June 5, 2014

Who is Representing Your Business by Craig Schloneger

Once again our family is planning for a transition.  Our youngest son is completing his junior year in high school and the season for college visits has begun.  I really enjoy this opportunity to visit schools with him.  The one-on-one time is special as we talk about his future plans and where he might live.

My son is interested in pursuing an engineering degree at a Pennsylvania university.  We visited four colleges and each visit followed the same pattern:  An academic advisor greets us in a large group setting.  Then a student leader shares about his/her experiences at the school and answers our questions.  Finally, we gather in smaller groups as a student tour guide takes us around campus.

To say that I was impressed by these student leaders would be an understatement.  They were articulate, friendly, well groomed and appeared to be enjoying their duties.  They answered our questions in a very honest and authentic way.  Because of the way the students presented themselves, I came away very impressed by each of the schools.

The universities clearly knew the significance of having parents and prospective students visit campus and had prepared very well for our experience.

This highlighted for me the importance of organizations having well-trained, friendly staff who interact with the public – especially customers, clients and guests.  Even though our businesses may have a great reputation and deliver outstanding products and services, we are frequently judged by the manner in which our staff greet and interact with others.

Our frontline employees become the face and the representatives of our organizations and our brands.  And yet so many staff members who interact with the public are young, not highly compensated, interact little with management and have a very small voice in the direction of the company.

Consider how they affect you: When you go out to eat, how much of your experience is shaped by the host and server?  When you go into a store, think about how helpful a clerk or cashier can be to you.  When you call a business on the phone, does the interaction with the receptionist create a lasting image in your mind?

Look around your organization and notice who has the most customer interaction.  Have you trained them properly?  Do they know your expectations and values?  Do you get their feedback and ask what you can do better?  What do they have to say about your customers?  What are your customers saying about your staff and your company?

This summer, my son will narrow down the list of colleges to visit again in the fall.  Since they all offer a great academic environment, I am sure that his decision will be greatly influenced by the people he met on the spring visits.  Imagine that – a major life decision (not to mention financial!) could be made based upon the friendliness and interaction of 19- to 21-year-old student leaders.

Who is representing your business?

December 5, 2013

Courage to Lead by Craig Schloneger

In November we commemorated two events that were pivotal in shaping our nation’s identity.  On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln was in Gettysburg, PA where he delivered a very short but powerful speech marking the end of the Civil War and the beginning of reconciliation for our country.  One hundred years later on November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was in Dallas, TX where he was tragically assassinated, bringing much shock and fear to our country as we tried to understand who would do such a thing and why.

Lincoln and Kennedy, forever linked in memory for reasons inspiring as well as eerie, are considered two of our most revered Presidents. They led at critical times in our nation’s history, speaking just the right words to inspire the people.  We admire them not only for their famous speeches but for the courage they displayed in leading our country during uncertain times.

At my first job after college I went through an extensive two week orientation program that covered many topics – how to dress, act in social settings, relate to clients and lead in the workplace.  Our instructor emphatically stated that leaders come in many shapes and sizes, have many different leadership styles and communicate in a variety of ways.  But most importantly, he said, all good leaders share one thing in common – courage.  He summed up his session by saying: The only prerequisite for leadership is courage.

As I think back on this, I am convinced that the instructor was correct in that so much of providing good leadership is having courage: courage to make a difficult decision, courage to take action, courage to stand up for what is ethical and right, courage to go against popular opinion, courage to admit our failures, and the list goes on.  When we identify a failure of leadership, we are often referring to a lack of courage in making a timely decision, admitting wrongdoing, staying quiet when something is not right or just disappearing when times are tough.

Lincoln and Kennedy had the opportunity to lead on the national stage and they grabbed their moment with courage.  We may not lead on such a grand scale, but we do have opportunities to demonstrate courage with our co-workers, children and friends.  I encourage you to confidently and courageously embrace the leadership opportunities in front of you.

June 5, 2013

There Are No Shortcuts by Craig Schloneger

I don’t usually do the shopping in our household.  I’m not very good at it and find it somewhat of a nuisance.  But when I do go shopping, I know exactly what I’m looking for, am quick in making a decision and don’t get pulled into promotional offers or “must have” claims.

There is one exception…. I seem to fall for the “quick fix,” promotional offers every time when it comes to physical fitness.  I am a sucker for the shortcuts that promise 20 minutes a day to look great, be in top cardiovascular shape and build muscle mass.  My buying list is long – treadmill, exercise bike, Tae Bo, Core X, Kettle Bells and most recently a chin-up bar.  When I get bored with these programs, I convince myself that I can accomplish the same thing with a regimen of push-ups, sit-ups and running.

I purchase these programs and equipment with the hope that I will finally find the shortcut that will turn back time, tone my muscles and give me the abs of my 16 year old son. After the initial enthusiasm of a new fitness routine wears off, the same realization hits me every time.  This is not as easy as the great-looking people on the video make it appear and will take some hard work.  There are no shortcuts!

Naturally, the same can be said about many important things in our lives.  There are no shortcuts and it takes a tremendous amount of discipline to achieve spiritual maturity, balanced living, healthy family relationships and life giving friendships.  This is also true as we demonstrate positive leadership principles with our team members.

It takes an immense amount of planning and discipline to communicate well, set expectations, follow-up on commitments and be available for the difficult conversations.  It is too easy to fall back into our predictable routines that lead to bad habits.  Just as the goal of being physically fit doesn’t happen without disciplined work, there are no shortcuts to organizational health.

I want to encourage you to set goals, train hard with a partner and continue practicing the disciplines that are important for emotional, physical, spiritual and organizational health.  I will work to do the same, and may even save some money, as I stay disciplined to the tried and true exercise patterns that will keep me healthy – but please don’t ask to see my abs!

Enjoy a wonderful and healthy summer!

October 5, 2012

Gratitude by Craig Schloneger

Over the past two years, my wife Ann and I had been planning a trip to take our three children to visit Swaziland, Africa.  Swaziland holds a special place for us as we had lived there for three years while doing voluntary service with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).  Our oldest son was born in Swaziland and we wanted to show him his birthplace.  This was a big trip for us, involving much planning, finding former friends and a large investment of money.  It had been 20 years since we lived there and we wanted everything to go well. This past June we left on our two week adventure.

Everything went as planned – our accommodations were in order, no one got sick, and we were able to reconnect with many Swazi friends from years ago.  It was fascinating to visit a place that we hadn’t seen for so long.  We were surprised at the changes – cell phones everywhere, a major highway and a large shopping mall.  We were also disappointed that some of the difficulties in life persisted – women carry water on their heads, mud and stick houses, and many signs of poverty.  I wondered what our children would take from this experience.

It was on our visit to the most rural part of Swaziland that we reconnected with our good friend Gladys.  Despite experiencing so much hardship in her daily life, Gladys overflows with upbeat, positive energy and is extremely grateful for all things.  During our trip we visited many attractions and enjoyed incredible experiences, but it was Gladys’ personality and disposition that left a lasting impression on our children – one which they still talk about today.

W.K. Chesterton, a remarkable author, believes that the most critical factor in life is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.  This is true in poverty and in wealth.  Thankfulness for the many good things and people around us is contagious and generates an atmosphere of appreciation.  As leaders we have the opportunity and responsibility to positively impact others through gratitude – in our organizations, at home, at social events and in public places.  On a recent visit to a client, a staff member remarked how much she values her work because the owner shows so much appreciation.  It is a great reminder: when considering strategies of how to motivate and engage employees, a simple ‘thank you’ can achieve so much.

Our family enjoyed a great trip, one filled with many memories, but none greater than Gladys’ spirit of gratitude.

June 4, 2012

The Power of Trust by Craig Schloneger

When you experience a transition in life, you realize the importance of past relationships and how they have influenced and shaped your professional and personal life.

As many of you are aware, I have recently made a transition from CEO of Ten Thousand Villages to Partner and Senior Consultant at North Group.  Both organizations have impressed me with their values of integrity, accountability, and an amazing amount of trust.

At Ten Thousand Villages this trust is readily apparent in business dealings with artisan groups.  This trust makes possible, and increases success for, an incredibly difficult and cumbersome system of importing hand-crafted products from economically impoverished people.  Artisan groups receive full payment for products at the time they are ready to ship.  The monetary transaction is finalized before possession, inspection or quality control has been completed.

The system works with few problems because the relational transaction (or trust) continues long after payment has been made.  Ten Thousand Villages and artisan groups value the long-term relationship with each other and therefore continue trusting that both sides will hold up their end of the relationship.

This is the essence of what Stephen M. R. Covey writes about in his book, The Speed of Trust.  Covey states:

There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, family, organization, nation, economy, and civilization throughout the world – one thing which, if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love.

You guessed it – this one thing is trust!

I am fortunate to have left one great organization and join another where trust is at the core of relationships and embedded in the culture.  As leaders we have the opportunity to achieve better results, more efficient decision-making and greater organizational success by simply demonstrating and extending trust to others.  I encourage you to take the risk to trust those around you.