Work Babble

Undercover Boss - White Castle episode

By Tony Deblauwe

This week White Castle CEO Dave Rife went undercover to several WC stores and processing facilities. He started things off by talking about the values his great grandfather built the company on: honesty, integrity and job security.  The belief is that happy team members make for happy customers. As he experienced each job he would see these values in action.

First job he met Geenie, the store manager. Her complaint was that new stores send inexperienced people that end bumping into each other or standing around more than helping. At one point she comments, “do they look happy?” In the reveal, Rife brings in an employee from this store, Donna, who had health problems and was trying to get on track with her weight. Rife decides to create a wellness program and have Donna head it.

 

While I think a wellness program is great, I’m surprised something like this didn’t already exist especially in an age where most companies have some kind of health awareness or wellness effort. Maybe it’s a nit, but I’m definitely glad – this is a meaningful investment from Rife’s time spent undercover. Although the staffing of new stores problem was not addressed,  Rife walked away feeling connected.

 

Rife visited the bakery for the buns. He botched the packaging machine process and was surprised how angry he got. He destroyed 25 cases worth of bread that fortunately would be sold to pig farmers for feed. Not sure what he learned here but it seemed to me like the operation would use some better onboarding. Why would you set a first day on-the-job trainee on a machine to risk so much lost merchandise?  

 

At the next restaurant he met Jose, the aspiring culinary student. During the reveal he gives Jose a chance to meet the culinary team and a $5K scholarship. Kudos in aligning competencies with the right job. Jose was certainly happy and will be better utilized. Rife’s reaction to why Jose didn’t think he had a career with White Castle is similar to the reaction from the 7-11 episode where the night shift manager had the job so he could go to school during the day.

 

That begs the question – is these companies are so concerned people see the site level jobs as dead-end - what effort is being done on career planning? I still believe most people look at a job in a White Castle restaurant as a stepping stone. Get some customer service training or maybe management, and then move on to something else. If you really want to see many examples of people moving into corporate, then I’d like to see how they go about actively engaging high potential employees for higher level positions.  

 

Rife visits a drive thru and once again is not up to the multi-tasking requirements. He meets Joe who he finds friendly and highly efficient. In the reveal, Rife offers Joe the opportunity to create a “Leaders of Tomorrow” program. I liked this part. Such a program would go a long way to solve the career pathing issue. And it would help establish benchmarks for the right talent profiles to bring up the chain. Rife also gave $5K to help Joe’s visually impaired son.  

 

In the frozen packaging division, Rife uncovered disconnects between a supervisor and employees. As he yet again could not handle anything mechanical and food preparation related, he noticed that Brenda (the supervisor) was in the breakroom while the employee (Vicki) was struggling on the line. In the reveal Rife had both of them in to discuss how they could work together and improve teamwork.

 

Hopefully that will continue and I certainly hope that HR is involved with looking at these issues in general. And I really hope that the security cameras issue, which makes people nervous about following processes and procedures, is not the way they will ensure teamwork is done.
  

At the end of the journey, Rife says he will put faces behind the numbers. I think this is the biggest reveal of all and what so many people think about executives in general – they look at people as commodities. The us versus them perception is based on that so if a CEO needed to go undercover to learn that lesson, and become more mindful of instituting unrealistic goals and processes, so much the better.

IDEO - Know Me Nudge Me

Re-posted from the IDEO website

IDEO has a great section called “Know Me Nudge Me” written by guest authors Jenny Comiskey, Aradhana Goel, and Simon King. The section looks at trading personal information for personalized services but I feel the design has a correlation to the work environment. Like all things IDEO, it offers some great questions on behaviors and thinking to design solutions.

Here are the questions:

1. How might we help people connect with the invisible, reflecting a new perspective? How might we allow our own history to introduce a new understanding of ourselves?

2. How can we reveal the big picture across behaviors in order to inspire proactive change?

3. How might we make supportive services available in the right place, at the right time and through the right channel?

Here are the takeaways:

1. Make people feel safe

Allow people to reveal themselves selectively and give them control over how their data is used. Let them experience different levels of customization and take ownership of their data.

2. Support the moment of decision

Don’t choose for people. Instead, support them in decision-making when it matters most. Reveal options, choices, and tradeoffs at the right time.

3. Nudge, don’t push

Don’t cross the threshold from nudging people to pushing them with heavy-handed advice. Allow information such as trends, comparisons, and accepted standards to inspire people toward outcomes that they themselves believe in.

4. Don’t be obtrusive

Design noninvasive and intuitive platforms to collect information, and be subtle when nudging people with choices or alerts. Provide ambient services that fit well into people’s lives.


I think all of these points can be extrapolated into leadership and workplace behavior. During moments of uncertainty and rapid change, employees look for security and trust from leadership. Employees want to be empowered in their day-to-day decisions related to their job duties and feel powerful in the fact that they know they are moving things forward not merely surviving.

To read the full article and participate in the conversation, click here

Toyota Recall and Crisis Leadership

By Tony Deblauwe

Watching the hearings involving the sudden acceleration issue with several models of Toyota vehicles is scary to say the least. Testimony included stories from victims of the problem – in one case, an entire family was killed. With such catastrophic consequences and huge liabilities and tarnishing of a once great brand know for quality, it provides a platform to look at how companies, and leaders, address crisis.

When faced with crisis, leaders need to make prudent decisions quickly. That involves canvassing their direct teams, and in many cases several levels below to get answers. It’s not apparent if CEO Toyoda did this given the criticism they received for their slow reaction time to consumer complaints.

Once a leader is engaged in addressing a critical issue, what should they do to make sure they respond adequately? Here are a few ways leaders can cope with rapidly changing circumstances:

1. Focus on a few key elements and build a plan. Often emotional tensions are so high that seepage of minor issues pop up as the most important issues. A leader has to determine critical touch points that - addressed properly - cascade down to fix other issues. It’s not the lowest hanging fruit argument, but a strategic view of the top 3-5 issues that need immediate attention.

For a business this is usually shareholder and customer communication of what’s happening, operational analysis of essential work processes, and key legal considerations/regulatory interests. Toyota executives were late to the game in some of these areas. This could have reduced the level of exposure and amount of crisis to handle (e.g. notifying people of other models that had the problem, etc).

2. Communicate constantly. Crisis management requires immediate updates as new information is available. To facilitate this exchange, networks need to be created that can share pertinent details to different parts of the organization and to external interests. Sometimes creating internal wikis or discussion boards helps with this process and ensures that appropriate business units are talking to each other. In the hearings, CEO Toyoda said he was not aware of key meetings addressing the complaints.

3. Roll through setbacks. Often the first ideas aren’t the best – they are solutions meant to get certain actions in place. They require modification on-the-fly as the situation unfolds. These initial actions may prove to be duds or they don’t capture the full scope of the problem resulting in negative backlash. Toyota thought the problem was solved with adjusting floor mats, then sticky brake pads, and now the problem appears to be in the software. While consumers were not please with these initial measures, Toyota has continued to diagnose the problem and issue offer different solutions. 

Leaders often make the mistake that after pouring so much effort into initial solutions, they have to stick to them no matter what. Toyota did this with the floor mat issue for a long time - blaming driver error if this solution was not the fix.

A confident leader will accept imperfection in initial approaches and make sure the team is ready to change quickly and respond with new approaches. The leader has to stay calm and focused when this happens to avoid worsening the crisis.

4. Recognize what is working. The bright spot at the end of the tunnel can be elusive in the early going of crisis management. Everyone is bogged down with moving forward so it becomes difficult to notice how solutions are taking root and reducing issues. Leaders who have created the right communication channels will be able to flag good results and use those results to bolster ongoing efforts. This helps morale and shows progress against the crisis mitigation plan. Toyoya made the right move to halt new car production in January which saved more potential accelerator problems from going to market.

5. Maintain a good pace. Leaders need to be mindful of the pressures coming from all directions to solve problems quickly and “perfectly.” If a strong plan is in place, backed up by the right communication channels, and a focused team, resolution activities will eventually balance out. This has nothing to do with perception or reputation damage control – that can take much longer as Toyota is sure to experience.

Pacing decisions around good solutions and re-working as needed provides a sense of control. Reacting to everything all the time is chaotic and doesn’t endear a leader as professional and deserving of the higher position. Executives must maintain decorum to their team and key stakeholders at all times. They must be ready to calm nerves for weeks or months depending on the issue and never waver from a methodological and reasoned response to crisis situations. Only time will tell if Toyota is pacing their crisis management properly and what that will mean in order for them to regain global consumer confidence.

 

Additional Resources:

Center for Creative Leadership
http://www.ccl.org/leadership/landing/crisis.aspx

 

Leadership Challenge

http://www.leadershipchallenge.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-131339.html#tipFeb10

 

Crisis Leadership Blog

http://crisisleadership.blogspot.com

 

Leadership Now Blog

http://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2008/03/five_tips_from_atsutoshi_nishi.html

 

Crisis Communication Checklist

http://www.topstory.ca/crisis.html

 

Rudy Giuliani on Change and Crisis Leadership Lessons

http://www.schulersolutions.com/change_leadership_lessons_of_r.html

Do You Work for a Defeated Boss?

By Tony Deblauwe

Sometimes it’s tough to be in management. In a harsh economy, the challenges are plenty: budget cuts, no ability to open jobs, can’t offer salary increases, no training, etc. Competition remains fierce, however, and in a climate of never-ending deadlines, the pressure to perform as a manager can lead many to crack.

Employees are stuck in the middle. They too are tying to thrive, not just survive, and when they need something from their boss, they expect to get help. Trying to accomplish work and keeping proper communication channels open is difficult if your boss has chosen to disengage from the work environment. Sadly, some bosses engage their problems by becoming bullies – another side effect of a manager who has lost the will to perform.

Here are some warning signs, and what you can do, if your boss waves the white flag of surrender:

1. Over-sensitive. Does your boss talk frequently about deadlines and tasks to get accomplished and excludes everything else? Can you see your boss operating in a kind of frenzy looking confused? Do you have to walk on eggshells for everything? Is your boss’s door closed all the time? If you see this pattern your boss is swimming in work and has not figured out a good way to prioritize meaningful tasks with ones that can be pushed out.

What you can do: Offer to help take the burden of the low-hanging fruit items. They might be very operational and tactical in nature, but the long term benefits to you of having a boss that gets a handle on his or her workload is huge. Some bosses might feel like asking for help is a sign of weakness so reassure him or her you want to keep things moving not a gesture of pity.

2. Constant negativity. When your boss changes from cheerleader to Debbie Downer, you may have to struggle with listening to the apathy and lack of motivation. Managers often serve as listeners to their employee’s problems or rants, so when the tables are turned, you have to be sensitive to the mental decisions your boss is making regarding work.

What you can do: Focus your boss on the successful progress of getting work done. Even if the accomplishment is small like a successful meeting with a cross-functional team, or meeting a minor deadline for a project, you have to provide moments the boss can get excited about. If being a cheerleaders helps you can try, but generally showing compassion around what your boss is experiencing on an emotional level can help adjust his or her perspective.

3. Visibility. Sometimes defeat is shown through complete withdrawal – not coming into work. If you notice your boss is suddenly never around, or comes in late and leaves early – your boss either has personal issues or is working on layoff or merger details. Not coming into the office is a great way to avoid problems. Of course lack of visibility also includes not reading email or answering the phone.

What you can do. Catch your boss in the office and talk about his or her availability. Offer to help, not judge, why your boss has decided to play the avoidance game. Make your boss feel that you and the team are available to manage what needs to get done. Explain how your boss’s presence in the office is valued and meaningful to completing business priorities. You’re offering your boss a reason to come in that’s not purely paperwork or meetings. The genuine connection to the lives of people and work may be what your boss needs to her to feel back on board.

The reality is that burnout for a manager is the same as employees. The patterns we see of people withdrawing or becoming short-tempered and destructive are common no matter where you work. Managers who feel defeated and unable to cope with the demands of their job are doubly crushed because they not only feel defeated as an individual contributor, but as a role model to their team.

As an employee, you don’t have to play psychologist, but you can behave in the way any team helps a weaker player. From time to time we all have our moments and we appreciate it when our peers take the time to pick us up and get us going again. If your boss seems close to throwing in the towel, don’t wait for the problem to become worse – address it, show support, and your boss, your team, and your work environment, will reap the benefits

Undercover Boss: Hooters Episode

By Tony Deblauwe
A quick review of this week’s episode reveled how vastly different leadership styles can be from person to person and company to company. In the debut episode, Larry O’Donnell of Waste Management, was profoundly impacted by the pace and rigor required to perform all the jobs in the company. At the end, he made big changes that reflected concerns over policy and skill set.

When Hooters CEO Coby Brooks visited several Hooters chains, he too was immersed in the stress of retail food management in a way he was not used to for several years. Plus he had the added burden of living up to the legacy of his father who was a figured reversed by most.  He came across three distinct situations: 

PR about the Hooter girl brand
He went on a street corner with a couple of employees to promote the local restaurant. He was faced with criticism about how the brand and outfits are demeaning to women. Despite the fact he admitted he was comfortable if his two young daughters became Hooters girls when they grew up, it was strange that after so many years he seemed generally perplexed that this attitude was out there. I’ve always wondered how the outfits demonstrate a bona fide occupational qualification but I guess there are sound legal reasons for that. Nevertheless, when he revealed himself, all he did was allow these two employees to assist in PR. Not sure what big change that will accomplish (and why these two employees) but I guess there are changes we might see in the future.

Stress over time management (work-life balance)
One manager who I thought did an excellent job of managing morale and business had difficulties managing time and family. She was very personable and I thought was going to be promoted to a training position or somewhere more corporate where she could find balance and show new managers how to be effective. Instead, in the reveal, all Coby did was give her two weeks vacation anywhere she wanted. How does this impact the issue of time management in the restaurants? It seemed like he missed the opportunity completely to reward a great manager and allow her to get involved in production planning. This was a great gesture for a hard worker but where is the change to the business?

Poor management style (harassment)
This has to be the largest oversight of all. In one store, the manager runs a “contest” to see who can get off work early. This “contest” involved eating a plate of beans the fastest. Coby watched and did not break his cover, but decided to leave and place a call to the franchise owner about it. In the reveal, all he told the manager to do was to apologize to the employees. I don’t know about Texas law, but that behavior should be grounds for termination, or at the very least, temporary suspension. This has harassment written all over it and it’s all on tape. I’m sure this is not the only restaurant in the chain that has managers like this. Again – the opportunity was wasted. I understand that they would not air someone getting fired, and I hope behind the scenes, legal and HR are involved with a deeper investigation, but I wonder if that will happen.

Of course all these shows are edited for television and have gone through tons of legal rigor between shareholders and the executive staff to not cast the wrong message or show how broken a company might be. From a leadership perspective, experiments like this are great and can yield significant changes in operations and process if allowed to. I’ll admit I’ve never dined at Hooters so I can’t comment on the quality of their food products. In the case of Colby of Hooters, I’m curious if anything he did will result in Hooters becoming family friendly. That would be a radical brand change but it could be beneficial to their public image.