Читать книгу Stepping Forward Together: Creating Trust and Commitment in the Workplace - Mac Ph.D. McIntire - Страница 6

We had taken off and the plane was climbing toward our cruising attitude. The flight attendants were up from their jump seats preparing to serve the passengers the usual fare of drinks and pretzels. Paul and I were settling in for what I knew would be a very enlightened conversation.

“Paul, I know I’ve already given you a lot to think about and you’re anxious for me to tell you how to get everyone in your company committed to going in the same direction at the same time,” I continued, “but I need you to understand one more very important concept before I share a model with you.

“At the end of the day, what you’re really talking about when you say you want to get everyone going in the same direction at the same time is that you want everyone in your company to perform as a cohesive team,” I suggested. “Is that right?”

“That’s true,” Paul agreed.

“So I need to explain my definition of a team. My definition is so simple you can tell immediately whether you have a team or not.

“Paul, I’m sure in all the reading you’ve done over the years about managing you’ve probably read several books about teams and teamwork.”

Paul nodded.

“So you’ve probably come across several good definitions of what a team is. Some definitions you’ve read might be really great. They’re philosophical, profound and make you think. But others are trite and silly; like the poster you see on the wall that says: ‘There is no I in team.’ Give me a break!

“My definition of a team is so descriptive you can tell right away whether you have a team or not. My definition of a team is simply this: A team steps forward together.”

I paused momentarily to see Paul’s reaction.

“That’s it. A team steps forward together. No complex or convoluted descriptor. It’s that basic. That’s all you need in order to know whether or not you have a team.” I repeated.

“If you want to know if you have a team, all you have to do is ask yourself some basic questions: Are the people within your organization stepping forward together? Are your executives stepping forward together as they run your plant? Are the various departments within your company stepping forward together in a coordinated and collaborative effort to achieve your production goals? Are your union employees stepping forward together with management’s support to produce high-quality products for your customers?”

“Those are easy questions to answer,” Paul said, shaking his head. “They’re not”.

“Then you don’t have a team,” I declared. “Members of a real team, a cohesive team, step forward together. They move in the same direction at the same time. When the company says ‘go right,’ everyone moves to the right. When told to ‘go left,’ a real team shifts to the left – all in unison. All in agreement.

“When a real team has tasks to perform, everyone does his part without hesitation. No one says: ‘It’s not my job.’ Producing quality products and providing great service is everyone’s job. On a true team, there are no weak links; and there are no lone heroes. No one is left behind to take the blame; and no one steps forward alone to take the credit. A real team advances as a cohesive, singular entity. Members of a real team recognize themselves as part of a collective whole – not as individuals. And they act accordingly, by working in coordinated harmony.

“If anyone in any work group is not stepping forward with the rest of the group, then you don’t have a team,” I stressed.

Paul glanced out the airplane window, weighing his organization against my description of a true team. “That’s pretty straightforward. By that definition, it’s easy to spot teamwork – or the lack of it.”

“That’s what makes it a good definition,” I replied, with the mischievous grin I’m known for flashing when I’ve successfully driven home a point.

“The sales team I managed just before moving to Las Vegas was a real team,” Paul said, as if testing my theory against situations in his past. “They didn’t just step forward together; they ran. They were the best sales team in the company, and their results proved it. They worked hard together. They even played hard together.”

A smile spread across Paul’s face as he remembered another defining characteristic of this star team. “The thing that really amazed me about that team is everyone made sure everyone else on the team reached his or her sales quota. That’s almost unheard of in our industry. They really did function as one.”

Yet Paul had also seen the opposite of an effective team.

“I’ve seen all the maneuvers, political and otherwise, in the corporate world: turf wars, empire building, people who take all the credit and others who place all the blame. I believe most people in most businesses aren’t stepping forward together.”

“And of the non-team behaviors you just listed, are you experiencing any of those at your manufacturing plant right now?” I asked.

“It’s one thing when your front-line employees don’t see eye to eye,” Paul began, “but even the managers at my plant don’t work as a team. Departments march off in different directions, pursuing individual tasks and neglecting the goals of the group. Managers bicker among themselves. Some even refuse to work with peers who don’t share their opinions. Some of my managers are just as bad as some of the employees; maybe worse.

“But let’s face it,” Paul said, his skepticism bolstered by memories of his current work situation. “In every group there are always some employees who are strong and others who are weak. So I’m not sure it’s even possible to get every single person in an organization to step forward together as a team. Remember, I have over 200 people at my plant.”

“That’s the problem, isn’t it,” I stated. “The more people you have in an organization the harder it is to get everyone to step forward together as a team. It’s easy to step forward together by yourself. For example, when you’re single you pretty much get to do whatever you want and go in any direction you want. But when you get married, life changes. Now two people have to work hard at becoming one. You have to coordinate your activities. You have to make sure you are not at odds with your spouse. Couples often struggle until they become unified in their views, goals, expectations, values, attitudes and beliefs. But then you have a child and the ‘team’ changes again. Driving three people toward a common goal is harder still. With each subsequent child added to the family come additional challenges to creating harmony in the home and unity in the family.

“Getting two, or 200, or 2,000 people to step forward together can be difficult,” I agreed. “How would you like to be the President of the United States and try to get over two hundred million people to step forward together?”

“That’s impossible!”

“Ah, nothing is impossible,” I said, in my best Jedi Master voice. “Some things are just a little harder to do. You ought to consider yourself fortunate to be general manager over only 200 people.”

“Go ahead and rub it in: I can’t get a measly 200 people on the same page,” Paul bemoaned. “It seems like the only time I see my workers stepping forward together is when they’re stepping toward to pick up their paycheck. All they want to do is put in their eight hours and do the bare minimum to keep their jobs. They’re not enthusiastic or committed. They’re only interested in themselves.”

“Are you sure about that?” I questioned.

“Well, that’s the way it seems to me,” he said solemnly.

“You may be right,” I offered. “But my experience tells me your employees may be more capable and more motivated than you think. I’ve worked with hundreds of companies across the country and thousands of employees throughout the world; and I’d venture that you’d be surprised at the sleeping giants you have within your company.”

“Yeah, so how do I wake them up?”

“Ah! That’s the fun part. There’s nothing more exhilarating than turning employees who appear to be unmotivated and non-caring into enthusiastic, highly committed, self-managed team players. Now we’re getting to the good stuff. It’s definitely possible and I’ll tell you exactly how to do it. And the best part of all is that the process is exactly the same for getting commitment from employees, managers, your boss, your customers, and even from your spouse and children.”

I looked down at Paul’s ring finger and noticed a gold band.

“Are you married?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you have children?”

“Yes. I have a daughter who is 15, and an 11-year-old son.”

“Would you like your spouse to be fully committed to you and to your marriage?”

“I hope she’s committed to me by now,” Paul said. “We’ve been married for 23 years.”

“The length of a marriage doesn’t necessarily indicate a committed relationship,” I countered, “just as the length of service of an employee doesn’t necessarily mean he or she is loyal to the company. Some people stay in marriages or employment relationships long after their commitment has waned.”

“That’s encouraging,” Paul said, sarcastically.

“How about your kids?” I continued. “Would you like them to be committed?”

Paul roared with laughter at the alternate meaning of my question. “Yeah, sometimes I would like them to be committed: committed to an institution somewhere! At least until they get through their teenage years. Then I’ll take them back,” he joked.

“Paul, I promise that what I’m about to show you will benefit you both professionally and personally – at work and at home. I can guarantee if you want to be a better company general manager, you can be if you listen carefully to what I’m about to tell you and then apply it in your work life.

“But I’ll go even further than that. I will promise you that if you want to become a better husband to your wife or a better father to your children, you can if you apply in your personal life the concepts I’ll share with you tonight.”

I expressed to Paul a paradox that has puzzled and saddened me for a long time. I’m shocked at the number of managers who appear to be great managers at work, yet they’re estranged from their spouse or children at home. They communicate brilliantly with their employees and colleagues; they have unlimited patience and potential at the office; they are highly respected and loved by their staff at work; yet at home they alienate their spouse, ignore their children, and interact poorly with the members of their family – the very people who should matter most to them.

On the other hand, I also know people who are wonderful husbands or wives, outstanding fathers or mothers, great leaders within the walls of their home; yet they are horrible bosses at work. They have the patience of Job with their children; they listen attentively; they’re understanding and compassionate; they are considerate and kind; and they’re wise and inspirational in their counsel. Some even coach their son’s Little League team or daughter’s gymnastics team. They seem to have an uncanny ability to motivate nine to twelve-year-olds to do anything; yet, at work, these same people can’t motivate their employees to do the simplest tasks. At the office they are impatient, intolerant, unsympathetic, demanding and demoralizing. The same person who is loved and respected at home, is despised and barely tolerated at work.

“How is it that a person so good in one situation can be so bad in another?” I inquired. “It seems to me that someone capable of being a great manager at work or a wonderful spouse at home ought to be able to transfer those skills and characteristics to the other side of the equation. The interpersonal skills required at work are the same as those needed at home; and the qualities that make someone a good partner or parent at home are the same characteristics needed at work. If a person is good in one location, he or she ought to be equally good in the other. Work and home situations are exactly the same.”

Paul looked like he was trying to decide whether he agreed with me that work and home relationships are comparable. So, I asked him if he thought there was much difference between employees and children. He huffed and said no.

“Have you ever seen employees who act like children?” I asked. “Do you have any employees who seem stuck in the ‘terrible twos’? Do you have employees – or even managers – who fight amongst themselves like competing siblings? Have you ever experienced employees who run to ‘momma’ when they don’t get what they want from ‘dad,’ or who manipulatively play mom against dad? Are there any employees at your plant who don’t play well with others or who pout when they don’t get their own way.”

“Pfffft. No kidding,” Paul said, shaking his head in disgust.

“That’s why I say there’s no difference between managing employees and managing one’s family. The skills and techniques you use in one situation are the same skills and techniques you use in the other.”

I went on to explain that the role of a manager and a parent is to increase the maturity level of a person to the point where they get ‘it’. Managers and parents nurture individuals through coaching and counseling in order to teach them how to succeed in life. Those individuals who achieve the greatest success are the ones who get the ‘its’ of every situation early in their life – whether at school, at work, at church, in marriage, in society, or in life.

“Obviously maturity has nothing to do with age,” I said. “Yet maturity is what managers need to instill in their employees if they want them to manage themselves. Maturity also is what parents try to teach to their children before they leave the home and go off on their own. Managers and parents hope their employees and children will become thoughtful, responsible, self-disciplined individuals. They want them to make wise decisions and mature choices. They hope they’ll figure the ‘its’ of life out sooner, rather than later, in their life and career.

“The point of all this is simple,” I said. “It doesn’t matter to me where you learn what I’m about to teach you, as long as you learn it. If what I say makes more sense to you as it relates to work, then think about your business. But if it makes more sense to you from a personal perspective, then think about your marriage and your family. As long as you think about these concepts and ponder them in some meaningful context, you’ll be able to understand them, learn them, and use them. I promise if you practice at work the concepts I’m about to teach you, they will also benefit you at home. Likewise, if you can get your family ‘team’ to step forward together, you can get your work team to do the same.

“All I ask is that while I explain this model to you, you go inside yourself and confirm what I’m saying by checking it against your head, your heart, and your intuition. That’s how you will know what I am saying is true.”

I paused briefly to allow Paul to internalize what I’d said.

“Okay. Are you ready to learn how to create a highly-effective, enthusiastic and committed team?”

“I’m ready,” Paul eagerly responded.