Wolf Credo
(copyright, Del Goetz)

Respect the elders — In our youth-crazed society we forget that the elders have great knowledge and experience. They can help us avoid much sorrow and difficulty if we will only accept their mentoring. The elder wolves know where the game trails and water holes are. In the same way, the elders in our organizations possess virtues and insights that are invaluable.

Teach the young — The wolf pack lives for its young. Though only the alpha male and alpha female breed (generally for life), the entire pack raise the young, for that is their future. So it is with us. We should be flattered when someone asks for our advice, not bothered. While I get hired to serve as a coach to professional and business people, I am happy not only because this is one of the ways I make my living, but also because I know we are gong to share information that will improve both our lives. Mentoring is always needed by us all.

Cooperate with the pack — Simply put, without teamwork, the wolf will cease to exist. The same is true with our organizations, for if we develop and maintain trust, teamwork and cooperation, we will prosper. If we put ourselves first, our organization will dissolve.

Play when you can — Wolves play from the time they are born until they join the great wolf pack in the sky. Age is immaterial. This is our inclination as well, but we often ignore it. Any company or family that does not encourage "play" will soon lose sight of its purpose and mission, with its outstanding members suffering burnout and eventually leaving the "pack."

Hunt when you must — When wolves (work) hunt, they are intense, goal oriented, focused and functioning as a true team. The better they hunt, the sooner they can return to the play and family atmosphere that is the basis of their life. Should we be any different?

Rest in between — Astute executives take their earned vacations and urge their managers to do the same. As the old saying goes, "nobody on their death bed ever said they wished they had spent more time at the office." Studies constantly show that efficiency drops dramatically for workaholics who don't know when to say when. If the CEO of a company not only voices, but models this philosophy, others will thankfully follow the lead.

Share your affections — It’s taken me a long time to learn that people don’t know what I don't express to them. I ASSUME they know what I feel. But it is up to me to share. All we have is today. One of the most memorable images I have of wolf behavior is the love, devotion and affection they have for each other, demonstrating it openly and frequently.

Voice your feelings — O. K., so we can't all go around the office howling together. But we can be truthful with each other. We get in a lot more trouble by seeming to agree when we really don’t.

Leave your mark — This can take different forms for all of us, but if we live by the credo above, we will truly leave our mark.

No matter how sophisticated the audience I am speaking to, and no matter how much solid information I give them, the metaphors, stories and beautiful images of the wolf pack I share with them are always the hit of the meeting.

This is what they go home thinking about. I hope this brief introduction gives you some ideas for your organizations, both work and family, and that you go home and think about it, too.

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Mentoring
Male/Female Workforce Makes Age-old Institution Difficult
by Twyman Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Advance Magazine
April, 1990

Oh, to have a big brother to help me when I get divorced, fired, or just plain down in the dumps…someone who knows the ropes, who has been through it all and who cares enough about me to grease the skids when the going gets tough.

Do such people exist? Yes, they do: they are called mentors. And almost all of us need them.

What are they?

The dictionary defines mentor as "A wise and trusted counselor or teacher." Studies show that men who have mentors during the early years of their work life tend to have more successful careers. The mentor helps the young man navigate treacherous cultural waters that contain distinctively unique languages, dress codes, politics and customs.

Anyone who investigates male behavior in any department discovers quickly that, in our society at least, few forms of male intimacy exist. The heavy pervasiveness of competition among males simply does not allow many avenues of closeness among men to flourish. Mentoring generally involves the younger man’s career, and this is an acceptable area for male closeness; much like slapping rear ends after winning a football game.

But what about women? Do they need mentors too?

At practically every speech or seminar I present I am asked afterward by someone—almost always a woman—if platonic relationships between men and women are really possible. Often what I am actually being asked is if it is possible for men and women to engage in a mentor relationship without any hanky-panky taking place, or at least hanky-panky type rumors proliferating throughout the company.

Critical influence

On a recent visit to the Bradenton Herald, a Bradenton, Fla. based newspaper, the executive editor shared with me just how crucial mentors have been to his career. He noted that he would never have been in the position he is in today if he had not received the interest and influence of some savvy people who guided his career with firm, but caring advice. These mentors were invariably men, since that was who held the positions of power while his career was evolving.

Since women’s emergence into the corporate world is still a relatively new phenomenon, executives with clout remain predominately male. If a person—man or woman—is lucky enough to connect with an effective mentor, chances are it will be a man. The newspaper editor felt this is a problem. His observations and experience have convinced him that it is extremely difficult for a man to be a mentor to a woman in today’s world. At the same time he feels it is critical for women to have access to this type of relationship. Part of the problem, he points out, is that mentoring often takes place outside the workplace, maybe watching a ballgame or on a fishing trip. This may be heaven for two men, but when it's a man and a woman spending time together away from the workplace, tongues start to wag.

Finding solutions

This editor is concerned because he sees talented, hard-working females in the news business that deserve and need the same kind of help he received. But the price exacted on both parties by the rumor mongers is often too high to pay. And as more women reach the executive positions in the workplace, young male employees may find themselves in the same situation.

What to do? Acknowledge the problem. But more importantly, grasp the opportunity we have to play an important part in the lives of others, both male and female. Realize that platonic relationships are not only possible, but in fact exist in greater numbers than any other type of relationship.

And while mentor relationships may be difficult where both individuals work from the same organizational base, such relationships can thrive when the individuals are in entirely different work environments. The closest relationships are often formed after one of the parties leaves a company, for the rumor mill no longer has an interest in grinding out sordid scenarios about the relationship.

Many men need to realize that in spite of the constant battering we get from all sides, we have a lot to offer and should not underestimate the positive impact we can make on others by sharing our experiences.

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The Mid-Life Career Dilemma
Is it burnout or a lack of perspective?
by Twyman Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Advantage Magazine
February, 1996

Ah, to operate a secluded bed and breakfast guest house in the Smokies someday, or to sell fishing supplies on Center Hill Lake, or even pump gas in the Mojave Desert. Anything, for God's sake! Just get me out of this miserable job. I’m not appreciated, I’m not going anywhere and don't have any real clout in this organization. The backbiting company politics are doing me in. My job is driving me nuts.

Sound familiar? If you are middle-aged and have never had such thoughts, at least temporarily, you are the exception. But when do such ideas need to be acted upon? How do we know if we are simply experiencing transitory burnout, or is it really time to make a dramatic career change?

Is there really such a thing as burnout? Call it by whatever term suits you, but burnout is real. It has a definable set of symptoms caused by a particular set of environmental stresses. You can learn the specifics in any library or bookstore.

Often just knowing that the phenomenon really exists gives people relief. It is also a relief to discover that we don't cause it, and that it has nothing to do with being weak or a failure.

Carl's job crisis

Carl is a Nashville sales representative who was overcome with burnout, faced it, and is now in what he calls his "recovery phase." Carl was a perfect candidate for burnout because he worshipped the company he works for, was ambitious enough to expect to go to the top, and devoted himself entirely to the company in order to get there.

So no one was more surprised than Carl was when he began to dread going to work in the morning and no longer felt unquestioning loyalty to his company. The matter came to a head when his supervisor put him back in the field, effectively destroying the possibility of upward management mobility, at least in his regional office.

Not only did Carl’s supervisor not need him in management anymore, but he began to feel his family no longer needed him either. His wife is a professional woman, so she didn’t need his help to manage things. And with the kids getting ready to leave the nest, it seemed everyone could get along fine without Carl. He began to feel that failure was imminent, At the same time, Carl was experiencing the "Peggy Lee syndrome," a vague feeling of "is that all there is?"

Carl was about to launch an all-out campaign to find another job where he could be appreciated, when he saw a video about an organization called Mountain T.O.P. at his church's youth group. Carl had never heard of the Tennessee Outreach Project, which is a Christian mission affiliated with the Tennessee Conference United Methodist Church. It is dedicated to offering support in the rural area of the Cumberland Mountains. For the first time in months, Carl considered the possibility that not only was he not a victim, but that he actually had a great deal and was giving so little.

That summer Carl found himself in Jasper, Tenn., cutting grass around the temporary living quarters of a family to keep the snakes out of their house. Their home had been destroyed by fire and Mountain T.O.P. came to the rescue. He also painted the roof of an invalid man’s home and helped build a house for an elderly couple with no funds.

Stress swapping

What did this have to do with job burnout? It allowed Carl the opportunity to employ the concept of Stress Swapping. Though he didn’t realize it at the time, he traded the negative stress of worrying constantly about his job woes for the more positive stress of being concerned about the lives of others. Before, Carl believed that anyone who gave up a week’s vacation was making a big sacrifice. Now he feels that people who lavish themselves with expensive vacations are the big losers.

Carl began to realize how much he had in a material sense, while others who had much less were much happier. He began to put his job in perspective and instead of feeling oppressed at work he realized how fortunate he was.

Balancing pros and cons

This time when Carl approached his job he did a "Ben Franklin balance sheet." Which meant writing down the positives and the negatives of his job. Of course, more weight was given to some factors than others, but basically he added up the two columns and went in that direction.

In Carl’s case, that meant staying in his job. But things are different now. Before, Carl viewed being put back in the field as an absolute dead end. Now he enjoys the fact that he has less pressure. He appreciates working for a company that offers a great product and provides him with an adequate support staff.

But no matter how good his company is, Carl now sees it as just that—a company. He no longer loves his company, because he realizes a company can’t love you back. He understands that there are other excellent companies that may offer him a better spot, so he’s keeping his options open and evaluating any offers.

He no longer feels panicked, just a healthy detachment from what was previously an intensely emotional situation. He still thinks his boss was wrong to force him to either go back to the field or leave the company; but his new sense of perspective allows him to view his job as only one part of his life and therefore look at it objectively.

Carl achieved what I term the "transcendental effect." It is the ability to view out lives as if we are watching a play in which we are one of the cast members. We can be very interested in the proceedings without the intense emotional involvement that was present in the past.

In working with management groups on the subject of burnout, it never ceases to amaze me how almost everyone likes to think of themselves as burned out, or at least prime candidates for it. In truth, you can’t be burned out if you were never on fire. But if you are at a low ebb in your work, find out about job burnout, for simply being aware of its symptoms is a great step. There are specific coping strategies to assist you in regaining control over your work life.

Maybe you do need to change jobs. Perhaps you even need to change careers completely. But that isn’t the answer for everyone. The odds are good that, with a few changes, your present job can once again give you the pleasure you experienced before negativity and cynicism wormed their way into your thought patterns. In any case, you can't make a rational decision until you learn the facts about the insidious nature of burnout.

If you are a person in charge of other employees, you owe it to them to understand the subject of job stress and what can be done to neutralize it. The following books are excellent resources: Career Burn Out; Causes and Cures by Pines and Aronson and The Work Stress Connection—How to Cope with Job Burnout by Veninga and Spradley.

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"Seven Deadly Sins" for Managers
by Twyman Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
The Mobile Press Register
Column: Male Call

This column is about what many of us spend most of our time on, our work. Many of the human relation-type problems actually originate with a person being unhappy or poorly suited for their job.

During a seminar I recently conducted for a delightful group of people aboard a cruise ship (a great way to have a meeting). The Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the company shared with me some management principles he has formulated for his company’s managers in the form of "The Seven Deadly Sins."

No matter what business or profession we are in, or what our particular job may be, these guidelines can help us keep our job and excel at our work:

The Seven Deadly Sins

1) Complacency — feeling satisfied about your job to the point of smugness, and not constantly looking for a better way to do things. Complacency raises its ugly head just when we feel the rosiest about our work. This doesn't mean you should not feel good about the job you do — just keep searching for a way to build that better mousetrap.

2) Fear Of Failure — because, unfortunately, most people die with their best stuff still in them. They were afraid to try, for fear of ridicule if their idea didn’t work. This characteristic is often fed by negative self-talk, for example, "I can’t, shouldn’t, ought not to, should’ve. "To make light of failure is foolhardy, but it is a state of mind and not an absolute. Life is a journey, not a destination.

3) Orders From Headquarters — "I agree with you, but my home office won’t let me change the policy." Never, never blame your home office to the customer. In fact, never blame them to employees you supervise. This is for you to iron out with your company, and if it becomes a matter of principle that you can’t live with, you need to be somewhere else.

4) Failure To Recognize That The Customer Is King — practically all organizations say this, but few act as though they mean it. Studies show that 80 percent of your customers who feel their complaints were not addressed tell at least 10 people of their dissatisfaction. And 20 percent tell 20 or more people. When a customer's complaint is considered and addressed, even if not to his total satisfaction, he will return to do business with that company practically 100 percent of the time.

5) Tolerance of Incompetent Managers — we do no one a favor when we leave an incompetent manager in a job. We lose customers, set a bad example for other employees and keep the employees mired in jobs that are not best for them.

6) Inability To Be Multifaceted — technical specialists are vital to continuing our fight against disease and our progress as a civilization. However, the leader of an organization that deals with customers, product, policies, the community, media and employees must be a generalist in today's sophisticated world. The ability to integrate people and resources is crucial to today's manager.

7) Not Knowing What Is Going On In Your Business Unit — much is made (justifiably) about the necessity of the art of delegation, but the duty to know is a duty that cannot be delegated.

A great story about of World War II is that Churchill had a heart-to-heart talk with Gen. Montgomery, in which he told him he needed to spend more time with his men and know what they were thinking. Montgomery supposedly replied that "Familiarity breeds contempt." To which Churchill wryly remarked, "General Montgomery, without some familiarity there would be no breed."

Don't commit these sins and you and your company will both most likely be happy.

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Buddy Block
by Twyman Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Executive Lifestyles Magazine
August, 1999

The economy is booming, stock prices continue to crash into uncharted territory—in short, life is good for corporate America. So what’s the problem? We may disagree about the exact causes of our economy’s success, but there is no doubt that slimming down corporate payrolls, downsizing if you will, has been a major contributor.

Someone asked me rhetorically the other day, "What happens to these people, where do they go?" It started me thinking about another conversation I had recently with an old friend that has been unable to get a position in his career field for over two years now.

James, as we will call him, reported to me years ago when I was vice president for a large healthcare company. James was not only a good hospital administrator, he was and is truly gifted in the art of managing people and resources. Subsequently, he went on to fill various corporate slots, always receiving praise for the job he did. He was hired away by a competing organization that promised him equity opportunities and the chance to expand his management role. It was one of those opportunities too good to turn down.

One man controlled the company he joined. Two years later, James realized the man had systematically stolen the company’s funds and bankruptcy soon followed. So what seemed like a great career move ended up in disaster, but James was confident that his experience and background spoke for itself and that he would soon be back in familiar corporate waters.

As with most of us, James began by calling old friends and buddies from his professional past to see what they would recommend. But much to his dismay, he crashed head on into what I call "The Buddy Block." It is a strange phenomenon that I have witnessed repeatedly with disbelief. Basically what happens is that colleagues from our past don’t seem inclined to help us when we are down. And the weirdest part is that most often these are people we helped as they climbed the corporate ladder.

For example, several years ago James hired a man who had lost his job and asked James for help. He was down and out, but James pulled out all of the stops and found him a position with an emerging firm that listened to James’ recommendation. This not only got the man back on track, but he eventually rose to the level of Chief Operating Officer of the company. Understandably, he was one of the first people James went to when he found himself unemployed. He was treated politely by his old buddy, but very quickly found himself on a different track—a fast track to the street. One phone call was returned and then communication ceased. This same cycle happened to James repeatedly with other "buddies" he had helped in the past and, unfortunately, is continuing to this very day.

Why do people we have helped advance in their own careers seem to be embarrassed to know us when we need the favor returned? Your guess is as good as mine, but it is a true phenomenon. Here’s my theory: Some executives don’t like to be reminded that they needed anybody’s help to get them where they are today. Many people simply like to believe they are a self-made success whose unique brilliance and hard work propelled them to the top. This is almost always a self-serving hallucination. There may also be the fear of infection—that if we associated with a "loser" we will somehow be labeled the same. So the unspoken rule for many execs today is to always stick with "winners" (those who are currently employed).

In truth, nearly all of us have received help along the way with our own careers. Maybe it was just a matter of receiving wise counsel, or a critical phone call to the right person, or maybe it was outright finding or creating a spot for us. Whatever form it took, it was help when we needed it. James had generously given this type of help to many people, but when it came his turn in the barrel, nobody was there to help him out. Maybe they just didn’t want to be reminded of their own frailties and shortcomings.

If you have witnessed this turning of backs on a proven friend I would just ask that you be aware of what is going on, either with yourself or others, and intercede in whatever way you must to salvage the situation.

For example, I will often call the person that can help and gently remind them of the time they were on the ropes and how several of us pulled their neck off the block.

Yes, the economy is roaring and times are good. But it’s no time to turn our backs on the victims of "corporate restructuring." After all, we are all potential victims of the "Buddy Block."

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The Pressure to Compete
Physicians are seeing more children with psychosomatic illnesses
by Twyman Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Advantage Magazine
December, 1996

As the doctor walked into the office, the first person he noticed was the father dressed in a dark, conservative business suit, appropriately set off by a "power" tie, with a jovial look and his hand outstretched. Then he saw Mom, still in her tennis outfit, obviously having made a dash from the club courts to school to gather up her son and meet her husband at the orthopedic clinic. Last came son, Ross, sitting on the examining table, nervously gripping the sides with his hands.

Ross had a back problem and the whole family had gathered to see the doctor, find out what it was, get it fixed. But the visit to the doctor must be something special, Ross realized, because Dad had never been with him to the doctor before. Mom had always handled these things, and for the last few years had stayed in the waiting room reading magazines, rather than come into the examining room with him. He knew something was different.

The difference? Ross’ back problem made it impossible for him to run more than a few steps without abruptly stopping in pain. Football season was soon to begin and he had already missed several practices. And this might mean he wouldn’t be able to play this year, even though he was a pre-season, all-state selection.

Mom and Dad had spent months looking over college catalogs of schools that had already shown an interest in offering Ross, a scholarship. The stakes were high, and to miss this year’s football season was unthinkable.

A difficult diagnosis

At first it was difficult for the doctor to talk to Ross, since Mom and Dad tended to answer all the questions. "Ross sure is anxious to get out there and mix it up," Dad said. "He’s a real hitter."

"Ross’ coach says he’s the best halfback he’s ever coached," Mom chimed in. "A sure bet for a major college program, and probably the pros after that."

But as he questioned Ross directly, the doctor got the first hint that Ross might be suffering from a disorder that many doctors, orthopedic surgeons in particular, say is increasingly common: psychosomatic illness brought on by performance pressure. The illness, whether back pain, ulcers or headaches, is real, but there is a psychological or stress-related component.

While Ross echoed his parents’ enthusiasm about the upcoming gridiron season, something rang hollow to the ears of the doctor who had treated hundreds of athletes over the years. After taking Ross’ medical history and performing a physical exam, the physician ordered all applicable lab work and X-rays. When the results came back, the doctor wasn’t surprised that nothing showed up. While that was not absolute proof that nothing physiological was wrong, it was a strong indication. He thought he knew the real problem but he knew he must be very careful in how he approached it.

The child is not faking illness

Dr. Paul Parsons, an orthopedic surgeon in Franklin, first made me aware of a growing phenomenon observed in student athletes: They develop physical ailments to hide an emotional plea. They don’t want to play! They don’t want to "mix it up" anymore or spend the hours on the practice field.

But the pressure to love sports, or excel in athletics is so great, particularly from their parents, that they see no acceptable way out. Parsons notes that this problem can occur for a female soccer player as well as for a male basketball player but that since our culture expects males to love sports, they seem particularly susceptible.

The child is not faking an illness Parsons cautions, but this is the only solution the athlete's subconscious had been able to come up with. He really believes he has an injury. After all, getting sick or hurt is unavoidable, isn't it? "I wanted to keep playing but it just hurts too much; you can't blame me," the child might say. No, but his parents can blame him for being a pansy, wimp or a coward, not unusual terms to call a big, strong, fast male who doesn’t want to play the game. An unsolvable illness can give everyone a safe escape route.

The Self-Reliant Worker
Business should be about competency, innovation, profits and professional development. It is not about love.
by Twyman L. Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Business Nashville
March/April 1995

At five-feet, seven-inches and 98 pounds, my petite, soft spoken seat mate on the San Francisco-Dallas flight didn't exactly fit my pre-conceived image of a "brain" from the computer driven Silicon Valley.

But she was. She was also a part-time distributor for Amway, that venerable multi-level marketing organization that, like the Energizer battery, never seems to stop. Her goal is to become financially independent so she never has to depend on corporate altruism again. "I’ve already been with two companies that were acquired and I ended up on the street both times," she lamented.

"I know you can't trust companies in today’s environment, so I’m putting my loyalty on something where I have influence—Me. Like, I really respect my boss, but his hands are tied by the reality of the marketplace. His position is no more secure than the people who work for him so why should I put any faith in him? I like building my Amway business because they don’t even pretend to offer you security. They stress that success and security is entirely up to you. They promote the idea that they are a sort of counter-culture organization that develops you for success. My computer company wants performance now. They pay me well, but I know I’m expendable at any moment. There’s simply no trust."

Corporate executives verbalize in private that loyal employees are a thing of the past. It’s not just money," intones one CEO, "spouses balk at moving, so key executives refuse to transfer, even when it’s vital to the company. Vice Presidents don’t hesitate to use our confidential information to enhance their marketability to a competitor company. It stinks, but it’s the times."

Employers and employees seem to agree there is no longer any such thing as loyalty, but no one seems sure what to do about it. When I first realized how deep the seeds of mistrust were planted, the situation looked hopeless. In retrospect, I think we are instead, entering a new era of opportunity and self-reliance. Here are some steps that should benefit employers and employees alike:

1) Promote employability vs. guaranteed employment—don’t waste words and energy proclaiming your company to be a "family." It is a business and there is no reason to try to camouflage the fact. Stress that your company develops the most highly trained, flexible, innovative, cross-trained employees in your industry. Tell your people, and mean it, that your company will prepare them to survive in any economic climate. Anywhere. Anytime. That’s security.

2) Develop skill instead of false hopes—emphasize continuing education and management development. Concentrate on developing personal confidence and pride, rather than a type of patriarchal dependence.

3) Practice participative management—don’t just talk about TQM, TQU, CQI or whatever. Stress the use of inter-departmental teams composed of employees from all levels of your organization. Listen to what they tell you — they aren’t often wrong. When approaching any problem/opportunity, always stress the basic tools of analysis, benchmarking, brainstorming, goal setting, implementation, and evaluation. Don’t get unnecessarily fancy and try to make a science out of these principles, just be practical. If you need Pareto charts, flow charts or other more exotic "tools," get them from a consultant or a reliable sourcebook, but don’t weigh employees down with more than necessary.

4) Involve all employees in corporate mission and goal setting. If you really believe in the team process, then practice what you preach. Don’t spoon feed your corporate culture to employees, let them help develop the formulations.

5) Encourage employees not to "Look for love in all the wrong places." Business should be about competency, innovation, profits, success, training, personal and professional development, competitiveness, and other such things. It is not about love. Help your employees understand the difference.

6) Cross-train-—develop the most flexible, competent, highly trained employees in your industry. If they are, they won't have to worry about downsizing or re-engineering. They will be in demand—with or without you.

Offer these concepts to your employees. Sure, a few will leave for other companies. But many of them will return to you—with increased knowledge, awareness and, yes, loyalty. The new kind of loyalty births from self-reliance.

It's a new day. And this is a new way. Seize the opportunity. Offer self-reliance rather than a gold watch.

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Coping with "Death"
by Twyman L. Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Business Nashville
May/June 1994

The Kubler-Ross model of the psychological stages of dying can be adapted and used to great benefit when helping workers return to productivity after downsizing or other major workplace change.

In the previous issue of Business Nashville, we discussed the relevance of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ steps outlined in her classic work On Death and Dying to the process of change within the organization. The adjacent table illustrates the steps outlined by Kubler-Ross and the corresponding steps I have identified prevalent in the change process in the workplace.

The point in this: change, whether personal or organizational, means the end, the "death" of a set of circumstances. While these conditions may not have been totally loved, or even liked for that matter, they were at least familiar and dependable.

Change promises only uncertainty. Since no one really knows the final outcome the changes will bring, no one can honestly tell us with certainty what our eventual role will be. But as managers, we can at least know the predictable human responses to change and how to best deal with them.

When the big reorganization, downsizing, work re-engineering—whatever name you want to give to a major shakeup goes down—this is what you can anticipate and some suggestions on what to do about it:

Denial

You will observe withdrawal, a "business as usual" attitude, a continued focus on the past. There is plenty of "make-work" activity, but little is actually being accomplished.

Respond by confronting individuals with information. Neutralize rumors with the facts as you know them. Let everyone know that the change will in fact happen. Explain what to expect and suggest actions they can take to adjust. Give them time to let things sink in. Then, schedule a planning session where issues can be discussed in an open give-and-take session.

Anger

Employees will become unsure of themselves and seem unable to act because of self-doubt. A sort of unspoken depression takes over and people begin arguing among themselves, eventually leading to withdrawal. Personal changes often take place in eating, drinking, and sleeping habits.

This is a period to allow individuals to express negativity safely. We should reward positive action at every opportunity and honor habitual company rituals such as award ceremonies, celebrations, parties and recognition of quality performance. It is a time to express empathy for their feelings, be patient, above all—LISTEN.

Bargaining

Your employees may plead with you that they can reduce personnel, use less supplies, buy cheaper parts—whatever it takes to convince you not to make the change. However, as in the bargaining step of death and dying, people seldom keep their promises once the crisis is past.

Respond by redirecting peoples’ thoughts and energy to the situation at hand. After hearing them out, restate the new plan of action and what their role and opportunity can be. Be careful not to belittle or ridicule their ideas, but help them move into the future.

Exploration

You will recognize over-preparation, confusion, chaos and misspent energy: "Let’s try this and this and what about this?" While there is a lot of energy and many new ideas, there is a definite lack of focus, a sort of "much ado about nothing" attitude.

Respond by focusing on priorities. Provide training and management development courses and seminars. Follow up on projects that are under way. Set short-term goals that can realistically be accomplished. Use outside help to conduct brainstorming, quality, visioning and planning sessions. Create hope.

Commitment

This results when employees begin truly working together. There is the common focus of "How can we make this organization better? How can we better please our customer?" Those who remain with the company are excited about the great opportunity within their reach.

This is the time to agree on short and long term goals. Concentrate on creating interdepartmental teams. Create an agreed-upon mission statement. Validate and reward those who respond positively to the changes and are now planning for the future.

These are the basic steps of organizational change. Some people get stuck in certain steps and never evolve through the entire process. These people will ultimately be better off in another organization. Be perceptive and proactive to this process and your employees will reward you with a commitment to constantly changing your organization for the better.

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Heart and Soul, Employees Want More Than Money
by Twyman L. Towery, Ph.D., FACHE
Southern Hospitals

Hospitals are no strangers to employee turnover. Factors such as salary wars for nurses further compound staffing problems. But there are ways—which do not involve additional financial commitments—hospitals can help ensure employee retention.

Retention of talented employees is not an abstract goal, but an absolute necessity for today’s successful healthcare organization. Hospital managers must consciously and consistently work to create a positive working environment — the foundation for employee retention. This might seem very obvious, but in many cases it isn’t.

Hospital employees today are crying—PUT THE HEART BACK INTO HEALTHCARE. They need praise just as much for great patient care as for slicing employees out of their departmental budget. They need reinforcement that what they do for a living, at least in terms of human values, counts for more than selling "widgets." To know at the end of the day that their words spelled hope to a cancer patient, reawakened the spirit of determination in a recovering alcoholic or pasted a smile on the face—that is why they went into healthcare.

In the 60s and early 70s we readily tapped into people’s desire to serve others. Today, it’s almost fashionable to be cynical about appealing to a person’s higher instincts.

Today, it’s not uncommon for CEOs to lose their job after one down quarter. It’s not surprising that they often have trouble giving strokes to others—they don’t receive any themselves. But if we are only going to give what we get—nothing more, nothing less—then we can expect the retention of competent employees to become even more devastating.

Putting the heart back into healthcare is not "pie-in-the-sky" slogan, but it is the best way to retain competent employees.

Money Isn’t Everything:

1) Return your employee's phone calls as if they are from your most important client —they are!
2) Not only solicit suggestions, but provide evaluation and feedback on each and every suggestion.
3) Demonstrate respect and concern for every employee’s personal and family life.
4) Constantly bestow rewards on employees for outstanding performance.
5) Insure that compensation and benefits are at, or above, competitive levels, and constantly “educate” your employees about this reality.
6) Give each employee the authority to call a staff meeting if they deem a matter of sufficient importance.
7) Maintain a constant emphasis on continuing education and management training.
8) Provide training and development for your key employees outside of the regular workplace at least once a year.
9) Constantly illustrate how each employee, through his or her job in the organization, is contributing to a better world.
10) Provide employees the tools necessary to enhance their personal development.

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Friends
A short story published in Dog Tales for the Heart: Stories of Hope, Love and Wisdom
by Twyman L. Towery, Ph.D., FACHE

The first time I saw Clyde was when he and his litter mates were tearing across the yard and he tripped and started rolling toward me like a little, round fluffy ball. Little did I know that in less than two years Clyde would be hunting the swamps and bayous of Louisiana like a seasoned professional.

A lot of bird dog men make fun of Brittanies, thinking these little critters could never match their wide ranging Setters and Pointers. Clyde, with his splash of orange and white, cropped tail and floppy ears, running through the bush, made a believer out of everyone who observed him, In Tennessee, an old friend and the best bird hunter I’ve ever roamed the hills with, scoffed at the very idea of a Brittany being able to match his veteran setters. But by the end of our first hunt, my hunting partner was paying attention to Clyde over the other dogs—the greatest compliment my little buddy could have received.

But Clyde’s greatest trait was being a wonderful companion to both children and adults. He loved being a member of the family. People who think a dog can’t be a rugged hunter and a loving friend both, don’t really know dogs. The talented Clyde was dearly loved by all who experienced him.

At seven years old a cruel infection invaded Clyde and we could only watch while he suffered a slow, painful good-bye. My vet called on a dreary Saturday afternoon and said he had taken Clyde outside for a few minutes, where he went into his hunting posture—and died. The space Clyde left in our hearts was unfillable.

The next day, I had to take an early morning flight on a business trip and found myself at the ticket counter crying. Everyone was embarrassed and looked away. Later I was sobbing in the boarding area and people changed seats to avoid me. I upgraded to first class with a frequent flyer coupon and sat alone. Once into the air the tears started flowing and the sobs ripped loose again. A flight attendant stopped, sat down by me, and asked what was wrong. I told her and she told me about hr dog who had died almost two years ago. We cried together and held hands. And we both felt better.

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The Mutt
A short story published in Dog Tales for the Heart: Stories of Hope, Love and Wisdom
by Twyman L. Towery, Ph.D., FACHE

The Surgeon sat in the den of his fashionable Garden District home with his head in his hands, shaking like the palsy. Sounds that no one had ever heard from him before were escaping—guttural sounds from the soul that one imagines coming from primitive tribes in the Amazon.

But this was Dr. Antoine Giulliand, a prominent New Orleans surgeon I had met through my hospital management work. Antoine’s dog had just died. The dog was just a stray mutt, mostly Labrador Retriever, sort of black, certainly not registered. An orphan who parked himself in Antoine’s pirogue (Louisiana marsh boat) when he was approximately three months old. Antoine yelled at him, threw mud balls at him, but Buzzard only yelped and refused to leave his seat on Antoine’s hunting jacket. That night we fed him scraps, outside, in the miserable weather, not even needing to discuss the fact that he would be left when we headed back to New Orleans in the morning.

The next day, I was awakened by having my face licked "good morning." I asked Antoine how the pup had managed to get in. He grumbled and grumped and changed the subject. Then I told him I thought I would do the little bugger a favor and take him to the New Orleans SPCA, for they surely could find him some kind of home. Antoine thanked me but said he knew some people who he just might be able to talk into giving him a home. George, who had been quiet throughout everything (as is his nature), told us both to quit fretting, for if his wife approved, the poor thing could maybe stay with him. (A few years later the three of us recounted this incident and laughed when we realized that Buzzard had licked all of our faces. At the time, however, we each thought we were the chosen one.)

When we were hunting, Antoine never acted like a big shot. His dominant, surgeon’s personality disappeared in favor of being one of the guys. But he suddenly loomed seven feet tall on his 5’ 9" frame! "The frigging dog sat on my frigging hunting coat in my frigging pirogue, so he’s my frigging dog. Understand?" We did.

Twelve years later, a man who by the world’s standards had everything, suddenly felt he had nothing. A craggy orphan mutt was dead and Dr. Antoine Giulliand’s wealth and prestige suddenly seemed meaningless.

Buzzard is securely buried in Antoine’s heart now. Nothing can ever take his place. But Buzzard Jr. is romping toward Antoine’s outstretched hand with an old, rolled-up sock. Dr. Antoine Giulliand is on his hands and knees, roaring a hearty, gruff laugh, signifying that he is once again alive and someone to be contended with.

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