Where Are Your Executive Offices?
In my on-going quest for examples of values-based leadership, I occasionally run across companies who understand that exemplary treatment of employees is the key to outstanding customer service and customer relationships. While there are indeed a number of these companies, there are not enough.
Oden is one of these companies.
Oden is a Memphis-based branding consultancy. Their work is good, as validated by such companies as FedEx, International Paper, and other Fortune 1000 companies.
But I'm not interested in writing about "good" companies...I'm interested in companies who set examples for putting more emphasis on values than being "good"; I'm interested in companies who practice kindness.
These guys do.
Based on the values of their late founder, Dale Oden, Oden makes it clear what they are all about beginning on their website at http://www.oden.com/. Look closely at their links. You'll see links to categories such as culture, where they say " Heck, we'll even give away our secret: having a great culture is not about how cool your offices are, or how many parties you have, or how many benefits you get. It's about attitude. From leaders who have a genuine interest in, and respect for, the people they work with, to positive-thinking employees who love what they do and aren't afraid to be their silly selves "
I like this. This jumped out at me and I wanted to see for myself if the leaders at Oden did indeed have "a genuine interest in and respect for the people they work with". I wish I could tell you how many times I hear this without seeing evidence of it.
I contacted Bill Carkeet, CEO of Oden, and arranged for a tour. With great pride he showed me around their new offices in downtown Memphis.
Following again the values of their founder, Bill told me about how he and his partner, Bret Terwilleger, wanted to design an office layout that reflected respect for employees, were efficient, and fun.
Mission accomplished.
From small gathering areas for spontaneous "mini-meetings" to beautiful conference rooms, there are immediate feelings of warmth and professionalism that I have rarely seen.
But the best part of the tour was the lunchroom.
I am not giving enough credit to this area by calling it a lunchroom. As a matter of fact, the gathering place for lunch is named (by the employees, of course) the "Café O".
But what makes this special is that the employees' "café" sits in the corner of the refurbished building, overlooking downtown Memphis, at the prime corner of the building. It's the place for the most important aspect of the business; the place where most executives would have put THEIR offices.
"When we saw the view", Carkeet told me, "We knew immediately that we wanted this to be the place for our employees to gather."
And gather they do...from lunches together on Wednesday to hanging a disco-ball on Friday afternoons; Oden employee gatherings are an important part of their culture.
Do you think their employees noticed this when they first viewed the new offices? You bet they did. I did!
Companies like Oden are leading the Kindness Revolution. They are providing the examples of values-based leadership, coming from the top, which becomes measurable to employees and is passed on to clients.
They are also showing that in a market full of competitors, customers are making selection of service providers based less and less on price and quality because all companies claim to be competitive and more on feelings like "that is the kind of company I want to do business with".
Customers are saying everything else being equal, I want to do business with a company who treats their employees with respect, has fun at work, and provides great service.
Oden does.
What you can learn from the Oden story:
1) Treatment of employees leads directly to treatment of customers. There is no room for misunderstanding here...these two aspects are directly connected.
2) Employees notice what leaders do regarding respect for them. This respect, or lack of it, is immediately clear to visitors to your office.
3) Fun is possible at work! It adds to employee retention and what your employees (and customers) say about your company over dinner at night.
Why not try this in your company and watch for the difference it makes for your employees and your customers.
(c) 2007, Horrell Communications. Reprint rights granted so long as all links are made live.
Ed Horrell is the best-selling author of "The Kindness Revolution" and nationally syndicated columns. For information on how to start a kindness revolution in your organization, go to http://www.edhorrell.com/. For information on Oden Marketing and Design, go to http://www.oden.com/.
The 5 Keys To Inducting New Employees
Copyright (c) 2007 Authentic Resourcing Limited
When it comes to inducting new employees into your business you only get one chance.
Get it wrong and you have started to sow the seeds of doubt in the mind of your new starter in the first few weeks.Get it right and it will make a huge difference to how the person settles in. Without being perfectionist, the key is to make sure that every new starter feels excited and positive that they have made the right choice in joining your business.
The way to do this is to:
1. Get The Practical Stuff Right
Make sure you have practical aspects such as a desk, phone and computer ready, with a password. Get their name added to your email system or have a uniform ready for them as appropriate. Will they need business cards? Do they need a key or security pass to access the premises? Having everything ready and organised before they arrive shows you place a high value on the service you provide to your people as well as your customers; something that sets a very good tone with a new starter.
2. Have A Plan
Make sure there is some form of training/induction plan that is ready before they start. Something you can physically give to them on their first day so that they are clear about what they will be doing over the first few days (or weeks). You may even choose to call them the week before they join to confirm arrangements for the first day and tell them broadly about their induction plan before they have joined - they'll feel less apprehensive about their first day in the new job and feel like a valued employee even before they have joined you.
3. Inspire Them
In the first week, it is important that all new staff know what you are trying to achieve in your business, what your future vision and goals are, what your values are. Understanding this will get new starters excited about the business they have joined, but it also gives them clarity and a sense of purpose, no matter what their role. Something that is a critical strategy in retaining people.
4. Socialise
A large part of someone's success comes from how well they fit into your team. So ensure that all new starters have an early opportunity to get to know their new colleagues on a less formal basis, whether it's a quick drink with the team during the first few days or a lunch. It allows them to get to know the team and start to bond with them in the first few days.
5. Be Systematic
It's all very well getting it right once or twice, but to get the induction process right for all new starters, you require a system � a standardised way in which all new starters are introduced into your business. So, set up a manual that has step-by-step guidelines for inducting new starters. This way, the quality of an individual's induction is not dependent on you or one member of your team, it will be of a consistently high standard.
Many businesses talk a good game about induction but often don't deliver. Others simply don't place much importance to it at all. But in my experience first impressions play a big part in hiring people. And like any first impression � for every new employee, you only have one chance to get their induction right � so never don't waste the opportunity.
------
Sital Ruparelia, 'The Recruitment & Retention Expert', works with small and mid-sized businesses that struggle with recruitment and retention issues and helps them implement strategies proven to Find & Keep The Right People quickly and cost effectively. Recieve Sital's free report, 101 Tips to Finding & Keeping The Right People now by going to this link: http://www.authenticresourcing.com/
Let Your Beautiful Story Get You Profitable Results
I’ve dealt with a few criticisms about including my personal story on my website, but more importantly, for every skeptic I’ve had at least 10 people tell me how much they admire what I share and how it resonates with them (and those folks usually end up coaching with me). So why share your personal story? Because it’s going to be one of the fastest, most genuine ways to connect with those people that you are meant to serve in your business.
My ideal clients are high-integrity healers, practitioners, and female entrepreneurs, who are really good at what they do, but want more financial success in their own businesses. They want more money, free time, and to market from a place that feels good to them in their heart and soul. Developing their own self-marketing system helps them successfully be in their business, have more freedom, and piece of mind (it also helps them go to places much bigger than they had originally imagined). It’s about doing what you love and still being able to spend time with family and friends, simple as that.
Part of building a business that is a JOY to you involves sharing with people who you are. Recently I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Deepak Chopra share messages on the Soul of Healing. He spoke about the power of a story. He talked about the power of a story as the key to communication.
The first example Dr. Chopra gave was to highlight how our consumer society is literally built on stories. All of our large corporations have marketing teams that come up with a story to sell. The examples Dr. Chopra gave were Nike—the power of the urban hero, VW Bugs—the carefree life of the hippie and beatnik, Apple Computers—the independent hipster. Now whether these images were what the companies had intended (my sense is Dr. Chopra didn’t have that inside information) I’m not sure, but I will tell you everyone in that room could relate to what he was saying and my guess is you do, too.
The second example Dr. Chopra gave was to emphasize the power of the story to heal. He told a touching story about his own father as a young doctor, while serving in the army, was faced with a young soldier who had lost his voice. With thorough research, the senior Dr. Chopra had discovered this young soldier had received news of his mother’s death and when he had tried to tell his superiors, they cut him off before he could even finish the sentence, “My mother...” and his body shut down, and his voice disappeared with it. When this young soldier was able to have his story heard, his voice returned.
This truly brought tears to my eyes. We all want to be heard.
The question then becomes, HOW do you use your story in your business? My answer? Tell it. You’re a solo-entrepreneur, so you don’t have to hire a marketing team to “create you.” You are you. Let the people who are going to do business with you KNOW you. This way you get to be you, do what you love, and work with people who you love (they already connect with you because you shared your story!). How great is that? No more “trying to sell,” instead you get to BE your business and it happens more easily.
The key also becomes about them being able to share their own story and Dr. Chopra clearly showed the power of that. They’ll get the results they are looking for that much more quickly because all the c*r*a*p will be out of the way. They’ll also see that if you can be it, so can they. You are in business to make amazing things happen for people. So, share.
I know I can already hear the “but you can’t do that in MY business!” You have to be very clear, about whom you are serving. The sharing of your story is applicable, even if you have a more corporate target market. However, you’d do it differently. You might not talk about your personal pain, but you’d perhaps make yourself more open, more available, less dull, and looking-like-everyone-else-humdrum. (I had a client who fought me on this and continued to get dripple and draps in advertising; changed gears and presto! 57% increase in sales.)
So what’s been learned? Your story is beautiful. It’s how you came to do what you do. Be willing to share it and you’re on your way to more energy and more riches and a whole lot more joy.
Your EnergyRICH™ Call to Action:
1. Brainstorm how can you share a little bit more about you to create more of a connection, more belief in what you offer, more quickly.
2. How can you open up to hear the story of the people that you serve? Think a CEO doesn’t want to share? Oh, think again! And see what happens...
3. ...and then email me about it. I love to highlight Excelling EnergyRICH™ Entrepreneurs: we’ll share your story and you’ll watch the business roll in!
Heather Dominick, Solo-Entrepreneur Expert, has over 10 years of teaching and coaching experience. Heather’s primary focus is in coaching entrepreneurs to identify sources for increasing business profit and making successful business changes. To sign up to receive your free e-course "How to Avoid the 5 Major Misconceptions Solo-Entrepreneurs Make", for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses on creating your most energized business, visit http://www.energyrichcoach.com
Oden is one of these companies.
Oden is a Memphis-based branding consultancy. Their work is good, as validated by such companies as FedEx, International Paper, and other Fortune 1000 companies.
But I'm not interested in writing about "good" companies...I'm interested in companies who set examples for putting more emphasis on values than being "good"; I'm interested in companies who practice kindness.
These guys do.
Based on the values of their late founder, Dale Oden, Oden makes it clear what they are all about beginning on their website at http://www.oden.com/. Look closely at their links. You'll see links to categories such as culture, where they say " Heck, we'll even give away our secret: having a great culture is not about how cool your offices are, or how many parties you have, or how many benefits you get. It's about attitude. From leaders who have a genuine interest in, and respect for, the people they work with, to positive-thinking employees who love what they do and aren't afraid to be their silly selves "
I like this. This jumped out at me and I wanted to see for myself if the leaders at Oden did indeed have "a genuine interest in and respect for the people they work with". I wish I could tell you how many times I hear this without seeing evidence of it.
I contacted Bill Carkeet, CEO of Oden, and arranged for a tour. With great pride he showed me around their new offices in downtown Memphis.
Following again the values of their founder, Bill told me about how he and his partner, Bret Terwilleger, wanted to design an office layout that reflected respect for employees, were efficient, and fun.
Mission accomplished.
From small gathering areas for spontaneous "mini-meetings" to beautiful conference rooms, there are immediate feelings of warmth and professionalism that I have rarely seen.
But the best part of the tour was the lunchroom.
I am not giving enough credit to this area by calling it a lunchroom. As a matter of fact, the gathering place for lunch is named (by the employees, of course) the "Café O".
But what makes this special is that the employees' "café" sits in the corner of the refurbished building, overlooking downtown Memphis, at the prime corner of the building. It's the place for the most important aspect of the business; the place where most executives would have put THEIR offices.
"When we saw the view", Carkeet told me, "We knew immediately that we wanted this to be the place for our employees to gather."
And gather they do...from lunches together on Wednesday to hanging a disco-ball on Friday afternoons; Oden employee gatherings are an important part of their culture.
Do you think their employees noticed this when they first viewed the new offices? You bet they did. I did!
Companies like Oden are leading the Kindness Revolution. They are providing the examples of values-based leadership, coming from the top, which becomes measurable to employees and is passed on to clients.
They are also showing that in a market full of competitors, customers are making selection of service providers based less and less on price and quality because all companies claim to be competitive and more on feelings like "that is the kind of company I want to do business with".
Customers are saying everything else being equal, I want to do business with a company who treats their employees with respect, has fun at work, and provides great service.
Oden does.
What you can learn from the Oden story:
1) Treatment of employees leads directly to treatment of customers. There is no room for misunderstanding here...these two aspects are directly connected.
2) Employees notice what leaders do regarding respect for them. This respect, or lack of it, is immediately clear to visitors to your office.
3) Fun is possible at work! It adds to employee retention and what your employees (and customers) say about your company over dinner at night.
Why not try this in your company and watch for the difference it makes for your employees and your customers.
(c) 2007, Horrell Communications. Reprint rights granted so long as all links are made live.
Ed Horrell is the best-selling author of "The Kindness Revolution" and nationally syndicated columns. For information on how to start a kindness revolution in your organization, go to http://www.edhorrell.com/. For information on Oden Marketing and Design, go to http://www.oden.com/.
The 5 Keys To Inducting New Employees
Copyright (c) 2007 Authentic Resourcing Limited
When it comes to inducting new employees into your business you only get one chance.
Get it wrong and you have started to sow the seeds of doubt in the mind of your new starter in the first few weeks.Get it right and it will make a huge difference to how the person settles in. Without being perfectionist, the key is to make sure that every new starter feels excited and positive that they have made the right choice in joining your business.
The way to do this is to:
1. Get The Practical Stuff Right
Make sure you have practical aspects such as a desk, phone and computer ready, with a password. Get their name added to your email system or have a uniform ready for them as appropriate. Will they need business cards? Do they need a key or security pass to access the premises? Having everything ready and organised before they arrive shows you place a high value on the service you provide to your people as well as your customers; something that sets a very good tone with a new starter.
2. Have A Plan
Make sure there is some form of training/induction plan that is ready before they start. Something you can physically give to them on their first day so that they are clear about what they will be doing over the first few days (or weeks). You may even choose to call them the week before they join to confirm arrangements for the first day and tell them broadly about their induction plan before they have joined - they'll feel less apprehensive about their first day in the new job and feel like a valued employee even before they have joined you.
3. Inspire Them
In the first week, it is important that all new staff know what you are trying to achieve in your business, what your future vision and goals are, what your values are. Understanding this will get new starters excited about the business they have joined, but it also gives them clarity and a sense of purpose, no matter what their role. Something that is a critical strategy in retaining people.
4. Socialise
A large part of someone's success comes from how well they fit into your team. So ensure that all new starters have an early opportunity to get to know their new colleagues on a less formal basis, whether it's a quick drink with the team during the first few days or a lunch. It allows them to get to know the team and start to bond with them in the first few days.
5. Be Systematic
It's all very well getting it right once or twice, but to get the induction process right for all new starters, you require a system � a standardised way in which all new starters are introduced into your business. So, set up a manual that has step-by-step guidelines for inducting new starters. This way, the quality of an individual's induction is not dependent on you or one member of your team, it will be of a consistently high standard.
Many businesses talk a good game about induction but often don't deliver. Others simply don't place much importance to it at all. But in my experience first impressions play a big part in hiring people. And like any first impression � for every new employee, you only have one chance to get their induction right � so never don't waste the opportunity.
------
Sital Ruparelia, 'The Recruitment & Retention Expert', works with small and mid-sized businesses that struggle with recruitment and retention issues and helps them implement strategies proven to Find & Keep The Right People quickly and cost effectively. Recieve Sital's free report, 101 Tips to Finding & Keeping The Right People now by going to this link: http://www.authenticresourcing.com/
Let Your Beautiful Story Get You Profitable Results
I’ve dealt with a few criticisms about including my personal story on my website, but more importantly, for every skeptic I’ve had at least 10 people tell me how much they admire what I share and how it resonates with them (and those folks usually end up coaching with me). So why share your personal story? Because it’s going to be one of the fastest, most genuine ways to connect with those people that you are meant to serve in your business.
My ideal clients are high-integrity healers, practitioners, and female entrepreneurs, who are really good at what they do, but want more financial success in their own businesses. They want more money, free time, and to market from a place that feels good to them in their heart and soul. Developing their own self-marketing system helps them successfully be in their business, have more freedom, and piece of mind (it also helps them go to places much bigger than they had originally imagined). It’s about doing what you love and still being able to spend time with family and friends, simple as that.
Part of building a business that is a JOY to you involves sharing with people who you are. Recently I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Deepak Chopra share messages on the Soul of Healing. He spoke about the power of a story. He talked about the power of a story as the key to communication.
The first example Dr. Chopra gave was to highlight how our consumer society is literally built on stories. All of our large corporations have marketing teams that come up with a story to sell. The examples Dr. Chopra gave were Nike—the power of the urban hero, VW Bugs—the carefree life of the hippie and beatnik, Apple Computers—the independent hipster. Now whether these images were what the companies had intended (my sense is Dr. Chopra didn’t have that inside information) I’m not sure, but I will tell you everyone in that room could relate to what he was saying and my guess is you do, too.
The second example Dr. Chopra gave was to emphasize the power of the story to heal. He told a touching story about his own father as a young doctor, while serving in the army, was faced with a young soldier who had lost his voice. With thorough research, the senior Dr. Chopra had discovered this young soldier had received news of his mother’s death and when he had tried to tell his superiors, they cut him off before he could even finish the sentence, “My mother...” and his body shut down, and his voice disappeared with it. When this young soldier was able to have his story heard, his voice returned.
This truly brought tears to my eyes. We all want to be heard.
The question then becomes, HOW do you use your story in your business? My answer? Tell it. You’re a solo-entrepreneur, so you don’t have to hire a marketing team to “create you.” You are you. Let the people who are going to do business with you KNOW you. This way you get to be you, do what you love, and work with people who you love (they already connect with you because you shared your story!). How great is that? No more “trying to sell,” instead you get to BE your business and it happens more easily.
The key also becomes about them being able to share their own story and Dr. Chopra clearly showed the power of that. They’ll get the results they are looking for that much more quickly because all the c*r*a*p will be out of the way. They’ll also see that if you can be it, so can they. You are in business to make amazing things happen for people. So, share.
I know I can already hear the “but you can’t do that in MY business!” You have to be very clear, about whom you are serving. The sharing of your story is applicable, even if you have a more corporate target market. However, you’d do it differently. You might not talk about your personal pain, but you’d perhaps make yourself more open, more available, less dull, and looking-like-everyone-else-humdrum. (I had a client who fought me on this and continued to get dripple and draps in advertising; changed gears and presto! 57% increase in sales.)
So what’s been learned? Your story is beautiful. It’s how you came to do what you do. Be willing to share it and you’re on your way to more energy and more riches and a whole lot more joy.
Your EnergyRICH™ Call to Action:
1. Brainstorm how can you share a little bit more about you to create more of a connection, more belief in what you offer, more quickly.
2. How can you open up to hear the story of the people that you serve? Think a CEO doesn’t want to share? Oh, think again! And see what happens...
3. ...and then email me about it. I love to highlight Excelling EnergyRICH™ Entrepreneurs: we’ll share your story and you’ll watch the business roll in!
Heather Dominick, Solo-Entrepreneur Expert, has over 10 years of teaching and coaching experience. Heather’s primary focus is in coaching entrepreneurs to identify sources for increasing business profit and making successful business changes. To sign up to receive your free e-course "How to Avoid the 5 Major Misconceptions Solo-Entrepreneurs Make", for her freebie how-to articles and no-charge teleclasses on creating your most energized business, visit http://www.energyrichcoach.com