Wolf Gugler Executive Search

Author: Wolf Gugler

  • Getting the Most from Your People Every Day

    It’s a proven fact that if you’re looking to either modify your company culture or kick-start performance levels, regular employee communication is paramount. It may take shape in the form of meetings or an impromptu chat on the store floor in between customer visits but the key is to ensure this does happen. Start every day by energizing your employees to want to do more for you and for them. Make the first few minutes of the workday a positive impression. It’s proven to set the tone for the rest of the day, when you set the example. Here’s how:

    Arrive Early
    There is nothing quite as frustrating to an employee as having been at work for an hour, and seeing his/her Boss saunter in after the regular workday has begun. How do expect to earn their respect and have them give their all when you don’t set the example?
    Arrive to work before or with your employees and your actions will demonstrate your dedication to your departmental and company objectives. If you expect the best from others you must expect the same from yourself.

    ”PMA”

    Show off your Positive Mental Attitude; it’s contagious. Walking briskly through the door with a smile and a purpose. You’ll be sharing a positive message with your body language and empowering others to do the same. Be consistent; do it even on the days you really don’t feel like it. Drag your way into the office and you’ll let everyone around you know that it’s going to be a long day when they’re better off avoiding you.

    Meet and Greet
    If you want to keep your team guessing about your attitude, walk directly to your office and close the door. Alternatively, begin your day by stopping by and greeting your people. Ask them about their weekend, how they feel the last sale went or any customer wants or desires they’re aware of that the company should investigate. It’s a great way to make them aware you care about them as individuals, not simply a tool to get the job done. If you just carry on to your office and fail to acknowledge the others around you, it will only serve distance you from those who you’ll rely on to succeed.

    Clarify Expectations
    While interacting with your staff, let others know what your action plan for the day is. Make them aware you have goals set to accomplish, whether individual or team related. It will spur others to action when they see that the boss is ready to get down to business and make it happen.
    Most employees will tell you that they actually do want…no, they need…direction. Share the reason as to why you want certain things accomplished. When they feel you’ve taken them into your circle of trust, they’ll try doubly hard to accomplish those tasks and ultimately reach the corporate or department goal.

    Acknowledge Success…and hard work

    Not everyone needs the literal pat on the back, but they do require acknowledgment for contributions. A movie or dinner certificate is a cheap motivator just to recognize them for going above and beyond the norm. When your boss tells you “that was a job well done”, pass it on to your troops. Let them know you appreciate them…and see how many volunteers you have the next time you ask for help on a project.

    These simple tips, when used consistently, will help motivate your staff  inspire them to succeed and work hard to produce results for you, them and their families.

    Wolf Gugler is President, Wolf Gugler & Associates Limited, a preeminent executive recruitment firm assisting retailers and their suppliers develop high performance teams throughout North America and the Caribbean. You can reach him via email at [email protected].

  • Anti-Bullying

    Presentation by Jamie Jones-Sagehorn

    Bullying can be defined as “Repeated and persistent attempts by one person to torment, wear down, frustrate, or get a reaction from another. It is treatment which persistently provokes, pressures, frightens, intimidates or otherwise discomforts a person” – Dr. Carroll Brodsky.

    Workplace bullying is much more commonplace than we might think. A recent national survey commissioned by the Workplace Bullying Institute uncovered the following:

    • 35% of the U.S. workforce (an est. 53.5 million Americans) report being bullied at work
    • An additional 15% witness it.
    • Half of all Americans have directly experienced it.
    • Simultaneously, 50% report neither experiencing nor witnessing bullying. Hence, a “silent epidemic.”

    Ms. Sagehorn obtained her J.D. and has since practiced employment law and then moved on to serve as the Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action at a mid-sized university. At the university, Jamie has given hundreds of training sessions to various groups of employees. She also trained supervisors, developed programs and policies, and ensured continuing compliance with an array of employment laws.

    She recently presented an informative submission on this topic; excerpts are as follows:

    Why should care?

    • —  $300 billion price tag, PER YEAR
    • Turnover (including costs associated with    recruitment, interviewing, hiring)
    • Absenteeism/lost productivity
    • Workers’ compensation
    • Disability insurance
    • Much like sexual harassment at work was first identified as an unacceptable problem and then codified into law, it looks like bullying is on a similar path
    • Bullying behaviors are difficult to change
    • When a company can show they’ve provided anti-bullying training, they may be able to decrease their liability in a harassment or discrimination lawsuit!
    • Typical displays can include any of the following; verbal abuse, threatening public behaviors/actions, abuse of authority, interference with work performance and destruction of workplace relationships.

    Typical “Boss bullying” behaviours may include:

    • —  Deceit: lying, giving false or misleading information through acts of omission or commission;
    • Constraint: restricting subordinates’ activities in domains outside of work
    • Coercion: threatening excessive or inappropriate harm for noncompliance with a boss’s wishes
    • They may also display selfishness, cruelty and/or disregard

    Jamie suggests bullying may not be an “either-or” phenomenon, but rather a gradually evolving process including five stages:

    1. Conflict – a critical incident
    2. Aggressive Acts – aggressive acts & psychological assaults that set bullying dynamics in motion
    3. Management Involvement – involves management in the negative cycle through its misjudgment of the situation
    4. Branding the Target – brands targets as “difficult” or “mentally ill” people.
    5. Expulsion – target leaves the organization, either voluntarily or by forced resignation or termination

    Bullies maybe those who:

    • suffer from low self-esteem yet belittle their targets
    • are self-interested and vindictive, often taking credit for others’ work & never taking responsibility for their own mistakes
    • are all about power and protecting their turf

    Who are the victims or targets?
    — They’re often agreeable, vulnerable, and successful co-workers, often motivated by the bullies’ own feelings of inadequacy

    The abuser most often controls some important resource(s) in the target’s life, so the target is dependent on the bully

    How does it affect others in the organization?
    With an atmosphere of fear & mistrust, other employees who witness bullying may experience feelings of helplessness, frustration, lack of control, as well as anger at the organization for not dealing with the bully’s behavior.

    How can one differentiate between a tough boss vs. workplace bully?
    A tough boss is objective and fair, self-controlled without displaying emotion and results and organization-oriented. A workplace bully misuses power and authority, is personally-focused and self-interested, is subject to emotional outbursts, and their actions are perceived as inconsistent and unfair.

    Circumstances that allow bullying to pervade an environment may include:

    • Employee frustration
    •       – Lack of training
    •       – Organization chaos
    •       – Lack of comprehensive policies
    •       – Inadequate “checks & balances”
    •       – Misuse of power and authority
    •       – Poor management
    •       – Type of industry
    •       – Lack of communication

    What can an organization do?

    • Zero-tolerance, starting with the top
    • Create an anti-bullying policy
    • Clear expectations/accountability/consistency
    • Frequent employee communication
    • Approachable HR professionals and management team
    • A defined disciplinary process
    • Promote a culture of trust & respect
    • Training
    • 360 degree performance feedback
    • Establish multiple avenues of conflict resolution
    • Confidential way for employees to report problems
    • Fair and thorough investigations
    • Quick action to resolve disputes
    • Periodic employee opinion surveys
    • Exit interviews
    • Create a safe and respectful culture

    If you’re the bullying target, several alternatives are possible:

    Drs. Gary and Ruth Namie suggest:

    • Solicit support from family & friends
    • Consult a physician or therapist
    • Solicit witness statements
    • Confront the bully
    • File an internal complaint
    • Prepare the case against the bully
    • Present the case to senior management
    • Take the case public

    If you represent the company:

    • Confront & monitor existing bullies
    • Ensure management demonstrates a commitment to a bully-free environment
    • Develop an anti-bullying policy (include steps to address problems)
    • Investigation and complaint resolution systems in place, effective disciplinary procedures, follow up measures
    • Periodic (and regular) training about conduct expectations

    Though bullying is not illegal, it often leads to harassment and discrimination, which ARE illegal. Bullied individuals may claim the Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress (IIED), addressed by the Healthy Workplace Bill introduced in more than 20 states since 2003 and adopted in 11 states.

    If you have additional questions, please contact Jamie Sagehorn at 620-687-2177 or

    Email:        [email protected]

    Web site:   www.sagecompliancesolutions.com

    Jamie is on her local Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Board of Directors as the Legislative Liaison. She is also a member of SHRM’s national Advocacy team, which monitors employment law policy and lobbies legislators at the federal level.

  • Putting it all in Perspective

    On September 11,  2001, this transplanted Torontonian was sitting in the living room of his McLoud, Oklahoma home, planning last minute details his trip back to Toronto later that day to attend the Hardlines Marketing conference. Instead, I watched the terrible events of the day unfold. After living in what we always consider to be a non-partisan, relatively safe environment in Canada, I couldn’t believe the feelings of helplessness (and later, anger) that came across me as more carnage occurred. It brought home my feeling that we need to put our lives in perspective and my personal belief that “we work to live”, not the opposite.

    A fellow Toronto acquaintance was in town seeing customers and found himself stranded for a few days as international travel was banned. As the world virtually stood still reeling from this catastrophe, it gave us a chance to familiarize ourselves with the local golf courses, where much of our chats seemed to revolve around what was really important in life.

    Shortly afterwards, a local police officer I was acquainted with asked me if I’d like to join him in starting up our town’s first Emergency Management services team. The idea was to increase our community’s ability to help ourselves in the event of a man made or natural disaster. As I had been looking for a community project, what a great idea! Shortly after assembling a team, Mike moved away and…gulp…the town council asked me if I would consider taking over. What, a Canadian never having any involvement in this area, charged with making our town more disaster-resilient? Sure!

    Being a “city boy” until then, I had come to appreciate how down to earth and giving our small-town locals were. It wasn’t that difficult to assemble a group of committed volunteers wiling to educate themselves and help others with respect to readiness and preparedness at work and at home. We may find ourselves storm spotting (yes, Dorothy, this is the land of tornadoes), involved with crowd and traffic management (such as when we had to have a hospital helicopter airlift a traffic accident victim), and other unpredictable situations. We’re involved in supporting our volunteer firefighters on extended fire scenes and help coordinate field efforts when combined local, state and federal resources are brought together, such as the anthrax scare we recently had at our local women’s penitentiary.

    The largest part of our duties though revolves around educating others in disaster preparedness. This relates to all of us, both in our personal and work lives. Within our businesses, we need to be ready to restore operations, train our employees and inform our customers too. I can only suggest that, just after the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and arrests of potential terrorists in Toronto this summer and the tornado warning issued in August, we take such warnings seriously…and prepare ourselves.

    Business should develop emergency response plans, including data protection and recovery, telecommuting and contingencies for continuing operations during a disruption.

    According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 40% of small businesses never open after major disasters.

    Disasters don’t have to be terrorist attacks; they can be weather-related and other natural events. The management and recovery aspects are almost identical.

    Business leaders need to think through what kind of effect a disaster would have on their operations and put a plan in place now. Most businesses aren’t prepared for disaster situations. Each needs to analyze potential threats, develop and plan, train mangers to the plan and be able to execute it. Consider these areas:

    • Develop a list of alternate suppliers. These may range from construction firms to rebuild a facility to food service companies that can provide hot meals to employees working long hours trying to rebuild.
    • Along with computer technology, paper and other supplies, companies should consider establishing an alternate line of credit and cash reserves.
    • Think about the public relations side; how will you communicate to your customers that it’s “business as usual”? The Oklahoma City-based National Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism (www.mipt.org) offers lessons learned and more information on their web site, in addition to contracting with companies to help develop their business contingency plans, including how to identify and mitigate threats.
    • Smaller companies can begin with free information readily available at www.ready.gov, but many should probably think about contracting with local security consultants.
    • Get serious about reference checks, including security background checks. It’s not that complicated to ensure your staff are on the up and up.
    • Don’t procrastinate on data backup…and keep a copy of it off-site. Depending on your volume of sensitive information in emails and other files, companies should back up files weekly or monthly. Also, don’t forget about securing and backing up phones and other devices such as Blackberries, and look for companies whose products can recover on to entirely different systems, such as from a Dell server to an HP server.
    • Talk to your employees about how they feel the work environment can be made safer and prepared. Draw everyone into this and add to your team’s ability to respond in the event of an emergency.
    • Most importantly, sit down with your family and develop a communication plan in the event something catastrophic happens during working hours. How will you reach one another if all the cell towers are crammed with traffic? Develop a meeting location that all family members are familiar with…and exercise it. You can find detailed plans and information at http://www.toronto.ca/fire/emergency_preparedness/index.htm

    Remember, put it all in perspective; remember what’s really important in life, and plan to make the best of it.

     

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