James P. Mullan, CMDSM, EMCM, MDC, MDP, CSSG B - 2010 Franklin Award - Recognized for Industry Excellence

James P. Mullan, CMDSM, EMCM, MDC

Recognized for Industry Excellence

Thursday, May 20, 2010

In today’s post I would like to congratulate Jim Mullan, Executive VP of the Greater NY Chapter of the Mail Systems Management Association (MSMA), on recently receiving the prestigious Franklin Award at the Mailcom Awards luncheon, which took place at the Atlantic City Convention Center.


Jim is the most energetic person I have met in the industry, and when notified of the award, he shared that he did not feel he deserved to be singled out for accomplishments that his staff, family and management make happen on a daily basis. For any of you who have met Jim, you would know that he is not a person you would categorize as shy. However, he does believe that service excellence starts and ends with a cohesive team of co-workers that provide delivery of the best in service. He told me that all of them should be receiving the award and not him.


That is the most important ingredient in what separates true leadership from people who are “in charge.” Jim sees the process of inclusion and delegation as the only management method, and treats all in his care as partners who work together to achieve a goal. From some of the greatest military leaders, to corporate magnates, and even the most successful sports coaches, these same characteristics are why people form a motivated team and execute behind Jim’s guidance, as he is always trying to share the accolades with those who directly service customers.


Congratulations to Mr. Mullan on a successful career, and to all responsible for working as a team. His results are a credit to everyone who is a part of his success. Jim Mullan also is an Océ Business Services’ National Operations Manager at Chubb & Sons in New Jersey.

What A Leader Must Know to Be Successful

What A Leader Must Know to Be Successful




Today there is too much focus on analytics, technology, and software as the answers to management problems. Many experts will tell you that systems dictate process rather than support process. Many experts will also focus on managing things like process, equipment, inventory, space, data, and information. But very few experts will tell you that without leadership intertwined with reality, the improvement efforts of enabling technology, information systems, process reengineering, and knowledge management are doomed from the start.



In your Transportation and Logistics operations and your workers’ eyes, your leadership is everything you do that affects operation accomplishment and his/her well-being. If you want to be a respected leader, concentrate on what you are (your beliefs and character), what you know (human nature, process application, your job), and what you do (provide direction, implement, and motivate).



LEADERSHIP FACTORS



The four major factors of leadership are The Follower, The Leader, Communication, and The Situation. They each have a significant impact on what actions a leader should take and when he/she should take them.



The Follower. The first major factor of leadership is the follower. Different workers require different styles of leadership. For example, a truck driver fresh from driver training requires more direct supervision than an experienced driver. An inventory analyst with a poor attitude requires a different approach than a highly motivated one. A union shop warehouse with older, long term employees requires different work incentives than a non-union, high turnover facility with a mostly under 30 or “GEN Y” workforce. A purchaser with very little industry or commodity expertise will need more coaching.



You must know your employees if you want to take the right leadership actions at the right time. The fundamental starting point for knowing your people is a clear understanding of human nature (needs, emotions, motivation). You must understand the be, know, and do attributes of each one of your people. The be is what he or she is - human nature, beliefs, values, and character. The know is his or her knowledge based on experience, training and expertise. The do is what he or she is capable of accomplishing through their skill sets.



One of the keys to good leadership is to hire the right people in the first place. How? It comes down to two factors: job competence and values fit. You must know what job performance factors are key to being successful in your environment, and hire for a values fit with the functional team you already have. If the person doesn’t have both of these elements, do not hire them under any circumstances.



Also, you need to remember that you are a follower as well as a leader. You have to find ways of meeting the goals of your boss, other key people, and yourself. To accomplish this, you must understand the different levels of people, have good communication with each, and develop relationships based on trust and respect.



The Leader. The second major factor of leadership is you - the leader. You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. You must be able to separate perception from reality. By way of example, good leaders show clear thinking and coolness when under pressure. Do your perceptions of yourself and your employees’ perceptions of you coincide within the reality of high pressure situations? This understanding is necessary in order for you to control and discipline yourself and your employees effectively. Remember that leadership is:



- 10% technical direction

- 20% administration

- 30% employee guidance

- 40% employee motivation



Communication. The third major factor of leadership is communication. You lead successfully through effective two-way communication. Much of this is not verbal. You teach, coach, counsel, persuade, and discipline through both verbal and non-verbal communication.



The way you communicate in different situations is important. Your choice of words, tone of voice, physical gestures, and the look in your eye affect the way a person feels about what you communicate. Leadership is more than just setting the example. The right word or the right body language spoken quietly at the right moment or an acknowledgement gesture after a difficult job is also an important part of leadership!



What and how you communicate either builds or harms the strength of your relationship between you and you employees. In a healthy relationship between people, there are bonds of mutual trust, respect, confidence, and understanding. These bonds form the basis of productivity and cohesion in any supply chain or logistics operation. They are built over time as your followers learn - from training, from experience, and from what you communicate - that you are a competent leader whom they can trust and respect.

R. I. S. K. – The Four Elements of Networking

R. I. S. K. – The Four Elements of Networking


Since reading and reviewing Jeffrey Meshel’s One Phone Call Away, I decided to reread Harvey Mackay’s Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty. Both books are excellent resources for anyone looking to build their network. I hope to do a full review of Harvey Mackay’s book, but for now will concentrate on something I read in Chapter 14: R.I.S.K. IT. – The Four Elements of Networking.

As you can probably guess, R.I.S.K. is an acronym, which stands for:

Reciprocity
Interdependency
Sharing
Keeping at it

Now let’s look at each of the elements:

Reciprocity

Although you should never come right out and ask, “What’s in it for me,” reciprocity is what makes a network work. If each member of the network were to focus on how they could help the other members, the network will be a success. Of course there will always be those who take but never give. Those cases usually end up with the “user” getting pushed out of the network.

Interdependency

Think about all the different careers out there. Now imagine having to perform them all yourself! You couldn’t do it. That’s what makes a network interdependent. If you have a plumber in your network, you know who to call when the toilet overflows (or when you need to replace the ballcock). Or, say you need to draw up a will. If you have a trusted lawyer within your network, you don’t have to try to find one via the Yellow Pages.

Sharing

Information sharing has to be easy to come by if the network is to operate properly. Thankfully, with email, blogging, and websites like MySpace, sharing is now easier than ever before.

Keeping at it

You have to maintain your network. You do that by keeping up with the people in your network. Calling them on their birthday or sending them a card every now and then will help you keep your network up-to-date.

These are all pretty straight-forward elements of a network. Sometimes the simple stuff isn’t that clear. Hopefully this post will help you to start thinking about your own network. Let me know if you have any other networking tips you would like to share.

Employee Motivation

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION


The topic of motivating employees is extremely important to managers and supervisors. Despite the important of the topic, several myths persist -- especially among new managers and supervisors. Before looking at what management can do to support the motivation of employees, it's important first to clear up these common myths.

1. Myth #1 -- "I can motivate people"

Not really -- they have to motivate themselves. You can't motivate people anymore than you can empower them. Employees have to motivate and empower themselves. However, you can set up an environment where they best motivate and empower themselves. The key is knowing how to set up the environment for each of your employees.

2. Myth #2 -- "Money is a good motivator"

Not really. Certain things like money, a nice office and job security can help people from becoming less motivated, but they usually don't help people to become more motivated. A key goal is to understand the motivations of each of your employees.

3. Myth #3 -- "Fear is a damn good motivator"

Fear is a great motivator -- for a very short time. That's why a lot of yelling from the boss won't seem to "light a spark under employees" for a very long time.

4. Myth #4 -- "I know what motivates me, so I know what motivates my employees"

Not really. Different people are motivated by different things. I may be greatly motivated by earning time away from my job to spend more time my family. You might be motivated much more by recognition of a job well done. People are not motivated by the same things. Again, a key goal is to understand what motivates each of your employees.

5. Myth #5 -- "Increased job satisfaction means increased job performance"

Research shows this isn't necessarily true at all. Increased job satisfaction does not necessarily mean increased job performance. If the goals of the organization are not aligned with the goals of employees, then employees aren't effectively working toward the mission of the organization.

6. Myth #6 -- "I can't comprehend employee motivation -- it's a science"

Nah. Not true. There are some very basic steps you can take that will go a long way toward supporting your employees to motivate themselves toward increased performance in their jobs. (More about these steps is provided later on in this article.)
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Basic Principles to Remember

1. Motivating employees starts with motivating yourself

It's amazing how, if you hate your job, it seems like everyone else does, too. If you are very stressed out, it seems like everyone else is, too. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you're enthusiastic about your job, it's much easier for others to be, too. Also, if you're doing a good job of taking care of yourself and your own job, you'll have much clearer perspective on how others are doing in theirs.

A great place to start learning about motivation is to start understanding your own motivations. The key to helping to motivate your employees is to understand what motivates them. So what motivates you? Consider, for example, time with family, recognition, a job well done, service, learning, etc. How is your job configured to support your own motivations? What can you do to better motivate yourself?

2. Always work to align goals of the organization with goals of employees

As mentioned above, employees can be all fired up about their work and be working very hard. However, if the results of their work don't contribute to the goals of the organization, then the organization is not any better off than if the employees were sitting on their hands -- maybe worse off! Therefore, it's critical that managers and supervisors know what they want from their employees. These preferences should be worded in terms of goals for the organization. Identifying the goals for the organization is usually done during strategic planning. Whatever steps you take to support the motivation of your employees (various steps are suggested below), ensure that employees have strong input to identifying their goals and that these goals are aligned with goals of the organization. (Goals should be worded to be "SMARTER".)

3. Key to supporting the motivation of your employees is understanding what motivates each of them

Each person is motivated by different things. Whatever steps you take to support the motivation of your employees, they should first include finding out what it is that really motivates each of your employees. You can find this out by asking them, listening to them and observing them.

4. Recognize that supporting employee motivation is a process, not a task

Organizations change all the time, as do people. Indeed, it is an ongoing process to sustain an environment where each employee can strongly motivate themselves. If you look at sustaining employee motivation as an ongoing process, then you'll be much more fulfilled and motivated yourself.

5. Support employee motivation by using organizational systems (for example, policies and procedures) -- don't just count on good intentions

Don't just count on cultivating strong interpersonal relationships with employees to help motivate them. The nature of these relationships can change greatly, for example, during times of stress. Instead, use reliable and comprehensive systems in the workplace to help motivate employees. For example, establish compensation systems, employee performance systems, organizational policies and procedures, etc., to support employee motivation. Also, establishing various systems and structures helps ensure clear understanding and equitable treatment of employees.

The 5 Biggest Communication Mistakes We Make

The 5 Biggest Communication Mistakes We Make


Everyone knows that the office can be a minefield of miscommunications, mishaps and misinterpretations. Most people think they personally do a great job of communicating but complain that their peers and managers are lousy at it—their boss never shares enough information, or shares too much. A manager barks orders endlessly or doesn’t give enough guidance. John from accounting goes on and on without getting to the point; Mary Ann in sales sends seven emails instead of picking up the phone just once. The truth is, most of us can improve our workplace effectiveness exponentially by becoming better communicators on the job. Effective communication is both an art and a science, but it can in fact be taught and learned. Here are some of the most common mistakes we make at work and how to fix them:

We don’t ask for help in a smart way

No one knows everything. At some point, everyone needs help with a project or task. But our fear of looking helpless or uninformed often precludes us from asking for and getting the help we need. Asking for help in a smart way, however, shows you to be thoughtful and have good judgment. If you’re given an assignment you don’t know how to do, ask your boss if she has any recent or good examples to take a look at, an outline or template in mind, or a recommendation of someone to speak with who may be able to help. The goal is to set yourself up for success by getting the resources and guidance you need upfront. If there are no resources available, then offer to put your initial thoughts down on paper and come back to your manager with a first draft, bullet points, or an outline. Get your manager invested in the process early on and make sure you have sign-off on your approach before going down the wrong path. You’ll avoid lots of wasted time and energy by making sure you and your boss are on the same page from the get-go.

We don’t communicate our expectations clearly

A group of young managers was recently asked if their subordinates knew how often they their managers wanted to hear from them. One manager replied that she liked to hear from one of her analysts daily (because she was new and needed guidance regularly) and from her other analysts on an as-needed basis when they had questions to ask or milestones to share. The manager was then asked her if her analysts knew which group they fell into. She sheepishly admitted that no, her analysts probably didn’t know. How are your employees supposed to meet and exceed your expectations if they don’t know what those expectations are? Whether it be timing or deadlines, information you want included in a report or the key outcomes you’re hoping to see in a strategic review, if you don’t tell people exactly what you’re looking for, you’re likely not going to get it. The quick and easy fix is to tell people what you want and when you want it. As a junior employee, ask the pointed questions to make sure you know what’s being expected of you.

We hide behind email when we have problems

When you have a problem at work, no good can come of sending someone a nasty note, voicing a complaint online or arguing a point via email. As anyone who’s been on the receiving end of a snarky email knows, you seldom (if ever) accomplish your goals without taking it offline and discussing it in person. Tone and tenor are lost in email and people are highly predisposed to misinterpret information without additional context. When something goes wrong, you’ve got to get up out of your seat and go to your boss’ office to raise the issue or pick up the phone and have a tough conversation live—so that you can explain your position and give your colleague a chance to voice his or hers. The back and forth is what solves problems—not the one-way email that makes people have to read between the lines or guess at your true meaning.

We Bury the Lead

Mark Twain famously quipped, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” Everyone is short on time these days. We’re all being asked to do more with fewer resources. So when you have to update your team or post your boss, make sure you’re thinking ahead about your message and leading with your punch line. Don’t make people guess at your meaning or listen to a five-minute voice mail when they could have gotten all of the information they needed in half that time. Ask yourself what is new, different or important about the information you’re sharing and then start off with that. If you can’t satisfy that requirement, you probably shouldn’t be taking up someone’s time in the first place.

We fail to focus on forward momentum

Business relationships are all about momentum. The best conversations we have are the ones that lead to another conversation. When you’re getting off the phone or taking leave of your manager’s office, keep him posted on next steps. Offer to keep him in the loop on what happens next or promise to apprise him of a change in the situation. Let your boss know that you’ll close the loop when the final report comes in or ask if there’s anything else he needs from you. Always be thinking two steps ahead so your boss doesn’t have to.

The 5 Qualities of Remarkable Bosses

The 5 Qualities of Remarkable Bosses

Consistently do these five things and the results you want from your employees--and your business--will follow.

In the eyes of his or her employees, a remarkable boss is a star. Remember where you came from, and be gracious with your stardom. Remarkable bosses aren’t great on paper. Great bosses are remarkable based on their actions. Results are everything—but not the results you might think. Consistently do these five things and everything else follows. You and your business benefit greatly. More importantly, so do your employees.

1. Develop every employee. Sure, you can put your primary focus on reaching targets, achieving results, and accomplishing concrete goals—but do that and you put your leadership cart before your achievement horse.

Without great employees, no amount of focus on goals and targets will ever pay off. Employees can only achieve what they are capable of achieving, so it’s your job to help all your employees be more capable so they—and your business—can achieve more.

It's your job to provide the training, mentoring, and opportunities your employees need and deserve. When you do, you transform the relatively boring process of reviewing results and tracking performance into something a lot more meaningful for your employees: Progress, improvement, and personal achievement.

So don’t worry about reaching performance goals. Spend the bulk of your time developing the skills of your employees and achieving goals will be a natural outcome.

Plus it’s a lot more fun.

2. Deal with problems immediately. Nothing kills team morale more quickly than problems that don't get addressed. Interpersonal squabbles, performance issues, feuds between departments... all negatively impact employee motivation and enthusiasm.

And they're distracting, because small problems never go away. Small problems always fester and grow into bigger problems. Plus, when you ignore a problem your employees immediately lose respect for you, and without respect, you can't lead.

Never hope a problem will magically go away, or that someone else will deal with it. Deal with every issue head-on, no matter how small.

3. Rescue your worst employee. Almost every business has at least one employee who has fallen out of grace: Publicly failed to complete a task, lost his cool in a meeting, or just can’t seem to keep up. Over time that employee comes to be seen by his peers—and by you—as a weak link.

While that employee may desperately want to “rehabilitate” himself, it's almost impossible. The weight of team disapproval is too heavy for one person to move.

But it’s not too heavy for you.

Before you remove your weak link from the chain, put your full effort into trying to rescue that person instead. Say, "John, I know you've been struggling but I also know you're trying. Let's find ways together that can get you where you need to be." Express confidence. Be reassuring. Most of all, tell him you'll be there every step of the way.

Don't relax your standards. Just step up the mentoring and coaching you provide.

If that seems like too much work for too little potential outcome, think of it this way. Your remarkable employees don’t need a lot of your time; they’re remarkable because they already have these qualities. If you’re lucky, you can get a few percentage points of extra performance from them. But a struggling employee has tons of upside; rescue him and you make a tremendous difference.

Granted, sometimes it won't work out. When it doesn't, don't worry about it. The effort is its own reward.

And occasionally an employee will succeed—and you will have made a tremendous difference in a person's professional and personal life.

Can’t beat that.

4. Serve others, not yourself. You can get away with being selfish or self-serving once or twice... but that's it.

Never say or do anything that in any way puts you in the spotlight, however briefly. Never congratulate employees and digress for a few moments to discuss what you did.

If it should go without saying, don't say it. Your glory should always be reflected, never direct.

When employees excel, you and your business excel. When your team succeeds, you and your business succeed. When you rescue a struggling employee and they become remarkable, remember they should be congratulated, not you.

You were just doing your job the way a remarkable boss should.

When you consistently act as if you are less important than your employees—and when you never ask employees to do something you don’t do—everyone knows how important you really are.

5. Always remember where you came from. See an autograph seeker blown off by a famous athlete and you might think, “If I was in a similar position I would never do that.”

Oops. Actually, you do. To some of your employees, especially new employees, you are at least slightly famous. You’re in charge. You’re the boss.

That's why an employee who wants to talk about something that seems inconsequential may just want to spend a few moments with you.

When that happens, you have a choice. You can blow the employee off... or you can see the moment for its true importance: A chance to inspire, reassure, motivate, and even give someone hope for greater things in their life. The higher you rise the greater the impact you can make—and the greater your responsibility to make that impact.

In the eyes of his or her employees, a remarkable boss is a star.

Remember where you came from, and be gracious with your stardom

Practicing Good Listening!

Practicing Good Listening All of us have had years of training in reading and writing. It’s the basis of education. But few of us have had training in listening and speaking, the two activities that many times we spend far more time doing as professionals. Our job today is to focus on the topic of listening. How many times have you said to your people, “I have a constant open door. Come in to talk to me anytime you would like.” And then while you’re working busily at your computer, your colleague comes in and you say, “Go ahead. Tell me. Tell me.” But you continue to work. You see, just because you have ears doesn’t necessarily mean you’re listening. And even if you could repeat back what it was they were saying, the message you’re giving them is, “I really don’t care about what you have to say.” The choice to be a good listener requires a conscious decision to go off scan and into focusing on the message that the person is sharing. Don’t pretend that you have an open door. If you’re busy, let them know. I'd much rather have a boss that would let me know, “Hey, I need five minutes to get to a good breakpoint. Then I’ll give you my full attention.” But instead, we pretend to listen, and we convey a message that communicates we don’t care about the input or the decisions or the questions that our people have. So that requires a conscious choice. I often will find that when you say you’re busy, most people don’t mind coming back in five minutes, if it’s an important issue. You can say, “Just a minute. Let me write a brief orienting note about where I was going.” I actually will physically put the word "orient" in my computer file. Next to it I will identify my train of thought about where I was going, and then I save it. That way, when I come back to that particular project later or when I’m finished with my conversation, all I have to do is go find "orient." I’ve got my train of thought and it gives my reentry back into my work. It also conveys to the person that I care enough to be emptying out to be ready to really listen to what it is that you have to share and the questions that you have. Keep in mind also that where your eyes are is where your true focus is. It isn’t just whether or not you hear the content; it’s the energy you give to a person. So if I’m focused on the computer, I’m giving a very different message. Now you can defend against this, but think about it, if the president of your company came in and you said, “Sure. Go ahead. Tell me, tell me.” And you continue to look at your computer? I don’t think you’d do that. The message you give when you give your focus to people is that, “I care about you and you count.” Take the time in the midst of that to also be a good note taker. Note takers make better listeners. Research out of the University of Minnesota, it surprised me in fact because I always felt when you’re writing notes, you’re not processing. But what happens when you’re writing notes is you’re organizing the receipt of that information. You’re looking at the key points that are being said and you’re giving evidence to the person that you’re taking them seriously. If anyone ever reacts to you taking notes, you can just say, “I just want to make sure I make record of this because I want to make sure that we do something about it.” Our key point, and I want you to really isolate this; listening is not a passive habit. It’s an active one where your eyes are focused, where your content is focused, where you keep yourself taking notes about what it is that you want to see accomplished, you’ll find that we all know how to listen when it’s important, but realize there is no more important investment in your people than taking five minutes to listen to what’s important to them.