Tag Archives: team members

March 27, 2012

5 Ways To Force Culture

By Chris LoCurto
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How to implement culture is a subject I get asked about all of the time. It’s something so many people want or they want to change, but they don’t know how to do either. I can promise you this: You will have culture. It just may not be the one you want.

You see, wanting it and creating it are two completely different things. If you don’t make sure it exists in the form that you like, outside forces will create it for you. And then, it’s a pain to reverse.

How does culture get created at your company by others? When you hire folks and don’t lead them, they give you lip service but begin to create the atmosphere they desire. It’s not uncommon for them to begin to gossip and backstab to get their way. As dramatic as it sounds, they begin to spread poison throughout your team. Next thing you know, you have a atmosphere that is nothing like you want it to be.

How can you avoid allowing people to create their own? It’s simple:

  • Force It – “If it doesn’t fit, force it!” was a saying I heard as a kid. It’s meant to be a joke. But in this case, you really need to force your culture! You have to make your whole team realize that you will do whatever it takes to create the desired outcome.
  • Teach It - Whatever you want your business to look like, you have to spend time teaching about it in your staff meetings, team meetings, one-on-ones, etc. Say it so many times that your team can finish your sentences.
  • Recognize It - It is a well-known fact that people do what they get rewarded for. If you spend your time telling team members only what they’re doing wrong, that’s where their focus will be. But if you recognize that they are doing a great job by not gossiping, being team players and taking care of each other, then they will work hard to protect that culture.
  • Attack It - If you see something happening that’s hurting your business, go after it quickly!! Your team needs to know that you will attack anything that is attacking your culture. If you don’t, your team will eventually come to believe that you don’t care about keeping a strong culture for them.
  • Repeat It - You can’t implement culture and hope that it stays that way. You have to keep it in front of everyone ALL of the time. Again, bring it up from time to time in staff meetings. Celebrate it at big company events. Champions want to see that you will stand for that cause. When you do, so will they.

If you’re just starting out, forcing culture is easy. You just do it. If you’ve been in business awhile and you need to turn the ship, understand that it will take some time. However, being passive won’t make it happen. Roll your sleeves up and go to town, metaphorically speaking. Don’t actually go to town … well, except to go to work, if that’s where it is.

Question: What methods have you used to make your culture stick? 

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36 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in EntreLeadership, Leadership, Small Business

March 19, 2012

4 Ways To Motivate Team Members

By Chris LoCurto
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How do you motivate team members is always a question asked by good leaders. Leaders who care. The inverse of that is leaders who don’t care…don’t motivate. Their belief is team members get a paycheck, that should be motivation enough.

Having taught and coached thousands of leaders and entrepreneurs, I understand this line of thinking, but it will only get you the productivity the team member thinks they are getting paid for. It’s possible their opinion and yours differ.

At our EntreLeadership 1 Day event in Orlando, we answered some of the questions we received on Facebook. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get to all of them. Therefore I pulled one of the unanswered questions from Celeste Owens to discuss with you here:

I am a practice manager for a wonderful and generous employer! How do you keep employee’s motivated besides throwing more money at them? How do you get employee’s to realize how fortunate/blessed we are?

This is a great question with many answers. Here are just a few:

  • Recognition – The most important part of motivation is understanding that people will duplicate what they are rewarded for. If I see you genuinely complimenting me on something I’ve done well, I’ll keep doing it in hopes to get another compliment. And while telling me is amazing, recognizing me in front of my peers, or better yet my family, goes a very long way in motivating me.
  • Vision Casting – Team members need to be motivated with vision and direction. If I have no clue where I’m going, I get in a rut. As I begin to see that there’s something exciting on the horizon, I become more inspired to keep working towards it. This is an ongoing process, by the way. Recast vision every 21 days or the vision is dying.
  • Big Picture – It’s considerably easier for an entrepreneur to be more motivated than a team member. Entrepreneurs have the risk/reward thing going on of growing a business that belongs to them. Team members, not so much. One of the biggest motivators is working for something that is bigger than me. Don’t let a car mechanic think that all they do is turn a wrench. Let them know they have the opportunity to change the life of someone who is currently not happy. Make sure customer service reps understand how they are bettering lives by helping them with their problems.
  • Reminders – Some team members also need to be remind of just how good they have it. It is perfectly fine to share with the team what separates your company from the rest. However, if you do the other motivators correctly, they will come to realize how fortunate they are on their own. Understand that it is a process that will take some time, sooooo keep telling them until they get it.

These are just a few ways of getting and keeping team members motivated. Add to the mix the things that would have motivated you when you were in their shoes.

Question: What ways do you motivate your team besides just compensation?

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61 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in EntreLeadership, Leadership, Small Business

October 25, 2011

Setting Up Commission Structures

By Chris LoCurto
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There are many ways to pay your team members. The most common are:

  • Hourly
  • Salary
  • Salary plus commission
  • Draw against commission
  • 100% commission

In my mind, the first two leave no room for motivation. There’s no incentive, other than getting fired, to sell like crazy. Many entrepreneurs have asked me why their team members aren’t motivated to sell. When I dug into it, I would find that they are paying them a $45,000 salary. Uhhhh, I know plenty of non-motivated people who would put their feet up on a desk for 45K.

There has to be something that causes them to have to sell, and that’s usually paying just enough to put food on their table. It should be something that keeps them thinking more effort equals more money. Less effort equals food stamps. If you have to pay a salary, keep it low, so they make their living on the sales instead of the salary.

My favorite is the draw against commission. This means that you are paying them a small base, which they pay back through sales. For example: If you pay a 24K base, which is 2K a month, and you pay 10% of gross sales, they have to sell 20K of product each month just to break even. So basically if they don’t sell anything, they only cost you the base that you’re willing to pay as a draw and a bit of overhead, like phones and space.

You have to be careful and make sure they will be able to sell through that draw. If not, they will become desperate. And nothing is worse in sales than a desperate sales person. They can’t sell their way out of a paper bag. If it will take some time to fill the pipeline, then you might cover their base for a while until they are able to cover it on their own. In other words, pay them a salary for a few months instead of a draw.

There is one potential problem with this type of commission structure: if they begin to owe you. If they go month after month not covering the draw, then technically they now owe the company. This is not a good place for anyone. Again, insert desperation. I have made the mistake of changing a team’s comp plan with a draw, only to have everyone on the team owing me money.

Needless to say, sales got worse as the unpaid draw got bigger. When I realized it, I pulled them in one by one and let them know that I screwed up, and I was going to eat the amount owed to me and fix the comp plan. Each salesperson actually cried when I did that. And then, guess what happened? Sales! Yep. They each went out without the feeling of impending doom and sold like crazy.

Whatever plan you choose, it’s important to make sure you’re not violating the law of common sense. If it isn’t a win-win for both parties, don’t do it.

Question: What comp plans for sales people have you seen work or not work?

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18 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Leadership, Small Business

October 20, 2011

When Leaders Throw Team Members Under The Bus

By Chris LoCurto
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This week, I’m teaching EntreLeadership here in Nashville. The topic of throwing team members under the bus is a common conversation. Here’s a post I wrote earlier this year on the topic.

As a leader, one of my pet peeves is watching other leaders not take responsibility. In fact, I think it’s ridiculous for a person to be in leadership if their only goal is to make themselves look good. And yet, I see it all of the time. I watch leaders who are very proud of the title but aren’t willing to do what is necessary to live up to it. They try to take on as many responsibilities as they can. When they fail, the first thing they do is blame one or more of their team members for the failure.

Worse than that, they throw those team members under the bus to their leadership in an attempt to get out of the line of fire. When you lead like this, you paralyze your team because they don’t know what you’re going to do to them next. They operate out of fear instead of respect and loyalty. And the funny thing is: This type of leader thinks that nobody notices that they are throwing people under the bus.

That’s not leadership! Nor is it for the leader above them, who doesn’t take the time to find out what’s really going on because they can’t handle drama. Guess what? In leadership, there’s going to be drama! It comes with the job. In fact, there should be a manual that you’re handed when you become a leader that’s titled, “Scotch and Psychiatrists: A Leader’s Guide to Drama!” (I’m kidding … You don’t need a psychiatrist! OK, you don’t need the Scotch, either. :-) )

Leadership is the privilege and the authority to serve. The key word there being serve! It’s not my job as a leader to pass on blame. It’s my job to do everything in my power to make sure that my team is set up for success. And sometimes that means taking a bullet or twelve for them. In the end, if they don’t succeed, it’s my fault anyway. Somewhere along the line, I either didn’t train them well enough or I didn’t make sure they had everything they needed to be successful.

Get in there and be the type of leader who stands side by side with your team. Show them that you are willing to take the bullets with them. “But Chris, I have some real idiots on my team. I don’t want to take their bullets!” Then roll up your sleeves and do everything you possibly can to make sure that it’s not really you who is the problem. If you can say that you’ve done everything you can, and they’re still an idiot, then it’s time to let them be an idiot somewhere else. But, until you can rule you out, you’re the problem!

Question: Have you experienced this type of leader? 

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31 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in EntreLeadership, Leadership, Small Business

October 19, 2011

Why You Can’t Stay Focused On The Past

By Chris LoCurto
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As unmanly as it is to say, I actually like The Lion King. I know. I know. I can hear all of you saying, “But Chris, you’re so studly! How could you possibly?” So go ahead … tell me how studly I am………………(crickets).

I like it because it’s a great story, and it has some really classic scenes. One of the best is when the hyenas are gathered in a circle, and they keep chanting the great lion Mufasa’s name.

1st hyena: Mufasa!

2nd hyena: Ewwww. I hear that name and I shudder… Do it again.

1st hyena: MUFASAAAAAAAA!

That’s just good quality stuff right there. But my favorite part is when the lion cub Simba has run away from everyone because he thinks he is responsible for Mufasa’s death. Rafiki finds him in hiding and tells him that he needs to come home.

Adult Simba: I know what I have to do. But going back will mean facing my past. I’ve been running from it for so long.

[Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his stick]

Adult Simba: Ow! Jeez, what was that for?

Rafiki: It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. [Laughs]

Adult Simba: Yeah, but it still hurts.

Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or … learn from it.

[Swings his stick again at Simba who ducks out of the way]

Rafiki: Ha. You See? So what are you going to do?

Adult Simba: First, I’m gonna take your stick.

The truth is that the past does hurt. We’ve all made some serious mistakes that we’re not proud of. (If you haven’t, it’s coming. Sorry.) And because of it, we have a tendency to run from the future. That’s right, we will keep ourselves from doing something that God has ordained because we’ve made a mess of something before. We become afraid of how bad we might screw up again. But you need to know that the past is the past! That’s why they call it that! It’s over, gone, done and done! We need to move on and not allow our past failures to control our future. Every great leader has quotes on how much you must fail to succeed. If they know it, why don’t we?

And God doesn’t want to leave you there in the past and taunt you about it day after day. One of the greatest examples of someone who messed up, but God redeemed, is Paul. Paul was Saul, a guy who used to kill Christians. We believe that it was he who held the coats of those who stoned Stephen. And yet, God turned him into the greatest evangelist. You never read that God was there every day saying, “Hey, don’t forget you used to be a murderer. That’s really kind of bad in my book.” Instead, He used him to help me to know about my place in Heaven.

The next time you allow the mistakes of the past to ruin your day, stop and think about Paul and how some of his days went. It’ll change the way you feel. As a leader, you need to be keenly aware of where your people struggle in the area of making mistakes. If it’s from the past, you won’t get them to take many risks for the future.

 Question: How have you gotten over past mistakes? (No mistake details needed. :-) )

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27 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Leadership, Small Business

October 11, 2011

The Missing Link To Your Communication

By Chris LoCurto
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If you know me well at all you know that I am crazy about understanding personality styles and the people they control. (Insert smiley face icon.) As I always say, if you’ve ever given someone direction on something and they just stand there looking at you with the deer in the headlights look, then you probably think to yourself, “I know this person is not dumb, why don’t they get what I’m saying?”

While we have a tendency to believe that the issue of understanding what we’re saying is the hearer’s fault, the truth is that it’s ours. We give information the same way we receive information. Therefore, if I give someone with a strong detail personality information the way I like it, (short and sweet, and in sound bites) then I am failing to set them up for success.

The reason I’m so passionate about personality styles is that once you understand how people, think, act, react, process, etc., you begin to learn how to some extent you can win with communication. Now hear me correctly on this, I’m not saying that you are a failure, (That’s for all of you high I’s and S’s in the DISC profile) I’m saying that you’re not fully reaching your potential. For example, about 8 years ago I hired a fantastic woman in a very stressful administrative type of role.

Actually it was admin on steroids…and…Jolt Cola. Each time I would give her a project to work on she would look at me funny, leave my office, and in 10 minutes she would be back letting me know that she didn’t understand what to do. After a few months of dealing with the same type of issue, I decided to pull out her DISC profile and read through it immensely. As I did I discovered that I was being a horrible leader.

There was no possible way she could do the projects I asked of her since I had not given her enough information to actually complete the tasks. Once I realized that, and decided to stop thinking of only me, I called her in and explained how bad I was doing as her leader. Without hesitation she said, “um, yeaaaaah…I agree!” Okay, actually she was still processing, but that’s what her eyes were telling me.

This doesn’t just stop at your team members. It carries over to your family, your friends, and your customers. If you don’t see how important that is, stop reading my blog and get back to playing your PlayStation. Even if you have taken the profile, or you’re really smart and you’ve had your team take it, I can tell you that I have met a couple of people out of hundreds who actually understand how to use them correctly.

Question: When have you noticed different personality styles causing communication struggles?

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October 10, 2011

Hiring T.O.

By Chris LoCurto
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There are many times in a leaders life that they ask themselves the question, “what the heck was I thinking when I hired that guy?!!” After the 17th person on your team tells you how difficult the new person is to work with, you start to realize there is something way more important than hiring a “star.”

You begin to understand that it doesn’t matter how talented a person is on his own. (Unless your like a tennis coach or something.) One of the worst days for leaders is when they realize they have dropped a death metal guitar player into the middle of their 40 piece orchestra. At first it looks like a fun and exciting change, but quickly everyone understands just how badly this is going to play out.

What does this have to do with T.O.? Well, if you have watched his career at all you’ve noticed that there have been some…..”bumps” in the road. There is no doubt that he is a phenomenal athlete who, when he actually catches the ball, can make some serious plays. The problem isn’t once he has the ball, it’s everything that goes on around that moment.

All I can go by is how I’ve seen him act on the field and what his teammates have said. It’s my opinion that he has done way more damage to teams than good. And the reason is simple, it’s a TEAM sport! A buddy of mine, Ron Cook, used to manage Kenny Stabler in his post career, and Stabler always said, “You can have all the talent in the world, but you will not win if you don’t have a happy locker room!”

On the other hand, hiring the right person is one of the greatest joys of any leader’s life. Building a team of right people, is as fantastic as the first time you wake up to find out that there really is a Tooth Fairy, and she left you a quarter! (Am I showing my age there? Aren’t kids getting iPads for a tooth now?) When you have a team that works together in unity, you can accomplish absolutely anything.

God talks about this in Genesis 11:6 when He said that since the people were of one mind, together in unity, nothing would be impossible for them. Just like MacGyver with a paperclip and some rubber bands. One of the keys to hiring correctly is to hire the fantastically talented, who also are equally talented at being team players. (Key word: talented!) As Kurt Russell said in Miracle “I’m not looking for the best players…I’m looking for the right ones!”

This doesn’t mean you slack on finding someone who can do the job better than anyone else, you still need to hire someone who will leave the cave, kill something, and drag it home. They just need to play nicely with the other hunters.

Question: Have you ever been T.O.ed? 

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September 28, 2011

Stop Talking!

By Chris LoCurto
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I happened to stop at a sandwich shop the other day. It’s a great chain with really good sandwiches. As I walked in, I quickly realized that I was the only customer there. But it was after lunch, so I bet it was hoppin’ a bit earlier.

There were three young folks working: two guys making sandwiches and one girl at the register. The guys seemed like they were having a good day. The girl just looked at me funny. I gave my order for three sandwiches, and the guys jumped right on it. (No, they weren’t all for me…just two of them. OK, just one.) Once I paid, I noticed that a couple of firemen and a young girl were in line behind me ready to order.

As they placed their orders, one of the guys had to run to the back to get something, so the girl took his place. It was then that she began to complain! She grumbled about something the company wasn’t doing, and it was loud enough for the customers to hear.

You should know that this is one of my pet peeves! I can’t stand when team members complain with customers around. Push aside the fact that it’s a severe gossip issue, no customer wants to hear it. And every time it happens, all I can think about is what’s wrong with their leadership.

There are many reasons for gossip, like lack of character, integrity, etc. Gossip is a cancer and needs to be IMMEDIATELY cut out! But there’s one main reason that I have found that team members gossip—the feeling that leadership won’t listen to what’s going on.

At EntreLeadership, I get the opportunity to talk with both leaders and team members. When the discussion of gossip comes up, I dig really deep to find the root cause of it. Almost every time, the team members feel like they are trying to correct problems and nobody will give them the time of day. When this happens, they feel the need to tell someone else in order to be validated. They need to know that someone else understands the problem and the necessity to fix it.

This situation can be resolved pretty easily in most cases—TALK TO YOUR TEAM! You have to get in there and find out what’s going on. There is no leadership error that I hate more than a leader who won’t actually talk to their INDIVIDUAL team members and get a pulse. I capitalized “individual” because I know too many leaders who get a pulse from team members about OTHER team members. It is ridiculous and is another post some time.

“Well, I don’t want to talk to them because they’re just always so cynical!” Seriously? That’s your answer? Great job leader! You know, I once heard Jim Collins say that a cynic is nothing more than a passionate person who is tired of being let down. Why don’t you try getting out of yourself and discover the inner champion of your team member? Who knows? You might be impressed. Worst case, you find out they do suck, and you get rid of them. Most likely, I believe, it won’t be the issue. You’ll find that you’re the problem. OUCH!

The title Stop Talking! is for the team member who’s complaining, especially with the public within earshot. If that’s you, force a time with your leader to get them to listen. If they suck, and they can’t give you the time, go someplace where you can be a champion! Don’t stay and become a cynic!

Question: What do you think causes team members to talk like this?

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19 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in EntreLeadership, Leadership, Small Business

September 12, 2011

Stop the Madness: Declare a No-Complaining Zone

By Chris LoCurto
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I always find it interesting when people complain about others, and then do the same exact thing. After I was saved, I read through the Bible for a year. For the first time, I understood some of it. Before that, it was just Greek to me.

As I went through Exodus, I found myself saying to God, Dude, what was up with your people? Look at them complaining in the wilderness about a lack of food and saying at least there were pots of meat back in captivity. True, there were pots of meat…BUT THEY WERE SLAVES, those dorks! Geez God, what’s up with them?

That’s about the time I felt God saying to me, You do the same thing, only with different issues. You’re no different. Oh crud! I do, don’t I? That was a turning point for me. I started trying to apply the scripture of Matthew 7:3-5

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Sometimes in leadership, or just plain life, we find it very easy to complain about other people. I can’t believe so and so isn’t getting that stuff done! Then, when you ask that person to do something, it’s always, Oh, I don’t have time to do that. How about when someone complains about another person not having a good system for running things? If it’s that bad, why haven’t you come up with a better plan?

I have a friend who every once in a while complains about the people she works with. The funny thing is that I’ve seen her do the same exact stuff for years. I gently remind her of a similar situation when she acted the same, and she looks at me like I’m crazy. Oh well.

We might not be able to fix all of those around us, but we certainly can start with the plank in our own eye. Before you start to complain about someone else, ask yourself if you do the same thing. In fact, how about just not complaining at all? It will make your day a lot better.

Question: Do you find yourself slipping into the easy habit of complaining?

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September 9, 2011

Do As I Say, Not As I Do!

By Chris LoCurto
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Driving into work yesterday, I came up to a stoplight next to a European family cargo van. You know, one of those funny-looking boxy things. The van caught my eye because it stuck out in a sea of Chevys, Fords, and Yugos. OK, I didn’t actually see a Yugo.

While the van was stunning, what really threw me off was the dad, the driver. He was texting, while his daughter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, was watching him. Now, I assume it was a father and daughter. It really doesn’t matter. It was an adult and a young teenage girl. But there’s no doubt he was showing her his mad skills of texting and driving at the same time. Look honey, this is exactly what you should be doing when you get your driver’s license.

I will admit that I am a frequent offender of texting and driving…Uh, I mean, that’s illegal, right? Of course, I don’t do it. But I have a friend who does from time to time. However, he doesn’t have any young impressionable minds who ride with him and see his stupidity. The truth is, it’s not the smartest thing on the planet to do, but most people do it. And if you have children who see you texting while driving, then you’re telling them they should do the same exact thing when they start driving.

According to the National Safety Council, there are approximately 1.6 million crashes caused by drivers using cellphones and texting while driving. The issue comes when we turn our newly licensed child loose with a 6,000 pound torpedo and tell him/her NOT to use the phone while driving. Seriously? We’ve set such a great example of restraint ourselves, wink wink, and we expect them to leave their social brain sitting in the console untouched. Hold your breath on that one. Our example just increased their chances of becoming a statistic.

The same holds true when it comes to leadership. I frequently hear leaders preach one thing, only to walk out something completely different in their lives. And then, they wonder why their team members do exactly the opposite of what they are saying. It’s like a surprise to them. As a leader, you have to realize your team members are watching you—just like children observe their parents.

Your kids are taking cues and direction from your actions, possibly even more than your words. And why wouldn’t they? It’s what they have done since they were born. Therefore, you have to understand that your actions have to match your words. Every time you give someone direction, think about whether you follow your own advice. If not, don’t be shocked if they don’t respect it either.

Question: How have you seen leaders violate this law of common sense?

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