March 5, 2012
Fond Memories of Super Balls and Pigeons by Daryl Leisey
A number of years ago…actually, many years ago….I attended a high school that had an historically good boys basketball team. While I never played, I enjoyed the excitement and passion that fans often brought to the games (especially toward our cross-town arch rivals). On one particular evening, our team was traveling to play those rivals on their home court. As game day had approached, quietly word spread through the school to students who would attend: Bring as many super balls as humanly possible, and be ready to throw them on the court when our team scores their first point!
That evening as I walked into the gym lobby, I saw a number of strategically placed trash cans, accompanied by rather serious adults. As I looked into one of the cans, I saw what were literally hundreds of super balls. Assuming that if each can contained similar numbers, most if not all of the balls had been confiscated. But I was wrong! As soon as our team scored, thousands of super balls exploded from the stands, bouncing and bouncing and bouncing, until they were all finally picked up. The place went wild.
Not only did we have passionate and engaged fans, so did our rivals. A few weeks later, our opponents met us at our gym for the return game. Everyone wondered if there would be a response. As the game started, everything seemed to be normal…..that is, until the opposing team scored their first points. As soon as the ball passed through the hoop, their student section stood, girls opened their purses and out flew pigeons with long, school-colored streamers tied to their feet. After flying around for a few moments, the birds settled to roost in the rafters of the gym.
While I’m not personally advocating these behaviors, one has to admit they were certainly creative. I often think about those days and the passion and engagement exhibited by those fans. The stands were often full, they generally stayed to the end of the game, whether winning or losing, and their enthusiasm and energy often played a significant role in how the players played the game.
In late 2011, the Gallup organization released the latest findings of a poll that showed that 71% of American workers are "not engaged" or are "actively disengaged" in their work. Those numbers have been fairly consistent over the last ten years. It doesn’t take the proverbial rocket scientist to realize the negative impact on turnover, productivity, customer service and profitability that results from a workforce that is not engaged. In their 1999 book, First Break All the Rules, co-authors Buckingham and Coffman point to the significant role of leaders in general, and more specifically front-line managers, as catalysts in creating an environment of engaged people. They do this by:
- Selecting individuals based on talent, not just skills and experience
- Defining expectations that focus on the right outcomes rather than the right steps
- Motivating the individual by building on each person’s unique strengths
- Developing people by finding the right fit for each person
An engaged workforce is well worth any investment in the people that help make it happen day in and day out.
(And as far as I know, no super balls or pigeons were injured in the story mentioned above.)
November 18, 2011
...thank you for choosing to fly Southwest.
by Daryl Leisey
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I had the opportunity to take a flight to visit our children who attend college in western Tennessee. After researching all the options, we decided on a flight offered by Southwest Airlines. I know there has been much said and written about the airline industry in general and Southwest Airlines in particular. I recognize and understand that good people can have very different views on this subject.
The plane was full as we excitedly headed off to see our children, whom we had not seen for about 3 months. As the plane began to push away from the gate, the flight attendants made sure that all the overhead bins were closed, seats were in an upright position and…well, you know the routine.
However, as the one flight attendant began giving the pre-flight instructions, I quickly knew that this was going to be anything but routine. “If you are traveling with a child or a spouse who is acting like one, please make sure to put the oxygen mask on yourself first before attempting to assist your child with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one child, take a moment, decide which one is your favorite or which one has more potential…” It went on from there.
Honestly, I have learned to ignore most pre-flight instructions from hearing them so often over the years. What struck me was that as I was listening to (and enjoying) the attendant giving the instructions, I took notice of not only my fellow passengers but also the other flight attendants. They were smiling and laughing as much as the rest of us were.
I began to think about the intentionality of Southwest in both creating and sustaining a culture and work environment that people enjoy being a part of. One fundamental of the Southwest culture is: Happy Employees = Happy Customers. They do things to “keep their Employees motivated and make it worthwhile to work hard for the Company they love!”
At North Group, we often say that “culture eats strategy for lunch”. How do your employees feel about the company they work for? Many leaders settle for tolerate, aim for enjoy, but love?
“…thank you for choosing to fly Southwest. We appreciate you and your money.”
We welcome your comments at blog@northgroupconsultants.com.
August 5, 2011
The Real Deal by Daryl Leisey
For the last 9 years, I have had the privilege of serving as a member of the Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Excellence Exchange committee. The Excellence Exchange program is a bi-monthly speaker series that is dedicated to providing a unique opportunity to gain valuable first-hand knowledge from regional and national business leaders.
A number of years ago the committee was having a conversation regarding the selection of a potential slate of speakers for the coming year. As part of that process, we began to look to see if there were any shared characteristics of the many previous presenters who had made the most significant impression over the years. There were numerous characteristics that were identified. In the end, however, there was one shared characteristic that stood far above all others. They were all authentic. They were genuine. They talked about their own struggles and failures as openly as they did their successes. They were real. They took responsibility for themselves. They owned their own “stuff”.
I am drawn to people, especially leaders, who are authentic. People with whom there is no pretense. I suppose I am drawn to them in part because I know that real life is just that, real. It’s easier to build relationships of trust with authentic people. Their conversations tend to have more depth and staying power because they connect not just logically but emotionally. I am also drawn to them because I want authenticity to be something that is increasingly seen in my life as a father, husband, friend, partner and consultant.
It will be almost two years ago that my father passed away. He was a genuinely authentic man. My children and I would often refer to him as the “real deal”. He was authentic until the end. It wasn’t an act. It wasn’t the latest business fad he heard at a seminar. It wasn’t something that he did to gain acclaim. It was just simply who he was day in and day out. May I increasingly be more like him.
We welcome your comments at blog@northgroupconsultants.com.
