Business Energetix Blog

Chloe's Chronicles Volume III, Number 5

Meet Chloe, Business Energetix’s Management Muse.  When she joined us in 2006 as the official Office Dog, we quickly realized she had talent far beyond the scope of her position.  Read on to see how she serves as a constant source of instruction and inspiration for exploring the challenges of management.

 

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

I am pleased to report that, despite Chloe’s many attempts to thwart the process, we were able to keep her paw covered and clean long enough for her wound to heal and she is back to her normal loveable self once again.

 

Chloe’s injury and healing process highlighted for me one of the critical elements of effective business leadership—assessing the current situation and understanding what has changed.  She was slow to recognize the change and resisted the new limitations, making the whole process more challenging for both of us.

 

In today’s tough business environment, being the first in your industry to understand the changes and comprehend their implications is a powerful competitive advantage.  Even if you are not the first, don’t be left out entirely by tenaciously holding onto assumptions and practices that are no longer working.  Learn what is different today and understand what it means for your business sector.  New insight leads to new action and a new business model emerges when your assumptions change. 

 

Look for clues about the changing environment in your client/customer base.  What needs are emerging that haven’t been seen before?  What resources is in short supply and which are abundant?  What new problems are your clients/customers looking to solve now?  How does your service/product fit in to the new business reality of a tough economy?  What benefits do you have to offer in the current situation?

 

Although it took her awhile to get it, Chloe did eventually accept that the bandage was going to be replaced every time she managed to remove it and would lie on her back and let me re-bandage it without a struggle.  She never liked it but she did finally get it.

 

What new reality is awaiting your recognition?

 

Please click on the comments section below and offer your thoughts about recognizing what’s different.  Join in the discussion, offer your thoughts and observations and let Chloe know how you are using her Management Lessons. 

 

Chloe's Chronicles Volume III, Number 4

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

Hey friends and fans!  Chloe the Management Muse here, writing directly to you this time.  As wonderful as Marti is, rescuing me from the animal shelter and all that, I don’t think she gets what’s going on with me right now.  So, I thought I’d take it directly to you and ask for your advice.

 

A few days ago, my life was going along just fine—wake everybody up, eat, sleep, walk, sleep, car ride, sleep, beg for treat, sleep, walk, eat, sleep.  And then, an unpleasant surprise totally messed it up in the most confusing ways.

 

On my daily walk, I stepped in the river as usual, but this time something sharp sunk into my foot.  I think some human must have broken a bottle in the water ‘cause my foot pad was cut and it hurt like mad.  I was bleeding and trying to get it to stop but nothing worked.  So, off to that emergency pet hospital we went.

 

Those strange people didn’t even give me treats when they started poking and prodding me.  Somehow, they made me sleep and when I woke up, I had this big ‘ole green bandage around my paw and I was really groggy.  I came home and could not get comfortable all night.  The next day, that blasted bandage was still there.

 

I keep getting in trouble for trying to get things back to the way they were.  I’m constantly told to ‘leave it’ when I try to lick or chew the bandage off my paw.  I’ve managed to get it off a few times and Marti or the vet just puts another one on, after all my hard work to get it off!  What is wrong with them?  Don’t they understand that I’m just trying to get rid of this irritating thing and get my life back to normal?

 

Have you ever had such a thing happen, where the world as you know it suddenly changes and you can’t get it back the way it was?  I’m still sleeping, eating, sleeping, walking, etc, but it is not the same with my paw bandaged up.  I can’t get in the river and I haven’t been to play with my buddies at doggie daycare for what seems like forever.  I just want it to be as it was.  Have you ever had to handle a big change like this?  What worked for you?

 

Click on comments and offer your thoughts and get-well-wishes for Chloe.  She’s beginning to think you don’t love her because she hasn’t heard from you. 

Chloe's Chronicles Volume III, Number 3

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

This month Chloe is working on her acknowledgement skills.  She has mastered the part about acknowledging frequently; virtually no one or no thing is ignored or taken for granted.  She let’s everyone—human or animal—know that they have entered her universe.

 

Chloe is still working on the “art” part of acknowledgement, the part about recognizing what kind of acknowledgement fits best for each person (or canine, bird, cat, squirrel or duck).  She reacts on the basis of her interpretation of how welcome they are in her world and fails to consider how the other party might want to be acknowledged. 

 

Her one-size-fits-all acknowledgement behavior reminds me of some managers and leaders who use only one form of acknowledgement for anyone and everyone in their world.  Often these leaders assume that everyone else wants to be recognized in exactly the same way they appreciate.  Like the leader who thinks everyone wants to be applauded by the whole company because s/he loves the spotlight; or, the person who says, “Everyone likes a gift certificate to my favorite restaurant.”  Somehow, it seems fair and equitable to treat everyone exactly the same, even though any generic acknowledgement will fail to be meaningful to most everyone.

 

When acknowledgement is specific, tailored to the individual and authentic, it serves to both establish expectation and increase motivation.  For example, “Thanks for helping Mrs. Jones with her complaint today.  I saw how patient you were with her.”  Compare that statement to the more generic, “Great job today—thanks.” 

 

How are you acknowledging others and letting them know why you expect and how they can help the company?

Help Chloe improve her acknowledgement skills!  Click on comments and offer your thoughts, ideas and opinions.  She’s beginning to think you don’t love her because she hasn’t heard from you. 

Chloe's Chronicles Volume III, Number 2

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

Chloe’s daily work routine involves one or two walks, the purpose of which is to channel some of her energy so she can be her best self.  When we all honor this need, life is easier and more peaceful; when we neglect it, we pay with added stress and annoyance.

However, she is unclear on the concept of walking briskly and getting in a good workout.  From her perspective, this is a time to explore her territory and learn who has been out and about.  Every few feet of this supposedly aerobic walk, she stops to read her pee mail, completely distracted by the scent of the earlier visitors.

 

This is the antithesis of good time management practice.  Just like her human counterparts, Chloe’s daily work is constantly interrupted by incoming messages.  For her it’s smell, for us a bell alerting us to an incoming message.  And, even when the message is important, entertaining, illuminating and valuable, it disrupts the flow of planned work and takes our mind in a new direction, dropping the other things that are most likely equally important and valuable.

Chloe and I only have to deal with her distractions a couple times a day.  What about you?  Is being constantly available for incoming messages—electronic, by phone and in-person—distracting you and causing your use of time to suffer?

Time management experts advise us to limit the distractions by turning off the chime that announces incoming email and set specific times to read email, return voice mail messages and respond to snail mail.  One of my former colleagues actually left her desk and worked in the conference room when the distraction of over-availability interfered with her effectiveness.  Maybe those measures are too drastic for your work environment but I invite you to be creative in thinking about how to limit the intrusive and disruptive messages.  For Chloe, a treat will usually get her re-focused on the purpose of the walk—what will work for you?

What structure would help you organize your response-ability to reduce distractions and increase focus?

How could you apply Chloe’s lesson about time management?  Click on comments and offer your thoughts, ideas and opinions.  Don’t worry—if you disagree with Chloe, she can take that feedback as well.  She just loves to hear from you!

 

Chloe's Chronicles Volume III, Number 1

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

Chloe has recently experienced some frightening events and reacted like many of her human counterparts in the business world of the fourth quarter of 2008.

 

We recently had guests, both human and canine, that Chloe did not recognize and she made it very clear that she was out of her comfort zone.  She barked at a pitch, volume and frequency that she uses only when she feels her territory is threatened; the hair down her back was standing straight up and she was ready to pounce if needed.  Our visiting dogs responded in kind and the cacophony of barking quickly escalated to a deafening level.

Out in the business world, there is a lot of fear-based barking going on these days as employees worry about their jobs and employers worry about their survival.  The barking is not actually reducing the fear or resolving the market problems; it is only creating a lot of noise that cannot be ignored.

 

Have you heard it?  Co-workers snipping at each other over minor irritations, employees being too abrupt with customers, competition for hours or jobs escalating, a palpable level of tension in the environment. 

 

At a purely logical level you might think that fear and vulnerability would lead people to band together, treat customers with extreme care in order to retain them and try to be the company super-star to increase their value to the company.  Instead, the fear and uncertainty is bringing out the worst, not the best in many people and they are barking loudly and unrelentingly.

 

We were able to calm Chloe’s barking by staying calm and reassuring her.  As the hair on her back began to lie down and she stopped barking, she was able to investigate the guests and realistically assess the risk level.  With the new information, she relaxed and eventually began to play with her new best friends.

 

Chloe’s management lesson is all about getting past the barking to a calmer state of being that allows for clearer thinking.  Just as she needed a calm presence and reassuring voice, so do today’s business people.  If you are the leader, talk calmly with your team about how things are and what you see. If you need to be talked down before you do that, reach out to someone who can help you stop barking. 

 

For many businesses, things are tough right now and the future is uncertain.  And, barking does not really help.  How will you get past your barking to get to your best thinking self?

 

How could you apply Chloe’s lesson about barking during this uncertain time?  Click on comments and offer your thoughts, ideas and opinions.  Don’t worry—if you disagree with Chloe, she can take that feedback as well…with only a little barking.

Chloe's Chronicles Volume II, Number 12

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

Chloe’s management lesson this month comes from her social world, doggie daycare, a true microcosm of leadership, both formal and informal.

 

I must warn you: this lesson involves descriptions of bodily functions.  If that kind of thing offends or disturbs you, please just skip down to the lessons for leaders below.  If not, you have got to hear what she’s been up to now!

 

Chloe, as you probably surmised from her name, is a female, and like all female dogs, built to squat when she pees.  However, she’s been going to doggie daycare a day or two a week for a couple years now and she hangs out there with dogs both male and female.  She has apparently been an astute observer of the differences in behavior and decided that she will not be restricted to the role assigned her by nature.

 

 

Chloe has been practicing lifting her leg to pee.  When we are out for her daily walks, she finds a shrub or rock and lifts her leg on it before she begins peeing.  Since this is not a function for which she is naturally designed, she often loses her balance and wobbles precariously before putting her leg back on the ground and squatting as nature intended for her.  And yet, with practice, she’s getting better balance and today was actually able to lift her leg on a rock and relieve herself without falling over or touching her foot back to the ground.

 

The power of the informal leaders in her daycare setting is obvious.  I’m sure it would never have occurred to her to try to lift her leg had she not observed someone else in her ‘work place’ doing so.  Once she saw a different way, she took on the challenge of emulating that behavior and in spite of the natural differences, has now mastered a process for which she was definitely not designed.

 

The lesson for business leaders?  Never underestimate the influence of informal leadership in your company!  If you are the designated leader, understand that in order for your message to be accepted, the informal leaders are a vital communication link.

 

 

How can you make the influence of informal leaders a positive force for your business?

 

How could you apply Chloe’s lesson about informal leadership?  Click on comments and offer your thoughts, ideas and opinions.  Don’t worry—if you disagree with Chloe, she can take that feedback as well.  She’d love to hear from you!

Chloe's Chronicles Volume II, Number 10

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

 

Last month in Canada and this month in the United States, we formally pause to recognize the importance of gratitude by celebrating a Thanksgiving holiday.  The Management Muse can’t read the calendar so she doesn’t know that she is supposed to set aside just one day a year to acknowledge those things for which she is thankful so she extends the practice to most every day.  Now, how wise is that?

Chloe asks nicely for the things she receives.  When she receives her meals, she sits and shakes hands, when she is offered a treat, she sits up and waves and when I come home, she expresses her delight with a warm and enthusiastic greeting.

I am not recommending a direct transfer of Chloe’s gratitude practices to the business world.  Your customers and employees are unlikely to appreciate your sitting up and waving or nuzzling them with your nose to say hello, while a warm greeting and a genuine expression of joy in seeing them would be most welcome.

 

To make the expression of gratitude more meaningful, be specific about the personal quality or behavior you appreciate.  It is nice to thank employees for their work at the end of the day but imagine how much more powerful it is to specifically mention one of that individual’s contributions during the day.  How would your team members respond to hearing, “Thanks for bringing your wonderful sense of humor to work today.  It really helped us all.”  Or, “The way you talked to that customer was gracious and friendly.  Thanks for creating that great first impression.”

 

It’s rewarding to work with Chloe because she always lets me know how grateful she is for what she gets from me.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

How could you apply Chloe’s gratitude lesson during this season and throughout the year?  Click on comments and offer your thoughts, ideas and opinions.  Don’t worry—if you disagree with Chloe, she can take that feedback as well.

Chloe's Chronicles Volume II, Number 9

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse 

The dictionary defines muse as a source of inspiration, and while I find Chloe to be very inspiring, it isn’t always easy to glean the message for the art and science of management from her daily behavior. 

Chloe sleeps most of the day, and, while I believe a nap is good for the body and soul, there did not seem to be an inspiring message for management in that.  Until I paid close attention to the details. 

 

Chloe loves to nap in the sunshine so through the day, she moves from one location to the next, following the rays of sunshine streaming in through the window.  She will twist and turn until she has at least part of her body in the sunbeam and then snooze.  When the sun moves, she will lazily get up, re-position herself for maximum sunshine exposure and lie down again with a heavy sigh, close her eyes and continue napping.  Yesterday she managed to get only her nose in the sunshine and in order to do that, she had her head under an end table, stretched out as far as she could manage and still sleep comfortably.

 

So, what’s so inspiring about that?  I think it is all about being fully present in each moment, taking in the information available right now, at this moment, and responding accordingly.  Chloe chooses her napping spot based on the position of the sun at a given moment, not where it was an hour ago or yesterday.  She reviews her options and considers the other factors that might make the nap location more beneficial—is there a soft rug there?  Are there objects that interfere with the sun’s exposure?  Is it warmer inside or out at this moment?

 

In times of business uncertainty, how powerful would it be to live in the moment, considering the relevant data available right now and choosing action accordingly?  Chloe has figured out how to conduct an environmental scan and incorporate the current data as she makes her vital decisions of the day.  How would your decisions improve by being in the moment?

 

How could you apply Chloe’s lesson about being present?  Click on comments and offer your thoughts, ideas and opinions.  Don’t worry—if you disagree with Chloe, she can consider that data too.

Chloe's Chronicles Volume II, Number 8

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse
 

Even the management muse has to be managed.

 

In spite of what I believe to be very clear guidelines and expectations for greeting guests Chloe is often much too enthusiastic in her welcoming rituals.  She wants to let our visitors know how happy she is to see them so she quickly sniffs their feet and then tries to jump up to plant a big sloppy kiss on their face.  At her size and strength, her enthusiasm can be overwhelming rather than welcoming.

 

While I am pleased that she wants all to feel welcome here, her unbridled joy is too much for most.  Good concept but the execution lacks an element of self-restraint.

 

The training challenge is to catch Chloe doing “nice greeting” and reward that behavior.  Rarely am I able to give the command and reward her compliance before her feet leave the floor and her focus shifts to the guest at the door.  Then I get anxious about her dirty paw prints on people and try to stop the misbehavior, which only escalates her excitement.

 

We have been working on this behavior for some time and if she were a human employee, I would be tempted to think she is just stubbornly refusing to comply for selfish reason.  I know better with Chloe, but I do hear that rationale applied to employee actions.  When the manager is looking for a particularly behavior they will sometimes say that the employee is capable of complying, if only they were not so stubborn or defensive or some other quality that separates their agenda from the best interests of the company.

 

Chloe undoubtedly believes she has a better way of greeting guests and is reluctant to give up her process for one I want to impose.  If we spoke the same language, we could discuss the issue and hopefully come to an agreement about what experience we want to create for our visitors. Absent the benefit of language, I am left to work on my timing and my response so that I more often catch her doing the right thing and reward that behavior. 

 

What could you work on to improve employee cooperation?

 

What can you learn from Chloe’s training challenge?  Get in on the discussion, click on Comments below and let Chloe know what you think of her lesson.

Chloe's Chronicles Volume II, Number 7

Chloe’s Chronicles:Views from the Management Muse
 

How do you handle mistakes within your company?  Chloe’s latest management lesson began when she made a colossal mistake and we all had to deal with the consequences.

 

We were visiting a lake nearby when Chloe, running off leash and joyfully exploring the new territory, found something deliciously tempting lying on the beach.  She snatched it up and in spite of my “drop it” command, swallowed it quickly before I could get to it.  Had she only obeyed my commands, the entire next week would have been more pleasant for all concerned.

 

She quickly realized her mistake and began compensating for it by eating grass obsessively.  It was apparent that she felt awful and was doing what she instinctively knew to alleviate her discomfort.  She sought comfort and reassurance from me while she did what she could to remedy the mistake.

 

Chloe and I don’t speak the same language so I didn’t understand exactly what she needed.  I called in the veterinarian to serve as translator and X-rays and blood tests helped us figure out how to remedy the mistake. Over the course of the next few days, I coaxed her to take her medications, allowed her to nibble on the lawn and shrubs as she needed and provided the comfort and affection that made both of us feel better.

 

I can’t say that Chloe has learned a lesson from her mistake, in spite of the unpleasantness she experienced.  If another tempting morsel presented itself today, she would undoubtedly try to beat me to it.  So, I’ve shifted my focus from trying to intervene once she has it in her mouth to better training for the desired behavior consistently.  I want her to learn that the “leave it” command applies every time, no matter how enticing the tidbit she’s found and once she’s able to do that, we will have reduced the possibility of mistakes and their consequences.

 

How does Chloe’s mistake compare to your process when a mistake is made? 

 

Is the offending party supported as a part of the pack, even while the mistake is being rectified?  Or, is there more emphasis on fixing the blame than fixing the problem? 

 

What can you learn from Chloe’s mistake?  Get in on the discussion, click on Comments below and let Chloe know what you think of her lesson.