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Let me point you to someone who can help you better. If it s obvious that the
person should have initially started several levels down, make that clear.
 Have you checked with Bob? You should before coming up here. Let me point
the way. And if it s clear that the person has needlessly gone around his
or her boss to come to you, educate the individual well.  You need to go
through your boss first. By going around her, you re keeping her out of the loop.
Do you understand that?
Then call his or her boss and ask why his or her people are coming
directly to you.
LESSON 21
DON T MAKE WORK
YOUR EMPLOYEES LIFE
THE MISSION
One afternoon when I was working in Eastern Europe, a Special Forces
buddy pulled up in his vehicle to take me to work.  We re going to talk
to the colonel today, he said, referring to the head of a police battalion
in a neighboring district. We drove along the crumbling roads until we
pulled into the small, isolated compound in the farm country, with black
uniformed guards in front.
Inside, we shook hands with the colonel s aide and were shown into
the colonel s office, where we shook hands again and sat down. Two
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men entered and stood behind us, which I thought was unusual. My
buddy began the conversation with a review of the proposed time line
for inspecting and collecting some of the colonel s weapons. But
the colonel turned the conversation to our health and our local inter-
ests. Soon, we were chatting about the town s sports team and joking
about foreign television programming. The colonel lit up a cigarette
and offered his pack to us, which we turned down. Then the colonel
mentioned that a suspected war criminal we had recently apprehended
was a close friend of his family s. He became quiet and studied us. I was
aware of the men in cheap civilian suits moving closer behind us.
The colonel reached down and slid open a desk drawer out of sight.
I eased my hand down to my weapon. There was no sound from my
buddy s direction. Then the colonel was sitting upright again, and
BANG! It wasn t the gun we feared but a bottle of Johnnie Walker.
 But that s not your problem, the colonel said.  First we drink. Then
we talk.
THE TAKE-AWAY
There is a manager we know who tells his subordinates, seriously,  If I
repeatedly find you in here late at night, I m going to assume that either
I m giving you too much work or you re not competent enough to do the
work I give you.
There are some industries in which there is no way around working
late. And the employees who fight for those jobs are fully aware of this
when they do so. Other jobs include a period of indoctrination that
involves long hours and tough assignments. It makes people part of the
club. If that s part of your business, here s to you.
But there s a difference between working late and working to death.
Make your employees go home, go to the ball game, or go fishing. Remind
them there s a whole world out there. They ll be awake, productive,
and involved when they re around. And it will give them a world of expe-
rience to bring to the job.
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LESSON 22
THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN
TRADITION AND OBSOLESCENCE
THE MISSION
The greatest helicopter pilot I have ever known was a woman who lived
next to us in Panama and who flew in and out of the jungle to resupply
us in the upper Amazon. We camped out on mountain peaks and in deep
valleys. Often she arrived during awful weather, having flown for hours
through torrential rain to land in strong winds on the side of a muddy,
crumbling cliff with half of one tire over the side.
If she could spare an hour, she would get out and stretch and play
poker with us. More often than not, though, she was able to get the boxes
and parcels out onto the drenched landing zone and then roar off again.
If we called for evacuation, she d haul our asses out of there.
Eventually, however, regional newspapers heard about her, and cari-
catures of her appeared in the editorial sections. There would be a picture
of a voluptuous woman in high heels and lipstick flying a toy helicopter:
 La Pilota. Some of the locals smiled. What s the problem? She was strong
and shrugged it off.
Then our camp became known, and she was ordered to fly several
reporters in to our location so that they could report on the war. She did as
she was ordered and flew at treetop level, up and over the peaks and down
into the steep valleys. Soon the reporters crammed in back were vomiting
into their suit pockets. Yes, the image portraying her was part of the camp s
tradition by that time. But she never let anyone forget that she was still one
hell of a pilot who was never going to lose her edge.
THE TAKE-AWAY
Traditions can strengthen or damage a company. Some of them promote
an atmosphere and harmony that raises cannot buy. Others, while ancient,
serve no current value other than to damage team integrity. But we ve
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always given Nancy a hard time about her dress. But workers have always used
manual typewriters. But we ve always given across-the-board raises despite
their individual achievements.
SEALs give each other a hard time. The biggest charley horse Jon ever got
was on the day on the day his skipper pinned a Trident on his chest. Instruc-
tors rode him hard to make him learn. Taught him why he needed to be with
his buddy at all times. They took a mob and fine-tuned it into a tightly knit
group. Although it didn t seem like it at the time, that taskmaster made them
pay in training so that they put on their lifejackets the next time, so that they
lived. Pain wasn t the objective. It was the vehicle for enlightenment.
Similarly, the team that jokingly writes  The top 10 reasons why
Rob/Sue/John went to finance isn t necessarily trying to hurt someone.
It s fun. It raises morale. The company that maintains its original build-
ing isn t necessarily unconcerned with working conditions. It s upholding
the traditions and culture that define its values.
What purpose does a tradition at your company serve? Morale? Team- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]