Walk Your Talk in 3 Easy Steps

While recently dining in a local Asian restaurant with friends from my yoga class, we simultaneously opened our fortune cookies after dinner and took turns reading our fortune.  Mine succinctly stated, “We must walk our talk.”  Immediately, three words came to mind:  Listen, Trust, and Know.  “Listen to whom?  Trust what?  Know how?

We are constantly bombarded with articles to read, information to decipher and well-meaning friends who have the “answers.”  As a teacher and counselor, students and clients ask me, “What should I eat to stay healthy?  Some articles say become a vegetarian, some friends say I should go raw.  It is all so confusing.”  Or, “How should I act in the presence of my in-laws (at holidays or family gatherings)?”  Another popular question: “With the economy the way it is, how can I earn more money?”  The list goes on, ad infinitum.  Let’s break it down as to what steps we can take to direct our own inner compass and let go of the mind chatter and disharmony that goes on around us every day.

Step 1:  Listen:  when we have a daily practice of meditation and/or sitting in silence (just being), we are able to create a space where we can listen and hear the inner guidance.  When we become still, we really can hear that still, small voice within.  It actually does sound very much like our own.  Try it for just 20 minutes a day.

Step 2:  Trust.  Making a habit of listening in the silence enables us to trust what we hear in the stillness of the silence.  When we trust our inner wisdom, we can be rest assured that we are not making a mistake.  The results will amaze you.

Step 3:  Know.  Meditation, as a daily routine, supports us in our knowledge.  There is a knowing which becomes crystal clear as we become that perfectly aligned channel for the universe to work through us.  It is up to us to know this and not resist the knowingness.  The universe is all about vibration as everything has a vibratory rate.  You will know when something does not resonate with you.

When we cultivate a regular practice of listening in the silence and meditation, we let go of the confusion.  The answers come easily and effortlessly.  The key is to trust the inner compass as to your direction.  It is not the same as anyone else. 

As you lead by example, when you listen, trust and know, you become unshakeable and confident in walking your talk as you move gracefully through your day in total confidence and joy.

By Kathleen Zurenko, MCS

Embrace the Drama

It was a typical Saturday morning in the local, neighborhood Bagel Cafe.  People go in and place there orders, either to go or to stay and eat.  If you eat there, they'll deliver your food to you.  During the week it's busy with commuters, grabbing coffee and a bagel to go.  On the weekends, more people choose to stay.  It's small and seating is generally tight, especially on weekend mornings.

A table became available just as our food was coming out.  We squeezed around the table and were settling in when I saw two women, apparently a mother and young adult daughter, looking for some empty space eat.  Since we were at a table for four, I said: "Come join us."

When your are sitting so close to other people, it's inevitable that you will strike up a conversation.  They were new to the neighborhood, having moved here from a neighboring town.  We talked about other places in the country where we all had lived.  We talked about local spots around town.  The young woman asked if there were any community theaters and we started talking about our local NextStop Theatre.  Originally a "black box" municipal experimental theatre, after 24 years it morphed into a professional theatre company in late 2013.  "Cat" seemed interested in getting involved.

A few minutes later Theresa gently interrupted us and introduced herself.  She couldn't help but overhear our conversation in this tight space.  Turns out that she is an assistant director.  Before it turned from community to professional and hiring its first paid Producing Artistic Director, she was the artistic director.  A connection was made all because someone was listening.

While this wasn't a "dramatic" situation, drama can refer to the action taking place around you.  Ideas and opportunities arise when you least expect it.  Cat didn't venture out for breakfast that morning expecting to have a door open to her to an opportunity.

·       Do you pay attention to the action around you?

·       Do you listen to the stories people are telling?

·       Do you listen to ideas from people throughout the organization?

Pay attention to how ideas flow in your organization.  Is your culture such that commutation channels are rigidly defined.  I've been in or heard of situations where directors only talk to directors and if your not at that level, you cannot pass an idea up (or worse answer a question or provide information) to a person at a "higher level".  I once served on an industry/government task force.  A good idea had been presented and I asked if it could be taken back to the appropriate agency.  "That's above my pay grade" was the response I got.

What do you gain if you encourage open communication channels?  You gain a great deal.  How you communicate reveals much about your culture.  Open communication leads to problem solving, creativity and innovation and it will keep your employees engaged. 

Leadership Lessons from Justice Sotomayor

Recently, the wonderful  business book club Cornelia and I belong to did something for the first time--we read Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's memoir, My BelovedWorld, went to hear her speak about her book, and then discussed the book!  It was an amazing experience to hear her tell some of the stories I had already read in her book and then to discuss what we'd heard and read with our book club colleagues.

I could go on and on about the lessons learned from hearing her tell the stories – but one thing stood out from all the others and that applies to our 2014 focus on organizational culture.

The facilitator for the event was the president of Martha's Table in Washington, DC.  She brought along some teenage members of their book club who had read the Justice's book.  Several times during the evening, she asked a student to read his/her favorite part of the book to the audience.  Now, you have to know the event was being held in Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University which holds 1,000 people (the event was moved there because it sold out in a few minutes – and, there were over 300 people on the waiting list!) so, imagine you are a teenager and you have to get up, walk to a microphone and read to an audience of a thousand people including a Supreme Court Justice—and don't forget the many security people stationed around the room!

As the first student approached the microphone to read, the Justice stood up and walked to where the student was standing so that it appeared the student was reading her words to her!  It changed everything – and not just for the reader but the rest of us as well.  When the teenager finished reading, the Justice talked directly to him or her about what they had read.  We all listened but I couldn't help think about the impact she was having on that young person as she held what appeared to be an intimate conversation with them.

What does this have to do with corporate culture, you ask?  Well, leaders set the culture and the example of the Justice physically moving to where the student was standing and speaking directly to them is a powerful reminder of how a leader's presence can affect and define the culture and the workforce.  One-on-one encounters are extremely impactful for employees.  I spent much of my HR career with Marriott International and the last two years I worked at corporate headquarters in Bethesda, MD.  When I first went to corporate, many people shared stories of personal experiences they’d had with Bill Marriott.  He was famous for eating in the employee cafeteria by himself and taking his tray and approaching a table with Associates (Marriott's term for employees) and asking if he could join them.  Once they recovered from the shock of eating with the Chairman and CEO, they said they relaxed under his warm, approachable style as he asked them questions about what they did, what they liked about their job and the company, and if they had suggestions for him! 

Mr. Marriott also spoke to people in the elevator and the hallways.  He was, and is, approachable and personal – exactly what Justice Sotomayor did that night with the students.  She created a warm and safe place for them to perform the task before them.  And, isn't that what you want your corporate culture to be – a place where the great people you’ve hired can use their skills to the best of their ability in an environment where they feel comfortable?

Recognizing Success

Huevos rancheros, scrambled, green (chile) corn tortilla on the bottom, sopapilla on the side;  cheese enchilada plate, red and green, flour tortilla on the side; two eggs scrambled, red and green, beans no potatoes, wheat toast on the side.

April never wrote anything down when she took the three orders, but she repeated everything back twice – once when each individual ordered and then at the end to review.  Then I noticed her go over to a computer apparently to enter the three orders.  We visit this restaurant whenever we’re in town and often sit at April’s station.  This time we visited twice and were served by Elena, another member of the wait team.  Same thing – she didn’t write the order down.  And the orders never come out wrong!

Good customer service is clearly a factor critical to superior individual performance as well as to the success of this restaurant.  The food is good – it’s the first thing that attracted us to the place – as well as consistent.  The same can be said for the service.  On this past visit, I couldn’t help wonder if one of the behaviors that is associated with good customer service at this establishment is the ability to remember orders without writing them down in front of the customers. It’s fascinating to watch.  Personally I’ve got no preference if my order is written down or not – as long as it’s right.  Is it a skill they require of their wait staff?  If so, how do they develop it?

Most organizations define performance factors or competencies that are tied to their values.  Clearly, in any organization that deals with the public, customer service is an important competency that all employees need to possess.  What does good customer service look like across the organization?  For the establishment to be successful, behavioral expectations or success factors, need to be defined so that employees know what is expected of them and what success looks like in their individual job.

Let’s look at this restaurant.  April, Elena, and the rest of the wait staff are friendly, courteous, and can take (and submit) your order without error.  The cooks in the back are responsible for preparing good tasting food and for preparing the order the way the wait staff submits it.  If there are errors, April and Elena will let them know.  As a customer, I don’t interact with the cooks in the back, so I don’t know if they are friendly and courteous – and if they aren’t, it doesn’t necessarily affect my dining experience in an adverse way.  The hostesses and the cashiers also add to the experience by being friendly, efficient and accurate when it comes to handling the money.  They are also flexible when you ask to be seated in a certain spot – assuming availability.  The “busboys” that assist the wait staff make sure that the tables are cleaned and set up – water, eating utensils, napkins, etc – and clear them when diners are finished.  Collectively, they all add to the customer service experience, but their individual behaviors are different depending upon the role they play in the organizations. 

If you want to develop a model for performance success for your organization, consider the following:

·      Define performance factors that are tied to your organization’s values.  Don’t try to copy them from someone else.

·      Describe the standards of behavior for each performance factor.  Doing so allows your employees to know what is expected of them.

·      Behaviors can and should be different for each job family in your organization and for each level of job within those families.

If you develop a performance model (or competency model), employees will be able to look at it and answer the question “What does good customer service look like in my job” (or quality, or communication skills, or any other performance factor you’ve deemed important).