The Innovative Workplace

Stay focused on the positive

The attitude of owners, management and employees directly affects the bottom line

By Don Phin

I have the wonderful experience of working with business owners across the country. During the go-go nonsense of 2002 to 2008, all were cheery. Over the last three years the mood has shifted from fear to retrenchment to resignation. I've heard pessimism and whining like never before! And it's not doing an ounce of good.

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale preached that we have to possess a positive mental attitude because, "You get what you focus on." Unfor­tunately, all too often we focus on the negative aspects of our work as opposed to the opportunity it represents. Psychiatrists tell us that as much as 80% of our "self-talk" is the negative variety. It's as much about what we don't want, don't like, think we don't have, feel afraid of, etc., that tends to monopolize the internal dialogue.

And if this is true on the personal level, why should anyone think that conversations going on in the workplace aren't similarly focused? Let's be conservative and cut the psychiatrists' figure down to 50%. That's still an incredible amount of wasted energy—energy that could be more productively spent on building teamwork, producing quality products, and attracting loyal fans.

So, how do we change the "self-talk" and "group-talk" to predominately "positive-talk"? Here are some steps to consider:

1. Do more of what you do best. Let others do the same. Research indicates that, under less than optimal conditions, individuals work at their highest level of productivity less than 20% of the day! To counter that distressing statistic, business owners and managers should design an organization that encourages people to work at things they can and want to do best.

Dr. W. Edwards Deming, father of the "quality revolution," preached that nine out of 10 people want to do a good job every day. Those who don't are typically limited by the system in which they find themselves. Bottom line: Hire and promote people for their natural talents, not necessarily to fill a position. Don't put them in a box that prompts negative thinking and spillover dramas. Instead, focus on their strengths and figure out how they can be used more effectively.

Here's an example: The account manager or CSR position is what I call a split-personality position. Typically, this person spends half of the day dealing with data and the other half of the day dealing with clients. If you were to do a personality profile on any of these folks, you would find that they are predominately left-brained or right-brained, meaning they work better with data or better with people. Imagine if all account managers shifted their work so that it matched their profile. Linear left-brained thinkers would get to manage the data and right-brained relationship-driven folks would get to interact more with people. Each group would be happier and more productive.

2. Improve the quality of your message to employees. What is your positive personal or corporate message? How is that theme advertised or branded to your workforce in a way that would impress a marketing expert? Many times we engage in what is known as the "sprinkler effect." Think about your lawn and how it tends to be less green right underneath the sprinkler. We market to our clients using great copy, pictures, colors, videos, graphics and so on. When we communicate (market) to our employees, on the other hand, we do it on standard black and white in Times New Roman, or not at all.

Think about that for a minute. Clients in color; employees in black and white. What a shame. Where's the positive message in that? Fact is, you are communicating a message to your workforce at all times.

Here is another example. One of my client agencies had a beautiful office. Designer artwork covered the walls. However, very little personalization of workplace was allowed. It almost reminded me of a rent-an-office.

But something changed. Today when you walk the halls, there is no mistaking the focus of that business. Adorning the walls are client logos, testimonials, pictures of clients, the company mission statement, team rules signed by all the employees. Coincidentally, employee satisfaction went up, along with profitability.

3. Reward positive efforts. The results will come later. Creating emotional shifts in the workplace is no easy task. As with any new adventure, we should encourage taking "baby steps" and immediately focus on rewarding the effort. Once your workforce trusts in a positive message, it will begin to believe. New ideas will be welcomed rather than rejected. One's ability to think outside the box won't be limited by a job description.

Here's an idea: Hold a monthly suggestion meeting where employees are required to bring a suggestion of how their jobs can be done better. Award all suggestions with a lottery ticket or raffle ticket. If you set out to have fun, it will be fun. And you will constantly improve your business. If a suggestion makes sense for all to follow, incorporate it into your standard operating procedures. Suggestions with a big bottom-line impact get rewarded in kind.

4. Don't give up on moving forward. Abandoning a new sales approach, flexible workplace initiative, or new performance management system isn't the answer. Execution is. Control-based management and old-school thinking about performance may feel "safe" because they are familiar, but they are traps. The positive workplace takes on today's challenges with relish. Employees and employers rise above circumstances to create their own positive reality.

If you are an owner or even a team leader, the rest of the crowd will follow your lead. Be a pessimist and what chance does anyone else have? Be an optimist—a positive thinker—and you too will change the game.

Everyone today is competing based on "talent." When that talent is demotivated, their value—to themselves and to the organization for which they work—gets left on the table. A focus on the positive, embedded in everything you do, can create a shift at your workplace with profitable results.

The author

Don Phin is president of the Employer Advisors Network, Inc., and the author of the "HR That Works" series of compliance and management products. He is the editor of "Employment Practices Liability Consultant" (EPLiC) published by IRMI. He can be contacted at www.donphin.com.