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Two years ago when employees became dissatisfied with their organization they would quit and get another job. Today, with emplacement opportunities very low and unemployment extremely high, very few people opt to quit and leave. Their option is to quit and stay.  In the last year, overall job satisfaction in the U.S. has declined significantly. Employees feel stuck in their current jobs and their dissatisfaction with the organizations increases. However, not all organizations are experiencing these same results. A recent assessment of employee satisfaction by one of our clients showed a significant improvement over past years, though this company was not immune to the effects of the recession. Examination of the data showed 7 factors that created this positive increase in poor economic times. 1.  Consistent Values. In other organization many employees have seen their organization apparently abandon values when they experienced a recessionary economy. Their values seem to apply in good times but not in difficult times. This organization held tightly to its core values and employees began to more fully appreciate those values when they saw what was happening in other companies. 2.  Long Term Focus. This company clearly saw the recession as a temporary problem but kept a focus on their long term objectives.   This recession had a significant impact on the long term objectives but it also created new opportunities. Employees don’t mind going through difficult times if when they believe that there is a brighter future. 3.  Local Leadership. This company recognized that the major source of satisfaction or dissatisfaction came from what happen in each work group. Every manager and supervisor was provided a clear assessment of the satisfaction of their employees and challenged to find opportunities to improve. Stay tuned for Part II tomorrow! Joe Folkman is the co-founder and President of Zenger Folkman, a leadership development firm focused on building strengths of individuals, teams, and organizations.

Think of all the money spent on designing office buildings, moving cubicles around, consolidating locations. Capital expenditures take a big budget chunk. But what if you literally had the cart before the horse. What if you’re moving people, materials, and merchandise but have forgotten to move what really matters: the human spirit—invisible to the human eye but deeply experienced in relationships, customer outcomes, and performance. Before you laugh and think this sounds too “soft”- let me tell you about an incredible presenter/thinker/scholar/and guru in the health care industry and beyond: Joe Tye. I read one of Joe’s books, The Florence Prescription, From Accountability to Ownership in preparation for my keynote address to some 1000 operating room managers.  The story resonated with every part of my belief system and consulting practice. As Joe says, “Loyalty is to an organization what gravity is to the earth.” But how does one get loyalty? The answer is invisible: shared values. Values influence behavior and behavior influences outcomes. If employees don't value the same thing then negativity, distrust, and poor performance can be the result. Joe is the original values coach. He and his team have transformed numerous organizations by creating a contagious spark of shared values: values like integrity, courage, respect, perseverance, just to name a few. And yes, values can be taught. I had the wonderful opportunity of watching Joe begin to teach these concepts to operating room managers. They nodded their heads in agreement when he talked about lack of courage in confronting negative behavior in a surgical setting. They stood and told of their own story about employees who said “not my job.” Obviously the value of teamwork was not present and ownership was tremendously absent. This is what makes leadership so difficult. Management is left brain, linear, statistical, and logical. Leadership is right brain, creative, empathetic, spontaneous, and inclusive. Easy to say. Much harder to do. We have far too many managers in our organizations and on the political front. I wonder where are the leaders?

Four well-known, academic thinkers and writers on leadership recently released a book, “Exploring Leadership” (Oxford University Press). Although the book leaves many question unanswered and tends to get stuck in academic debates, I find myself intrigued by the authors insistence that leadership is a “social process”. By their definition, leadership exists in the interactions between the leader and those who look to her/him for leadership. Specifically, rather than a command-and-control style, the social process view requires leaders who are “prepared to ask questions and involve others in determining what to do rather than offering an immediate solution or decisive action.” In today’s complex, multi-dimensional world, gathering data through listening to others with different viewpoints appears to be a definite requisite for successful leadership—precisely what these authors maintain.  And yet, what we see on so many fronts are leaders (both corporate as well as political), listening only to people who share their worldview.  It is rather like the tobacco industry that is only interested in supporting research to prove tobacco is not a deadly killer while other research provides alternative (and safe) uses for the plant. Can we afford such leaders? I would suggest that such people are not really leaders but rather mimes reflecting a pre-determined course of action. Your thoughts?

When 33 Chilean miners were trapped underground, mining minister Laurence Golborne took charge of their rescue -- and two months later, they all stepped out into the sunlight. Golborne insisted on transparency with families and the public; retaining personal responsibility while delegating key decisions to more experienced experts; and multiple rescue methods in parallel to hedge the risk of any one method's failure, according to an article in MIT Sloan Management Review. Pick out the key concepts: One person taking responsibility Transparency Decisions made by more experienced experts (not politicians!) Multiple rescue methods So what do we sit with now: a commission of hardliners from each side. Where is the expert? Where is the transparency. As of today, they don’t have a meeting date or place. No one is in charge. And with rigid thinking, I sincerely doubt there will be creative and multiple rescue methods. Shall we bring in Laurence Golborne? Our economy is in a hole as deep as the mining disaster. P.S. Remember, what kept the miners going was optimism and teamwork. As the American public, we need optimism and we must ALL pull together. Might have to do it despite Congress.

Thunderstorms were rolling across Biscayne Bay when my taxi pulled partially under the portico.  The driver popped open the trunk and a grinning bellman ran to the rear of the car. He motioned to the driver to move forward. “I didn’t want you to get wet, Ms. Eileen,” grinned the bellman as he helped me out of the car. “You read my luggage tag,” I exclaimed as her grinned back.  How smart, I thought. At least he didn’t attempt to pronounce my crazy last name! “Do you have your cell phone with you?”, he asked as he escorted me up the stairs. I fumbled for it, thinking he was going to give me some new-fangled way to check in. “Oh no,” he laughed. “It’s just that so any guests hop out of cabs and leave their phone behind. I make sure and note the taxi number in case you forgot it.” Meet Bill Castillo, my new friend for the next 2 days. Every time I walk out of  the hotel, Bill spies me and comes running over to greet “Ms. Eileen.” Now—keep in mind that I travel with a roll-a-board suitcase. There is nothing for him to help me with. No huge suitcases. No cartons of books. There’s no financial gain for him. But, he assumed a leadership role for his front-of-the-hotel position. Great leaders know they create the environment. Great leaders know that calling someone by name—with welcome and sincerity—is a powerful, yet simple gesture. On a day when the stock market fell over 600 points and Congress can only respond with divisive name-calling, Bill Castillo called my name and added  a touch of cheer to my day. P.S. He will get a tip—regardless.

This past week, at the annual conference for my professional organization, I found myself saying, “I beg your pardon?” far too often.  I just plain could not understand what people were saying. I missed sentences from the front stage. I thought my roommates were mumbling.  Consonants were especially difficult. I would hear the word “Lark” and the word would really be “Mark”. On Thursday I had a hearing test. Yes, I do have a hearing loss. How can that be? Profound hearing loss sits on the male side of my family. From my great-grandfather down to my twin brother, they all wore/wear hearing aids. Did my twin decide to share some of that genetic makeup with me? He stinks. (But I still love him.) So here I sit with a phenomenal hearing aid, so small that only my hairdresser would know. With the touch of a finger I can change the volume for everything from the theater to a restaurant to a family dinner.  This little gem is the product of an amazing company in Minnesota that has an even more amazing foundation. The Starkey Foundation's mission is to change the social consciousness of hearing through education and research while providing the gift of hearing to those in need around the world.  Check it out! At the same time, I am struck by the fact that hearing is very different from listening.  Could it be that the majority of Congress needs hearing aids? They certainly do not know how to listen. Should I give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are hard of hearing? Hearing is the physical function. Listening requires the mind, the heart and the soul. It's why I spend so much time in corporate America and in the nonprofit world-- trying to help people listen in these three dimensions. It is the only way to create collaboration, innovation, and community. Now that I can hear, I must practice what I preach: listening!

Just talked to my wonderful graphic designer, Cathy Rodriguez, who can take my words and turn them into the most fun, original slides.  But she was not having fun this morning. Electricians who cut a hole in the ceiling for lighting had made the hole much bigger than the lighting fixture. However, they said, "No worries. We will send you a goof plate to cover the extra space." "Goof plate?" We just had to laugh.  I can't believe there really is such a thing! Talk about planned failure for less-than-perfect work. Then my devious mind began thinking of all the other uses we could have for goof plates. How big a goof plate would we need for Congressional leaders who have dug  so big a hole that I am not sure they could ever cover it up. (Of course, I think they are just covering up for all the bad decisions they have made in the past.) How about a goof plate for managers who promote their friends and then have to cover up for shoddy leadership skills? Or a goof plate for the Dodgers? (Just follow the saga of the McCourts and you'll know how goofy the entire thing really is) Heck, I could use a goof plate for my cakes that fall and icing has to fill in the gaps. What would be YOUR uses for a goof plate?

There’s something about the United States idea of a hero: we love the come-back kid. Rocky Balboa made Sylvester Stallone a star and we applaud bootstrap startups, rags to riches stories, and the come-from-behind underdog. Even the Constitution of the United States was created in such a way that it could be modified. The Founding Fathers (probably prompted by a few founding mothers) knew that the initial document would be far from perfect and that subsequent amendments would make it “more right”. What is needed are intelligent failures—failures that become learning opportunities. It means transcending ownership of an idea and letting go of ego attachment. It means seeking from 360 degrees of difference and then stepping out and trying. Today, Congress would jeopardize all of us by their rigidity born from ideology. By floating all or nothing ideas, we’re enslaved to responses that don’t take into account a 360 degree input. I love it that USA TODAY started running a series on what we could learn from other countries. We don’t have it right. We have failed in many areas. But instead of pointing a finger, could we instead embrace the freedom of failure and become intelligent and creative about our future. Share This Post

OK, so let it be know: I love dark chocolate. Not milk chocolate. Dark. The darker the better. I must admit, when I walked into my sleeping room at the Grand America in Salt Lake City—so weary from traveling and speaking in so many different cities—chocolate was NOT on my mind. Surprise! There on the table beside the sofa, perched in miniature splendor, was a baby grand chocolate piano complete with three more tiny chocolate. So delicate. So perfect. And for once—I resisted eating the confection. Some things just bring joy in their cunning appearance. I carefully put it in my extra plastic bag to carry it home and show my food and beverage husband.

Seventy-five percent of newly hired executives report having trouble with interpersonal skills, according to a new study released by the Institute for Executive Development and Alexcel. In short, while strong technical expertise and prior management experience might have gotten them the job, after two years in the position, they were underperforming and 27 percent of the hires had left the organization. What a waste! Think of the expense to hire, the loss of time and productivity, not to mention the reduction of employee goodwill and morale. I can hear the rank and file muttering about the idiots who are making hiring decisions. To support successful executive transitions for both both external hires and internal transfers, consider a robust onboarding process, mentoring from key executives, and executive coaching from external or internal consultants. In my practice, we’ve found that candid feedback (backed by 360 assessments) coupled with a specific development plan and strong support from senior management makes a tremendous difference. Interesting, isn’t it: we stumble at our most human skill: communication.

The end of this month, I’ll be heading to the Beverly Hilton and a walk down a red ca rpet. Yes, paparazzi and all.  But it is not for me! I am merely an invited guest of NPR’s Cindy Carpien, producer of The Original Fly Girls - the story of female WWII pilots. NPR’s coverage of the Congressional Gold Medal Award given to the Women Air Service Pilots WWII (WASP) has earned it a coveted GRACIE AWARD. Named after Gracie Allen, this award started 60 years through the Alliance for Women in Media (formerly AWRT). The Alliance has served as the voice and resource for women in the media. And for more than three decades, the Foundation has been a leader in celebrating and honoring programming created for women, by women and about women, as well as individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the industry. The Gracies strive to encourage the realistic and faceted portrayal of women in entertainment, commercials, news, features and other programs. As many of my readers know, my Mom (Mary Reineberg Burchard) was one of these pilots. Together with my sister, Susan Mullins and Pat Thomas, also the daughter of a WASP, we helped Cindy research the show and subsequent web site coverage. The result: on March 9, 2010, my sister, brother and I stood in our hotel room in DC and listened as Susan Stamberg opened up NPR’s Morning Edition with the story of these women.  Her full eight minutes beautifully summarized why we would journey to Capitol Hill to represent our mother in the ceremony.  Heidi Glenn, National Producer of Digital News produced an incredible web-story that included essays written by 20 of us about our WASP relatives.

Anne Mulcahy - former President and CEO responsible for the dramatic turnaround of Xerox Corporation - took the stage at Boston's World Trade Center to kick off Simmons Leadership Conference. Her humility and authenticity shone through a tale of just how the company surprised everyone on Wall Street.  Here are some of her thoughts which resonated to my leadership mindset: Don't mistake optimism for satisfaction. Keep at it. Crisis is a motivator. You can't get out of it - you move through it. Timeliness trumps perfection. Just do itTake the long view. Really listen. Great leaders pay close attention to employees at ALL levels and to customers. People need hope. Create a picture of five years' down the line and write the story in present tense. Give it to everyone to read. She now fills her days in towns and villages through the world but not in a glamorous gown and hotel suite. Au contraire. This buy-my-shoes-at-Banana Republic executive chairs the efforts of Save the Children. From Ethiopia to the Appalachian hamlets, Save the Children works for a vision of a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development and participation.