A few weeks ago, I had lunch with a retired consultant who had been a big wig at Sears in the 1980’s. Back then, Sears was in its hey-day and was worth about 6 billion as a company. I asked this gentleman what he thought made them so successful back then. His response really surprised me. “The CEO had a full time ‘Atta-Boy’ Girl.’
Ummm… what?
The CEO at the time instructed his personal assistant to start looking for people in the company who had done good work, because he wanted to promote great customer service in Sears. She began soliciting the stores to communicate with her stories of people who had gone above and beyond the standard to provide great customer service. Then, the CEO would write a personalized, hand-written thank you note. Eventually her job as the ‘Atta-Boy Girl’ became a full-time job. She would hear about these stories, type up the note, and every day at 4:30, she would take these letters to the CEO, he would read them, sign his name to them, and she would send them out.
Can you imagine what commitment it took for him to do that? Can you imagine what impact that made? Sears ultimately replaced that CEO with another who was not committed to the thank you letter writing campaign and look at their current status. Coincidence?
During the holiday season, during the time of gratitude and gratefulness, If you want to improve your company culture, start with a simple thank you, and grow it to needing a full-time ‘Atta Boy Girl’/ ‘Atta Girl Boy’/whatever.
This year, I’m taking two weeks off work to move my daughter to college. While this brings about a mix of emotions for my family, I know how important it is for me to be there with her to start her journey as a college student. It brings up an important topic that I preach to my clients often – everyone needs time away from work, whether it be for important milestones in their personal lives, or for a vacation that allows them time to rejuvenate, recuperate, and come back to work in a better place!
The fact remains that people need time away from work, even when you own the company, like me. Some of my clients get really excited when a candidate will tell us in an interview that they NEVER take vacations. I actually think that this is a negative. Inspiration rarely comes to someone sitting in their office answering emails. Inspiration comes from experiences and usually those come after office hours.
As a nation, we are not good at taking vacation anyway. We feel that we can’t get away, we can’t unplug or we might miss something. I think we miss things when we DON’T take time off.
So, when your employees want to take vacation time, praise them for it. Say thank you. Then ask them what you can do to help facilitate their vacation time so they are not performing work while away. Not only will they think that you are the greatest boss ever, but they will come back recharged, renewed and inspired. Your business will benefit, and therefore, so will you. Maybe then you can take some time off too.
I will be back in the saddle soon enough, grateful I took the time to be with my daughter on her journey to college, and ready to tackle work with renewed energy and vision. And, with any luck, I will have that killer tan!
For various reasons, I have driven across Kansas several times in the last 3 months. Holy cow, is it boring! Driving east from Colorado on I-70, you soon find yourself with very little to see and even less to do. By the time you get to Hays, Kansas, your entertainment options are limited to the barrage of billboards near the highway or one of the three radio stations within range (two religious and one that plays both kinds of music: country AND western). You are talked out, tired and sick of reading. Internet connection is iffy (at best). There is nothing to see but fields and fields of various grains. You change lanes merely because you need a change of scenery. You contemplate the meaning of “Rock Chalk Jay Hawk”.
You become bored.
And then… something miraculous happens.
Just about the time that I think I am going to pull my hair out one strand at a time, I get an idea. I solve a problem that I have been working on forever or I have a flash of insight into a situation I’ve been frustrated by. I am suddenly inspired about what to do next, and I spend the rest of the trip fleshing out that idea or inspiration.
It. Happens. Every. Time.
In the age of digital media, we don’t allow ourselves to get bored. It’s too easy to distract ourselves with endless TV shows, multiple social media platforms and an infinite number of ways to play solitaire. But we need to be bored: out of boredom comes creativity! When we empty our brains of all our obligations, work, home, family… then and only then are our minds free to move creatively.
The next time you have a problem to solve, drive across Kansas. Leave your phone / TV / computer off for a whole day. Stare at corn fields. Think about the meaning of “Rock Chalk Jay Hawk”. Think about billboards. Think about nothing.
(And if you happen to figure out the whole “Rock Chalk Jay Hawk” thing, come explain it to me when you do.)
This past week I met with a client whose business is in a period of rapid growth. His business has grown so fast over the last 6 months that his brand new office space (occupied for only a year) is suddenly too small. At the same time, he came across an ideal employee that he just had to hire. While he had already renegotiated a deal with his landlord to add more square footage in the near future, he had a big problem for the present:
Where was the new employee going to work?
Every office was full. The main room had been reconfigured several times and there was no way to squeeze in another desk. Even the conference room had a contract employee using it.
When I asked the client where they ended up locating the new employee, he grinned.
“We put him at the table in the break room.”
Sound crazy? Actually, it may have been the best place possible to put a new employee.
Usually a new employee’s first day consists of filling out paperwork, reading an employee handbook filled with dos and don’ts, parking rules and termination policies, and then put at a desk with little or no agenda. Other employees are busy trying to complete their own work and they don’t normally have the time to approach a new person on their team. While the onboarding process is a necessary one, it is typically not a very friendly one for the new hire.
Locate that same new hire in the break room and the situation takes on an entirely different tone. While people are taking a break, they are generally more relaxed and more social. They have a moment to chat while the coffeemaker is brewing; more importantly, they don’t need to come up with a reason to seek out and approach the new employee – they’re right here!
In this case, the new employee was greeted with enthusiasm every time someone walked in to get a cup of coffee. He was included in “water cooler” talk several times a day, and he was incorporated into the company culture quickly and seamlessly.
“This is the best place I have ever worked!” the new employee exclaimed.
If you’re looking to break away from the traditional onboarding process while minimizing the time it takes to familiarize new hires with your company’s culture, perhaps the break room is the “break” you’re looking for!
For various reasons, I have driven across Kansas several times in the last 3 months. Holy cow, is it boring! Driving east from Colorado on I-70, you soon find yourself with very little to see and even less to do. By the time you get to Hays, Kansas, your entertainment options are limited to the barrage of billboards near the highway or one of the three radio stations within range (two religious and one that plays both kinds of music: country AND western). You are talked out, tired and sick of reading. Internet connection is iffy (at best). There is nothing to see but fields and fields of various grains. You change lanes merely because you need a change of scenery. You contemplate the meaning of “Rock Chalk Jay Hawk”.
“We put him at the table in the break room.”