QUOTE WORTH REMEMBERING
“Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They never dare to try.”
–Mary Kay Ash
PERSONAL NOTE FROM THE “CAPTAIN”
Undercover Boss and the Invisible Employee
A recent national television program has caught my attention. The show is called, Undercover Boss which appears on CBS on Sunday nights. Each week a CEO works undercover on the front line of his organization. This week’s show featured Dave Rife, the CEO of White Castle.
During his week on the front line he learned what it is like as an entry level employee, working the line serving hamburgers and the like. I have to admit the show has a heartwarming element as it features several front line employees who strive valiantly to do their best despite the conditions.
The only thing that bothers me about the show is it highlights the fact that many corporate leaders are clueless on how decisions made in the boardroom affect the motivation of individual employees and organizational productivity as a whole. It emphasizes the huge divide between those that make decisions and those who have to follow those decisions. How can organizations be responsive to change and consumer needs when executives are so far removed from reality?
Southwest Airlines is one of my favorite organizations and has followed this concept from its inception. All managers at Southwest work jobs other than their primary responsibility one day a quarter. They may work as a luggage handler, gate agent, flight attendant or other positions, as long as it is a front line position. This helps all managers learn more about the company. In their early days, even Herb Kelleher, the co-founder of Southwest, was seen loading luggage onto his planes.
Kelleher’s nonconformist philosophy served a purpose. He wanted his executives and managers to be guiding examples and to be aware how their decisions impact the front line. Herb felt everyone is a leader and pushed authority and decision-making down to the lowest possible level – on the front line where it has the greatest impact on customer satisfaction. As Herb once said, “We tell our people that we value inconsistency.”
Best regards,
Greg
President and Lead Navigator
UPCOMING EVENTS
Fired Up
Greg’s latest book, Fired Up! Leading Your Organization to Achieve Exceptional Results has gone to the printers and will be out in April. Take advantage of our pre-publication special just for Navigator Newsletter subscribers for $19.95 and save $5.95 off the regular price. He will be glad to autograph your copy. Just let us know.
Click on the book cover
Get Fired Up!
YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO HIRE OR PROMOTE
THE WRONG PERSON
Have you ever made a bad hiring decision? Did the person you hired turn into someone different than how he presented himself during the interview? A properly designed interviewing and hiring process could have prevented the mistake and saved you time, frustration and money.
Many organizations are using some form of hiring assessment. Assessments provide you an unemotional evaluation of a candidate’s behavior, attitude and values – qualities difficult to judge in an interview alone.
We provide a comprehensive portfolio of hiring and development assessments. Please contact us if we can provide a customized solution to your hiring and development needs. We also conduct DISC certification training.
Contact us at 770-860-9464 for additional information.
PRODUCT OF THE MONTH
Healthcare Customer Service Training Program
The Essence of Caring program will provide your employees the opportunity to network with co-workers from all areas of your organization, during a video-based learning system designed to enhance patient relations, garner increased client loyalty and improve overall internal and external customer service. The program focuses on enhancing communication, interpersonal and customer service skills, so they can do their best in meeting the challenges they are faced with every day.
https://www.chartcourse.com/caringHealthcare.html
DISC CERTIFICATION TRAINING
Become a trained DISC expert. DISC is a model of
human behavior that helps people understand “why
they do what they do.” DISC reports have a multitude of
uses including hiring, development and team building.
Read more
https://www.chartcourse.com/disc_certification_training.html
Helping Organizations Chart Their Course
Greg Smith is the founder of Chart Your Course International. As an organizational development strategist and management consultant, he helps executives and business owners improve individual and organizational performance. He and his cadre of business performance specialists design strategies and processes to grow your organization and implement business initiatives, creating clearer direction, increased profitability, stronger executive teams, improved communication and happier and more productive employees.
Contact us to arrange a complimentary discussion on how we maybe able to assist.
https://www.chartcourse.com/contactus.htm
DAILY CARTOON
For those of you needing a little laugh, we invite you to visit the Daily Cartoon page on our website. The cartoons are provided by Ted Goff and Scott Adams.
