Carl was standing alongside his fellow committee members in front of the entire company when he said those words. His attempt to break the tension and relax a bit worked. Everybody laughed, in part quite likely because it relieved a little of their own anxiety. Wow, what a great way to begin the introduction of the new employee evaluation system.
A few months before this introduction, Carl’s company was struggling to survive. The leaders were nervous. Money was tight. Morale was low. The good employees jumped ship whenever something that looked better came along. Bills were paid but no one was satisfied with how things were going and no one seemed sure of where things were going. So what did they do? The owners gathered the inner sanctum (the owners' trusted few) and they talked. They were brutally honest about the strengths and weaknesses of their company. Everything was open to discussion: pay plans, technology they used, their marketing strategy, financial systems, competitive advantages and disadvantages. They shared their vision of the future and where they would like to see the company go.
They discovered the key to creating change lies in their ability to do three things simultaneously. Share a lot of information with those who also wanted to change, involve everyone they could in the effort to change things, and create consequences for everything they did.
And by the time the dust settled, this group had created a plan. A plan that resulted in that evening, with Carl, up front, chin out, in command of the crowd and loving every minute of it.
When Carl first learned he would be speaking in front of his fellow workers, he made it clear he wasn’t exactly excited about the idea. After all, the last time he found himself in that position was in grade school. Since then he had been able to avoid every situation where he might be asked to speak to a crowd. But he was eager to speak on this occasion. He overcame his fear of speaking because of his enthusiasm and confidence about the message he was about to deliver.
You see that plan I talked about also involved Carl and his colleagues spending two or three hours a week for the better part of three months creating their company’s new pay plan. That’s right, they created it. Not management. Not some outside consultant. Not some plan off the shelf of the National Supplier’s corporate office. He and his co-workers made their own plan. And because it was made with the help and feedback of the entire company, Carl couldn’t wait to show everyone how it was going to work and when everyone could begin to use it.
I sharethis story because it is a perfect example of how a collaborative effort when making changes in your own life or as in this case at work, can overcome even the toughest obstacles.
Even though, as you might imagine, the committee knew the introduction of a new evaluation system could be met with trepidation and even resentment, they really expected things would go well and in this case the evening became more like a party. The mood was exciting, the atmosphere festive and everyone eagerly listened to the details of the new plan.
Everyone left that night looking forward to the follow-up conversations that they were all going to have with their supervisors to address each and every one of their concerns.
The evening presentation I speak about was the culminating effort of Carl’s cross functional committee. His company is a small blue collar company and his committee had no prior experience in making company changes. In fact, most prior changes were made by the bosses, and employees were told to like it or else. The work, although admittedly messy and frustrating at times, was also meaningful and rewarding to all of those who participated. They learned that the process can be non-chaotic and disciplined. It need not be distracting and costly, and the work can result in the creation of something better, with little risk and with everyone in control. Carl is looking for another opportunity to wear his suit.
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