Like most people, I’m looking forward to putting 2020 behind us.
Reflecting on the year, I noticed many words starting with “r” used to describe the pandemic’s immediate, near- and long-term impacts. Here are the r-words that most resonated with me and why.
Response and recovery
How healthcare professionals, scientists, leaders, and communities acted to help those affected. How business and educators adapted/adopted technology to enable people to work and learn virtually. People who also helped include manufacturers who revamped their facilities to make sanitizer; volunteers who made masks; mental health experts who made themselves available for counseling; restauranteurs and volunteers who provided food for people on the front lines and those in need. [This list is not exhaustive.]
Recognition
How people celebrated the heroic efforts of healthcare workers, “essential” front-line workers, food service, and others who continued to serve while at risk themselves.
Reset, reframe Coming to grips with the situation and putting it in perspective. Like other major natural and man-made disruptions that significantly change our behaviors and priorities (e.g., earthquakes, fires, epidemics, wars, etc.), COVID-19 is a societal reset that will affect how we live and work.
Resilience
This is our ability to face adversity, bounce back from it, and learn and grow from the experience. I’m continually amazed how people manage to cope and adapt. Getting through a traumatic situation involves persevering and building on what works and what doesn’t.
Renew, reimagine
Changes in how we live and work in response to the pandemic created opportunities to re-think how we live and work.
Reality
The need to be realistic while trying to be positive also resonated with me as turning the calendar page to a new year doesn’t mean an automatic refresh.
“We are in this for the long haul. Expecting that a single day will come when we are liberated from the stresses and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic will, sadly, be an exercise in frustration. We will likely never go back to the same “normal” in which we operated in January of 2020.” Beth Steinhorn, Redefining Leadership: Finding Balance in Recovery and Renewal
Ready to move forward It’s too early to predict what the world will look like post-pandemic, except that we are profoundly changed. I’m hopeful that at some point we’ll experience the eventual return of in-person collaborative meetings that co-exist with virtual ones; unrestricted in-person dining; attendance at cultural, entertainment, and sports venues; group celebrations; and handshakes and hugs — especially hugs!
I wish you all a better, safer, and more sane New Year!
[Image credits: Goodbye 2020 by Immo Wegmann on Unsplash. 2021 Stay healthy by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay.]
How many people do you know who truly love what they do? Well, you can count me as one of them.
Combining multiple roles of “catalyst, conductor, and coach,” my work as a facilitator is complex, challenging, and gratifying. Projects may appear to be similar, yet each facilitated session is unique.
I enjoy my work on two parallel levels.
Working with people to ensure a meaningful experience:
helping clients create the appropriate space (i.e., opportunity) for groups of employees, customers, partners, volunteers, board members, and other stakeholders to purposefully be together
developing and applying the appropriate questions and flow that safely enable individual and collective discovery, shared understanding, focused discussion, problem-solving, planning, ideation, etc.
sharing outcomes and observed insights with clients + keeping in touch with them about their progress.
Working on myself for ongoing professional and personal development:
collecting open-ended, thought-provoking questions as part of my facilitator’s toolkit and learning from each experience noted in my facilitator journal
staying abreast of a variety of related topics that include workplace engagement, communication, leadership, team dynamics, organizational development, psychology, etc.
Seeing the selection of Boss’s Day cards for October 16th reminded me of the bosses I previously worked for who ranged from great to toxic. [See my suggestion below for observing Boss’s Day this year.]
I had the privilege of working for a few executives I highly respected. I also worked for execs who were inept, inconsistent, immature, and egotistical to the point of being intolerable.
Along my journey in the workplace, I did my best to practice the positive traits of the best bosses and avoid the negative behaviors of the bad ones. They all taught me how much influence those in charge have on engaging employees to do their best or causing them to disengage over time.
The Best Bosses taught me the value of working effectively with employees. Through their attitudes and actions they demonstrated:
honesty, transparency, and clarity in communicating what was happening in the organization and how it impacted people’s work
fairness in their dealings with employees by showing no favoritism
support for employees by providing the tools, training, and trust to do their jobs.
The Bad Bosses taught me the behaviors that frustrate employees and lead to a toxic work environment:
treating employees as minions whose function was to bolster the boss’s ego
assuming employees have no life outside of work and are available to be called upon 24/7. (The mantra of one boss could have been “Lack of planning on my part willconstitute a constant emergency on your part.”)
assigning employees projects without all the proper information and/or support needed to accomplish them. (I experienced this situation because one boss was into power trips. Another couldn’t make up his mind on what he wanted and waited until the project was near-completion. Then he’d shift gears so my team would have to start over – wasting precious resources in the process.)
I don’t know if anyone is ever fortunate to work with only the best bosses or cursed to work with only nightmare bosses; most likely it’s some combination. Regardless, each has something to teach us about what works and what doesn’t in managing and leading people.
How to Observe Boss’s Day 2020
COVID-19 restrictions and working remotely may preclude the usual celebration of taking the boss to lunch. If you’re fortunate to work for someone worth acknowledging on Oct. 16th, let that person know you appreciate working with her/him/them and offer specific feedback that compliments and reinforces why you like being part of that person’s team.
If you work for a bad boss, consider observing Boss’s Day discretely by updating your resume. It might turn out to be the best gift you give yourself.
It’s been several months since COVID-19 disrupted and changed the workplace. Regardless of where your employees now work – whether from home, at your place of business, on the road, or some hybrid approach – the following still applies.
“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.”
– Sybil F. Stershic
In the quest for product/service innovation, it’s easy to overlook an obvious source: your own customers. How to effectively involve and engage them – and make them feel valued in the process – can be found in Chip Bell‘s just-released book, Inside Your Customer’s Imagination: 5 Secrets for Creating Breakthrough Products, Services, and Solutions. Renowned customer service consultant, speaker, and author, Chip knows that customers can provide an “untapped resource for ideas and inspiration that can result in breakthroughs.” In this new book, he shares the secrets of “Curiosity, Grounding, Discovery, Trust, and Passion” that facilitate effective co-creation partnerships.
“Partnerships at their best are not about contracts, controls, and compromises; they are about respectful connections that enliven, ennoble, and enchant.” Chip R. Bell
Chip lays out the foundation of successful partnerships and illustrates them with applied examples from a variety of organizations. Equally important, he shares customer experiences from the customer’s perspective. (My favorites involve frustration with a computer part replacement and inconvenience at a fast food drive-thru window.) Examples also include employees and suppliers as important partners in the co-creation process.
“Breakthroughs come from an instinctive judgment of what customers might want if they knew to think about it.” Andrew Grove
Granted, customers may not always know what they want. It’s a poor excuse, however, to overlook them as partners in co-creation. Inside Your Customer’s Imagination gives you the insight and guidance needed to effectively engage both customers and employees in improving your products and services. Offering customers the opportunity to contribute their ideas and suggestions sends the message “we value you and want to know how we can better serve you.”
Truly, a win-win situation. That’s why I recommend this gem of a book along with Chip’s other best-sellers I proudly include in my business library:
Kaleidoscope: Delivering Innovative Service That Sparkles
Sprinkles: Creating Awesome Experiences Through Innovative Service
Employees who are used to working in an office environment have undergone an abrupt change to working from home the past several months due to COVID-19. Curious to learn how they were handling the absence of in-person communications, collaboration, and teamwork, I reached out to colleagues (executives and professionals in a variety of organizations where working from home is not the norm) to understand their experience.
Here are the qualitative highlights compiled from more than a dozen responses.
Describe your experience about working from home since COVID-19 impacted your workplace. Similar to many articles exploring the pro’s and con’s of working from home, my colleagues confirmed it’s a “mixed bag” and a “means to an end.” They appreciate the convenience and time-saving of not having to commute, and many are grateful to have the opportunity to continue working. At the same time, they’re frustrated with distractions from other family members confined at home, insufficient and/or inconsistent bandwidth, and fatigue from meeting virtually.
“The lack of personal engagement has created more challenges than I would’ve guessed. I underestimated how much I benefit from organically ‘talking something through’ – the benefits of speaking out loud and receiving real time feedback.”
“Having always had a lot of interaction with others in the office, I now have to make an effort to keep this collaboration going.”
What stands out for you about working remotely compared with working in your office location with fellow employees? Most notably, respondents commented on missing personal interaction.
“Emails have doubled or tripled as a result of not being able to casually talk to others in the office. And the virtual meetings are more tedious than those around the table.”
“Our work has intensified and what stands out most for me, as CEO, is a lingering concern about staff burnout and my inability to intercede. Working remotely reduces the opportunities to ‘check-in’ on staff and make sure they’re doing okay.”
“Working from home takes a lot more effort to stay connected. While in the office chats occur naturally, I now have to pick up the phone or setup a virtual meeting to run ideas by somebody or just chat about the weather. It’s easy to lose contact with an introverted person and difficult to find out how somebody is really coping with this new normal.”
What are you most looking forward to about returning to your workplace environment? The act and impact of being with other employees is a major theme. Being together feeds the energy of working as a team.
“I am most looking forward to the sense of team momentum. I know we can all knock out our work independently but that feeling of striving and progress is different when we can’t work as a true team.”
“Collaboration! Seeing somebody in person and not through a screen.”
“I look forward to the camaraderie of my colleagues.”
Takeaway: the Energy Toll While coping as best they can under the circumstances, people who prefer the office environment find that working from home requires more emotional energy to connect, communicate, and collaborate with others. They look forward to returning to their respective workplaces to regain the strong sense of teamwork and esprit de corps that happens when being together.
Note: Special thanks to everyone who took the time to share their working from home experiences for this post.
[Note: I’m pleased to share this timely post from Matthew Fenton, a Chicago-based marketing professional and founder of Three Deuce Branding that specializes in brand clarity. Here he offers a fundamental strategy to uncover the brand values a business needs to survive and thrive in these challenging times. More on Matthew’s work can be found at the end of this post.]
There’s a question that’s asked far too rarely as we develop brand and business strategies. It’s simple but extremely powerful, since it shapes everything that you’ll do as a team or organization.
The question: Who do we want to be?
It’s challenging to lead an organization in the best of times. In a time of scarcity – like the one we recently, abruptly entered – it can feel impossible.
But navigating difficulty is one of the roles of a leader. As FDR said, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”
Matthew Fenton
I’ve been working with my clients to answer questions like “How can we serve our consumers in new ways?” and “What trade-offs must we make to get through this?” You’ve no doubt asked and answered similar questions. At some level, these are questions about what we value.
Think for a moment about the choices recently made by your teams, your leadership and your organization. Which choices are you most proud of? What values do these choices reflect? Take a moment – right now – to make note of these. We’re going to come back to this.
Our values are being tested, which is to say this is an opportunity for personal and organizational growth. So don’t waste this crisis. It brings the opportunity to rethink, reorder and solidify what we value – and who we want to be.
Brands Are Already Showing Us Who They Are
For years, brands have fallen all over themselves trying to convince us that they’re values-based and purpose-driven. Now we get to find out who was serious.
Some brands are failing miserably. For example, a brand I’d never heard of, Parlour H, took the opportunity to start spamming me with hair-care tips for the quarantine. Timely, yes, but also wholly unrequested. Parlour H, is this really who you want to be?
To be fair, there have also been plenty of examples to the good. Companies have repurposed manufacturing facilities to make respirators, ventilators, hand sanitizer and masks, or are donating goods and services within their communities. Major brands have earned the most PR, but I encourage you to look for examples of local businesses who are doing the right things. You won’t have to look too hard.
These businesses should be applauded today and remembered when this is all over. By taking positive action, they’ve shown us who they are (and who they want to be).
“Brand” Values Are Actually Personal
When I ask, “Who do we want to be?” I’m deliberately using the first-person plural. I’m talking about people, not brands.
Brands are sometimes seen as these detached entities that sit between a company and its consumers. But companies that rely heavily on front-line personnel – such as restaurants, retail and service providers – know that their people are the brand. (One potential positive outcome of this crisis is that front-line staff will be viewed not as cost centers, but as value creators.)
There’s been a lot of talk about brand purpose and values in recent years. And, yes, you may associate a certain brand with certain values. But let’s be clear – brands don’t choose their own values. How could they? Brands aren’t sentient beings.
As Jim Stengel has said, “A brand is simply the collective intent of the people behind it.” As brand leaders, we decide which values our brands will exemplify. This means choosing some things and not choosing others. Whenever a brand makes a move, remember that there’s a team of people that made it happen.
Also note that I’m asking, “Who do we want to be?” and not “How do we want to be perceived?” That’s because the latter question allows for the possibility of faking it. nd you can only fake it for so long before the jig’s up.
This is one of the areas where old-school thinking on branding – that brands are “costumes” that are easily changed, or “shields” that hide our true inner workings from the world – falls tragically short in practice. In branding, as with people, we reveal who we are by what we do, not by what we say.
Where Values Fit Within Strategy
My positioning and strategy workshops always include at least one module rooted in values. During these modules, there’s a noticeable shift in the energy in the room. People aren’t thinking about tasks to execute or positions to claim; they’re thinking about what they could be and do, as a team, pulling together.
Asking questions like “Where will we play?” and “How will we win?” are absolutely necessary to crafting a successful strategy. But if these aren’t guided by a clear sense of who you want to be, the answers may lack cohesion and grounding.
In short: Your values should outlast any strategic or tactical decisions. So ignoring your values while crafting strategy makes zero sense.
This is to say that your values are a necessary part of the diagnosis that precedes any smart strategy. You’re establishing a core aspect of your worldview: “This is who we are and what we stand for. This is what we won’t sell for any price.”
Getting (Back) to Your Values
So as you consider how you’ll lead your way out of this crisis, start with the values you and your team truly live and embody. Ask questions like:
In our response to COVID-19, what decisions did we make that we’re particularly proud of? What do those decisions say about our values? (Refer to the notes I asked you to make at the top of this piece.)
In our company’s history, what are some stories that we’re particularly proud of? Think about both “diving catches” and “everyday wins.” What values do these stories exemplify?
What core values do you personally bring to work?
What core values would you want your children to exemplify when they begin their careers?
If we were to start another business tomorrow, in a completely different line of work, what values would we take with us? (I borrowed this question wholesale from Jim Collins.)
What values (as opposed to traits) would you like to demonstrate to customers, clients, partners and each other?
You can answer these questions individually or in small groups. Then share the outputs, with an eye toward both sensible clusters and intriguing outliers. The end goal should be to align on a small set of core values. In practice, this means about three values, and never more than five.
If, like many companies, you already have a Values Statement, this crisis presents an opportunity to revisit it. Which values did you really stand on during this time? Which might be improved or replaced?
When you’ve answered the question of “Who do we want to be?” you’ll have a powerful set of boundaries for the rest of the strategic process. You’ll instantly discard some avenues, since they don’t get you closer to who you want to be. (In some cases, you’ll find yourself saying, “That’s a great idea, but not for us.”) Other avenues will elevate in priority immediately.
Most importantly, you’ll set down markers for how you behave within your walls – which will greatly shape how you’re perceived beyond those walls.
When we respond to major challenges, we often reveal who we truly are. But we can also transcend old limits and grow new strengths. During this crisis, I’ve been inspired by numerous examples of generosity, creativity and resilience. I’m sure you have too.
So, again: Don’t waste this crisis. Make decisions that Future You will be proud of. Identify the values that drove those decisions. And ensure that those values live within your organization for years to come.
Please reach out with questions about (re)defining your values or resetting your strategy. I’m happy to help.
About Matthew Fenton: Matthew is a former CMO who helps brands to focus, grow and win. Since founding his consultancy, Three Deuce Branding, in 1997, he’s helped hundreds of brands to achieve “brand clarity.” His consulting services and speaking engagements help brands to focus on what matters through positioning, strategy and ideation. Contact Matthew here. He’s based in Chicago.
Copyright 2020 – Matthew Fenton. All Rights Reserved.
One serious consequence of the current pandemic is that many nonprofits are unable to rely on volunteers as a significant on-site resource. In Coronavirus & Volunteers: Your Guide for Managing Uncertainty, Tobi Johnson describes this challenging situation:
“Leaders of volunteers must often balance competing priorities – the needs of volunteers, the needs of the organization, and the needs of the communities they serve.
“In many cases, organizations can’t simply shut down their facilities. And, front-line workers who rely on volunteers to supplement their work are forced to choose between having an extra pair of hands and risking disease spread to clients, co-workers, volunteers, and the families of all.”
I intended to survey nonprofit leaders about their plans to celebrate volunteers this year but posts on my local Nonprofit Agencies COVID-19 Group Facebook page were (and still are) so filled with desperate requests for masks, gloves, food, and other critical mission-related supplies that I didn’t have the heart to ask them.
Understand volunteer motivation and why it can’t be taken for granted
People don’t volunteer for the sake of being recognized. They dedicate their time and talent because they’re attracted to an organization’s mission — they want to be part of something that matters and know their efforts make a difference. As I wrote in my book, Share of Mind, Share of Heart: Marketing Tools of Engagement for Nonprofits:
“Mission matters. The people behind the mission also matter, and their passion for the mission can never be taken for granted.”
That’s why COVID-19 isn’t an excuse for not recognizing volunteers. So what can you do?
Volunteer appreciation during the pandemic … and after
A sincere and simple “thank you” message to your volunteers is what’s needed to acknowledge their continued support of your organization and mission. This can be part of, or in addition to, any special COVID-19 communication update(s) you share with volunteers and stakeholders.
Many volunteers are frustrated in not being able to directly serve as they did pre-pandemic and would rather be side-by-side with your staff than sidelined. You may also acknowledge this in your thank-you and, if applicable, offer virtual and other alternative options for them to continue supporting your nonprofit.
When the pandemic is over, many of your volunteers will be more than ready to return. You may also find yourself with new volunteers motivated to serve.
And next year, we can look forward to having have more volunteers to recognize and time to participate in more formal volunteer appreciation efforts.
[Title image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay. Thank you card image by Howard Riminton on Unsplash.]
Connecting and engaging people in the workplace with LEGO® … just one of many fascinating topics shared in my video discussion with Smart Women Conversations’ host Yvonne DiVita, respected blogger, serial entrepreneur, and my former publisher who remains a dear friend.
Yvonne launched Smart Women Conversations to “inform, educate, create laughter and share stories of reinvention” as part of her passion to “inspire and educate smart, talented women eager for business success today.”
I’m honored and humbled to be among the impressive women interviewed in this special series and invite you to read Yvonne’s introduction or just watch and listen to our conversation below.
To hold on to your customers amid strong competition, it’s important to provide a positive customer experience. But where do you begin?
You start from the inside out with the employee experience because the way employees feel is the way customers will feel – and if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers.
Picture the relationship between the two as a mirror. If employees are frustrated by company policy or internal politics, their attitudes can be reflected in their dealings with customers. Who wants to be served by employees who feel hassled or ready to disengage? It takes only one or two such encounters before a customer goes elsewhere. And who knows how many other customers will hear of their experience?
What do you seewhen looking into your company’s employee-customer brand mirror?
a shiny reflection of positive experiences with your internal and external brand?
a blurred image that needs polishing to be more employee- and customer-focused? or
a cracked image opening up opportunities for your competitors?
Three keys to creating a positive and polished brand reflection:
Proactively pay attention and listen to employees to better understand their experience in your workplace; e.g., employee surveys, management by wandering around, engagement discussions, exit interviews, etc. Do your employees have the tools, resources, and information they need to effectively serve customers?
Based on what you learn from listening to them, involve employees in improving business operations to better care for customers and each other.
If your organization is in transition or stressed with limited resources, positively acknowledge those who rally the energy and enthusiasm to serve customers and co-workers despite the situation.
If you need a reminder :
“There is no way to deliver a great customer experience with miserable employees.” Steve Cannon
“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” Stephen R. Covey
Ready to move forward
A sincere and simple “thank you” message to your volunteers is what’s needed to acknowledge their continued support of your organization and mission. This can be part of, or in addition to, any special COVID-19 communication update(s) you share with volunteers and stakeholders.
