Manage the results, not the actions

The older I get, the wiser my parents get. I've come to realize that my Dad was a master teacher and motivator. Whenever I had some new skill to learn or job to do, my Dad would explain it (and why it was important), he would explain the result or outcome we wanted, he would demonstrate how it was done, he would watch me as I did it, he would provide feedback on my performance, and then, when I looked liked I had a handle on it, he would walk away and leave me to do my job. Of course, he always said, "If you run into trouble or if you have any questions, just come get me." By walking away, he turned the responsibility of the outcome over to me.

When I was first became a store manager at McDonalds back in the 1980s, other store managers warned me that since I was working with primarily kids, I would need to become a micro manager; I would need to be looking over their shoulder every step of the way. This didn't seem realistic to me. How could I be looking over everybody's shoulder all the time?

I didn't want to manage actions; I wanted to manage results. I trained my team as my Dad had trained me. Confident that they knew what to do, how to do it, and the result we were looking for, I walked away. Well, I walked away to the front line where I had a birds-eye view of the results: I could see the product, I could see the service, I could see and interact with customers. If there was a problem (which was rare), I knew it almost instantly and could deal with it immediately -- usually well before it reached a customer.

It isn't simply a coincidence that I had the lowest employee turnover, the highest PAC (profit after controllables), and tremendous customer loyalty. Best of all, to me, is that we had an environment where my team got to shine. One of the best compliments I ever received was from a 17 year-old young man who had worked for me for over a year (he was a star performer!). One day he told me, "You're the only adult I know who trusts me to be responsible. That's why I love my job."

It's your life, not a movie!

We have probably all been horrified by the U-Tube video of the cheerleader beating. I saw an interview with an expert who said that this is a problem that psychologists are seeing more and more. People are disconnected with reality. It's not that they are mentally ill; it's just that they see themselves as actors in some movie, not as real people in their own lives. This ties back to one of the key principles of Emotional Intelligence (EQ): consequential thinking. Consequential thinking is the critical ability to understand what you are feeling and what actions you are about to take and then analyze the likely results and outcomes you will get from those actions. In general, you can see this lack of consequential thinking in many areas of our society: the CEO who steals or misdirects the use of funds; the out-of-control driver who endangers the lives of others; hockey parents who get into fights in the stands; students who plot to kill their teachers. These, of course, are easy to spot. What about the less obvious? What about the person walking down the street, listening to their I-Pod (or texting on their phone), who walks out into an intersection without first looking both ways? What about the driver who is talking on their cellphone, changing the DVD for their kid, and fiddling with the GPS device? And even more basic, what about the person who, time and time and time again, just can't help themselves when they get frustrated or when they get angry and yet is surprised to find that people don't like working with them? Our actions have consequences -- and very real ones at that. This isn't some movie that we get to stumble through and then rewind and return if we don't like it. What are some examples of the absence of consequential thinking that you've seen in your life/business? What about some examples of the presence of consequential thinking that are admirable and inspiring?

Cheering for others

I am a volunteer coach in a wonderful program for young girls called Girls on the Run. It teaches girls about running, healthy diet and lifestyle, self-esteem and leadership. I have noticed something interesting with the girls. There are about three girls who run significantly faster and farther than the other girls. They are very diligent and serious about their running. Near the end of the session, we always ask the girls who have completed their run, to stand near the finish line and cheer in the other girls. For the three girls who are always the fastest, this is when they become the most animated! They come alive cheering for the other girls. Out of the entire session, this is when they appear to be most engaged. And, for the girls who are struggling to finish, just having others cheer for them inspires them! They run a little faster, they hold their heads up a little higher, and they have big smiles on their faces as they cross the finish line. Of course, as soon as they cross that finish line, what do you think they start to do? That's right -- they start cheering for the girls who have yet to finish! It is my favorite part of the program. It makes me wonder how this very basic human connection -- cheering for others -- might be used in our families and workplaces? Is there a place for it? How could it work?