Springfield Business Journal_2020-06-15

SPRINGFIELD BUSINESS JOURNAL · 47 JUNE 15-21, 2020 T he ability to manage make-or-break challenges and still forge a successful path forward requires management that can allocate time, human effort and financial resources profitably. This management activity is not easy to do, espe- cially when we add a pandemic, growing uncertain- ty about the future and social unrest. Some organizations come through crises better than others. They compete successfully, and they create places where people want to work. I recent- ly reviewed my client files and analyzed what made some of America’s most successful and respected brands so effective at navigating continuous, and at times, tumultuous change. I chose five highly successful companies that I learned three personal lessons from each during extensive engagements. They are Bass Pro Shops, Chick-fil-A, Dow Corning, Dunkin’ Donuts and Herschend Family Entertainment. 1. Direct significant effort to operational excel- lence. Operations are critical to an organization’s future. Concentrate the most energy on issues that vary from your performance standards and raise standards where it’s lacking.  2. Don’t focus on being first with new development. In a fast-changing environment, observe other organi- zations’ new developments first, then create an appro- priate strategy. Big brands don’t always lead first.  3. Take nothing about your brand for granted. To protect your brand image fully, have more checks and balances, not less. Obsessing about seemingly minor operational aspects can be wise. 4. Make business about more than dollars and cents. One founder once told me that business thrives according to both its financials and the care, empathy and respect leaders show people.  5. Balance results and relationships. Creating positive relations is crucial, but so is making a prof- it. Gaining the highest returns on people’s efforts will not occur unless relationships and results are balanced wisely. 6. Reproduce culture. Convincing employees to fulfill the culture is challenging when you operate multiple locations, but the benefits are significant. To reproduce your culture throughout all levels or locations, make sure values are clear, consistent and tirelessly reinforced. 7. Create a vision that inspires others. One CEO is gifted at creating an inspiring vision, while anoth- er CEO struggles with it. A company’s vision should capture customer interests and energize employees to give their best.     8. Manage customer friction. Identify friction at every step in the customer’s experience. Aggres- sively eliminate friction to increase customer per- ceived value.  9. Invest in creating customer awe. To deliver awe requires innovation and the commitment to provide remarkable experiences consistently. Customer loy- alty today is brittle, and people switch companies too easily. Strong brands not only believe it’s possible to amaze customers, but they invest in achieving it. 10. Build high-performance teams into the orga- nization’s DNA. High-performance teams produce outstanding results. Invest in the team’s effective- ness with learning and development in areas such as communications and conflict management.  11 . Welcome differing employee perspectives. Cre- ate a feedback-rich culture, one that authentically desires and then acts on viable employee ideas.     12. Emphasize organizational values. In my expe- rience with coaching managers, most overestimate the effectiveness of infrequent communications. The best managers, however, make a persistent ef- fort to reinforce values throughout the year.  13. Fix team dysfunctions. When your team is dysfunctional, intervene with understanding. Don’t assume employees are at fault; look at the processes or limitations they operate within first, then look at behaviors that need correction.  14. Leverage the strength of your organization’s purpose. One client requires all employees, in- cluding part-timers, to memorize the company’s purpose statement. By leveraging the company’s mission this way, management helps sustain the culture, influences the right employee behaviors and creates better customer experiences. 15. Invest in management. Gauge the strengths and vulnerabilities of managers with employee feedback tools that allow for confidentiality. If it’s not confiden- tial, you won’t get honest input that can help manag- ers strengthen essential supervisory skills. Managers today can use simple best practices to fit the organization and its people for the future.   Consultant, professional speaker and author Mark Holmes is president of Consultant Board Inc. and MarkHolmesGroup.com. He can be reached at  mark@markholmesgroup.com. OPINION Words are impactful and the internet is forever 15 management practices for brighter futures while back, I was watching an episode of “Shark Tank” that featured a young entre- preneur pitching an app called ReThink. The app adds a barrier when tex- ting, asking users to “rethink” wheth- er they want to send a message if it contains words that might be construed as cyberbullying. The idea is that, if users are given a second chance at reframing their words in a more con- structive manner, they might do so, resulting in a more civil conversation. I’ve been thinking about the concept lately as I peruse social media and become angered at the comments I find there. As Facebook “friends” un- dermine efforts to expand equality to black Amer- icans and implement needed police reforms, I find myself scoffing and angrily closing out the app. I’ve been tempted to respond unfavorably when I disagree, but I have chosen to ignore – or block – rather than get into arguments on the internet with people I know won’t change their minds anyway. That’s not to say people shouldn’t be speaking out. They should; I just have opinions about how my words should be used online. I don’t want to com- promise my position as a reporter, for instance, as several Springfield Business Journal readers are on my friend list. And I’m worried I might say the wrong thing, due to my own ignorance. I find myself wondering what leads people to post or share comments that are insensitive at best and racist at worst. That thought again came to mind when Greg Glassman, ex-CEO of CrossFit, recently tweet- ed a post that has been widely criticized for undermining the black equality movement. Glassman on June 6 responded to a post from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that stated “racism is a public health issue.” “It’s FLOYD-19,” Glassman tweeted in response, referencing the killing of George Floyd and the CO- VID-19 pandemic in an attempt to connect the two. He later apologized, saying he made the connec- tion because of the institute’s “invalidated models resulting in needless, economy-wrecking, life- wrecking lockdown” after he “saw they were an- nouncing modeling a solution to our racial crisis.” His point was not taken as such, and he resigned as CEO shortly after. His comments served to im- ply current equality efforts are temporary in na- ture, like COVID-19 and its impact on the economy. But the tweet came off as a tone-deaf bad joke, and though he’s apologized and exited the company, the damage to the brand is done. CrossFit Springfield owner Jeremy Mhire is among those nationwide affiliated with the corpo- rate brand who is moving to cut ties after Glass- man’s comments. Another incident was detailed in a June 5 News- week article. The CEO of the Holy Land gourmet grocery chain in Minnesota fired his own daughter over racist comments she made years earlier on so- cial media. The past comments, according to the re- port, were brought to light days after the killing of Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis. In this moment in history, such comments are a reminder of the importance of words. Further, it’s a good indication that if you’re not positively im- pacting equality efforts with your comments online, you’re not doing anyone any good. Consider that when you sit down for your next tweet or Facebook post about current events. You might get a few likes, but was your post really worthwhile? Did it benefit society in some way? For businesses, consult a marketing specialist before making posts online about current events. Your re- sponse should be tactful and compassionate, if you choose to make one. Beyond just the current moment, it’s important to remember the longevity of comments posted to the internet. Once it’s out there, it can be near im- possible to take it back. Employers are looking at your social media histo- ry when considering whether to hire, and the same is true for other business partnerships or personal relationships. The internet isn’t temporary. Posts made online can live on indefinitely, and time and again, they can come back around to bite individuals. Springfield Business Journal Web Editor Geoff Pickle can be reached at gpickle@sbj.net. Send letters and comments to sbj@sbj.net FROM THE WEB Geoff Pickle BUSINESS SHIFTS Mark Holmes