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Leading with Manners Positivity and Heroics

Written by: Robert Braathe

Article Overview: Using basic rituals and principles to enhance productivity, this article touches on some of the key points leaders need to hit to be successful.

Leading with Manners Positivity and Heroics

It can be stated that the best leaders are the ones who may not know how to do every task, but know how every task needs to be done. These leaders also know how to get and bring out the best in all of their talent. By following some basic steps, and what I call Manners, Positivity, Heroics, anyone can be an effective leader.
The article “Workplace Rituals Enhance Productivity” by Katherine Cameron provides some great examples of what I talk about when I discuss with people the leadership methods that have worked for me. I have chosen the subheadings of this article to expand on the philosophies I feel are so important when dealing with improving and maintaining productivity

INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES
Cameron touches on how meetings should be frequent, unscheduled, and individual. These meetings need to have proper follow-up through effective communication and note taking.

In practice, it is important to make any meeting with employees unique to that individual. As well, having meetings that occur daily, even if informal, create clear communication and keep your employees on their toes.
Too often, I have seen methods of scheduling meetings that don’t ever take place, or meetings that are too canned and lacking content. In one of my roles, there was a standing meeting on the same shift each month for each employee. Not only did this create chaos with trying to coordinate schedules, it created an overly strict set of opportunities where employees could formally meet with management.

WANDERING AROUND
Another lost art that Cameron discusses is the art of “managing by walking around”. Cameron indicates that not only do managers need to walk through employee areas when they are on the way to a meeting; “a manager must block out time on a calendar, and make this a practice”.
To be an effective manager by wandering around, a manager will not only offer polite pleasantries; they will also step in and show their employees how their job can be done more effectively, either through demonstration or walking them through the process. They will display a positive attitude and posture at all times during this walking around period. If managers expect to be a great example, they need to be the example.

GROUP MEETINGS
Group meetings can be effective if used properly. These are times for more focused communication to take place amongst team members who don’t ordinarily work together. To prevent group meetings from being ineffective, it is important to develop a structure and a plan for what the meetings will accomplish.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
“Proper prior planning prevents pretty poor performance” was a quote given to me from my undergrad professor of management at UMass. Without a plan, you can’t expect there to be optimum productivity. Plans need to be flexible enough to allow for change, but also rigid enough to reach goals in a reasonable period.

ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
The performance evaluation process needs to involve specific expected results that enable the leader to inspire and the employee to see results that they can then show the leader. Too often, reviews get stuck in a pattern where all decisions for the year are based solely on the results of a performance review.
To create performance evaluations that are heroic, it is important to review the review year-round with the employee to touch on what needs to be accomplished. Don’t let the review sit in a drawer until the next year comes around. With the review being a regular part of employee communication, you will create better results and keep the employees focused.


INTERDEPENDENCE IS KEY
Communication is a two-way street. In order for the process to work, you need to ensure that you spend time developing open communication strategies with your people. By acting on what you say and working with your employee on developing a solid relationship, the results can only be improved.

APPLYING THESE PRINCIPLES TO YOUR WORKPLACE
In my upcoming book, Leading With Manners, Positivity, Heroics, I will touch on a number of topics related to dealing with employees and being a great leader, no matter the setting. Below, you will find some examples of the principles related to productivity.

THE ONLY CHECKLIST YOU NEED
Eliminate checklists where possible. In a meeting once, one of my colleagues shouted it out “Our employees don’t need a checklist. Their checklist should read #1: Work!!!
By working alongside and with your people, and making yourself available, you can create a productive work environment without a litany of useless paperwork.



POSTING THINGS YOU BELIEVE IN TO GET REACTIONS
Post ways of doing things more efficiently in areas where the activities you are looking to change take place. An example of this is how I streamlined our process of new product requests. To ensure that customers got the products they wanted, I made sure we had one central location for all requests to be handled. This prevented repetitive ordering, and ensures that each customer was contacted upon request.

ORGANIZATIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY
Do you work somewhere that is a mess? Sometimes throwing out everything in a filing cabinet will create an environment where changes MUST take place. In cleaning our office recently, I accidentally threw out our “training program” folder that contained all the training materials for the store. Because I had developed a great relationship with the storeowners, they were not really upset, and looked at it as an opportunity to try out new things when it comes to training. We even developed a standard list of 20 things we believe in for the store by mimicking the program used by the Ritz Carlton.
In the event you find that your company is in total disarray, organizational chemotherapy must take place. It may hurt for a while, but like any cancer, it must be done. Whether it be emptying of a filing cabinet, reinventing a process, or reassigning roles, drastic change creates drastic changes in results.




TO ENSURE OPTIMUM PRODUCTIVITY
1. Throw out the processes that don’t work
2. Eliminate the paperwork that stifles production
3. Continually improve your best processes
4. Continually inspire your people through leading by example


As a leader who practices Manners, Positivity, Heroics, I conclude this article based on those three words. By being polite through always acknowledging your staff, you create an environment of trust. Through a positive friendly work environment that not only includes friendly people but also friendly conditions, you design a structure that is ergonomic physically and mentally. And through the little acts of heroism that you practice every day through getting the little things done right, your productivity will grow immensely through continuous small gains.

SOURCES
Cameron, Katherine. “Workplace Rituals Enhance Productivity”. HR Magazine, Feb 1998

Related Articles
  the A-Z of sales success
  Manners Always Matter
  Positivity at Work
  \"The Business of Business Manners at Meetings\"
  Emotions’ Role in Business - The Business Case for Positivity

Article Tags: cameron, chaos, conferences, effective communication, effective leader, heroics, job, leadership methods, manners, philosophies, pleasantries, productivity, rituals, subheadings, toes



Related Forum Posts
Re: i get really, really pissed off when . . . . - Manners? People still have those??? [quote="Mal Tindle":38uhfa1f]Monday August 2nd Nothing pisses me off more than bad manners !!! Mal.[/quote:38uhfa1f]
Re: How to Promote a MLM Business? - I have to agree with several of the previous posts here. Having your own site so that you can get it ranked is a big one. Also, as stated above, using a "passive" recruiting style works really well. Leading by example, people will naturally want to follow you over time if you prove yourself a leader. Bottom line, if you are promoting your opportunity or products, you are losing sales. About 85% of the population hates to be sold. Promote YOU, build relationships and let the business fall in place after that. Bill
Web Pro News' "Mom's Top 10 Reasons to Social (Web)Mark - I belong to WebProNews, a weekly eletter which provides lots of good info. I reproduce their whole article below on "Mom's Guide To Social Marketing" (No intent on violating copyright - if you think this is good info you too should subscribe to Web Pro News too.) Your mother, if she did her job right, taught you everything you need to know about how to get along in the world and how to get ahead in it. When we were kids, we thought these rules were silly, but later we learned her advice was pretty valuable. In honor of Mother's Day (May 13), we've put her wisdom to work in online marketing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Editor's Note: Social marketing is quickly becoming an integral part of generating business online. While search is the on-ramp, social networks are the destination. And just like any social setting, your rep is important. Mom's Guide to Life, we thought, was a great Guide to Everything. Did we forget some valuable tip? Let us know in the comments section. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mom's Top 10 Steps To A Good Online Reputation 1. Put Your Best Foot Forward: As recently as a year ago, when things were newer, more experimental, a presence on MySpace only was fine. Not so anymore. You have to be everywhere, treating branding in the online world the way you would in the real world. Most social networks allow you to set up a profile page for free (the ones that matter most do anyway). Create your online persona (a polite one), then clone it as necessary. 2. Make Eye Contact: Just like in the real world, wallflowers don't get noticed. The wallflower is most likely an incredible resource – it's just that nobody knows her because she doesn't put herself out there. Be a participant by commenting, inviting, giving. Show up at your new neighbor's door with a gift. It always goes over well – just remember to button your blouse. 3. You Are a Reflection of Your Mother (Company): Nobody likes a poorly kept lawn except the lazy bum that lives behind it. Maintain your public face on the social networks, shine your shoes, crease your pants, embrace your OCD. It may not be your homepage, but it is a home away from home. Maintaining several of these online presences is work, but so is business. 4. Keep An Open Mind: There's an appropriate cliché for every situation – all your eggs in one basket comes to mind here – but I prefer my grandfather's chestnut: "You drove your ducks to a damn poor market." Poetic, that man was. For a long time it was search, search, search. Before that it was email, email, email. But now you need to integrate your campaign. Search is a staple, a pillar of your online campaign, but we also know that Wikipedia ranks consistently number one in the SERPs. That means you need a Wikipedia page, too. Note: YouTube also ranks well. 5. Become Necessary: Viral marketing is tricky, difficult business. But maybe it doesn't have to be. Maybe if you realign your approach to reflect what you, as an individual enjoy, instead of being a salesperson, you can find a more intuitive connection with what the public wants to see. It's often been said that a salesman sells himself more than the product. So if you want to make linkbait, think about what would cause you to bite first. If you look at your viral attempt and see more corporate talking points than linkable material, it's time for a do-over. 6. Like the People that Like You (Even If You Think They're Annoying): Barack Obama's campaign people did something brilliant, and followed up with something not so brilliant. That makes it a great case study. An Obama fan set up a MySpace page and soon attracted thousands of friends. Instead of competing with his biggest fan, Obama endorsed the site as the official MySpace campaign headquarters. That was the brilliant part. After the page "got too big" for the original operator, the campaign crew took staged a coup to wrest control of the page from their biggest fan. That was the not so brilliant part, even if politics is mean by nature. 7. Watch Your Mouth: Again with the clichés that still hold true – if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all. Steve Rubel learned the hard way that stream-of-consciousness blogging can have you saying something you wish you hadn’t. Transparency doesn't mean total access. 8. Don't Be a Fake: Who do we dislike most in civilized society (aside from the violent)? Liars, cheats, and thieves. We don't like them because we view them as betrayers. That principle applies online, too, when your network discovers you're not what you say you are. And the mob's wrath is one that is hard to endure. Ask Edelman PR about their Wal-Marting Across America campaign. 9. Mind Your Manners: Mom's favorite Bible verse still applies: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Commonly referred to as the Golden Rule on Earth, in Cyberspace, manners and etiquette are becoming increasingly more important. People are getting angry about anonymous drive-by (rude) commentary, salesy and useless comment spam (spam in general constitutes harassment in some form)…the list of ethics and etiquette violations is a long one, so it's probably best to ask yourself: Would I appreciate this if it were done to me? 10. Stay Hip. Right now, MySpace, Facebook, Wikipedia, and YouTube are essential, but they're still relatively new. Few really saw SecondLife coming as a virtual marketplace. Still yet, only the early adopters are talking about Twitter. But change online is swift, and the smart marketer keeps up with what's hot. The last thing you want to do is look outdated. Just don't sell out your core identity in the process. While that's just ten guidelines out of many, Mom always had one rule that ruled them all: Use your head, dodo bird! This is a thinking man's game. Indeed it is. Good luck with your campaigns.


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