jdean3 - Tales of Transformation

One of the first questions I’ve asked myself when setting this blog into motion was “who in the world would ever take the time to read what I wrote?”

I’ve never been drawn to anything quite so narcissistic as a public diary (my original understanding of a blog) and my life is a tad bit boring (as my teenage kids will readily attest).  Yet, the more research I read on the art of penning one’s own blog, the more I feel compelled to try.

Clearly, my initial “pre-postings” were, at least, interesting for those that are close friends and family as they dealt with a number of personal issues.  The diversion from a normally secretive persona made the entries dealing with my physical recovery after an accident something to talk about.  Even if we’ve never met, most people can relate to injuries that require time to heal.  I was glad to get it all out of my system (so to speak) and it serves as good background for those that might find it interesting to watch how this blog has progressed.

I have been told by some colleagues that they are looking forward to some “dirt” on the Company we work for.  Unfortunately, this will never occur.  Aside from the water-cooler talk,  I have no interest in memorializing how close my corporate life is to the Dilbert comic strip.  Besides, there are plenty of other sites that rant on with automotive or employer bashing…we don’t need another.

Instead, I simply chose to document and follow a few of my own passions in a public forum.  Perhaps over time, this will reveal part of a transition I’m unaware of at the moment.  Nevertheless, I am compelled to find my own rhythm of starting the conversation.  I hope  that the more people I make aware of this site, the greater the chance we can actually have dialogue.  I continue to experiment with the “comments section”, but I clearly have hopes that I am successful in engaging readers along the way (or at least provoking a reaction).

So what can you expect to read and why should you tune in?

I hope to entertain you (at the very least).

My commitment to transparency quickly exposes the fact that I am simply a happily married, middle-aged, corporate grunt, father of 3 wonderful kids in college or high school.  I deny that I am going through any mid-life crisis (my kids joke that I must be) and I have no experience as an author of anything outside of grad school or work related activities. But after you get over my self-effacing boorish chatter, it will surprise you to learn my interests are…..well, interesting.

I promise to keep my postings short (600-800 words max) so it forces me to get to the point quickly.  As my confidence grows (no guarantees), I may post more than once a week.  I also leave room that I may decide to use video or audio clips, but for now I’ll stick with simple written submissions.

I’m also finding I have tons of friends that, like me, were really stuck in the past (the designer of my website called me “so web 1.0″).  I hope to also introduce them to the world of blogging as I teach myself a few new tricks.

So Stay tuned.  Bookmark this site…subscribe to the feed…or simply check in every weekend and participate (voting on the posts are also anonymous and a good way for me to judge if I’m on the mark or off base).

Next deadline: 1/2/10

I admit, I started my 2010 New Years Resolution last September when I initiated this blog.  I spent several months pre-populating the blog with various tidbits of a personal nature to practice using WordPress (the platform you’re reading) and to experiment with a number of topics.  While I have learned a great deal, I have far to go.

The point of this posting is to state that a New Years Resolution should be communicated. It should be a statement worth sharing.  It can be personal, which means you would only share it with close family members or a privileged few…but it is nevertheless a statement and requires the courage to communicate.  For it to “count” you must do more than just think about it.  You must have the courage to place it in view of someone.

I obviously told a couple of close friends & colleagues about this site while it was under development, even though I wasn’t yet sure I knew where it would lead.  It was necessary to gauge the level of expectations of my intended readers and to make adjustments when necessary. The best example was the revelation that anonymous postings were absolutely required if I wanted to entice people to participate.  At Ford Motor Company (and I’m sure many other fortune 1-100’s), it is a kiss of death to be viewed outside of mainstream.  So, the addition of the ability to join this conversation with an alias was born.  Anyone may log in and add value to this site without the fear of someone misinterpreting their devotion to their employer.

My resolution is simple:  I will stick with this blog and focus on  Transformations. I will post, at least, 52 weekly entries intended to spur conversation as well as personal & career reflection.

Of course, it’s not the only thing we will see on this site.  I fully intend to maintain my focus on mentoring others, pontificating my own “point of view”, sharing my own fascination with the study of the future and any/all tidbits associated with true value.  To make things interesting, however, something as personal as transitioning is worthy of my primary focus.

Feel free to jump in.  Learn from my mistakes (hopefully this blog isn’t one of them), learn from the experience of others commenting (tbd) and read my thought process and decisions during the next year or so and decide for yourself how you can do the same.

What is your New Years Resolution?

This story of transitions, will document several transformations at once.  It is blurry and confusing in the midst of such upheaval, but I am hoping more clarity unfolds as the story develops.  In the meantime, I will simply write what comes to mind.

——————

I made a rather bold accusation in an earlier post that one of the terrible by-products of a massive downsizing was the loss of passion in employees.  Indeed, many lifelong loyal employees at my own Company were walked out the door (or asked to leave) in a massive restructuring that extended throughout the entire automotive industry.  The survivors of this restructuring are struggling with how to re-engage.

Even those that remain in positions of leadership feel the lack of cohesion and synergy around them.  Remnants of our old culture mixed with the birth of a new culture not yet embedded make for a confusing environment to encourage true passion in your work.

Many simply won’t re-engage.  They are aggressively pursuing other interests and it is only a matter of time before they find something that will draw their attention.

Others, however, want to stay and make Ford the best automotive company in the world.  They just don’t know what or how to mentally and EMOTIONALLY reconnect at the same level they were previously.  We shouldn’t underestimate this huge leap of faith and courage that will be required to do so.

Our HR departments are now tasked with the monumental assignment of kick starting “employee engagement”.  How much will it cost to recapture your heart?

It is not a criticism of leadership or negative commentary on the decisions that were made during a painful restructuring.  It is a simple statement of a natural human phenomena of recovery.  In a traumatic event many people enter a period of shock.  It is a self defensive reaction that takes some time and attention to resolve.

Unfortunately, the easy answer of money won’t fix the issue of lack of passion or true engagement.  Sure, we would all like to have more money…it helps compensate for a lot of other things.  But even if you gave everyone a 20% pay raise (which would be a ridiculous move for a corporation), it would be a short lived improvement in satisfaction and ultimately no impact on real engagement or passion in employees.

We have to get back to the fundamentals of what makes people tick.  It’s about each individual and their own desire to feel wanted and connected.  Restoring their sense of value can be helped with pay raises…but their sense of feeling wanted and connected takes something else.

The obvious mandate is to provide a sense of purpose for everyone.  Restoring the health of the Company, hitting profit targets, sales targets, product & service targets are all worthy goals that every member of the team can aspire to improve and know how their contributions impact those results.  I believe this is hard work but most managers are skilled in helping employees know how their department or job impacts the goals of the organization.

The more difficult task, however is encouraging true engagement (or “passion” as I call it).  Employees can easily resign themselves to simply having a job.  They may be satisfied with their job (even rate it “completely satisfied” on internal surveys), happy with their surroundings, work-life balance and generally enjoy the relationships they have in the office.  They may even acknowledge a sense of purpose in what they do and perform their jobs competitively and typically in an acceptable manner (sometimes even much better).

To some inexperienced managers (or worse, those that don’t know the difference), they could feel their department was fully engaged.  Their employee satisfaction scores look really good….they don’t have visibly unhappy people walking around…they see people having fun at the water cooler.  They may have no reason to suspect their Company is being “shorted”.

A passionate employee is more likely to be less satisfied in this environment regardless of how they answer corporate surveys.  They see more potential for themselves, their Company, their teammates, etc..  They are often frustrated with limitations, bureaucracy or micro-management.  They are incredible assets to any Company that can harness their energy and unleash them in the right environment.

Fostering passion in employees is not a skill set that is universally developed in most corporations.  In fact, a manager that has the ability to spot passion and channel it effectively is rare.  To fully succeed in a globally competitive arena however, it is a requirement.

What would make you passionate about your job?  What would it take to make you the biggest ambassador in the history of your Company?  If they made a list of the most influential employees (in the eyes of consumers) would you be on the list or do you aspire to even be considered?  It’s a question that EVERY company needs to ask if they want sustainability.

You can’t Buy passion….you can only foster it.

While I’m trying to remain totally transparent in this endeavor, sharing this string of “pre-postings” and revealing how vulnerable I’ve felt over the past couple of years recovering from an accident during a major industrial downsizing — I might add that I now find myself living through an unfamiliar experience trying to come off the “injured reserve” list!

After 4 years and 8 reconstructive surgeries, I remain indebted and thankful that the Company has allowed me to remain employed in a capacity that facilitated my recovery, but it is now a MAJOR challenge to re-engage my career and contribute at pre-accident levels.

At the time of the accident, I was fortunate to have held one of the most prestigious (and controversial) assignments in all of Marketing and Sales — the Regional Manager of the Detroit Region.  Of course, the day of the accident was also the start of a string of massive reorganizations for Ford-Lincoln/Mercury (3 in less than 18 months) and I was relegated to watch it all unfold while my injuries clearly kept me off the field.  The mishmash of new chains of command was incredible.  Politically, one camp after another had their turn running things and the worst of our culture prevailed while each camp destroyed more than the previous.  People were leaving the Company left and right.  It was truly surreal to watch.

The resulting remnant of our structure has finally settled and “jelled” and there doesn’t seem to be much to aspire to at this juncture in my old “territory”.  Not to mention, when you have been on the sidelines in an organization for as long as I have, you are officially an outsider.  It will take a “re-hiring” decision to find another role.

The options remain limited, and I find there are multiple hurdles in uncovering opportunities at my level.  To open doors, I have volunteered for nearly everything that presents itself.  I have specifically tried to broaden my personal knowledge of parts of the Company that I previously had no interest in pursuing.  It has been fun opening myself up to new technologies and initiatives (like social media).  I wish I had done so earlier.

The fact is, however, I will have to leave the only world I’ve known – North American Marketing, Sales & Service.  I’m prepared to do so, and I am hopeful I can find an area that allows me to repay the Company for standing by me through this recovery.  Coming off the injured reserve list is a lot more difficult than I ever expected.

I was pleasantly surprised this past week upon learning of the fact that “customer engagement” has risen to our management radar screen.  As a part of a huge company, who has been accused of being mired in bureaucracy (even paralysis by analysis), I am pleased to hear we want to move beyond measuring customer satisfaction and getting closer to understanding what true customer engagement is and how we might encourage/facilitate greater loyalty and passion.  I will have more to share about customer engagement in future posts.

One of the reasons I am excited to learn of these plans is that it means we will also drive/measure employee engagement as well.  Specifically, it is impossible to influence the engagement of customers without the fully engaged employees to do so.  Given the personal impact of the massive restructuring this Company (and industry) has undergone, it is a welcomed and necessary shift in emphasis.

So, I want to return to my hypothesis that someone can improve their lot in life despite their feeling that their career is at a dead end, simply by beginning to view, treat and act like this stage in their life is more favorably resembling a cul-de-sac.

I’m not sure who coined this french phrase referring to the end of a road into a positive reflection of a peaceful, desirable, high quality real estate term, but it is ingenious.  Those living on a cul-de-sac place high value on the lack of traffic, strangers passing through and a peaceful / safe family setting.  Neighbors are closer, spend more time in  their front yards and place a premium on their home values as a result of this lifestyle.  And it works!

The lesson to learn: Rather than live with career dissatisfaction we can chose another path. How something is perceived and presented to ourselves directly impacts its value to others.  This is the opportunity we all have to improve the value of our situations–relishing the opportunity to far exceed the requirements of our positions and becoming an expert at our function due to the time on the job or to mentor those around us and find a level of harmony that can’t be matched in any other job.  We are in the drivers seat.  We can control the controllable.

Here are a few suggestions for those who find they are otherwise “stuck” in a position longer than they originally expected and have allowed themselves to become dissatisfied with their job:

• Become the most influential “ambassador” of your Company they have ever seen.  I’m not talking about simply showing up….I’m talking about going over the top.  Can you become the hidden gem that no one ever expected?  Can you be the textbook example of an employee that the Company can’t live without?  This is a level of engagement that is probably less than 1% of the population….and it is totally up to an individuals choice.  It doesn’t take a degree, or management support or financial resources (for the most part).  It just requires a passion and a goal.
• Become a selfless promoter of someone you believe will benefit the Company.  Very often, we improve our own lot in life by supporting the right leaders to follow.  Look around and take notice of those that bring something special to the organization and encourage them.  Give them emotional and verbal support to keep it up.  Focus on the actions not the individual.  Spread the positive news/impact of the action that impressed you.  This is incredibly contagious and will ultimately raise the interest level in others doing the same act.
• Take on something outside your comfort zone and job function that might help you connect with customers.  Social media, graphic art, journalism, design, etc…all have direct correlation to a company’s growth and success.  Being in a perpetual state of learning is a critical first step to finding ways to most contribute.  Don’t wait for someone to direct you to gain the knowledge….visionaries that can foresee the exact skill-sets required at a specific point in time don’t exist.

http://www.ritasice.com

After 24 years with a single employer, I found myself frantically searching for a career change a few years ago given the rampant downsizing we were experiencing.  It was not an easy time to start looking for a job…the economy was tanking, Michigan was in a near depression (unemployment was 20%+ and housing values had plummeted ~50%), and I was still recovering from a severe accident that was likely to leave me with some disability.  I started evaluating dozens of franchises that were within my capital investment range that could give me the return I needed and were within my capabilities.

Although I am happy I wasn’t forced into a career decision during the last few years, it has forced me to seriously consider what my options will be for a second career (after Ford) and to get busy planning for how I might structure my own business ventures in the next phase of my life (whenever that happens).

There are several franchise opportunities that made the A-List.  I analyzed UFOC’s (franchise disclosures), did hours of market research and looked at a number of industry/product types.  It was fun.

The one that ranks the highest for me was the Ritas Italian Ice franchise.  They aren’t in Michigan yet, but that is actually a plus.  I would prefer to be on the leading edge of the franchise even though it will require a longer start-up.  It is a perfect second career for hundreds of people like myself that may be forced to “retire” much earlier than planned.

• The product is OUTSTANDING.  It tastes great, it’s lighter than ice cream so regular customers think nothing of returning 3-4 times a week.  Many are fruit based and moms feel this treat is more acceptable than others. It’s a relatively inexpensive dessert that has a cult like following in Pennsylvania (and growing).
• A Seasonal franchise that opens the 3rd week of March and closes in late Sept/Oct is perfect for northern folks who would love to head south for the winter.
• By the way, the opening day in March is huge…every store gives away (free) italian ice that day and people line up!
• It is a simple concept and they have a tremendous support network built up and it looks like adequate training, etc.
• The margins are incredible.
• A very low labor requirement (high school kids, etc) means you can keep costs down.
• 800-1200 square feet is all you need, so you can keep rent commitment down…ideally you can build/own depending on the location.
• The franchise is a perfect candidate to structure something similar to a “Dealer Development Program” which I am intimately acquainted with.  There are likely dozens of friends in similar situations that would gladly put up 20-30% of the capitalization (limited risk) and use the profit to buy out the remaining shares over time (from me).  We could structure a win-win for everyone.  I’m not sure I would trust much debt load, but I would certainly consider something that provided an opportunity to build a network of stores over time.

I’ve been sharing this franchise detail with dozens of friends even though Rita’s isn’t yet in Michigan.  It seems like a perfect fit for our owner/operator plan but I am eager to have additional sets of eyes do their own due diligence and see if I’m missing something.