Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/730608
www.HartfordBusiness.com September 26, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 29 BIZ BOOKS Tips to becoming a better boss "S upervision Matters: 100 Bite- Sized Ideas to Transform You and Your Team" by Rita Sever (She Writes Press, $16.95). Notwithstanding what's not said in exit interviews for fear of burning bridges, a Gal- lup poll shows that most people quit because of their supervisor. So when there's high turnover in your department, it's time to look at how you supervise. That begins with "How you think about you." Your actions and inaction directly affect the way you relate to your team. Make time to "meet with yourself" each week to go over your interactions with your employees. Some ques- tions to ask "you": "Did I take into account the difference in personalities when communi- cating?" Did I show a bias (good or bad) when dealing with an employee; if so, why?" "Did I act or react to situations based on assumptions rather than facts?" "What was my reaction to employee feedback?" "If concerns were raised, how did I address them?" Your answers give you a picture as a leader as viewed by your staff. If they convey "I'm in charge," you're viewed as a leader-by-title, which doesn't make you a real leader. "In charge" tells employees "that the supervisor doesn't care about the staff member's learn- ing process or ideas." Employees disengage; they don't want to be thoughtless drones. The best ones will quit — and you'll be left with a mediocre team, which can't produce optimal results. To truly lead, you must view the supervisory relation- ship as a partnership. Sever's "100 Bite-Sized Ideas" see the supervisor as a super-guider, coach and mentor. As such, employees-as-partners know the supervisor adds value by guiding challenge and learn- ing, and ensuring they have the resources needed to finish what they start. Engagement flourishes as people own their jobs. Two-way communication keeps everyone in the loop. Wins are celebrated; missteps become learn- ing experiences. Productivity climbs. Key takeaway: A supervisor who wants to keep staff engaged will listen first and then ask how he/she may assist. • • • "5% More — Making Small Changes to Achieve Extraordinary Results" by Michael Alden (John Wiley & Sons, $25). Section IV "Give 5 Percent More to Your Business" highlights how small changes pay off big time. Here's an example: I made two suggestions to Dennis, a friend who manages a time-share property: 1. Use select-a-size paper towels rather than full-size; 2. Lower the temperature of the hot tubs from 104 to 100; people wouldn't notice the four-degree difference. He did the math — implementing the changes would save a little over $10,000 per year. The "found money" could be used in other areas, or put into the rainy- day account. The "found money" got him thinking about small ways to find more. He started a pilot program by installing LED lights over bathroom vanities in 20 percent of the units and LED motion-detecting out- door lights along high-travel walkways. He estimates the annual savings in electric bills at $9,000; he'll recoup the cost of the equipment in 1.3 years. Little by little he'll equip the whole complex; annual savings will be about $45,000 steady-state. Alden believes that every business can identify and implement small changes that find "hidden" money. How? By getting employees thinking about ways to improve the way the business does busi- ness. The people closest to the jobs know what works, what doesn't and what may work. Management must give them the free- dom to do what-if thinking. He provides this advice on increas- ing revenue: Focus more on your existing customers than prospects. They already bought; you don't have to sell them; most likely, they'll buy again. They are also a ready source of word-of-mouth referrals, which provides free, testimonial advertis - ing. To get the most out of your customer base, stay in touch constantly. Other sections of the book deal with getting more out of life by breaking down big goals into small, easy-to- achieve steps. n Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer. Jim Pawlak TALKING POINTS How to mess up a business without breaking a sweat By John Graham N o matter their strengths, businesses, like people, are always at risk. Some dangers are so blatant they dare being ignored. But others, far less obvious, cause untold — and even fatal — damage, eating away and under- mining a company's best efforts. Their work is insidious and relentless, going unnoticed until it's too late. And it all happens without anyone breaking a sweat. Even so, there are clear, but unseen, indi- cators that a business is in trouble. Here are seven to consider: 1. Wanting to believe everything is going great. Busi- ness people don't like bad news. They reject it as they would an unwanted solicitor. And then they quickly add, "I want to be around positive people." Jim Holt comes close to the truth in his review of Chuck Kloserman's book, "But What If We're Wrong." Holt states, "Most of what we believe is likely to be wrong." If that's true, then doubt, not certainty, is the only positive action. 2. Ignoring details. A lack of productivity imperils businesses, caused by the extraordinary amount of time that's lost by following up on what's being ignored. We assume that someone will come along and clean up our mess. But that's not the Apple way, as Michael Gartenberg discovered on his first day there. He sent someone an email. "I got it back, and at the end of it, it said, 'P.S. spelling counts here." Gartenberg had typed "the" as "hte." The way we view details reveals how we regard others and what we view as important. 3. Decisions based on the leader's opinions. Many business owners and manag- ers believe it's their role to be decider-in-chief. They have firm — cast in concrete — opinions on everything. Research, surveys, studies, facts, knowledge, and the experience of oth- ers don't count. They proudly trust their gut. Employees learn quickly that discussion is useless, and new ideas are on an "Unwanted List." It's a perfect way to strangle a business. 4. Poor planning. Sure, it's fun to talk about wow ideas. They create excitement and lots of energy, but little or no action, even though that's what makes a difference. Everyone goes away and nothing happens. It's the same the next time. To keep a business on track and growing, there's only one question that gets the wheels moving, that generates fire, not smoke. There's only one question that gets results: "Who's going to do what, why, and when?" Nothing else matters. 5. Data blindness. When asked why his insurance agency couldn't launch an e-news- letter for its clients and prospects, the prin- cipal, a smart client-oriented and capable underwriter, said, "We can't do it until we get our database straightened out." He's not alone. Good businesses fall behind and others die or merge because they're gridlocked, unable to develop and implement an effective plan to gather the information they need. Too many suffer from the debilitating case of data blindness, the inability to recognize that their survival depends on the accuracy and completeness of updated, relevant, reli- able and accessible information. 6. Failure to adapt to customer behav- ior. After launching its Nest Cam, the compa- ny found that many customers were pointing them out the window to keep track of what was going on, according to IoT Daily's Chuck Martin. Rather than letting a competitor run with the idea, they launched a weatherproof outdoor version to solve the problem. Unfortunately, "Maybe we should wait and see what happens" is the common reaction, which is followed by "Why didn't we do that?" after it's too late. 7. A confusing culture. It seems to hap- pen at entrepreneurial-type companies where management is highly motivated and hard driving. Along with it is a lassiez faire attitude that everyone can be left alone and they will automatically do their job. When that doesn't happen, there's disappointment that people didn't live up to the challenge. Instead of setting people in a direction with agreed upon expectations, they are set adrift. And all the while, they think they're doing what's required. A confusing culture causes havoc. Messing up a business is easy. It doesn't take effort. We should never drink our own Kool-Aid. It puts us to sleep. But the anecdote is simple: always worry; look over your shoul- der; never get comfortable. n John Graham of GrahamComm is a market- ing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. Contact him at jgraham@graham- comm.com, 617-774-9759 or johnrgraham.com. John Graham ▶ ▶ A supervisor who wants to keep staff engaged will listen first and then ask how he/she may assist. ▶ ▶ Many business owners and managers believe it's their role to be decider-in-chief. They have firm — cast in concrete — opinions on everything.