(From the book "RogerMagnet's Sales Adventures" by Roger Konopasek)
Bill was distressed. He had been posted to Asia four months ago to take over as the number two of a major player in the chemical additives field. Coming from a Western background he was not used to the cultural finesse of communicating in Asia. He was used to asking direct questions and getting direct answers.
The first months in the office were an exercise in frustration. Sales were down across the region yet none of his questions was being answered in a way that allowed him to take action. Bill felt as if he was surrounded by a wall of glass, he was stuck inside a glass bubble talking and talking, everyone was looking at him yet it seemed that no one could hear him.
His frustration peaking at the lack of communication, he decided to find out what was truly going on. In a series of sessions involving a third-party mediator, a clear picture began to emerge. The company was suffering from communications breakdown. The staff had been caught in a belief system cycle that dictated them to be quiet when the boss spoke. Coming from a background where speaking up, or speaking back to a superior can be seen as being rude had effectively silenced the staff. The staff had become half hearted executors of the decisions made by management.
Interviewed on a one-to-one basis, staff memebers spoke of frustrations, lack of power and "heart" to do the job. Most of the staff were just hanging in there to pay the bills. Asked why they were not leaving the company to find greener pastures, most staff members interviewed just said that it was not their lot in life to get any farther since all managers were hard to talk to and all their efforts in this as well as in other companies to change things had come to no result. They had pretty much resigned themselves to go to work, do their 8-10 hours, collect the cheque and wait for their vacations and ultimately, retirement.
When confronted with this bleak picture of his staff's frame of mind, Bill was shocked. No way could he go out and win the market with a team running on such low self-esteem!
A strong bond and understanding had to be developed between management and staff. The first thing Bill wanted to know was why the staff thought management was closed and offish and how that could be changed. After a short introduction into the rules of politeness in the region, Bill understood that he had inherited a mantle (the title "Manager") that made it nigh impossible for a large number of his staff to approach him openly and talk to him. He was a "Manager", one of those strange creatures from a different planet that never seem to understand the problems of the rest of humanity. That was the starting point of a vicious cycle running the whole organization. Staff not communicating with managers, managers taking fairly uninformed decisions (not having the full picture due to lack of information), staff seeing faulty decisions made and coming to the conclusion that management was totally useless.
Bill had to break through the cycle at all cost! After much deliberation, the mediator and Bill struck upon a simple idea: Make the Invisible Visible!
A week later every staff member received a small crystal ball with a personal letter reading:
Dear X
There is a myth in the world of business that bosses are mind readers! That they know all. That they are infallible! That is not the truth...managers are human beings and can't read the thoughts of their fellow men. If I was able to do it, I would have a giant crystal ball on my table and would know all there is to know about what is in your heart.
We are all members of one team, we are part of a family and in my family, open doors are the rule. Every time you have a question to ask me and you think I am busy, just come into my office and show the crystal ball, it is your passport to talking to me anytime, anywhere. Try it, you may be amazed what powers this crystal ball holds.
Have a great day
Bill
The letter went out and then...nothing happened. Nothing happened for a whole week. Until one staff member tentatively approached Bill, produced the crystal ball and fielded a few important questions. After 10 minutes, she walked out with the answers she needed. This first example caught on and the rest of the team started following suit.
By now, the crystal balls are a part of the past. Team members communicate fast and efficiently with a smile on their faces...life is great again and full of sunshine.
Moral of the story: Never collide with a paradigm head-on, you will lose against entrenched beliefs. Take a skirting strategy and put a smile on people's faces and you will win.
The first months in the office were an exercise in frustration. Sales were down across the region yet none of his questions was being answered in a way that allowed him to take action. Bill felt as if he was surrounded by a wall of glass, he was stuck inside a glass bubble talking and talking, everyone was looking at him yet it seemed that no one could hear him.
His frustration peaking at the lack of communication, he decided to find out what was truly going on. In a series of sessions involving a third-party mediator, a clear picture began to emerge. The company was suffering from communications breakdown. The staff had been caught in a belief system cycle that dictated them to be quiet when the boss spoke. Coming from a background where speaking up, or speaking back to a superior can be seen as being rude had effectively silenced the staff. The staff had become half hearted executors of the decisions made by management.
Interviewed on a one-to-one basis, staff memebers spoke of frustrations, lack of power and "heart" to do the job. Most of the staff were just hanging in there to pay the bills. Asked why they were not leaving the company to find greener pastures, most staff members interviewed just said that it was not their lot in life to get any farther since all managers were hard to talk to and all their efforts in this as well as in other companies to change things had come to no result. They had pretty much resigned themselves to go to work, do their 8-10 hours, collect the cheque and wait for their vacations and ultimately, retirement.
When confronted with this bleak picture of his staff's frame of mind, Bill was shocked. No way could he go out and win the market with a team running on such low self-esteem!
A strong bond and understanding had to be developed between management and staff. The first thing Bill wanted to know was why the staff thought management was closed and offish and how that could be changed. After a short introduction into the rules of politeness in the region, Bill understood that he had inherited a mantle (the title "Manager") that made it nigh impossible for a large number of his staff to approach him openly and talk to him. He was a "Manager", one of those strange creatures from a different planet that never seem to understand the problems of the rest of humanity. That was the starting point of a vicious cycle running the whole organization. Staff not communicating with managers, managers taking fairly uninformed decisions (not having the full picture due to lack of information), staff seeing faulty decisions made and coming to the conclusion that management was totally useless.
Bill had to break through the cycle at all cost! After much deliberation, the mediator and Bill struck upon a simple idea: Make the Invisible Visible!
A week later every staff member received a small crystal ball with a personal letter reading:
Dear X
There is a myth in the world of business that bosses are mind readers! That they know all. That they are infallible! That is not the truth...managers are human beings and can't read the thoughts of their fellow men. If I was able to do it, I would have a giant crystal ball on my table and would know all there is to know about what is in your heart.
We are all members of one team, we are part of a family and in my family, open doors are the rule. Every time you have a question to ask me and you think I am busy, just come into my office and show the crystal ball, it is your passport to talking to me anytime, anywhere. Try it, you may be amazed what powers this crystal ball holds.
Have a great day
Bill
The letter went out and then...nothing happened. Nothing happened for a whole week. Until one staff member tentatively approached Bill, produced the crystal ball and fielded a few important questions. After 10 minutes, she walked out with the answers she needed. This first example caught on and the rest of the team started following suit.
By now, the crystal balls are a part of the past. Team members communicate fast and efficiently with a smile on their faces...life is great again and full of sunshine.
Moral of the story: Never collide with a paradigm head-on, you will lose against entrenched beliefs. Take a skirting strategy and put a smile on people's faces and you will win.
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