Gary English

Offers advice on reviewing and changing employee training programs on time management. Objectives and inadequacies of such programs; Absence of realism in time management examples; Training for mental change; Causes of variation in labor productivity.

Beating the Clock Time to Review TimeManagement Training

Have you ever seen a zombie at work (outside of the office Halloween party, that is)? Have you ever been a zombie at work? We’re not afraid of raising our hand on that. According to Gallup, approximately two-thirds of the US workforce is unengaged—these employees are going through the motions. At CEEK, we refer to unengaged employees as “zombies in the workforce.”Collins English Dictionary defines a zombie as, “a person who is or appears to be lifeless, apathetic, or totally lacking in independent judgment.” Are you uninspired and complacent in your job? Like the zombies of popular fiction, are you lifeless, apathetic, or lacking in independent judgement? If this is you, or if you are surrounded by zombies in the workforce, we have some thoughts on how you can re-engage and inspire your colleagues.Thousands of books, articles, and blog posts have been written on the reasons why employees disengage. Reasons vary from poor management or questionable policies to substandard working conditions, unclear priorities, or a lack of balance and general disregard for employees’ welfare. These are all just symptoms of disengagement. We contend that you will find the root cause of disengagement wherever professed values differ from demonstrated behaviors. That root cause is hypocrisy. It’s what makes people susceptible to zombie outbreaks.Are Your Values and Behaviors Aligned?Do you profess collaboration as a core value yet work behind closed doors? Do you value accountability yet show up late for every meeting? Or do you profess healthy balance as a priority yet demand night and weekend work?Hypocrisy within organizations often is not intentional or malicious; instead, it reflects a lack of shared understanding. Employees hold different standards by which they assess the demonstration of the organization’s core values.If respect is a core value of our organization, what does respect mean in terms of employee management? Does respect mean that we provide employees every opportunity to learn and improve? Or do we respect the workforce by confronting employee problems in a timely and direct manner?What Can You Do?If, as Peter Drucker says, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” why would you have a strategic plan but not a culture plan? To minimize the impact of hypocrisy, we encourage you to develop an intentional culture plan using these steps to get you started:Define your values. If you have not already, engage your team to define the core values by which you will hold each other accountable. Select three to five values that differentiate your team in service to your stakeholders and colleagues.Articulate behaviors. Brainstorm with your team to define the expected behaviors that represent the application of the value (and those behaviors that do not). To do this, group like statements together and vote to embrace four to six behaviors for each value.Establish rituals. Intentionally define daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly rituals that represent a tangible, recurring application of your core values. We recommend teams adopt eight to 12 rituals that further reflect the values.For example, we established integrity as a differentiating core value within our company. One of four associated behaviors is to honor our wholeness. Via this behavior, we promote the well-being and balance of our colleagues. We embrace “analog time,” a weekly ritual that allows staff to be offline for a two-hour window during normal working hours. We use this time to promote personal well-being. We recognize that a healthy, engaged, and inspired workforce is good business.Next StepsNo matter where you sit in your organization, you have an opportunity to influence culture. Whether you lead your family, a team of 10, an office of hundreds, or agency of thousands, we encourage you to minimize hypocrisy. Clarify and align behavioral expectations with your values. Once you minimize the one element—hypocrisy—that most commonly destroys engagement, you will be positioned to inspire and promote even higher levels of engagement. Join us in at ATD21 in Salt Lake City to find out more about intentional culture plans and how you can fight hypocrisy and save workforce zombies.

Hypocrisy Makes Zombies

In the movie, The Imitation Game, English scientists are charged with breaking the secret Nazi message code in World War II—thereby saving thousands of lives and ending the war. But, just as with the people you provide training for, there are people challenges, as well as technical hurdles to overcome. The leader, Dr. Alan Turing, is difficult, moody, rude, and hard to like. One team member tells him that the others won’t help him with this monumental task unless he is more likeable. The next scene shows Turning telling a joke and offering an apple to each team member. Even these awkward efforts bring about a positive shift in how the team members feel about Turing and their willingness to listen to his ideas.   More than 60 years later, H_arvard Business Review_ confirmed what Turing’s team member already knew. In a study called, “Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools,” authors Casciaro and Lobo report that when people are asked whether they’d choose to work with someone who’s competent or someone who’s likeable, they say they’d choose the competent colleague.  But, in real-life situations, when it comes to choosing people to work with, likeability is what attracts—not competence.  Bottom line: When people consider who to turn to, who to ask for help, and who to trust, likeability wins. So what is likeability? It’s not an inborn trait enjoyed by some special few. Likeability comes from a wide variety of behaviors that can be learned. In fact, likeability is of increasing interest to learning and development experts because of its strong impact on the make-up and performance of teams. Indeed, likeable people are congenial, pleasing, agreeable, sociable, good natured, pleasant, gracious, cordial, cheerful, sunny, and enjoyable. Doesn’t that sound like a workplace you’d like to be part of?  More importantly, likeability even matters in the C-suite. Indeed, when Lockheed Martin appointed its new CEO, Marilyn. A. Hewson, the outgoing chief executive, Robert J. Stevens, said, “She is a genuinely likeable person who understands people and connects with people in this company at an individual level.” After observing and teaching hundreds of clients, we believe that there are three kinds of likeable—and very learnable—behaviors. #1: Some behaviors say “I enjoy you,” such as when:Jim puts his phone away as he talks with Joe.Susan smiles and waves to Carlos when he comes into the room.Janice sends Beth a funny card that reminds them of a time they’ve enjoyed together.#2: Some behaviors signal, “I know you,” such as when:Ben sends Roger a book on the very topic he’s boning up on for his new job.Linda remembers that Anne likes oranges and saves one for her from the conference breakfast bar.June introduces Ling to a coworker and mentions something they have in common.#3: Some behaviors are code for, “I respect you,” such as whenDon asks Samantha for advice.Mary invites Gloria to go first when they’re in line for coffee together.Susan changes her plans so that she can stay and talk with Maria longer.   So, what’s the bottom-line benefit of likeability? Being likeable sends positive messages and draws people toward each other. Familiarity creates more liking. When two people, who like each other, connect and converse, good things happen. Trust grows. New relationships flourish. New ideas bloom. Old problems are solved. People feel more engaged and committed. New hires become part of the team more quickly. In other words, new value is created for the organization.

Gary English

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