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Leaders must be in tune and set the tone with employees. Making yourself visible and approachable can go a long way in establishing rapport and relationships.
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By Jeff Dudan
There is so much data crawling across our computer screens daily, it can be a bit numbing. That’s because while studying pie charts, graphs, and numbers, corporate leaders can sometimes forget the “X Factor” — our forward-facing employees. They are your company to customers, vendors, and even the community. The power to tip the scales of your brand’s health and longevity either way, can rest with them. What steps can corporate leaders take to guarantee that “consistency of engagement,” necessary to retain clients while attracting new ones, is in place to grow the business?
Leaders Inspect What They Expect
This is why I jumped at the chance to go out into the field and see AdvantaClean teams in action for myself. I was curious to find out:
- What kind of first impression are they making?
- What challenges are they facing?
- Are they following the training program?
- Are they wearing the proper uniforms daily, to conform to brand compliance?
- How can the corporate team help them be more successful?
But I couldn’t just roll up as the founder and CEO of the company. I would need to disguise myself as a worker, to not tip them off. Would they still reflect the professionalism, courtesy, and expertise laid out in the company’s standards, or slack off and cut corners? Worse yet, would they train a new hire that way?
Here’s what I found working side-by-side with employees.
Leaders Live the Values
I worked with four different employees from four different parts of the country over a period of two weeks in my undercover role. Danielle, Steven, Barry, and Kyle each had different personalities, backgrounds, and personal stories. But all shared a common trait: they believed they were making a difference in someone’s life.
Whether they crawled under houses to clean out mold, tore out a kitchen, or meticulously scrubbed fine china rescued from a flooded home, they made it clear that they wanted to be part of the solution that helped this person recover.
Steven and I worked together in several homes cleaning air ducts. Steven treated each like it was his own home and made sure the job was done thoroughly and completed with our high-quality standards. Whether any of the families were having breathing problems or not, he wanted to make sure we took care of any dust, mold, or pollen in those ducts.
The AdvantaClean value code is an acronym: C.A.R.E.S. The letters stand for Community, Accountability, Respect, Excellence, and Service. Our community value states that we will make a difference in the community one person, family, friend, or neighbor at a time.
If your employees are just punching a clock, or doing just enough, then you have a major problem. If they are not living your company values in their pursuit of real solutions and making a difference for your clients, then you need to re-think hiring and training.
Leaders Look for Energy
Hire people with energy and passion, who will take pride and ownership of any job given them to do. Plus, there’s a bonus: their active leadership example can inspire others to “lift their game” to the next level, which will create excellence.
The employees with that “buy-in/all-in” mindset realize they will have an opportunity to lead at some point. They want to be ready.
I watched this leadership working with Danielle on a house that was destroyed by a flood. While deep cleaning and disinfecting china, Danielle made sure to explain how to treat each piece “like it’s your grandma’s china.” She was committed to that family’s recovery, right down to the last cup and saucer.
Leaders Provide Purpose, Meaning and Direction
What looks like laziness, lack of effort or interest, is most often a lack of clarity.
On a kitchen demolition, I was fortunate to have Kyle as my team leader. I’m the kind of guy who would rather tear into a project then sort it all out later. Kyle patiently laid out what the project entailed, and why it had to be done in a certain order. He then worked closely with me to offer help, or answer questions, always making sure we were following the plan step-by-step, until completion.
If you are striving for consistent, predictable excellence, leaders must offer a clearly stated plan and purpose, the tools and techniques needed, and the benefits of doing the job the right way the first time (as well as the consequences if you don’t). You can never have enough training, support, and connecting the dots for people in your organization at every level.
Leaders are Positive
I like to tell the kids I coach in football that they will face 99 choices every day — minimum. It starts the moment they get up and decide whether to make their bed. Things are going to happen to them that are outside of their control, not in the plan, or maybe just plain wrong. How will they respond? We all have a choice regarding our approach to these challenges —our attitude.
Work hard to hire people with a positive, “can do” attitude. They have figured out how to motivate themselves, and that energy rubs off on everyone else around them. These are the people you want leading your teams as they will get the extra effort, and the discretionary effort from their teams. They will get more done in less time, every time.
Barry, one of the folks I worked with, just radiated enthusiasm and positive “vibes.” He was infectious. Here’s the motivation he used to do the dirty jobs: He imagined himself as “Spiderman,” crawling under houses, fighting mold like it was an arch-villain. Who doesn’t want to work with a guy like that? Keep the workers like Barry, and reward them like the “superheroes” they are. Say “goodbye” to the negative people as fast as you can, before they infect everyone else. Your customers will appreciate it.
Leaders Have an ‘Empathetic Ear’
Leaders must be in tune and set the tone with employees. A “one-on-one” with everyone in your company may not be the best approach, but making yourself visible and approachable can go a long way in establishing rapport and relationships. If you only have a minute or two on the elevator, ask them what they need to do their job better, or what is preventing them from doing a better job — and listen.
Sometimes their obstacle to being successful could be a personal struggle. If you take time to just listen, it will mean a lot to the employee in that position, especially if problems are affecting their work life. It can be cathartic for both sides, and help you head trouble off before it can start. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
Having the chance to appear on CBS’ “Undercover Boss” in January allowed me to listen to the stories of Danielle, Barry, Steven and Kyle. I was moved to help each of them in a tangible way. But by really hearing and connecting with them, I truly received more than they could ever receive
from me.
from me.