#349 front lines

Yesterday I lamented about the ice cream manager who was oblivious to the business her clerks were turning away.  The flip side of that is Walt Disney who was known for "strolling" through his theme parks and asking questions.

Former employee Doug Lipp recounted a time when Disney put a teenage ride operator on the spot by asking: "How would you improve this ride?"  The lad had an answer that he could only know from his front line experience: the gondola roofs were too low and guests frequently bumped their heads when entering or exiting the ride.  As you can guess, the height was adjusted and the ride operator was rewarded.*

I try to spend a few moments every day walking through the office areas of my staff, and I invariably hear things that way.  More importantly, I try to foster an environment -- more like encourage or expect a culture -- where people can speak candidly and raise suggestions on a regular basis.  Just yesterday I remained in my office but was asked whether or not the admissions representatives can wear shorts with their official polos on our summer registration and visit days; if we can purchase a Keurig machine to offer families coffee since we discontinued brewing it due to waste, and whether I would support a policy change for our transfer student ACT requirements.  All these are equivalent to: "how would you improve your working conditions?"

If you aren't regularly asked for changes, you should implement strategies to change that fact first.  Get out more.  Hold a retreat where you encourage what Seth Godin calls "poking the box."  Ask more questions like Disney did.  Reward suggestions, including those you can't implement.  Say yes more frequently.  

Your front line people can make your organization great if you let them.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

*Source:  How Disney produces its 'hi-ho' worker enthusiasm by Claudia Buck of the Sacramento Bee.  Printed in the Dubuque Telegraph Herald 4-28-13