5. February 2012 by Bob Griffin.

Noel Guilford, COO at Business Bulldog, and I were brainstorming ideas on why employees do not respond to rewards and we came to the conclusion that the game doesn’t work.  OK, so it isn’t a breakthrough, but most businesses keep on using this same system of dangling a carrot in front of employees and expecting different results. That is called insanity.

Instead of finding a new carrot, turn things around and get your employees to reward themselves and you have a reward system that works.

What most of you have is a top down (the ownership/leadership down to the front line) philosophy.  It doesn’t work because the expectations are all wrong. If you expect your front-line employees to understand why you are pushing them harder or threatening to lay them off and expecting them to bring in more money, you have lost your mind!  Your expectations and their needs are far apart.  You didn’t ask what motivates them.  You did what you always do…make a decision for the team.

What if you gave them the ability to reward themselves?  What would that look like?  How could you develop a system where you rewarded the employees meeting your needs with things they want and need.  Make the system an outside venture that creates an environment inside your stores that increases profits.  There are many reasons to create something like this, but the biggest reason is that once a business gets to a certain level, it loses the ability to hear the employees who helped make it successful.

So, how do you turn things around and get people who would normally not want to reach for goals get to them?  Let them reward themselves. Businesses are horrible at rewards for behavior that improves things.  Part of it is that management isn’t consistent with rewards and part of it is that the rewards they give don’t mean anything.  Making it part of your business culture is how to avoid these problems.

Fire-free Time

I have worked with hourly employees my whole career.  They are the front-line of a business and the ones most ignored.  Want to hear what the business is really REALLY like?  Give them the honor of speaking their mind without the fear of being fired for being honest.  The reward for being able to tell the owners and managers the way they see things is simply the knowledge that they are heard.  Also, the reward to you is that you can fix broken parts of your business that you did not even know were there.

The Wheel of Winning

I love to get a bunch of ideas on rewards from a group and then make it a game to reward them by chance.  Ask for reward ideas from each of your employees.  Two ideas to be exact.  One idea that has a cost limit (say $25) and one idea that is limitless.  The reward for doing this is that you get to know how your employees think about rewards and you can surprise them (if the limitless one is reasonable) with a big prize.  If you are handy, you can build a wheel that you can attach cards with the rewards written on them and spin the wheel to pick the prize.  If you aren’t handy, you can put the rewards in envelopes and just have the winner pick one.  The best part is that they OWN the rewards.

Pick A Group to Help

We have always been interested in helping others.  Have your team pick a charity, group, or family to help that month, quarter, or year.  They will each have a different idea of a group that they like to help.  You can do a little for each or pick one as a team that you can make a difference helping.  The reward for doing this goes beyond the work you do every day.  The reward is showing that you are part of something bigger than your brand.  I picked Children’s Miracle Network to help this year.  I bet the Atlanta Co-op of Great Clips salons that if they could raise $80,000 for CMN in the month of October, I would let them shave my hair down to a mohawk.   To say they were excited about raising money for a worthy charity does not say enough.  

Change the Patterns

If you look at how your employees file into the office, store, etc., you will notice a pattern.  Change the pattern and you will increase the rewards. Allow them to paint their parking spot, allow them to pick a new place in the office to work, allow them to decorate space away from the selling floor.  There are more ideas than these few ideas to reward your team and make the culture better.

The best reward is to listen, talk, and act.  Giving up some structure to your business is a good thing.  People are individuals and need to be treated as the creative, honest, hard-working team members that you hired.  Making them fit your culture doesn’t work.  Either you are on your team or you are an outsider looking in.

You may have noticed that there is no advertising and no cookies on this site.  The more we help, the more we are rewarded (good karma).

Bob Griffin - CEO and Founder
BGriffin@businessbulldog.com
Twitter: @BusinessBulldog

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19. December 2010 by Bob Griffin.

I spend a lot of time talking with owners of businesses in many varied industries and the question that trips them up most is, “What does the person cleaning the bathrooms think of your business?”  That seems kind of off topic sometimes and it is, but it also the barometer of an owner’s business culture.  Want to know how things are really going?  Ask the guy you pay the least.

Several reasons why you would not want to know the answer:

1. You don’t want to hear bad news.
2. You don’t trust that person.
3. There could be a rift between that person and the rest of your employees.
4. You don’t know that person’s name.
5. He/She may ask you to help clean the bathroom while you talk.

All are valid reasons if you are someone who is ready to go out of business and doesn’t care what the culture of the business is like.  Otherwise, get in there and start listening like your next paycheck depends on it.  Asking the lowest person on your hierarchy of power is the perfect way to find out what the temperature of your business is.  In fact, the person to hear the most news is the one everyone typically ignores.  If you need to get your hands dirty to find out what the real story of your business is then get dirty.  Want to earn trust with someone? Work side by side with them and put in some sweat equity.

If I made anyone uncomfortable, GOOD!  If you want to feel better, spin this around and ask yourself what the same person in your competitor’s business could tell you.  Again, it is this person, the one with full access to every area of your business that has the most knowledge of your business. By the way, DON’T ask your competitor’s guy.  You don’t even know what is happening at your own business for goodness sakes why would you look somewhere else?  Start where you can make the fastest changes…in your business.

The cleaning crew can tell you:

• If someone is ready to quit by looking at the amount of items that have been taken home from a desk.
• When there is a shake up about to happen, there are more late-night meetings and more closed doors.
• If there is an event in the office like a new baby, wedding, or graduation, there will be a cake and plates in the trash.

I like when companies ask everyone what they think is working and what can be improved on.  An open door policy should apply to every member of your team.  The best ideas in many businesses have come from the front-line person who finds a better, cheaper, more effective way to get the same job done.  Not that they get the credit often (although they should), but the best things happen when an entire organization is empowered.

Stop talking and start listening.  The person who you haven’t spend any time with this year is the person you need to take to lunch and give them free reign in answering a simple question, “What can we do better?”

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3. June 2010 by Monique Guilford.

That’s right folks, there is no way around it. The world is constantly changing around us. We have gone from the Agricultural Era to the Industrial Era. We have gone from women working mainly in the homes to holding a political office. Once upon a time, technology was a strange, new tool to us, but now it has become a tool that is essential for our survival. Change is inevitable, but it is how we handle that change that makes the difference.

Recently, I finished reading a book entitled; Attitude is Everything by Keith Harrell. Today, Keith Harrell is one of America’s most popular motivational speakers, but before this notable title, he was an inspiring NBA player from Seattle University. Once he was not afforded the opportunity to play for the NBA, he went for the next big challenge, working as a salesman for IBM. After a few years of training and conducting workshops at IBM, Keith decided that it was time for him to focus mainly on what is was called to do…motivational speaking. Mr. Harrell was about to endure a major life change, but he was determined to succeed with his “whatever it takes” attitude.

It was not easy for Mr. Harrell to reach his goal. The road ahead proved to be very tumultuous and there were a lot of “nay sayers” along the way. However, he kept a positive attitude and he refused to become a victim of “changecosis”, a disease that threatens your ability to enjoy life and to develop your full potential (p.181). Again, I understand how ‘scary’ change can be; the unknown can be frightening. We must remember though to keep a positive attitude when change is occurring in our lives. Keith Harrell (2000) suggests ten strategies for creating a positive attitude about change that can be adopted into our lives daily.

1. Tap Into the Power of Your Subconscious.
The mind is a powerful tool and it can be trained to work wonders for you. Take the time to program your mind with a positive attitude about ongoing change. Jump out of bed each morning grateful that you have lived to see another day and be ready to seize it. The author used the example of how he wakes up each morning, clapping his hands a few times to welcome the new day and to get himself “psyched” for the new challenges. This is a good attitude to have towards work. Instead of saying, “Oh no, is it Friday yet?”, try viewing workdays as another opportunity to strengthen your work skills, thus making you a viable employee.

2. We live in a culture of reflection.
Reflection is a powerful tool used by educators to better themselves in the field.  The author encourages us to elevate our standards and overcome our limitations through this process. During this reflection period, we should be cautious to monitor our inner dialogues and be aware of any negative inner thoughts and cease them immediately. It may be helpful to keep a work journal in which you record your actions and tasks, then review them at home to seek ways to improve.

3. Keep Your Long-Term Goals in Mind.
Well-defined goals will keep you focused. Visualization is a great tool to help you in this process. Focusing on your goals helps you to regain a sense of control over your life. It also increases your self-esteem and your outlook on life. I know that when I visualize myself as Dr. Guilford, it makes me that more determined to finish my doctoral program. I have even gone as far as printing out a picture of a scholar in the doctoral regalia and placing my face on the body. If you are hoping for a new promotion on the job, visualize yourself receiving that promotion and keep yourself encourage during the process by remembering things that you have done to enhance the company.

4. Avoid Learned Helplessness.
If you don’t find direction in life, it will direct you. We may not be able to stop unwanted change from occurring in our lives, but we can program ourselves to take positive actions and make the most of it. We are not helpless! We have enormous power to act, set goals, and to go after them. You may not be able to control the fact that your job is down-sizing and that you may be affected soon, however, you can remain positive about this change and make the most of it.

5. Maintain a Balance.
It is important to maintain a physical, mental and spiritual balance. Remember, you are no good to the world if you don’t take care of yourself. Rest, healthy eating habits, and regular exercise are vital in keeping a positive attitude. When we feel overwhelmed at work, quality time with friends and family can easily help us put things back into perspective. Companies today are becoming more and more in tuned with meeting the whole needs of the employee and offer fitness courses that employees can participate in during their lunch breaks. The key here is being in tuned with yourself to know when you need to regroup and to use the words of vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin “reload” (without guns of course!).

6. Acknowledge Change.
The author encourages us to never ignore change. We make greater strides in life when we let go and strive for something better. Letting go empowers us to release past hurts, rejection, and frustration. This reminds me of someone whom I used to work with that I will refer to as Sally. Sally was a good employee at company ABC, but her demeanor was not received well by other employees and/or customers. Although Sally received excellent employee evaluations from the company, her employee contract was not renewed during the renewal period. Sally and I were good friends at ABC and one day during lunch, she confided in me that she believed the reason for contract not being renewed resulted in her poor attitude and resistance to change on the job. Sally is a good employee, someone I would hire to work for me if I had my own business, but I am afraid that her attitude may prevent her from getting the job that she deserves in the long run.  Accepting change is not over night, it is a gradual process.  Ultimately the only thing that we can change is ourselves and that makes a world of difference.

7. Convert Threats into Opportunities.
When change seems threatening, try to look at it as a new opportunity to make a difference in the world. When we are given new tasks on the job, exposed to new technology, or even a new boss, we should view these changes as an opportunity to widen our experience and expand our knowledge. Think about it, how impressive will your resume look to future employers now that you have experience working in a different department or with a new tool in technology.

8. Turn the Change into Challenge.
The challenges in life teaches us something about ourselves.  It forces us out of our comfort zones. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “The ultimate measure of a man [or woman] is not where he [or she] stands in the moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. If your manager changes your work agenda at the last minute, do not panic! View this change as a challenge and remember that you have the ability to remain professional and make the most out of it.

9. Keeping your mind in a constant positive state requires a tremendous amount of work.
Create affirmations to say to yourself throughout the day or make a list of positive quotations to stay on track. Some places of work have opportunities in which managers and employees empower one another before the day begins. If this is the case for you, I would suggest that you take advantage of that opportunity each time. Empowerment for the mind is like Vitamin C for the body. It will also help if you composed an A-Team which will consist of positive mentors that can help you “snap” out of a negative mood. The A-Team should be diverse and consist of people from all ethnic groups and social classes.

10. Seek Support from Members of You’re A-Team.
As mentioned previously, it is important to have nurturing relationships that are dependable in times of need. Avoid those that a “busy bodies” at work. Surround yourself at work with people who enjoy life and want to make the most out of it. People who truly care about you want you to lean on them in difficult and challenging times because they know that you would be there for them in return. Remember, no man is an island. We can all help each other achieve our goals.

I have decided to refer to this book as my “mini-bible” on attitude. Keith Harrell reminds us that attitude is everything and it impacts everything that we do. A good attitude can lead us down the path to having everything that we desire in life. Whether starting a new job, getting new boss, or dealing with a natural disaster, keeping a positive mindset will help you through adverse times. Jim Rohn said, “If you learn to set a good sail, the wind that blows will always take you to the dreams you want, the income you want, and the treasures of mind, purse, and soul you want. ”Having a positive attitude especially when it comes to change is one way to achieve that. 

Source:
Harrell, Keith (2000).  Attitude is everything: 10 life-changing steps to turning attitude into action.  Harper-Collins Publishers, Inc.

Rohn, Jim (2010).  Retrieved from http://www.jimrohn.com

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20. April 2010 by deblee.

Newbie is a slang term for a newcomer or somebody inexperienced in any profession or activity. I am the newbie. I have worked at my company for a very long time, but have recently changed positions, so although I am not inexperienced in my profession, I still have a lot to learn, which is why I was looking forward to mingling with my new division members at some recent meetings.

My plan was to learn as much as I could from my peers, how do they do their job? What tools do they use? What do they enjoy about their work? What resources do they use? I got loads of new information to take back and put to use.

Although most of the information I received was positive and helpful, one comment sticks out in my mind. When asking one person about their job, they told me, “I haven’t gotten any development from my Manager”.  This made me think, ”What exactly is a Manager’s role in development, and why do some employees flourish, while others flounder?”

I started thinking about managers I have had in the past, both good and bad, and I came to the conclusion that development was something you do yourself…the best managers I had simply gave me the tools and resources I needed…the rest was up to me.

So, I have decided that “not being developed” is simply an excuse.  If there are tools and resources available, and an employee chooses not to use these tools or resources, then the lack of development falls back on them. But what do I know, I’m just a Newbie.

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10. January 2010 by Noel Guilford.

OK, so now you’ve found your way down that long path to business ownership. First, congratulations! You have done something that many only dream of and even fewer have the courage to pursue that dream. Over that rise, past your opening day, lies a expansive land full of responsibilities and challenges…many of them daily. For those people with enough foresight and vision it gets easier over time. The reality is that most business owners have no experience and often feel lost even after many years of running their first or even second business. If any business owner should find themselves in this position there is no shortage of assistance out there for those that look.

Of all the obstacles faced, nothing compares to how difficult people-management can be, especially in today’s work force.  You can go absolutely mad trying. The most commonly used tactic is to find someone else to deal with it. Sounds easy right, well who is going to manage that person? If anyone needs sound and consistent leadership it’s the middle management. To manage a strong leader takes an even stronger leader. This is all considering that the right person can be found, hired, trained, compensated, and retained. I wont take the time here to discuss the possibility of doing that when there is a more effective and rewarding option available.

Unfortunately the “no wait, right now” society that we have become totally conflicts with the time and effort needed to effectively mentor anyone. Yes I said it! That person with the extensive resume and years of experience didn’t crash land in your lobby.  They were made just like me, just like you. Someone molded and honed the well qualified professional aspirant looking to fill a position in your business. Good thing you found them and they you. If you haven’t yet found a gem of a worker for yourself then make one.

Take the hand of an employee with the determination and drive to excel and push them. Some of my most rewarding experiences has been laboring over the spark of potential and watching it grow. The biggest benefit to hatching your own egg is you get the desired experience necessary to fit your needs and the needs of your business with the added factor of the earned loyalty.

This is the real world and these eggs hatch and sometime move on to bigger and better opportunities. What I will leave you with is this - If a protege of yours needs to grow beyond you and your organization and has the chance to do so consider it the highest compliment to your ability to lead that you will ever receive. So find an employee worth the effort and sit on them.

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