Transitioning Employees to Team Members

2017 Ohio Pork CongressL. D. Firkins, DVM, MS, MBA

University of Illinois

College of Veterinary Medicine

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Defining Teamwork - Team Member

• Because they would have done it for me

• Willingness of employee to give extra effort when asked

• Are committed to the well-being of each other and the organization because they want to be

• Why we do what we do

Dealing with First Order Challenges

• Are you taking on your biggest challenges?

• What is your business’ single biggest issue with transitioning your employees to team members that you are backing away from and instead taking on secondary issues?

• Who owns the area of developing your human capital?

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• One cannot just tell people to trust us

• Cannot force people to cooperate

• Cannot demand that people come up with big ideas that will impact your business

The Challenge for Managers

Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek, 2014 4

Those are all results of employees feeling included

and valued and safein their jobs.

A Team Concept: Spurs vs Heat NBA Finals

Sports Illustrated, Lee Jenkins, June 2014 5

• One-on-one skills against team basketball

• The System– a crew that moves in unison, seeking the best shot, regardless of who fires - – no playbook, no mission statement defining The System

• 51 more assists in the series, nearly 100 more passes per game -7 passes in 8 seconds including everyone touching the ball, five deserving MVP choices

• New player – everyone meets to determine what they need to do to help this player

• No nonsense coach

Trransitioning: One on Ones

• 30 minute weekly meetings with your directs

• Meetings are scheduled

–My boss is saying I am important

– I have time to prepare

• Directs set the agenda, their issues are covered, they talk first, you take notes

• Final 5 minutes are yours

Lack Time for Weekly One on Ones

• Schedule first one 4 – 6 weeks out

• You can move the meeting, just don’t cancel it

• Limit to 30 minutes. Set the timer on phone

• Will save you time in the long run while developing a trusting relationship

The Impact of Coaching

• Feedback tends to be negative, can feel like a threat making people defensive

• Coaching focuses on getting better, now

• Weekly, 10 minute check-ins

–What’s occurring this week?

–Follow 80/20 ratio

–Help me understand

–How can I help?

StandOut, Marcus Buckingham 2015 8

Transitioning Employees to Team Members

• Leaders say they are going to delegate.

• Too often they transfer responsibilities, but they do not transfer authority.

• They judge the effectiveness of the decision/action in terms of determining if it is what they would have done.

• Question to be asking is, “Are

they making good decisions?”

Transitioning Employees to Team Members

“It’s all about the people. Our cattle performance at this yard is better than good,but not what it could be. I believe it can be

better if we can give the people the right tools to make it better.”

Implementing Change

• Change at work causes a physiological reaction resulting in increased blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and metabolism.

• Of all individuals who have undergone coronary bypass surgery, on average, only one in nine adopts healthier day-to-day habits.

All-In. Gostick and Elton, 2012 11

Tell People How Change Will Impact Them

• Does it make us better at what we do?

• How will it impact me?

• Will this effort make it more efficient for them to accomplish what is expected of them?

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Changes Across Industries

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Changes Across Industries

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David Marquet imagines a work place where everyone

engages and contributes their full intellectual capacity, a

place where people are healthier and happier because

they have more control over their work – a place where

everyone is a leader.

David Marquet

Author of Turn the Ship Around!

@ldavidmarquet

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Leadership Defined

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The art of releasing human talent and

potential

Communicating to people their worth and

potential so clearly they start to see it in

themselves

Giving people every available tool and

advantage to achieve their aims in life

Leadership Demonstrated

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Owning the problem

Owning the solution

Sense of adding value as the vital link in solving the

problem

Requires from employees

what can only be volunteered

Turn Your Ship Around

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqmdLcyES_Q

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 18

Was Captain Marquet successful?

• From worst to first on efficiency ratings

– Highest ratings ever recorded in the history of the U.S. Navy

• Increased retention rate by 12 fold

• Success of people under his watch

–Ten Nuclear Submarine Captains

–Six Major Commanders

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 19

Was Captain Marquet Successful?

“This is the most empowered workplace I have ever seen”

-Steven Covey

Having more control over the workplace

creates environments where people want to

come to work and contribute

What Captain Marquet Discovered

• We have a need for:

• Mastery: the feeling of being really good at something

• Belonging/purpose: we long to belong, to be part of something bigger then ourselves, to feel included

• Autonomy: the feeling that we are not strictly forced to comply at the hands of others, but rather are the authors of at least some decisions

Drive, Daniel Pink 2009

Was his success easy and immediate?

• “It will feel wrong.”

• “I can’t tell you how many times I questioned whether I was on the right track and whether I should just go back to command and control.”

• “You will be angry at yourself”

• “It took a couple of years for full implementation.”

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 22

Set the Environment so Others Achieve Greatness

• You have who you have – 135 individuals

• Had been told repeatedly, so they knew and believed they were the worst ship in the Navy

– Technically, operationally, and emotionally

• Over time he achieved a workforce that was:

– Thinking

– Active

– Passionate

– Proactive

– Taking initiative

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015

Achieving greatness, not just avoiding errors

• How do you respond when people report errors to you?

• Do you tell them Thank You?

• Impossible for people to avoid all mistakes

• You cannot fix a problem you do not know about

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 24

Creation of a fear-based environment

• Is it safe for your employees to report problems?

• Brains are hardwired to avoid danger

• We fear consequences so survival mode kicks in

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 25

Prefrontal Cortex: Critical Thinking

• Goal oriented behavior

• Focused thinking

• Higher level thinking

• Decision making

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 26

Limbic System: Stress Response

• Most primitive part of brain: reflexive in nature

• Survival mode: stress as danger

• Response to danger

– Fight

– Flight

– Freeze

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 27

Creating an environment that people move from survival mode to rational thinking mode

• If can shut down stress response can go from fear/survival - to allowing critical thinking to take place

• Blood is directed more to one area or the other -both do not take place at the same time.

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 28

Creating an environment that people move from survival mode to rational thinking mode

• ACTION: Activate critical thinking - responses

• From:

– I can’t believe you did this!

– Are you sure?

• To:

– How sure are you?

– Help me understand……..?

– What can we learn from this?

• Clear view of what normal looks like

Turn Your Ship Around, David Marquet, 2015 29