You Make Me Wanna

I had the opportunity to attend a RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Association) summer program during high school.  It was hosted on a college campus where about 75 local students were exposed to leadership development skill building, team dynamics and effective organizational tools; it was not exactly Meatballs with Bill Murray, but it was a good time.  The chaperones were non-existent and a bunch of juniors in high school were left to run the “social” programs for the week.  Ah, youth.

What stands out to me is that I was not invited by my high school to be considered for RYLA.  For whatever reasons, the Guidance Department did not initially invite me to interview with local Rotary members for the opportunity to attend.  There were to be only four students selected for consideration – two guys and two ladies.  When I saw my friends get invites to miss a class in order to interview, I walked out of class and went to the guidance office.  A couple of my friends ran out after me and told me not to worry about it.  They asked me what the big deal was.  The rejection, the lack of ask, made me want to do something to change the perception that was obviously there.

As you might imagine, I was mad.  So, I shared with the Director of Guidance my feelings about the circumstances.  She apologized and said they had decided to exclude me because they thought I wouldn’t be interested.  What?  A free vacation without my parents and you thought I wouldn’t be interested?  What about me says “not interested”?  That conversation took longer, but needless to say, I secured an interview slot and kicked butt in the interview.

Assumption is an interesting reality for management.  I have heard on many occasions, “Oh, Joe (insert your own name of choice) would never agree to that.  He won’t do that work.  He isn’t interested in projects.  He doesn’t like the company so he wouldn’t do it.”  The reasons might be one or many, but managers use their observations to determine a response from a staff member without ever asking the employee.  Not only was the Guidance Department sure I wouldn’t be interested, but they about fell over when the Selection Committee chose me as one of the finalists.

Those with authority in your organization might only see glimmers of a person’s responsiveness or work output.  From a distance, it might seem to say something to them.  Those who are on the ground more might have a different perspective.  To be sure, there is something quite rich about opening a door for consideration with the individual employee directly.

Simply asking the employee whether he/she is interested in working on this extra project or handling a particular situation has great merit.  The response from the employee might surprise you.  The employee himself/herself might be surprised that you would think to ask.  As a result, work performance could increase or mature.  Understanding that the “company” is watching him/her should motivate, or at least, shock him/her back into right work habits.  The value comes in the results of asking.

If I had not been selected for the RYLA opportunity, I would have been disappointed; however, my disappointment in my high school leadership was greater.  Winning allowed me to shove it in their faces, but it did not remove the fact that they didn’t think it was for me.  What was I showing them?  What about me categorized me as a “just get by” kind of kid?  I had excelled in so much, well, at least in my mind.  The lack of the “ask” opened my eyes to see that my perspective on others’ view of me was flawed.   

Ask your team to step up.  Ask them to engage in special projects.  Ask them to lead a team to accomplish a certain production goal.  Ask them to train others.  Do it clearly and consistently.  Avoid assumptions.  When someone turns you down, then your view is based on fact rather than an assumption.  Allow an employee to own his/her future.  Declining opportunities to lead, to grow, to engage by an employee allows you to determine long-term involvement by that employee.  You can then move on to cultivate those that really want to immerse themselves in service to the organization. 

The “ask” has great value.  Be willing to ask people to engage.  There is nothing wrong with doing so.  Just do not assume the answer first.  Let the adult employee answer for himself/herself.  Actions taken as a result of the answer then have context.

Video Killed the Radio Star

When I was a kid, my mom used to laugh at me because I basically had the TV Guide memorized about 10 minutes after we got it.  I would know what shows were coming on which day, which shows were new and which were repeats, and even which celebrity guest stars would be on Match Game.  To be fair, there were a lot less channels than there are now.  And further, I didn’t have much to do apparently, so memorizing the TV Guide was easily done.

I loved TV.  I guess I still do, though I watch much, much less than I did as a kid.  And I could not tell you the last time I held a TV Guide in my hands.  So much has changed in that medium.  I wish I knew then what I know now about how it would evolve.  It would have been great to be at the forefront of the development.

Our brands need the same care.  What are our brands?  I think there are a few to pay attention to:

1 – Our companies – The brand identification for our organizations matters.  What does the public perceive about your company?  What is the messaging?  What is it they think of first when they hear your company name?  Those answers are a matter of our brand.  Do you know those answers?  How do you know them?  In other words, how were they communicated to you?  Companies spend millions on marketing their brand, but can still miss the fact that the messaging is misaligned from the actual company.

Branding is not marketing.  Branding is about the utilization of the brand; it’s about the prep work done ahead of the marketing to the public.  Sometimes, companies think that a snappy logo is the brand identification.  The logo is really more about marketing than branding (See Phoenix Cavalier’s thoughts at http://biznik.com/articles/branding-is-not-marketing).

2 – Our roles – There is perspective held by those around us of our jobs.  A role may be seen as tactical or strategic.  The position we have now may not be what we want for our future, but because the role is seen as one type of position, it can translate to what others might think of what you can do.  If the role you’re in is not strategic, but you want that opportunity, then re-branding it is as strategic is necessary. 

Think about the positions in your company that have been changed or discontinued.  How did they become irrelevant?  Is there danger of that for your role?  I worked for a company that saw a particular role as irrelevant and therefore discontinued it.  About three months later, there was so much not being done that the short-sightedness was glaring.  One VP commented, “I had no idea how much that role actually meant to the function of the department.”  The brand of the role was not clear.  A brand is simply the message of a product, service, or, in this case, a position.  Again, what’s the message of your position to the company?

3 – Our competencies – If a role is to go away, are you going to be swept away with the position?   Can the company see the difference?  Your skills, knowledge, aptitudes and abilities have a message.  Step back for a minute and see if you can read what they are saying to those around you.  If you’re feeling particularly brave, ask someone if they could give you 3 skills that he/she sees you demonstrating on a regular basis.  Vulnerable, yes, but it could be quite eye-opening. 

When the makers of the TV Guide magazine product imagined their brand, they could only see it as a publication distributed on a weekly basis.  As time went on, it provided interviews with TV stars.  And once the necessity for a weekly magazine became less relevant, TV Guide moved to creating a TV channel with entertainment news, syndicated shows, reality-based programming and showbiz interviews.  The core brand evolved to a fuller spectrum of TV entertainment. 

Check your brands.  What’s the message?  Oh yeah, by the way, if it’s to be a good-looking, Italian, HR pro with a dynamic consultancy and a killer blog who is trying to influence the business community with strategic development encouragement, I’m sorry to say that’s already taken.  Back off and pick another.

Out of Touch

Positional devaluation is an epidemic.  Perhaps you don’t know what that is.  After all, it is not the lead story on the evening news nor the headline in your favorite newspaper.  For some, it might seem ridiculous and petty, but I assure you, it is not.

Look at the way roles within your company are viewed.  Aren’t some seen as more valuable than others?  I understand that the COO or CFO is an important role and might have a different level of value to the organization, but does that mean that other roles are not valuable?  Too often, we sell new candidates on the stepping stone view of the role they’ve applied for.  We apologize for the role, in essence.  We see the role as less than what someone should settle for.

What kind of message is that?  Do you expect someone to just take the job because you do a Jedi mind trick? (“This isn’t the job you’re looking for. The job offered will do fine.  Move along.”)  With such a poor setup, it’s unlikely that a candidate would accept, and if they do, be assured that it’s just to collect a paycheck while the new employee interviews for other jobs.  Sad and not encouraging, I know, but truthful.

Devaluing a position is a cultural nightmare.  Take, for example, employees who used to do a job such as what I've described.  They feel comfortable to give the “oh, you are the new guy doing this? Ha, good luck!” speech.  I understand the teasing and sometimes it just might showcase the familial spirit of the company.  However, what isn’t okay is to allow the mocking to be a staple of the workday.  Devaluing the job being done is to devalue the person doing the job.

Listen.  For those of who you really know me, you know that I have sensitive moments.  I offer sympathy; I empathize with others.  The devaluing of a job is NOT a sensitivity-thing.  My perspective is not about primarily caring for feelings (although, I am not against that either), but rather it’s about protecting the culture of the company and the “every job is important” attitude.  It cannot just be a cute phrase, but belief in action.

My first on-the-books job was with Friendly’s.  I was a dishwasher.  Not a glamorous job.  I was thrown all kinds of crap and no one said anything to me.  I lasted six weeks.  It wasn’t because I was too good for the job, but because I was alone and made to feel unimportant.  I looked at my job as being less than everyone else’s.  I didn’t like that feeling, but the message was clear.  But think about running that restaurant without clean pots, pans, dishes or glassware.  That job is vital regardless of glamor.  It would be out of touch with business necessity for a company to think otherwise.

So, simply, review those overlooked roles in your organization.  Speak into them.  Now look at those jobs that are devalued intentionally through commentary and jokes.  Fix it.  It’s messaging that must be addressed. 

There is nothing wrong with washing dishes for a living.  There is nothing wrong with packing and shipping boxes for a living.  There is nothing wrong with cutting lawns for a living.  There is nothing wrong with waiting tables for 30 years.  Nothing at all.