Keith Ayers - Trust Inside

Getting the “Right” People on the Bus

In his bestseller, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't, Jim Collins uses the analogy of being “on the bus” to illustrate the appropriate place of vision in organizational alignment. “… first get the right people on the bus (and the wrong people off the bus) before you figure out where to drive it.”

The bus is the organization and what it stands for – its purpose and values. The right people get on board because they believe in this “bus” and the value it creates, and because they share the values of the other people on the bus. In tough times, such as a recession, natural disaster, or international conflict, the bus may need to be diverted to a different destination, or the vision revised.

But with the right people on board, aligned behind the organization's purpose and values, the organization is able to adapt rapidly to the new circumstances, create a new vision, and agree on a new destination that takes these new conditions into account.

To attract the “right” people therefore it is essential to build that “right fit” into your selection process to identify people who are passionate about your organization and the value it creates, and whose personal values are in alignment with your organization’s values.

Are You Attracting the Right People?

I was interested to read last week of Morgan Stanley’s decision to pay huge bonuses to employees despite posting a loss of $159 million for the April to June quarter. The justification for a 26 percent increase in compensation over the past year is the need to attract more top performers to its trading floors.

It makes sense to have compensation packages that will attract top performers, but there is a danger to placing too much emphasis on compensation.

You run the risk of attracting people who are more focused on what they will get out of the job personally than on what they can contribute to your organization. And if they get the job, they will focus on making the decisions that benefit themselves the most.

Getting the “right people on the bus” includes hiring people who believe in your organization and are committed to your purpose and values.

In my next post I will discuss what getting “the right people on the bus” means, and how companies like Morgan Stanley will benefit more from it in the long run.

Remembering Names

One of the things I have heard most throughout my business career is: “I’m really bad at remembering people’s names!” I was very fortunate at one of the first International Integro Conferences in Europe in 1979 to learn how to remember names from Professor Osmo Wiio from the University of Helsinki. A guest speaker at our conference, Professor Wiio was a specialist in communications, and started by explaining how our brain remembers things.

When you first hear or read something, it is held in your conscious mind as an electrical impulse. If you focus on that thought for at least 5 seconds, a chemical reaction takes place and that thought is permanently imprinted into your subconscious mind. The more recently and frequently you recall that thought, the more likely you will be able to remember and recall it at will.

Conversely, the longer you go without thinking about it, the more difficult it will be for you to recall. Take a typical business networking situation where you are meeting a number of new people at the same time. For example: “Keith, this is Bill Smith, Yolanda Wilson, Eric Lachlan and Mary Wallace.” By the time you get to the last person, you probably have no idea what the first person’s name is because you haven’t focused for 5 seconds.

What I have learned to do is slow down the introductions. While I am shaking Bill’s hand I will repeat his name to him: “Bill Smith? Where are you from Bill?” And while he is answering I am repeating his name over and over in my mind. By the time I go on to Yolanda, I really know Bill’s name, and so on. I’ll do the same with Yolanda, but before I go on to Eric, I’ll say in my mind, “That was Bill Smith and this is Yolanda Wilson.” OK, then I’m ready to move on.

Recall is critical. Once the introductions are complete and we move into a conversation, every time someone speaks I am reminding myself what their name is. I’m listening to what they are saying and in my mind also saying “this is Mary Wallace.”

It really isn’t difficult to remember people’s names, but it does take some effort. And it lets people know you respect them enough to remember their name. Try it, and let me know how you get on.

Good Old-Fashioned Service

Do you remember the days when flying in economy class was enjoyable, because you got looked after well? I’m talking about times when you got a hot meal if you flew at meal time and did not have to pay for it, or for the can of Diet Coke you had with the meal.

Welcome to Australia for a nostalgic trip to the past! I’m at the airport in Sydney on my way back to Philadelphia as I write this, and last Sunday night on a 6.30pm Qantas flight from Brisbane to Sydney I was served Chicken Teriyaki for dinner by a crew of very cheerful flight attendants. And yes, I was in economy class.

Now on Tuesday afternoon after a quick trip to Melbourne, I’m again heading back to Sydney but my flight is delayed by 50 minutes. That is an unusual occurrence in Australia, but then we only have 22 million people. Soon after take-off the captain announces that since the flight was delayed, all passengers were entitled to a free glass of beer or wine instead of the usual $5 charge.

The interesting thing about this story is that the flight delay was not caused by Qantas or weather. The flight to Melbourne had been diverted back to Sydney soon after take-off for a medical emergency. But Qantas was still apologizing and making up for the delay, because they are proud of their on-time record.

What’s my point? Deliver value! When we show our customers that we do care when they are inconvenienced, or if they are traveling during meal times, we build trust, and trust builds loyalty. I know I’m going to stick with Qantas when traveling in Australia.

Authenticity

How do you feel when someone treats you as a role, rather than as a person? Like the salesperson or customer service representative who treats you like a customer, by reading their scripts to you over the phone, or using obvious closing techniques before you are ready to buy.

Or the manager who treats you as a “subordinate.” What about the parent who treats you as a child, even now that you are an adult?

When we get into playing roles, we stop being authentic. If I believe I have to act like a manager, I will focus on myself and what I am doing or saying, and not be focused on the person I am with. There are many roles managers attempt to play: the “I’m smarter than you” role; the “I’m the boss” role; and the “I’m a great leader” role, to name a few.

Not only do these roles diminish trust with employees, they decrease engagement, commitment, and productivity.

Only when I see myself as a person dealing with another person, no matter what our roles, can I focus on their needs and on creating value. What are you teaching your managers, salespeople, and customer service representatives… to play a role, or to build trust by being authentic?