managementtoolbox

Is There a Need for Inspiration?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Fri, 27 Dec 2024 22:32:52 GMT

TOPICs: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Is There a Need for Inspiration?

I had another blog installment all written and proofread but yesterday morning I changed my mind. All week I have been wrestling with the role of inspiration in a leader’s arsenal, so let me share my journey with you.

Earlier this week I delivered an informational and inspirational talk to our Residential employees. As always, I struggled to craft a message which would reach the technicians and installers on their level. I learned long ago that tradesmen can like me as a leader and respect what I have to say, but they won’t fully buy in until they hear from a leader with a technical background. My communication challenge is to plant enough “vision seeds” which can later be reinforced by leaders with a technical background.

As I delivered my talk I could see and feel that my points were resonating with most of the audience. But shortly afterwards I was questioned about the effectiveness of inspiration on the average technical employee. Were these guys just “give me the facts without all the passion” types? It was a solid question, and it caused me to wonder if a significant portion of our employees might be immune to inspiration.

Then, an interesting coincidence happened. On Saturday morning I was wide awake at 4:00 am. I grabbed a cup of coffee and began scanning for something to watch on TV. Quite by accident I clicked on an ESPN 30 for 30 episode titled “Survive and Advance.” It chronicled the 1983 college basketball season of the North Carolina State Wolfpack coached by the legendary Jim Valvano. If you have any question about the role of inspiration in leadership, this show is a must-watch.

I’m not going to rehash the details of the story because it doesn’t differ materially from lots of other Cinderella stories. The point worth remembering is that one man was able to lift an entire team on the strength of his ability to sell his vision. Even 40 years later at a team reunion it was clear that the players had been forever changed by the seasons they spent with their inspiring coach.

Jim Valvano was a uniquely inspirational and gifted speaker. As a coach he inspired his players to raise their expectations and to play beyond their talent. In later life he inspired a nation as he fought a losing battle with cancer and raised over $150,000,000 for cancer research. I am no Jim Valvano, but I do have the ability to inspire employees to become something more than they ever thought of being. Whether I can reach everyone is not the issue. My challenge is to reach as many as I can. That is your challenge too.

If you don’t currently have the “inspirational gene,” start your search today. Watch inspirational speakers, starting with “Survive and Advance,” and figure out a way to add inspiration to your communication toolkit. Study the techniques that work for them and think about applying those techniques to your own communication. You will never reach your potential as a leader unless you successfully take this step. As always, I am here to help.

Time for Self-Evaluation

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Fri, 06 Dec 2024 22:27:42 GMT

TOPICs: COMMUNICATION SKILLS | LEADERSHIP SKILLS | EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

Time for Self-Evaluation

I have gone back several times and re-read every blog post from the past two years. If you are not in that habit I highly recommend that you do it occasionally. (For those of you who do not keep copies of the blog, every post is available on this website) One thing I have learned from this exercise is that there are several themes which are repeated throughout the blog series.

Using those five themes, I am requesting that each of you do a self-evaluation of your leadership style/progress by answering a series of questions. Steve and I will be discussing your answers during the next round of one-on-one meetings.

Communication

Am I a clear communicator? Am I a thorough communicator? Do I use communication simply to convey information or do I use it to influence behaviors? Do I vary my approach so employees don’t tune out the message? Am I in control of the narrative at all times? Is my communication mostly proactive or reactive?

Strategy

Have I become a strategic thinker? Do I approach problem solving in a systematic way or do I become distracted by the latest crisis? Can I manage a project from conception all the way through completion? Am I okay with the status quo or am I leading my team to new heights?

Innovation/Creativity

How much time do I spend on visionary thinking? Am I actively pursuing knowledge both in and outside my professional field? What is the last “big idea” I suggested to the team? Do I engage other business people in meaningful conversations to broaden my understanding of how other companies conduct business?

Leadership and Decision Making

Do I project strength or weakness? Am I successful at delegation? Am I a leader who takes action, or one who thinks about taking action? Do I confuse reasons with excuses or do I hold people (including myself) accountable? Am I a confident decision maker or do I fear failure more than I celebrate success?

Employee Relations

Am I a supporter or an enabler? Am I the kind of leader I would choose to follow? Do I treat diseases or am I focused on symptoms? Can employees count on me to provide answers on issues that are important to them? Am I connected personally to each of my employees? Am I making the members of my team better?

To make your one-on-one discussion valuable I recommend that you write down your personal evaluation for each section. (The questions relate to specific blogs and should be used to focus on the issues in each category. It is not necessary to provide answers to each question.) The purpose of this evaluation is to reach an honest assessment of where you are in the “Breaking Through” program. As I said in the opening paragraph, this is a great time to celebrate breakthroughs while getting feedback on your journey. Steve and I look forward to hearing from each of you.

Don’t Forget Your 2 X 4

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Mon, 25 Nov 2024 19:17:10 GMT

TOPICs: LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Don’t Forget Your 2 X 4

One of my good friends is a personal trainer. He looks every bit the part of a personal trainer but he is the most affable, mild mannered guy you could ever know. Recently he was driving back to his gym for a training appointment when his route was blocked by an individual driving an old pickup. When it became apparent that he wasn’t going to move my friend politely beeped his horn to get the man’s attention. The guy immediately jumped out of his truck gesturing wildly and cursing. As Caine slowly stepped from his Tahoe he revealed a 6’ 4” chiseled frame, shaved head and a healthy set of tattoos. Not surprisingly the pickup driver chose to move his truck rather than engage my friend any further. How empowering it must feel to be so physically intimidating!

We live in a world which increasingly views conflict as a normal part of life. Some people actually prefer confrontation as a means of getting their way. My approach is different and has evolved as I have grown older. I entered adulthood copying the confrontational style I learned while growing up. But as our boys went through the difficult years of adolescence, I learned that the threat of repercussions was a far more valuable tool than the imposition of consequences. Don’t get me wrong – consequences were imposed – but as soon as our boys learned that they could survive whatever I dished out the impact of punishment was diminished. The same concept holds true in management at all levels.

During a difficult time in the world, Ronald Reagan practiced what he called “peace through strength.” As long as our enemies feared consequences from America’s superior military strength, they threatened but never followed through with aggressive actions. Our military never had to fire a shot and a new era of world peace was achieved.

Employees need to know that they will face consequences if they step out of line. Sometimes they need to be figuratively smacked with a 2 x 4 but that should be your last course of action. You will always accomplish more if they know you carry a 2 x 4 than you will by actually using it. In other words, be more like Ronald Reagan than Dirty Harry.

I certainly don’t advocate managing through fear, but I also understand that a little bit of fear on the part of employees is healthy. You must have lines which cannot be crossed without consequences. Idle threats are guaranteed to produce lost respect, while applying appropriate consequences sends a clear message that you mean business.

My friend Caine is his own 2 x 4, but most of us don’t have that luxury. Be sure your employees know that you have an entirely different gear if provoked, but the longer you can go without revealing that gear, the greater your control. Always remember that the fear of consequences is almost always much more powerful than the consequences themselves.

Responding to Failure

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 20:27:56 GMT

TOPICs: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Responding to Failure

I may not be a psychologist but I feel qualified to write this installment based on life experiences. I was raised in a family where expectations were always high and failures were dealt with harshly. It was not a physically violent home but the emotional tension was high and constant. I learned to feel shame and guilt at an early age and to this day they remain my immediate response when faced with any type of failure. Only in recent years have I come to realize how unproductive and damaging those emotional responses are.

Failure is unavoidable . . . period. The most successful careers often spring from seemingly catastrophic failures. Athletes overcome injuries and long odds only to succeed beyond their wildest dreams. Entrepreneurs endure multiple failures before building successful companies. The conclusion must be that it isn’t failure which shuts us down, it is our response to failure which determines our future. People who honestly evaluate the reasons behind failures are generally able to make adjustments and move on to new challenges. But those who view their failures as a source of shame run the risk of drowning in a sea of guilt. I know this because I used to be that guy.

I cannot count the number of times while growing up that I was told, “You should be ashamed of yourself.” (Unfortunately I am sure I used that line more than once with our boys.) I learned to feel shame over even the most minor transgressions and that shame led to constant feelings of guilt, whether I was guilty or not! To this day my default emotion is guilt, despite decades of working to overcome those feelings.

The funny thing is, I was a pretty responsible kid and never got into the type of trouble which would cause anyone to feel ashamed! Maybe convicted criminals should feel shame, but I was certainly no criminal. The real problem with shame is that it limits your desire to move forward. Why would you want to risk taking any action which might lead to even more shame?

I thought that I had solved my problem by moving two thousand miles away from home as soon as I was old enough. I established myself in business independent of my father but was never able to shake those feelings of shame and guilt. It wasn't until I recently listened to our pastor explain that we are all perfect in the eyes of our Creator that I found the antidote to my upbringing. If God, who sees and knows everything can forgive me for any and all transgressions, who am I to wallow in guilt? Regardless of my status in this world I am good enough for Him, and that’s good enough for me.

To some degree I suspect that all of us deal with guilt and shame. The purpose of today’s installment is to highlight the damaging effects of these emotions. If you are leading by making others feel small and ashamed, you are doing it wrong. If you are suffering the lingering and paralyzing effects of guilt, there is a way out.

Shortly after my father died several years ago, I asked my mom if he ever changed the way he felt about me. Her response was devastating. “He was disappointed,” was all she could say. Although I am sorry he felt that way I am no longer burdened by his lack of approval. My life has been full and I now find myself at a position of peace and I can’t help thinking that the Father who really counts is smiling down on me. Shame and guilt will never be fully behind me, but I am thankful to have found a way forward.

Right or Wrong, Do Something!

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Fri, 25 Oct 2024 20:13:24 GMT

TOPICs: DECISION MAKING | LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Right or Wrong, Do Something!

“He who hesitates is lost.” “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” “Hesitation allows the moment to pass and the opportunity to be lost.” Thanks to the internet it was easy to find quotes about the dangers of hesitant decision making. In today’s fast moving world, the costs of inaction are greater than ever.

You are in a leadership role because you have talents and knowledge which are greater than your subordinates. That may not be true everywhere, but it is true in our company. As we have discussed many times, a leader’s greatest enemy is fear; his own fear. It was a year ago when I wrote a blog installment titled, “Are You Proactive or Reactive?” Yet nearly every day I watch members of our leadership team struggle with proactivity, and I can’t help but wonder what it is that people fear?

We are not a company which deals harshly with mistakes, unless those mistakes result from laziness or become repetitive. We are a company where help is always available from the General Manager and myself, but it needs to be requested. We are a company which celebrates new ideas and encourages initiative. The formula for effective problem solving has been discussed, written about and taught in a formal class setting. Yet time and time again progress only comes after repeated nudges, reminders and questions from top management.

Maybe large companies can get by with cumbersome decision making procedures but that is not the case in small companies – and that is one of the things I love about running a small company. I find it exhilarating to make a decision in the morning which pays dividends that afternoon! Do I fear decision making? I do not. I am confident that even when a decision proves faulty I am able to recover rapidly by evaluating what went wrong then making another decision or two.

Just to make sure we are all on the same page, here are the basics of our expectations:

Be sure you understand what is being asked of you
Agree on a deadline
Ask for help when you need it
Report obstacles as soon as you become aware of them
Provide progress reports
Meet your deadline
Present work you are proud of and believe in

Whether or not your conclusions and suggestions are fully accepted is immaterial. I can almost guarantee that you will be challenged, because the best decisions result from honest discussion based on differing opinions. The ultimate decision will be better because it combines the best of diverse ideas. Believe me, it is better to be part of a great decision than to be the sole author of a mediocre one.

No leader gets it right every time. But people who can’t seem to get started fail 100% of the time. You have been entrusted with decision making authority and responsibility for a reason. Take risks, overcome your fears and by all means, do something!

Embracing Employee Communication

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 16 Oct 2024 20:13:01 GMT

TOPICs: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Embracing Employee Communication

Perspective is an interesting concept. Two people can look at the same situation and come up with totally different interpretations. Our perspectives are usually a product of our life experiences, and they begin to develop in early childhood. If your family was affluent your perspective on necessities is very different than a child raised in a family which constantly dealt with food shortages. What does this have to do with leadership?

I recently had an impromptu visit with one of our technicians. He was concerned that the shortage of technicians in our industry was going to limit our growth (and his opportunity to move ahead in the organization.) He was also concerned that our recruits were too raw to become productive in the future. In a matter of minutes, I explained the thinking behind our Apprenticeship Program and his role in training those raw recruits. In reality, he held the key to solving the problem he was concerned about. Sadly, no one had explained it to him before. His perspective was that we were doomed. My perspective was that we were being very proactive in a difficult hiring environment. I was able to point out several successes from our Apprenticeship Program and he left our conversation thinking about ways he could advance our training efforts on those raw recruits.

As a leader your first job is to influence people, and your most powerful tool of influence is communication. For years studies about employee satisfaction have returned the same findings; more than anything else (including money), employees value being a part of something and having a voice. A leader who doesn’t understand this concept will always underperform. If employees want information and you have the opportunity to share information in a positive way, why wouldn’t you? In the absence of positive information, employees will almost always assume the negative.

As the head of an organization, I have limited opportunities to interact directly with field employees. But when an opportunity presents itself I love sharing information they may not already know. And whenever I have the chance to address the entire company I eagerly plan what I am going to say, knowing that my passion for the company’s success is contagious and that my positive message rubs off on the employees. Employees want to believe that whoever is in charge is leading them in a positive direction and they will knock down walls for that type of leader.

I have heard the excuse that, “I don’t consider myself to be an inspiring leader.” You don’t have to be Martin Luther King, Jr. to inspire people. If you are honest and upbeat your followers will believe in your message, especially if it is designed around their needs. Before I address a group I like to imagine how I want them to feel when I am finished speaking, then design my message and delivery accordingly. I may have very little in common with a technician or installer, but I do understand that their perspective is very different from mine. My job is to address their fears as well as their hopes and give them confidence that together we are headed on the right path. That’s your job, too.

Erosion of Trust

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Tue, 10 Sep 2024 19:04:41 GMT

TOPICs: CUSTOMER SERVICE | COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Erosion of Trust

Trust is the holy grail of doing business. You can’t buy trust and you can’t acquire trust through marketing. Trust is built through experience by companies who do what they say and back their products and services whenever there is an issue. Trust is what causes customers to become loyal and return to a brand over and over again. But trust is fragile, and it can be broken at any time. This blog installment is about damaged trust.

Nobody pays for his own roof in Texas - except me! During its 25-year life my roof weathered countless storms, including too many hailstorms to count. For the past ten years I celebrated every hailstorm, knowing that my insurance company would soon replace the roof and my cost would be minimal. After the most severe storms I always had my roof inspected but it never qualified for replacement. Finally, to avoid interior damage when the inevitable leaks began, I decided to pull the trigger on a new roof.

There are a million companies replacing Texas roofs and the industry has a reputation for shady business practices. Having less interest in price than in quality, my only call was to an acquaintance who is a salesman in the roofing business. I know him and the owner socially and recently used the company for a large project at our business. I have referred him to friends and always received rave reviews when their jobs were successfully completed.

I accepted his proposal without negotiation and understood that my skylights would be field inspected and replaced if necessary at an additional charge. The communication leading up to installation day was excellent and the crew began arriving at 6:15 that morning as promised. The two day job was completed in a single 14 hour day and cleanup was outstanding.

Two weeks later we returned from a brief trip and noticed a musty smell in the house. Upon investigation I discovered a leak near one of our skylights. Our salesman was his usual responsive self and had a crew at our house within hours. That’s where the problems began. He reported that old skylights are typically brittle and that one had hairline cracks which caused the leak but that the cracks had now been sealed. I don’t know about you, but I found that answer to be unsatisfactory. I had an expensive new roof with an old, patched skylight.

Trust is based on perception, which is based on experience. Up to this point my experiences had all been positive and my trust in the company was high. But the salesman’s weak explanation damaged that trust. Had I realized that the old skylights would actually be removed and reinstalled I would have insisted on new skylights. (Aren’t the chances of 25 year old weathered plastic surviving the removal/reinstallation process pretty slim?) It was his job to make the correct recommendation on the front end of the project, not to defend a poor field decision. Although I am confident that my leak problem will ultimately be resolved, my perception of the company has been altered. If I recommend them to friends I will do so less enthusiastically than before.

This experience made me wonder what we might be overlooking in our daily business practices. Are we relying on our perception or on the perception of our customers? The answer to that question is critical because the customer’s perception is all that really matters. We work so hard to build trust only to lose it because of a careless comment, a scraped wall, a soiled carpet or an incorrect invoice. In the case of the roofing company, I’m afraid the salesman doesn’t understand the damage he did. My trust is not gone, but it definitely has been eroded - and that is sad.

Investing Your Energy Strategically

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 28 Aug 2024 18:39:45 GMT

TOPICs: BUSINESS STRATEGY | DECISION MAKING

Investing Your Energy Strategically

I recently completed a book by Peter Attias titled “Outlive.” The premise of the book is that you can change the trajectory of your life by modifying behaviors. Instead of living productively for 65 years then suffering through a 25 year decline he suggests that you can extend the productive portion of life and shorten the decline. There are many books on longevity but most talk about living longer, not necessarily better. A major point of his book is that if you want to be able to do something at the age of 90 (i.e. lift a 25lb suitcase into an airplane’s overhead bin) you must plan ahead. Strength declines naturally as we age so lifting a 25 lb suitcase at 90 years old requires that we lift a 45 lb suitcase at age 50.

This blog is not about aging or working out, it is about thinking and acting strategically. I love Attias’ strategic approach to battling the aging process and I especially love the thought that even at age 75 I can do things to improve my quality of life for at least another decade. In fact, as a result of reading the book I created a challenge for myself. After researching what a 75 year old male should be able to achieve in resistance exercises I set a goal to be at or above 80% of my peers in 9 different exercises. With help from my trainer, we modified my workouts and achieved every goal within the 90 day period. Instead of losing strength I actually gained strength because of our strategic focus!

Setting goals without strategic planning is a waste of time. You might get lucky and have some short-term success, but sustained successes result from sound planning and execution. In my own example I did not simply continue my old lifting plan, I turned to an expert for ideas on how to accomplish my goal. The changes he suggested, along with my execution of the plan, is what led to success.

Let’s imagine that you wish to add $1,000,000 in sales to your organization and that an additional salesman will be required. It takes several months to locate, hire and train a new salesman. If he is expected to produce $1,000,000 in annual sales, you will need to add him well in advance. Not only will he be unproductive for several months, he will require a vehicle. If you expect him to produce sales, you will need to increase your marketing budget. If he is successful, you will need additional support staff and crews to support the higher level of sales. Every crew requires training and a vehicle. Wow, that’s a lot of upfront investment! Counting all the unproductive time, vehicles and marketing, I estimate the advance cost would be in the range of $225,000 (and that assumes that all of your hiring and marketing decisions work out.)

Is it worth the risk? You decide. The gross profit on $1,000,000 in additional sales is 35%, or $350,000 annually. If the additions you made are successful they will produce that level of profit or more in future years as well. It appears to me that the risk/reward ratio is very much in your favor on this particular example.

Being strategic means identifying every action which will be required to achieve your goal. Be specific, be realistic and include timelines. Be prepared for some hiccups along the way by adding contingency plans. Most importantly, develop a strategic plan you believe in. You are asking for someone else to invest in your ideas and your confidence in those ideas will not only shine through your presentation, it will carry you through implementation all the way to success.

Once you realize that you really can control your business future, planning goes from being a chore to being a challenging and fun adventure. It’s time to have some fun!

Varying Your Message

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Tue, 13 Aug 2024 22:02:26 GMT

TOPICs: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Varying Your Message

The most successful communicators are those who are capable of delivering their messages in a variety of ways. Nobody likes hearing the same message delivered over and over in the same manner. Almost everyone responds to inspirational speakers, but few people want a steady diet of rah-rah speeches. On the other hand, nobody likes to be preached at every time there is a meeting. Whether you are delivering good news, bad news or even boring news there is a way to capture the attention of your audience.

Many years ago, there was a former baseball player turned manager by the name of Billy Martin. Billy was a fiery, combative player and he managed the same way. He developed a reputation as a turnaround specialist by taking over underperforming teams and managing them into contention. During his 16 year managerial career he led six different teams and won two World Series. With that kind of success you might ask why Billy’s average tenure was less than 3 years? The answer is simple; he only had one speed. Players responded well to his approach at first but tired of the unrelenting pressure after a couple of years. He knew baseball and he knew how to win but he didn’t know how to sustain success.

As a leader you have consistent themes to convey to your team. Your first goal as a communicator is to be sure that your message is heard and remembered. If you don’t find new and creative ways to get your message across you will be tuned out. Personally, I like to use humor when possible because it lightens the mood and makes it more likely that the meeting will be remembered. As with all communication issues, it is very helpful to imagine what message you want your audience to hear and then work backwards to determine which communication method(s) you will use.

What type of communication methods are available to you? Illustrations, skits, celebrations and stories are some of my favorites. Getting your audience to think along with you is the best way to keep them involved. If you let them know some of the issues you are facing they might even help you solve a problem. Telling a story which relates to their own experience makes them remember the story after your meeting is over. The element of surprise is always a winner. Nobody wants to hear your message if it’s the same message you delivered last month, and the month before that.

Another powerful communication tool is transparency. Your subordinates don’t know everything you know and they love hearing your plans for solving problems. In the absence of information most people assume the worst. As a leader you have daily opportunities to share information on your terms. Not all of your solutions will work out, and when they don’t, be honest about your failures – then share your next plan with them. One of my fundamental beliefs is that people like to be led. Assuming that you are proud of your leadership decisions, why wouldn’t you want to share them with your subordinates?

In the world of leadership, short-term success stories are everywhere but stories of sustained success are in much shorter supply. Billy Martin types quickly burn their teams out but leaders who understand that we all need a mix of inspiration, discipline, creativity and honesty will build their teams into long term success stories. As you continue to work on your leadership skills don’t forget to work on becoming a more effective communicator.

Admitting Guilt or Accepting Responsibility?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 21:26:19 GMT

TOPICs: LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Admitting Guilt or Accepting Responsibility?

If I were asked to name the one thing which has contributed most to the decline of our society my answer would be the loss of personal accountability. No matter where you look these days, someone can come up with a reason why they shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions.

At the risk of venturing into politics to make my point, the recent assassination attempt on Donald Trump is a perfect example. The day after the assassination attempt the Secret Service Director admitted fault but insisted that she would not resign. In other words, she was unwilling to suffer consequences for leadership failures which resulted in the death of a firefighter and the near death of a presidential candidate under protection from the Secret Service. (Only under extreme pressure did she finally resign several days later.)

Leadership is inextricably linked to responsibility. It is a leader’s responsibility to hire the right people for the job. It is the leader’s responsibility to train his teams to perform their duties. It is the leader’s responsibility to anticipate issues before they become problems. It is the leader’s responsibility to insist that protocols are followed, and violators are disciplined and/or dismissed. In short, every outcome – successful or not – is ultimately the responsibility of the leader.

The minute a leader steps into his leadership role he becomes accountable. Strong leaders constantly analyze organizational strengths and weaknesses. Strengths are capitalized on and weaknesses are attacked. Strong leaders make mistakes, but they are seldom caught unprepared. Weak leaders look for people who agree with them while strong leaders welcome diverse and challenging opinions.

When weak leaders fail they seek scapegoats, while strong leaders step forward, take accountability and pursue appropriate corrective actions. If it sounds noble to accept guilt when a plan fails, it isn’t. It is noble to do everything in your power to achieve success. It is noble to anticipate problems before they occur. It is noble to provide all the training and resources needed by your teams. And it is noble to put

your job on the line when things go awry.

In the days following the assassination attempt the Secret Service director floated several excuses for the catastrophic performance of her organization. She admitted certain shortcomings but stopped short of taking full responsibility. Not surprisingly, her equally weak boss publicly protected her. (Weak leaders always seem to attract weak subordinates.) Given this type of weak leadership, what are the chances for dramatic improvement anytime soon? If you answered “none,” you would be correct.

Accountability does not begin when you accept a leadership role. It begins at birth and it ends when you die. Accountable people tell the truth and do the right thing. Accountable people look at themselves first. Accountable people expect others to be accountable, too. Not only do accountable people make great leaders, they also make good followers.

Take a quick look at your own leadership style. If you find yourself pointing fingers when mistakes happen instead of looking in the mirror, you have some work to do in the accountability department. (Believe me, your peers and subordinates already know whether you hold yourself accountable or not.) Don’t wait for them to tell you – if it needs fixing, start fixing it today.

Staying The Course

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 19:34:34 GMT

TOPICS: DECISION MAKING | LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Staying The Course

Business is about setting goals for growth and efficiency. Goals should be challenging and worthy of celebration when they are achieved. But sometimes, especially with long term goals, the pursuit becomes tedious and it is easy to lose focus.

A couple of years ago I went hiking with a friend for several days. On our first day while we were fresh we decided to attempt the most challenging hike. Upon the advice of a local we chose the most difficult route to the top of a small mountain. Neither of us is an experienced hiker and the recommended route was much harder than anticipated.

The higher we climbed, the steeper it got. The summit was obscured by trees and rocks, so our ultimate goal was never in view. Frankly, the experience was not very enjoyable and the only thing which kept us going was periodically stopping to rest and look down at where we started. These rest stops reinforced that we were making progress and that our goal was likely to be achieved if we just kept going.

Finally, after three hours we reached the top of the mountain and what greeted us was a magnificent, 360 degree view of Big Bend National Park. I’m not saying that the view was worth the climb, but we gained a huge sense of achievement knowing that we had completed a difficult goal.

Some of the goals we set for ourselves and our organizations take a long time to reach. Along the way it is easy to become discouraged and even to question whether the goal is attainable or desirable. My own pursuit of long term goals seems to follow a very predictable pattern.

I begin by charging ahead in earnest, excited by a new challenge. After a period of time I become discouraged by setbacks and conflicts. It is at that point that I need to be rejuvenated; to refocus on the ultimate goal. It is at that point that I spend time reflecting on the progress I have made and not so much on the difficulty remaining. Invariably, such reflection recharges my batteries so I can forge ahead once again.

If the goals you set for yourself or your organization are lofty I can promise that you will become discouraged along the way. If you become discouraged, imagine how your subordinates feel. After all, they are counting on you for leadership. Your job is not only to set the destination and solve problems as they arise, it is your responsibility to keep your team motivated, energized and focused. Just like our climb, big goals are made up of a series of interim goals. Focusing on those interim goals and celebrating each success are keys to achieving the overall goal.

Each of us is on a journey toward becoming a better leader and manager. Each of us has made progress toward that goal. Take time every once in awhile to reflect on where you started and where you are now. Celebrate your progress. Don’t focus on how far you have to go - focus on what you have already achieved and resolve to keep going. I promise that the climb will be worth the effort and that you’ll enjoy the view from your summit.

Who Cares What Dad Thinks?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 20:57:53 GMT

TOPICS: DECISION MAKING | OPERATIONS | LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Who Cares What Dad Thinks?

Children usually grow up in awe of their immediate authority figures. Parents, teachers, grandparents and coaches wield enormous influence over kids as they develop. It is pretty common for a child to be guided by the question, “What would my mom (or dad, teacher or coach) think?” As we all know, around the teenage years that question too often becomes, “What can I do to make mom or dad mad?” Teenage rebellion is a painful time of life, but it serves as an important part of the maturation process.

Small businesses bear an uncanny resemblance to families. Young leaders go through the same growing pains as adolescents and teenagers. But somewhere during the maturation process, usually in late high school or early college, young people begin to get the message. As they learn to accept responsibility for their actions, they can be given even more responsibility. Instead of thinking, “Dad would kill me if he knew how fast I was driving,” maturity takes hold and thoughts become, “Driving this fast is risky. I could get an expensive ticket, wreck my car or be severely injured.” When young people quit worrying about what mom and dad think and start evaluating the real consequences of their actions, maturity has started to kick in.

By the same token, young leaders become more effective managers once they quit worrying first about what their boss might think. As a long time boss, I can tell you what the boss thinks: “If you put together a logical plan and are prepared to make it a success, I’ll be your biggest supporter.” Just like parents, bosses love to see young managers take responsibility for their decisions and execute well-conceived plans. Even when things don’t go as planned, good bosses celebrate lessons learned and move forward.

Does that mean you should ignore the boss’s opinion and go rogue? Of course not! Any good boss has established a framework for decision making and you must respect that framework. You must also address how your plan fits into the overall company mission.

Changing things just for the sake of doing something different is a waste of time. But real change which advances the company toward a positive goal is always worth considering. Any boss worthy of his title welcomes the chance to hear innovative proposals. While his questions may be challenging, they are designed to make your proposal better. If your plan cannot withstand a few challenges, it probably isn’t much of a plan.

Organizations which do not innovate soon find themselves falling behind their competition. Innovation which comes from within an organization is far better than copying ideas from other organizations. Having said that, it is impossible to build an innovative culture without initiative and leadership from younger managers.

In order to become innovators, leaders must relentlessly pursue “intellectual curiosity.” If you aren’t actively pursuing knowledge, you are doing yourself, your organization and your employees a disservice. Ideas are everywhere and it is up to every individual leader to acquire knowledge that leads to improvement, both personal and organizational. The process of developing new ideas is fun, but challenging. I would guess that I discard 9 out of every 10 new ideas I consider, but the one idea that survives always makes the exercise worthwhile.

It's time to fire up your innovation engine. Dad will be proud!

Facts Beat Speculation Every Time

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 00:20:01 GMT

TOPICS: COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Facts Beat Speculation Every Time

Imagine for the next few minutes that you are the head coach of a professional football team. The season is going okay, you are winning more than you are losing but something needs to change if you are going to make the playoffs.

You call your assistants and coordinators into a brainstorming session. “Coach, I’m hearing a lot of grumbling about the offense,” says the defensive line coach. “The guys just don’t believe we have the right game plan and the practices are disorganized.”

Two of the other assistants agree that there is a lot of frustration in the locker room. By the end of the meeting there is a very negative feeling surrounding the coaching staff. As the meeting breaks up you notice small groups of coaches gathering to continue the conversations.

You retire to your office, shut the door and consider what was said during the meeting. It seems interesting that the negative comments about the offense came from a defensive coach. Practices seem to be organized and run the same way as in past seasons. You wonder if the locker room is as frustrated as the coach indicated, or if a couple of voices are dominating the conversations.

You didn’t get to be the head coach because you relied on the speculation of others. Instead of spending your time finding out who the dissenting voices belonged to you resolve to find out what the leaders of your team think. As the Head Coach you know which players influence the locker room. You choose a small group of leaders from both offensive and defensive sides of the ball and convene a casual meeting.

Your only agenda is to take the temperature of the team and find out whether real issues exist. You begin the meeting as follows: “We are off to kind of a mediocre start this season and I’ve been told that the team is frustrated. I’m frustrated too, but we can’t succeed with a fractured locker room. If we have a problem, I want to address it head on, and that’s why I called you in. What’s really going on?”

“Coach, I think the team is frustrated because we aren’t winning, nothing more,” says the first player. “Yeah, I agree with that. Winning cures everything,” says the second player. The third player, who the coach knows is a straight shooter hasn’t spoken. “Bob, do you agree with them,” Coach asks? “I wasn’t going to say anything, but the problem is with the third string quarterback. He thinks he should be starting and he runs his mouth to anyone who will listen. A couple of the other non-starters have climbed on his bandwagon. Frankly, that’s the source of any locker room problems. I think we’d have more success if we got rid of the negativity and all pulled together. But I will say that I think our practices are less focused than they used to be and that is a problem.”

Armed with facts instead of speculation you are now in a position to lead your team forward. You’ll probably want to ask your coaches why they settled for rumors and gossip when they could have been the source of factual information. You’ll also want to get those practices back to being focused and organized. As for the third string quarterback, I’ll bet you can live without him.

How are you investing your valuable leadership resources? Are you getting to the bottom of issues or are you wasting time on rumors and idle speculation?

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:13:09 GMT

TOPICS: TRAINING & EDUCATION

You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know

Do you remember all those elementary school teachers who tried to get you to read books? I sure do! We had storytimes, we had book clubs, we had reading awards - but for me it didn’t click. I read only what I needed to pass classes and seldom read a book just for enjoyment. I did notice that many of my smartest classmates were avid readers, but I just never had much interest in books.

As it turns out, those teachers were right. Reading is one of the greatest skills you can develop, and it lasts a lifetime. About the time I entered the business world I realized that everyone I admired knew a lot more about a lot of things than I did. My first boss, a 23 year old Harvard MBA, advised me to begin reading five different business magazines in addition to the Wall Street Journal. This time I followed the advice I was given and began a reading career which continues to this day.

I had lots of excuses for not reading - short attention span, busy life, too many other options, etc. - but I brushed those aside and committed to a daily program of reading. To be honest, I do not enjoy the physical act of reading. For that reason, I choose not to read fiction in favor of non-fiction with a goal of increasing knowledge on a variety of topics. Some of my early objections to reading were later overcome by the availability of audiobooks which can be listened to while driving or exercising.

I am often asked for book recommendations. Although I have a few favorites, my primary recommendation is to read on a variety of topics, especially in areas where you have little knowledge.

The last five books I have read dealt with these diverse subjects: longevity, male depression, a football coach’s leadership secrets, the rise and fall of a crypto billionaire and personal philanthropy. Only one of these books covered a topic in my field of expertise. The book on longevity, which is a particular interest of mine, led me to the book on male depression which I found interesting, but not terribly useful. Regardless, I learned from each one and my understanding of the world is slightly greater as a result.

Thanks to the internet, information is more readily available than it has ever been.

Unfortunately, the opportunity created by the internet is also a curse. It is easier to find well-written garbage than it is to find useful information. My recommendation is to read more than one source on every subject and let your common sense suggest where the truth lies. Although I am a fiscal and social conservative, I make it a point to read articles and books written from a different perspective to improve my understanding of issues from every side. I believe that I am a better communicator when I understand why others see things differently than I do.

What does all of this have to do with leadership? Every book I have ever read has broadened my understanding of people and how they think. My primary job is to lead, motivate and influence people. The more I know about what drives people to do what they do and think like they think, the better leader I become.

Leadership is not about being the smartest person in the room, it is about having the most insight and being able to use that insight to influence others. I cannot imagine a faster way to gain insight than to commit to a program of reading. I’m sorry that I didn’t pay attention in elementary school, but I’m sure glad I started when I did. If you haven’t started yet, put aside your excuses. You’ll be surprised by how much you learn in just a few months.

Redefining Success

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 22 May 2024 18:43:27 GMT

TOPICS: LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Redefining Success

Most strong leaders see themselves as head of an organization or business at some point. That sort of expectation goes along with the confidence and mentality of a leader. “I’ll begin with something small, move to something a bit larger and in the end, I’ll be the top guy.” Maybe you will, maybe you won’t.

The smartest man I ever worked with was named Bob. He was the CFO of a large real estate organization. Bob had it all; he was incredible with numbers and he was a great communicator. He could be ruthless when it was called for, but he was often warm and gracious. He was easy to follow because he always seemed to know where he was going.

Imagine my surprise when he shared his story with us one day during a company meeting. Earlier in his career he had served as President for two different retail companies, both of which filed bankruptcy during his tenure. Despite all his intellect and talents, he had failed – twice – at being the top guy. “After the second bankruptcy I determined that if I couldn’t be the leader, I would become the best number two I could be.” And that is exactly what he became. He enjoyed a fulfilling and successful career until he retired.

I can’t imagine how hard it was for Bob to reach that conclusion. Almost every entrepreneur I know has failed at least once and many have failed multiple times. Most went on to enjoy success, but some never overcame the stigma of failure. I wonder if those guys ever thought about becoming the best number two they could be?

Experience has taught me two important lessons on this subject. First, most leaders are not cut out to be the top guy. The pressure of living with the responsibility for the ultimate success or failure of an organization can be suffocating and isolating. It is a 24 hour, 7 day a week commitment which affects every part of your life. Second, being effective at what you do is far more important than occupying the top spot. Without competent leaders at every level, organizations struggle or fail. As Bob proved, being an integral part of something successful can be extremely rewarding, both financially and emotionally. And, it sure beats being the leader responsible for failure!

Obviously, the higher you climb in an organization, the more leadership skills are required. Not only does the competition among managers intensify, the pressure to make proper decisions increases dramatically. After all, more people depend on you than ever before. Is that the level of pressure you signed up for? If not, you may want to reevaluate your definition of personal and professional success.

Success in business means being as good as you can be at the job before you. Just because you set out to reach a certain spot does not mean you would be happy or competent in that role. Bob found contentment and success in a very different spot than he imagined. Could the same be said about you?

It Starts and Ends with You

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Sun, 19 May 2024 18:32:55 GMT

TOPICS: LEADERSHIP SKILLS | OPERATIONS

It Starts and Ends with You

One of my favorite stories from “Extreme Ownership” was the boat story in Chapter 2. The crew leader of the worst performing boat was swapped with the best crew leader. Immediately, the worst performing boat became the best performing boat. Have you stopped to think about how the crew leader accomplished such a feat?

We have no way of knowing exactly what he did, but we know one thing he did not do. He didn’t wait for someone else to solve his problem. Logic would say that he evaluated his team, made a few changes in assignments and added some inspirational words. He clearly relied on his experience as a leader and set about doing the things which had always worked for him. Not surprisingly, excellent leadership won the day.

In our company we are faced with a series of issues which must be overcome if we are to return to our former levels of financial success. Over the last year we have learned that Dee Dee plugged lots of holes for the organization. Now that we can no longer rely on her to cover up our weaknesses, we are regularly dropping the ball in several areas. What’s the answer? Clearly, each one of us must step forward to take responsibility. The question isn’t “Why should I be the one to fix it?” The question should be, “What is the best solution and how can I be part of it?”

Getting back to the boat story, the crew leader didn’t make excuses for the losing crew, he set about making them better. They immediately began to perform better and won more races than any other boat. Would that have happened if he had blamed their poor performance on anything other than them?

Our company operates as six separate divisions and there are times when fingers are pointed at one division or another for poor outcomes. Finger pointing is the opposite of leadership. Successful leaders figure out a way to enlist the cooperation of others in pursuit of their goals. The successful crew leader didn’t waste time on blame – he used every tool in his leadership toolbox to begin the process of turning losers into winners.

What is in the way of you achieving your business goals for 2024? If it is weak employees, develop them or send them on their way. If it is conflict with another manager, figure out how to motivate the other manager to work toward your common goal. If the issue is a bad policy, take the lead toward developing a better policy. What better time than January 1st to get started on some meaningful changes?

The successful boat crew leader knew immediately that the success of his boat was up to him. He didn’t waste time complaining about the unfairness of his situation, he focused on what it would take to turn things around. If you are to achieve success as a leader the first step is to look in the mirror and see the person who is responsible for success or failure. If you need more motivation, think about how the losing crew leader felt when he saw his team become winners under a new boat captain.

You are the captain of your boat. Act like it!

"Always Lathering, Never Shaving"

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Fri, 17 May 2024 18:31:18 GMT

TOPICS: COMMUNICATION SKILLS | EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

"Always Lathering, Never Shaving"

I am married to a wonderful woman who is the opposite of me in a variety of ways. On paper there is no way our marriage should have lasted 42 years, but it has. I am aggressive; she is passive. I am proactive; she is reactive. I can be harsh and judgmental; she is gracious and forgiving. I am very “outcome oriented”; she lives in the moment. Fortunately for both of us, I am the breadwinner and she is the relationship builder.

So, what does this have to do with managing an enterprise? Perhaps our biggest marital conflict has to do with timely completion of tasks. While René likes the idea of being involved in a project and frequently adds really creative suggestions, she has less interest in schedules, deadlines and budgets. As a friend of mine likes to say, people like René are “Always lathering but never shaving.” Organizations benefit from having people like René on staff, but they were never meant to lead projects or teams.

To illustrate, let’s listen in on a conversation between Bob and his manager who just happened to drop by Bob’s office:

Manager: “So Bob, how are you coming on the project?”

Employee: “I’ve been putting some thoughts together.”

Manager: “Anything you’d like to discuss?”

Employee: “No, let me get further into it.”

Manager: “You know the deadline is Tuesday, don’t you?”

Employee: “Tuesday? I thought it was Friday.”

(The manager walks away quietly shaking his head)

While Bob felt like he dodged a bullet, his manager knew exactly where Bob was on the project – nowhere. He hadn’t even focused enough time on the project to know the deadline. Now let’s listen in on another conversation between the manager and another employee, Mike. In this case, Mike dropped by his manager’s office:

Mike: “I’m really looking forward to Tuesday’s meeting.”

Manager: “Are you finished with your part of the project already?”

Mike: “No, and that’s why I stopped by. Do you have a minute?”

Manager: “Of course.”

Mike: “I’ve come to a point where I am debating between two different approaches in my presentation and I could use your input.”

The details don’t matter after that. Mike is obviously in a much better position than Bob. While Bob is scrambling Monday night to throw his presentation together, Mike will be relaxing at home, looking forward to Tuesday’s meeting. On Tuesday, Mike will be a hero and once again, Bob will look unprepared. (The sad part is the only person who won’t recognize Bob’s failure will be Bob.)

If this installment of our blog series hits close to home, it’s time for you to make some changes. Organizations thrive when managers take their responsibilities seriously. Bob may be a fun guy to hang around with and he may bring other assets to the organization, but he has no place in leadership.

You have a choice – be like Mike!

Sometimes You’ve Got to Climb a Tree

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 15 May 2024 18:27:23 GMT

I can’t remember where this story comes from, but it illustrates a great point. A small group of people found themselves on a deserted island. They spent all of their time foraging for food, trying to invent ways off the island and fighting with each other. What they didn’t do was explore all of their options. As it turned out they were not on a deserted island at all. They were simply on one beach of a very inhabited island. Had someone thought to climb a tree and look around they would have discovered that civilization existed several hundred yards away.

Our organization has developed step by step over the last 36 years. Most of our promotions have come from within the organization and our leadership team has been very stable. While this has many advantages it also comes with its own limitations. With a few notable exceptions, we haven’t made significant operational changes as we have grown revenues by 800%.

Recently I was made aware of a practice in our company where we issue Purchase Orders by computer, print them out for processing then scan them back into our computer system. This system was developed years ago and has been tweaked over and over with a goal of making it more efficient. Only when a fairly new employee was asked about her experience with Purchase Orders at another company was the silliness of our system brought to light.

In other words, only after the tree was climbed the system was looked at from a totally different perspective. This “tree climbing” process was repeated recently when our people toured one of Amazon’s local warehouses. What an opportunity! Amazon is arguably the most sophisticated distribution company on the planet. Don’t be surprised when you see numerous exciting advancements in our warehouse beginning in the very near future.

At Tom’s we have always prided ourselves on doing things the right way. In most cases our business practices are superior to those used by our competitors. But it would be arrogant and shortsighted to think that improvements are not possible.

Our tendency has always been to make improvements by tweaking existing policies and practices, but there comes a time when overhauls are needed. Now that our leadership team is developing more skills and working together, it is a great time to consider meaningful upgrades. Change just for the sake of change is never a good idea, but if someone is doing something innovative, we would be foolish not to evaluate the idea then figure out a way to improve on it.

Smart people can always come up with new ideas, but no one is smart enough to think of everything. One of our jobs as leaders is to look outside our comfort zones for new and better ways of doing things. If your comfort zone keeps you from seeing what the world has to offer it might be time for you to climb a tree.

WWJD?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Mon, 13 May 2024 18:25:35 GMT

TOPICS: Leadership SKILLS | TRAINING & EDUCATION

WWJD

Several years ago, the WWJD (“What would Jesus do?”) fad was enormously popular and it was common to see WWJD bracelets everywhere. It would be hard to argue that doing what Jesus did could ever be a bad thing, wouldn’t it? The fad has largely faded but the concept remains applicable. Who is it you look to for guidance?

There is a certain relief in admitting that you don’t have all the answers. Nobody does. Regardless of what we are doing, someone is doing it better. Regardless of what we know, someone knows more than we do. So where does a leader go when he needs answers? For me, it depends on the question. I have been very fortunate to be around some great leaders in my career. I have learned far more about leadership by observing them than I have from reading books, listening to podcasts or attending classes.

During my first career in real estate, I was fortunate to work for a truly unique and gifted man, Trammell Crow. At that time, he was the most successful private real estate developer in the United States. His treatment of people, his ability to see into the future and his humility left an indelible mark on my life.

Although he is no longer living and I have been gone from his organization for 41 years I often ask myself, “What would Mr. Crow do in this situation?” I will never achieve the success he did but much of the success I have enjoyed is due to lessons I learned directly or indirectly from him. I am sure that hundreds – maybe even thousands – of other business people who were able to experience his leadership would say the same thing.

I was in my 40s when I began to notice that several of my friends who also owned businesses were enjoying more success than I was. After a rapid start, my career had grown somewhat stagnant. Through observing others, I discovered that my directness in dealing with people was actually creating problems instead of solving them. By observing other entrepreneurs who were especially skilled at leading people I learned to change my approach and not surprisingly, success followed.

All of us have people in our lives – spouses, friends, pastors, bosses, co-workers, parents, siblings – who are more skilled at various tasks than we are. It only makes sense to copy behaviors which have proven to work for others.

For me, the list of mentors is quite long. It begins with my wife and includes a large group of entrepreneurial friends, including Mr. Crow, of course. Together they have helped me become happier and more successful. And, almost daily, I still find myself asking, “What would (Jim, Russ, Randy, Don, Ed, Marc, René, Jack, Doug, Mike, etc.) do in this situation?”

Do yourself a favor by taking these three steps:

Identify a weakness in yourself.
Look for someone who has overcome that weakness.
Learn from that person and copy their behavior. Rinse. Repeat.

Reasons vs. Excuses

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Sun, 12 May 2024 17:57:44 GMT

We all know people who seem to accomplish every task they attempt; the salesman who always meets his quota, the clerical person who always has a clean desk and an empty inbox, the student who turns in every assignment on time. What is it about these people that makes them different from people who struggle with deadlines and goals?

Most people would suggest that organization is the key to getting things done on time. It is hard to argue with that and I certainly agree that organization makes achievement easier. But I believe that the real differentiator is commitment. Most people hear goals as suggestions, but high achievers commit to reaching or exceeding goals. I am always frustrated by a salesman who schedules a meeting for 10:15 - 10:30. What is it, 10:15 or 10:30? If you can’t commit to 10:15 then make the appointment for 10:30.

What’s the difference between acknowledging a goal and committing to a goal? I was once a volunteer finance committee member for the Arlington Life Shelter. They scheduled an important meeting with a State Legislator who was considering making a significant donation to the Life Shelter and asked me to attend.

I arrived 5 minutes early and was surprised that no one from the Life Shelter was there. The time came for the meeting and I had no choice but to start in on a presentation (which I made up as I went along!) Several minutes into the presentation the Director and her marketing coordinator arrived with the “real” presentation in PowerPoint form. As I continued with my spiel the marketing coordinator attempted unsuccessfully to load the PowerPoint. Fortunately, the Director was able to take over where I left off and bumbled her way through a haphazard presentation. Much to my surprise the donor came through with a nice check about a week later.

While the outcome was successful, I was not pleased to be representing an organization which cared so little about professionalism. When I called the Director the next day she was surprised to learn of my concerns. She shrugged off their late arrival, blaming it on traffic. She seemed amused by the PowerPoint fiasco, as if it was unavoidable. My point to her was that the errors were avoidable. With a large donation on the line there was no excuse for not arriving early and taking a few minutes to test the PowerPoint on the available computer system. It was clear to me that I was not working with people who were committed to our shared goals and I resigned my volunteer position shortly thereafter.

There are always reasons why things don’t go as planned. Severe weather, illness and unforeseen emergencies come to mind. “I got a late start,” “I didn’t know there was a school zone on the way” or “I couldn’t get my printer to work” are all excuses, not reasons for failure. Committed people go to great lengths to ensure positive outcomes. Committed people print the report well in advance and leave early to make sure they arrive on time. Committed people leave nothing to chance.

When you find yourself looking back over a failure, ask yourself if the problems could have been avoided. Could you have been better prepared? Could you have anticipated the buyer’s objections and overcome them? Could you have done more research to ensure that the conclusions in your report were ironclad? Could you have asked for more input to be certain that you had all your bases covered? Maybe there were reasons why you failed, but more likely there were excuses.

We only get so many opportunities to succeed in life. When an opportunity presents itself why not commit to doing everything within your power to come out on top?

When Supporting Becomes Enabling

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 09 May 2024 17:54:02 GMT

I grew up at a time when parenting was more hands-off, and children were given responsibilities and consequences. By the time I became a dad that style of parenting was on the way out, replaced by a more supportive, loving approach. Now that I am a grandparent, I see daily just how far the world has continued in the supportive, loving direction. Frankly, I think it is time for the pendulum to swing back in the other direction.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a supportive, loving parent and grandparent. But I also believe that accountability should begin at an early age. I have always been struck by the parallels between parenting and management. For the most part, leadership principles apply at home, just as they do in the workplace. It is pretty easy to spot the employees who were not raised with high standards of personal accountability.

Our oldest child presented us with constant challenges. Learning disabilities led to problems with schoolwork. Nobody likes looking stupid, so academic issues led to behavioral problems. We supported him with special tutoring, special schools and counseling, but we insisted that he meet academic and behavioral standards.

He frequently lost privileges, including the right to compete in sports. We were warned by professionals that he was headed down a path of delinquency and that drugs would probably become an issue. We investigated every possible opportunity, we cried, we argued, we prayed and we questioned every decision.

What we did not do was enable his poor performance. We watched as other parents made excuses or ignored their child’s problems. In many cases their stories ended badly, even tragically. Fortunately, our son is an outstanding husband, father, employee and friend today – and his relationship with his mom and dad could not be better.

The world has changed dramatically since we first became parents, but the need for personal accountability has not. I recall when the “War on Poverty” was started in the ‘60s and our government began throwing money at the problem. Six decades later we have more poverty and homeless people than ever. Providing financial support without requiring accountability is a concept which has always failed, and always will. Doing your children’s homework to keep them from failing is almost a guarantee that they will fail later. Allowing an employee to flaunt the rules “just this one time” is a guarantee that they will test the rules again later.

All of us – children, parents, employees – benefit from structure and accountability. I can’t help but think that bad behavior which is enabled early in life too often leads to a lifetime of underperformance. The parent who strives to be his child’s best friend does his child a disservice, just as the manager who puts harmony ahead of performance does his employees no favors.

As managers and leaders, it is our responsibility to require employees to meet certain standards whether they like it or not. Like parents, we must care for and support them through challenging times, but we must never enable substandard performance by tolerating or ignoring inappropriate behavior. We live in a world of enablers. Be a supporter, not an enabler.

This One’s on Me

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 08 May 2024 17:48:04 GMT

I really enjoy writing down my thoughts on management and leadership. Until today, that is. This installment covers a mistake I made which was entirely avoidable. It was not catastrophic or terribly significant but it is important because it illustrates what happens when anyone, especially a leader takes his eye off the ball.

For whatever reason I have always enjoyed doing “mindless” projects. They give me a chance to relax while still accomplishing something positive. I recently tackled one of those mindless projects: producing the 2024 playbooks for our 5-year plan. Over a week I spent a part of each day editing, printing and finally assembling the books. Upon completion I happily dropped them off on the GM’s desk for distribution.

Early the next day the books were returned to me by the GM with those hated words, “These are all screwed up. The pages are all out of order.” I knew he had to be mistaken so I grabbed the first one. Sure enough, the pages were out of order. I was embarrassed, confused and irritated with myself. How could I have possibly messed up such a simple task? In retrospect, I was asking the wrong question. I often make mistakes, and for a variety of reasons. The question I should have been asking was “Why didn’t I check my work more carefully?” Unfortunately, I don’t know the answer to that question, but I don’t plan to make the same mistake again!

In the overall scheme of things my mistake was fairly minor and easily rectified. But as someone who preaches personal accountability the mistake was entirely unacceptable – because it resulted from laziness. As the leader of an organization, I must set the standard for performance and accountability. In this case I clearly fell short.

Many years ago, I took on a significant volunteer project for our church. The results of my work were to be presented to the Board of Elders. It had been many years since I answered to anyone other than our customers and employees and I found myself being more diligent than usual in reviewing my work. It was a good reminder that work quality should be top notch whether or not someone is looking over your shoulder.

There are plenty of decisions to be made in the life of a leader which are subjective. Those decisions are fairly easy to get wrong, as uncontrollable factors can affect the outcome. But in the case of objective decisions, where outcomes are predictable and controllable, sloppiness and laziness will produce unacceptable results – like mine.

Mindless or not, my future projects will get all the attention I can muster - every single time!

Problems With Emotional Leadership

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Tue, 07 May 2024 19:37:23 GMT

I confess - I am struggling with this topic. Not because I don’t think it is important, but because I may not be the best person to write about emotions. I am not a terribly emotional person so keeping emotions out of decision making is pretty natural for me. But as I observe every day, both inside and outside our organization, it is not so easy for everyone.

Effective leaders are very responsive to situations whereas leaders who are guided by emotions tend to be highly reactive. If the difference between those two terms seems minor, let me use an example.

An employee makes an inappropriate comment about a manager’s child. Make no mistake - the employee is 100% out of bounds with his comment. The reactive manager is understandably furious and immediately lashes out at the employee in front of several co-workers. As the argument escalates, additional comments about family members are added and the chances for a peaceful resolution disappear. The confrontation ends with an angry manager, an angry employee (or ex-employee) and an office full of embarrassed co-workers.

How would an effective manager have dealt with the same situation? First, he would take a moment to collect himself and plan his response, taking the immediate emotion out of the situation. He would then call the employee into a private conversation and deal with the situation honestly and directly. For instance, he might begin with, “What you said about my daughter was indefensible, but it was quite out of character for you. What caused you to make such a mean-spirited comment?”

With the emotional temperature turned down the employee would hopefully respond something like this. “First, let me apologize. I was attempting to be funny but the minute the words came out of my mouth I knew it was wrong. What can I do to show you how sorry I am?”

Because the manager was able to set his emotions aside the chances for a positive resolution increased dramatically. He knew the employee well enough to suspect that the comment was not intended to hurt him or his daughter. None of this is to suggest that relations between the manager and employee immediately return to normal. The effective manager would be watching closely to see if this is a pattern in the employee’s communication which he had previously missed.

When a manager bases his actions on emotions like fear, hurt or anger he loses his chance at objectivity. That is not to say that emotions should not have a part in decision making. Taking into account the likely emotional reaction to any decision is important. But emotions cannot be the starting point for the decision making process. Once an objective decision has been made, the emotional reaction can be anticipated and managed.

The goal of every leader should be to earn the respect of his employees and peers. The strong leader knows that some of his decisions will be unpopular and may even cause hurt feelings. There will be times when he may feel isolated or disliked. But in the long term, a leader who is fair, calm, consistent and objective will earn the respect he deserves.

Where Next?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 02 May 2024 19:37:23 GMT

Whenever we make progress on a project, whether in business or life, it is natural to stop, look over our success and maybe even take a victory lap. Those are all good and necessary, as long as the rest is short. There is always more to do.

We are in a highly seasonal industry, and time is short during the busy months - often too short to focus on special projects. However, our slower season is normally about 7 months long (unfortunately!) It is during the slower season when we must be working on projects to make us better in the next busy season. Every effective manager accumulates a list of “slow time” projects and eagerly attacks those projects as soon as time allows. How long is your list?

Every project requires a plan, and every plan contains the same elements: What is the goal, what are the obstacles to be overcome and what are the action steps? One additional consideration is, “Who is going to perform the tasks to accomplish the desired outcome?”

In our company we often make use of employees from one division to perform slow time projects for another division. Although we have excellent employees in all divisions, we must be careful to match skillsets up with tasks. An excellent technician may be a very poor file clerk. A lead installer may consider it demeaning to remove decals on an old van.

It makes sense to think about who can best do what you need done before randomly assigning unfamiliar tasks. The outdated idea that since we are paying employees, they must do anything we ask is flawed on several fronts. Remember, you want the best result on your project. Choosing the best person to help can save time and produce a superior outcome.

As a leader it is up to you to be prepared to accept help whenever it is presented. This means not only must you have a project list, you must be ready to explain the project to someone who is likely operating outside his wheelhouse. The better your explanation, the better the outcome. If your project is more complicated or requires multiple steps you may need to write the instructions down. Waiting until the last minute to prepare is one of the surest ways to fail.

I have always found that the best way to identify future projects is to ask myself, “Six months from now what will I wish I had already done?” Most of us are consumed by our daily activities but this simple exercise forces you to look ahead. It is rare that I don’t come up with multiple projects when I ask this question of myself.

Before closing this post, it is necessary to mention the need for efficiency during project work. Under normal circumstances only one or two people should be assigned to work on any project. There is a strong tendency for employees to view special projects as busy work and to spend more time fooling around than working. Obviously, some employees are better at certain tasks than others and it is in everyone’s best interests to pay attention to that. You should never tolerate bad attitudes or lazy work habits on your projects.

One final note; it is up to the employee’s manager to keep his employees in line. The company guarantees 35 hours to employees who are willing to work. Those who are not willing to be productive - regardless of the task - are not eligible for the guarantee.

The slow time is at hand. Are you ready?

What is “Managing Up?”

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 02 May 2024 19:37:23 GMT

Imagine that one of our great service technicians is wrapping up a service call with some bad news for the customer. “Your compressor is grounded and cannot be repaired. I’ll have a salesman call you,” he says glumly. The customer tenses up, knowing that he is about to spend money he was hoping not to spend. To make matters worse he likes the technician and is reluctant to meet someone else who might be motivated to sell him something he doesn’t need.

What if the technician changed his approach and said the following? “I’m sorry to report that you are going to need a new system but I’m always happy to introduce our customers to Brian Lackey who will guide you through the process. Brian has been with Tom’s for more than 20 years. Not only is he knowledgeable, but I also trust him completely to steer you in the right direction. Would you like me to call him to schedule an appointment?”

Building up another employee instead of simply handing the customer off is what the concept of “managing up” is all about. Using your credibility to create credibility in another employee is a truly powerful tool. And the concept is not limited to business. What if you introduce your spouse to a stranger as, “The nicest person in the world”? Instead of an awkward interaction, the stranger now has something to talk with your spouse about. Your spouse feels special and you did something really nice. That’s a win all the way around!

As good as this concept is, it gets even better when you learn to connect people based on common interests. Dogs, kids, grandkids and sports teams are all easy subjects. If the technician in the above example noticed family pictures on the homeowner’s walls and added that Brian is a devoted family man with two daughters, the sale is practically guaranteed!

A secondary benefit of “managing up” is that people sense that we are proud of our company and of our co-workers. Contrast this approach with one you often experience where the company representative takes a shot or two at management. Although this is normally done to make the employee feel like a hero in the customer’s eyes it usually has the opposite effect. Why would anyone want to do business with a company which has incompetent or uncaring management?

“Managing up” can and should be used as often as possible. Instead of saying “The office will call you,” how about saying “You will either hear from Jessica or Misti. Both of them take such good care of our customers.” Instead of saying “The part is on order” how about saying “Our warehouse manager, Nefty, is incredible at locating parts. When he finds it Misti or Jessica will call you to schedule installation.” Instead of saying “You’ll need to talk to accounting” let’s try “Debbie will call you about your invoice. She’s great at answering invoice questions and will be happy to help.”

One word of caution when using this technique. There is no need to oversell or overhype. It is far more important to refer to Brian as honest and knowledgeable than to say he is the greatest HVAC salesman ever (whether it is true or not!) Misti may be awesome, but it is more important to a customer to know that she cares about them. You get the idea.

Once you get the hang of it, ‘managing up” is fun. You get to make every new interaction a little better and you get to think up new ways of putting smiles on people’s faces.

What’s the Fun in Being Average?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 19:37:23 GMT

“There is always a different way to do everything.” That’s a phrase my father drilled into me from the time I was a young man. Frankly, I resented the pressure to always think differently than everyone else. That is, until I realized that his influence is what led to my development as an entrepreneur.

Following the crowd is always the safe choice - isn’t it? It is if you want to be average. But if you or your company want to be special, you’d better learn to look at the world differently. Nobody ever achieved greatness by doing the same thing as everyone around him. Being different certainly doesn’t guarantee success but at least it gives you a chance.

A common business strategy is to study successful companies and try to copy the things they do best. There is nothing wrong with learning from successful companies but the idea that you can succeed using someone else’s playbook is a flawed concept. When you base your business plan on someone else’s plan you let someone else do your thinking for you. Successful companies continue to innovate and grow. By the time you figure out their gameplan they are working on something entirely new.

No question, being different is risky. New ideas fail at a higher rate than ideas which are tried and true. On the other hand, the greatest successes rise from the riskiest ventures. The question is not whether a new strategy is risky - the question is can the risk be reduced? The answer is not easy, but it can be done. In the case of a service company like ours the answer is found in asking the right questions of our customers, then providing solutions which are unique in our industry.

The first step toward greatness is to define what great customer service really is. This is the intellectual and analytical part of the process. Forgetting our perceived limitations, what could we do to produce a “wow factor” for our customers? We already do the easy things - politeness, uniforms, shoe covers, friendly and knowledgeable employees - but we aren’t yet doing anything truly innovative.

By analyzing every point of contact with our customers we are bound to learn what they perceive as truly game-changing service. Once the answer is found it will be up to us to figure out a way to meet the need. Great companies do this; average companies do not.

The naysayers among us will have an endless supply of reasons why improvement is not needed. “It costs too much, employees won’t go along with the changes, nobody else is doing it.” The last objection is my personal favorite. If no one else is doing something our customers desire, then by all means we should figure out a way to get it done!

Change is hard. Innovation is hard. Greatness is hard. Just as “Good is the enemy of great,” easy is the enemy of hard. If we truly set our sights on achieving greatness, we do so with the knowledge that the path will be difficult and disappointments may be frequent. As someone once said, “Lead, follow or get out of the way.” We are on a path toward greatness. Are you leading the charge or are you in the way?

Control the Narrative

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 01:27:40 GMT

Like it or not, every successful leader is part salesman. What mom (yes, moms are definitely leaders!) hasn’t resorted to clever strategies to get her kids to eat vegetables? And what man didn’t do his best sales job when courting his future wife? The question isn’t whether we are salespeople, it is whether we fully develop and utilize sales skills as managers.

It is an unfortunate fact that, in the absence of accurate information we humans will usually assume the worst. This is particularly true in business organizations, where skepticism runs rampant with the announcement of even minor changes. “Do you think we are being bought out? Is our division being phased out? Is John being fired - or promoted?” These questions, and thousands more occur regularly in the minds of employees who feel that they are out of the loop. While this might seem frustrating, it presents a great opportunity for strong managers to use their sales skills.

Consider the following approaches to communicating policy changes regarding weekly hours. Manager Number One sends out an e-mail which reads, “Effective immediately weekly hours are being cut back to 35. Exceptions must be approved in advance.”

Manager Number Two meets his employees face to face. “Due to unseasonably mild weather, sales in the first quarter were down by 20%, but overtime is running higher than last year. I’m sure you can understand that changes must be made. The company has no desire to lay off any high performing employees and we feel confident that hotter temperatures are ahead. We will return to full 40 hour weeks and overtime when the workload allows. In the meantime, we are limiting weekly hours to 35. Any change to this policy must be approved in advance.”

Which manager will have the greater employee buy-in? Nobody wants his hours cut, but nobody wants to be laid off either. The weak manager hides behind “corporate policy” but the strong manager brings employees into the decision making process by sharing pertinent information. This is called “controlling the narrative.” Why allow employees to speculate about the reasons behind a decision when you can logically explain the facts?

Transparency breeds trust, even when the news is not good.

Once you get the hang of delivering bad news, don’t forget to share good news in the same way. In the example used here, once the weather improves and the workload increases be sure to remind your employees that what you promised actually happened.

You would be surprised by how few will come to that conclusion on their own! Once again you will have added to your credibility as a manager - and that is always a good thing.

Controlling the narrative is also critical when a weak or disruptive employee is dismissed. It is a surprising fact of business life that employees will complain about a co-worker for weeks but act shocked when that employee is actually terminated. After any termination it is important to gather your employees and explain (without divulging confidential information) the reasons for the termination and your plans for that position going forward. You will be surprised at how much employees are reassured by this kind of factual information.

Always remember that employee speculation leads to more misunderstandings than just about anything else. The strong manager looks forward to sharing factual information with his employees. If he is making good decisions, why would he not want others to understand his decision making process? In the final analysis the choice is yours. You can be controlled by inaccurate speculation or you can use your sales skills to control the narrative.

Rules, Rules and More Rules

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 01:21:10 GMT

Face it - almost nobody likes rules. But we live with rules every day, in every part of our lives. If you think about it, rules exist to deal with or avoid problems. If we had no problems we would need no rules. Clearly, we have a need for rules, but some of them seem unnecessary. How do you know when you have enough?

The first rule of having rules is that you should have as few as possible, and only those which you will enforce. In our business every rule should be designed to enhance customer service. For instance, our switchboard opens at 8:00 am. If the phones begin ringing and we can’t respond, customer service is impaired. Consistent tardiness or absence cannot be tolerated. This is a rule worthy of enforcement.

Another rule worth enforcing is appearance standards for customer-facing employees.

Our customers expect our employees to be neat and well-groomed not because it affects their performance but because it affects the customer’s perception of Tom’s. There can be no acceptable excuse for unprofessional appearance.

Rules should never be allowed to interfere with “employee empowerment.” Customer service is enhanced when employees are allowed to use their own judgement to resolve issues. As long as we hire employees who are smart and use common sense, we don’t need to limit them with an arbitrary set of rules. The only rule needed in this area is, “Hire the smartest, most caring people you can find.” Managers can always make adjustments when employees make poor judgment calls but should resist the urge to solve those issues with a new set of rules.

Let’s assume that you have a set of rules in place and you are confident that the list is not too long. The next step is to monitor compliance with the rules. Once you begin an effective monitoring process you are going to find violations, which means you must have a plan for dealing with them.

Accidental violations are easy. They require counseling plus more frequent monitoring.

Occasional violations are the hardest because you know the employee is capable of following the rules but sometimes chooses not to. If it is just a matter of getting the employee’s attention, a suspension without pay can be very effective.

The final type of violation - ongoing and intentional - must be dealt with quickly, likely through termination. Harsh, you say? Remember two things:

Rules are put in place to enhance customer service
Your other employees are watching

“It isn’t what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.” If you aren’t willing to enforce your own rules why should anyone follow them? (Who’s in Charge?)

The best managers periodically review their rules and make changes as needed.

Sometimes rules need to be added, sometimes they need to be modified or eliminated.

You should review the rules in your division at least annually to make sure they are accomplishing the intended results. Once you feel comfortable about the rules you have in place don’t be shy about enforcement. Though painful in the short run, the long-term benefits of consistent rule enforcement - better customer service, better employees and better profits – will be more than worth the temporary discomfort.

Treating Diseases Instead of Symptoms

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 01:00:47 GMT

Treating Diseases Instead of Symptoms

A 400 lb. man hobbles into a surgeon’s office complaining of knee pain. Even though the doctor knows what the real problem is, he recommends injections as the first treatment step. It has been repeatedly proven that every extra pound we carry adds 4 lbs. to the strain we put on our joints.

So, is the surgeon’s recommendation likely to produce a lasting benefit? Of course not! The correct answer (regardless of how politically incorrect it might be) is to tell the patient to lose 200 lbs. and see if his knee pain goes away. The symptom was knee pain but the cause of the problem was obesity.

How many times are we guilty of looking at the symptoms of a problem instead of at the root cause? Unfortunately, the answer is, “Way too often.”

Let’s look at the problem of low morale. At one point or another every business faces the issue of low morale. You can make change after change in search of a magic potion, or you can search for the real root cause. In most cases it boils down to a single employee who has raised an issue with everyone who will listen. In the absence of strong management, the issue soon spreads like wildfire until you have a full-blown companywide morale problem.

A strong manager sees the problem as an opportunity and immediately meets one-on-one with the employee. The first goal of such a meeting is to listen. Who knows, the employee may have a grievance which needs to be addressed. In a perfect world, the manager would fix the problem, talk to the employee about better ways to raise issues in the future and show the rest of the employees how responsive the company is to legitimate employee issues.

The other 90% of the time the problem (disease) is an employee who thrives on spreading discontent. In this case the symptom (low morale) can only be treated by identifying and treating the disease. If confrontation is an issue for a manager, the problem will only worsen. The quicker the managerial reaction, the more chance for success.

To be honest, rehabilitating a habitual complainer is almost always a losing proposition. For some people, complaining is simply a way of life. These people are cancers in any organization and must be removed. Occasionally you will encounter an employee who gets caught up in a negative environment without realizing it. Those employees can sometimes - not always - but sometimes be counseled back to positivity but only if they are dealt with quickly and firmly.

When evaluating employee grievances, you must first realize that people always want something more than they have. It might be a bigger desk, a newer work truck or a different job title. You will be much more successful if you listen intently and read between the lines to get to the root cause of the problem.

Most complaints are relative - meaning that your employee may not need a bigger desk, but since someone else has one it suddenly seems important. Good managers are part therapist, part salesman and part businessman. Rather than telling an employee that a bigger desk is not an option he might explain what he or she needs to do to earn one. Or he might remind them of something they already received which others do not have.

Regardless of the issue, decisive managerial response is critical. Employees need to know that inappropriate actions will be met with an immediate response. Bad actors will continue to act badly unless disciplined or removed. In a leadership vacuum problems multi ply. When strong leadership is present employees are heard, issues are resolved and good employees flourish.

Back to the example in the opening paragraph, here’s what happens. The shots don’t work and the 400 lb. man insists on a knee replacement. Post surgery he fails to complete his required rehab because of the pain and his knee continues to hurt. Of course, he blames the surgeon for a bad outcome.

Wouldn’t it have made more sense for the surgeon to treat the disease from the outset? Sure, the patient would probably have gone to a different doctor, but the original surgeon would have a clear conscience and one less bad Google review!

Are You Proactive or Reactive?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 19:37:23 GMT

Only a few people actually make things happen. Most people simply react to the events which occur in their lives. As a leader, you really don’t have a choice but to be someone who makes waves; someone who changes the world through his decisions and actions.

Proactive managers welcome challenges as opportunities to demonstrate creative problem solving while reactive managers approach challenges with fear. Proactive managers anticipate problems before they occur and take steps to head them off. Reactive managers wait for problems to happen, react with surprise and frustration then look for a scapegoat.

When you think about it, most of the problems we encounter in life are predictable because most have happened before. When we exceed the speed limit we get pulled over. When we are overserved at a bar, we say stupid things and feel bad the next day. When we don’t apply discipline to our children they grow up without a sense of responsibility.

Every one of these problems is both predictable and preventable. The same is true in business. When we show up late for a service call, we get to deal with an angry customer. When an employee ignores safety rules someone is going to get injured. When we act indifferently toward customers we lose their business.

When things start to go badly a reactive manager wonders, “Why does everything always happen to me?” The proactive manager looks immediately for the cause of the problem and resolves to make changes so that the problem does not happen again. Whether the solution is more training, enforcement of key company rules or correction of a bad employee attitude, the proactive manager takes responsibility for allowing the problem to occur as well as the fix.

Let’s say you have a productive employee who repeatedly chooses to ignore company policies. The reactive manager says, “I sure wish John would follow the rules but I can’t afford to lose his productivity.” Out of fear the manager does nothing, although he promises himself he will address the issue in the future. Since there are no consequences to his actions John continues to ignore policies. What’s worse, other employees see that John is not confronted and begin to pick and choose which rules they will follow. Ultimately, the issues boil up into a crisis and the manager is finally forced to react.

In the same circumstance the proactive manager evaluates the situation like this: “Yes, John is productive, but he would be much more productive if he followed company policies. We cannot tolerate employees who choose which rules to follow. Either we change the rules or we change the employee.” What follows is a counseling session with John who is told he is crossing a line which will not be tolerated. John gets to decide whether he wants to remain an employee or not. Regardless of which path John takes, the manager is clearly in control. Other employees either notice a better version of John or they get to meet John’s replacement. In both cases their respect for the proactive manager increases.

Over the years Tom’s has faced numerous situations where employees, some of them managers, refused to follow company policies or to live up to the company’s high standards. Most of the time personnel changes were necessary. Difficult decisions almost always cause short-term organizational pain, but in every single case the company has emerged stronger and better.

If your employees are running you, you are a reactive manager. Choose to be a proactive manager and not only will you gain respect from your employees, your managerial life will become much simpler and your financial performance will dramatically improve.

Connecting with Employees

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 19:37:23 GMT

One of the many benefits of working for a small company is our ability to really know the people with whom we are working. It is one thing to know everyone’s name, but quite another to share a connection with multiple employees. And, like most things worth doing, there is an art to making connections.

To connect with anyone, you must know several things about them. What do they like to do outside the office, what does their spouse do, what are their kids names and ages? If you show genuine interest, most people are happy to talk about the things which make them special.

These things take time. Start slow and build gradually. Look for things you share in common. If necessary, make notes for future reference. Tom’s is good about posting birthdays and work anniversaries. Take those special occasions as opportunities to interact directly with people. But those events are just the surface, so don’t stop there.

Make your interactions about them.

Frequently, I hear people ask about a child only so they can share their own child’s story. When you are talking instead of listening, are you really building a bond? Hopefully, they will come to have an interest in your life too, but you will do yourself a favor by waiting until they ask before sharing your own life story.

Dispense praise for specific actions or accomplishments.

Replace generic phrases like, “You guys are awesome,” with specific praise for special achievements. “I was so impressed with how calm you were when Mr. Jones thought the technician was taking advantage of him. By the time you hung up the phone he was a raving fan!” Or, “We are so lucky to have someone who understands customers like you do.” Praise which is individualized is infinitely more powerful than the tired phrases you see posted online or in school corridors.

Praise publicly and criticize in private.

If you pass out praise when coworkers can hear it, you inspire others to step up their game in addition to making the employee feel valued. On the other hand, an employee mistake is much better discussed privately. Employees must know you have their backs and private reprimands go a long way toward establishing trust.

Always be alert for new ways to broaden your connection with employees.

Just by listening you might find that someone’s child is competing in a music competition over the weekend. Imagine how pleased they will be when you ask specifically about the competition on Monday morning!

Nothing takes the place of genuine concern.

Nobody enjoys attending funerals but your presence at an employee’s relative’s service will never be forgotten. By the same token, a personal visit to an employee in the hospital says more than you can imagine. After all, no one expects a manager to show up at a hospital or funeral home. The impact of your kindness goes well beyond the effort you make.

Write notes.

We may be in a time of instant gratification, texts and Snapchats, but nothing takes the place of a handwritten note. What if you sent a note to an employee’s wife thanking her for allowing her husband to work late through the summer months? What if you sent a note of congratulations to the outstanding daughter of an employee on her graduation from high school? The what if’s are endless, and the results are always the same - priceless!

We work in an environment which is full of opportunities to connect with our coworkers. The point of connections is not to become best friends but to get the best out of each other by creating a special work environment. How much more enjoyable and productive would our workplace be if we were all genuinely and personally connected?

Always remember: When establishing connections, texts are better than e-mails. Face-to-face conversations are better than either one, and hand written notes provide the best long term benefits!

The Cost of Lost Opportunity

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 19:37:23 GMT

Every businessperson understands that there are costs to doing business. You rent space, hire employees, pay for equipment and material and maybe even do a bit of advertising. Those are easily recognizable costs of doing business. But there is another cost of doing business that not everyone is aware of - Opportunity Cost.

Let’s say that you have $10 in your pocket and a strong desire for something sweet. You head to the candy store and buy 5 Hershey bars. They take your $10 bill and you happily walk down the street eating the first bar. Then your eye catches a sign advertising 5 Hershey bars for $5. If you had shopped around you could have had the same 5 Hershey bars plus $5 left in your pocket. In this case your opportunity cost was $5.

How could this story possibly relate to our business? Sadly, it impacts us every day. For example, every callback takes a technician temporarily out of production. While he is running a no-charge callback he is unable to satisfy another customer. Let’s assume that the average $300 service call produces a 45% profit. Because the technician is tied up on a callback, he can’t earn that profit, so the cost of our missed opportunity is $135 (45% of $300.) But our real cost is higher. First, we paid the technician for his time on the callback and second, a significant percentage of service calls result in new system sales. By not being available to run the service call we may have missed out on a $12,000 sale! (Kind of makes the Hershey bar mistake pale by comparison, doesn’t it?)

Here is another example. In our Commercial Service Division, we have a healthy base of PSA customers. PSA customers can be a great source of repair and replacement revenue but not all PSA customers are created equal. Customer A has 10 rooftop units of varying ages and is very diligent about approving recommended repairs. Customer B also has 10 rooftop units but rarely approves repairs. It costs us exactly the same to perform both PSA’s, but the financial results are very different. The opportunity cost is the profit difference between the two customers. Due to limited staff wouldn’t it make more sense to scrap Customer B and replace him with another Customer A?

The last example is a human example. Suppose you are holding on to a low performing employee. There can be many reasons for this, but it normally comes down to fear of the unknown - what happens if we can’t find a suitable replacement? The fact is that we have never failed to improve our company when we have replaced low performers. And, from an opportunity standpoint, how much benefit could we derive from replacing a low performer with a superstar? You know what the limits are with a low performer, but you have no idea how high his replacement might soar!

There is at least one solution to every problem we face. Don’t allow yourself to grab the first Hershey bar you see because there may be a bigger, cheaper Hershey bar around the corner. There is always a cost to implementing an inferior solution (or doing nothing) because it means that you missed out on a better solution. That’s the definition of Opportunity Cost.

Who’s in Charge?

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 19:37:23 GMT

I’ve made no secret of my respect for the leadership and management lessons taught in the bestselling book, Extreme Ownership. At the root of the Extreme Ownership concept is the belief that a leader is in charge of everything under his command.

Is it reasonable to think that a manager can control absolutely everything that happens in his division? The best answer to that question is the old adage, “If you shoot for the moon and fail at least you’ll land among the stars.”

A manager who truly accepts responsibility for everything that happens on his watch can’t help but improve divisional performance. What needs to be done to improve sales? How could customer service be improved? Are tardiness and absenteeism a problem? Are the right people in the right jobs? Am I sending conflicting messages to staff members?

How do you go from a mindset of, “Stuff happens” to, “That will never happen again”? The answer is relentless attention to detail. Success over the long term is never random. Success goes to the manager who insists that every transaction be as good as it can be, not almost as good.

One of the great lines from Extreme Ownership is, “It isn’t what you preach, it’s what you tolerate.” Rules are not designed with the expectation that some of the employees will follow them some of the time. If you think about it, every rule is created in response to a problem. Without problems we would need no rules. Successful managers create as few rules as possible but insist that every rule be followed every time. Managers who are lax in their follow-up or inconsistent in their enforcement of rules will soon be tuned out by their subordinates.

It is fairly easy to look back at a failure and make necessary corrections. It is much harder to identify problem areas before they happen and take steps to avoid a failure. The combat examples in Extreme Ownership made it clear that lives were always on the line and mistakes could be catastrophic. For that reason, they planned rigorously for every contingency.

With enough thought and discussion most situations can be anticipated. With proper training it is reasonable to expect that negative interactions can be substantially reduced. In our business, we interact with thousands of customers. A 95% success rate sounds good until you realize that we disappointed 100 customers, some of which will never give us another chance. Could we reach 100% satisfaction? Maybe not, but a successful manager stays awake at night thinking of ways to get there.

What do you do when you’ve designed and implemented great training plans but not every employee follows the rules? Face it, not every employee wants to be great at their job. If efforts to change his attitude are not successful, you must make plans to replace him.

It is healthy for any organization to routinely cut low performers. Remember, not only do low performers negatively impact coworkers, a bad employee occupies a position a superstar could fill. Weak managers assume they must tolerate low performers while strong managers excitedly search for new talent.

The title of this installment is “Who’s in Charge?” As the manager, the answer is completely up to you. Are you willing to dig into every aspect of your operation or are you content with average performance? Are you willing to enforce your rules all the time, or only when you get frustrated? Are you willing to identify and cut low performers, or do you allow fear to overrule your managerial instincts? Are you willing to accept responsibility for everything which happens under your command – or are you looking for someone to blame?

Answer these questions honestly and you’ll have the answer to the title.

The Legacy of Ernie Minor

richashton.rev77@gmail.com (Rich Ashton) — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 19:37:23 GMT

When I was twelve years old a friend convinced me to try caddying at a local country club. The idea sounded better than mowing lawns, so I showed up one morning at Inglewood Country Club with no clue what I was doing. I learned quickly that there was a hierarchy among caddies and that I was solidly at the bottom.

The experienced caddies had regular customers. As a newcomer I was one of the last to be chosen – until one day when I was sent out soon after showing up. I would be caddying for a member named Ernie Minor. What I didn’t know was that Ernie was the cheapest member at Inglewood and none of the other caddies wanted to work for him.

The going rate for an inexperienced caddy was $2.50 per 18 holes, and normally the member would add a one dollar tip. I spent 4 1/2 hours with Ernie and his pals, cleaning clubs, hunting balls and lugging his huge golf bag up and down hills. When it was over he thanked me and handed me a dime. One dime!

That experience happened over sixty years ago yet it remains firmly planted in my brain. Ernie might have been a great guy, a successful businessman and a great father, but for me his legacy is that he was a cheapskate. Caddies weren't allowed in the clubhouse, but I’ll bet the waiters and waitresses also knew Ernie as a tightwad.

One of these days you’ll be retired. How do you want to be remembered by those who worked with and for you? Will they say you were a tyrant who demanded more than he gave? Will they say that your power came from your title and that you were largely ineffective as a manager? Or will they say that you earned their respect every day by being tough, but fair? Legacies are built one interaction at a time. Despite our best efforts to camouflage intent, coworkers know exactly who we are.

The nice thing about legacies is that they can be changed. If you take an honest look at your interactions with employees and customers, you might find that some changes are needed. Legacies are built slowly but legacy revisions take even longer.

Don’t fall into the trap of making short-term changes and expecting everyone to notice. If you have a short fuse, people will come to expect that behavior from you. If you have been slow to make decisions your employees may not notice immediately that you are doing better. And don’t forget that one misstep can send a message that that you haven’t really changed at all.

Does it matter how you are remembered as a manager? That answer is up to you. What really matters is your effectiveness on a daily basis. If you are proactive, analytical, empathetic, decisive and bold, you will enjoy more success than a manager who is indecisive, fearful and uncaring.

Ernie Minor may have changed later in life. I’ll never know because he only had one summer to build his legacy with me. I am a far more effective leader than I was 40 years ago, and I hate to think how many people I might have negatively impacted along the way, but I know I can have a positive impact from this day forward. Why not start building your managerial legacy today?

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