Everyday excellence : creating a better workplace through attitude, action, and appreciation

259 Pages·2005·0.77 MB·English

by  Shearer

Additional advance praise for Everyday Excellence from people of many professions:
“This book provides an accessible approach to management techniques that improve the workplace.
It resonates with accurate portrayals of everyday management issues and provides creative
techniques to resolve them.
Weaving the story of a fictional company into the management lessons not only captures the reader’s
attention, but also drives the lessons home.These fictional characters reflect people we have all
worked for, worked with, or supervised.
The lessons in the book reflect Shearer’s wealth of experience, enabling him to portray human nature
in the office setting, and find ways to manage while embracing that nature.
Anyone with management obligations will find sound advice, delivered in a clear and entertaining
manner, to establish and maintain an excellent company or professional services firm.”
— Nancy Bainbridge Rogers, Attorney at Law
Partner and Land Use Counsel
Cairncross & Hempelmann, P.S.
“This book hits the nail on the head. It is practical, with examples that make it very easy to understand.
It breaks down the do’s and don’ts of corporate and project management in a very simple and practical
way that makes it a very easy read. Almost every page is packed with useful information.
As the president of a firm that has doubled its revenue in the last two years, I find the only thing
wrong with this book is that it was not published two years ago; it would have been a real help
during our time of rapid expansion. However, the book is living and no matter what level you have
reached with your corporate development, you will gain insights into what is required to improve
your organization. I am keeping my copy close to my desk so that I can reference it easily.”
— Guy A. Conversano, PE, SE
President
DCI Engineers
“Everyday Excellencehas given me fresh insights into developing successful marketing and business
development strategies. Our firm’s culture is one of great storytellers, so the format of the book truly
resonated with me. I plan on sharing this book with our internal leadership program, “Gensler
University.” What a terrific roadmap for all future leaders in organizations aspiring to reach the
esteemed fifth level!”
— Joan Price
Director, Business Development
Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning
“My experience with management books is that they are either too complicated or too simple.
Shearer has a keen understanding of the underlying issues which drive personal interaction and result
in the success or failure of a team. He hits the target by distilling each issue down to common sense
so the reader can recognize the innate rightness of the approach. The essence of each idea is clarified
in a way that makes the book easy to read and full of gems that I wish I had known of 40 years ago
when I began my business.
On first reading, I skipped around choosing topics relevant to me at that time. I put the concepts
into immediate application with good results. On a second reading, I paid attention to the characters
and the subtleties of their relationships, and found deeper insight.
As an architect, I appreciate Shearer’s perception in addressing the dynamics of people working
together on creative projects. I found many useful ideas which will reinforce my leadership style
as a coach, giving me better results in the process.”
— Carolyn Geise, FAIA
Principal
Geise Architects
“This book is a must read for leaders and management in the professional services field; it is a
comprehensive, easy-to-read situational compendium of real issues and problems in our industry.”
— David W. Findlay CPA, CMC
President & Principal
FCS Group, Inc.
“Concepts for executives, managers, practitioners, academics, and students who struggle with rules,
theories, and canons of quality: Everyone can find simple, practical, effective methods they can
apply, without a long classroom course, professional training, or commitment to outside consultants.
This book is comprehensive in providing executives and managers with new perspectives in quality
from the front-line environments in everyday office settings. It is truly a guide in providing a
succinct and very accessible reference to finding quality to everything in daily situations.”
— EG Tan, CQE, CQS, Lead Assessor (ISO 9000)
Principal Consultant
Quentech
“Everyday Excellenceis a valuable addition to, or a great first book for, the experienced
professional’s management library. Each chapter deals with an important aspect of business
management and is broken up into a series of lessons that make the book very readable. Shearer’s
entertaining use of vignettes to illustrate the lessons drives home his key points.”
— Edwin Huston, PE, SE, MIStructE
Principal Structural Engineer
Smith & Huston, Inc.
“Everyday Excellenceprovides a detailed and comprehensive look into the heart of the
professional service industry. Shearer provides valuable insights into the group dynamics of an
office environment. The book offers many useful examples for all levels of an organization on
keeping things in perspective and setting priorities. There is great value in the specific problem-
solving techniques that are presented. This book would benefit anyone trying to improve the
performance of their organization.”
— Michael Rosenfeld, PE
Vice President
URS Corporation
“Every reader of this book, regardless of career focus or location on the employment hierarchy,
will find something that resonates with their own situation. They will find insights, tips, and
suggestions to better understand the dynamics of their own workplace. They will also find a greater
understanding of the path to improved customer, client, and co-worker relationships. From the
CEO to the word processor, this book offers all readers ideas that will invigorate their careers
through improved work performance and enhanced job satisfaction.”
— Sheena Aebig, Attorney at Law
Corporate Reorganization and Creditor/Debtor Law
Williams Kastner & Gibbs PLLC
Everyday Excellence
Creating a Better Workplace through
Attitude, Action, and Appreciation
Everyday Excellence
Creating a Better Workplace through
Attitude, Action, and Appreciation
Clive Shearer
ASQQuality Press
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
American Society for Quality, Quality Press, Milwaukee 53203
© 2006 by Clive Shearer
All rights reserved. Published 2005
Printed in the United States of America.
12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shearer, Clive
Everyday excellence : creating a better workplace through attitude, action, and appreciation /
Clive Shearer.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-87389-673-3
1. Total quality management. 2. Organizational effectiveness. 3. Strategic planning. 4. Quality of
work life. 5. Work ethic. 6. Employee motivation. 7. Leadership. I. Title.
HD62.15.S528 2006
658.4'013--dc22
2005028537
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: William A. Tony
Acquisitions Editor: Annemieke Hytinen
Project Editor: Paul O’Mara
Production Administrator: Randall Benson
ASQMission: The American Society for Quality advances individual, organizational, and community
excellence worldwide through learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange.
Attention Bookstores, Wholesalers, Schools, and Corporations: ASQQuality Press books, videotapes,
audiotapes, and software are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchases for business,
educational, or instructional use. For information, please contact ASQQuality Press at 800-248-1946,
or write to ASQ Quality Press, P.O. Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005.
To place orders or to request a free copy of the ASQQuality Press Publications Catalog, including
ASQ membership information, call 800-248-1946. Visit our web site at www.asq.org or
http://qualitypress.asq.org.
Printed on acid-free paper.
Contents
Epigraph. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv
Organization Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii
CHAPTER 1. ESTABLISH THE FRAMEWORK FOR SUCCESS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Lesson 1. Winners Don’t Have to Win. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lesson 2. The Consummate Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Lesson 3. Why Does the Cup Have to be Half Full? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Lesson 4. Planning: Giving Weight to the Invisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Lesson 5. Move from Strategy to Tactics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Lesson 6. Systems Deteriorate Over Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
CHAPTER 2. LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Lesson 1. Distinguish Leaders from Managers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Lesson 2. The Orchestral Model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Lesson 3. Aligning Office Cultures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Lesson 4. Delegation: How to Boost or Bust Morale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Lesson 5. Ownership and Accountability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Lesson 6. Ask the Best of the Best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
CHAPTER 3. IMPROVING OPERATIONS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Lesson 1. Master Your Operational Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Lesson 2. Solve Problems and Improve Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Lesson 3. Five Handy Problem-Solving Techniques. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Lesson 4. Refine Your Operational Mindset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Lesson 5. The Measurement Path to Improvement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Lesson 6. Apply the 20 Percent Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Lesson 7. Four Ways to Deal with Change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Lesson 8. The Ripple Effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Lesson 9. Take it Slow to Move Ahead Fast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Lesson 10. Job Descriptions Lead to Clarity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Lesson 11. Lessons from Quantum Mechanics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
v
Contents vi
CHAPTER 4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
Lesson 1. Today’s Project Management Skills. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Lesson 2. So You Got Promoted to Project Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Lesson 3. A Manager’s Guide to Time-saving. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Lesson 4. What Do You Mean “It’s Not Perfect?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
Lesson 5. Build Fire Stations Before the Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Lesson 6. Negotiation Tips and Tactics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Lesson 7. Heroics can be Harmful. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
CHAPTER 5. GAINING CLARITY IN MARKETING
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Lesson 1. Let’s Go Fishing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
Lesson 2. Getting into Position. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
Lesson 3. Not all Clients are Equal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Lesson 4. Investing in Marketing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Lesson 5. Competition Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Lesson 6. Develop Your Image. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Lesson 7. Does Branding Make a Difference?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Lesson 8. Persuasive Writing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Lesson 9. The Just-Noticeable Difference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
CHAPTER 6. SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
Lesson 1. Planting Networking Seeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Lesson 2. Warm Up Your Cold Calls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Lesson 3. Business Development Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Lesson 4. Lost Opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Lesson 5. Clumping: a Law of Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Lesson 6. Prepare for the Big Presentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Lesson 7. Improve Your Speaking Skills at Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
CHAPTER 7. CLIENT RELATIONS AND RETENTION
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Lesson 1. Tend Your Existing Clients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Lesson 2. Appreciating Loyalty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Lesson 3. Positive Client Interactions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Lesson 4. What do Your Clients Think?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
CHAPTER 8. GETTING COMMUNICATIONS RIGHT
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Lesson 1. Make Feedback a Core Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
Lesson 2. Are You a Mind Reader?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Lesson 3. How Effective Teams Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
Lesson 4. Productive Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Lesson 5. Use Your Communication Tools Effectively. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
vii Contents
CHAPTER 9. EFFECTIVE HUMAN RESOURCES
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Lesson 1. What Motivates People?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Lesson 2. Finding the Perfect Match. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
Lesson 3. Dealing with Difficult Situations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Lesson 4. Review your Evaluations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Lesson 5. Mentoring Moments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
CHAPTER 10. EVERYDAY QUALITY OF LIFE
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Lesson 1. Find Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Lesson 2. The Joys of Being an Optimist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Lesson 3. Learn the Rules of the Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Recommended Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Epigraph
Attitude
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.
—John Ruskin, 1819-1900
Where the needs of the world and your attitude cross, there lies your vocation.
—Aristotle, 384-322 BC
The aim of every art is to ensure that the object designed matches its purpose.
—Marcus Aurelius, 121-180
Action
Quality is never an accident. It is always the result of intelligent effort.
—John Ruskin, 1819-1900
One’s best qualities should be measured by one’s everyday deeds.
—Benjamin Franklin, 1706-1790
Start doing the necessary, then the possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
—Saint Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226
Appreciation
By appreciation, we make excellence in others belong to us as well.
—Voltaire, 1694-1778
It is from having what we desire that we are happy, not from having
what others think desirable.
—Duc de La Rochefoucauld, 1613-1680
Next to excellence, comes the appreciation of it.
—William M. Thackeray, 1811-1863
ix
Preface
THE AUDIENCE FOR THIS BOOK
P
rofessional servicestraditionally refers to accountants, administrators, architects, attorneys,
engineers, healthcare professionals, human resource professionals, marketers, planners,
project managers, researchers, and a host of consultants and specialists who offer their
knowledge and expertise to others. Manufacturing and service industries employ many of
these professionals, who use their specialized knowledge to perform a wide variety of tasks
in the office. In addition, manufacturers employ product designers and quality professionals
who spend much time in an office environment. The wide variety of tasks performed by
these professionals in offices everywhere provide the backbone of this book.
It is easy to sum up: The book is designed as easy but inspiring reading for the busy leader,
manager, supervisor, and professional in an office. If you work at a desk, or at a computer in an
office, this book is written for you.
HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED
The book provides 10 chapters of interconnected short stories and lessons. The lessons
contain viewpoints and opinions, and hopefully new perspectives and insights. While the
short stories are interconnected, each lesson stands alone. This, together with a very
detailed index, enables the reader to use the book as a reference source.
The short stories—vignettes—are populated by characters who work in a fictitious company.
These vignettes appear before or within the lessons. They are snapshots, giving voice to the
daily workplace environment that many of us encounter. Hopefully, you will enjoy meeting
the characters as much as I did creating them.
The selection of topics, and the structure and sequence of the parts are not meant to be definitive.
There is no overwhelming reason why one chapter or lesson should precede another. But in the end,
a choice had to be made. I ask for your indulgence in this matter.
SOURCES
The ideas for this book have come to me over a long period of time. As an engineer in the
United States and England, I came to appreciate those managers who made my life easier,
and suffered through those who made my life difficult. Most were capable and practical,
some wise, and a handful brilliant. All offered lessons.
As a management consultant over the past two decades, I have been fortunate to work with
over 300 client organizations in accounting, architecture, banking, engineering, finance,
healthcare, higher education, and a variety of institutional areas.
xi