Guest Blogger – Career Opportunities in Operations Management

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Prof. Green had asked me if I could write something for the upcoming MBA graduates. I am happy to oblige because, in my opinion, a career in operations management is very exciting and full of opportunities.

There are a few important things to keep in mind as you start searching for a job in the field of operations management. Don’t be hasty Aim to find a job that will give you most responsibility. While the position will come with a learning curve, it will also make you a more valuable employee in the long run.

Let’s examine the following charts from Career Builder to give you a further look into the career of operations management:

Please take a look at the charts, before you read any further. Try to absorb the meaning behind the numbers.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Does education plays a large role in compensation? 

Does experience plays a large role in salary?

What is notable about the industry and compensation graph? 

Take a few minutes to think about these questions and see what hidden information those numbers hold. The ability to read between the lines is one of the most important things that an operations manager can do. This is something you will need to do on a daily basis.

Now that you’ve done the exercise. Let’s delve into it.

First, let’s notice how education gives you a large edge in salary compared to experience in this field. If you are getting MBA or Masters in operations management, you can pat yourself on the back. It would take you 20 years of experience to get a slightly lower salary just by working. This is of course a rough, aggregated date, but what it really says is: education will get you a higher position that will give you a higher salary compared to just getting experience in the field.

Under the ‘Compensation based on Industry’ chart, you can see that between the #1 industry (Health care) and the #6 industry (Aerospace and Defense), the salary gap is $30,000 a year (or  approximately 36% less), just based on one factor: field. All fields are not equal. Making a proper selection of what you want to do in the ops career and focusing your job search on one or two specific fields, is not only smart thing to do, but mandatory.  

I have good news for all of the aspiring operations managers. There’s a very high demand for your services. It is one major in business schools that a lot of people and even students don’t think about or even know about and yet almost every business has a need for it.

 This results in a high demand for operations managers. Unlike finance majors who continue struggling after the crash, demand for operations managers is still growing due to the increasing complexities of supply chain, online logistics, international trade and a number of other factors. The higher the complexity, the more there is a need for a person to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

According to Career Builder’s current statistics, for every 87 job seekers, there are 100 openings in operations management field.  This is a huge discrepancy in supply and demand; especially in the economy we are in, where in some fields there are hundreds of candidates for one position.

As operations managers entering the workforce, you have one of the best job opportunities available to you. This is why you should focus on the field that can get you further, give you the most experience, and will give you the most room to grow. Be aware of what’s happening in the job market.

Follow where the new trends are moving, keep your fingers on a pulse and you will not be disappointed with a payoff in terms of great job and bright career path.

Please comment on this topic and provide the guest blogger with meaningful feedback. 


Artyom Malkov is the author of “Interviews with Masters of Operations Management.” He is one of the founders and the current CEO of OperationsManager.com.

 Artyom has an MBA in Operations Management from New York’s Zicklin School of Business.  When he is not handling the day-to-day business at OperationsManager.com, he consults companies on the best practices and trends in operations management.

Guest Blogger: “Is Real World Application for Real?”

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Some MBA students find there is no relevancy in what they learn in class and the practical world. Yes, I was one of these doubters until I was engaged by one of my professors in an operations management course at Lincoln Memorial University.  The end results was assisting a local nonprofit organizations, writing my first book, and being thrust on the expert stage.

Operations management (OM) should be important to nonprofit organizations too. With shrinking funds for programs and a more competitive environment, nonprofit organizations will need to rethink their corporate strategies for future success.

This reality means managing their operations more efficiently and shifting their traditional thinking to a more entrepreneurial approach. Unlike businesses that are driven primarily by profit, nonprofits use any monies earned to be put back into the organization to cover their own expenses, operations, and programs. In 2005, there will be approximately 1.4 million nonprofit organizations registered to the IRS according to “Non-profit market” by Closerware.com.

My OM project called a “Real World Application” project was on the Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation based in Maryville, Tennessee; it is one of these nonprofit organizations looking for more operational effectiveness in the future.

Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation is a federal and state-funded program run by the Tennessee Department of Human Services Division of Rehabilitation Services to assist individuals of work age with physical and/or mental disabilities to compete successfully with others in earning a livelihood.

Based on the research data from the 2007 American Community Survey, approximately 12.8% of Americans between the ages of 21 and 64 have a disability.  In Fiscal Year 2009, the Division of Rehabilitation Services provided services to 30,289 individuals in Tennessee and 27,932 individuals met the eligibility criteria of the program. 

It is projected that 30,000 individuals will receive services and that 27,000 individuals will meet the eligibility criteria of the program and receive services during Fiscal Year 2011. Tennessee Vocational Rehabilitation in Maryville supplies automotive parts to Denso where I work. 

 The work usually requires a packaging or simple sub-assembly task while is a training tool for clients to learn work skills and experience. The average training length is 4 months.  However, I found all the staff being occupied with the daily routine and the primary mission of serving the clients. The  staff didn’t have enough time to observe and evaluate its capacity and capability. 

Also, the Center manager was afraid of committing to additional work and contracts due to the unique labor population and the number of clients being fluctuated.  My recommendations were to provide a tool to analyze the capacity frequently and to establish the fine balance of time-sensitive and non time-sensitive jobs to absorb the fluctuations. For instance, the center can prioritize and focus on the time-sensitive jobs for the Just-in-time customer due to high absenteeism.

Working with Dr. Green,  I published my results. My new book, Second Chance, provides nonprofit organizations with information about how to use
operations management tools to make them more efficient and better equipped to assist their clients and constituents in meeting their needs.

Nonprofit organizations like for profit organizations must find innovative ways to compete with others. This includes competing on several dimensions which are (a) cost or price, (b) quality, (c) speed, (d) delivery reliability, and (e) coping with change.   The concepts, theories, tools, technology or reading materials learned in the classroom are not to keep in a closet. 

They are to practice in a real world for an advanced career or a way to help organizations who need the knowledge and expertise. The support can be a time study, data analysis, plotting graphs for visual control, standardized work, material flows, and finally mock interviews for clients who were ready for job placement.

I just had to ask the very last question to a client during a mock interview at the center.  “How did you know about this center?  How did the experience at the center help you prepare for a job?” He answered without any hesitation, “It’s the best thing ever happened to me.  I get up every morning and cannot wait to come here. The experience gave me skills and confidence to find a real job. ”  He also appreciated his mother for finding out the program and encouraging him to pursue.

There are many other individuals with disabilities who can benefit from the service like the client who I interviewed.  How can we optimize the capacity to accommodate more clients without increasing the operation costs? I learned that I can make a difference, using my operational experience.

As a surprising result, I found a practical side of my MBA learning by helping others in the community. If we spend approx. 40 hours per week for a career
job, 2~3 hours a week of investment outside of the work seems to be very little.  However, you will be amazed by the positive impact you can make for the people who need help. 

Don’t underestimate your talent!  It can be fully utilized and appreciated outside of the classroom.  Pursuing a degree is an accomplishment, but we can even capitalize the talent and skills even further by reaching out.  It’s a genuine accomplishment.

© 2011 by Noriko Chapman

Please comment on Ms. Chapman’s points.

 

Noriko Chapman helps social causes as an industry expert.

Noriko Chapman is the mother of two children. She lives in Maryville, Tennessee.  She is a Production Control supervisor in the Instrument Cluster Division of DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee, Inc. She worked at DENSO specializing in production planning, new products start up, service parts operations, supply chain and warehouse operations for 16 years and for 2 years as a full- or part-time translator at the beginning before the first Tennessee DENSO plant was built. Given the fact that she was raised in Japan, she wrote a chapter “Japanese Practices in an Autoparts Plant” for the book, Effects of Japanese Investment In a Small American Community by Scott Brunger and Young-Bae Kim.  Her Maryville College undergraduate research paper, “A Dramaturgical Analysis of Japanese Organization Behavior” won an undergraduate award by North Central Sociological Association.  She is currently attending Lincoln Memorial University MBA program and now serves on the board of directors for the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Division of Rehabilitation Services.

Disruptive Change for Publishing Status Quo

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I chat with June and Robin, my publicists, about the future of the publishing business.  [I had several books already published. Yet, I needed a book contract from an established commercial publisher if I wanted to be respected in academia.  Academia prefers the traditional publishing route.   This reality placed me on a journey to receive many rejection letters.  I had written a book manuscript as part of my doctorate requirements in 2008.  In 2009, I still didn’t have a commercial publisher.  June and Robin were now providing new insight.]  After attending a publishing conference on emerging trends, my publicists inform me that major publishers were telling emerging authors to self-publish or work with smaller publishers.  The ladies now tell me I am moving in the right direction. I am shocked!

Traditional publishing is a business with established processes.  Robert Jacobs, Richard Chase, and Nicholas Aquilano, authors of Operations & Supply Management, define a process as any part of an organization that takes inputs and transforms them into outputs of great value. This means turning an idea into a concrete product (a book).  This process isn’t easy! The major publishers
(aka commercial or traditional publisher) continue to lose money. Yet, the major purpose for traditional publishers is to turn a profit. Therefore, large publishing houses prefer to publish: (a) proven, established writers, (b) celebrities, (c) marquee names, and (b) authors with a large, established following.  Traditional publishers normally launch 20 or more books at the same time with the hope of one hitting. The three basic elements for publishing a book are planning, promotion, and distribution.  Planning covers the entire process from the initial book idea to printing, marketing, and distribution.

In the traditional process,  an individual normally needs to develop a book proposal and find a literary agent to pitch a book to a major publisher.  However, there are gatekeepers (literary agents and editors) that often keep most new writers from publication. In fact, getting a literary agent is just as tough as getting a book deal.  For some individuals, it takes years to obtain a book deal—for some people it’s never.

 When getting Impending Danger published, I found a commercial publisher. It took over two years from concept to a published book. This meant the publisher would take care of the publishing details and provide me with a royalty. Yet, I lost  the control of dictating the specifics such as the book cover design or the marketing of the book.

The publishing industry has already been reshaped by disruptive change, including Print-on-Demand (POD) Publishing,
the Internet, and more entrepreneurial writers. Mergers of the major publishers, the advent of the large booksellers such as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, and niche marketing of small, independent publishers continue to reshape the industry standards. There are over 60,000 books being published yearly. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of books (over 53%) are
purchased outside of traditional bookstores.

When publishing Job Strategies for the 21st Century, I was able to get the book out into the market within a few months
and obtain royalties on a monthly basis.  Under this new publishing model, most books can be published within a
month or two, making it timelier than the traditional method.

The new publishing paradigm for traditional publishers is to monitor the small publishers and self-publishers until an author achieves a high level of success in the marketplace, and then sign them to a book deal.  The Internet, while a friend of most savvy
authors, has created an appetite for free content. This reality has sent shockwaves through the traditional publishing process which has caused many bookstores, publishers, and other support services to go out of business.

Being a published author can change an individual’s life.  Dan Poynter, considered the Godfather of Self-Publishing, notes: “The prestige enjoyed by the published author is unparalleled in our society.” A person can use a book to obtain royalties, get new business, and promote other products. Under the new publishing model, the sky is the limit.

What will the publishing process look like in the next five years with a continual onslaught of disruptive change? 

How do emerging writers overcome the destabilizing nature of the Internet (Free) when offering products directly to readers?

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green

 

Outsourcing the Great American Dream

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In the 1957 classic movie “Desk Set, the technology revolution begins. The setting takes place at the “Federal Broadcasting Network.”  Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn), is responsible for researching and answering questions at the organization’s library.  With a merger pending, the company looks to automation.  In fact, organization ordered two computers  called “Electronic Brains.” Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy), the computer inventor, is brought into the network in order to phase out the library functions in lieu of the human staff.  Bunny Watson fights to demonstrate the value of her human existence.

In a hypercompetitive environment, many businesses are outsourcing major functions rather than perform them in-house.  Today’s businesses have built elaborate systems for better efficiency and effectiveness.  Of course, they are driven by the quest for increasing profitability.  Robert Jacobs, Richard Chase, and Nicholas Aquilano, authors of Operations & Supply Management, suggest that operations management has been a key element in the improvement in productivity in businesses across the world.  Many times executive focus on the major expense to operate – labor.

It’s a simple equation:  productivity equals outputs divided by inputs.  If organizations can reduce their inputs for their operations, they can increase output (more profit).  Therefore, companies seek to reduce their inputs to obtain ‘more get.  Two of the chief strategies are to outsource non-core functions abroad or add new technologies to generate new efficiencies. These strategies are aimed at reducing labor costs, primarily people.

Since 2000, over 3 million U.S. jobs in the manufacturing sector have been moved abroad to countries like China, India, and
Korea. Yet, few executives worry about the aftermath of outsourcing initiatives.  The remaining workforce is shell shocked and
stressed since they are required to do the work of the laid off workforce.  Sadly, many supervisors feel that these workers should be happy to have a job.

Gareth Jones and Jennifer George, authors of Contemporary Management, maintain that one of the most important resources in all organizations is the human capital component. Many people wonder if American’s businesses cannot compete in
manufacturing and other high tech industries, will they forever forgo the Great American Dream for next generation of workers.

How do organizations stimulate their workers while outsourcing key components of their organizations abroad for greater efficiencies?

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green

 

Building a High Performing Team

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West 4 x 400 Relay Champion

I sit in the bleachers anticipating what will happen next. I’m at the Tennessee State Championship, watching my son’s high school team compete.  It’s the girl’s day to challenge for a title.   I thought it was a highly unlikely event since the girl team had only seven girls competing (two freshmen, two  sophomores, one junior, and two seniors); they were completing against larger schools with more athletes.  It was the classic matchup of Goliath and David.

At the final event of the night (4 x 400 relay), Brentwood was leading by two points. The West Relay team (which included two freshmen, one sophomore, and one senior) finished fifth in the preliminaries.  Things were different in the finals. The girls ran like they were on fire. West’s Tamara Hundley noted, “Coach Crocket told us we needed to win this event to win State. We were not going to be denied.” In an electric finish, senior runner Maddie Treasure ran the anchor leg, came from behind and winning
the event in 3:56.82. It was their best time of the season and provided the team with another successful year. Knoxville West had won its second consecutive Class AAA team title by edging out superpower Brentwood High (62.5 points to 54 points) with the guttiest performance of the night.  Winning only one individual event, the team systematically scored in each event.  The
determination paid off.

The Magnificent Seven (Maddie Treasure, Riley Campbell, Maya Barreso, Kayla Newsby, Shantyra Delaney, Kaylah Whaley, and
Tamara Hundley) had found another way to win its fourth state championship. Celebrating that night, I ran into a rival coach from another area; the coach had won a state track title before, edging out West High to win.  He was disgusted that a girl’s track team
could score just 60 points and win a state championship.  Of course, it was easy for me to figure. I had watched the coaches over several years.  Will Jay and Mike Crocket had developed a masterful strategy of maximizing their team’s potential (this year they participated in 11 of 19 events) and creating a high-performing team.

Coach Crocket stated, “This is about the guttiest bunch I’ve ever had….We lost 50 points from last year’s team and had a
lot of injuries. These girls laid it all on the line.”  With collegiate All-American hurdler Jackie Coward of University of Central Florida graduated from the program, many people figured the West track would fade into the wilderness like so many other
programs.  The effort of this track program demonstrates the importance of developing a high-performing
organization to sustain success in the future.

High-performing organizations offer a distinct competitive advantage. A high-performing organization is one that is “intentionally designed to bring out the best in people and thereby produces organization capacity that delivers sustainable leadership business results.”  Most organizations want to boast about their superior performance in relationships to their competitors. Yet, when a litmus test is used, many come far short of this declaration to their customers.

When individuals work together, organizations often perform better. Therefore, working toward a shared vision and belief system are critical steps.  Gareth Jones and Jennifer George, authors of Contemporary Management, note the importance of good group dynamics: “People working in a group are able to produce more or higher-quality outputs than would have been produced if each
person had worked separately and all their individual efforts were later combined.”

The authors further suggest a competitive advantage for organizations working in groups and teams; the organization should aim to:(a) enhance its performance; (b) increase its responsiveness to customers; (c) increase innovation;  and (d) increase employees’ motivation and satisfaction. Yet, building a high-performing organization is no easy task.  Many organizations have faltered
in thinking that simply optimizing their resources with “good management” and utilizing good technology are enough to stimulate high performance.

In today’s hyper-competitive environment, it’s not only about good processes; it’s about putting a good team together.  Gary
Lewis, President of Resource Development Systems, LLC, argues that creating high-performing organizations is about managing people: “What differentiates the high-performing organization is not how well they have dealt with their process issues, but how well they have dealt with their people issues.”  Lewis notes some key elements for high-performing organization, such as people, vision, leadership, core competencies, innovation, trust, and personal responsibility.

 As organizations retool for the future, organizational performance will be a key topic for senior executives. The article demonstrated the importance of high-performing organizations for future sustainability. Every organization wants to attain
high performance; sadly, many organizations are simply clueless about how to do so.

Like the Knoxville West girls’ track team, organizations must find ways to overcome challenges so that they can become successful. People are a critical element to this organizational performance puzzle. Therefore, leveraging people is as important as managing resources in order to sustain high performance in organizations over the long term.

 © 2011 by Daryl D. Green

Attention Please – Worker Fatigue

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Sometimes I wonder why organizations couldn’t be more positive. Yes, I know we have so many problems with unemployment and global threats on our standard of living.  Yet, I wonder if managers really understand how they set the tone for their workers’ behavior.  Many times managers treat workers like mechanical parts rather than human capital assets.  They  assume that giving employees new technology is enough to keep them happy. It isn’t.

Workers are experiencing more physical setbacks due to the lack of effective leadership in some organizations. As a matter of fact, uncertainty and workforce stress become a staple of the current workforce as employees devote more time to their jobs out of necessity. In many organizations, conflict is a big factor for burnout.

The reality is that most workers are emotionally drained. As a matter of fact, 68% of workers report feeling burned out at the office, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey. Some of this job stress can be attributed to poor management and lack of clear vision.

Many short-term political appointees launch brand-new reforms with the turn of another political election; however, they are failing to pick up the pieces when they fail. US businesses cannot point to the lack of employee performance on a global front for mismanagement errors.

Japan, a long-time benchmark for American companies, is being defeated by American employees; today, the average USworker puts in 36 more hours than Japanese workers (1,825 vs. 1,789).  Over the last two decades, balancing work and home life has been difficult, since Americans have added 200 hours to their annual work schedule.

Employees want to be valued. Felix Harris, a financial director with over 8 years in the banking industry, acknowledges the importance of people in a socio-technical system. He states, “When employees are appreciated, they work harder. A machine is only as good as its operator.”

Jeffery Pfeffer, author of The Human Equation, acknowledges that organizational success is directly related to implementation, and this capacity comes from the workers, how they are treated, their skills, and their effort as it relates to the organization.  Therefore, organizations need to be aware of worker fatigue.

What can organizations do to deal with worker fatigue?

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green

[1]

Operation Chaos

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To be honest, I do like a little chaos to shake up the status quo.  Some might call me another ‘Dennis the Menace!’  Most organizations are reluctant to change…even for the good.  Yet, I love the idea of locating opportunities in the midst of a crisis most intriguing.  One of my co-workers has a very profound saying, “Chaos equals cash flow!” Let’s explore operation chaos in today’s organizations.

Our world is in a constant state of change and chaos. In the streets of Libya, government soldiers battle for control as Moammar Gadhafi acts like a puppet master. Syrian security forces fire on helpless mourners during a funeral. In the Netherlands, a man shoots in a crowded shopping mall. 

Over a quarter-million protesters in Egypt demanded that President Hosni Mubarak step down from his presidency. Egypt is the world’s largest Arab nation and is very important to U.S. foreign policy, especially in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. If these global issues go unresolved, it could further destabilize the region and endanger US interest.

America, the home of the free, is not immune from chaos either.  In April, Congress worked with President Barack Obama to overt a government shutdown due to ideological differences; protesters outside of the Washington buildings screamed “Shut it down!”  

President Obama came into office with dreams of political change. Now, he finds himself mired in budget negotiations, ideological differences among his own party, a financial crisis highlighted by the increasing national debt, and a growing unstable global front. The next fight is just beyond the horizon.

Chaos Theory dominates the current landscape.  For the novice, chaos is defined as ‘a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.’ Many organizations operate in crisis mode. A crisis can be defined as any event or activity with the potential to negatively affect the reputation or credibility of a business; it could lead to an out of control situation (aka chaos).  

Jeffrey Caponigro, author of The Crisis Counselor, explains the danger of allowing a crisis to get out of control: “Many businesses have been unable to recover from bungled crises. Plenty of high-level executives were forced to make unwanted career changes after being labeled as the one who ‘caused the crisis’ or couldn’t manage the problem.’”

No senior manager wants to admit that he or she is unprepared for change that creates this chaos. Davidson Frame, author of the New Project Management, argues that change contributes to chaos. Frame notes, “Complexity is a fact of life we cannot escape. It overwhelms us in our personal lives. It is also an aspect of the workplace.” 

Daryl Conner, author of Leading at the Edge of Chaos, further highlights the current dangers for leaders: “The world is inundated with disruptions: unforeseen dangers, unanticipated opportunities, unmet expectations, alarming new statistics, startling twists of fate, shocking innovations, unheralded improvements, unrealistic requirements, overwhelming demands, contradictory directives, staggering liabilities, astonishing results, sudden strokes of luck, and more.”  When these things happen while leaders are unexpected, chaos can occur.

Innovators take note of disruptive change as positive turbulence in the market.  Organizations, which do not understand the importance of making sustainable growth by being more efficient, will not be successful over the long-term.  Kate Ludeman and Eddie Erlandson, authors of Radical Change, Radical Results, argues that the market rewards innovators: “The market values companies by their brain trusts, not their inventories, because a top engineer and a few peers can outperform hundreds of average engineers.”

The authors provide seven actions to transform organizations which are (1) curiosity- drop personal defenses and listen to all feedback, (2) awareness- tap into the multidimensional intelligence to make decisions, (3) authenticity-drop the roles that limit organizations and staff, (4) accountability- take responsibility for personal actions [100% Responsibility + Solid Agreements = Accountability], (5) candor- tell the truth, (6) genius- allowing individuals and organizations to fully utilize their abilities, and (7) appreciation- express gratitude. Organizations without strategic leaders and the wherewithal for survival will lose their grip on reality.  They perceive the market doing one thing when in reality the market is doing something different.

Please discuss how chaos has impacted organizations in your area.

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green

 

Guest Blogger: Seven (7) Guiding “E” Principles to Purposeful Management

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Purposeful Management may be a phrase you are not familiar with, however, when you think about it, purpose matters in everything we do.  Management involves not only administrative responsibilities, but often includes overseeing and supervising others.

What does it take to be a purposeful manager? Why is it important to the bottom line? 

Hopefully, these two critical questions will be answered in the following Seven (7) Guiding  “E” Principles to Purposeful Management:

 1.      Establish Ethical Boundaries

You know about the downfall of those who have chosen to disregard ethical codes of honor and the negative outcomes of those choices.  Many of these unethical behaviors were influenced by the desire for greater power, wealth, material gain or selfish pride and greed. 

Managers who find themselves lured by these temptations are vulnerable to ethical transgressions. Today’s most successful businesses operate from a values perspective, choosing to uphold moral standards with integrity.  By establishing ethical boundaries, one can protect their honor and avoid the traps of greed.

2.      Encourage and Endorse Diversity

One of the first steps to encouraging and endorsing diversity is to first examine one’s own personal values and beliefs.  Ask the hard questions of yourself about how you view those outside of your own ethnic group or class. 

Are you aware of your own hidden biases that can unconsciously direct your behavior toward others with whom you interact with on a frequent basis?  Diversity means “different”.  Different means “no two exactly alike”. 

To respect and appreciate differences within your organization in regards to socioeconomic status, class, gender, age, culture, and various other determinants that often cause discrimination and stereotyping is a positive way to encourage and endorse diversity. 

3.      Elevate and Educate Others

Recognizing the strengths, talents and abilities of those whom you manage and providing the necessary supports and resources to further their development is to the organization’s advantage and to yours.  The cost to hire new employees is much greater than to retain current employees. 

To retain quality workers is a desire for most organizations.  When employees are rewarded with advancement opportunities and training venues based upon merit and capabilities, statistics reveal that those employees are most likely to be loyal to the company and to give their very best efforts.  Elevating and educating current employees through mentorship and promotion serves as a positive reflection upon you and the organization, especially when good employees are recognized, rewarded and retained.

4.      Strive for Excellence

Excellence does not mean the same thing to everybody.  Some people think that “excellence” means “perfection”.  Others think “excellence” is “doing or being the very best”.  Since no one is perfect, I concur that excellence is best described as “doing and being one’s very best.”

With that as the mark, striving for excellence is to aim to be and do the very best that you can.  Mediocrity is unacceptable.  Having a mindset or mentality that the mark of excellence is what you are aiming for and desiring to achieve sets the tone for those you are leading.  Excellence begets excellence.

5.      Be the Example

A friend of mine told me about an organization that she was unexpectedly fired from by a new manager who came on board.  He was referred to as a “micro manager” who abused his power of leadership through intimidation and fear tactics of control. 

The environment became quite hostile and the production of the employees decreased significantly as did their morale. Fortunately, he was terminated after the first year, but it was too late for my friend and her colleagues who had already quit. 

The moral of this story is to exhibit the behavior you want to see.  Having a disposition of hardness and mean-spiritedness creates alienation, not unification. Micro management in this case did not result in positive outcomes.

The old saying that “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” certainly applies in this situation.  Most people respond positively to kindness, respectfulness and consideration of their needs.  Being the example requires not only talking the talk, but also walking the walk.

  6.      Be Equitable

The principle of equity is all about being fair, impartial and honest. Another friend shared an experience he had recently with his supervisor when he had asked to be off for a couple of days to attend his aunt’s funeral.  He never misses work and is considered one of the most productive workers in the company.

His supervisor told him he would not approve his leave request because too many people were already out.  However, my friend knew several of the other workers who had been approved for such things as the loss of a pet and personal business, and both workers had irregular attendance and only satisfactory work ratings. My friend had to threaten to file a grievance before the supervisor reluctantly granted him emergency funeral leave.  Was this equitable treatment? You decide.

7.      Embrace Humility

Shun egotism.  John Bright defined an egotist as, “A self-made man who worships his creator.” To embrace humility is a characteristic oftentimes lacking in management because it is incorrectly perceived as weakness. 

Quite the contrary. Humility is a strength that outranks pride every time.  It takes humility to admit mistakes. It takes humility to respond with calmness in chaotic situations.  To embrace humility is to emanate nobility.

Purposeful management matters, not only for the bottom line of the organization, but to the line of employees that make it happen.

Please provide comments and input on this article to this guest blogger.

~~~

 

About the Contributing Blogger:

Gloria Thomas Anderson, LMSW, is a licensed master’s level social worker, educator, and diversity facilitator.  Currently, she is a Clinical Instructor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City in the School of Social Work and is a frequently requested lecturer/presenter on issues of diversity, grief and loss and end-of-life care. To learn more about her services and products, visit her website: www.gloriathomasanderson.com or email her directly at gloria@hearttones.com .

Workforce Woes

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Why do we see managers so disconnected with workers? Many CEOs proclaimed they understand their workers. Yet, most don’t! In fact, one reason organizations do not reach peak performance is because managers do not understand their employees’ motivation. Since the industrial age, researchers have recognized that both technical and social factors impact organizational performance.

Daniel Wren, author of The Evolution of Management Thought, concludes that analyzing a social system gives management an avenue to measure conflict between the “logic of efficiency” demanded by the formal organization and the “logic by sentiments” by the informal organization.

 Workers are frustrated with the status quo.  According to a American Psychological Association study, four in 10 employees say a heavy workload, unrealistic job expectations, and long hours have created stress. With fierce global competition, I found it surprising that managers move toward the quick fixes like downsizing for short-term gain without analyzing the organization over the long term. This process isn’t easy. Yet, understanding workers need to be a priority. 

The current financial meltdown has forever changed our confident in traditional institutions. The private and public sectors are no exceptions. However, many organizations gain comfort in knowing that most employees will not leave due to this economic crisis. Yet, employee loyalty is at a three year low. According to MetLife’s 9th Annual study of Employee Benefit Trends, frustrated workers are secretly undertaking job searches in hopes of new opportunities when the market recovers.

In high-performance organizations, an environment is created where managers and workers coexist. In profit hunting, many businesses lose focus of the importance of socio-technical systems. Given precepts, it becomes evident that there is an increasing disconnect between leaders and followers in today’s organizations. To some managers, the problem with today’s workforce is simple a physical problem which is lack of motivated workers. Yet, the reality of the matter is that the workforce pressures are affecting workers holistically.  

What can be done to connect senior executives with the plight of today’s workers so that they can learn how to effectively motivate the workforce?

© 2011 by Daryl D. Green

[1] The Evolution of Management Thought by Daniel Wren

[2] “Workers eager to job hunt as morale plunges” by Laura Petrecca

[3] “Workers eager to job hunt as morale plunges” by Laura Petrecca

Guest Blogger – Mirror or Window Leadership?

/ nuleadership / 13 Comments

It seems that some leaders just think about themselves. Maybe you’ve experienced a leader who seemed to care very little about you; his or her behavior was inconvenient, annoying, unprofessional or even unethical. Think about this: Who was that leader serving? The person in the mirror, or someone else?

When you go through a typical day, is your personal leadership like looking in a mirror all day—constantly concerned with yourself, looking out for your best interest above others’? Or, are you looking out a “window” to focus on others? Does your personal leadership keep bringing you back to self-preservation and self-promotion? Or, does it help you think about ways to address others’ needs and concerns?    

I think you know where I’m going with this! The best leaders are “window” leaders. Their eyes are consistently looking outward to others, caring for them and serving them. As leadership expert Max de Pree said, “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.”

Be others-focused rather than self-focused, and you can experience the synergy of people working together well, united in purpose, and producing great results. Dean, professor, and professional leadership consultant Bruce Winston put it this way: “Employees and followers want leaders who are ‘others-centered’.” He goes on to explain that the paradox of this approach to leadership is that while the leader “…concentrates less on the organization and more on individuals, the organization gains more because the employees are working to uphold the organization’s needs.”

So you see, an others-focused practice of leadership can also yield greater return on investment for a business—it can reap monetary rewards. Simply put, when people are treated well they work more effectively. However, it must be intentional on the part of the leader. Remember the famous John Donne quote, “No man is an island”? This succinctly communicates our need for one another and especially the idea of connection to each other. “Window” leaders understand this vital connection. It is only by stepping away from our mirrors and turning to look outward to others that we begin to make connections to people around us and begin to reap the benefit of meaningful relationships.

Consider the profound urging of William Penn’s words: “I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.”  Turn from the mirror to take in the magnificent view outside. Be a “window” leader!

Please provide your insight on this topic.

Renée N. Hale, DSL is an Organizational Performance Catalyst, with over 25 years experience in guiding individuals and teams, leading seminars, workshops, individual mentoring, and on the job training experiences.  She is a former professional violinist, and also served for 15 years as an international representative for a non-profit organization in Africa. Renée works fluently in French, and facilitates cross-cultural leadership learning. Dr. Hale’s broad worldview offers distinctive insights, innovative applications, and the capacity to see, understand and apply significant conceptual connections.

Dr. Renée N. Hale is also founder and president of WellSpirit Consulting Group, Inc.—engaging organizations around the world to get well, stay well, and create positive futures. Visit www.wellspiritconsulting.com  today.  © 2011 Renée N. Hale