It's not my job

A month ago Thanksgiving, I talked about being thankful to your colleagues. As the week of Christmas has arrived, I am thinking about what and how you give in your organization.

What are you giving back to your organization?

Ideally, your teams are made up of diverse skills and viewpoints complimenting each other on how they interact and what they bring to the table. Your teams are confident enough to counter view points for creative discussion leading to creative solutions.

We all have our role. We all have our job.

Having our role also means that there are roles that don’t belong to us; tasks and responsibilities that don’t fall under our umbrella – tasks left to others.. jobs that aren't ours.

Do you ever do things that aren’t directly assigned to you? Of course we all have to mindful of our immediate and long-term responsibilities to ensure our work is getting done without being overworked ourselves, but I’d like to explore what happens when we give of ourselves fully at work.

Let’s starting with making a list of things that we could give:

• Pick up any trash you come across that’s the size of a dime or larger on the floor

• Help a colleague pick up something that accidentally spilled

• Walk a strong pace to get to your destination quicker – to finish quicker

• Smile and greet every person you encounter in your office

• Listen respectfully to every person you interact with in your office

• Help someone do their job if you have idle time

• Research and brainstorm on products, services, or just plain ideas that will help your company to do more.

• Contribute in discussion at meetings

• Prepare for meetings you’ll attend

• Finish your work when you’ve committed to finishing it

• Continuously think of ways you can do your job better

• Continuously think of ways your company can service its clients better

• Choose to share the positive verses complaining or dwelling on the past

• Support the team decision and make it successful even if you disagree with the method (within moral limits obviously)

• Go the extra step, put on the finishing touches, and do a little more proudly to delight your clients (or the colleague you’re delivering to)

• Be proud of what you deliver

• Understand the ‘why’ of decisions so you can support them fully

Wouldn’t you like someone who did all these things to work for you?

What more would you add to this list?

To be or not to be transparent?

I vol- unteered with a great nonprofit for over three years. They help people get into safe affordable decent housing where they can have the confidence of knowing it’s as permanent as they need it to be. It’s amazing how providing stability in someone’s life can turn their whole world upside down yet right side up.

Like many nonprofits (and commercial ventures), they have been struggling to raise funds.

As a volunteer, I was always surprised to learn that they struggled for donations because I knew their programming was so strong.

As a volunteer, I was always surprised to run into people who had grave misconceptions about the program and its benefits.

As a volunteer however, I could never find out exactly how the program was funded. No one could or would answer me directly about where the money went and how much was actually needed.

The goals were not clear.

I found it difficult to help them, often guessing at what they might need. My fellow volunteers shared the same concern with me. We’d guess as best we knew and do the best we could. I would find in conversation with potential donors that they also had the same questions as I did but with many misconceptions about the program as well.

What if this was a commercial venture?

What would you do if this was your commercial venture?

The same rules apply don’t they? Frankly, I can hear the gears over-heating in your head:

• Set clear goals!

• Communicate a clear message to the team on what needs to be accomplished!

• Get everyone unified around a real and tangible long term goal.

• Help the team create tactical plans that will enable the long term goal to be reached.

• Be transparent such that everyone can understand what is going on.

• Be transparent so that everyone will trust the plan and the motive.

What else would you add to this list?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist

If statistics show that 88% of people leave a job because of how they feel they are being treated, would building an organization with people who had excellent soft side skills help raise employment retention rates and keep everyone staying put longer?

Long ago I found myself interviewing with a small private company anticipating the landing of my first job out of college with a highly respected firm. During the final interview, I got an early and abrupt taste of their culture when I got slapped in the face.

And by slapped, I'm talking about hearing the following:

• "We start at 7am here

• We work most Saturdays, minimum two per month

• There is no swearing. Ever

• We pray at every company meeting

• You'll be expected to put in on average 60 hours per week

• And OH, don't worry about looking up for your next job, your manager will constantly be on the look out for you to grow within the company"

At that time, I had already worked four years in industry at four different companies and never had I heard or experienced such things. Not being a morning person, my mind was still stuck on the 7am part; I just kep smiling and nodding my head robotically.

Knowing I still had much to learn and wanting to work at this firm, I took the job; slap and all.

I won't deny the mornings were tough but soon I began to welcome the 7am starts because of the smiling faces of all the staff that would greet me during our morning stretch routines. Gratitude exuded from all in that we were showing up for each other.

Saturdays were a whole other ball game. It was difficult at first, but it changed for me also. Reluctantly I dragged myself in weekend after weekend to donuts, more smiling faces, and sometimes an on-site cooked breakfast by other colleagues and managers. Rather than the cold slap in the face feeling I had in the interview process, I was experiencing welcome, appreciated, and a part of something bigger. These mornings became great catch-up times where the week days were fast paced and business-only venues. The Saturday mornings were a chance to reset and decompress as well as spend more time on the production floor learning about the lives of team-mates.

Some perspective

This company is a leader in its industry with a reputation of a high standard of quality. Although also a leader in developing and delivering high tech products, problems arose there just as they do in any other company. There was one difference here though: problems were looked at as opportunites for success rather than opportunities for blame. When a problem arose, it was a time to demonstrate strength in character, not a hot-head full of steam. When "issues" happened, rarely were voices raised. Product issues were simply product issues because it was never interpreted as anyone's fault. It was always seen as a process oversight or a machine failure, not as personal failure by someone or a team, nor an opportunity to degrade people.

So what made the difference?

Respect for each other's abilities, values, and contribution made the difference between finger pointing and getting our work done. The attitude cultivated by leadership to respect and be present for one another enabled focus on solving the issues at hand.

Some how there always existed the skill set to solve any problem. Ironically there was always a solution to any problem. Pretty good, huh?

Consensus doesn't necessarily mean a solution that "kinda fits." It is something that is borne of constructive open dialog between trusting colleagues.

Were we just a bunch of rocket scientists who could fix anything? Likely and most definitely not. It is likely that the company heavily hired engineers that had the people skills first, technical ability second.

Did it make a difference?

I'll ask my question again: If 88% of people leave a job because of how they feel they are being treated, would building an organization with people who had excellent soft skills help raise employment retention rates and keep everyone staying put longer?

What would you do?

What works best in your organization and why?

This article was originally posted by me on L2L Blogazine, April 8th 2009 * Image credit to Jim Wilson for The New York Times, Gerlach, Nevada, October 14, 2006, www.nyt.com