A Day at Works

“A large part of what a good boss does is expedite things for employees – that is, help them get their jobs done by removing obstacles. This is not at all the same as ‘making sure’ they get their jobs done by raising the anxiety level. Most people are anxious enough already.” -David Sirota, head of Sirota Survey Intelligence, a research firm headquartered in Purchase, N.Y., that has surveyed millions of employees in Fortune 500 companies since its founding in 1972.

3 goals at work: fairness, achievement and camaraderie

In his book, “The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want” (Wharton School Publishing), Sirota conclude from researches that people in general have 3 goals at work: fairness, achievement and camaraderie. If these 3 goals are met, you have enthusiastic employees.

What he means by fairness is employee wants to feel that they are being recognized and rewarded fairly. Achievement means that employee wants to be proud of the organization and their place in it. Camaraderie means employee wants good working relations and a sense of belonging to a team.

The trouble is that, morale among new hires is high and by about 6 month has dropped sharply. Management has destroyed it. One thing bad bosses do is to deliberately make people feel insecure about their jobs. Another is treat employees like children or criminals instead of like responsible adults.

Sign of Bad Boss

A sign of a really bad boss is micromanaging, which Sirota define as devoting punitive amount of attention to minute. Employee has to raise his hand if they want to go to restroom. Another sign is no positive feedback.
All of this behavior of bad boss derived from a combination of an over positive self concept with theory X which see others always negative.

Why should companies care whether employees are enthusiastic or not, as long as the work gets done?

Many research evident show a direct link between employee morale and the overall performance of the firm, including stock price. The correlation is a result of how employees treated is reflected to how employees treat customers.

Since most bosses, including the bad one, always think they are doing the right thing thus management should always 360-degree evaluation to have constructive critics and an open dialogue to make sure people giving an honest feedback.

In one of the company, there is a female Manager who has been known of her bitchy attitudes.
She is in 35s, single but has a reputation as a girl of married man across level of the firm. When she was an Officer, she was intimate to her Branch Manager. When she was a Supervisor she was known as a concubine of a rising star Regional Manager, and last but not least her charm also touching the Board of Director. Amazingly she often manages multi intimate relationship at once.
Hearing this story, I felt a shame. A trophy girl who also a Manager is in action and let go because no one have enough courage to consider attitude than output.
As a Manager, she gives wrong example, and some Officers start doing the same bitchy attitude and appearance to manipulate weak man in power.

This model of behavior certainly starts because supported by ‘management’, for instance something that is consider not dangerous, straightly for the purpose of the business such as hiring sexy woman as a marketing officer. The intention to seduce customers then slow but sure become a weapon to manipulate the boss. Yes the boss, because when we influence colleague & follower, love and fear generally cost less and quite productive. In managing or influencing up, sex is the productive weapon even compared to networking with authoritative person in top.

Love, different to sex. Love is not manipulating because self-sacrifice (some people say that we should find the best for ourselves or “to have” – but I think the old value, find the best in others or “to give” is greater). Thus love is positive, while sex is love influenced by egoism, that is the fear of left alone. So when we behave to win sympathy of others (sub ordinate or super ordinate), then actually it is not love – it is sex in subtle was; like when we talk about hard core and soft porn or erotism – both are focusing on oneself.

The insight is that, we simply tolerate un-ethical behavior especially concerning sex as a private and extra office business but evidence shows that healthy corporate culture, especially in performance evaluation, promotion and the most importance, morale are destroyed. Employee understands that there is more than one-way to reach the top, including using sex and love.
Secondly, because woman naturally falls to this misconduct thus a man need to beware of this.
Third, because we naturally have fear in heart… easily do anything for ourselves.
Forth, the last is because without organizational support (company, state, community, etc.) becoming the one which is manipulative is more reasonable moreover evidence shows that a wolf is always a king in a kingdom of sheeps.

[1] Suspect flattery. Sincere compliments from a coworker or a boss are nice, but outrageous flattery is often an attempt to draw you into a psychopath’s snare. If you feel your ego is being massaged, you may be dealing with a psychopath. Be careful.

[2] Take labels and titles with a grain of salt. Just because someone is older, has a higher position or more degrees, or is wealthier than you are does not mean his or her moral judgment is better than yours.

[3] Always question authority when it conflicts with your own sense of right and wrong. This may be hard to do, but it is crucial to your own career and well-being.

[4] Never agree to help a psychopath conceal his or her suspicious activities at work.

[5] If you are afraid of your boss, never confuse this feeling with respect.

[6] Realistically assess the damage to your life. If it’s too great, you may have to leave.

Remember that living well is the best revenge.
source: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/96/open_boss-fasttake.html

Oneday a customer who just bought a luxury car has a phone call. This call is from Ms. Susan, a Relationship Manager of the car dealer he just has visited a week before his recent purchase. In a moment they are in a middle of conversation,… after talk and talk.. Ms. Susan asking whether he has a plan to buy a car, because 3 years ago he bought a nice Camry from the dealer.
Since he has no plan to buy another car, despite the fact that he just have already bought a brand new Mercedes, he calmly said that he might has a plan in the next 3 months, just to ensure the girl still has a nice smile in her face.
Then for about 3 month after, he has cold call again. This time he can easily remember her sweet sound… immediatey after Ms. Susan introduce herself and showing emphaty to his Camry which has its major service after a toll road accident nearly killed him. Different to previous encounter, Ms. Susan surprisingly greet him on his birthday which actually take place one day before.
This situation repeatedly happened: a phone call, and a closing question or offerings. For Ms. Susan she can proudly say that she has a relatioship with customer, she frequently interact with customer.. and often customer also call her back asking for something about car, discount or so on. For this situation Ms. Susan can thanks to massive technology behind, which capture customer’s name, phone humber, b’day, transaction, and other lifestyle information then mining a clue of customer’s future needs.
Although this practice is sweet, but simply has customer’s data such as b’day and greet customer would not necessarily showing the existence of relationship between customer and the firm. Customer would not impressed by a printed greeting card archiving data from central data base maintaining their b’day. As long as customer do not feel the warm emotion in the process, then it is a waste. As long as customer feel we do it just for money, it is a waste.

Think, which is more touching:
1. Mr. Robert buy a car, filling data (including b’day date), Ms. Susan get the date from dB, call him and greet him.
2. Ms. Susan has a conversation with him about his hobby and car, get his b’day date, call him and greet him.

Other example:
1. Mr. Rober go to workshop, the Service Agent record his car problem, Ms. Susan call him whether the car serviced as promised, and next Ms. Susan reminds his next service schedule.
2. Mr. Robert go to workshop, Ms. Susan call him asking whether he need trasport to the office, and next Ms. Susan call him again checking whether the car in good condition to make sure Mr. Robert not necessarily late to the office.

The point is that relationship only can established between human. System to make this relationship easier is important, but the one that guarantee relationship is frontline’s attitudes.
The content of relationship must be no money-oriented, and the context is as customer prefer.

If Ms. Susan has a bunch of data and sophisticated media, but while call customer she show no enthusiasm then it is useless. When Ms. Susan show right attitude backup with data and system, but just to offer customer products, to make a sale then it is useless. When Ms. Susan call customer in the wrong time, wrong place, wrong media, and wrong approach then it is also useless.

So a firm can said they develop CRM when they ensure all employees serve customer from the heart, which only can if the management and leader treat employee with respect.