This week I am excited to announce that I have a guest writer, Ken Wasco. Ken is a member of the National Speakers Association and the GFS marketing team who's gained a wide reputation in the food service industry for presenting timely seminars and workshops on obtaining higher levels of personal effectiveness through an emphasis on communication skills. As a highly regarded and entertaining presenter Ken has conducted thousands of sessions and written many articles on accomplishing results through people.
When it comes to change, hearing “no” is a great positive start!!
Got anyone on your staff who gives you a hard time whenever you ask them to do something new? Welcome to the club - we all know people resist change. Or better said – fear change – when fear is removed positive change happens – how? Read on!
“Positive Change” is not a contradiction in terms! It’s doable. All it takes to achieve it are some basic skills on your part. How basic? Hey if you can listen, write and talk - you can do it!
Let’s start with the writing part. Take out a note pad and write down the names of the people you work with that you’d most like to improve the “change attitude” of – one name per line with three columns. Now let’s go to “people school” on why they act the way they do!
Understanding the people side of management involves harnessing the dynamics of “human nature” – those sides of our personality that we all hold in common. Smart leaders improve their business not through forcing change but by focusing on their people first - through using the power of human nature in positive ways to help their people be the best that they can be. What results is a better operation too. Here’s three parts of that human nature that I bet you’ve seen in action.
Human nature says - “people want to be in the know”
“people want to be better off tomorrow then they are today”
“to one degree or another all of us resist change”
The “in the know” stuff, that’s why we watch the news, gossip, and buy tabloids. The “better off” stuff – watch out here because there are all types of ways that people define “better off” – more friends, more respect, more money are just a few – to motivate anyone you need to know what they want more of and don’t assume anything it’s different for everyone. If you know an important goal of each individual – write it along side their name – if you don’t – find out.
Now think about each person on the list and what kind of comments they say when you ask them to do something new – write each person’s favorite “excuse” after their name.
Here are a few of my favorites… “That’s not the way we do things around here.” If ain’t broke why are you fixin’ it?” “That’s not my job.” “We tried that before and it didn’t work.” ‘That will never work.” “Why is it always me and not somebody else who has to do this stuff?”
All these excuses are really hiding a very little word that they won’t say directly because they know you hate hearing it – that word only has 2 letters. Ready for a “people shock”? I think those who complain the loudest when you ask them to do something new are actually the best assets you have toward accomplishing the change you want. Why? Because their not going behind your back and bellyaching, they are telling you what they don’t like to your face – they’re communicating with you even if you don’t like what they’re saying. With people we can always deal with what we know and as long as they are talking then you know how they feel.
As manager’s we hate hearing “no” because we all think in simple positives and negatives, debits and credits, good and bad – but people who resist change really aren’t disguising the word “NO” –they are disguising the word that sounds just like “NO” yet it’s spelled differently “KNOW”. People put their feet in concrete when they fear what “might” happen. They don’t know why they should do this - how it will make their lives better – in short, what’s in it for them? Your job – as a leader of people – is to take the time, however much time it takes, to make sure each of your people understand the positives that will result from new activity.
Now let’s really give you an option for success with your team. However before I do that I just have to ask you one question, how often do you hold team meetings? Let me tell you a little secret – that question is one I ask foodservice professionals all the time. Guess what I hear? “Meetings, I hold them as little as possible” “Only when I have to” “I never have anything new to talk about” “We used to hold them but were too busy now” and on and on and on…. Yet what amazes me is that the people who are telling me that are the very ones who asked me to come in and give them a few suggestions. Well here is one for you right now.
THERE IS AN EXACT CORELATION BETWEEN HOW SUCCESSFUL YOUR BUSISNESS IS AND HOW WELL TRAINED YOUR TEAM IS.
Trust me on this one – the organizations that leap into your brain when “great guest service” comes to mind are the very ones who hold employee meetings EVERYDAY. Yup, you heard me – E V E R Y D A Y ! And oh by the way, those meetings never last longer then 5 minutes and never mention anything negative. What they talk about is the one person who they noticed doing the “best” at something today. People love attention – they love to be singled out in front of their peers – and those who aren’t will move heaven and earth to get you to mention them next time. How will they do that? They learn what gets your positive attention every time you mention how someone got your attention by doing their job “extra special” today. Once they KNOW what works – they’ll do it for themselves – not because you ordered them to, but because they want to.
When it comes to change, replace hearing “no” when your team speaks with thinking “know”, it can be the best comment you’ll ever hear!
Got anyone on your staff who gives you a hard time whenever you ask them to do something new? Welcome to the club - we all know people resist change. Or better said – fear change – when fear is removed positive change happens – how? Read on!
“Positive Change” is not a contradiction in terms! It’s doable. All it takes to achieve it are some basic skills on your part. How basic? Hey if you can listen, write and talk - you can do it!
Let’s start with the writing part. Take out a note pad and write down the names of the people you work with that you’d most like to improve the “change attitude” of – one name per line with three columns. Now let’s go to “people school” on why they act the way they do!
Understanding the people side of management involves harnessing the dynamics of “human nature” – those sides of our personality that we all hold in common. Smart leaders improve their business not through forcing change but by focusing on their people first - through using the power of human nature in positive ways to help their people be the best that they can be. What results is a better operation too. Here’s three parts of that human nature that I bet you’ve seen in action.
Human nature says - “people want to be in the know”
“people want to be better off tomorrow then they are today”
“to one degree or another all of us resist change”
The “in the know” stuff, that’s why we watch the news, gossip, and buy tabloids. The “better off” stuff – watch out here because there are all types of ways that people define “better off” – more friends, more respect, more money are just a few – to motivate anyone you need to know what they want more of and don’t assume anything it’s different for everyone. If you know an important goal of each individual – write it along side their name – if you don’t – find out.
Now think about each person on the list and what kind of comments they say when you ask them to do something new – write each person’s favorite “excuse” after their name.
Here are a few of my favorites… “That’s not the way we do things around here.” If ain’t broke why are you fixin’ it?” “That’s not my job.” “We tried that before and it didn’t work.” ‘That will never work.” “Why is it always me and not somebody else who has to do this stuff?”
All these excuses are really hiding a very little word that they won’t say directly because they know you hate hearing it – that word only has 2 letters. Ready for a “people shock”? I think those who complain the loudest when you ask them to do something new are actually the best assets you have toward accomplishing the change you want. Why? Because their not going behind your back and bellyaching, they are telling you what they don’t like to your face – they’re communicating with you even if you don’t like what they’re saying. With people we can always deal with what we know and as long as they are talking then you know how they feel.
As manager’s we hate hearing “no” because we all think in simple positives and negatives, debits and credits, good and bad – but people who resist change really aren’t disguising the word “NO” –they are disguising the word that sounds just like “NO” yet it’s spelled differently “KNOW”. People put their feet in concrete when they fear what “might” happen. They don’t know why they should do this - how it will make their lives better – in short, what’s in it for them? Your job – as a leader of people – is to take the time, however much time it takes, to make sure each of your people understand the positives that will result from new activity.
Now let’s really give you an option for success with your team. However before I do that I just have to ask you one question, how often do you hold team meetings? Let me tell you a little secret – that question is one I ask foodservice professionals all the time. Guess what I hear? “Meetings, I hold them as little as possible” “Only when I have to” “I never have anything new to talk about” “We used to hold them but were too busy now” and on and on and on…. Yet what amazes me is that the people who are telling me that are the very ones who asked me to come in and give them a few suggestions. Well here is one for you right now.
THERE IS AN EXACT CORELATION BETWEEN HOW SUCCESSFUL YOUR BUSISNESS IS AND HOW WELL TRAINED YOUR TEAM IS.
Trust me on this one – the organizations that leap into your brain when “great guest service” comes to mind are the very ones who hold employee meetings EVERYDAY. Yup, you heard me – E V E R Y D A Y ! And oh by the way, those meetings never last longer then 5 minutes and never mention anything negative. What they talk about is the one person who they noticed doing the “best” at something today. People love attention – they love to be singled out in front of their peers – and those who aren’t will move heaven and earth to get you to mention them next time. How will they do that? They learn what gets your positive attention every time you mention how someone got your attention by doing their job “extra special” today. Once they KNOW what works – they’ll do it for themselves – not because you ordered them to, but because they want to.
When it comes to change, replace hearing “no” when your team speaks with thinking “know”, it can be the best comment you’ll ever hear!
