“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Sir Isaac Newton 1643-1727
Greetings! Welcome to our May edition of Shoulders of Giants! Happy Spring!
We often talk about creating visions and setting goals, but we should also remind ourselves that to achieve success, we must have clear agreements and understandings with our team about how we get there and what "tools" we will need along the way. Once we have the vision, we will know where we want to go. We must then not only communicate that vision to the entire followership but also ask them for their thoughts, aggressively seek their input and ideas, and hear them! As Stephen R. Covey tells us, "The biggest communication problem is we do not listen to understand. We listen to reply." (Ah ha! Did I catch you on that one?) We must do more than listen; we must indeed HEAR! What are they really telling us? If your followership does not seem interested in providing input, keep trying. In time, they will discern that you are sincere in wanting their ideas and that you want their support. The danger is that not everyone will participate in building the team and the company culture. If even one does not believe in or follow the agreed-upon culture of support, over time, your goals, and even your culture, may be at risk.
Some time ago, I was visiting a restaurant. During my visit, we tested a couple of new food products. The owner brought me into the kitchen, introduced me to the cooks working that day, and we prepared the product being tested. As it was being prepared, I asked the owner, "How about that guy," as I pointed to a young fellow on the other side of the room. He was obviously not included, but I could tell he was curious. The owner then told me, "That's Bobby; he's just the dishwasher!" OUCH! This was foreign to my understanding of culture and inclusion. I proceeded to take the samples over to where Bobby was standing, asked him to sample them, and asked for his thoughts. It took a bit of pulling to get his comments, as I don't think anyone had ever asked him before!
Let's switch for a moment to some thoughts about quality! Where does quality come from? The fact is that it can come from more than one direction. The quality of the product is obvious, i.e., taste, presentation, wearability, etc. But... quality of service, quality of teamwork, and quality of the working environment also contribute to team success. What are our standards and expectations for quality? Who answers the phone? Who greets the customer when they enter your building? How does this first connection contribute to the development of your culture? Your customers should experience your culture the moment contact is made, and it must be there every time. I would guess that some of you have gone to a doctor's office where the person behind the counter expresses an air of control and power. They are the "gateway" to the doctor and because of that, they will control your entrance and contact. When we first experience an "attitude" instead, hopefully, that will be a rare exception, not the rule, in your culture. Unfortunately, it happened to me big time during a recent doctor's visit. We cannot have people "out there" freelancing with our culture! It is disheartening when we see the vision so clearly, train the team members so diligently, and yet this still happens. We need the right people on our bus, in the right seats on our bus, or we need them to get off the bus!
When Harry Truman first took the office as President of the United States following the death of President Roosevelt, Truman kept Roosevelt's cabinet in place. After a while, he started to replace them, one by one. Truman described one department secretary as "smart, good-looking, and a real nice guy," but he had to let him go because he did not contribute. I don't think Harry said this, but, in so many words, told the fellow to "get off my bus!"
Who is standing on YOUR shoulders today, and on whose shoulders do YOU stand? Are all contributors?
“As we work to create light for others, we naturally light our own way.”
Mary Radmacher
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