When my neighbor and former work colleague, Larry Homenick, wanted to purchase a 2011 GMC Terrain he researched for some time and based on vehicle availability and price, went to King Auto Group in Longmont, Colorado. I went along for the fun of watching someone else spend money. By the end of the day Larry got an excellent deal on a GMC Terrain (Merlot Jewel color) with all the features–and I got to watch the outstanding people at King Auto Group in action. I also saw something that reminded me of how we all ought to do our work.
Good Work After the Sale Was Done
The sale was completed, detailing had been done and I was thinking the car looked shiny, clean and ready to go when Sales Manager, Rich Knowlton walked around the car, saw a bit of dust and tire shine over-spray, and said, “Don’t go yet. I see something I want to wipe off.” Within seconds he was inside and back outside with a towel and cleaner to make the car look perfect. As he moved around the car, doing a last bit of polish and shine, I saw his smiling reflection on the door panel and thought about how he was reinforcing that our work reflects the real us more than anything we say. That is a recurring theme in everything I present and write about (as you may have noticed!) but someone like Rich Knowlton gives a visual image to prove the point.
The King Auto Group Lesson
I had a fun time at King Auto Group. Really! I got cards from Troy Haury, Brad Bohling, Ray France and Ken Paris (the sales associate who helped Larry) and listened to their conversations with customers and each other. I could tell they like working for the King Auto company and that they admire the family who owns it. The company has apparently built a culture that encourages employees to do great work and help people get the kind of car they want for a fair price. Then came the best part–when Rich put the final touches on the car and the transaction.
Your Name, Face and Spirit Are Reflected In Your Work
The next time you have a job do to—whether it is a written project, a call for service, an investigation, an email, a meeting, working with employees or clients–remember the long-standing-but-still-true advice to think of it as being a reflection of the kind of person you are, your ethics and the way you can be trusted to do your work and live your life. While you’re at it, be like Rich Knowlton and smile while you are perfecting your reflection!
February 21st, 2011
Posted by
TLR |
Keeping On!, Life and Work, Service to Customers, Clients and Coworkers |
8 comments
Are you as effective as you say you are?
When most of us talk about our work we are the equivalent of a workplace eHarmony self-description. We are effective, hard working, have a good sense of humor, dislike gossip and have a better understanding of the job than most other people. We certainly know more than the boss.
The reality may be far from all of that, but that is what we tell our friends and family. If they believe us they probably wonder how we are able to tolerate being the only brilliant person in the organization–especially when we are treated so unfairly.
I’m not suggesting that you tell the exact truth to those you want to impress. “Actually, I’m an obnoxious, malingering backstabber who drags everyone down.” I’m suggesting that you become as good as you say you are.
*Do you think you are the kind of person who can solve problems? What’s a problem you’ve effectively solved in the last few weeks? (The key word there is effectively.)
*Do you think you work well with others? When has been a time in the last few weeks when someone else might not have handled a situation well but you were able to work effectively and build a bridge instead of a barrier?
*Do people think of you as a leader? What is a positive thing you have led others to do or be?
*Do you say you believe in personal and professional development? What is a negative trait you have overcome? What is a trait you are seriously working on right now? What have you done to learn more about your work and be more effective in it, other than learning from the mistakes you’ve made?
*Do you think you are an effective supervisor? What are some specific things that you have done in the last week that could provide proof of that?
The bottom line is simply this: Anyone can say how good they are at work. They may even intend to be as good as they say they are. But if there aren’t any ready examples, it probably isn’t reality.
There is as time and place for confident statements about what we do and what we can do. Just be sure you can prove it with examples of what you have done.
February 12th, 2011
Posted by
TLR |
Life and Work, Personal and Professional Development |
6 comments
Every business, office and function has requirements for internal and external customers, clients and vendors to follow. Many of those requirements are a perpetual source of bad feelings between those who are irritated at having to do them and those who are irritated at having to repeatedly ask to have them done. The complaints about some requirements will sound familiar to you, no matter which side of them you are on.
*Some seem to be illogical, impractical, unreasonable, excessively time consuming or costly to those who must comply.
*One organization or office will have a very easy 1-2-3 step process while another has a long, drawn-out, complicated process for exactly the same task.
*Most procedures and requirements are not reviewed or changed, even when the situations change.
*Rarely is an explanation given for a requirement. In fact, “That’s just the way we have to do it” is the usual apologetic comment.
*Requirements that seem to be only a preference without a purpose often become lines in the dirt between people and groups.
*Many procedures and processes were established to fix a problem that happened once or twice but could have been corrected another way.
*The person who complies is often penalized with the extra work while someone who simply doesn’t do what is required is helped anyway–indicating to everyone that the requirements weren’t necessary.
Take the Challenge To Simplify Procedures and Processes
You may not have the authority to make changes on your own. However, perhaps you can consider ways to improve some aspect of a problematic process or talk with a manager or your team about it. We want that for the requirements we are required to follow and others feel the same way.
1. Start by focusing on the procedures with which you have the most problems gaining cooperation from users. If you can change the format, timeline, wording, number of copies required or just the length of a form, it shows a good faith effort to make life and work easier.
2. Consider the origin and purpose of the procedure and see if the situation is still the same. If a procedure was developed to stop a problem, consider if the elements of the problem still exist or if there are others ways to deal with it.
3. Ask for input from those who must comply with the requirements. Some may want no formal processes at all and that probably isn’t going to happen. Nevertheless, perhaps you can find out what is bothering them the most. You may be able to make huge gains in confidence and support by working with others instead of fighting with them over a form or requirement they hate.
4. Don’t have Spite and Malice requirements. Ask yourself if part of the reason you’re insisting you can’t change the procedure is because you’re irritated at even being questioned about it. Could you make some changes without harming effectiveness?
A woman told me she is in a fight all the time with other sections in her organization over a process she established for a relatively minor task. They call her the Queen Bee. Talking about it to me she said, ”I know they hate doing what a lowly clerk asks but if they don’t, they don’t get the items and I’ve said that’s the way I want it done, so there.” That was when I decided the bee part might actually be an initial and not the entire word!
Making vendors jump through hoops seems to be an entertainment for some organizations! It’s true that if they want to do business they will have to comply. However, it seems there would be a benefit to having vendors feeling positively rather than negatively about an organization when they do their work or provide their product.
5. Don’t require even one more step than is absolutely necessary. Question every blank to be filled, every requirement, every deadline date, every approval step, every everything. For example, if there is some part of the form that will contain exactly the same material from the same people every time, could you eliminate those sections?
6. Target anything you know or think might be a unique requirement of yours or of your office. Is it really necessary to require a hard copy be submitted, when almost every other office will accept an e-file or fax? Why does your office require a notarized form and no one else does? Are some of the requirements mostly because your own office doesn’t work effectively? Consider improving that problem without punishing other people or groups.
7. Question (gasp!) the suggestions of attorneys, HR or others who are not considering internal or external customer service. Perhaps the attorneys or other experts could have suggested another more time-effective way if they had been told it was needed. Ask for options and see if the legal or HR resource can help you find some less convoluted methods.
8. If the procedure or some aspect of it is unassailable, explain your reasons to everyone now and then. Explain to help others understand not just to justify your decisions. Regularly thank those who comply. Never let someone get into the habit of cutting corners if the corners are really needed. A good test: If a task was able to be accomplished without your usual procedures and requirements being followed, you probably can do it that way all the time with only a few adjustments.
9. Communicate. If you are going to change a procedure, explain why to avoid seeming to be capricious. If you are adding a requirement, explain that as well. Be open to talking about it and doing some negotiating rather than making every requirement and procedure an open and shut case of “Just do it.”
10. Keep challenging yourself and those with whom you work. The odds are there are some or many things you require of internal and external clients and customers that could be reduced or eliminated without reducing quality, quantity or effectiveness. Try it this week. Then, mark your calendar for about once a quarter and take the Simplify Challenge.
February 5th, 2011
Posted by
TLR |
Life and Work, Service to Customers, Clients and Coworkers |
9 comments
