The Contented Cow Blog

Building Workplaces That Work

Bill Catlette and I have been at the annual convention of the National Speakers Association this week in New York City. One of the highlights of the convention was a town hall style session with 2 titans of the travel industry, Bill Marriott, CEO of Marriott Hotels, and Dave Barger, CEO of JetBlue Airways.

Bill and I often speak from the platform about these 2 companies, as exemplary companies to work for. Hearing their respective CEO’s speak made it easy to see why we do.

Some highlights, first from Marriott:

• Marriott’s parents, the hotel chain’s founders taught him “take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers.”
• One key to the success of Marriott Hotels is training. Training represents an enormous proportion of the company’s time, attention, and money.
• Another key is providing opportunities for advancement. By far, most Marriott managers started in entry level positions in the chain’s hotels, and were motivated by the strong connection at Marriott between performance and promotion.
• Bill Marriott spends a huge amount of time circulating among his thousands of properties to see the people who work there. “I can’t make strategic decisions unless I know what’s going on, and I can’t do that if I’m not there.”

From JetBlue’s Barger:

• Barger recently took a 50% pay cut.  (He was asked about this, he didn’t bring it up. I know the person who asked the question, and he was not a plant.) “We’re going to be flying less, so our people will be earning less. So I should, too.”
• “This is not a fuel business. It’s a people business. What keeps me up at night is not the price of fuel. It’s how we motivate our people to deliver the best product, especially in these tough times.”
• “We don’t talk about ’survival’ at JetBlue; we talk about ‘winning’.”

As much as I was impressed by what these guys said, I was even more impressed by who they appeared to be. I left the session with the feeling that I had just spent 90 minutes in the presence of a couple of guys who were not only brilliant, but really nice, ordinary (though extremely wealthy, especially Marriott) folks.

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.

The Credit Union National Association has been holding America’s Credit Union Conference this week at the New York Hilton. It was my pleasure to be the speaker for one of the conference’s Thought Leader Sessions yesterday, June 30. The topic was “Contented Cows MOOVE Faster - Work is Contractual…Effort is Personal.”

In researching the Credit Union industry in preparation for the presentation, I learned some great examples of what Discretionary Effort (or OOMPH!, as we call it) looks like in a Credit Union.

It’s OOMPH! when…

• A member service representative arrives in the branch two hours early, because she can’t wait to get to work…not because there’s something at work that can’t wait.
• A lending officer takes loan documents to a member’s home, because she’s broken her leg, can’t drive for a month, and has no one to drive her to the credit union. Oh, and it’s really OOMPH! when he stops by the grocery store on the way, to pick up bread and milk for her.
• A teller balances her cash drawer at the end of the day, and is free to go home, but instead, stays to help a fellow teller who’s having trouble balancing.

What does OOMPH! look like where you work? Let us hear from you.

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.

Business Week is currently soliciting solutions to a list of “tough challenges” identified by its readers. While my response to their challenge goes thru the editing process it seemed a good idea to let our readers see it first, before it appears at BW. Here’s my reply to the question, “How do you continue to innovate when the economy is in a recession?”

Truth be known, operating in a difficult economy gives everyone a better appreciation for what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. The wind is chronically in your face, and it seems there’s never enough time, capital, or runway to draw an assured breath. You’re scared, but you keep going. Maybe it’s because we’re too Committed or just too hard headed to give up.

Whether in a start-up or a high-performance team deep inside a larger institution, entrepreneurial behavior involves the relentless and passionate pursuit of an endeavor in which one has a vested interest. By definition, this behavior is contingent upon Focus, Passion, and Trust.

Focus: In the words of former NFL head coach, Jimmy Johnson, “confused players are not very aggressive.”  Even more so in difficult economic times, it is imperative that leaders at every level make darned sure that all hands on deck understand, really understand where the ship is headed, why it’s going there, and what that means. Despite having more communications modes, gear, and doodads at our disposal than ever, we probably do a poorer job of communicating (as in making meaning) regarding this stuff than at any time in history. As a quick litmus test for your own organization, ask the next ten staffers you bump into to jot down a list of the organization’s three (3) highest priorities. If they’re all the same, call me. I’d love to hear more about how you do what you do. If not, get busy.

Passion: Operating in the incredibly difficult, commoditized air transport business, Southwest Airlines flies the same planes to the same places, serving the same stale peanuts as its competitors. (Actually, some of their competitors have recently decided that eliminating the peanuts will be the ‘secret sauce’ to achieving prosperity.) For better than thirty years, Southwest has beaten the competition senseless not so much with planes or routes, but by hiring people who are capable of, and inclined to be a bit more passionate about what they do. In short, Southwest recognizes that there are more folks who have the talent to fly and fix their planes than those who, by virtue of pace, preference, and values fit their merry band. Unlike the competition, they’ve figured out that it should be unlawful to lock customers up in an aluminum tube for long periods with cranky employees. In other words, talent is important, but so is attitude.

As leaders, we need to realize that passion is not a static condition that can be ignored or taken for granted. We must cherish it, invest in it, see that it is well directed, and above all else, set the example to be worthy of its expenditure in our workplace.

Trust:  At the end of the day, trust is the central lubricant that allows the entrepreneurial juices to flow – trust in one’s self, your ideas, the people around you, and in your support systems. Sadly, due to the ongoing reinvention of the ‘deal’ in the workplace, trust is in as great a demand and low supply as well, uh… oil. The pressures of an eroding economy make this even more the case.

If you’re truly worried about keeping alive the entrepreneurial instincts in your organization, this would be a great place to start. Consistent with the premise that people would rather “see a sermon than hear one”, turn off the PR machine, put the lawyers back in their sound proof offices, and begin taking visible steps to demonstrate that you personally, and your organization can be trusted to do what you say you’re going to do. Make it abundantly clear that you’re not going to stop at doing what’s legal, but what is right. In similar fashion, be strident and unapologetic in demanding that those with whom you work and partner are similarly convicted.

I can’t promise you that doing these things will convert your organization to a bunch of fire-breathing entrepreneurs, but it’s pretty safe to say you’ll never get there without them. Good luck and Godspeed!

A thought leader in the areas 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

Last week I had the pleasure of being on a Comair flight manned by a flight attendant by the name of Eric. It was immediately obvious upon boarding that this flight was going to be different, in a positive way. With a smile and a wisecrack about the plane’s designers, he reminded me upon boarding of the low door clearance so I wouldn’t bump my head. A few minutes later, with a half empty aircraft (a rare luxury on a regional jet), he invited passengers to spread out if they wished to do so. A couple of minutes before pushback he repeated the offer to spread out, adding jokingly that those who hadn’t heeded his previous offer would now have to pay a $25 fee for the right to do so.

It wasn’t so much that we had a frustrated comic for a flight attendant, but rather, a guy who seemed to be doing his best to brighten his day and the day of those around him. Somewhere between Cincinnati and Charleston, WV, I asked him about the shtick. “I want to become a pilot,” he said, adding that the Comair gig allows him to attend flight school, and get his foot in the door within the industry. Then, he added, “But for now, I try every day not to let my work become a job.” I - try - not - to - let - my - work - become - a - job… Let that sink in for a moment.

My guess is that Eric would agree with former U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said, “Men are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of their own minds.” How many people do you know who go through life being prisoners of their own minds, preferring, unlike Eric, to see the dark side of just about everything? More importantly, how often do you and I fall into the same trap, allowing cynicism to overcome our good nature? Indeed, my granddaughter has been asked to call me “Grumpy” as something of a reminder of what I don’t want to become. I have also asked a few people close to me to gently (or not so) remind me whenever they notice that my smiles/frowns ratio seems to be getting out of whack. Sometimes it works, and sometimes I need to do better.

Regardless of what techniques or reminders we employ, it is important, especially for those of us who have accepted the mantle of leadership to remember that, in our increasingly uptight world, people simply will not follow, let alone go the extra mile for someone who lacks a generous dose of optimism… someone who sees their work as nothing more than a job.

A thought leader in the areas 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

In some faiths, the term “grace” is defined as “the unmerited favor of God”. In more earthly terms, grace is when we receive something we don’t deserve, and in fact, can’t possibly earn. When the police officer stops you for going 65 in a 45mph zone, and lets you off with a warning. That’s grace. When you pig out over the holidays, and gain only 2 pounds. That’s grace.

My family and I were recently the recipients of the “unmerited favor of Delta Air Lines”.  Or were we? Returning from a European vacation a few weeks ago, we were booked in 4 frequent flyer award seats, in coach, from Prague to Atlanta. Sometimes I have enough miles in my account to upgrade to Delta’s Business Elite (their version of International First Class), but not this trip. A ten-hour transatlantic flight in coach is no one’s idea of pleasant, but considering we paid nothing for these seats, I wasn’t complaining.

A long-haul flight is hard enough when you’re in the best of health, but my teenage son had picked up a nasty cold in Prague, and was feeling pretty lousy. None of us was looking forward to the journey.

When we checked in at Prague, we were told by the Delta ticket agent that, because coach was oversold, all 4 of us were being upgraded to Business Elite. Did we have any problem with that?

This is grace. And maybe a little like, in some ways, Discretionary Effort. I didn’t deserve the upgrades. I didn’t pay for them. I didn’t expect them, and therefore could not have complained had we not received this unmerited favor. And yet, it’ll be a long time before I regain rights to gripe about not scoring an upgrade on a domestic flight with Delta.

And yet, why did Delta pick us, rather than 4 other lucky winners, to fly back in comfort? Two reasons: 1. We checked in relatively early, and 2. I fly Delta a LOT, and was likely the only Platinum Medallion frequent flyer booked in coach for this flight. The airline had to upgrade 4 people. Why not do it for their most loyal customers?

In this way, the “favor” was not entirely unmerited. The same goes for Discretionary Effort. You, as a leader, can’t pay people to go the Extra Mile at work, to give you the Discretionary portion of their effort. You can’t exactly earn it. And because it’s not required, you can’t exact sanctions on people who don’t give it.

However, when someone on your team volunteers to work that extra weekend; covers for a sick colleague; does a 200% job, when 100% would have worked; bends over backward for a customer; quietly does without so the numbers look good this quarter; rolls up their sleeves without regard to their job description; does something on their own initiative rather than being asked; gets to work before you do because they can’t wait to get started; or renders any other manifestation of Discretionary Effort, it may be because their leader cares about them as a person; tells them frequently how much they’re appreciated; looks for ways to help make their job easier; cuts them a little slack when they’re going through a rough patch, has earned their trust; has been a good listener; and in short, has gone the Extra Mile for them over the years.

Favor? Yes. Unmerited? Not entirely.

Last week I delivered a speech at the University of North Florida on the leader behaviors which drive and restrain discretionary effort, and the attendant employee engagement. We call it Oomph!

As is customary, unless you really lay an egg, a small handful of members of the audience came up after I finished to ask a question, make a point, or pass along a compliment. I could tell that two of the women standing there seemed particularly interested in getting my attention. As I turned to them, one of them blurted out that the presentation, which at best I’d give a B to (after all, this was a university setting), was the best she’d heard in some time. The other simply said, “I want to thank you. You have no way of knowing it, but your remarks helped me make an important career decision.”

Wow! In an instant, I went from being a little tired (this was the 2nd such presentation that day) to absolutely pumped by the knowledge that what I had just done for the last hour mattered, really mattered to somebody. Her simple, heartfelt comment got me stoked, not just for the afternoon, but for the next several presentations I’ll be making. For the next few months, whenever I give a speech or a seminar, I will have a visual reminder of that lady’s face, and the knowledge that what I’m doing can make a real difference.

It’s not that this principle is new to us. In point of fact, we pound it pretty hard in our work. Yet, there is a world of difference between telling others that they need to let their people know that their work matters, and having it happen to you. So, for the next little while, I’m refreshed. The question is, what about the people on your team? When was the last time they heard how and why their work matters?

A thought leader in the areas 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

Business Week Magazine has just released its 2nd annual ranking of “The Customer Service Champs”, heralding 25 firms which, amidst an otherwise pretty dismal scene on the service front, are doing the best job for customers. Representing a diverse cross section of American industry, including hotels, retailers, airlines (yep), banks, quick-service restaurants, and insurers, the Business Week list includes rankings for both “process” and “people.” In other words, high tech or high touch alone won’t get it. Some observations:

1. Once again, it is impeccably clear that those organizations with a reputation for having a focused, engaged, capably led workforce (e.g., USAA, L.L. Bean, Marriott, Edward Jones, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Chick-fil-A) stand a much better chance of garnering kudos for delivering higher quality service. A visit to their annual reports suggests that ink from Business Week isn’t all they’re getting out of the deal.

2. These folks are serious as a heart attack about improving (as opposed to maintaining) service. The article details efforts made by USAA to improve software and launch mobile Web service to make it easier for its highly mobile and often forward deployed military customers to do business with them. Starbucks is also taking some serious measures. At 5:30PM (local) this evening, all 7100 U.S. Starbucks stores will stand down, as in close the doors for three hours so that every Starbucks partner (including those who are scheduled off for the day) can get the benefit of “Espresso Excellence Training.” Hint: 9PM this evening would be a real good time to get yourself a latte.

3. Some organizations are starting to use their heads, along with some real cash and creativity to recognize and reward workers who go the Extra Mile for customers. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has modified its rewards program so that customer service stars actually get something they really want, like help buying an automobile, a trip to places they want to go, and the like. Said, Fairmont’s SVP of HR, Carolyn Clark, “Our guests do not want service that’s cookie-cutter. Just as we’re trying to deliver individualized, personalized experiences for guests, we wanted to introduce a customized, personalized reward program for employees, too.” Yippee!

I decided a while back that life is too short and too precious to waste it by spending time being aggravated over preventable customer service snafus. For that reason, there is an ever growing list of companies (airlines, banks, restaurants, and the like) with whom I will not, under any circumstances, do business. Rather, I strongly prefer to give my business to folks like those mentioned on the Business Week list. It feels better, turns out better, and I’ll probably live longer. You may want to try it.

A thought leader in the areas 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, motivated, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

On Thursday of this past week, Richard and I were the featured presenters on a webinar entitled, “Work is Contractual… Effort is Personal” produced by Globoforce, the reward and recognition people. Readers of this blog are welcome to visit the Globoforce site and hear the recorded event.

Though the post-seminar evals turned out okay, during the session, I perturbed at least one audience member, and for sure the “diversity police” in responding to a question with a remark to the effect that diversity (traditionally defined) isn’t a terribly significant factor in determining those things that motivate people to part with their discretionary effort, or what we call, Oomph! Though, as the name of the session implies, we believe that the decision whether or not to Oomph! is personal, the factors that determine whether or not the worker engages are fairly universal. Regardless of their skin color, whether they are from London, England or New London, Connecticut, fat or skinny, religious or not, an individual’s effort level hinges on things like the presence of high standards and expectations, having a clear sense of purpose and direction, and a leader who cares about them as an individual.

I was reminded of the diversity comment the following day when I read a piece entitled, “A son’s wisdom on a post-racial world” in USA Today by Mohammad Ali Salih, a Washington, D.C. based correspondent for major Arabic newspapers and magazines. Salih’s piece, which is well worth reading, tells of his bi-racial son pointedly telling him that his intended vote for Barack Obama, based on some fresh thinking in America, was not about being racial, or bi-racial, but about being “post-racial.” As in, I’m over it.

Not unlike Mr. Ali Salih’s son, I’m all for respecting people’s uniqueness, but at some level, we Homo sapiens have a lot more connecting than dividing us. Let’s be willing to celebrate that a little more.

A thought leader in the areas 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, motivated, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.contentedcows.com

Tomorrow, two NFL teams will be going at it, hammer and tong, to determine which team deserves to be be known as the champion. For many, if not most of the players, every day of their lives since sometime back in high school has been oriented toward the moment - this moment, when they will play for all the marbles.

Most players in the NFL never get the chance to play in a Super Bowl, let alone wear the champion’s ring. Because of that, one thing is absolutely certain… every player who steps on the field tomorrow will be be giving it his very best, leaving nothing in the tank. They will all be going the extra mile to wear the ring that signifies the rarity of their achievement.

I was exposed to “the ring” about fifteen years ago while on a business trip. After taking my assigned seat on the plane, I happened to glance down at the arm rest which was covered by a hand belonging to my seat mate. Adorning the ring finger of that hand was the biggest gosh darned ring I had ever seen. Upon first glance, I could make out the letters, C O W B. A moment later, when the hand moved slightly, I could make out the remainder of the inscription, which identified the wearer as a member of the one (no, many) time world champion Dallas Cowboys, Gil Brandt. A very interesting conversation ensued, in which we talked about the ring, the Cowboys, and various NFL players. I came away with the distinct impression that more important than the game check, fan adulation, and everything else, was that ring which served as a permanent reminder of the fact that this guy had once been at the very top of the mountain in his profession.

Not everyone plays (or is interested) in football. And, as mentioned above, few players earn the right to wear “the ring.” But setting that particular game aside for a moment, deep down, we all want to be winners in whatever it is we do. Just as Tom Brady (he with the gimpy right ankle) will do whatever it takes tomorrow, under capable leadership, we will expend every ounce of our discretionary effort to be known as a winner in our chosen endeavor. We think it is indeed worth it, for those of us who have chosen to lead, to take the necessary steps to help our teams be winners in whatever it is we do.

For those who’d like to learn more, Richard and I will be keynoting a webinar entitled, “Work is Contractual… Effort is Personal”, on February 21 (11:30AM, EST). The session is free of charge, and is being hosted by the folks at Globoforce Ltd. http://www.globoforce.com. We invite your participation.

As for the Pats and Giants, here’s a not so fearless prediction: Patriots 27 Giants 17.

Godspeed!

A thought leader in the areas 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, motivated, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.ContentedCows.com

We have long maintained that one of the key drivers of worker discretionary effort is whether or not one’s work seems to matter. Along with a lot of others, I got a big, full color, Hi Def, 3-hour reminder of that today as I watched the Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins football game.

As usual during the last week of the NFL regular season, some teams (e.g., the Redskins) were playing their hearts out to make it into the playoffs. Some teams (e.g., the Atlanta Falcons), with no hope of making the playoffs, played for pride. Others, with a playoff berth secure, and no hope of improving their position, mailed it in by resting their weary and protecting the stars. The Cowboys, with their playoff spot and home field advantage sewn up, took a little different approach. Though they played the regular starters at least through the first half, it was as if they were sleep walking.

This doesn’t just happen to athletes. It impacts each of us when we suspect that what we’re doing just doesn’t matter very much. I’ve seen bank tellers spend entire weeks in a deeper fog than the one the Cowboys were in tonight. Let’s all take this as a gentle reminder that it would likely be worth the effort to spend more time this year making darned certain that our people understand, really understand that their work matters.

Godspeed!

A thought leader in the areas 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, motivated, capably led workforce. For more information about Bill, his partner, Richard, and their work, please visit their website at www.ContentedCows.com