I recently interviewed Michael Silva-Nash, who is a franchise owner in Little Rock AR for Molly Maid, Inc. Founded in 1979, the company is a highly successful, international company, based in Ann Arbor MI. Molly Maid, Inc. offers residential cleaning services. The company was recently featured on the A&E Channel’s popular show, “Be The Boss.”

I’ll be speaking at Molly Maid’s annual franchise owners conference next month, so I asked their management to interview some of their top producers and Michael is one of them.

I asked Michael what his secret to success is. Without hesitation, he responded that it all gets back to maintaining a positive culture for his employees that focuses on the little things that make the Molly Maid experience special for his customers. His employees consist of HSPs (Home Service Professionals) who clean the houses, and CSRs (Customer Service Representatives) who deal with customers and manage the back office.

For example, he and his management team recognized one the HSPs, at one of their monthly meetings for folding the ends of the toilet paper in a unique manner. If you’ve stayed in a hotel, you’ve seen how the maids usually fold the end of the toilet paper into a triangle. This HSP folds her customers’ toilet paper into flower blossoms. The HSP was asked to show everyone how this was done and now it’s one of the little touches that makes the Molly Maid AR experience special for all their customers.

Molly Maid's TP Blossom

Michael went on to explain that his philosophy is that since the HSPs and their supervisors are the key interface between the company and its customers, how you treat them will be reflected in how they treat the customers. So Michael and his management team go out of their way to make sure the HSPs know they are appreciated and valued.

For example, when a crew (2 – 4 HSPs) finishes up their day, they are asked to come by the office and check in. Michael makes sure that someone from the management team is there to greet them every time, no exceptions. This may not seem like a big deal except that sometimes these teams don’t finish up until late in the evening – and when that happens, the manager brings pizza to the jobsite for the crew and stays with them until the job is done – even if it’s midnight! The message to the employees here is that we are all in this together.

Also, Michael’s Molly Maid franchise holds monthly meetings where all the HSPs and CSRs are treated with snacks, updated on all they need to know to do a great job, and solicited for ideas on how to improve the Molly Maid experience for customers. Their ideas are given full consideration, recognized and applauded whether they are implemented or not. Hence, the special flower blossoms on the toilet paper rolls of Molly Maid’s Little Rock customers.

Michael also believes in making sure his crews have the tools they need to do a great job. Worn out brooms and mops are replaced immediately. Clean rags are always in abundance, and cleaning chemicals (green of course) are always in stock and available.

I call this the “Radar O’Reilly approach to effective management.” If you ever saw the television series M*A*S*H, you probably remember Radar O’Reilly. Played by Gary Burghoff, he was a cute, naive young man who slept with a teddy bear and drank Nehi sodas. His title was Company Clerk and Bugler. His real job, however, was to get the surgeons and nurses what they needed to do their jobs well. If they needed scalpels, he tracked them down and delivered them. If they needed a generator but none was available, he’d wheel and deal with clerks from other companies to score one. If they needed strings pulled with some top general so they could get some R&R in Tokyo, he’d persuade Colonel Potter to do it. One way or another, Radar got the job done and earned the respect of the others in camp, despite the fact he was only a corporal and looked twelve years old.

In a landmark study published in their book First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Simon & Schuster, 1999) Curt Coffman and Marcus Buckingham identified the 12 most powerful actions managers can take to positively affect productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction and employee turn-over. According to Coffman & Buckingham, after being clear about what they expect of employees (number 1,) the second most powerful thing managers can do is provide employees with the materials and equipment to do their jobs right.

It sounds like Michael Silva-Nash has both of those action items nailed down. How about you?

I got a nice surprise this holiday season which reminded me that there are decent people out there who will strive to do the right thing, even when it requires time and energy above and beyond their “job description.”

Earlier this week, our marketing manager, Kathie Pillard got a call from Michelle Hopp, an employee at the Hilton Garden Inn in Sioux Falls South Dakota. It seems that Michelle noticed a digital camera that had been laying at the back of a filing cabinet for several months with no one claiming it. Not knowing from where it came or to whom it belonged, but wanting to return it to its owner, Michelle applied some crack detective skills and solved the problem by paging through the pictures in the camera’s memory.

She recognized the ballroom of her own hotel in the most recently dated pictures. From there, she checked who had rented the ballroom that day. Discovering that Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Dakota held a meeting there that day, she contacted them and asked if they knew who might own the camera. It turned out that their keynote speaker that day happened to be me. She was able to return my camera and all the pictures that I thought were gone for good.

Since the topic I was speaking on that day was from my book,” Absolute Honesty: Building A Corporate Culture that Values Straight Talk and Rewards Integrity”, I thought Michelle’s action was a good example of Absolute Honesty’s principles put into action. And she didn’t even hear the speech. Thank you Michelle and Hilton Garden Inn.

In my travels as a consultant and trainer, I stay in lots of hotels and therefore eat lots of room service meals. After completing my dinner one evening at a well-known hotel, I did what the room service waiters always tell you to do – put my tray in the hall outside the door.

The next morning my bill had been slipped under the door, along with a newspaper. After picking up the bill and the paper, I opened the door and stepped right into my room service tray.

When I thought about it, the person who brought the bill and the newspaper during the night must have moved the tray out of the way, slipped the bill and newspaper under the door, and then replaced the tray so I could step in it the next morning. And if it even crossed his mind that he might pick up the tray and take it back to the kitchen, what do you suppose was his next thought?

You guessed it: “It’s not my job.”

Compare that with a story I was told while presenting a seminar on customer service to the employees of Disneyland:

Rick, a maintenance engineer at the park, was making some electrical repairs in front of the Disneyland hotel. A family on their way from the hotel to the park asked Rick for the location of the tram station. They didn’t speak English very well, so after a few frustrating minutes of trying to explain how to get to the tram station, Rick stopped what he was doing and escorted them there. Not his job, but he did it gladly.

But Rick didn’t stop there. While escorting the family to the station, they told him that it was their daughter’s seventh birthday, and this trip to Disneyland was her birthday present.

Upon his return to the hotel, Rick went to the concierge of the hotel and arranged to have a large, stuffed Mickey Mouse toy, and a birthday cake with the girl’s name on it placed in the family’s room to greet them when they returned from the park – thus creating what the Disney folks like to call a “Disney Magical Moment” for the guest.

I call that taking personal responsibility for excellence.

We all know of great companies that have reputations for excellence: Nordstrom Department Stores, Disney, Lands End, Merck Pharmaceuticals to name a few. Many books and articles have been written in the past 20 years, trying to identify the factors that such companies have in common. Focus on the customer, obsession with quality, innovation, and savvy marketing are some that are often named. I believe, however, that it starts with each person in the organization taking personal responsibility for excellence at the day-to-day level.

Whether it be going the extra mile for a customer, pitching in to help your team meet a production goal, or noticing an environmental hazard and taking action to fix it – it is each person’s willingness to take personal responsibility for excellence that can make any company the “Disney” of the their industry.

Of course, this all comes as part of the company’s culture. Is it one where people are rewarded and celebrated for going the extra mile like Rick did? Or is a culture where Rick would have been reprimanded for leaving his post and doing something that’s not his official “job?” And, of course, that all depends on how the leadership of the organization sets the tone around such behavior.

Nordstrom Department stores is renown for its policy of accepting returns without question. When asked how he encourages his employees to do this, co founder Bruce Nordstrom replied that each employee’s primary responsibility is to “Use his or her good judgment.”

“Why,” you might ask then, “is taking personal responsibility for excellence a selfish act?” Well, when everyone pitches in, work gets done on time, customers’ complaints get fixed faster, accident rates decline, and the company is more profitable – and that translates into job security and prosperity for everyone, including you. So taking personal responsibility for excellence is, in a way, a selfish act.

It’s also a way to make the world a better place because acts of excellence tend to inspire others to do the same. For example, a few years ago, I was rushing to catch a plane and just barely made it before they shut the door. It was only when we were taxiing on the runway that I realized I had left my wallet in the rental car. Without thinking, I said “Oh, sh_t,” to which an elderly lady sitting next to me replied, “I beg your pardon.”

Embarrassed, I apologized profusely for my vulgarity and explained that I’d left my wallet in my rental car and was in a bind because I had to get to a speaking engagement as soon as the plane landed in Dallas. I didn’t know what to do. Without saying a word, she reached into her purse and handed me a $20 bill. Even more embarrassed, I refused, saying I couldn’t possibly accept her money, to which he asked, “Well, what are you going to do then?”

She had a point. So I acquiesced and accepted her help, insisting that she give me her address so I could repay her when I got home. To this she refused and when I asked why, she replied, “Well, first of all, you’re a stranger, and I don’t give my address out to strangers. Also, I don’t want you to pay me back. Just give it to someone you see in need when time arises.”

Ever since then, when I see someone in need and think, “that really not my problem, I remember the generosity this lady showed me. And even if costs me $20 or more the joy I receive from doing so is always worth so much more than the money spent.

So the next time you see an opportunity to go out of your way to pitch in on the job or in your life, be selfish – and just do it.

© 2012 Larry Johnson. All rights reserved

Most of us are familiar with the role of canaries in coal mines of the past. The miners kept them in cages to warn of lethal gas buildups before the gas poisoned the miners or exploded. If the gas level got too high, the canary would die, telling the miners it was time to exit – pronto. Thankfully, modern mines use electronic sensing devices to serve the same purpose.

O In September 2011, the U.S. District Court in Miami, Florida sentenced American Therapeutic Corporation – (ATC), the owner of a mental health care company, to 50 years in prison for orchestrating a fraudulent $205 million Medicare scheme involving fictitious medical services.

O Recently, British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay $3 billion in fines for promoting their best-selling antidepressants for unapproved uses and for failing to report questionable safety data about one of their top diabetes drugs.

O In April, ATK Launch Systems a military contractor agreed to a $37 million settlement for selling “dangerous and defective” flares to the military.
O Earlier this year, Oracle agreed to pay $199.5 million after being accused of overbilling the government for software.

The list of fraudulent abuses against taxpayers goes on and on. It is a sad commentary on human nature that these perpetrators are bright enough to pull off these thefts yet choose to cheat the system rather than play by the rules. Ironically, none of these crimes was a one-time event. They all took place over months and even years. During that time, there must have been “honest” and “innocent” people working within these organizations who must have known of the wrongdoing but did nothing about it. Someone in accounting maybe, or sales, or service delivery who noticed that something wasn’t right? Shouldn’t someone have questioned what they saw.

Of course they should have, but unfortunately, no one did. The frauds continued, unimpeded, until CMS (the organization that oversees Medicare), or the SEC, or DOD, or some other policing organization got wind of the fraud and broke it up. By then, many millions of dollars were lost and the public’s trust was damaged.

You may be thinking that I am awfully naive to suggest that people not directly involved in the frauds would be willing to risk their jobs to right wrongs they see at work. And you would be right. I am being naïve. As an old Turkish aphorism says, “He who tells the truth should have one foot in the stirrup.”

So anyone who wants to keep their job and any chance of future promotions will be unlikely to play the canary and raise the alarm. That is, unless they work in a company where speaking out and whistleblowing is encouraged. A company that has a well published and practiced doctrine to protect whistleblowers and those who have the temerity to speak up.

SIG is one such company. A leading distributor of specialist building products in Europe, SIG posts a specific list of dos and don’ts on its website regarding ethical behavior and whistleblowing.

The policy defines whistleblowing, the situations which call for it, and the procedures to follow if an employee sees activity that they think merit its implementation. Most importantly, the policy makes it clear that an employee’s safety and job security should not be threatened if they speak up when they see wrong doing.

It reads:
“SIG will not tolerate harassment or victimization of a genuine whistle blower (including informal pressures) and will treat such conduct as gross misconduct, which if proven, may result in dismissal.”
Of course, such a policy is useless if it’s done just for show. Unless top management of an organization is committed to applying the whistleblower policy swiftly and fairly, acts of fraud and deception will continue to occur because the innocent bystander employees are not going to put themselves at risk without a real safety net.
Question: Does your organization have in place a clearly described and published platform of integrity regarding ethical behavior and how whistle blowers are to be treated? It’s such a policy and, more importantly, a practice that nourishes your canaries and keeps the danger of unethical and illegal behavior from growing to lethal and explosive levels.

********************************
Notes
The Department of Health and Human Services and The Department of Justice Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Program Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2011; http://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/hcfac/hcfacreport2011.pdf

KATIE THOMAS and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT, “Glaxo Agrees to Pay $3 Billion in Fraud Settlement,” New York Times, July 2, 2012, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/business/glaxosmithkline-agrees-to-pay-3-billion-in-fraud-settlement.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

ibid
CIG Website, http://www.sigplc.com/Corporate-Responsibility/Policies/Whistleblowing-Policy.htm

By Larry Johnson & Bob Phillips
(This blog was adapted from Larry and Bob’s book, Absolute Honesty: Building A Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk And Rewards Integrity, (AMACOM Books)
While demonstrating a rapid assent procedure for some VIP civilians off the coast of Hawaii, the nuclear submarine USS Greenville collided with the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishing vessel. The small boat sank, killing nine people.

A Navy inquiry found that one of the mistakes that lead to the incident was the failure of the fire control technician (FCT) to warn Greenville captain, Commander Scott Waddle, that the sonar display showed there was a ship in the area. According to later testimony, “The fire control technician should have heard Waddle’s assessment of the situation and questioned it…he should clearly have forcibly told the captain and the officer of the deck.”1

Why didn’t the FCT speak up? According to Navy Captain Conrad Donahue, who has commanded two nuclear submarines during his twenty-seven-year career, “On this particular ship, and on a lot of ships in the Navy, the crew has so much trust in the skipper’s abilities that they don’t question him when they should. The FCT had a ship on the display but he saw the captain looking through the periscope. He probably assumed that if the skipper didn’t see it…it wasn’t there.”2

How often does it happen in an organization that, for one reason or another, no one tells the boss what the boss needs to know and, as a result, the company blunders into a disaster? Perhaps an account manager spots serious flaws in a marketing strategy but, because she’s new in the position, feels timid about speaking up. Maybe someone from the management team has a bad feeling about entering into a risky business deal, but says little to oppose it because everyone else is so gung-ho. Or perhaps the employees of a department voice no complaints about an unqualified, non-performing employee in a key position because they are reluctant to question their manager’s hiring choice. “She’s the boss,” they reason, “she must know what she’s doing.” Even worse, they keep silent because they are afraid of retribution for appearing disloyal – and perhaps with good reason: If she has punished other bearers of bad news, why would anyone volunteer to be the next victim?

We call this reticence the “Kumbaya Syndrome.” It was coined by an employee of a medium sized firm we interviewed who told us that at his company, being seen as a team player is always more important than expressing the truth or voicing disagreement. His actual words were, “No matter how stupid or unethical a decision my team or my manager makes, we are all expected to embrace the stupidity, never argue, and start singing ‘Kumbaya.’”

Of course, no manager wants to be in Commander Waddle or Bill’s position. Here are some steps you can take to raise the odds it doesn’t happen to you:

• Clearly state and publish what you want. If you want people to be candid and forthright, let them know it—and remind them often that such behavior is condoned and desired.
• Open your ears and aggressively listen to people. If you want people to express their opinions, ask for them. Nothing will encourage openness and truth telling like a sincere interest in people’s ideas and opinions.
• Take people seriously even if you think they are crazy. The key to encouraging people to speak up and open up is to listen to all opinions with the same sincere interest.
• Create an infrastructure to support open communication, candid expression of opinions, and constructive confrontation. An old saying claims that “the farmer’s shadow makes the best fertilizer,” meaning plants attended to have an advantage over those neglected. Nothing happens in a vacuum, and the same goes for creating a culture of honesty.
Had Commander Waddle taken these steps with his crew, could the sinking of the Ehime Maru been avoided? Had Bill taken these steps with his project team, would they have chosen a better path? In both cases, we will never know. But it’s fair to say that the odds would have improved. We think that makes them steps in the right direction for any manager looking to hear the unvarnished truth.

By Meagan Johnson and Larry Johnson

We call the generation born after 1994 as Generation Linkster, so called because no other generation has ever been so linked to each other and to the world through technology. They are currently in their teens and preteens. There are approximately 20 million Linksters in the United States and they represent 18 percent of the world’s population. They are now entering the workforce as part-time employees, working after school and during the summers.

Most Linksters don’t remember the O.J. Simpson trial, the disputed 2000 presidential election, the dot.com collapse, or the 9/11 attacks. Their vocabulary lessons include words like terrorism and Google. The nice lady that gives you directions from your GPS is an icon for them and as trustworthy as a police officer. In fact, the people they trust most are their parents who are, for the most part, Generation X.

The biggest difference between them and Generation Y besides age (Generation Y was born between 1980 and 1994) is that Gen Y embraced and expanded the use of technology to communicate through social networking and micro-blogging. For  Linksters, these wonders have always been a part of their lives. The difference is similar to Boomers who witnessed and were amazed by the invention of the microwave compared to Gen Yers who never experienced life without one. Consequently, being able to communicate with Linksters via these electronic venues is even more important for managers than it has been for communicating with Generation Y.

Another difference is that Generation Y was raised primarily by Baby Boomer parents, who had postponed having children until they were financially and emotionally mature enough to “do it right.” Consequently, many went overboard and became “snow plow parents” who doted on their children and removed any obstacles in their childrens’ path.” Linksters, on the other hand, were raised by Generation Xers, who’s parents had raised them by leaving them to fend for themselves (remember the term “latchkey kids.”) Consequently, these Gen X parents tended to be a little tougher and a little more demanding of their Linkster children than the doting Boomer parents were of their Generation Y children. Our guess is that as these young Linksters enter the workforce, there will be less complaints about their lack of initiative and discipline than there have been about their Generation Y brethren.

A third difference is in how Linksters learn. A recent cover story in Fast Company Magazine pointed out that selected kids around the world are now learning their ABCs and more on Smart Phones. As the iPad and other devices become more ubiquitous, school books may go the way of paper ledgers and slide rules. Linksters are already headed down that road.

Also, since teacher/student relationships in school tends to lay the groundwork for the manager/employee relationships in the workplace, in an iPad learning environment, the teacher becomes more a mentor than an authority figure. Consequently, future managers of Linksters will need to adopt a more mentor-like approach to their young employees.

A fourth difference is that because technology has made doing so affordable, Linksters have gone from customization to personalization. They’re able to personalize the ring tones on their cell phones, the design of their clothing, and even put their initials on their M&Ms.

It’s important to understand these differences because as generations age, they exert influence, assume control, and demand cultural focus on their needs.

Tips

In our book, we offer 10 tips for managing Linksters:

1.      Ride herd on them – they need close supervision.

2.      Provide them with job descriptions – they need to know what to do.

3.      Treat them like legitimate citizens – they like to feel like they’re part of the family.

4.      Lead by example – they often look to you as a surrogate parent.

5.      Orient them to the obvious – their inexperience may blind them to not doing stupid things like waiting on a customer with their iPod ear buds in.

6.      Welcome them with open arms.

7.      Know what songs are on their iPods? It helps you to relate to them.

8.      Create micro-career paths – this may not be a career for them, but it’s how they learn to navigate the waters of organizational structure.

9.      Reexamine your uniform policy – would they be embarrassed wearing it with their friends.

10.    Thank their parents – their parents’ support will encourage them to stay loyal to you and do a better job.

By Meagan Johnson and Larry Johnson
Adapted from their book:
Generations Inc. – From Boomers To Linksters, Managing the
Friction Between Generations at Work. (AMACOM Books, 2010)

o Steve is a Gen Xer who manages an office supply store and
supervises a group of 10 Gen Yers. Steve was just visited by the
parents of one of them who wanted to know why Steve had fired
their daughter.

He explained that while their daughter was talking to a customer
on the phone who had called to complain about a product, she told
the customer to “f____ off” and then hung up on him. Steve said
the parents seemed shocked that he would fire her for this and not
give her another chance.

o Kasey is a Gen Yer who has worked for a manufacturing company
for six years. She was recently promoted to Sales Administration
Manager.

Kasey says, “I never wake up dreading to go to work. As cliché as
it sounds, we are like one crazy family. This is a fun place to
work, everyone is relaxed and customers love us. I am constantly
challenged with new things to do in addition to the items already
on my to-do list. I have two bosses and I get feedback, mostly
positive from one of them at least once a day. If they say
something critical, they do it in a nice way.”

And that’s part of why I like this job. My bosses are a lot like
my parents. They’re there for me when I need them, and I can tell
they care about me. If it weren’t for them, I don’t think I would
like this job nearly as much as I do.

o Shea, a Gen Yer just graduated from graduate school with an
MBA. At an interview with an international trading company, he
told the interviewer he needed a flexible schedule. The
interviewer assured him the company allowed working from home a
couple days a month.

“No,” Shea explained. “I am a marathon runner. I do four or five
races a year. I need to be able to take time off throughout the
year to compete across the country. Also, I normally do my
training at four in the morning before I come to work, but in the
winter it’s too dark and cold then, so I’ll need to come in at
10AM rather than 8AM.

Do any of these scenarios sound familiar? Generation Y, aka the
Entitled Ones, born between 1981 and 1995, accounts for over 35%
of the workforce. In general, they were raised by aging Baby
Boomers who had postponed having children until they themselves
had completed their educations, sown their wild oats, and were
financially secure enough to do this kid thing “right.”

So unlike their own parents, who stayed out of their children’s
business unless their grades went down or the kids got in trouble,
these late-blooming Boomer parents were often heavily involved in
every aspect of their Generation Y children’s lives. The term
“latchkey kid” was replaced with phrases like “stay-at-home dad,”
“soccer mom,” and “helicopter parents.” And like helicopters, they
often hovered over their children’s every move. They arranged play
dates with friends, scheduled extracurricular activities, helped
their children with their homework (sometimes doing it for them),
and made sure the kids wanted for nothing. Whether it was
attending piano recitals, going to soccer games, running
interference with difficult teachers, or even getting involved in
their children’s’ college admissions and job interviews, these
Boomer parents often catered to their children in any way they
could.

Hence the aka: Entitled Ones. Let’s face it, if you’re raised as
the center of attention, you get used to it and will probably
expect similar treatment on the job. But that doesn’t make you a
bad person or impossible to manage, but it does require some
approaches different from managing Traditionals, Baby Boomers or
Gen Xers.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Offer Close Coaching and Guidance
Kasey is a Gen Yer we interviewed who was recently promoted to
Sales Administration Manager. She gets a yearly review, but also
receives feedback on a daily basis from one of her supervisors.
She’s responsible for all email newsletters and press
announcements. Her supervisor tells her roughly what needs to be
in the newsletter. Kasey puts it together and takes it back to the
supervisor for review.

“He tells me what he likes about it and what he would change. He
asks me why I included or failed to include some information, and
he makes suggestions to tweak it. I make the changes and have him
go over it again. He allows me to shoulder the responsibility but
I don’t feel like I am going to fall on my face because I trust
his advice.”

This approach may sound like coddling and micro managing if you’re
used to giving employees free reign to perform. We think it’s an
effective approach to use with Generation Y until they get their
sea legs and prove they can operate without it.

2. Create Opportunities to Bond
One complaint employers have about Generation Y is, “They don’t
seem to care about the job.” We would agree. Gen Yers don’t care
about the job the same way many of us didn’t care about jobs when
were that young. Given their close family upbringing, jobs that
offer Yers a sense of belonging and a family-like atmosphere will
have the most appeal to them.

3. Avoid the “good old days”
“When I was your age…” “Back in the day…” “The way we used to do
it…” ” blah, blah, blah.” It’s tempting to reminisce about the
past. Really, Generation Y can’t imagine being as old as you are,
so stop rambling on about the way it used to be. Your
responsibility is to coach them to succeed, not to relive the
touchdown you scored back in high school.

4. Be Open To Virtual Work Environments
Baby Boomers live to work. Generation Xers work to live.
Generation Yers don’t see work and life as any different – they
blend into one. To most Baby Boomers and many Gen Xers, there is a
clear distinction between working face-to-face vs. working
remotely. A Gen Yer feels comfortable being at home at 10pm on a
Sunday night, listening to iTunes, editing his blog, checking his
Facebook page, and sending a report to a client with a CC to his
boss.

The Bottom Line

Generation Y grew up with parents who spent time communicating
with them, who praised them for even the smallest victories, who
asked for their opinions when they were children, and who devoted
time to making life fun. They expect similar services from their
Baby Boomer and Gen X bosses.

You don’t have to coddle Gen Yers, but you do have to understand
what they need from you to succeed. Get in the habit of checking
in with them daily, offering praise when it is deserved and
corrective feedback when it’s needed. Be specific about jobs and
expectations. Offer flexibility in when and how they work, as long
as they perform.

And have some fun. Managers and employees of all generations can
benefit from that.

***************************************************************

Larry Johnson, Author & Certified Professional Speaker Tel:
800-836-6599 Web: http://www.larry-johnson.com E-mail:
larry@larry-johnson.com

Meagan Johnson, Author & Certified Professional Speaker Tel:
800-836-6599 Web: http://www.MeaganJohnson.com E-mail:
Meagan@MeaganJohnson.com

Meagan and I were speaking about our new book, Generations Inc. – From Boomers To Linksters, Managing the Friction Between Generations At Work

at Gannon University in Erie, PA recently when a student asked us about the daunting job market she was facing when she graduates this year. It inspired Meagan to write an article for her blog and she asked me to post it on this one.

GET A JOB! Nine things every college graduate should know to find a job in 2010

By Meagan Johnson

“Your diploma isn’t worth the paper it is printed on.”

“Your degree and a dollar will get you a bus ride across town.”

“Don’t move out of mom & dad’s house too soon, there are no jobs
available.”

“ ‘Want fries with that?’ is the only job you will be lucky enough
to find.”

Sound familiar? If you are a recent college grad, or thinking
about postponing graduation because the job market seems so bleak,
you may have heard some of these comments.

It’s nothing I didn’t hear when I graduated from college back in
1993! The country was in the middle of a recession and the media
was full of stories about college graduates swimming in student
loan debt but nowhere to work. I couldn’t believe that I had just
wasted four years going to college, only to be qualified for a job
that included managing a drive thru window.

A month after graduation, I was complaining about my blighted
future to my dad as I lay by my parent’s pool. (Yes, like many
college graduates and Gen Yers, today, I stayed at home as long as
I could.) I was whining about there being no jobs available, so he
gave me some sage advice. “You will never find a job if you do not
look for a job. (Duh)”

And he was right, so, chagrinned, I followed his advice and began
searching. Within 30 days I had landed a position as a sales
representative for Quaker Oats. The job included a company car
and paid more than I had made up to that point in my entire life.
(Gen Yers: I know many of you are more motivated by humanitarian
efforts than money, but I am a Gen Xer who came of age in the
decadent 80s, so for me, money was a motivator.)

I concede that it was a different time, and I was probably lucky.
The statistics today are grim. According to a survey conducted by
Monster.com, only 46% of organizations intend to hire any 2010
graduates at all. But, if you do decide to look, here are a few
things you can do to increase your chances of joining the ranks of
the employed.

1. Register on Jobsearch Websites: The number of websites
available to the job searcher is mind-blowing. There are the
obvious ones, like Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, Craigslist,
LinkedIn, and Jobing.com – but there are also many sites designed
for the recent college graduate like CollegeRecruiter.com,
CollegeGrad.com, AfterCollege.com, CampusCareerCenter.com and
CoolWorks.com.

2. Use the Career Center on your college campus. It’s staffed with
people who want to help you. Be sure to sign up early. Most
college students wait until the month of graduation before even
finding out where the Career Center is located on campus. If you
approach them early in your college career, the advisors can help
you choose a major, and find part-time work in your area of
interest, long before graduation. Having the right part-time
college job can often line you up for a nice full time one after
graduation. The Career Center can also aid in writing your resume
and some will even conduct mock interviews with you to help you
hone your interviewing skills. Ellie, a Gen Y college graduate,
spent her senior year volunteering at her campus’ career center.
She was able to meet all the recruiters and gained valuable
insights just from listening to what the recruiters had to say
about candidates and interviewees. She also bagged a job after
graduation from one of the many contacts she made with recruiters.

3. Join Professional associations connected to your industry.
These organizations provide services like continuing education
units, legal representation and career development, while at the
same time, exposing you to potential employers. Additionally, this
is a good time to do it. Many associations are struggling to
attract young new members and would probably work with you to
discount some of your membership fees.

More importantly, get involved with at least one professional
association – and I mean, heavily involved. You’ll maximize the
return on your membership by volunteering to help with projects,
sitting on committees, and participating with chapter governance.
Most associations have both national and state chapters. You can
start at the chapter level and then get involved in the national.

4. Clean up your online image. The First Amendment may allow us to
put what we want on our Facebook pages, but it’s what more and
more employers are checking before hiring. Here is what a Senior
Vice President of a large wholesale distribution company said
about a recent hire. “Once I had read the candidate’s resume, I
went to LinkedIn and checked out his profile. I noticed his
interests aligned with most of our staff, so we brought him in for
an interview and eventually hired him.” Lesson: Put your best
foot forward on line, and save the picture of you mooning the
camera during spring break in Mexico for the scrapbook. Remember,
what you publish is what potential employers may, and often will
see.

5. Write a great resume. Most of us would rather visit the dentist
than write our own resume. In many cases, your resume will be what
a potential employer uses to decide if they should even invite you
in for an interview. It’s a vital marketing tool in your job
search efforts. Put aside at least three hours to draft it and
make the mental decision that writing an excellent resume is an
exciting challenge rather than a dreaded task.

Cover letter: A sharp and clever cover letter can launch your
resume to the top of the pile. A cover letter is not a repeat of
your resume but a summary of what you want the potential employer
to know right away. Cover letters can be more creative and fun
than your resume. Don’t be afraid to include the company’s logo, a
famous quote that ties into the company’s mission statement, and a
P.S. at the bottom that drives home the major contribution you can
offer to their cause. The key is to demonstrate to the employer
you know something about the company, what they are looking for
and why you are a good match.

The Body of the Resume: The mission statement of your resume
should not be a general Will Work For Food Type of statement. It
should reflect the type of job you are applying for. Your mission
statement can include the position’s title such as sales
representative, the industry in which you are applying and even
specific location such as city and state. Many organizations have
information about the kind of personalities they are looking for
on their company websites. Tweak your resume to reflect the
language of the organization. Remember resumes are not a one size
fits all; you will need to customize each resume that you send
out.

What is your secret weapon? What makes you unique or a little bit
different than all your peers applying for the same job? It could
be the volunteer work you do at the animal shelter or the fact you
can complete the Sunday Times crossword puzzle in ink. Whatever it
is, include a brief statement at the end of your resume or cover
letter.

The Quality of the Resume: Do more than spell check it. To catch
mistakes, print and read it out-loud, word for word to someone
else. Then have a friend who’s good at proof reading proof it, or
have a professional proofreader check it. There are numerous
on-line proof reading services that, for a nominal cost will
review your document to catch errors in grammar, punctuation,
spelling, and syntax. Numerous employers complain that they often
receive resumes and cover letters filled with typos, spelling
errors and other egregious mistakes that usually disqualify the
applicant immediately.

6. Dress for the interview: Find out what the norm of dress is for
the organization and then dress in a similar, well-polished
version of it. A recent college grad we know learned that the
woman with whom she was interviewing always matched her skirt
color with the color of her hose and shoes. The candidate showed
up for the interview wearing blue hose, blue shoes and a blue
skirt combined with a tasteful blue outfit. She got the job.

7. Do your homework. Never go to an interview without first
visiting the company’s website and understanding the nature of its
business. Bring multiple copies of your resume, a list of your
references and some prepared questions about the company and job.
The questions should not be about salary, vacation time or the
benefits you’ll get. They should reflect that you have done
research on the company. If possible, speak to people who are
already in the industry and ask them about their challenges, this
will help you formulate good questions.

8. Mail a thank you letter. This means write a letter, put it into
an envelope, lick a stamp and snail mail it to the person that
conducted the interview. It may seem old-fashion, but it conveys
that you were willing to do more than whip out a text message or
dash off an e-mail. Thank the person for their time and reiterate
your interest in the job.

9. UGH! It is not my dream job. Consider taking it anyway. It’s a
job, not a marriage. Plain and simple jobs are not meant to last.
You may discover you really like the job or it may not be as bad
as you think. Ask yourself:

o Will I work with people who are different from me?
This can be a great opportunity. Working with ethnically and
generationally diverse people helps you to see the world in new
ways. It’s like traveling abroad without leaving home.

o Will the experience I have at this job build my
credibility with other employers? Even if the job is not in the
field to which you aspire, employers look favorably on applicants
who can bring a depth of experience to a job. When I started
college, I did not dream that all my hard work would gain me the
prestigious title “Space Manager,” which was the official title
given to all entry level sales people at Quaker Oats. But I took
it because the offer was too good to refuse. And the truth is, I
HATED it. Working a real job was an experience nobody can explain
and no class can prepare you for. I was thrilled when after a
year, Quaker Oats eliminated my position and laid-off all the
entry-level sales reps. But I will never regret having worked
there. It opened doors for me and laid the groundwork for what I
do, and love to do today.

I recently conducted a leadership retreat for a client in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of my favorite towns. As usual, I made a bee line to Tia Sophia , which has been my favorite purveyor of Northern New Mexican food since I first visited there 15 years ago. (Northern New Mexican is quite different from Tex-Mex, Arizona Sonoran, or California Ranchero, but that’s a subject for another article.) As usual, the green chili stew at Tia Sophia was perfect: blisteringly hot with Hatch chilies, and chock full of beef chunks and potatoes swimming in a thick, ambrosia-like broth. The beans were superb, and the posole was to die for. All reasons enough to move to Santa Fe permanently.

I had a chance to chat with the owner, Mark, who bought the place from his parents in 2005. His grandmother started the restaurant in 1936 after immigrating from Greece. That’s right, a family of Greeks who make the best Mexican food in Santa Fe – go figure.

So I asked Mark what the secret was to their long time success and their absolute consistency of food quality, taste, and service excellence. He said it was simple:

“My parents and grandparents always treated their employees right, so my wife and I have tried to continue that practice. Consequently, we have a great staff who stay with us for a life time. It makes my job of managing the place relatively easy. They really run things.”

I asked him to explain what he meant when he said that they treat the staff “right.” He replied that they pay their employees more than the other restaurants in the area pay – even the server staff’s base pay is higher. Of course, servers get most of their salary from tips, but at Tia Sophia, they don’t practice “tip sharing” where all the tips go into a pool and are then divided up. What a server gets is what he or she keeps. Consequently, each server is motivated to deliver great service and get rewarded for the effort.

Additionally, Mark said that he and his wife treat their employees with the same friendliness and courtesy that they use with their customers. I observed Mark do this as we chatted. I had arrived just at closing time, so by the time I finished eating and started talking to Mark, the last customers and many of the staff were leaving for the day. We were sitting near the front door, and Mark interrupted our conversation each time a customer or staff member left to tell them good bye and thank them. For the employees, he added, “see you tomorrow.”

This last item may sound like small potatoes (no pun intended,) but in the restaurant industry, where employee turn-over is huge, Mark, his wife, and his parents and grand parents before them, have obviously found a solution. And that translates into consistently great food and an out-of-towner like me going there every time I visit Santa Fe.

After a recent broadcast of my tele-seminar, How To Be A Great Boss, I received some questions that I suspect have application to most managers. Here are those questions and my answers. If you have other ideas for responding to these questions, I would love to hear them in the comments section of this blog or by e-mailing me at Larry@Larry-Johnson.com. If you’d like to hear this tele-seminar, I’ll be presenting it again on March 30. Go to http://larry-johnson.com/great-boss-teleseminar.shtml to enroll.

QUESTION: For the best employees, how do you provide effective feedback specifically on a project recently completed by your best employee in order to help him/her grow when he/she is already exceeding your expectations? Beyond long-term efforts in understanding and tailoring projects to his/her career goals—for day-to-day projects, do you just stop giving feedback at some point if performance continues to exceed expectations?

ANSWER: I would suggest something like: “John, as usual, you’ve done a superb job. I really like the ….” Make it short & sweet but specific to what he did so he knows you noticed and appreciate it. And I wouldn’t worry about giving too much positive feedback to your best performers. I’ve never met anyone who suffered from receiving too many sincere compliments about their work. On the other hand, I’ve met plenty of good performers who feel like they don’t get the recognition, praise, or even “thanks” they think they deserve.

QUESTION: How do you keep interest and motivation in good employees?

ANSWER: Keep the words of appreciation coming, however, more importantly, make sure you get them what they need to do a good job, and create an environment that is fun to work in because it’s challenging, stimulating, and full of good humor.

QUESTION: How do you motivate people through positive interactions? What is the evidence supporting employees’ response when managers frame negative outcomes as opportunities? Is it good to be a positive energizer all the time? If not, when should you not be a positive energizer to staff?

ANSWER: I just watched a PBS documentary titled FDR, which described the difference between Hoover and Roosevelt during the 1932 presidential election. While Hoover’s speeches were full of doom, gloom and a sense of pessimism about the economy, Roosevelt talked about hope, recovery, and the strength of America to come back. We all know who won. Almost always, a positive approach to problems trumps a pessimistic one because it instills people with the will and courage to find solutions, overcome adversity, and triumph. On the other hand, you don’t want to come across as Pollyannaish to the point that you lose credibility with your followers. So sometimes, you have to say, “Yeah, I know this stinks, but it has to be done, so let’s do it and not whine about it.” If you’re taking that approach more than 5% of the time, however, you may want to ask yourself if your negative attitude might be rubbing off on others.

QUESTION: How do you address problem employees while still rewarding good employees? Is there any fair way to implement quality assurance policies that keep the problem performers in check while not requiring your good performers to do the unneeded extra work beyond existing quality assurance measures that seem to work for the good employees?

ANSWER: If someone has a quality issue, performance issue, or behavioral issue, you should talk with him directly and in private (and always document these conversations.) If this requires that you apply stricter quality standards, so be it. Just be sure you can justify the application of those standards on clearly documented problems. For example, if you manage a researcher whose basic calculations are often flawed, ask yourself these questions: “Can I document this problem? Have I talked to the person about the problem? (If not, you should.) Has the problem continued in spite of my bringing it to his attention?” If the answers to these questions is “yes,” then taking action to more closely monitor this person’s work is justified. He may not like it, and will probably complain that you are picking on him. (This will be stressful for you but that’s why managers get paid the big bucks.) Let him know that when the problem clears up, you’ll let up. On the other hand, if the problem continues, let him know that you’ll take further action.

QUESTION: How do you address problems with chronically poor performers while still maintaining a positive relationship?

ANSWER: The idea is to correct the problem, not necessarily to maintain a positive relationship. A gentle reminder, or pointing out where something needs to be corrected is usually enough for normal and outstanding performers. After all, how many times would your boss have to point out a problem to you before you corrected it? Probably, not more than once.

For the chronic poor performer, however, I’m wondering why you’re so worried about your “positive relationship” with her. She’s either choosing to not perform or is unable to perform. In either case, the bottom line is that she either gets the problem corrected or she leaves. I know that sounds harsh, but ask yourself: “If she NEVER corrects the problem, can we tolerate it until she retires?”

So if you haven’t had a firm conversation with her about the problem, I suggest you do so without delay and be sure to document it. If the problem continues, I suggest you talk to your HR department about pursuing termination. Again, I know this sounds harsh, but you ask what to do about a “chronically poor performer,” and I have to wonder why you, your team, or your organization would tolerate someone who deserves that kind of label.

QUESTION: How do you address issues identified by other managers or the employee’s peers? How do you address an issue without mentioning the sample situation brought up by someone else or individual sharing the complaint about the employee, especially for issues that are very important to address? Do you simply wait until you, personally, have made the observation when the mistake is made?

ANSWER: If possible, yes, try to observe the behavior or issue yourself. If not possible, or the situation requires immediate action, be direct in telling the employee this behavior has come to your attention and ask why it concerns you and how he plans to correct it. When he asks, “Who said I did this?” respond, “That doesn’t matter, my concern is that it won’t happen again.

QUESTION: How do you be a “great boss” when your boss plays favorites on policies and perspectives (only listens to those managers he likes more who happen to be bad managers), even trumping some of the tried and true ‘how to be a great boss’ ideas…when you are not one of his ‘favorites’ even though you do great work and a majority of the staff admires your dedication and positive mentorship?

ANSWER: Do the best you can, creating a pocket of excellence around you. Understand that the world is full of jerks, and sometimes, you end up working for one. In any case, you only have three healthy options in life when you are in a situation you don’t like. (For those of you who’ve attended one of my speeches, read my book Absolute Honesty: Building A Corporate Culture That Values Straight Talk and Rewards Integrity, or you’ve listened in on my tele-seminars, you’ll remember it as the PAL principle.) It stands for:

PROACTIVITY: Do something about it. Ask you boss to change her behavior to make life more tolerable. For example, “Jane, in the future, if we’re going to change direction on a project, could you let me know ahead of time so I can discuss it with my team?” Or, you could go over her head, and complain to her boss (high risk here, but sometimes called for. The role of the whistleblower is dangerous but highly needed in today’s world.)

ACCEPTANCE: Ask anyone who is married or in a long-term relationship. There are certain things you just accept about your mate if you want to stay married. If your boss is a jerk, you may have to accept it and figure out ways to circumvent her jerkiness to get your job done. Of course, what you choose to do may have risk associated with it too.

LEAVE: No one is forced to work for a jerk. Unless you’re in a concentration camp, you can always leave. Even then, there are options. I suggest you read Man’s Search For Meaning by Victor Frankl. He was in a Nazi concentration camp during WWII and couldn’t leave, so he figured out ways to keep his sanity and survive.

Non PAL responses are tend to be unhealthy, eg. whining, constant complaining, depression, drinking too much alcohol or going home and kicking your dog – and what did he ever do to deserve that?

Again, if you have other answers to these questions, I’d love to hear them.