Veteran Role Model

It is easy to recite the “Remember Me” lines, “You can shed tears that he is gone, or you can smile because he lived.” Reflecting on the impact a recently passed veteran has had on me, it is difficult to fight those sad emotions.

Two weeks before veterans day, Lt. Cmdr. Donald Thompson passed away at 98 years old. A Navy aviator in World War II, he lived a remarkable life. As has been reported in many places, he fully lived life to the end. I previously shared his war experience in the Battle of the Atlantic, and on this centennial of the Armistice of World War I, it would be easy to focus on the period of his military service. For Don, like all veterans, their military contributions to the country are a portion of who they are. My experience with Don, as my neighbor since I was two years old, was of the whole person, and how has had been an enduring role model.

Reflecting back on our interaction, outside of our family, Don has had the most influence on my parents and me in ways that have profoundly shaped our lives for the better.

Professionalism

Without question, he is the first person I knew that was a professional. Not as a point of status, he wore a suit to work when most everyone I recognized wore a factory uniform. At the time, he was a couple years removed from managing customer service at Lyon Metal Products. Our family was modest, both my parents worked hourly jobs at the office furniture manufacturer in town, and came from modest backgrounds of our extended families. As a child, I certainly did not recognize this in any measurable way, but looking back, his professional manner and the subtle differences of being a leader, as opposed to being led, came through in his interactions.

When I was in fifth grade I interviewed him about working. It was a sizeable report for a ten year old, but I only recall one question I asked. Why did he go to work at Merchants Bank after he retired from his career at Lyon Metal Products? His reasoning, “I still have a lot of suits to wear out.” Though a nod to his dry sense of humor, it reflected his nature as a customer facing professional. And where better to do that than at a bank.

Charisma

A natural friendly, extravert, everyone that came in contact with Don liked him. The volume of people at his funeral and the number of glowing stories on facebook reflect the caring, personal way in which he connected with people. In these outpourings, I an see that my family and I are not the only ones with which he connected, seemingly effortlessly.

As an introvert, I would gravitate to his wife, Doris, and her quiet nature, but was transfixed by the ease at which Don connected with others. He made friends and lasting connections in every aspect and endeavor of his life. This seemed impossible for a shy kid that did not want to introduce himself to anyone. I have strived for that continually, and know the impact of openness and a smile can have on others.

Caring Unconditionally

It is a disservice to quantify such things and the most difficult to put into words. I can say confidently that Don and Doris were the first people, outside of my family, that loved me unconditionally. They may have deeply cared for other people as well, and I hope that there are many others who had the gifts of life with them that I have. It would be too easy to say that they were like grandparents. I do not want that analogy to oversimplify their effect with a stereotypical idealisation, or to marginalize the relationship of my family.

Whether it was a swim meet or a Cub Scouts event, Don would periodically attend my activities. This type of caring and interest in others cannot be understated. Learning that there were people interested in my life was significant. It was a safety net. I knew my parents cared and would support me. Having someone outside of the nuclear family provided an added dimension of confidence. Although they were childhood events, the particulars of which are long gone, this interest and personal caring created confidence. Pursuing the unknown and trying new things is in part from his unconditional love and support through those formative years of my life.

Giving

During his full time work career and part time jobs after retirement, he always maintained charitable efforts. Throughout his adult life, he was a Shriner, supporting their causes. For many years he also volunteered at the nearby hospital and raked up over fourteen hundred hours of service. His giving was my early motivation of helping others. This example has continually motivated me to be involved and give back to others in areas where I can.

Adventure

Although we were only neighbors for four years, Don and Doris’ connection to us endured the rest of their lives. After moving, the frequency of visits with them became more spaced out, measured in months instead of days. When we would stop to see them, there were always stories of trips they had been on and where they were planning to go on vacation. Don drove them everywhere, they hit almost all 48 states during their 66 years of marriage. Doris also shared with us her love of visiting Bavaria.

Absent their vacation adventures, my only concept of travel was going to see my grandma in Florida. The concept of going on vacation, in what seemed a far off place, was unimaginable. The stories and trinkets they brought back made these places attainable. I embraced their stories of adventure. The idea of travel is difficult for some. I think about the twelve countries and twenty-eight states I have visited in my professional career. Though those experiences are not vacation, Don and Doris’s influence has made embracing the unknown destination my default mindset.

Growth Mindset

Don had a growth mindset well before it had a label. He was always trying new things. In his seventies he got on the internet, complete with a Compuserve email address. He spent the decade as an octogenarian working part time in customer service at Home Depot (because he was a people person!), and being an early adopter of a smartphone. In his nineties, he started using facebook (because why not), flew a T-6 Navy trainer aircraft (it was liking riding a bike, he proclaimed) and went skydiving (how did a doctor clear him to do that?).

The growth mindset was ingrained in who he was and remarkable to see from a front row seat. My effort of writing in the last couple of years is definitely a result of his influence, as a creative outlet and tackling a new domain. I hope to maintain such endeavors and continue to be relentless in learning like him.

Closing

We are fortunate to have veterans whose sacrifices in the past, along with those active duty service people enduring today, have made this present possible for us. I am so fortunate the relationship I had with Lt. Cmdr. Don Thompson and the positive after service impact he had on me, as well as all those he touched in his civilian life. Reflecting back, there is no doubt he has significantly contributed to the life I have today.

July 13, 2018July 13, 2018

Leadership Imperative in Fast Food Management

leadership and cultural develop needed in fast food

Not to overstate the impact, but this is a pivotal moment for the fast food industry to be better employers. With seven major players in that market agreeing to forego their anti-employee ‘No Poach,’ clause. For many workers, a job in fast food is a stepping stone on a career path to a livable wage. Granted, there is some that move into supervisory roles and management who can flourish in the industry. At the minimum wage levels for ‘associates,’ it is not a career. Despite this, the impact for associates can be profound. With the no-poach clause removed, employees are effectively at-will. Now, food franchise leadership must differentiate themselves to retain employees. Yes, the ability to move around more freely will pressure the wage levels and that will be balanced with the move to further automate stores. Now, like any industry, they must inspire and lead effectively to retain workers.

There are two fast food restaurants near our office, which are different brands, within walking distance. Based on proximity, they are recruiting from the same pool of candidates. What continually amazes me about these two stores, is the distinct contrast in the customer service between them. The store that has been here longer has predictably poor service. [poor leadership?] On a number of occasions I have received my sandwich and then, driven to the office, only to find that it is a bun with condiments only, the star of the show (egg, chicken, beef, etc) is missing! After an initial attempt going back to the store, the general indifference from the associate made the effort appear fruitless. Based on the lines at each register and drive-thru queue wrapping the entire parking lot, it seems that my dissatisfaction will not be a blip on their radar.

The other store, which is opened in the last seven years, is a completely different experience. Every time I go in or use the drive-thru, the experience is prompt, accurate and positive. Over the time they have been opened, I notice the faces change, but the experience remains the same. [good leadership?] With the predictable, positive experience, I go back. Colleagues remark that they do not like the food there, but it is easy and dependable, so when they are in a pinch, that is where they grab a quick bite to eat.

It would be easy to lament that for several generations, fast food was the common first job, to learn responsibility, experience leadership from an adult that is not from home, school or church, and to gain the skills of money management. Certainly, there are a lot of first jobs that can teach those skills, but with the transition from fast-food to fast-casual and the decline of teenagers with summer jobs, the face of fast food has gotten older. With the ‘No Poach’ clause, these older workers, with the skills developed in fast food, were relatively captive, unless they could make the leap to another industry. With that barrier removed, employees can now move around and earn more where their skills may pay better. But the impact now is greater than the wage.

The difference in customer experience between the two restaurants belies a greater issue: leadership and culture. The first store does not hire all the indifferent employees and the second store filters through and only picks the good ones, over and over. The restaurants, and particularly the franchisees, have to assess their culture and the leadership environment they foster, or lack thereof, to make the jobs they offer a meaningful experience for the employees. The head of the International Franchise Association indicates that these minimum wage jobs were not meant to be livable or permanent. If that is the case, then beyond the explicit task of getting the job done, these store owners need to focus on the value of the job to the employee, for the time the employee is there, to develop their skills for that next job, and to foster the environment and a leadership culture. Then, when the inevitable employee turnover occurs, the next wave of personnel embrace the established culture and can propel it forward, in a sustainable way.

For anyone leadership looking for a valuable tool to share with employees, here is a great podcast from organizational psychologist Adam Grant on emotions at work. And for further reading for leaders, take a look at A More Beautiful Question.

March 14, 2018March 19, 2018

Where Are the Women in Manufacturing

How do we get women passionate for science into manufacturing

Last week, diving deep into the speculative end of the Section 232 Steel tariff pool, and prepping for a trip to China, I neglected to keep tabs on a couple job postings that we have listed. Since the beginning of the year, we have been looking for someone with a technical background to develop a mid-level sales position. Getting back to them now, and looking through all the candidates, it struck me, where are the women in manufacturing?

In the roughly two months of receiving resumes, there have been a wide range of applicants, both qualified and not, but through it all, zero female candidates. No gender diversity, across LinkedIn, alumni job boards, local classifieds and recruiters. Seeing this, I am both perplexed and concerned: is this female candidate void a mirror, reflecting our deficiency, or a window to see the larger issue in the industry?

Or maybe it is both and the fact is that we have a long way to go. It feels like support for STEM is everywhere. For the last several years, coaching high schoolers, there were many girls I worked with who were good students with an interest in math and science and a work ethic I admired. I would hire any of them to work in this role, but besides not being old enough to work in manufacturing, they also have no interest. It seems that all the support of students in STEM is only the beginning. We also have to connect and inspire girls to the opportunities in manufacturing and other technical industries.

Eighteen years ago when I was entering university to study mechanical engineering, it was generally accepted that females studying engineering were rare. At the time, roughly 1/3 of the engineering student population were female and that fraction was generous, I do not recall a class as an undergraduate or a teaching assistant where 1/3 of the students were women.

Fast forward to now, and despite a decade of intense STEM support across the country, alumni relations informed me the rate of female enrollment is unchanged from when I was in college. WHAT?! How is that possible? I realize it is a midsize school, and there may be some big-name programs elsewhere that can tout growth of female enrollment, but this is not an isolated problem. How are there not more females interested in engineering? If the broad topic of engineering is not gaining interest, then the subset of manufacturing does not have a chance!

My view is distorted by my spheres of influence. Working with manufacturing companies every day and participating in a technical advisory at the local community college, I am almost constantly surrounded by like-minded people who support STEM and increasing opportunities in our industry. Plus, I infer the connection between STEM and technical careers, but that may be a leap for others outside of technical industries. As a high school coach, on the other hand, with many student’s parents being doctors, lawyers, business owners, and entrepreneurs, the fact that I worked in manufacturing was overlooked in favor of the more altruistic label as a volunteer youth athletics, so there is certainly some negative bias to overcome.

And even if we succeed in encouraging teenagers to pursue these technical careers, there are several years before they will be in the workforce. What about filling the immediate roles that are available? How do we motivate and attract women to this industry and careers? The point above, regarding my influences and connections, is that I do not have the answers.

A few years ago we hired a sales person that came from selling wholesale beauty products to salons. When she was going to college for fashion, did she think one day she would be helping maintenance workers troubleshoot hydraulic components and selling them replacement parts? Doubtful. And you know what, she is awesome at it! How did we get her? Pure luck. Human resources or I cannot claim any special insight. This is not to pat ourselves on the back. Being lucky is not going to solve the gender imbalance in manufacturing.

So what do we do? To paraphrase Sheryl Sandberg, how do we overcome them not doing something where they do not see themselves? I can think of several great women leaders in manufacturing that I have had an opportunity to work with, but the reality is, on the scale that the industry needs, there are not enough of them that can serve as role models for students. Women in Manufacturing is a great organization and I hope they can build even more momentum to encourage their peers to be a force in this industry.

And how else can we grow manufacturing? Take a chance! Reach across and embrace candidates from other industries. Manufacturing can be taught and if someone has the interest and willingness to learn and apply themselves, there is no doubt the employee and business will benefit. With the impending retail apocalypse, how many experienced store managers and key holders could kick butt given a chance in manufacturing? Probably thousands. Let’s figure out how to attract them, and ambitious individuals from other areas, to the opportunities in manufacturing.

January 9, 2018January 9, 2018

Book Review: A More Beautiful Question

Look for the questions, not the answer to the puzzle

If you want to open your mind, value growth, or are curious about generating change and coming up with big ideas, then this book is one to consider. The book jumps in posing a number of thought-provoking questions, to prime the reader for the book’s intent. This hook was compelling to me and at only 272 pages, I was surprised how quickly it read.

The book frames a number of commonly recognized products and how they were developed by asking radical questions: Pandora, Cracker Jack’s, Salesforce, as well as the blade prosthetic foot, among others. The book offers up research and practical ways to generate questions. Do you want to tackle some tough questions? Then start with a few easy questions and progress to more difficult. Answering the easy questions helps open up your mind to tackling big ideas. ‘Big ideas’ is also a recurring theme throughout the book, as well as accessible strategies. One story shared a Questioners tactic: after creating a technology sabbath on Saturdays, she began saving questions to contemplate during this undistracted time.

After reading the book, my takeaway is that the author does an excellent job of transcending the purpose of questioning. A More Beautiful Question can be a guide for question thinking if you are a leader of an organization, a parent, or a thought worker. The ideas presented open up anyone to tackle question thinking, be it business challenges or personal obstacles. And the tools outlined apply at any scale, again, from, “How can I do this better,” to “What is our organization’s purpose in this world.”

Despite the book’s grand title, the message presented is clear, relatable and applicable to anyone who wants to break out of the answer routine and start thinking about questions whether

Further thoughts for Leaders

One of the realities posed by the author is business types. He shares that old line businesses, particularly in the US and western Europe, many of which were created after World War II and then run by those from World War II, were built on an organizational structure where leaders have answers and there is little room for questions. These environments will have the most opportunity, and challenge, for adapting the question mindset.

Having recently read The Multigenerational Sales Team by Warren Shiver and David Szen, A More Beautiful Question raised questions in my mind about the generational impact of being open to questions. Certainly, the book mentioned questioning as being a cultural taboo, in Asian countries for example, asking questions makes one appear they are not knowledgeable, so the idea of questioning is discouraged. Recognizing this limitation, companies have brought in consultants for the explicit purpose of asking, seemingly obvious, questions, because the organization is unable to ask those questions of themselves.

From a generational standpoint, the book raised concerns to me about the ability to gain traction with question thinking across generations. Millenials, and certainly Gen Z, having grown up with the ability to type Google a question whenever they want, are most comfortable with the questioning method. But what about Gen X? Prone to offering up rebuttals, would that discourage the questioning process? What about Baby Boomers and Traditionalists? They have existed in a top-down, hierarchical business world, where questions are the exclusive domain of the novice, and not asking questions is [incorrectly] linked to higher knowledge status.

It is an oversimplification and disservice to take this generational point too far. Every generation is made up of many individuals with varying levels at which they identify with their generation’s norms, across a continuous spectrum. As the leader of an organization, the generational consideration is a warning for how the embrace of question thinking can be approached.

And that’s what makes this book great. The author touches on other factors which contribute to openness for asking questions. For example, Silicon Valley is an incubator for asking questions and coming up with new, big ideas. Montessori schools and similar question-centric education systems are a breeding ground for question thinking. Even, being well traveled and having a broad, liberal arts, education, helps to ask questions. Having diverse interests and reading a wide range of topics, helps to generate questions. Writing, particularly journalism, is a great way to provoke the more beautiful question, which is particularly true for the author, Warren Berger, which is what started this journey for him.

Note: Cover Image from David Stern

January 1, 2018January 2, 2018

3 Easy Changes to Kill it in 2018

There will be A LOT of articles popping up about recommendations for goals and resolutions for the new year and this is not meant to steer you in a direction goalsetting. These simple tips are ways to create a framework for accomplishing your goals in the new year, whatever they may be.

Quick Summary to Get You Going

1. Planning

How are the goals, tasks or objectives you have going to happen? It may seem obvious, but there is no way of crushing your goals without a plan. Our new year’s resolutions are not the only thing we have going on, so we have to weave them into our lives, the resolutions will not just happen because we want them. Plan your day, week, and month to make sure there is time built in to work on those resolutions.

2. Gratitude

In Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman’s book, Flourish, he expands on his research in the area of positive psychology. One of the big takeaways is making time for gratitude. He suggests taking time each day to write down for what you are grateful. Write down three things that you are grateful for each day. Documenting these positive, reinforcements helps us to frame our mindset each day to the good, which keeps us going. Additionally, looking back on these ‘gratitude points’ can be motivation, a way to keep working towards those resolutions and new goals, even when the finish line may seem far away.

3. Bookending

My professional coach, Claire, gave me this one. Set aside time between activities during your day to recharge. Use that time, a few minutes is enough, to focus on things that give you energy. Whether it is internal (looking at pictures of family and friends) or external (chatting about something topical with a colleague), this time is critical, to mentally recover and segue into the next activity.

Resolutions 1. 2. 3. image from Greater Good Magazine.

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