Event Slides: American Payroll Association
How we communicate is critical to our success as leaders. Our language sets the tone for openness, respect, and trust. The stories we tell determine how--and if--employees remember our messages. Our visions identify common interests, and show employees how a shared purpose will satisfy mutual needs.
That was my message to the Toledo Chapter of the American Payroll Association this afternoon. You can download the slides here. You will need PowerPoint to view these slides.
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That was my message to the Toledo Chapter of the American Payroll Association this afternoon. You can download the slides here. You will need PowerPoint to view these slides.
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Jidoka
In 1896, Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, invented a self-powered loom to spin thread mechanically. The machine incorporated a unique automatic stopping device that turned off the loom whenever it detected a broken thread. Because the loom shut down when a problem arose, it was nearly impossible to produce defective products. More than a century later, Toyota incorporates the automated shutoff process, referred to as Jidoka, into its automotive production systems and, apparently, into its leadership approach.
Embarrassed by a recent increase in vehicle recalls, the company is taking a hard look at its quality control methods. In the meantime, management has said it may delay some scheduled model introductions by as much as three to six months in an effort to prevent potential quality problems.
Few organizations have Toyota's luxury--or, more importantly, its fortitude--to halt a process until a problem is resolved. As a result, defects continue to mount and credibility suffers. Sakichi Toyoda would be proud.
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Embarrassed by a recent increase in vehicle recalls, the company is taking a hard look at its quality control methods. In the meantime, management has said it may delay some scheduled model introductions by as much as three to six months in an effort to prevent potential quality problems.
Few organizations have Toyota's luxury--or, more importantly, its fortitude--to halt a process until a problem is resolved. As a result, defects continue to mount and credibility suffers. Sakichi Toyoda would be proud.
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The Party's Over
In last year's trial of former Tyco CEO Dennis Kozlowski, jurors watched video highlights of Karen Kozlowski's fortieth birthday celebration. The party for the wife of the man convicted of pilfering $600 million from Tyco became a symbol of corporate greed. Kozlowski used company funds to help pay for the bash, which took place on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia and cost $2 million.
Mrs. Kozlowski enjoyed the fruits of her husband's criminal behavior. The couple lived in a 15,000-square-foot beachfront home in Boca Raton, courtesy of a no-interest, $19 million loan from Tyco that the company later forgave. They shared a $30 million Manhattan apartment, bought and furnished with Tyco cash (lots of cash, in fact: two paintings from the apartment, a Monet and a Renoir, auctioned to help raise court-mandated restitution, brought in $7.9 million). But, apparently, trading trips to tropical islands for weekend visitations to see hubby in the slammer has limited appeal to Mrs. K. She is suing her imprisoned husband for divorce.
Karen Kozlowski wants half of her husband's assets, which prosecutors say could hamper their efforts to liquidate his vast holdings and collect $167 million in restitution and fines ordered in the conviction. Too bad Tyco employees didn't have such a remedy when their boss broke his vows to them.
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Mrs. Kozlowski enjoyed the fruits of her husband's criminal behavior. The couple lived in a 15,000-square-foot beachfront home in Boca Raton, courtesy of a no-interest, $19 million loan from Tyco that the company later forgave. They shared a $30 million Manhattan apartment, bought and furnished with Tyco cash (lots of cash, in fact: two paintings from the apartment, a Monet and a Renoir, auctioned to help raise court-mandated restitution, brought in $7.9 million). But, apparently, trading trips to tropical islands for weekend visitations to see hubby in the slammer has limited appeal to Mrs. K. She is suing her imprisoned husband for divorce.
Karen Kozlowski wants half of her husband's assets, which prosecutors say could hamper their efforts to liquidate his vast holdings and collect $167 million in restitution and fines ordered in the conviction. Too bad Tyco employees didn't have such a remedy when their boss broke his vows to them.
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Pepsi: A Generation Ahead
"Diversity isn't just the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do for our business, and we're committed to making diversity and inclusion a way of life at PepsiCo." -PepsiCo Web site
PepsiCo has demonstrated its commitment to workforce diversity for decades. A long-time leader in hiring women and minorities in professional positions, it was the first Fortune 500 company to appoint an African American vice president. Today, PepsiCo named Indra Nooyi chief executive officer, becoming the largest company by stock-market value with a woman at the helm. Nooyi becomes only the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's forty-one-year history.
One of PepsiCo's guiding principles is to "win with diversity and inclusion." As Nooyi's groundbreaking promotion shows, that statement is not just fizz and bubbles.
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PepsiCo has demonstrated its commitment to workforce diversity for decades. A long-time leader in hiring women and minorities in professional positions, it was the first Fortune 500 company to appoint an African American vice president. Today, PepsiCo named Indra Nooyi chief executive officer, becoming the largest company by stock-market value with a woman at the helm. Nooyi becomes only the fifth CEO in PepsiCo's forty-one-year history.
One of PepsiCo's guiding principles is to "win with diversity and inclusion." As Nooyi's groundbreaking promotion shows, that statement is not just fizz and bubbles.
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The Option to Trust
Earlier this week, federal authorities charged three ex-officers of Comverse Technology with criminal fraud. The government charged former company CEO Kobi Alexander, CFO David Kreinberg, and senior general counsel William Sorin, with manipulating corporate stock options by altering grant dates and issuing grants to themselves under false names.
Is this just another story about people you've never heard of, from a company you've probably never heard of, making headlines with their greed? No, unfortunately. It's the latest disclosure from an expanding list of companies alleged to have participated in the newest corporate scandal: backdating stock options. The Securities and Exchange Commission has more than eighty ongoing backdating probes involving dozens of well-known companies, including Apple Computer, Cablevision, Monster.com, UnitedHealth Group, and Home Depot.
Chalk up another hit to employee/manager trust. Most workers don't receive stock options, so most don't fully understand the nature of the crime. But all employees read the paper or watch the news on television, and with the growing number of companies under scrutiny, they'll soon add backdating stock options to their reasons for not trusting bosses in general. What option do they have?
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Is this just another story about people you've never heard of, from a company you've probably never heard of, making headlines with their greed? No, unfortunately. It's the latest disclosure from an expanding list of companies alleged to have participated in the newest corporate scandal: backdating stock options. The Securities and Exchange Commission has more than eighty ongoing backdating probes involving dozens of well-known companies, including Apple Computer, Cablevision, Monster.com, UnitedHealth Group, and Home Depot.
Chalk up another hit to employee/manager trust. Most workers don't receive stock options, so most don't fully understand the nature of the crime. But all employees read the paper or watch the news on television, and with the growing number of companies under scrutiny, they'll soon add backdating stock options to their reasons for not trusting bosses in general. What option do they have?
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Bullies as Peers
This week, the London High Court ordered Deutsche Bank to pay a former secretary more than 800,000 pounds ($1.5 million) in damages after ruling that she was the victim of a "deliberate and concerted campaign of bullying." Although you might assume that Helen Green's is the latest in an all-too-common story of employees bullied by a boss, her case is different. It was her coworkers that bullied her.
"Bullying managers grab the headlines, but it also occurs between people on the same grade," says occupational psychologist Noreen Tehrani. Indeed. Green testified that four female colleagues stole her mail, made crude and lewd comments to her, blew raspberries, and told her she smelled badly. The Justice presiding over the case called it a "relentless campaign of mean and spiteful behavior designed to cause her distress."
So what did Deutsche Bank do when Green reported the harassment to her supervisors? They sent HER to stress counseling. When the bullying continued, they sent HER to assertiveness training. And after she suffered multiple nervous breakdowns, they let HER go. Not surprising then was Deutsche Bank's defense strategy: rather than admitting in court that bullying took place, they portrayed Green as predisposed to mental illness.
The bank's response to Green's initial reports of bullying--sending her to counseling and assertiveness training--was akin to tolerating her colleagues' abusive behavior. And that reaction is becoming common in the workplace, especially as companies struggle to find and keep qualified workers. As one leader of an organization with high turnover recently described a long-time employee, "We know she's bringing down her coworkers with her gruff personality and negative attitude, but she's such a great nurse." Is she really?
Consider the effects of bullying on employees: Dr. Tehrani has compared stress symptoms among Northern Ireland soldiers returning from combat and victims of workplace bullying. "The symptoms displayed by people who have been in conflict situations and workplaces where bullying happens are strikingly similar," she said. "Both groups suffer nightmares, are jumpy, and seem fuelled by too much adrenaline. In addition, they show greater susceptibility to illnesses, heart disease, and alcoholism." No wonder bullied workers miss seven more days of work to illness each year than other employees do.
You cannot tolerate bullies in your organization. As if bullying from coworkers does not cause their victims enough harm, the lack of protection from the organization's leaders will be the fatal blow. So if high employee absenteeism and turnover as the result of bullying is not enough incentive to get you to act, hopefully news stories of multimillion dollar settlements will get your attention.
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"Bullying managers grab the headlines, but it also occurs between people on the same grade," says occupational psychologist Noreen Tehrani. Indeed. Green testified that four female colleagues stole her mail, made crude and lewd comments to her, blew raspberries, and told her she smelled badly. The Justice presiding over the case called it a "relentless campaign of mean and spiteful behavior designed to cause her distress."
So what did Deutsche Bank do when Green reported the harassment to her supervisors? They sent HER to stress counseling. When the bullying continued, they sent HER to assertiveness training. And after she suffered multiple nervous breakdowns, they let HER go. Not surprising then was Deutsche Bank's defense strategy: rather than admitting in court that bullying took place, they portrayed Green as predisposed to mental illness.
The bank's response to Green's initial reports of bullying--sending her to counseling and assertiveness training--was akin to tolerating her colleagues' abusive behavior. And that reaction is becoming common in the workplace, especially as companies struggle to find and keep qualified workers. As one leader of an organization with high turnover recently described a long-time employee, "We know she's bringing down her coworkers with her gruff personality and negative attitude, but she's such a great nurse." Is she really?
Consider the effects of bullying on employees: Dr. Tehrani has compared stress symptoms among Northern Ireland soldiers returning from combat and victims of workplace bullying. "The symptoms displayed by people who have been in conflict situations and workplaces where bullying happens are strikingly similar," she said. "Both groups suffer nightmares, are jumpy, and seem fuelled by too much adrenaline. In addition, they show greater susceptibility to illnesses, heart disease, and alcoholism." No wonder bullied workers miss seven more days of work to illness each year than other employees do.
You cannot tolerate bullies in your organization. As if bullying from coworkers does not cause their victims enough harm, the lack of protection from the organization's leaders will be the fatal blow. So if high employee absenteeism and turnover as the result of bullying is not enough incentive to get you to act, hopefully news stories of multimillion dollar settlements will get your attention.
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Author George Brymer's comments about the leaders who get it, and those who never will.
