How Sun Microsystems Fans the Flames of Employee Passion
How does an organization like Sun Microsystems create a
workplace where employees love to come to work?Bill MacGowan Chief Human Resource Officer for Sun
Microsystems, was gracious enough to share some of their best practices.
He told me that they value and appreciate good, smart people
who enjoy change, innovation, and other people.“ Leadership at Sun has been successful at creating a real
meritocracy. We allow people to speak their minds, and not be afraid to learn
from failure.”One of the key
elements in creating workplaces where employees love to do their best work is
to listen to their ideas and give them freedom to act.
I was impressed
by that statement as I’d just worked with an executive of another organization
who was particularly harsh on employees any time an idea failed, and he
wondered why employees seemed less willing to participate and make new
suggestions.
I asked Bill how Sun developed so much of the loyalty that I
had heard their employees express. He spoke about Sun’s flexibility. “ We
appreciate that people do their best work in different ways, so we allow our
employees to work from home when possible. If an employee doesn’t need to make
the commute but they prefer not to work at home, we have satellite centers
where they can work that are closer to their homes.”
That made sense to me since so much time spent on the road
is wasted and interferes with either personal time or productivity time.
Their flexibility, plus their fitness center, childcare, and
the way they use technology encourages life balance. I asked him how he set the
example for everyone else. He told me that he works hard during the week so he
can enjoy weekends. His collects rare books, is a sports fan, loves movies, opera,
travel and enjoys his role on non-profit boards.
MacGowan went
on to tell me that executive leadership supports diversity and inclusion and
both are integrated into their business culture, from the Board of Directors to
employee orientation where a message is delivered from the CEO.I’ve found that too many organizations
speak about diversity and inclusion but their succession strategy does not
reflect it. At Sun, they find and nurture high potential candidates at every
level who may not be visible, rather than restrict development to certain
levels of management.
Like other organizations Sun has Employee Resource Groups
that represent different employee population segments, but unlike some other
organizations they view these resources groups as crucial to their business
success so they fund them and include them in their overall business strategy.
One-way to gage how employees feel about their workplace is
by how they treat people when lay-offs are unavoidable, and what ex-employees
say after they leave.
At Sun they encourage remaining employees to keep in contact
with people who have left as opposed to employers that discourage any contact
and treat laid-off employees like pariahs. Bill informed me that there were
even networks of ex-employees who support each other.Eighty percent of people that leave want to come back and
many have been hired back when there were new openings.
I know that these are stressful times for Sun employees as
the merger process continues with Oracle. Time tables change, no one knows
exactly what will happen to their jobs, or where they’ll be a year from now,
but they have a strong culture, believe in treating employees like adults and
providing them with information, and there are leaders like Bill MacGowan who
take the time to listen to concerns, appreciate employee brilliance and support
them as they continue in their work.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Creating workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
Does your workplace culture inspire employees to do their
best work? Even though we are still in tough economic times do you still
provide resources for your employees to develop relationships with customers so
they are inspired to return? Do your customers and employees champion your
products and services?
Nancy London, the Vice President and global brand leader for
Starwood Hotels, which include Westin, Sheraton, and St. Regis, answered yes to
all three questions.
She shared some of her organization’s recipes for satisfied
employees and happy guests.
1-“On associate name tags, rather than including their place of
birth, they state one of their passions, such as: running or cooking. This
gives them a reason to speak with other people about their interests.
Associates like that we get to know them better, ask questions that have some
meaning, and make it easier for guests to engage them. Relationships are an
important part of an outstanding guest experience.”
2-“We broadened out effort to approach service that empowers
front line employees to make decisions and solve problems for guests. Employees
at every level are trained and become part of our service culture so they are
not “just doing a job,” but it has some meaning. They feel included and are
inspired to tell their friends and family about our organization.”
3-“We ask our employees for ideas, solutions to problems and
frequent guest concerns. We hear from people in housekeeping, massage
therapists, and bellmen, and implement ideas that increase our success.”
Creating a culture where people
are listened to and invested in success has resulted in huge rewards and
innovation for Starwood Hotels.
A man in operations had overheard
guests say that the showers were too confining. Later on, when he was in the
shower, the idea came to him that a curved shower rod would extend people’s
ability to move and stretch while showering. Thus, the Heavenly Bath was born,
and now curved shower rods are sold in countless department stores.
London told me that she has
received dozens of stories from customers about their hotel stay, commending
employees and raving about their “heavenly beds,” which I personally have
experienced.
Nancy let me know that the hotels
have “hot rates,” so that employees and their families can stay at hotels and
receive that ultimate guest experience and pass it on when they return to work.
Speaking with Nancy London about
Starwood confirmed what my belief that treating your employees like honored
guests equals outstanding customer service, which equals business success.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Simma Lieberman creates workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
Treating Your Employees
Like Honored Guests = Outstanding Customer Service = Business Success
Chip Conley, founder and CEO of Joie de Vivre, the largest
group of boutique hotels in California, believes in treating his employees like honored
guests. He knows that in turn they’ll provide the kind of extraordinary
customer service that will guarantee return business, and recommendations to
friends, family and colleagues.
I had just read his book, “Peak: How Great Companies Get Their
Mojo from Maslow,” and was curious to see if he was really as passionate about
his work and his employees as he sounded in his book. I soon discovered that
his passion was exponential and contagious.
While many organizations have cut back on employee benefits,
appreciation programs and teambuilding events that increase fun at work, Chip
refuses to do that.He says. “Happy
employees equal better workplaces which equals increased profit.
After working with us for three years, salaried employees
get one-month paid sabbaticals.
All employees and their families are given two free nights
per quarter at any Joie de Vivre Hotel. If they choose not to use their nights
during any quarter, they can bank them for a longer stay.
Employees also get discounts on massages and spa services,
and can take any of the lifestyle class that Joie de Vivre offers which
include; learning a new language, how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, and how to
have a more balanced life.”
As I spoke with him at one of his properties, Hotel Vitale,
I could see and hear the love he had for his work, and the value he placed on
all of his employees feeling included and experiencing the joy of life.
When I asked him how he maintained his own life balance he
replied, “I’m energized because I’ve been living my calling. I love coming to
work. I take vacations, make use of our spa services, and practice yoga and meditation.”
Conley went on to say, “Every day I affirm that as I
surrender, more love comes to me. I’ve learned that I can’t do everything, and
that I need to let go of things I can’t control.”
He has also learned to be “off the clock,” and even have no e-mail
Fridays, which for many of us would be worse than withdrawing from the most
addictive drug.
“I named my company Joie de Vivre because I wanted to find
more joy in my life.”
From what I’ve observed, he has.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Simma Lieberman creates workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do business
Loyal employees are not born.
Their organization creates them. In searching for some examples, I met Ann-Marie
Yap, a senior manager at Cisco. She provided me with some extraordinary reasons
why she loves her work and why she stays where she is.
Ann-Marie said, “My partner
and I have two young children. We’ve learned to be conscious of how to balance
work and family, and LGBT parenting can have it’s own particular challenges
“It’s important to me that I
work in an organization where there is a culture that values all of its
employees and that demonstrates LGBT inclusion throughout the organization.
I’ve found that to be true at Cisco. I’ve gotten all the same benefits and
respect for my work and my family as every other employee that works there.”
I’ve consulted with other
organizations that have high scores on policies and procedures regarding LGBT
equality, but they have still not created a culture where LGBT people feel safe
disclosing their orientation so they don’t even take advantage of the offered
benefits.
It was refreshing to hear
what Ann Marie had to say about working at Cisco.
“With a 6 year old and an 11
month old baby, I’ve had to make some choices about my time and priorities. At
the same time I couldn’t stop working.”
“We sometimes feel like we
are at the center of the universe, but it’s just the organization’s universe.”
She said that in making
decisions about time, she asks if she really needs to be involved or attend a
particular meeting.
I’ve personally worked with
too many organizations where people think that inclusion means everyone needs
to attend every meeting so they create a culture of micromanaging and call it
employee involvement.
Yap went on to say, “My work
involves mapping processes and determining what adds value and what adds time.”
Along that line, there are
times when I can work from home or out the office.” T
The key takeaway
Ann-Marie has is that Cisco projects a culture of collaboration – “a part of
that is the utilization of our own technology to be able to work when and
wherever we may be.”
Cisco has the equipment that makes it easy to be
productive and not have to be on site when it isn’t necessary. If one of my
children is sick or has an appointment I’m able to be with them.”
She gave me some examples of
technology that allows CISCO to be flexible and support its employees being
successful:
1-A system that allows cell phone rollover so that the
number that shows up on caller id is the office number
2-Soft phone technology on laptops. A picture of the
office phone and dial pad appears on the screen in order to make calls from
anywhere, as though it is the actual desk phone. With WebEx, an employee can
virtually attend meetings, and participate in video and teleconferences.
“Working at CISCO allows me to
be a good parent, and partner and still add value and contribute to the success
of the organization. I’m fortunate that I didn’t have to make a choice of
family or career."
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
We create workplaces where people love to do their best work and customers love to do
business
Helping People and Organizations Create Profitable Cultures
Learn more about the must-read diversity book from Thomson Learning: Putting Diversity to Work, how to successfully lead a diverse workforce, by Simma Lieberman, George Simons, and Kate Berardo.
If you don't create a culture where employees love doing their best work, why would you surprised if your customers are unhappy?
When I was ordering dinner through room service in a very upscale hotel whose name I won't mention, I asked the woman who was reciting the specials to me to make a recommendation.
She replied, "They're all good." I pressed further and asked her which one of the specials she enjoyed the most.
I was shocked when she told me that she hadn't tasted any of them because they weren't allowed to eat the food. I wondered how servers could make an honest suggestion or give their opinon.
I've worked in and with the hotel and restaurant industry for over twenty years. I have never not been able to taste the food, so that I could help patrons make decisions that would match their palates.
I let the hotel employee know my thoughts, and told her that I would write a letter to the owner, which I immediately did. I never heard back.
I did hear later, however, of the high turnover of the staff and customer complaints about the service.
It's obvious to me. Treat your employees like honored guests which will make them feel good about themselves and their work, and they will treat their customers and fellow employees like honored guests, which in turn will mean repeat business and a better brand.
By treating your employees like honored guests, you help improve the quality of their life and make it easier to balance work and home because when they go home they feel good about what they do. When they treat their customers like honored guests they are helping to improve the quality of life by providing each customer with a great experience.
I compared the experience at the hotel whose name I won't mention, with my experiences at Chez Panisse, a well known restaurant here in Berkeley, CA. I love every meal. The service is outstanding. I always feel like an honored guest and the servers are all well versed in the food, the taste and ingredients and are able to describe each dish in a way that makes me want to try everything and return for more. For years, Chez Panisse has recognized the importance of treating their employees well. Employees get to taste everything and when they make a recommendation, I know it is honest and I'm able to trust their judgement. I've enjoyed every meal I've experienced there.
Why is it difficult for some managers and leaders and business owners to not make the connection between happy employees and happy customers?
As an organizational
development consultant, I have worked with several organizations that have
either merged, or where one has bought the other. Based on best practices and
mistakes I’ve experienced with clients I offer ten ways for Oracle and Sun
Microsystems to reduce stress amongst their employees. Some of them may already
be in process.
1-Recognize that no matter how great their employee reduction
packages are, leaving will still be extremely stressful.
2-Provide up to date information on the change process
to employees. There is always anxiety when organizations merge, or one buys the
other. The more correct information people have, the more they feel in control
of their situation, even if they have no influence over events.
3-Be aware of rumors and misinformation, and stop them
before they spread.
4-Create an environment where managers and employees
have direct communication and managers are visible. Provide opportunities for
people to talk with managers and each other.
5-Recognize and accept that there are two distinct
cultures involved.
6-Stay away from focusing on how you think employees
should react and focus on how they are reacting,
7-Identify specific cultural differences and how they
will impact both organizations.
8-Develop and implement a process so that employees
understand specific differences in culture.
9-Determine what adjustments employees need to make in
order to be even more successful.
10-View this as a diversity
and inclusion issue and provide tools to employees so they can leverage the
differences and find commonalities.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Simma Lieberman Associates
Consultant, Speaker, Author
Diversity and Inclusion, Gender Communications, Power Living
Helping People and Organizations Create Profitable Cultures
Learn more about the must-read diversity book from Thomson Learning:" Putting Diversity to Work, how to successfully lead a diverse workforce, "by Simma Lieberman, George Simons, and Kate Berardo.
Finding Calm In Stress; how my dog locked me out ofhouse and helped me find peace of mind
When my dog locked me out of
the house Sunday night, I was able to find peace of mind in the stress.
It all began Sunday morning.
After getting only four hours of sleep Saturday night, I had to get up and
spend eight hours in a strategic planning session in San Francisco. I don’t
know about anyone else, but after six hours my mind had to work extra hard to
make sense of information. Eight hours was my limit.
I got home mentally exhausted
and wiped out. I decided to spend some time in my backyard. There were ten
plants still in little green boxes threatening to die after sitting in the yard
for four weeks. It was time to save them.
I am by no means a gardener,
but I couldn’t just let the little plants expire.
As tired as I was I went in
the yard and began digging, pulling weeds and taking the plants out of the
little boxes.
I had to put my sixty pound
lab/ Shepard mix in the house because he was trampling the potential flowers.I could hear him in the house barking
to get out, and pushing to open the door. But I was getting into the whole “earth,
dirt and nature thing,” and ignored him.
After four hours outside, it
started to get dark, foggy and very cold. Being wet and muddy hadn’t bothered
me while the sun was out, but it got uncomfortable very quickly as the fog
rolled in. I had reached my backyard limit when I accidentally stepped on a
spot where my dog had relieved himself that I had missed during the clean up.
I couldn’t wait to get into
my house, take a shower and put on dry clothes.
There was a slight problem
however, I couldn’t open the door. I pushed harder thinking it was stuck until
it became apparent that my dog had somehow managed to lock it, when he tried to
get out.
He stared at me through the window
glass and I could just hear him laughing at how he got his revenge on me for
keeping him inside.
I called my fifteen-year-old son
who was several miles away. He “tore” himself away from his friends to come
home and let me in.
As I waited for him, my first
thoughts were of how miserable I was, and how the last few hours of relaxation
were ending with one major stressful incident.I caught myself whining and realized that I had some choices
about how I perceived the situation. I thought about how funny I looked sitting
on my porch, wet and muddy. Since
there was nothing I could do for awhile, I could take some time to appreciate
the work I had done, meditate and clear my mind. No one could call me because
my cell phone was in the house. I couldn’t check my email, nor could I work on
any projects. I could either stress out waiting or let go and relax.
It took my son forty-five
minutes to get there but the time went quickly and when he arrived I was calm,
and refreshed, and my mind was at ease. You never know when you’ll have the opportunity to relax, and
sometimes we have to find the relaxation and calm in our stress.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Simma Lieberman Associates
Consultant, Speaker, Author
Diversity and Inclusion, Gender Communications, Power Living
Helping People and Organizations Create Profitable Cultures
Learn more about the must-read diversity book from Thomson Learning: Putting Diversity to Work, how to successfully lead a diverse workforce, by Simma Lieberman, George Simons, and Kate Berardo.
Executives Under Stress During Stressful Times Need Executive
Stress Solutions
According to the National Institutes of Health, “people who
feel more in control at their jobs tend to feel less stressed out.”
While executives and senior leaders have more control of their
work, they manage people who feel like they have less control, which makes them stressed out
Employees in general are feeling more anxious and stressed.
They’re worried about lay-offs, wage freezes, and reduction in benefits. If
they are in an organization where there has already been a reduction in the
workforce, they want to know what will happen in the future plus they may have
“survival guilt.”
As an executive, you have to know how to manage your own
stress plus lead your employees who may be having a hard time focusing on their
work.
As a leader you may feel responsible for your employees and
your organization to the detriment of your own health. At the same time you
need to be able to look confident and calm so you don’t pass your stress onto
everyone else.
It becomes a stress cycle, but there are actions you can
take.
• Learn how to use self-talk to keep yourself focused and
prevent or stop negative thinking. Either bring in an outside consultant to
teach your employees or use internal resources if available.
• Learn and practice basic stress management exercises that
involve breathing in order to relax during the day and recharge your mental,
physical and emotional energy. If you appear relaxed it will help your
employees.
• Talk to other senior leaders to vent and share best
practices for stress solutions.
Having worked with executives for over twenty years, I can
tell you that executive stress is real, and you are not alone. Being a stressed
out executive is not a reflection on your leadership abilities but not doing
anything about it can negatively impact your focus, productivity and profit.
Who can afford that?
Helping People and Organizations Create More Profitable Cultures
Learn more about the must-read diversity book from Thomson Learning: Putting Diversity to Work, how to successfully lead a diverse workforce, by Simma Lieberman, George Simons, and Kate Berardo.
Starting a business is always risky. For those of us who’ve
started successful businesses we’ve had to balance risks and the promise of
rewards. Sometimes you feel the fear but do it anyway, because if you don’t do
it, there will be a part of your life that never gets lived.
There are other risks that we take that seem to have nothing
to do with our work life but the risks we take in our personal lives are
intertwined with the risks we take in our business.
I got to experience what I considered to be a risk, and move
through my fear at a water park in Biot, France with my fifteen-year-old son.
My son has always loved amusement parks and water parks; the scarier the ride,
the better. I’ve developed an intense dislike for both. The bottom line is that
I hate not being in control, and being spun around like a top by an exterior
force that I can’t stop. Just being in a theme park was enough to feel like my
stomach was in my throat.
During our recent trip to France, my son went online and
discovered a water park thirty minutes away. As hard as I tried I couldn’t get
out of taking him there. I warned him that I wouldn’t go on any of the water
rides with him. I went with him knowing I would be bored. I even took a book to
read.
Once we got there, I was impressed at how different this
water park was from ones I’d experienced here in California. It was very clean;
it didn’t feel overcrowded and rushed. I imagined myself going on some of the
slides. I decided I would try going down one and felt comfortable enough
knowing that it would be okay if I changed my mind if it felt too out of
control.
I got my son to go on the slide with me. I summoned all of
my courage, visualized the ride down, turned off my negative thoughts, climbed
the stairs and slid down into the water. I proceeded to several more slides
that were higher and steeper, and each time it got easier and more fun.
I felt like this was a great achievement. I had broken
through a fear barrier and was successful.
I realized that there was a business corollary to this “magnificent
accomplishment.” Having a successful business, creating a new product and
getting it to market means taking a risk but we can control when we launch our
new products, who we involve and knowing that if we fail we can use it as a
learning opportunity and do it differently next time.
Simma Lieberman
"The Inclusionist"
Simma Lieberman Associates
Consultant, Speaker, Author
Diversity and Inclusion, Gender Communications, Power Living
Helping People and Organizations Create Profitable Cultures
Learn more about the must-read diversity book from Thomson Learning: Putting Diversity to Work, how to successfully lead a diverse workforce, by Simma Lieberman, George Simons, and Kate Berardo.
“Staycations” are a myth and waste of time for entrepreneurs and business leaders.
In case you’re wondering what a staycation is, here is a definition from Wikipedia.
“A staycation (or stay-cation, or stacation, or staykation) is a neologism for a period of time in which an individual or family stays at home and relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions.”
Telling me to say at home and have a staycation is like telling me to sit at my computer and not check the news or email for eight hours. Impossible! I can just imagine telling my 15 year old son that we are on a staycation for a week, and explaining that it was a form of vacation and we were going to spend the week going to local museums, not answer the phone, no texting and no World of Warcraft. He would wonder what heinous crime he had committed to be punished like that.
As a business owner, it’s hard for me to imagine shutting my phone off, no email and no business transactions for a week, even though I’m in my home and haven’t really gone anywhere. That staycation would become a “stresscation.” I don’t know who would run away first, my son or me.
I suppose I had a staycation of sorts last year. I was hit by a car and stuck on my couch for several months. It was grueling.
I’m not saying that staycations are not good for some people, I’m just saying that for a business owner or business leader it wouldn’t be the most relaxing time.
Having a good life/work balance means that we’re able to be present in all aspects of our lives, and know how to eliminate, reduce or manage stressors.
For some people it may mean that they go away on vacation and set up a specific hour a day to answer email, and take care of any other necessary business. It also means that the rest of the time they can relax at the beach, sit by the pool or do nothing.
I once went on a vacation to Hawaii with a friend who couldn’t leave the hotel because she was afraid of missing a call or email. I set up a time every day when I would do that. My friend ended up stressed. She was never quite able to relax. I had a wonderful time and came back relaxed, calm and looking ten years younger.
If I took a staycation with my son, it would mean we’d have to leave the house at 6:00 AM, and use flashlights instead of electric lights to keep neighbors and friends from knowing we’re in town. We’d have to keep the blinds closed and live in fear of being found out. What would we do if friends asked to see photos and video from the vacation? We’d have to admit that we never went anywhere and just didn’t want to see them.
Every year I go to a camp in the Yosemite Mountains. There is no email and only pay phones. That’s the time when I have my assistant take care of my email, phone calls and other business. Of course I worry at first that I’ll miss something big, or think that only I can deal with a particular email or call. I catch myself ruminating, take a deep breath, remind myself that I trust my assistant and let go.
I do have to confess that I buy a phone card and every few days I use it at night to check messages, which I can do nothing about. There was another time when I went to the mountains and in the midst of writing a report for a client that was due in two days. I didn’t want to change my plans. I finished the report while in Yosemite and since we had no Internet or cell phone service in the mountains, I drove around with my laptop open to every campground and lodge until I found an open network. I pressed send, let go and went swimming.
Having just come back from a three-week vacation in London, Nice and New York feeling renewed, I know a staycation would never work for me. I’d end up more stressed than I was before.
