Hooray For Groundhog Day!!!

This day comes only once a year and I have to tell you the excitement and anticipation we as Americans feel for Groundhog Day can only be closely compared to that of Arbor Day or the more deeply entrenched Hang Nail Day. But alas, today is Groundhog's Day and we stand loud and proud as we celebrate this day of infamous honor and deep furry history.

We all have our unique rituals and our own "special" way of celebrating this glorious day. My day will be filled with going door to door wishing my neighbors a Happy Ground Hog day and then it will be off to the annual Groundhog Day Parade (which I hope is better attended than last year) followed by the neighborhood BBQ. Of course no Groundhog Day would be complete without of course proudly wearing my official Groundhog fuzzy undergarments! I live for this day!

I have often wondered why Punxsutawney Phil gets all of the attention on this day that was obviously meant to celebrate all Groundhogs throughout the world. I sent my crack team of investigative reports out to gain some perspective from Phil's "neck of the woods." Here are some of the comments from Phil's furry brethren.

Chip Hog- "I have to be honest with you, Phil and I no longer speak. Once he got a website I swear the guy just got too big for his paws. And when he started getting those Chicklets whitened, that was it for me."

Miller Hog - "Phil is funnier than a bucket of walnuts. I am happy he gets to represent us on such a glorious day. I just wish they would actually let him speak and you my friend would hear some of the funniest stuff you have heard in a long time."

Sweaty Hog - "Phil and I used to be friends. Good friends. We used to go up on Brokeback Mountain and do a little camping. But something came over Phil when he was up there. He turned into an animal and when this thing came over us, well, we just couldn't let that get out as the other 'hogs wouldn't understand ya know. I do miss him and I think about him everyday."

Kelly Hog - "Phil and I used to live together. But fame got to his head and he took up with Britney Spearhog down near the trailer park and I just couldn't take it anymore. He thinks he is all that but she will realize he ain't the hog she thinks he is."

Don Hog - "We all laugh at Phil. Seriously! 364 days out of the year that guy comes busting out of his hole expecting to see all this hoopla and what does he find? Nothing! It is classic. We all gather near the briar tree every morning to watch and giggle. The guy is all ego."

Emeril Hog - "We love all the attention the area gets this time of year. I mean I love waking up to fireworks in the morning BAM! Talk about getting the old ticker going. I just wish people wouldn't bring their kids to these events. Someone is gonna stick their finger in the wrong hole ya know and get it taken off. I mean this looks like a great area but we have some rift raft that has moved in over the past couple of years and some kid is gonna get hurt."

Richard Hog - "Phil is a close friend I am happy to say. But six months ago, Phil was going through some things and was eating a lot. Heck he could barely get through his door it was so bad. We had to get him on a steady diet of greens and of course I worked his hairy little butt off to my "Sweatin to the Mole" and he dropped 4 ounces. He looks like a whole new Groundhog today."

Hillary Hog - "You know I voted for Phil but now I am campaigning to be his replacement. I mean Phil needs to go. Look at me, I am furrier than he is, I have bigger teeth and I have my husband backing me, when he isn't at the local strip bar. Yep I believe the country is ready for a female hog and let me tell you I am the right hog to represent this country. So I am in to win."

Bush Hog - "I like Phil. He is an upstanding American and represents this magical holiday and all is granuure spertacularily. He is also a great asset to our war on taarrreer. He has his ear to the ground a lot and we thank him for his loyalty to our country. I know his fellow groundhogs appreciate what he has done for us." (Yes we spelled it like he spoke it!)

Anna Hog - "I refuse to answer any more questions on Phil. I mean I like the guy but he is not the father of my hog."

Well opinions vary on old Phil but no matter how you slice it, enjoy this celebrated day. I know I sure will. Though my thighs are starting to chafe.

Go create some Groundhog inspired Ripples!!!!

Ripple On!

Steve

Team Connectiveness - Part Four

The CEO on the other end of the line was frustrated. He had communication problems amongst his leadership team and those problems were now starting to trickle down to their direct reports. Moral was at an all time low. Business was churning but customer complaints on quality and timeliness were beginning to increase. People had lost respect for one another and now openly aired their grievances regardless of who might be watching or listening.

Months earlier I had been hired to come in and do an afternoon presentation on my book The Ripple Effect for his executive team retreat. During my session I had sensed there was some uneasiness when I touched on the Ripple Effect of communication and its impact on the internal and external customer. I explained that the lack of open and honest communication often proves to be the Achilles heal of most corporations (regardless of size) and that building a ripple-centric strategy often requires that his area of the business be closely examined.

They weren't ready to talk about those difficult issues then, but now months later, the CEO was being forced to admit that they were in trouble.

The issues they were facing were not unique or different than those your team may be facing right now. I know for myself when I led a team of sales, service and administrative personnel, they were certainly not far removed from what this poor guy was seeing, feeling and stressing over. And of course based on that experience and the many companies I have since worked with since, I had some advice for him.

Now I don't mean to over-simplify what I do or perhaps give you some idea that what I offer is that magic bullet that will make you the next Microsoft overnight. I am good but not even I will drink that Kool-Aid!

As I explained in part two, I asked him what he saw, heard and felt when he was in the trenches. Like me (in my 'early years'), he had mistakenly gone about growing his company and more directly, his people, by being as disconnected as they were. Although the majority of his employees had worked together for several years he didn't really think anyone knew each other, much less cared about one another. They had seen a huge increase in turnover over the past several years despite having almost none the first few years in business.

My advice was to throw down the gauntlet and address the pink elephant in the room. I asked him to ask the question "We don't like one another? What can we do to fix it?" He needed to get the dialogue going or else.

So for the next few weeks he spent time talking to every one of his employees. I explained it would not be easy and people would most assuredly not trust him at first but no matter what he needed to keep talking. He needed to be willing to encourage and really listen to what was being said AND what wasn't being said.

It took time. It took a fair amount of coaching and mentoring by me to keep his spirits up. It took a tremendous amount of effort. And it took him checking his ego at the door and an open-hearted message from him to ask his team to do the same. But as it did with me and countless other clients that I have worked with since, it began to work. It certainly wasn't easy but it the huge wheels of change began to move.

After several weeks I came in to lead their first companywide 8 Minute Ripple. I first explained the power of the Ripple and how and why it affected individually. I then expanded upon the positive momentum changes that everyone had been seeing and gave a little insight as to what the boss had been up to. He was surveying the land, cultivating the space and now we were about to lay the foundation. We would be learning together what it meant to engage, connect and finally get to know one another and we would be doing in such a way that it would be fun, rewarding and not nearly as difficult as they might expect.

Team connectiveness is, in my opinion, the single biggest factor as to whether a company will succeed or fail. People are the single biggest asset a company has. Forget product and services and realize that unless you can run your company all by yourself (God help you) then your team is the biggest part of this equation.

If your team isn't connecting, if they aren't engaging and openly communicating then something needs to be done. Lead by example. Reach out and connect yourself. Start showing an interest in your teammates in something other than work. Encourage people to get to know one another. Be a bridge builder. Make time in the day for people to commiserate whether over a hosted lunch, coffee chat or over beers at the local pub after work. Don't play games. Be honest. Tell them that no matter what, their interaction and respect for one another is paramount to the company's future abundance and success.

Bottom line, just do something! Make sure your teams are connected!

And if you are still struggling, still unsure how to make it happen then call or email me. Perhaps your team is need of a Ripple-cism!

Ripple On My Friends!

Steve Harper
steve@ripplecentral.com
512-577-3700


P.S. Have you seen our new Ripple TV? Check it out by Clicking Here!!!

Team Connectiveness - Part Three

So if you are the business leader.....

You pay 100% of an employee's salary.

You may only be getting 37% of their effort.

According to a study conducted by the Gallup Organization, corporations that do nothing to help employees connect with one another at work have employees that are 63% less likely to be engaged on the job. That means employees are actively disengaged in their job function, undedicated and actually damaging a company’s productivity.

The lack of connection felt by a company’s employees actually increases the risks and costs associated with the following:

· Employee turnover
· Absenteeism
· Healthcare
· Productivity
· Communication
· Loyalty
· Innovation

Team connectiveness as you can see from a business leader's perspective is extremely important and has a positive or negative Ripple effect that can extend well beyond the company's bottom line.

So why do so many organizations continue to ignore it?

Because to fix it might appear to be more costly than it truly is.

As I mentioned in part one of this series, team building activities just aren't cutting it. Organizations that invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in helping their team be better teammates often grow frustrated when the residual affects of a ropes course or Kum Ba Ya hugs are long since over and everyone has to return to the office trenches on Monday morning.

So it is easy to see why companies simply fail to try. It is easy to understand why they simply let their teams "be" even if those teams happen to "be" dysfunctional.

It doesn't have to be that way. Why would anyone in their right mind want to actively or passively promote a work environment that doesn't help everyone perform at their highest level. It just doesn't make sense.

If you are paying 100% of an employee's salary you should expect a respectable return for that investment. But it requires you actively work to insure that everyone within the company is connecting and working together.

And if you are the employee receiving 100% of your salary but giving back less than 100% effort because of the environment you work in, it becomes your responsibility to challenge the status quo. It requires you take an active role in breaking the negative cycle of disconnectiveness.

In my next POST and the final one of this series, we will look at how something as simple as the Ripple can bring about real changes in your team environment.

Until next time.....

Ripple On!

Steve Harper