orientation | The Barefoot Spirit

5 Ways to Get Good Ideas Out of Your People

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:00:54 +0000

Companies ask us, “How can we get the entrepreneurial spirit?” The real question should be, “How did we lose it?” When their founders started in that garage or basement so long ago, there was no question in their minds, if they didn’t make sales, they’d go out of business. But something changed along the way. They lost the entrepreneurial spirit!

What happened? Did they get so carried away with the specialization of human resources, they forgot what their founders knew – that sales are essential to survival? Did the various siloed specialties, like engineering, marketing, R&D, and admin, actually begin to believe that they were more essential than sales?

The specialties began to organize, have their own groups, their own conferences, their own publications. And as they became isolated and insulated from sales, they began to take sales for granted. “Sales can’t happen without my skill set,” became the refrain. Or worse, “Sales? That’s not my job!”

A “good idea” was thought to be all about improving some part of the production process. But did the folks who executed and improved those processes know why their process was essential to sales? Probably not. Management might say “They didn’t need to know.” But knowing why you are performing a process is the backbone of the entrepreneurial spirit. Sales is the reason!

We were honored to be the Keynote Speakers for the 75^th Anniversary Summit for IdeasAmerica. These are the folks who brought you the suggestion box in the early 1940’s and have advocated for employee-authored good ideas ever since. We decided that our message should encourage them to explore the cultural conditions that allow for, and promote, the engagement of employees.

Here’s our short list:

Overkill on Orientation. It’s not just where the bathroom, coffee, forms, and go-to person are. It’s how the money that’s in paychecks, benefits, and bonuses gets to your employees. Show them a graphic “money map” that identifies everyone who touches your company’s products or services, and what each one wants from your company. They will see more clearly how they fit in.
Pay for Performance. At least some part of your employees’ compensation must be tied to sales, growth, and profits. When you put all your people on the same bonus plan, you create the comradery of a well-practiced team with the same goal. The most effective bonuses are given quarterly – long enough to get the numbers and short enough to stay attainable.
Know the Need. Some companies are convinced that their people don’t need to know about sales, marketing, or competitive challenges. But when your people get the big picture, see how they fit in, and realize that you view them as a valuable problem-solving asset, they become more creative, and more loyal.
Grant Permission. Mistakes will happen. Make them permissible, as long as they are followed by immediate improvements to the company’s processes and procedures so they will be less likely to reoccur. Grant permission to brainstorm and entertain “crazy” ideas to solve problems. They often lead to a bright idea and a practical solution.
Give Acknowledgement. Make acknowledgement both public and written, and copy the whole team. Everyone will know more about who is being praised and have more respect for that person. They will likewise anticipate public praise when they solve problems. Some studies show that being appreciated is even more important than salary.

We salute IdeasAmerica and acknowledge the fine work they continue to do for both American and international companies. With a bit of encouragement, your people will provide a plethora of good ideas!

Who We Are

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey co-authored the New York Times bestselling business book, The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s #1 Wine Brand. The book has been selected as recommended reading in the CEO Library for CEO Forum, the C-Suite Book Club, and numerous university classes on business and entrepreneurship. It chronicles their humble beginnings from the laundry room of a rented Sonoma County farmhouse to the board room of E&J Gallo, who ultimately acquired their brand and engaged them as brand consultants. Barefoot is now the world’s largest wine brand.

Beginning with virtually no money and no wine industry experience, they employed innovative ideas to overcome obstacles, create new markets and forge strategic alliances. They pioneered Worthy Cause Marketing and performance-based compensation. They built an internationally bestselling brand and received their industry’s “Hot Brand” award for several consecutive years.

They offer their Guiding Principles for Success (GPS) to help entrepreneurs become successful. Their book, The Entrepreneurial Culture: 23 Ways To Engage and Empower Your People, helps corporations maximize the value of their human resources.

Currently they travel the world leading workshops, trainings, & keynoting at business schools, corporations, conferences. They are regular media guests and contributors to international publications and professional journals. They are C-Suite Network Advisors & Contributing Editors. Visit their popular brand building site at www.consumerbrandbuilders.com.

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post 5 Ways to Get Good Ideas Out of Your People appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Busy is Not Necessarily Productive

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Thu, 29 Oct 2015 17:12:46 +0000

Are you paying people to stay busy or are you paying them to be productive? Having a great deal to do or keeping occupied is no measure of productivity. If you pay employees no matter whether the company succeeds or fails, folks will actually look for ways to appear occupied. This makes them feel comfortable that they have filled up their time. But are they making a contribution? Or are they just being busy?

We think this happens because it is allowed to happen. The way these folks have been oriented during the training process, the way they are paid, and the level of their knowledge of the company’s sales, growth, and profitability can make all the difference. With the right preparation, incentive, and visibility, employees will know how to set their priorities so they’re not just busy, they’re productive!

Orientation. This is not something that has to do with the coffee room, the bathroom, or the forms. It has to do with where the money for the company that pays their salary, bonus, and benefits actually comes from. It has to do with how their job impacts that process. It has to do with really breaking it down graphically so there are no misunderstandings about who the real customers are, what they expect, and why they continue to pay good money for the goods and services the company provides.

We developed a “Money Map” to make this clear to all new hires. Not too different from a treasure map, it showed our people how the money travelled to them, who were involved at each level, and what they wanted. This kind of orientation is not a one-shot deal. It should be revised and repeated annually to keep people focused on the real priorities which change as the company strives to remain relevant and advance in the marketplace.

Compensation. We believe at least some part of an employee’s salary should be based on the performance of the company. Sure you can get granular and bonus on specific production, but in order to build team peer pressure and cooperation, you must focused their attention on the customer. And that goes for everybody in the company.

Since most people are coin operated (respond to monetary incentives), a quarterly 401K matching contribution gets the attention of your staff. Base it on agreed upon metrics of sales, growth and profitability. Since the employer’s matching contribution is voluntary, you have the ability to send a powerful message to your people every quarter. This works better than annual bonuses because the one year time period is simply too long and allows your employees to give up if the first quarter is poor, or lay back if the bonus number is met mid-year.

Visibility. If you have their attention with a well-thought-out performance bonus, they will be very interested in how the company is doing simply because it now reflects in their paycheck. So share with them your monthly reports, identify key challenges and focus on priorities during regular monthly meetings. This will help them zero in on the tasks that really make a difference to the bottom line. It will give them the perspective to understand what they can do to improve the picture.

By practicing what we called “Know-the-Need’ rather than “Need-to-Know,” we got great ideas from our people on a regular basis that solved problems in production, quality control, and marketing. We were able to cut costs and increase profitability because they knew what was needed, they knew we would listen, and they were members of a team interested in achieving quarterly bonuses. Suddenly they were focused on being productive and not merely busy!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Busy is Not Necessarily Productive appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

How to Get a Job in Today’s Market – Part 4: Orientation and Training

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Sat, 17 May 2014 18:30:41 +0000

It’s your first day on the job. But now comes the most critical part: your orientation and training. This is your chance to show your new employer that you are going to work out. Here are some helpful hints we recommend to get the most out of these important first days:

Attitude.What’s important is that you learn the company and the job – fast. They are making a big investment in you by taking someone away from their job and losing that productivity to show you the ropes and educate you about your new position. So, start with some mental housecleaning. Don’t try to justify your misconceptions with arguments about why you thought this or that. It’s not important. And similarly, don’t just parrot “got it” to everything they say because you think they expect you to instantly get it. They don’t, and as a matter of fact they will have more respect for you if you ask questions.

Big Picture. Look and listen for how your job fits in to the business process. Who is the customer? How do they buy your company’s products and services, how does your company produce them, and how does their money get to your paycheck? How does your job help make that happen? If they don’t tell you, ask. Understanding the big picture will make you much more valuable to the company.

Concepts.It’s more than just what and how, it’s why. Your ability to learn the concept behind the lessons you are taught is the key to making better decisions. Your ability to extrapolate will prepare you to apply the concept to a new situation. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Notes. Don’t try to remember everything that is said. Write it down. There is so much to learn at first, you can’t absorb it all verbally. Ask for info graphics, and if they don’t have them, make your own. Review your notes and make a list of new questions. When they see you taking notes they will have more confidence that you are serious.

Documents. Every job has a slew of documents from manuals to forms, policies and procedures, job descriptions to contract clauses and checklists. Get to know all of them, how to use them, and why they exist.

Command. Ask for an organization chart and study the chain of command to get a picture of your company’s organization. Learn the outside companies and vendors your company depends on to conduct business. Learn who you will be working with and what their requirements are. Understand what approvals are required that effect your job and the lead times required.

Culture. Find out what is allowed and what isn’t. Learn how you are expected to dress. What permissions you are granted? Does your company have fun or is it more serious? Are mistakes frowned upon or seen as an opportunity to improve procedures? Are suggestions welcomed, and in what areas and through whom? Find out who can best answer your questions about history, management style, expectations and limitations.

Ownership. Don’t just attend work, own your job! Be responsible for its effective and dependable operation. Don’t let your boss have to tell you about something you’ve neglected. Don’t make excuses for mistakes or point fingers. If one doesn’t exist, make a list of all the reoccurring deadlines that happen during the year. Don’t depend on your boss to check your work. Check your own work. Do the maximum, not the minimum.

The orientation and training period is a two-way street. They tell you about the job and you ask questions. Good luck!

The post How to Get a Job in Today’s Market – Part 4: Orientation and Training appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.

Can Extensive Orientation Improve Job Performance?

Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey — Fri, 09 Aug 2013 23:55:07 +0000

In an attempt to quickly get a new employee into production, some companies spend the minimum amount of time on orientation. It usually consists of the job description and a brief history of the company and its products. Some seem to feel that extensive information about the company’s processes, organization, and customers is just too much information and that somehow it’s not necessary.

This minimalist approach to orientation can have some counterproductive consequences, especially where judgment, relationships, and potential are involved. When people just know the “whats” and not the “whys” of their job, the company suffers in the long run.

Invest in time during the orientation process and beyond. Make sure new employees understand how the money gets into their paycheck, who the customer is – at every level, and how the process works to provide those customers with goods and services. Show them how your various divisions of labor provide the specialties necessary to your company, and how each person fits in to the big picture. This investment in extensive orientation will pay off handsomely and will save you time, money, and relationships down the road.

The orientation period should extend beyond the initial orientation and continue into the first year. Listen carefully to the questions your new employees ask — not just to the actual questions, but to the assumptions, logic and even preconceived notions behind the questions. They often mask real deep-seated misunderstands the employee may hold about the way things work. We would often get questions that could have been answered by a simple yes or no. Instead, we sometimes spent 15 minutes or more unraveling misconceptions that could lead to future problems. If you listen for the misconceptions between the lines, rather than giving a short answer to the question at hand, you build the kind of understanding that pays off in better decisions, reduced supervision, and improved performance.

When people don’t get a clear answer to their question, or more importantly, the reasoning behind that answer, they tend to make up a plausible explanation that seems logical to them. Then they act on it. If they do this over time with no apparent negative repercussions, it gives them “permission” to believe it’s true, and that’s where the trouble begins. These misconceptions can be ingrained for years until one day you are surprised by unexpected behavior that suddenly costs the company thousands! This is why it’s very import to listen to the logic behind every question, be proactive, and give detailed explanations.

We found that this extensive approach to orientation produced people that actually improved our organization, processes, and relationships. Because our staff had a comprehensive view, they regularly suggested new or better procedures, reorganization, and even entirely new jobs that we didn’t know were necessary, but became pivotal to our success. They often came up with unsolicited solutions to challenges we faced in execution and communication. Our company culture benefited immensely from our people’s understanding of what was really happening and why. It gave them the respect they needed for their co-workers, affiliates, and customers, resulting in solid and productive relations.

So, the next time you hire a new person, spend the time it takes early and often to give him or her a thorough orientation. Don’t stop at the job description, but include your entire business model and how it works to give your customers the goods and services that make everyone’s job possible. When the cement is wet, you can move it with a trowel, but when it gets hard, you’ll need a jackhammer!

Who We Are

To make inquiries for keynote speaking, trainings or consulting, please contact sales@thebarefootspirit.com.

The post Can Extensive Orientation Improve Job Performance? appeared first on The Barefoot Spirit.