I love this bank. My banker called me last week to tell me about a special CD offer you had. He remembered me saying, months ago, that I wanted something short term with higher interest. It wasn’t a lot of money, so I was surprised he remembered. I won’t forget that.”

In an increasingly impersonal world, these small, but important acts are distinctive, and memorable, whether they originate from a highly sophisticated customer relationship management system, or the attentiveness of a caring employee or business owner.

What could you do, today, to demonstrate your “commercial friendship”, to bind you and a valued customer closer together?

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Richard Hadden (twitter at http://twitter.com/rehadden) is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and Bill are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

Our readers have seen consistent mention of the potential risks to workers and employers alike posed by currently contemplated Employee Free Choice (EFCA), or so-called “card check” legislation. We continue to believe that any statute that negates a worker’s right to have the serious matter of union representation resolved by secret ballot vote is a step backward. That said, organizations that are committed to remaining union-free must do more, far more than simply joining lobbying efforts to defeat proposed legislation. Sadly, too many companies are losing sight of this axiom, or are mistakenly using a temporary “employer’s market” as an excuse for failing to do the necessary things to retaining a focused, fired up, union-free workforce. It’s akin to saying that you needn’t brush your teeth because your town puts fluoride in the water.

Businesses that choose to tap into the discretionary effort (we call it Oomph!) of an engaged workforce unencumbered by an uninvited third party need to routinely (as in consistently) take measures which make it unnecessary for people to look outside the organization for representation. Like what? Like…

Listening – Really listening, both personally and institutionally. One of the absolute requirements for selecting managers ought to be communications skills – including the propensity for listening. People who can’t or won’t routinely evidence understanding of the fact that they were issued two ears and exactly one mouth have no business leading others. One way to augment listening on an institutional level is to diligently use employee surveys, with the results tracked across time at both the unit and leader level, and used as a significant piece of the organization’s performance metrics.

Making Sure that No One Is Abused or Humiliated – In a speech at the Armed Forces Staff College (Delos C. Emmons Lecture Series), Major General Melvin Zais suggested that leaders who push people around because they can are “a little man with a little job and a big head.” I’ll take it a step further and suggest that they are not leaders at all, and need to be on someone else’s payroll, preferably a competitor’s.

Treating People Fairly & Providing an Avenue for Problem Resolution – One of the chief things that drives employees into the arms of a labor union is the lack of an internal mechanism for resolving workplace problems. As a matter of course, each of us wants to know where we can go to get a fair hearing and resolution if/when we think we’re being treated unfairly. Smart organizations realize that it is far better to provide that avenue internally rather than leaving it to the courts and other outsiders.

Showing Up When People are Having a Tough Time – When everything is said and done, leadership is personal. We either gain or lose our folks one heart at a time. One important way to earn the benefit of the doubt in a world that has become entirely too crusty, cynical and self-absorbed is to be there, in person, whenever someone on your team is having a tough time. Don’t send them a Tweet or an email, show up.

If you’re unwilling to do these things day in and day out, regardless of the economic weather, then you don’t deserve (and likely won’t get) the benefit of the doubt of your workforce when it comes to deploying their discretionary effort, or for that matter, voting “No” in a representation election.

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A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard Hadden, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/ContentedCows

As many are aware, FedEx, the world’s largest cargo airline, and my business alma mater, lost two dedicated pilots and an MD-11 aircraft last week in the first fatal crash in the company’s 37 year history.

Since our first book, I’ve written and spoken extensively about the company’s high performance culture in which going the extra mile is the rule and not the exception. Though I’ve been gone 20 years, chills ran down my spine this morning when I read an internal account written by a fellow employee of lengths the company and its employees went to in order to pay respects to the fallen pilots and their families. Some excerpts…

“As all of you know, one of the fallen pilots was based in San Antonio.  First Officer Tony Pino is a retired Air Force officer and has been flying with FedEx for a little over 3 years. On Friday the 13th of this month, Pino jumpseated out of San Antonio for the last time with a promise to his wife that he would be home Thursday the 26th.  Today, we received about 12 of the Pino family and friends on the ramp, along with 35 uniformed pilots and approx 70 of our FedEx family to fulfill that promise.

” In Narita, Japan there were a number of pilots in full uniform to present the remains of both pilots to the aircraft and see the flight off.  In Oakland for a “gas and go” there were 25+ full uniformed pilots that went up the stairs and paid respects to the fallen ones.  In MEM a full color guard received the two and took them to a hangar where Fred Smith, Dave Bronczek and a large number of executives received 400-500 pilots and personnel that were bused to pay respects.  My understanding is that Mr. Smith was there for the duration.  People signed a book for each family.

“After which, Captain Mosely was flown to Portland Oregon this morning where the Ramp Team received the family and had approx 80 employees lined up on the nose dock.  Their operation was without any issues or concerns and was a very moving presentation according to the Senior Manager.

“F/O Pino was taken to a MEM funeral home and escorted for 12 hours by 2 crew until time for the day-turn show time.  A full honor presentation accompanied the loading.  Flowers were also sent to the MEM funeral home and all of those were loaded on our flight 379 along with crewmen (2 were formal escorts). Our pilots were not ever left without escort from Japan until the funerals and will not be unless the family requests otherwise.

“At San Antonio, it rained today until approx 1400hrs, skies cleared and the sun came out.  It was a beautiful afternoon.  We received the family and parked them on the tarmac at approx 1650hrs along with the guests and uniformed crew.  We made arrangements to have the flight land on the closest runway and touched down straight across from our ramp with a perfect landing.  The aircraft blocked at 1734hrs and the flowers from Mr. Smith  (gorgeous 6’ tall arrangement) and the book signed by all in MEM were presented to the widow and 3 boys.  Tony’s mother and other family were also present.

“The body was covered with the American flag and the pilots and honor guard stayed at full attention then moved to salute when the pallet started in motion forward.  It was lowered and the honor guard stepped up on the loader.  Mrs. Pino came forward with her son, hugged the casket and spent a few moments with her late husband.  She retreated and the transfer was completed to the hearse with proper respect and military bearing.

“I have a ramp agent that indicated in his 32 years with FedEx it was the proudest moment he has experienced.  Our FedEx Team did an exceptional job of honoring these two pilots. Our loader operator, stairs, marshaller and others were absolutely perfect in their execution. One of the pilots authorized to be here was in full UPS uniform and he was absolutely awed by the respectfulness.

“We still work for the best company in the world because we fill it with the best people in the world!  Please feel free to share this with your teams as they also should know as well.”

As we go about trying to figure out what is (and what should be) the new normal in our post-AIG world, it pays to remember that there can still be places where people care about each other, and where work is something more than a pure commercial transaction. That ain’t all bad.

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard Hadden, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

This weekend I, along with 600 or so others, attended the funeral of Jim Daloisi. Jim was not a business leader nor a political figure in our community, and he had only a handful in his extended family. Jim was our church custodian. This past summer, at the age of 47, Jim received a diagnosis of stage 4 lymphoma. He fought the battle hard, but lost the fight last week.

Not only was Jim a member of the church staff, he was an active member of the congregation. For years, he’d lent his deep bass voice to the choir, and to gospel quartets. And every year, he’d go to New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen to minister to people who were homeless, and those with HIV/AIDS.

As was noted by the minister who spoke at Jim’s service, no one at the funeral was there out of a sense of duty, or because they were simply members of the church, but because they had, in some direct way, been touched by this humble man of goodwill. That’s why I was there.

Jim would have deserved to be called an Extra Miler solely on the basis of how he performed the job he was paid to do. He was always MOOving Fast. His standard was excellence. He consistently went above and beyond requirements in his work.

But it was what he did quietly, on his own time, to help others, that earned him the respect shown by the full pews at his funeral. One example of what was routine for Jim: One Sunday a single mother happened to mention, in a group, that her lawn mower had broken down, mid-mow, the day before. Jim didn’t say anything, but he showed up that afternoon, mowed her lawn, and fixed her mower.

Hats off to Jim Daloisi. A perfect picture of an Extra Miler.

In our September issue of Fresh Milk, our free monthly leadership and organization newsletter, we proffered ten ideas for impoving your employee retention efforts. Then we asked our readers to participate in a contest by giving us an 11th idea. The winner was promised a copy of Contented Cows Moove Faster, our book about Discretionary Effort and what it takes to get it. Thanks to all those who submitted ideas. The winner is Sharon Burdine, Vice President and Manager of Benefits Administration for Simmons First National Bank, based in Arkansas.

Sharon’s idea #11:

Our CEO always tells us to “catch someone doing something good” and then to recognize and reward them for it.  To help do that, all associates at all levels are able to give QCS (quality customer service) awards to anyone who goes the extra mile either for a customer or a co-worker.  A QCS award can be anything, from cash to a gift, up to a $50 value, and can be given immediately, which contributes to the effectiveness of the reward.  In addition to the immediate rewards, quarterly winners are chosen from each our 8 banks, and those quarterly winners win a lunch for themselves and their supervisor with the CEO and other top management at their location, as well as a trophy and $500.  To top it off, at the end of the year, all quarterly winners attend a nice dinner off-site with their supervisors as well as the CEO and other top management at their bank, and at that dinner, the annual overall QCS winner is awarded with another trophy plus $1,000.  Then, each of the 8 bank winners come together at our Corporate headquarters for lunch with their CEO and the Corporate CEO, and one of their names is drawn for a cash prize of $5,000!

To make sure everyone is aware of the QCS award winners, monthly publications are issued with the names of all associates receiving and giving QCS awards.  As space permits, stories that led to the rewards are also published.  Additional quarterly and annual editions of the QCS newsletters announce those winners and tell their stories, and show their pictures when they were presented their award by management.

It’s a really great program!  It has achieved for us great customer service ratings from shoppers (consistently above 95%), as well as a continual stream of very nice notes from customers, which also get published in the QCS newsletter (with the name of the customers withheld).

Thanks Sharon for your idea, which not only improves employee retention, but customer retention and development as well! And thanks to all those who took the time to let us hear from you with your ideas.

Richard and Bill

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is an author, seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and Bill are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

Today’s post is another in our ongoing effort to provide some good news and inspiration in an otherwise difficult period.

In her piece for the October 6 edition of Nation’s Restaurant News Dina Berta recounted an incredible story about Marcus Gilbert, the owner of a Charley’s Grilled Subs franchise in Orem, Utah helping out one of his employees who needed a kidney transplant. It seems that the employee, Juan Delgado is part time, and Gilbert is only able to provide health insurance for full timers, so he found another way to help, by, get this… donating one of his own kidneys.

Mr. Gilbert’s selfless act reminds us of an expression used by Chick-fil-A’s C.O.O., Dan Cathy in conducting training for managers at new store openings: “When a team member is enduring a personal hardship, we want you to go above and beyond for that person. When you do, you will have their full attention when you talk about going above and beyond for our customers.”

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

On a day when the Dow tanked another 508 points in a long string of losing days, some good news, any good news, even a little piece is most welcome. Such a nugget climbed into my in-basket this evening in the form of an email message from the 92nd Street Y in New York.

Business partner, Richard Hadden and I rendezvous there two or three times a year and catch a lecture by a business chieftan or other notable. Though it’s a long trip from our respective domiciles, we’ve never been disappointed in the experience. Anyhow, the text of the email follows, unedited. Consistent with our experiences with these folks, I thought it was a class act. Clearly, these folks are going the extra mile.

For better than a decade, business partner Richard Hadden and I have written about leadership and employment issues, offering what we hope is helpful advice to those who are known by others as “the boss.”

Last night, my wife and I celebrated her birthday at Nashville’s Sommet Center, enjoying a rocking performance by another guy known as, “The Boss.” Together with his E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen performed all the oldies and goodies for an enthusiastic audience that included Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, and Kim Carnes. Totally aware of his surroundings, the Boss nearly brought the house down with an Elvis-inspired version of “Good Rocking Tonight,” followed by a soulful rendition of Johny Cash’s, “I Walk the Line.”

Notwithstanding the fact that Springsteen’s music is about as good as it ever was, I came away dutifully impressed by his and the band’s willingness to  give it up for an appreciative mid-week audience. After starting the customary 45 minutes late (I still don’t get that part), they performed nonstop for three hours, doing at least twenty minutes of encore to a standing ovation. Those in the vicinity of St. Louis, Kansas City, and Milwaukee would do well to go see them before the “Magic Tour” calls it quits.

A thought leader in the arena of leadership and employee engagement, Bill Catlette is a seminar leader, keynote speaker, and executive coach. He helps individuals and organizations improve business outcomes by having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

Another of the excellent speakers we heard at the National Speakers Association convention in New York last week was Bill Strickland, President and CEO of Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild and Bidwell Training Center, Inc.

Talk about someone who does meaningful work! His story is much too long to detail in this blog, and I certainly can’t do him justice. Besides, he’s been written about in Inc, Fast Company, and tons of other publications, and you can read about him there.

In a nutshell, Bill Strickland is a social innovator who runs a company to train and give substantive (not empty) hope to poor inner-city kids, welfare mothers, and others in the Manchester area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s taking his highly successful model, which educates people in the visual, culinary, and other arts, and replicating it across the country now.

Here’s just a little of what Strickland said, that stuck in my mind:

• “The only difference between rich people and poor people is that poor people don’t have any money.”
• “People’s behavior is a function of how they’re treated.” (Where have we heard that before?)
• “We have fresh flowers all over the center, because these people deserve to see fresh flowers.”
• When he had his center designed in Pittsburgh, he wanted it to be flooded with light. The people who learn there have lots of darkness in their lives. Strickland knew that light would change their outlook, and their behavior. It has.
• The walls of his center are covered in valuable art. Skeptics told him the art would be trashed within a month. In the 22 years since he started the practice, there’s never been an act of vandalism at the center. Reminds me of a point made by John Houseman in the classic training film, Brain Power, by Karl Albrecht, in which Houseman reminds us, “We get what we expect to get. What are you expecting?”

We heard lots of polished, eloquent speakers at the NSA convention. Bill Strickland was not one of them. It was, instead, his message, not his delivery, that blew me away.

Thanks, Bill Strickland, for being an Extra-Miler.

Richard Hadden is a leadership speaker, author, and consultant who helps organizations improve their business results by creating a great place to work. He and his co-author and business partner Bill Catlette, are the authors of the new book Contented Cows MOOve Faster, as well as the acclaimed business classic Contented Cows Give Better Milk. Learn more about them and their work at ContentedCows.com.

In the May 12 issue of Fortune Magazine (OK, I’m a little behind on my reading), PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Indra Nooyi credited her father with the best piece of advice she ever got. “From him, I learned to always assume positive intent. Whatever anybody says or does, assume positive intent. You will be amazed at how your whole approach to a person or problem becomes very different.” The rest of what Ms. Nooyi had to say also makes a lot of sense, as do the ‘advice nuggets’ of other business leaders. Check it out.

In short, what I hear Ms. Nooyi saying is, be an optimist. You will get further in life, and far greater measure of a person’s best effort when you expect the best, rather than the worst.

I was reminded of the whole optimism thing this past weekend, while watching tributes to former Fox News editor and White House Press Secretary, Tony Snow. In a video clip now permanently seared into my memory, while at the White House lectern, Snow, knowing that he had colon cancer remarked, “Not everybody will survive cancer, but you’ve got the gift of life – make the most of it.”