part0013

“The fields of industry are strewn with the bones of those organizations whose leadership became infested with dry rot, who believed in taking instead of giving ... who didn’t realize that the only assets that could not be replaced easily were the human ones.”

Imagine reaching into your cupboard for a can and coming out with a hand full of sticky, gooey ooze. That’s exactly what happened when my wife reached into our cabinet to grab a can of sliced peaches. The metal can had exploded sometime before, creating quite the mess in the cabinet and, eventually, on her hand. She looked for an expiration date on the peaches, but couldn’t find one. This nonperishable disaster left us stumped.

Ask yourself: When was the last time you checked the dates on your canned fruits, vegetables and soups? If you’re like most people, you don’t. And even if you are the kind of domestic god or goddess who diligently keeps track of food freshness in the pantry or cupboard, you could attest to the reality that most processed and canned goods are stamped with a “Best By” or “Sell By” date — not an “Expiration” date. So, how are you supposed to tell when a can is getting ready to explode?

My wife and I took all the cans out of the cupboard and inspected each one. We found that most of the cans had lids that were bowed in — slightly indented with circular grooves. This is an indication that the can is properly sealed and presumably safe to eat. The lids on three of the cans, however, were bowed out, a sign that the contents were under unusual pressure (perhaps from bacteria fermenting) and a good indication that these cans may be the next ones set to explode.

I’d challenge you to think about employee relationships the way I now think about canned goods in my cupboard — it’s important to remember that “checking in” on the health or expiration date of employee relationships is a good way to prevent a different kind of disastrous “ooze.”

Like cans, our team members can find themselves under enormous pressure and stress. If left unchecked, this pressure can explode — leaving you (and anyone around you) with a proverbial face full of ooze.

Picture this ... You are in the lobby of a large company when the receptionist “explodes.” She sweeps all the papers from her desk onto the floor, starts yelling, and storms outside to smoke a cigarette. She, my friends, is anything but a “peach” in this moment.

When she comes back in, she’s still seething. She says to the visitors in the lobby, who are watching her with curiosity and wondering if they should help pick up all the papers on the floor:

“I’m sick of this! I feel so left out. My leader never includes me in the team meetings and she never updates me afterward. I have no idea what’s going on around here. I’m out here in the lobby all day — every day — taking care of the needs of our visitors, but nobody takes care of my needs.”

It seems no one had been checking on her expiration date, ensuring she was safe and well-informed and fully engaged in her work and with her co-workers. She oozed, and if her leader isn’t thoughtful about how she handles it (and a little bit lucky too), the leader and the company will lose — either through attrition of this valuable employee or because she’ll keep collecting a paycheck without delivering her best because she’s fed up.

Studies have shown that happy employees are up to 20% more productive than their unhappy counterparts. 1 To be more productive, we need to feel like we matter to the people around us. Humans are social creatures — we crave friendship and positive interactions, almost as much as we crave food and water. So, it makes sense that the better our workplace relationships are, the happier and more productive we’ll be.

The secret is to check in frequently. It’s simple, really; like cans, people should be “checked” on a regular basis. For cans (not that I’m an expert), I’d suggest every three to six months. For people, check every day.

To keep the lid on, act like a VIP, which is an acronym you can use to remind yourself about the importance of proactively improving your worker relations. Here’s what it looks like to treat your team members like VIPs:

When trying out the VIP method, remember that visibility, interaction, and meaningful probing conversations exist on a two-way street. If you want your people to open up to you, you’ll have to open up to them. Daily “face time” with your team members is critical to gauging their pressure and stress. Most team members appreciate and admire leaders who are visible and interact with them on a personal level. Take the time daily to probe and find out what’s going well and what’s going wrong. Ask them if they have any concerns or are confused about anything. Again, ask how you can help.

Time for a break! When you’re ready, move ahead to another chapter/lesson and then come back to the following START Activity and Passport exercise during your second read-through of the book .