By Ken Keller

Dear Ken Keller,

Since I promoted someone into a management role, they have gone from being early to work and staying late to always arriving later than my other employees and leaving when the hourly workers go home. When I asked him about it he said that as a manager, he no longer had to punch a clock and could arrive late and leave when he wanted to.

Ron T.

Dear Ron,

I think you need to speak to an employment attorney about whether or not you really promoted someone into management or did you give them a title and they are really a manager in name only.

Assuming that the individual in question meets all of the legal requirements for being in management, you have a troubling situation developing.

Individuals in management are supposed to set an example to those they lead, and instead of that happening, this individual has developed a “rank has its privileges” attitude which appears to be something new to your company. This is a virus you do not want spreading into your company.

This is a troubling attitude because as the owner you want as much “we” as possible and to limit the “me” factor to the point where it non-existent. The “me” attitude is appropriate for a two year old but witnessing it in an adult in a management role is both disappointing and scary.

You need to quickly decide if this individual is coachable or not because part of your responsibilities is to help every individual become better.

Don’t delay having this necessary discussion, bring your attorney in to the meeting if necessary. And, if your newly appointed manager doesn’t change how they think and operate very quickly, you need to find someone more malleable and understanding to take the position.

Dear Ken Keller,

Like most owners I am overwhelmed with things to do, so much so that I have started to procrastinate on things I know I need to get done. In the past I never had this issue, I would always just get into things and work until I was satisfied with the results.

Dear Dave.

Perhaps there have been some changes in the external environment your business is operating in, some issues inside your company, or some personal matters that have caused you to change how you approach your work and the projects in front of you.

Procrastination often sets in when people are overwhelmed with one assignment and so they delay acting on all the things they need to do. This frequently happens when a project requires making difficult decisions.

To get out of the rut you are in, I recommend you take the time to layout all the projects you have and get each one organized so that you are clear about the deliverables for each and the decisions that need to be made (as far as you know).

Start on the easiest project you have and work until you hit a wall or grow tired of that project and then move to the next easiest. This process will help you to get started, stay moving, make progress and will provide you with a sense of accomplishment.

You may not ever be ready to make some of the decisions you need to complete every project but in the meantime your backlog should start to decrease and you will feel better about what you are trying to do.

By Ken Keller

Dear Ken Keller,

I have a manager that is getting on my nerves. She is what I call “a big talker” but it’s nothing but hot air. It’s frustrating for me, her peers and the other employees.

When I call her out on missed deadlines or poor results, she is quick to point the finger and blame others. I need tools to deal with this.

Mitch L.

Dear Mitch:

Having an ATANAM (All Talk and No Action Manager) is common.

Change places for a moment and consider the plight of your manager who is likely dying to learn from you how to be a success at her job.

Two thoughts came to me reading your email. The first is that the individual does not have the experience, skills or temperament to be a manager. The second is that the person doesn’t understand the role they play, the responsibilities they have, and may be unclear about the authority level they have.

All too often, people are given a manager title but lack management responsibilities and authority. Did anyone sit down to explain what results this individual was expected to achieve and what the resources were available to achieve the results?

I survived my first management job because I had the opportunity to work for others for over a decade. Once promoted, I did my best to avoid the bad habits and behaviors I observed from some of my previous managers and emulated the actions and styles of the better managers I had worked for. Along the way, I sought out coaching to help me improve.

You have a decision to make and it could go one of two ways. The first is for you to stand on the sidelines and let this manager continue to flounder, which does not help you. This choice will lead to a termination or demotion and your frustration level will only grow.

The second is for you to step up and invest the time required to help your manager do the job you want them to do in the manner you want them to do it. If you do this, the chances of her success improve dramatically.

Dear Ken Keller,

I’m interviewing someone who was recently downsized from a large company. This is something I have never done before and I don’t know what I don’t know.

Tom W.

Dear Tom,

I would proceed with caution. Companies that have grown to a certain size, have been in business for years and are financially stable don’t hire pioneers; they hire professionals mostly to manage the status quo.

In your business, every employee wears many hats. No one hides behind a job description. Titles don’t matter, everyone works hard or they don’t work there for very long.

In a larger company most employees don’t know who the clients are and often, sadly, the employees see clients as someone else’s problem to deal with. In your company, everyone knows and “owns” every client.

The number of important meetings you have each week can be counted on one hand. In a larger company, they have that many meetings a day and many are a complete waste of time.

Salaries and benefits are more generous in large firms; this can quickly grow into an entitlement attitude. And, because the revenue is someone else’s money, spending it comes very easy. I’ll bet you watch the pennies and check the profitability on every order.

I hope I have given you some information you can use when you interview candidates.

Dear Ken Keller,

It appears I have become a referee in a never-ending boxing match between my employees, figuratively speaking.

The disagreements are about stupid things. When an employee arrives three minutes late, six people are in my office complaining the latecomer should be written up or fired.

When someone leaves an empty coffee pot on the burner you’d think a murder has been committed.

People will go 12 rounds about the temperature in the office. It’s never been “just right.”

Office people complain about sales people. Warehouse people despise office people. Sales people argue with everyone.

I understand about fighting the competition but I had no idea I would be in this nightmare with the people that I have on the payroll. These are adults who are supposed to assist me in taking care of our customers.

Donald T.

Dear Donald,

What is missing from your company is leadership. You have failed to provide your employees with the basic tools that they need to do their jobs.

Your role is to help your employees succeed. When they succeed, your company makes money. When they don’t get what they need, they will become disagreeable with each other, because you allow it.

Those lining up to bring these issues to your attention are really asking for the ground rules (policies and procedures) to be created and enforced.

I doubt your competition would tolerate people arriving late to work. This cannot be an isolated incident yet late arriving employees remain on your payroll. Why do you permit it?

Your good employees are seething with anger. You should thank them, not complain that they want to talk to you about what is taking place. They are trying, unsuccessfully so far, to get your attention to the fact that there some serious issues you have failed to address. They want you to do something about the mess you allow so they can get on with helping you make money.

If you don’t do something about it, the only people likely to remain will be the ones your competition won’t hire. What does that say about your company and its future?

I bet your management structure exists in name only. You need to start separating yourself from the daily issues by hiring or promoting someone to create and enforce (or reinforce) company policies and procedures. You need to back what this person says and does, one hundred percent.

The cartoon character Pogo said, “We have met the enemy … and his is us.” Only the enemy here is looking back at you in the mirror.

Dear Ken Keller,

When my female employees return from vacation, I have flowers delivered to them at work as a way of saying “We missed you when you were gone.” They appreciate the gesture.

One of my male employees asked why he didn’t get something when he returned from his vacation. I laughed at him and said “Right.” Now he is angry. How do I make peace with this guy?

Ron F.

Dear Ron,

The antics of the Mad Men era were over decades before the TV show aired.

I’d say you are very lucky not to have been sued for discrimination to this point by a male employee. To avoid it happening in the future, visit every employee when they return from vacation and tell them they were missed and welcome them back to work. You’ll save on the expense of flowers and legal expenses.

Dear Ken Keller,

Attempting to accommodate my employees I decided to allow for casual dress from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Two months in, I have concerns.

Some female employees are wearing outfits displaying considerably more skin than I feel appropriate. I overheard one male employee say, “I wonder what so and so will wear tomorrow!” I also have some male employees dressing like they are at the lake.

I don’t want to be the bad guy but this is spiraling out of control. Not every employee has dressed inappropriately but I need to get the genie back in the bottle.

John H.

Dear John,

You made a mistake by not being crystal clear what appropriate summer dress is your employees. Employees are loving you because you essentially said anything goes! Your silence is being interpreted as total permission. Only it isn’t.

Here are three things you need to do.

First, you need to find some courage; being popular is not your role. When you see someone you believe is inappropriately dressed, you need to call them into your office immediately and have a brief talk that their dress that day is not appropriate for your company. If necessary, send them home to change, or provide them with something that addresses your concern (a white lab coat or company shirt). If you do this just once or twice, people will get the message.

Second, you need to define what appropriate casual dress is for all employees and for each season. Ask some trusted employees to quickly gather pictures to visually display appropriate and inappropriate dress. These pictures will help employees to understand what is acceptable and what is not. Some employees simply do not understand that what they have on is not appropriate in a professional work setting.

Third, bring in a Human Resources advisor to help you create the right policies for inclusion into your employee handbook. Use that same professional to conduct a post- Labor Day meeting with all your employees about how the 2015 summer dress code experiment worked and what needs to change assuming you do it again in the summer of 2016.

Dear Ken Keller,

We have a busy operation and employees here are productive. At any given time, it looks like a tornado has wiped out the office: it is a mess. I’m afraid to bring clients or suppliers to visit I am so embarrassed how it looks. How can I bring this chaos under control?

Clint O.

Dear Clint,

Years ago I went to work for a company and was told on the first day that a clean desk policy existed and was enforced. Not knowing what that meant, I asked for clarification.

The owner of the company insisted that at the end of the day, every desk was free of paper, folders, stacks, magazines and so forth. Any assignments and open projects were to be put into desk drawers or credenzas and retrieved the next business day.

It wasn’t that he hated clutter and he wasn’t a control freak; he knew everyone was working hard and had a lot going on. What he wanted was a presentation ready facility where everyone was proud to work.

I recommend that you establish the same kind of policy. While you may get some initial resistance, it won’t take long for people to understand and accept your goal. Morale will improve too.

Dear Ken Keller,

How I can get my employees to act more like owners? My employees are hard-working people, productive and loyal. But every idea for improvement comes from me and I’d like for them to take some ownership as to how we can improve the company.

Paul S.

Dear Paul,

Your employees aren’t interested in being owners of your business. Ownership is far more difficult than being an employee. Individuals who are employees don’t want the hassle, the headaches, the risk or the uncertainty of ownership. Employees seek a steady paycheck, security, and a place to learn, contribute and grow.

Individuals join a company and are often told their input is welcomed and necessary for the company; that their opinions matter and that they will be heard. This idealism is crushed when management and ownership pay lip service to these words. Employees learn is that they are to be seen and not heard.

Be grateful for loyal and productive people on the payroll. This is an asset to utilize to engage your employees to become business partners and not costs to be reduced or cut.

If you do not now have a gain-sharing program that is where I recommend you start. My clients have used these kind of programs for years yielding great results.

In the case of my clients, each owner established goals for each department to accomplish for a six month period. The goals were specific and measurable and focused on cost reductions and productivity improvements.

The departmental goal was broken down so that each individual had goals. Everyone was eligible for a share of the departmental award and their own individual reward. Individual checks were handed out at a company lunch monthly after accounting closed the books.

Over time, my clients were able to transform their businesses through this. Employees become more engaged, more focused and took ownership of the cost reduction programs and productivity improvements.

These programs were launched during difficult economic times when it was not possible for the companies to give employees raises. Gain sharing results were considered better by the employees compared to raises because the employees had control over the amount they could earn.

Dear Ken Keller,

My sales team is not very good at prospecting and they are also less than diligent about follow up. I first thought I had some lazy individuals working for me but there may be other reasons why sales are slow.

Charlie P.

Dear Charlie,

This is mid-August, so you need to check and see if everyone on your sales team has taken time off for vacation. Is anyone on the team burned out? Ask.

Your responsibility is to turn things around. This may involve letting some people go, but you aren’t there yet.

Get back to basics with each sales person, teaching them what they need to learn, re-teaching them when necessary, making your expectations clear, setting goals with each person, and staying on top of each individual to make certain that they are following through.

Sales management is your job, and it has to be an all the time thing. You must lead by example, and give your team all the support, tools and backing they need to be successful. At the top of your list should be a review of the total prospecting effort including follow through.

Most of your time should be spent going on joint sales calls, reviewing proposals, planning and leading sales learning sessions and one on one coaching for performance improvement.

When your team sees that you are all in and are serious about leading them, the best will step up and the others will move on.

Dear Ken Keller,

I hired a new employee to work for my company. All was well, I thought, until several weeks later when he failed to show up for work. Concerned, I called and asked if he was okay.

The new employee told me that he quit. He said he did this because he was being hassled by other employees. I asked him to tell me who had been giving him a bad time and he refused saying that, in the end, telling me who was hassling him would not matter. In his mind, it was going to boil down to believing the word of long time employees, or him.

Based on that, he made the decision to simply quit.

I interviewed the employees involved. All said that no harassment took place. I chose not to pursue the matter. What am I missing here?

Robert K.

Dear Robert,

I believe you are missing that your company has turned into what the law in your state defines as a “hostile work environment.”

When someone in your employ, regardless of tenure or position, feels so threatened that they prefer to walk away from a paying job because of the environment created by fellow employees, action is way past due.

You need to retain an experienced employment attorney to conduct an investigation into what took place. That attorney can recommend a course of action to address what happened to your former employee and can create policies, procedures and training so that this kind of situation does not take place again.

Just because you have not heard from this former employee doesn’t mean that this is resolved. There may be a legal case against you and your company. If the harassment was sexual in nature and was perpetrated by supervisors, those individuals may be personally liable. You should be prepared for adverse legal action, which an experienced employment attorney can proactively address.

Dear Ken Keller,

For many years we have contracted with a Certified Public Accounting firm focused on minimizing our tax liability.

At this stage of growth, there might be other CPA firms that could do more of what we need.

The partner handling our account is a long-time friend. After so many years I am already dreading having a conversation; even sending an email to set it up makes my palms sweaty. What are your thoughts about this?

Tom F.

Dear Tom,

It’s a good business practice to review what your needs are today and what you will need in the future with any vendor. Be proactive and do this first with your CPA firm.

You’ve identified areas your company may need assistance but you don’t know if your current CPA firm can provide those services or not. You can only learn this when you hold a conversation about where your company has been, where it is and where it is going.

To prepare, create a list of what you are currently paying for, what you are charged, and how you rate delivery of 0those services (1 to 10, 10 being the highest). Then, list the additional services desired in the future, and rank them “must have” or “nice to have.”

Be open; share your assessments with your CPA.

Your CPA will do everything they can to retain your business, but be sure and ask them to recommend, as part of their response, other firms that would be a good match for specific needs going forward.

By Ken Keller

Dear Ken Keller,

At a recent trade show in Las Vegas , I took a prospect and two of my sales team out for an expensive dinner to close a deal. As we dined, I became increasingly embarrassed by the poor table manners displayed by my employees. We did get the business but I’d like to improve the professionalism of my team. Please share your thoughts on how to proceed.

Larry P.

Dear Larry:

I once hosted a workshop for clients on meal etiquette. One attendee criticized me for this, telling me that “everyone should already know this stuff.”

My response was that when people attend a workshop, they either “learn or confirm” and that when the client attended, he “confirmed” what he already knew. For others, it was an opportunity to learn a very important social skill.

I would not single out the two people that were with you in Las Vegas . If you make the training mandatory for your entire team, it will be a better investment. Participating will raise the confidence level and morale for every employee.

Hire an experienced consultant for the training, and make it both fun and educational. Because you are specifically focusing on table etiquette, host either a breakfast or lunch session at a local white table cloth establishment. They will be able to work with you to make sure the event is a success for you and for all those who attend.

Dear Ken Keller,

I’ve got a long time employee in a key role that is very knowledgeable, but has been rude to both coworkers and vendors. She has not yet been rude to a client but I fear that is coming. I’m not sure if she is overworked, burned out, or just unhappy or frustrated about something. I don’t want to lose this employee but I need help addressing this situation.

Mike H.

Dear Mike:

You are long overdue to have a “fierce conversation” with this employee. Actually, you will need to have three of them.

The first talk will be short, not more than five minutes. Have the meeting early in the day and plan to send her home once the meeting concludes. The purpose of the meeting is to advise the employee that you have identified unacceptable behaviors and a communication style that cannot continue.

This is not a discussion; this is a situation which will require her to be aware of her actions, recognize the impact and the need to change. She may be in denial so you need to provide three recent examples and do not allow her to dispute or debate your statements.

Early the next day, hold the second conversation. This is also short; it is the prescription meeting. You need to decide in advance what you will have her do to fix this situation. You might want to have her apologize to those impacted, reduce her workload; direct her to take time off, take an anger management course, etc. You must prepare in advance.

The third meeting is an open-ended meeting because you need to stay on top of the behavior so that it does not return. You will need to have additional consequences ready to impose if things revert, up to and including termination.

Two things will make this process easier for you. First, understand that the individual in question could be creating a hostile work environment which is a legal situation that must be addressed quickly and competently or you and your company will be at severe risk. Second, in a discussion of this importance, you should have trusted counsel in the room with you when you meet with this employee.

By Ken Keller

Dear Ken Keller,

I’ve been struggling to grow my business and would like some input as to how to go about it. I’m in a service business, and my customers are residential owners, commercial building owners and those who lease office, warehouse and manufacturing space.

Cheryl Z.

Dear Cheryl:

I am going to assume that when you use the word ‘growth’ you are interested in increasing sales (top line revenue) and in adding clients to your base of business. The most important thing about growth is that if you want it to happen, you have to make it a priority.

What I have found is that when time is calendared and kept for growth oriented activities, revenue increases and new clients are landed. When the time set aside for new business development is cancelled for whatever reason, growth is really not a priority, it becomes a hope.

I use the word ‘clients’. To me that is defined as your company (not just you) having a relationship with those that send your company money that is deeper than simply having a transaction where services are exchanged for money and there is no loyalty.

Having clients and not customers is something you should strive for, and you need to teach your employees how to create and nurture these important relationships. Do this by your example.

The easiest place to find new revenue is with current clients. We may hate it when the counter person asks, “Can I supersize that order of fries for you?” but it works.

Make a point of reaching out to current clients and seek out unmet or unrealized needs. It all starts with a conversation where you ask a client to tell you how your company is servicing them and what can be improved.

Take notes; when they finish simply ask, “What else can we do for you that you need to have done?” Notice the inflection is on need and want. People stop at the QSR off the freeway or order pizza for dinner not necessarily because they want that kind of food to eat; they order from those places because they need to eat (they are hungry) and access/delivery is convenient.

Make it as convenient as possible for your clients to add the new services you offer. Take down barriers, don’t put them up.

This should get you thinking and moving in the direction you want.

Dear Ken Keller,

I’d like to have workers in my company instead of whiners. I’ve got a small business filled with people who complain about everything. Do you have any thoughts on how to hire the right people?

Steve E.

Dear Steve:

Your desire for better employees will never be achieved unless you improve your interviewing skills.

Start by making a list of what is most important for you when you have someone on the payroll. Is it that they show gratitude? Display a strong work ethic? Demonstrate superior teamwork? Use solid, appropriate communication skills? Possess and use the technical skills required?

For each item determined to be important, make a list of questions to probe the prospective employee so that you can discern someone who has the attributes you seek from those who don’t.

The most important interviewing skill: asking a question and then staying silent. Too many interviewers try to sell the company when they should be evaluating the answers being given to the questions they asked.