Capitalizing On Your Strengths

Capitalizing On Your Strengths, the tagline/mantra of my company, Benchmark Performance Strategies, is the fundamental perspective I draw from when I work with organizations to optimize their performance. At its heart, it is based on a simple two part premise: 1) All people have natural talents and strong suits that impact their performance, and 2) We are most productive when we’re in a position that allows us to draw on our natural strengths and gives us the freedom to be ourselves. Imagine a workplace filled with happy, productive people doing what they love to do, aligned with the organization’s vision and values. It is possible!

While much of what we will focus on are the strengths of individuals within an organization, it is important for the leadership within an organization to understand the organization’s strengths as well. Growing businesses may not have all of the talents they need in-house, so knowing when and how to strategically outsource competencies is crucial. Staying focused on core competencies can be a challenge, but doing so pays off in productivity and profitability.

Human Capital

People are key to the success of any organization, and the number one challenge that most business owners and managers face. How do you hire the right people, and how do you keep your good people in a competitive marketplace? Behavior is the key, learning what makes your top performers tick, and then hiring people who have those traits. Simple, but not necessarily that easy to do. In his book “Great Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success”, Dale Dauten outlines the difference this strategy can make for organizations. What he doesn’t tell you, is how these “Gifted Bosses” do it. How do you determine what the strengths are of your top people? With a behavioral assessment tool. There are hundreds of tools available, some great, some not so great. Find a tool you like, and use it. Make understanding each others’ behavior part of the culture of your organization.

I use a tool called PDP, developed by Professional Dyanmetrics Programs. I absolutlely love this tool. The individual report it creates is called a ProScan, you can look at mine here. There are several reasons I love this tool. First, it takes only five minutes to complete the online survey that generates this report. Second, the report is incredibly accurate, and it doesn’t put you in a box. Finally, it becomes the framework for an uncommon conversation between a boss and an employeee, a conversation that is structured to make a difference. PDP also includes component tools that allow you to create behaviorally based Job Models (JobScan), and to view your team members from a number of different perspectives (TeamScan). An all around great tool that I recommend for both hiring right the first time, and for retaining your good people. It’s also a great tool for understanding which employees are candidates for “De-Hiring”.

Coaching a Winning Team

A while back I was listening to a radio interview with a former NFL player who’s name escapes me. He was talking about Bill Parcells, one of the NFL’s great coaches. When asked what made Coach Parcells so great, this player said that, in his opinion, it was Parcell’s ability to evaluate a player’s talent, and then put him in a position to win. We see examples of this all the time in sports, where players who were failing on one team suddenly blossom under a different coach/system. The reverse is true as well. A superstar gets traded, and then his performance declines because he is not being utilized in a way that makes the best use of his talents. It doesn’t just apply to individuals, it applies to teams and organizations as well. Just look at how the Phoenix Suns have played recently since Alvin Gentry took over as their coach. This is in spite of the loss of two stars, Amare Stoudamire and Leandro Barbosa.

In business, the principals are the same. Evaluate your talent, understand what makes them tick, and put them in a position to win. Provide them the resources they need, and remove the obstacles to their success (that may be you blocking the road, by the way). Let your people be who they truly are, and they will blossom. You will find there is a lot less to manage with this approach. You may find that it allows you to truly blossom as well.

Suppressing Your Natural Talents?

Are you suppressing your natural talents, without realizing it? It’s more common than you might think, even among highly successful and productive executives. Suppressing our natural talents and behaviors comes at a direct and personal cost, typically in the form of reduced vitality, lost productivity and lower job satisfaction. I recently began working with a company that is one of the top performers in their industry, owned by a gentleman I’ll call Alan. We are implementing the PDP ProScan solution for Alan’s company (see my ProScan here), creating a Job Model for his Service Technicians, and reviewing the profile of a candidate for Service Manager, a role that Alan has filled personally. To understand the behaviors necessary to succeed as a Service Manager, we decided to profile Alan, using a ProScan. When we reviewed Alan’s ProScan report we uncovered some great behavioral insights for both the Service Technician and the Service Manager roles. As a bonus, we also discovered that Alan has been suppressing one of his natural behaviors for years, unbeknown to himself. Let’s take a look at Alan’s traits, and discover how his ProScan report unconcealed the suppression that was taking place for so long.

Alan has high Dominance, higher Extroversion, low Patience and low Conformity as his natural behaviors. The trait we’ll focus on for this discussion is his high Dominance, making him naturally competitive, confident, and in charge. In addition to capturing our natural behavioral traits, the ProScan also captures both how we adjust our behaviors to the stresses we encounter in life, and how we come across to others. Those two sections of Alan’s report indicated that he was pushing his Dominance down, becoming more supportive, collaborative and modest. Initially Alan thought this adjustment was non-work related. However, with some digging, it became apparent that he had been making this adjustment at work for so long,  it didn’t even occur to him as an adjustment!

How does this happen? In Alan’s case, he managed a large staff of service technicians. To support, coach, and mentor them effectively, Alan learned to adjust his dominance down to become more supportive. Over the years, he became quite adept at suppressing his dominance, to the point that he comes across to others as being very supportive.

We all have natural talents and behaviors that allow us to win in life. It makes sense then, that we are happiest and most productive when we are in position to use those talents freely. Circumstances and stresses in life cause us to adjust our natural behaviors. Over time, if those same stresses persist, we can lose sight of who we truly are, and unconsciously play a role that is not natural for us. Doing so costs us our vitality, productivity and satisfaction. Using the ProScan tool, we can discover our natural talents, learn where we are suppressing those talents, and create an action plan to get back on track. In Alan’s case, he is hiring a Service Manager with traits that are a fit for the position, allowing him to delegate an aspect of his business that is causing him significant stress, and freeing him to focus on areas that provide greater satisfaction (and profit). That is how you Capitalize On Your Strengths!

Cece’s Beautiful Life

My sister, Cece Cook, died peacefully at 9:23 A.M. on May 13th, 2009, 10 days shy of her 50th birthday. As she slipped away to eternal peace, her daughter Tess held her hand, and I stroked her hair. Her friend and neighbor Sybil Smith sat on the cot with Ana Novak, and Alexis Johnson stood to the side. Cece and Tess had decorated the room comfortably with items from their home, including a recent painting by Tess’s friend Jenna, depicting Cece and Steve as butterflies, and Tess as a caterpillar. The staff at The Olivia White Hospice Home, including Head Hospice Nurse Patti Kavanaugh, saw to it that Cece’s final days were filled with comfort and love, and that all of her wishes were honored.

Cece created, planned and executed the end of her life flawlessly, indicative of the powerful woman she was. Her foremost goal was always to be certain that her sweet girl Tess would have the love and support needed to carry on without her parents. She put together a team, led by Sybil, to make sure that everything was handled. She engaged the parents of Tess’s best friend, Emily Johnson, to act as Tess’s guardian until she turns 18 this September. I had the privilege of meeting Emily’s parents, Alexis Johnson and Amy Jelliffe, this week. Tess couldn’t be in better hands. More importantly, Tess has grown into a strong, independent, capable and beautiful young woman. Cece was a great Mom.

Tess has an amazing group of friends, in addition to Emily there is Mara (Ana’s daughter), Allison, Jenna, Sarah, Rachel and Jessica. They all gathered in Cece’s room, laid flowers in her hands, played music from her ipod and sang along. Later, we gathered at the funeral home, and as Cece’s body was being cremated, I recited the Mourner’s Kaddish, and we all joined in the 23rd Psalm.

Tess and friends

If it’s not already apparent, what  made Cece’s life so beautiful were the wonderful people she attracted. As Sybil stated, it takes a village, and the Flagstaff village surrounding Cece and Tess has my heartfelt gratitude forever. Steve’s brother Kevin and wife Cely, stepson Johnathan and wife Siri, Ana, Vickie, Amy and Alexis, Ken, and countless others that I never met, all have been there when needed. You will never know how comforting it was for me to know that you were there for Cece when I was home tending to my family in Phoenix.

When you became Cece’s friend, you were a friend for life.  Cece was blessed to remain close to many of her friends from her youth. Wendy Maayan (Segal), Sue Lopez, Wendi Wert, Lori Maloney (Schnitzer), Dan and Marni Ribnick, Julie Fitchett, Tim Weil, and Jeff Nerenberg, to name a few. Please don’t feel slighted if you’re not listed here, I am including you too. I just can’t remember/list all of you.

Cece and Wendy

Cece and Sue

Slumber Party 1971

Family was central in Cece’s life, and while no one was more important to her than Tess, our niece Charlotte (Harlan’s daughter), held a special place in her heart. Along with her mother Gail, Char, Cece and Tess were able to spend some great quality time together over the years. Char lost both her father and step-father to cancer, and during her recent visit to Flagstaff, Char and Tess developed a special bond.

Char and Tess

My family had the pleasure of spending every Thanksgiving but one with Cece over the years. The trek up the hill typically included me falling asleep on the couch while Steve tossed Aaron and Gabriella around in the park across the street, with Jenine watching. Char did her best to join us, and we were often accompanied by Ted and Butsy (Harriet) Harlem. The Harlems were best friends with our parents from Minneapolis, following them to Arizona not too long after they moved. There are no words sufficient to express how wonderful it is to have Ted and Butsy in our lives. Thanksgivings will not be the same.

Butsy and Jenine

Ted Harlem and Aaron

Gabriella, Tess, Cece, Char and Emily

While separated by many miles, Cece maintained a great relationship with our sister Barb and her family. We were able to attend her daughter Catherine’s wedding a couple of years ago, reconnecting with Craig, Celia, Janet, and David. Celia and her husband Ken, along with daughter Ellie were able to visit again this January, just before Cece landed in ICU.

Cece’s beautiful life was filled with love. As she looks down on us from up above with our Mom and Dad, Harlan, and Steve, she is sending her light, love and eternal peace to all of us left here on Earth. While I know that I will miss her deeply, I am comforted to know that she created and completed a beautiful life. All is perfect in the order of the universe.

Surrendering

I pulled into Flagstaff just before 6pm Sunday night, heading straight to the Olivia White Hospice Home where Cece is staying. She just completed a nice visit with Sue and Bob Lopez, whom she collaborated with on “My Sweet Girl“.  She surprisingly had plenty of energy left after such a busy weekend, and we visited for about an hour. As much as I am comforted by the amazing support group that Cece and Tess have in Flagstaff (thank you Sybil and Kevin and all of Tess’s great friends), it is hard to be so far away from her. We had a great conversation, and I am clear that I came at the right time.

Cece and I talked about whether it still mattered to her to try to make it to June 5th for Tess’s graduation. It doesn’t. She is ready to go, although we weren’t so sure that her body is ready to follow.  This morning she conferred with her nurse, and they made some adjustments to her medications based on her new choice. I spent the day with her, including reviewing some old family photos. Her memory for people is still amazing. Tess’s uncle Kevin and I went to the house and brought back her “meditation chair”, so that she could be more comfortable in her room.

By late afternoon, she tired and took a nap. I ran out, grabbed some lunch and came back to find her still asleep. When she awoke, she was not the same person I had been with earlier in the day. She was moving in slow motion, and the decline continued through the evening. While I can’t speak for them, I think Sybil and Tess were both shocked by the difference from the day before.

I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Cece may have weeks left, days, or only hours. The sudden decline could be related to the change in her meds, but I think she has simply surrendered to the universe. Peace.

The Susan Boyle Phenomena – A Different Perspective

Please read this excellent article by Peter Bregman, Susan Boyle: A Lesson in Talent Management

I couldn’t have said anything better than Peter does in his article, so there is nothing to add. Enjoy!

-Ted

My Sweet Girl

If you read my previous post “I’m not fighting cancer anymore!” then you know that my sister Cece has been fighting lung cancer for over 4.5 yrs. If you haven’t read that post, please take a moment to read the first paragraph, so that you will have the necessary background info.

In January, we almost lost Cece when she went into septic shock. She recovered, and subsequently visited her old college roomate and friend Sue Lopez. Sue and her husband Bob are musicians that perform together as Special Blend. Cece and Sue collaborated to write My Sweet Girl.

Cece wrote the lyrics, Sue the music, and Bob produced it.

Cece Cook and her daughter, Tess Mullaney

We’ll be playing this song during the Luminaria Ceremony at the Relay for Life of Central Phoenix. I’m certainly about as biased as a person could be, but I think this song is beautiful, and we want to share it and make it available to the world. It is a gift from Cece to Tess, but I think it speaks to all of us who have been touched by cancer. Please use My Sweet Girl as you see fit. It is an honor to Cece’s courage, grace and committment to Tess. Tess will be graduating from Flagstaff High School on June 5th, and with your prayers, Cece will be there to share this achievement.

The Vicious Circle of Turnover

“Square pegs don’t fit into round holes, but managers keep pounding away at their people, until something breaks. Then they hire someone new, and start all over again.”

Does this sound familiar to you? Most of us have been that square peg at some point in our careers. Some of us have also been the manager in this scenario. However you relate to it, it is a scenario that plays out all too often in businesses both large and small. Someone is hired who isn’t a fit for the position. All the manager can see is what’s wrong with this employee, and proceeds to try to fix and change them. Eventually, the employee leaves, either voluntarily or involuntarily, because they weren’t a fit for the position to begin with. Over time, this takes a toll on the organization. As the poor hiring continues, the manager already knows that the chances of the new hire sticking around and being successful are nil, so why bother investing your blood sweat and tears in developing someone who won’t make it anyway?

This is the Vicious Circle of Turnover. It is more extreme in some industries and businesses than in others, but the signs are obvious: high turnover and resignation about solving the problem. Why would a business resign itself to operate in this manner? There are three reasons I’ll explore here. The first two are related. Number one is that the business doesn’t understand the true cost of their turnover. The second, which follows naturally from the first, is that they simply don’t value their people. For these businesses, people are disposable, a dime a dozen, so to speak. If it only costs $400 to replace that salesperson, why not just hire them en masse, provide a couple days of training, and see who sticks to the wall? Hard to believe? I’ve actually worked for a company who operates in this exact manner. The salespeople who have been around resent the new people, and treat them as though they won’t last. The new salespeople don’t like the working environment, and move on if they aren’t finding sufficient fulfillment in other aspects of the job. The management makes it clear that if you don’t like it, you’re free to move on.

So what is the true cost of turnover? Others have covered that ground in depth. If you want a full and detailed picture of the actual costs, just do a search of “employee turnover costs” on Google, and you will be stunned by the information and statistics available. I usually quote that a bad hire in a $10/hour position will cost a business around $5000.  Suffice it to say, it is far more costly than most businesses estimate, in both dollars and morale.

This leads to the third reason why businesses continue to operate in this manner. They don’t know how to break the cycle. Many businesses with enlightened leadership who truly value their people as human capital still suffer from the Vicious Circle of Turnover. It’s likely a nicer version than the one I described above, but it is no less costly. It only takes one or two bad hires to get the cycle going, and once you’re in it, it isn’t easy to see the way out, because we already know how employees are.

There is a way out, though. Change the context of how you perceive your employees. Invest in your human capital, starting with the hiring process. Read the Dale Dauten book I referenced in my earlier post, “Great Employees Only: How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to Success”. Start hiring for behavior, rather than skills. Skills are teachable and trainable, most adults’ behavior is fixed. You can hardly impact your own behaviors (the things you try to fix and change about yourself), much less the behavior of others.  Find a behavioral assessment tool you like, learn it and use it, or delegate that task to someone in your organization who would be better suited to implementing it. Those square pegs won’t fit into the round holes no matter how much you pound, so why not hire some round pegs, and free your business from the Vicious Circle of Turnover.

I’m not fighting cancer anymore!

I’m no fan of Cancer. Cancer has taken an extraordinary toll on my family. I lost my mother (Shirley) and my brother (Harlan) to lung cancer. Harlan was only 44 when he passed. My sister Cece was diagnosed with lung cancer about 4.5 years ago. Cece has been fighting hard to stick around to see her daughter Tess graduate from high school this summer, but recently began receiving respite care from hospice. Cece’s husband Steve, Tess’s father, passed from esophageal cancer about 3.5 years ago. Two years ago we lost my cousin, Robert, and my wife’s best friend, Jackie. This is a partial list, the other relatives, friends and business associates I’ve lost are too numerous to mention.  I also have a long list of people who’ve survived cancer. However, in my experience, cancer represents a death certificate, with only the date left unfilled.

All of this cancer in my life propelled me to take action, to do something to make a difference. In 2002, my family participated in a Relay for Life for the first time. I fell in love with the Luminaria Ceremony. I was unprepared for how it moved me, seeing all of the bags lit up around the track, and listening to the dedications read over the PA system. I became a fan of Relay, initially because I wanted everyone to experience the Luminaria Ceremony. When our local Relay stumbled two years later, I declared that it wouldn’t go that way again. I placed a fateful call to the American Cancer Society’s Phoenix office, and unwittingly bought myself a 4 year stint as Event Chair of the Relay for Life of Central Phoenix. As Event Chair, ACS offered me an exceptional level of training, and I came to learn that my goals and commitments were very much in line with theirs. Even more importantly, I became aware that I was part of a larger community of people who shared my passion to make a difference in the lives of those touched by this disease. There were times when I felt that my contribution was insignificant, that I really didn’t make a difference, until I became clear that Relay was much bigger than me. Every little bit adds up to a larger whole. This year Relay is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Communities around the world come together to generate their own Relays and make a difference in the fight against cancer.

What you resist, persists. - Carl Jung

For years, I expressed my commitment to fighting cancer with this phrase: “I am commited to a world where our friends and family don’t suffer from cancer.” This worked pretty well for me, but I had a nagging concern. You see, I believe that whatever it is I focus on, I bring into my life. Whether you call that the “Law of Attraction” from The Secret, or refer back as I do to “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill, it is all the same to me. I began to wonder what I was attracting to my life in my efforts to fight cancer and make a difference. Even with that concern, I wasn’t able to find an alternative expression of my commitment that felt right to me. Now though, as Cece runs out of treatment options and her condition deteriorates, I am clear that fighting cancer no longer works for me. I will no longer resist cancer. Cancer will do what it does. My commitment now is to honor all those touched by cancer.

Context is decisive.

The context of “a world where our friends and family don’t suffer from cancer” presences suffering. “Honoring all those touched by cancer” presences honor. For me, this is a fundamental shift in context. The actions I take may not change at all. There is simply no room for suffering. However long Cece has left, I will spend in the presence of honor, rather than suffering. It also gives me the freedom to honor myself, and any emotions that I experience along the way. As I think about it, bringing honor to any conversation ought to make a difference.

This doesn’t mean I’ve stopped fighting to make a difference. This new commitment is still fully in line with Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society. Relay’s theme is “Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back.” This year I am Sponsorship Chair of our Relay, and the Team Captain of the Tough Cookies, dedicated to honoring Cece. I invite you to visit my Relay Page and make a donation, or dedicate a luminaria.  Better yet, if you live in Phoenix, join a team or form your own to honor your loved ones who’ve been touched by cancer.

With regard to fighting back, I am completely up for fighting with politicians who try to cut budgets for cancer screenings, or who want to limit research. Stupid policies do not honor those who have been touched by cancer. That’s why I belong to ACS CAN, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, which represents the Fight Back component of the Relay theme. ACS Can has been instrumental in passing clean indoor air legislation around the country.

Looking at what I’ve just written, I may need to re-evaluate my context for politician. But for now, I’m just fine with it.

Thank you,

Ted