Ironically what CEOs find is they need to give those on the front lines a lot more credit about how to do their jobs in the best possible way – they know how to do it. Now, the question becomes, how does Corporate get its hands on this information – especially if they don’t actually go undercover?

Let’s use the example of a company that values safety and wants to increase it’s safety numbers. If they are not sure how to do this they can identify areas in their company with high safety ratings. Then they will want to find out what is different about Region A that makes them safer than those in Region B. How do they do this? They crunch numbers, look at variables, ask questions. They ask the General Manager in Region A, “Everything else being the same, you guys have the highest safety rating within our company. What do you know or do that we can share in order to increase safety in all regions?”

The General Manager of Region A identifies the employees with the highest safety ratings in his region and asks them how they personally maintain such a high safety level. The employees are not forthcoming about sharing such information for personal reasons (which unfortunately are not the same reasons the GM is thinking). The GM has started off on the right foot – they have identified that this type of success starts at a personal level with each employee.

If you have tried the approach of asking the person directly and you did not get the (honest) answer you think you wanted, there is another route you could take. This is what Undercover Boss knows: go about it covertly if you want honest feedback.

Thus, if Corporate wants the truth from employees and customers, they need to use a combination of indirect methods (intuitive and subconscious), not just direct questions, surveys, and reviews, to truly get to the bottom of things – if they are willing to be that honest with themselves. Once you get your answers, be prepared that the new information will likely require you to change something about the way you are currently doing things (your policies and procedures).

Check-In on your last Request: What did you do? Do you wish you would have taken on a little bit less or stretched yourself a little more?

Request (something to move you forward this week): Identify something you want to know, who you think can give you the answer, and how you can indirectly approach them about it – even if it’s over time and takes a little longer than you expect.

Inquiry (a thought to ponder and see if anything comes up around it): How can I get to where I want to go or get the information I seek more effectively?

Can one person turn this around? Yes, relationships fuel business and even when they are in need of repair one person, even if they are running on empty themselves, when giving a conscious effort, consistently over time, can turn a relationship or a business around. Just like everyone needs to eat throughout the day, everyone needs to fuel themselves, and each other, up as well.

How can you begin to turn this around? Before you begin to think this is a difficult thing to do I would say this is where the details come in. It is the little things you say and do – both positive and negative – that either fill people up or wear them down – this includes how you speak to yourself. You do not necessarily need to rally the troops and get them to “buy in” to this concept and do it together – you might find more success and less frustration by leading by example. As you fuel your team and your business, it builds trust and credibility that you can then draw on in the future when you need it.

How efficiently is your business being fueled? Is it being fueled by healthy food or junk food? Is it being fueled by positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement? You may need a little of both – just consider which one you are doing at 80% and which one is getting 20%. It takes fuel to run a business and you want to consider how efficiently yours is running.

Check-In on your last Request: Did you do what you said you would do (or more) by the time that you said you would do it?

Request (something to do): Let’s say your fuel gauge is on 0 when it is Empty and 5 when it is Full. Will you start each of the next 5 business days by checking your “fuel gauge” level and tracking the number on your calendar (or another place you choose). Set yourself up for success by setting a realistic goal to move forward by 1 each week, or give me a counteroffer.

Inquiry (something to ponder): What can I do or say (or not do or say) differently today that will positively affect the fuel gauge level?

No one likes conflict and your response to it can increase it or diffuse it. Our natural reaction is to either fight or flee. Since we no longer live in caves, it might behoove us to consider a third alternative – let’s call it “communication”. Interestingly enough I think we are afraid of communication because often it requires us to be the bigger of the two people for the moment (this is one aspect of Leadership, wouldn’t you say?) and that is a difficult muscle to develop.

Parable: A student asks a math teacher, “Why do we have to take Algebra (insert trigonometry, calculus…) anyway – when we’re never gonna use it in real life?” To which the math teacher replies, “Consider it weight training for your brain.”

Leadership and communication can be looked at the same way. They are skills that are developed through regular flexing of particular muscles. Whatever muscles we are flexing on a daily basis – whether they be the muscles of overwhelm, frustration, disdain, etc. are the muscles that are going to grow bigger.

As for fleeing, avoidance might be appropriate in certain situations or at the beginning of a conflict in order to let people cool off a bit first but I’m starting to liken it to aspects of bullying where the bullied are told to “walk away” and “ignore”. I’m beginning to think some standing up for oneself might be more effective in 1) taking the bully off guard and making them think twice and 2) giving the bullied a sense of confidence and self-worth that they actually can stand up for themselves and do not need anyone to rescue them. When it comes to fighting, an occasional tussle might be okay as long as it does not become the ongoing method of dealing with issues.

In our society we tend to view the “flee-ers” (as the avoiders) more positively and the “fighters” (as the bullies) more negatively. I’m going to say that we need both. Here’s why. There are pros and cons to everything and it is in the diversity that we create unity. The “flee-ers” have things to learn from the “fighters” and the “fighters” have things to learn from the “flee-ers” when it comes to personal and professional development. The “flee-ers” might help the “fighters” understand that a little cooling off might be in order and the “fighters” might help the “flee-ers” see that it is okay to take a stand.

In the end, when it comes to conflict, communication must prevail over fleeing or fighting in order for relationships to develop, deepen, grow, move forward and create win-win situations for all parties concerned.

Check-In on your last Request: What did you decide you would do and by when? How did it go?

Request (something to do): Will you identify a situation where you currently have conflict and make a decision to communicate about it rather than avoiding it or reacting to it?

Inquiry (something to ponder): How would becoming a better communicator improve my life and relationships?

1. Is it an organization I would consider myself proud to be a sponsor of?

2. How can I directly make a connection between the event, organization, and my product or service?

3. Why do I want to sponsor? What is in it for me? Although it is nice to be a generous business owner, you know I encourage you to be strategic! You may certainly give for the sake of giving. It is also okay to give and expect a return on investment. Regardless, your expectations should be realistic.

4. When is sponsorship a good idea? When you have budgeted for it in advance and see it as part of your overall marketing campaign. When you see a direct connection between what your business does and what the organization and or event you are sponsoring provides. When the timing of the event coincides with good timing for your business regarding exposure, availability of staff and funds, etc. Sponsorship comes with obligations – make sure you can fulfill them before you commit.

5. Where is the organization/event located? Are you a local business seeking local name recognition and a community feeling or are you a national, internet-based business that doesn’t rely on one specific area to do business?

6. How will you sponsor? You can sponsor with money or in-kind donations, typically in exchange for a certain level of marketing. These specifics should be, and usually are, listed in the sponsorship information.

7. What have you budgeted to spend? It is not too late to adjust your budget for the year or at least put the idea of sponsorships in next year’s budget providing you have determined it is a strategic aspect of marketing for your business.

When sponsorship opportunities come across your desk, or inbox, take a minute to answer these questions so you can respond in a way that is most appropriate for your business.

Let me give you a little noodle to chew on here: if you want honesty, use the phone – people will be much more honest when they don’t have to look you in the eye. If you think “in person” is more effective because it is more personal and you can “read” nonverbal communication cues, I would beg to differ and say you are not getting the whole story. I suggest a combination; just be aware when you are relying too heavily on one or the other.

It is important to distinguish among different forms of communication and which one is best for a particular situation. It is never a good idea to be so rigid about your Policies and Procedures, even if you need written documentation when communicating with an employee or customer, that you let yourself off the hook of having a difficult conversation if that is really what is called for in a situation.

This does not mean that all Strategic Conversations are difficult conversations. I would even use the word “proactive” in place of strategic or difficult. Another way to look at it is “moving forward”. In having a Strategic Conversation with a particular person your goal is that the relationship will move forward to the benefit of both parties.

There are two kinds of Strategic Conversations: desirable and undesirable; fun and not so fun. Who do you need to follow up with from last week in order to wrap up some loose ends? Who would you like to call on this week? Strategy is not emotional; people are. Being strategic with your conversations is good business.

Whether you are following up with a disgruntled employee or customer from last week or inviting a colleague or prospect to lunch this week, it is Strategic Conversations that deepen relationships, build trust, respect, and credibility. Hmmm, on that note, when was the last time you invited your significant other to lunch?!

Check-In on your last Request: Did you do what you said you would do (or more) by the time that you said you would do it?

Request (something to do): Will you schedule two Strategic Conversations: one with someone you are not looking forward to having a particular conversation with and another with someone who you truly desire to meet?

Inquiry (something to ponder): How strategic are my conversations?

1) Written (and continually revised so they are always relevant)
2) Communicated
3) Practiced Consistently

Some policies and procedures can be drafted from the outset and refined over time. Others will be a culmination of life lessons where you try one thing, try another, and then realize you need a written policy around it. That is okay. As long as you actually write that policy, create procedures around it, and communicate it to those who need to know.

I see businesses that think they have these systems in place only they have not communicated them well and or they are not practiced well or consistently. Anyone who is a part of your business should have access to these policies, perhaps even your customers. Transparency creates accountability.

Consistency is really important here. You must treat everyone the same and you must treat each person consistently. You cannot tell them “Yes” one time and then tell them “No” the next. Winging it really is not an option. Where policies and procedures are concerned there can certainly be some flexibility and grey area as long as it creates a win-win situation. The minute you move to win-lose, lose-win, or lose-lose you have missed the point and whatever you are doing is not serving you, your team, or your customers.

On that note, I am a common sense, logical, organized person but I am also intuitive. I believe it is important to have policies and procedures in place – but not at the expense of the people and relationships. If we all slowed down a little bit and deepened our relationships with ourselves and those close to us we would create space to learn and grow and our ability to serve others would expand. When we become too clinical, too business-minded, or too task oriented we forget we are dealing with people. Be careful not to use policies and procedures in place of having relationships and strategic conversations with your team and your customers.

Check-In on your last Request: What did you do? How did it go? Where would you like to go from here?

Request: Will you refine, or create written Policies and Procedures for your business? Will you commit to drafting these in writing within the next 7 days? If not, say No, or give me a counteroffer…

Inquiry: How would written Policies and Procedures that are actively practiced, make a difference for me, my team, and my customers?

There are many options when it comes to phone conversations:

You may want to get in the habit of answering the phone when it rings so you can deal with things right away without having to put them on your to do list.

You may find it strategic to let your voicemail take a message so you know more about what the person is calling about and you can prepare an appropriate response. Remember, not responding is sometimes, but usually, not appropriate.

You may have office hours when you take or make calls. Let callers know this on your voicemail message so they know when they can expect a call back. This should result in fewer calls from them.

Like everything, it is all about having a system for your calls. Consider starting a blank notebook or steno pad for recording messages and check them off once you have completed them. Date and time the call, who it is from, their phone number, and what action they need from you.

Return their call, leaving a good time to call you back if you get their voicemail. If you start playing phone tag, schedule a time to talk.

Instead of thinking of a call as potentially wrought with conflict, approach the call strategically as though you were having an important conversation with someone that will move both of you forward. Not responding to a call does not erase it completely. Often people are left reading into the scenario or creating stories in their mind about what this person is calling for, what they mean, etc. What a waste of energy. Just call them back and deal with it.

Check-In on your last Request: Did you do what you said you were going to do? Yes? Bravo! No? What would you like to do differently?

Request: Will you make and or return all of the calls you need to make and or return today even if you don’t want to or don’t think you have the time?

Inquiry (something to ponder): Who would you like to have a strategic conversation with today?

Readers and clients come to me for Direction, Focus, and an increase in Efficiency and Effectiveness. In two words, to Improve Productivity in themselves, their team, their business. When people are focused and streaking in the areas of their lives and businesses where they want to excel there is less room for chaos.

What’s your streak this week?

Larry wanted to see what happened in his company where the rubber met the road. He knew in order to increase, in his words, “efficiencies” – not to lay people off – but to keep and possibly add jobs, his company needed to be streamlined. He wanted to find out what was and what was not working on the front lines.

What I found was that as a COO, Donnell put a human face to corporate leadership. He also encompassed leadership in his concern for people and his ability to empathize was apparent – you could read his face and see how deeply this experience was affecting him. The lightbulbs were literally just going off in his head.

I do not think he found what he was expecting to find. Since he mentioned the word “efficiency” at the top of the story he was looking for inefficiencies that could be corrected in order for people to be more productive. What he found were model employees who were being set up for failure instead of success. He found effective employees who were being penalized for working hard.

Some of the things he noted as he shadowed various front line employees were “effectiveness” issues such as: the importance of employee morale, employees not feeling micromanaged, employees doing the job of one person versus more than one person, the opportunity to take a break to find a bathroom when on the road versus peeing in a can, making work fun while getting the job done, the importance of establishing relationships with customers, showing people you care, putting names and faces together, and not being docked for being a couple of minutes late.

As a result of the show, two employees were hired after one woman, who was doing three jobs, got promoted and hired two people to take her place. It will take a while for Waste Management to collect enough data to see trends, but what we did see was an empowered COO and empowered employees. The icing on the cake for me was at the end of the show. A middle manager named Kevin finally, and genuinely, smiled which showed that he, too, was beginning to step up to the plate as a leader – someone who works hard and puts the human element into their work.

The irony was that the employees were leading within their capacity. They were all doing outstanding jobs in spite of their work environment. The corporate leaders and middle managers were the ones who were not leading to their capacity. This show is about leadership, at all levels, pure and simple. It really is not about efficiency or effectiveness per se. Leading is not about having others follow you; it is about going first and setting the example. Ironically, the front line employees were exhibiting more personal leadership at the beginning of the show and everyone came full circle by the end of the show.

Check-In on your last Request: What did you do? Did you get everything done by the time you set for yourself? If not, what would you like to do differently?

Request (Give me a Yes, No, or Counteroffer): Will you tune into “Undercover Boss” at 9 p.m. Sundays CST on CBS or visit the CBS website for further information?

Inquiry (something to ponder): What does leadership mean to me?

If you are winging it, trying to do everything, or are constantly putting out fires it may be time to reconsider your method of madness. Consistency is a strategy – it’s an approach – it is a way of being – it is a way of doing things. Consistency is an area where you want to streak. It is not a 5K, but a marathon. It is not a sprint but requires endurance to train day after day, week after week.

If you are not being consistent about something(s) then I would bet that you either literally have too much on your plate and do not have the time for it all and or you don’t really want to do it. The things you want to do will often rise to the surface. Or, the things you really want to do never happen because you are too busy putting out fires and reacting to your business.

The first step is to say, what are all the projects, tasks, things that need to get done? The next question is who is best suited to do them and if I don’t know of anyone do I need to find someone to outsource or delegate to? Then you need to look at what is left on your plate and prioritize it accordingly. I call this compartmentalizing. It is not easy to do. It is the notion that when you are at work, you work and when you are on vacation, you play, etc. It is truly about focusing and whatever you focus on will get your time – and your energy.

If what you are currently doing is not working for you play with it and remain flexible until you find something that works well – and then continue to remain flexible because just when you think you have it down, something shifts. Think of yourself and your business as a boat on the water moving with the waves, or current – but don’t forget to put your sails up, row your oars, put your motor in the water, pull up your anchor (what else is weighing you down, by the way?) and steer!

Check-In on your last Request: Did you do what you committed to for your last Request? If so, bravo! If not, do you still want to say Yes to it and if so, what will make the difference this time? If not, say no or give yourself a counteroffer that will allow you to be succesful in accomplishing what you set out to do.

This Week’s Request: Will you make a list of all of your projects and tasks that you want done well or better?

Inquiry (just something to ponder and keep on a sticky note in front of you for a week): Is your business in shape for a 5K or a Marathon?