This is a long one, but it should provide you with brain food for the current health care reform debate.
Those of you who know me know that I am direct, straight-forward and try to cut through the fluff and get to the point. That’s why I have moved on from corporate America where the politics and bureaucracy stifles momentum. When I read about health care “reform” and see the maneuvering, it makes my blood boil.
A few weeks ago, I was reading Newsweek and came across an article about health care reform. The graphic introduction summarized what to expect:
▪ You will be required to buy health insurance
▪ Exchanges will provide affordable plans
▪ You cannot be denied coverage based on a pre-existing condition
▪ “Cadillac” plans may be eliminated
▪ Your kids can stay on your insurance longer
▪ Costs will be capped
▪ The government may help you pay your premiums
▪ Medical drug benefits will improve
▪ Riskier customers cannot be charged astronomical premiums
▪ Medicaid will service more people
Well, it sure sounds like a little something for everyone. It’s a program all right. There is what I will call a “consumers bill of health care rights” but, there is nothing really about reform. And, reform in my books includes accountability. Accountability by the vendors, providers AND patients.
I spent some time in the benefits area of health care and still get Employee Benefits News, a publication that does a good job of presenting various issues and a range of views. I found the following article in the December 2009 edition. Health care reform in six steps – well, not maybe steps, but definitely what needs to be fixed and the stakeholders of accountability.
What does this have to do with SMART business? Hmmmm….you tell me.
A fix in six – Six steps to achieve cost-effective health care reform
By Christy Yaccarino
From the December 2, 2009 issue of Employee Benefit News located at
Much has been said about how best to reform the U.S. health care system. Yet, for all the opinions and proposals, I haven’t seen one that truly makes sense.
There are pieces of each proposal that are great ideas, but we have to take those pieces and put them together to formulate a plan that makes sense. Most politicians don’t fully understand the health care system and the staggering costs that employers face year after year as they cover their employees.
Yet most employees, and most Americans overall, are happy with their health care – they just want it to cost less. It’s possible to control costs while keeping the employer based health insurance model in place by following my six steps to health care reform – six steps that don’t total anywhere near the $1 trillion pricetag of current proposals….
If you are trying to steer a new course, be sure your seasoned veterans and new recruits are on board!
It Takes Many Hands to Move a Ship
Maybe you have heard from, or commiserated with, other owners and managers who have been trying to “turn the ship” and feel that it is a solitary endeavor. Steering a new course is always challenging, but if you agree with the premise that it is easier to steer a ship when all hands set the rigging toward your intended heading, then it makes sense to bring your “crew” up to speed with your plans and not to consider them as adversaries. If you see yourself as solely responsible for bringing about change, your employees will probably wonder where, if at all, they fit into your plans. When they know “something”—but not “what”—is going on, they may fear that any action might hinder rather than assist your change, or they may take incorrect action. This can take the “wind out of their sails” and cause them to step back and avoid any actions that you may potentially welcome.
Keep an Open Mind
If you are coming into a new situation, keep an open mind about an individual employee’s performance. Most people perform differently under various circumstances. Evaluate any information given to you by previous management in light of your own observations. Communicate and interact with employees to learn more about their strengths and weaknesses and how they interact and work with others. You may be able to inspire a disgruntled or underutilized employee to step up and meet new challenges. Going into a new endeavor with a “clean house” approach usually becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy and can cripple your business, leaving it short on valuable experience. Better to go with a “clean slate” approach.
Address Employee Fears
Employee resistance to change is largely based on fear of change. If your employees appear to be resisting change, ask questions to find out why. They may fear that the company will not survive a change or that they will lose their job. Change may bring specific challenges to them that they feel ill-equipped to meet. Communicate your reasons for bringing change to the company and the negative consequences of not taking action. Listen to and acknowledge your employees’ thoughts. Try to minimize the hardships of change for employees. If job responsibilities are changed, offer an opportunity for training. If an employee wants to take this opportunity to try something different, see if this can fit with, or even facilitate, your plans. If you need to cut staff in some areas, retained staff will judge how you handle it. You might shuffle staff in different groups; give ample notice; or provide outplacement assistance, severance, or re-training.
Communications priorities sure have changed as email tries to take over our professional and personal lives. We are all inundated with emails. It’s overwhelming. We need to be selective – we understand all of that and do our best. Yet, it doesn’t stop with emails. There are those which I call the email permutations: texts, tweets, IMs, Facebooking, Pings, etc. And as if that’s not enough, there are the pre-recorded phone calls, cluttering the way for the poor sales person who does attempt to make cold phone calls (I still have a soft spot for them). Then, there is snail mail. And, between all of those, there are the many phones and voice mails we seemed to be chained to – for whatever reason.
The dilemma is: how to respond?
Let’s put them in perspective or – dare we say – priority with a corresponding responsibility when you are on the receiving end.
The personal phone call (or voice mail) – When I want to speak with someone, I pick up the phone and call them. It still has the most professional impact, and personal interaction goes a lot farther than any other means of communications. Yes, I know the college kids today mostly communicate via text message, but that should change in the workplace. At least I hope it does!
Responsibility: Call me old fashioned, but if someone takes the time to call me personally, I return the call. I may not be able to do it immediately, but I do respond. It’s professional courtesy. And, people don’t forget.
The personal email – Amidst all of the email clutter, there are emails from people who just feel more comfortable sending an email. Or, maybe it’s the best way they can communicate. I’m a perfect example. While I would rather pick up the phone to communicate, sometimes I run out of hours in the business day. Being a business owner, my day doesn’t stop at 5pm. As a night owl who is productive when the phone stops ringing, I can crank out a lot of responses and outreaches via email.
Responsibility: If someone takes the time to send me a personal email, I either respond via email or phone. It may take me a while to either get to it or find the time to craft an appropriate response, but I usually respond. I say ‘usually’ because with the number of emails (400 or so a day), some can get inadvertently lost in the ever-growing inbox or deleted in the semi-weekly purge.
The rest – And then there is the rest of the story. Depending on your chosen method (or generation) of communication, you brand yourself by your outreach and by your response.
Responsibility: No matter what your choice of communication, your response brands you. It demonstrates your image, professionalism, and respect for clients, colleagues, and business associates.
Your Professional Business Courtesy makes the difference When SMARTBusiness Matters.
Great leaders know there is no sense in blazing a path if nobody will follow. You have to own the responsibilities of leadership as well as the trappings in order to create an effective team.
A simple definition of leadership is “the ability to lead.”
As business owners and management, you are expected to direct, guide, or command a group of people and a variety of business activities. Leaders are people who set the path of and the tone for their companies’ objectives. Hopefully the path you’ve chosen will be a good one, but it is important to remember that you also have to take responsibility for the weaker decisions you will ultimately make. More often than not, how you handle the bad times defines your leadership ability to your staff and others.
Recognize your strengths and weaknesses.
Nobody is perfect. We all have strengths, and we are all flawed in some way. Often, leaders are tripped up because they don’t recognize their weaknesses or their strengths. At other times, they stumble because they don’t realize that, if overused, their strengths can become grave weaknesses and that a weakness may, at times, be their strength. Great leaders are self-aware.
Be willing to learn what you don’t know.
Great leaders recognize what they don’t know and are willing to learn from their staff, associates, and others. They listen to their staff and customers, solicit input, ask questions, analyze information, and then make the best decision they can with the information they have. While they are willing to redirect their course when necessary, they don’t vacillate in decision-making.
Keep the lines of communication open.
Communicate your vision for the company and its programs. Outline the mission to be accomplished so that everyone understands in which direction the company is headed and what is expected of them. Encourage all your employees to communicate. You want to keep communication flowing up and down through the chain of command. Great leaders “connect” with their staff and others and have the ability to pull many people together to achieve their goals.
Build a culture of trust.
Be honest and open with your staff in order to foster a climate of mutual trust. Engage your staff’s talents and rely on their strengths and advice. Provide constructive criticism to them but also be a system for support and a sounding board for them. Hold your staff accountable for their actions, but be sure to hold yourself accountable too.
Recognize and applaud the efforts of your staff.
Let employees know when they’ve done a good job, and be sure that they are recognized for their hard work, their brilliant ideas, and their many contributions to the company. Resist the urge to take all the credit for a project. Your recognition is important in encouraging employees to reach new heights. Great leaders realize that they get more done by effective delegation to employees willing to take on new challenges.
Great leadership comes with experience and continued growth.
Assess your leadership style and skills, and continue to learn and grow in areas where you may lack expertise. Your staff will appreciate your abilities and your dedication to your responsibilities. If you lead, they will follow.
Your employees’ ideas and passion for their work can help your business grow and succeed. Are your employees giving your company their all? Do they believe that what they’re doing is important? Do they feel appreciated? Do they arrive for work filled with purpose?
If you can’t honestly offer an enthusiastic “yes” to these questions, consider how you can improve your work environment and relationships to encourage employees to work with energy and enthusiasm. The results could be profitable –– personally and financially.
Provide tools. Make sure your employees have everything they need to do their jobs. Ask each staff member, “Do you have everything you need to be as productive and successful as you can be?” Be willing to act on worthwhile responses. Be willing to reconsider any policies they consider counterproductive.
Set expectations.Clearly communicate what’s expected of employees, what the company’s values are, and how the company defines success. Employees need to understand their roles, where they fit in the big picture, and how they can make the company more successful.
Share information.Provide as much information as possible about the company. Explain where it’s making money, where it’s losing money, how its products are doing in the marketplace, what new initiatives are being considered, and why and how employees can contribute. Even when the news is not encouraging, people will appreciate your openness. And, it may help to spark some creative ideas that you hadn’t yet considered.
Get personal.Take the time to get to know your employees, especially their goals. Without prying, show a genuine interest in your team. When employees feel understood, they’re more likely to contribute to the team’s success.
Commit to training. Most people like to learn, to grow, and to improve their marketability, and the more education and training you provide, the happier and more engaged they will feel. Cross-train employees in a variety of jobs when possible. This not only improves productivity, it builds cooperation and appreciation when team members understand the challenges of other positions. Also, be sure employees are trained in problem solving and conflict resolution skills. These critical skills will help them communicate better with you, their coworkers, customers, and suppliers.
Be inclusive. Include your employees in planning and decision making. Facts “on the ground” may differ from perceptions at 30,000 feet. They may see issues differently and offer ideas for working smarter. If you need to create a more efficient delivery system, ask your delivery staff how they would improve the current system. Use their ideas, and give them credit.
Reward and recognize.Personally thank an employee for a job well-done. Specify what was good about it and why you appreciate it. For example, say: “Thank you for organizing that project so well. You made it very clear what should happen, when and why.” Remember to celebrate effort as well as accomplishment, to give employees working on long-term goals a boost.
Following these strategies will help employees feel valued and enthusiastic about their jobs. Not only is this more fun, it’s good for business, improves retention, and reduces burn out.
Quick and Easy Ways to Recognize Employees
Take care of your employees, and they will take care of your customers. Here are a few inexpensive ways to make staff feel valued.
Free time:
Let high-performing teams leave early to miss rush-hour traffic.
Give an afternoon off to employees who have exceeded expectations for a particular customer or project.
Free food:
Sponsor a free lunch or breakfast for hard-working teams.
Subsidize the price of food in vending machines.
Provide gourmet coffee (this will also help to reduce excursions to the nearest Starbucks).
More ways to say thanks:
Create an events committee to plan fun outings, such as trips to a sporting event, a picnic, or a holiday party.
Say thank you with a handwritten note.
“People are definitely a company’s greatest asset. It doesn’t make any difference whether the product is cars or cosmetics. A company is only as good as the people it keeps.”
– Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics
Your employees’ ideas and passion for their work can help your business grow and succeed. Are your employees giving your company their all? Do they believe that what they’re doing is important? Do they feel appreciated? Do they arrive for work filled with purpose?