The Organic OS - Working Through the Ice Age of Shady, Transient Leadership

 
When a Cold Wind Blows Through 
All too often, team members are faced with the challenge and frustration of a new authority figure, whether they be a new boss, manager or other person with a varying degree of authority. Depending on their degree of authority, they may want to change things as they see fit and this sometimes results in a change of suppliers or new rules that have not been negotiated with the people they affect. It is as though a cold wind is blowing through and the top level staff aren't closing any windows.

In short, the individual team members are on their own to survive the new office ice-age.  Surviving such a scenario includes patience, logic, focus and steps to let your reputation speak for itself, in case there is nobody else to back you up (or, they've backed you up so many times that they feel it's pointless because their suggestions fall upon deaf ears for the most part). If you're on your own, fear not, the new office ice age is no guarantee that you will be completely frozen and locked into the 'new way'.

Anatomy of a Transient, Cold Wind

Very often, it is easy to see the signs of a 'cold air' transient leader heading toward the exit door;  they verbally express their disappointment with company decisions and they engage in obvious networking opportunities, among other activities, that will benefit only them.

Before they leave, though, they will often do favors for outside individuals or companies, and get them involved with the company while attempting to shut others out, simply because they have had previous business relations with them. This is, of course, at the expense of somebody's livelihood.

I'm not suggesting change is bad; on the contrary, change is good. But change is bad when, for example, one supplier is cut in favor of another with no resulting benefit. If the change results in worse service than the previous supplier, a mess has been created  where no mess had existed before. What a mess!

When the CTL (Cold-air Transient Leader) finally leaves, the mess must be cleaned up, but there is the possibility of permanent damage left by the CTL. So, in order to survive a workplace ice age, here are some things team members can do:

1) Protect your reputation, even when nobody has your back! Simply give the best possible service with a smile, no matter what mood you are in, and you will have an incredible amount of armor to protect you, even in your absence. If you are on your way out of the company, but not quite ready to leave, you must still do this and concentrate on how much better off you will be when you are gone.

2) Take note of what changes are affecting you and your team members. Keeping records will give you the advantage when push comes to shove. Do this discreetly, though.

3) Let the CTL know how their decisions are affecting you and your livelihood in a discreet and calm way. Point out the facts and see if they will listen to you and be able to work things out. 

4) Let your voice be heard. Request a meeting either by phone or by office appointment and bring your notes. Ask questions about new policies and procedures and get others on board with you.

So, how do I know all of this? What makes me an expert in dealing with CTL's? Quite simply, I have dealt with this situation in many different industries over the years and have developed a way of a) protecting my reputation when absent and b) have recognized the patterns and used the above solutions to correct the situation. 

The tell-tale signs of CTL's are there, and if a team member recognizes them, they can prepare themselves for the ice age and survive it.

- Buck Moore


   

How to Change Things at a New Workplace

Here are 4 tips for change that I have developed and lived by for almost a decade - and it is a proven method for getting the best results.

Any new team member, especially those in a managerial role, will want to change the way things are done. This happens because the position is fresh, they are excited and they can see ways of improving the company. However, some changes will open a can of worms if implemented improperly. Not everything needs to be 'changed', especially if something is working very well; it may just need to be improved slightly.

The following four step process will allow a new boss, supervisor or department head to manage change in a seamless fashion, if all four points are adhered to closely: 1) Observe you surroundings, 2) Question everything, 3) Make improvements, 4) Keep records.

1) Observe your surroundings - keep a close eye on all processes and make some notes. Pay attention to every aspect of every process and decide whether or not changes are priorities or not. Observe the final outcome (the end result, the product, the service, etc) and evaluate the quality to measure against the ideal the organization has mandated.

Case study: the 'product shot' of a double-layer hamburger looks very juicy, appetizing and the crown of the burger (the bun on top) is perfectly rounded and placed. The whole thing looks hot, tasty and symmetrical - a perfect picture. However, the afternoon shift on every other day (we'll call them Red Team) can never seem to get the product to look like the picture. They overcook the crowns, squish them and slap them on, the patties are sliding out and the lettuce is everywhere.

The new manager assesses the situation and discovers that the Red Team is usually under-staffed because nobody answers the phone when they are on call and staff members regularly call in sick. The manager of Red Team seems overwhelmed and has a hard time keeping his cool. Upon further investigation, Blue Team always has staff, their manager appears to be happy-go-lucky and the overall quality is quite impressive, given the hostile work environment (hot kitchen, line-ups ten deep, etc).

Something is clearly wrong with Red Team. But don't make any accusations until you find out more!

2) Question everything - ask questions of both management and staff, then get to know them as much as possible. Get to the bottom of the situation by going through every detail and don't make any changes until you know the whole story - it'll be better in the long run.

Case study (cont'd): you find out that the manager of Red Team is going through a divorce and has been separated for the previous two years. Some staff report that they do not look forward to coming in to work because they are getting tired of being belittled in front of staff and customers. Somebody tells you 'off the record' that people are trying to switch to Blue Team because they like working for the manager and they have fun while working.

You also hear that the manager of Red Team threw some over-cooked crowns at the crew trainer during one shift in front of everybody. The crew trainer hadn't complained because he fears he'll be fired (he's a teenager and needs the money - his mom is single and she has trouble making ends meet). You then find out that the bun toasters had not been calibrated in a while because the Red Team manager never got around to it, but instead he faked the reports. No wonder the buns were usually over-cooked.

3) Make improvements - have one-on-one meetings with those who are keeping the quality down and let them know you are working on solutions to all of the problems in order to improve the quality. If necessary, send any staff for further education, whether in-house or at another location. Go through the proper procedures for every position and ensure those little details that had fallen through the cracks resurface and are addressed properly. Ask those involved for their input on improving the situation.

Case study (cont'd): you talk the Red Team manager and find out what is slowing him down, in as general terms as possible, and suggest he work in another position or take some time off (or send him to Human Resources so they can direct him to attend a self-help seminar or seek professional help).

You then talk with the crew trainer and explain the situation and why it is so important to address any problems with any management staff by going through the proper channels. Now, it's time for a staff meeting but keep it positive (I've been involved in train-wreck meetings where the staff were accused of many things - not very productive!).

4) Keep records - if your above actions made a difference, you'll need to keep track of the progress. Records will also help you if things begin to slip because you can go back to them and remind yourself of the details and what worked.

Case study (cont'd): the burgers look the same from both Red Team and Blue Team, the overall quality has improved a great deal (as the random 'visitation reports' reveal) and the staff on both Red and Blue Teams are in better spirits. Productivity has improved (as the sales reports indicate) and morale is at an all-time high. It took a few weeks, but you can't hurry resolutions to deep problems.

The above case study was based on real-life situations at a fast food restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. There were many problems at that franchise and I was very happy to be a part of the solutions.

One last thing about the four-step process for implementing change - it works!

- Buck Moore

Managing Change in the Workplace - Five Easy Tips

Wanna make changes at your new workplace? Here are a few tips to help you before making huge mistakes.

1) Hold your horses and keep your ear to the ground first!

Get off the horse and listen closely to the pulse of the organization before you make any radical new changes. In fact, many 'new' changes may have already been attempted by someone else before you and the changes either did not stick because the person before you gave up after discovering what they were up against, or they simply were not the right changes to be made.

A new position of authority at any level is an exciting feeling for an individual. Not only are they given control over certain key areas of the business, they can also make changes as they see fit, within their power. But, all too often the individual does not take enough time to really get to know how things ended up the way they are.

One has to understand the system fully and get to know the people and processes in place at a personal level, rather than relying on what I call 'blueprint evaluation' - that is to say, simply relying on the overall business model without getting to know the people first. Just because a system looks good on paper, does not mean it will work in the real world.

2) Know what you are up against.

Are people willing to change? Are some folks resisting simply because they don't want to change? Is there a false sense of ripping people from their perceived comfort zones? Do some staff members hate their jobs? Did some staff lose faith in the organization because of poor leadership? There is a lot of homework to do before implementing changes.

Some staff members who have been at a place for years have been developing routines, sometimes painstakingly, and may be reluctant to change. This may be because they have had a new manager a number of times who had come in and made changes, but then someone new took over with their changes and so they may not take new leadership seriously.

Because of the ebb and flow of changing leaders, staff members are sometimes left to their own devices because they can't be sure how long a new leader may last AND depending on the level of supervision they had before, weeds may have grown that need to be removed. Just because somebody has developed a routine, does not mean it is the right way of doing things and poor routines can seriously compromise productivity.

3) Implement changes gradually.

I worked under a 'new manager' back in 2000 when I was five years into my career as a live sound mixer/Live Event AV technician. Not only did he make radical changes in a hurry, he 'stopped' certain revenue streams before he decided on what would replace them. The result - failure! The place lost so much money that they fired him and his four managing partners and scrambled to replace them before it was too late.

I was asked to take over the task of booking the entertainment and manage the technical side of things at the same time. The place stabilized for several months and I booked some great shows, until I decided that I wanted to resume my focus as a technician, so I suggested that they find somebody to take over the booking. In walked another manager and he kept things lively for quite a few months until he decided to leave to pursue other interests.

In walked another 'new manager' who, of course, made radical changes, spent too much money too soon and the place finally folded. And that was all under one roof - imagine what goes on daily in a city of two million plus! I have personally witnessed similar situations on many occasions.

The most successful changes I have either been a part of or implemented myself happened gradually, unless there was an urgent need for change (like re-introducing the lost revenue stream as mentioned above). I was once in a dentist chair and saw the dentist whip out a needle to freeze my gum and I panicked. I asked him if he was going to numb it first and he said there was no need to. I allowed him to proceed, of course, and after about four minutes or so of 'the freezing process', I asked him why I barely noticed the needle and he replied very calmly: "Because I took my time."

4) Monitor the effects of change regularly.

Address any problems that may arise because of the changes - if it ain't workin', tweak it or change it! If a process gets interrupted down the line and it wasn’t foreseen, it must be corrected. Better yet, do more research to find out what may be affected before it happens. Create a detailed map and follow it.

Also keep an eye and ear out for 'resistance'. A new procedure may have been implemented, but perhaps somebody may go back to their old methods. Open the lines of communication to reiterate the importance of the new procedure. Nobody drives down a highway without constantly correcting their direction with their steering wheel. But, too loose a grip and the car will spin out of control; too tight a grip and you'll lose the resilience to respond quickly to problems.

5) Communicate with everyone involved (and be sure to involve them).

People like to be part of things, no matter what level they are at. If somebody is sweeping the floor and a boss were to ask their opinion, they may suddenly feel more important than they felt the moment before. Not communicating with a person or a group can lead to those 'weeds' I was talking about above - the routines and processes which have evolved poorly.

I was recently told about a situation where a worker had questioned a process which had been going on for quite a while. She asked her boss if she could change the way she did things because the regular way seemed somewhat antiquated, considering how far technology had advanced since the regular way was implemented. Her boss told her that the process had already been changed for a while and was surprised that she was still doing it the old way. But, nobody told her about the change! How many hours or days could have been saved by filling her in on the 'new way'?

I remember asking an advertising professional, who deals a lot with technology, about change in her workplace and she said:

"I think that people will accept change if they feel like they are a part of the decision making process. They want to know that their experience and work habits are taken into consideration and are more apt to get on board if they feel they are a part of the change and not just part of the machinery that has to change."

In short, there is emotion involved in every level of the 'machine' and changes should be made with the intention of maintaining harmony while increasing productivity. Every new system should be designed to live on as a legacy in the absence of the person who created it; and if it is good enough, it should stand the test of time.

- B. Moore

The New Boss at Work

I've seen it happen over and over again - a new boss is hired to manage a team. At first, this situation can make people nervous because they fear they may have to put up with drastic changes or the new boss may not be as nice as the old boss and some may feel like they will be targeted for the chopping block. Uneasy feelings and secret conversations may prevail and that's not a sign of a healthy workplace.

To make matters worse, new bosses may not formally introduce themselves right away and perhaps there will be no official meeting set up to introduce them. This can further make staff members feel uneasy as there can be so many questions left unanswered as the new boss lurks around keeping tabs on the workplace and how it runs. The 'business as usual' concept simply does not work in such situations.

Further complicating things, there may be new directives put in place through impersonal emails or staff members may be subject to hearsay from others who are 'in the know'. I know of one particular situation where a new manager walked around a workplace making changes and questioning everything during the first few days of her new position, which tended to interrupt processes.

So, what can a humble employee do in such situations?
1) Just keep doing what you are doing and be confident that you are doing your best work possible.
2) If you aren't, it would be time to turn that around.

Sometimes, a new regime calls for staff members to remind themselves not to slip and to keep on track, possibly going above and beyond, because staff should aim to be seen as assets, not liabilities (this is not 'sucking up', in fact, if you are already very efficient and people like you, there would be no need to change in the first place).

What can a new boss do?
1) They should get to know people before too long to show that the lines of communication are open from the start.
2) They should get to know the 'real' processes and systems that are in place before they attempt to make drastic changes - and not simply rely on the directives from above.
3) They should avoid making people feel unnecessarily uncomfortable by communicating better with staff.

There are a few other key points new bosses should know about, but those are three of the most important that cannot be overlooked.

As mentioned, I have seen this happen way too many times: a new boss comes in and limits discussions with staff while making drastic changes without fully understanding their new situation. I know that all bosses are not the same and how can they be? But, they should invest in themselves for the betterment of the company by learning how to be a better boss, through training or coaching.

One of my favorite things to do when leading new team members is to smile at them with a warm introduction to put them at ease and find out, first hand, how they do things so I can make intelligent changes if there really needs to be any.

- Buck Moore