Dear Friends,

A few days ago I finished reading a book. It is called GUNG-HO! by Ken Blanchard. What inspired me most about it was the underlying philosophy of the book : ie., our People and  their capabilities are astrategic issues, a sacred issue for the organisation and not merely a resource to be deployed like money or any other tool. Therefore we HR managers need to handle them with acre and sensitivity and above all with integrity of Purpose as well as Means.

The book challenges and shatters many contemporary assumptions, approaches, beliefs and practices of the corporate and shows a new way of lookinga t and doing things.

The hero of the story, Andy Longclaw has given three mantras for rebuilding our organsiations. They are :
1. The spirit of the Squirrel.
2. The way of the Beaver.
3. The Gift of teh Goose.

Friends, i ahve tried my best to wrap up the learnings in thsi article. I will share about each of these mantras in separate articles. Thsi one is about 'The spirit of the Squirrel'.

Hope u enjoy it!

This story is a real story about an American organization. It is called Walter works#2 in the book. A lady called Penny Sinclair is sent there as the New GM. The plant has a very poor financial record but some of its employees are world class! She desperately needs to bring about a turnaround, but how can she do it in just 6 months!!

Her divisional officer complains about a Manager called Longcalw..He is an Indian and the divisional manager does not like him for strange reasons, is highly biased and wants him ousted. Penny thinks of getting rid of this divisional manager because of his narrow mindedness.

During her rounds in the plant she realizes that they have very good equipment and the workers are also very good . so main problem is a people problem, their motivation and morale which is hampering the financial success of the company.

She goes by the pool side and there by coincidence she meets this fellow Longclaw! He tells her about the amazing way his deptt works..it is called the finishing deptt and has been breaking records in productivity and efficiency consistently . It has been rated as the best deptt among the 30 deptts of the Plant! So how is Longclaw able to keep his workers motivated. If Penny cud know his secret formula, she cud pull the plant from the present dismal condition!

She honestly enquires from him..he gives a deep look to her and then says , it has taken him 5 years to do this, he is confident they can spread the fever to the rest of the plant as well in 1 year but he needs Penny’s commitment for it. They agree and become friends.

First thing Longclaw teaches her is that work needs to b respected. We spend half of our day working and then the rest half is also deeply affected by what we experience at our workplace, so it is very important to view work as not just a source of income but as an extension of our self esteem and self concept. This can happen only when the employee is motivated about his work. A meaningful motivation does not come merely from rewards and benefits but by the pride of doing worthwhile work! Worthwhile work is different from Important work..

‘ A worthwhile work is one which is important, which leads to well understood and shared goals and which is underlined by values that guide all the work plans, decisions and actions.’

i.e, the employee must understand how his work contributes to the well being of others & makes the world a better place to live in ( the social value, the human touch). It is not about what work u do but how u see the work u do. Ex; we may say that Mr. A carves 60 pieces of this part of a bicycle as per engg design everyday and the quality is around 80%. But we may also say that Mr. A carves a part of the brake on a boys bicycle and it needs to b done very carefully with 100% quality because this quality will determine the little boy’s safety and well being. That boy cud b anyone , anywhere…and Mr. A is responsible to see that he reaches places safely EVERYTIME.

Second point about shared goals: Often in our organizations the top management announces new goals, and tries to encourage employees to commit to them by voicing slogans, hanging charts, planning parties and distributing T-shirts etc. However all this merely creates a shared awareness of the goal and not a shared support and therefore often fail to b realized. Its something like we can take the horse to the lake but can’t force him to drink!!

We must first understand what a goal is?

Goals are marker posts we drive into the future landscape between where we are now and where we want to be. Goals focus attention productively.

There are two types of goals:

Result goals- Statements that set out where we want to be, like units worked on, finished or supplied.

Value goals- Statements that set out the impact we wanted to have on the lives of our employees, customers, suppliers & our community.

It is important to know where these goals come from? Management or Employees?

Mostly BOTH..But what is more important is that Goals need to be based on rock solid values. Goals do get people going but it is values that sustain that effort!

And it is our task, manger’s task and more unique responsibility than goal setting to insist that people adhere to the organisation’s values.

We need to realize that values are the real boss and we are leaders not police. We cant impose agreement but we need to impose conformity. Currently we usually retrench people for not performing upto targets but we must also refuse to work with people who do not deliver on our values!

We must realize that there is no such thing as ethics of convenience!

Goals are in future—they are set—and they can change BUT values are for now-they are lived and they are rocks we can count on;

Ex: the most basic value that each organization must follow is to ensure the safety and well being of its employees at all costs.

Here is a beautiful poem that speaks of the power of values!

Rocks hold firm while water’s might

Sends pebbles rolling left and right

Call pebbles rock? Set firm their goal?

First flash flood, still pebbles roll.

Not name , nor goal divide the two.

Its how they act, Its what they do.

Size dictates to stone, but YOU are in control.

Are you rock or pebble? Will You hold or roll?

Manly Grant (rhymes for the land)

However we can ensure workers’ commitment to the goals only if we are able to build a trusting relationship with them. So how to do that? There is no set formula for it! Yet is so crucial!

We can do it by telling them the truth. Tell them how they will benefit and invite them to join, because insisting will do nothing. It is important not just to walk your talk but to start with honest talk and tell the WHOLE Truth. Do not withhold your opinions, fears and don’t try to sugarcoat. Keep the center right and all else will follow automatically.

This can happen only when we put our workers first and focus on our team. Fear can make people to cling to a rescue plan but the support can evaporate equally fast, so it is important that each of our team members know ( from here we will address all our employees as team members because that is what they are, isn’t it?)

Why We Are Here ? What is the purpose of the organization? What are our goals? What values will guide us?

This exercise needs to be done seriously. Like at Walton Works #2 Penny, called a meeting of all her divisional managers and asked them to tell her what Walton works #2 is all about? What are our goals? What are our values? She kept calling these meeting till the divisional managers opened up and started sharing their ideas and understanding. Then the process was shifted one step down to the functional managers. and then down till each Team member ( TM) knew why he was there, his goals and his guiding values .

Earlier TMs typically focused on what they thought company should do and not what they should do , but slowly they started realizing that the company and they are but one. Each depends on the other for its existence and identity.

This step was very critical because participating in goal setting helped them to accept that their work made a difference! It was their answer, their idea and so it was firmly integrated in their mind and emotional system!.

#1 This Mantra is called “The Spirit Of The Squirrel”. If we ever get a chance, we should observe the squirrels…they are all running around to gather food for the winter. Each knows that they need to work now in order to save themselves in winter. The goal is clear , specific and agreed. They know exactly what they are doing and why. Moreover each squirrel protects other members of the team. Whenever there is a danger, the squirrel gives a cry to warn others. From we learn that the organization first exists for the people who work there. Their safety, and well being must ensured at all cost. Team Work is the first premise for organizational success!!! For this we need honesty, transparency and involvement! Are we prepared to give it??

Lets Think and also Feel..for none of te two are mutually exclusive....

Best Wishes

nethra