Health Care and Knowing When To Hold and When To Fold

When Kenny Rogers sang the “The Gambler,” the lyrics “ you gotta know when to hold them, know when to fold them, know when to walk away, when to run” - provided advice to live by and succeed – at all levels. So what's that got to do with Health Care?

I don't know about you, but Nancy Pelosi promising to have a health care bill out of the House before the August recess does not give me a warm feeling. Like you, I've watched this process – if that's what it can be called, weave around like a drunken sailor, and bounce off one wall after another. Is it supposed to cut costs, or provide care to the 47 million that someone somewhere claims don't have insurance, even though 50% of that group are estimated to be eligible for insurance that already exists? And another 30% are estimated to be illegal immigrants that shouldn't be entitled to health insurance in the first place? I'll bet a large percentage of the already eligible but not enrolled are the same people that never used those $40 vouchers to buy the boxes they needed to see TV after the changeover to digital. I – like most Americans – don't mind being my brothers keeper – but that brother better get off the deck and help himself from time to time.

Democracy is a messy business – by anyone's measure. Where else could the vast resources of the legislative and executive branches expend so much effort, and do it so poorly, as they have in this health care change situation? It was gonna be a tough thing to do under any circumstance, because this change will affect all those taxpayers out there that actually pay taxes and vote. And most of them seem to feel reasonably satisfied with their health care coverage. And with the way this change process has been going, the status quo looks pretty damned good. Even if all of those 47 million are counted – and they shouldn't be, that means roughly 14% of the population is the center of whatever we're trying to accomplish. If your odds were only 14% in any card game, it's time to fold – it's time to run away. But no, another iteration of this incredibly complicated bill – with large parts of it so complex that they will never see the light of day, is being worked on in committee to come up with a winnable bill.

Winnable for whom? Answer: The Congress – specifically the President and the Democrats – certainly not for the country. The latest piece of news I've heard is the possibility of a five person executive council – read “Czars” - that will oversee and make the decisions that will keep the plan revenue neutral and “fair” (God, how that word scares me) for all. What a frightening thought! But the people so wrapped up in their own underwear – so dedicated to passing a bill – just dig in deeper and deeper – and leave logic and common sense ever further behind them.

It's time to hold – it's time to fold – it's time to turn away – it's time to run.

Congress - take a recess, take a deep breath, talk to the people that will be affected by whatever is passed, then come back and try again. Throw the 1100 pages plus 300 plus amendment pages in the trash – there's been so much back room dealing to gain votes that no one trusts what's in them anyway. When the devil is in the details, and no one can explain or even foresee the consequences, risk is too high. The status quo is so much more to be preferred.

The lessons for us mortals to gain from the health care mess are pretty straight forward:

● When something that started out with good intentions becomes so complicated that no one can understand it, or explain how it will meet its stated intentions, it's time to get back to the drawing board.

● When the responses to the plan keep pushing back and the response to the push back becomes ever more complicated, it's time to fold. Its time to go back to the drawing board and start by reexamining those intentions.

● When other circumstances overwhelm the importance of intentions – like the recession - its time to hold, and prepare for the time when progress can be made.

● And, if the best laid plans require misrepresentation and, at best, half truths to pass inspection, its time to turn away, and run.

Now let's all learn from what's going on, and let's tell our elected officials that knowing when to hold, when to fold, when to turn away, and when to run are all parts of showing integrity and leadership. They're absolutely essential to our success - at every level.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph & Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

How To Increase Employee Commitment and Engagement

Never has a high level of commitment and engagement been needed more than right now. With the dislocations, uncertainties and bad economic news of the day, and the lowering of expectations, keeping a high level of engagement and commitment requires a conscious effort on the part of organizations.

In a report by Modern Survey on the results of their most recent Employment Engagement Index of the Finance Industry, they found that in mid 2008 23% of the employees surveyed were disengaged and 13% fully engaged. By May 2009 those numbers had changed to 11% disengaged and 16% fully engaged. Their studies conclude that highly engaged employees outperform the disengaged by 20 to 28%. Their research also shows that few companies really work at engaging their employees.

While the changes from 2008 to 2009 are encouraging, they still show the great majority of employees are either disengaged or only partially engaged. That's scary.

What are the costs of disengagement? Let's say a person spends an hour a day at work disengaging - doing non work activities – surfing the net, calls to friends, looking for another job. Based on a 22 day work month, that's 22 hours per month – almost 3 workdays - 13% of work time - with full pay and benefits, and no return. That should be unacceptable – but it's amazing how many organizations put up with it.

One thing is certain - the organizations that actively work to keep commitment and engagement at a high level will survive and prosper. It's a challenge – it's hard work – but the cost of disengagement is so great, and the value of full engagement is so high, it's worth striving for.

In working with a wide variety of organizations and observing what organizations do to engage their people, a number of behaviors and characteristics stand out. Behaviors and characteristics that are found regardless of the industry, the economy, profit or non profit, charitable or entrepreneurial. The following eleven are core to success in engaging and gaining commitment in the organizations we have worked with.

1 - They are seen as worthy enterprises – people are proud to be part of them – mission statements accurately express what they are about.

2 - They work hard to get the right people in the right jobs, and then work hard to help them succeed.

3 - They are demanding, challenging places to work, but rewarding for those who contribute and meet their goals.

4 - They know that to get commitment they must give commitment – and they show it through actions.

5 - They create, communicate, share and align goals throughout their organizations.

6 - They share information – the good, the bad and the ugly, and tell the truth as fast as they can.

7 - They work hard to see that equity in the way people are treated is maintained – in terms of pay, opportunity and development.

8 - They provide group and individual recognition for the value of all the work done - and make that recognition ongoing.

9 - They maintain a system of due process – a well known, effective and respected way of dealing with workplace issues.

10 - They realize that commitment and engagement are dynamic. Forces such as competition, new technology, changes in leaders and in pay and benefit systems – to name a few - impact the level of commitment and engagement. But they don't let those forces impact the maintenance of the characteristics required to maintain high commitment and engagement.

11 - They weave these characteristics into their day to day work and behavior – they are part of how they do their business – they are not treated as exceptions – they don't require the “behavior police” to keep them operating.

There is nothing soft or easy or blue sky about these behaviors and characteristics – they're tough. But the payback is huge. Think of engaging just one disengaged hour a day – and what the resulting 10% increase in productive time can mean to a business.

So what to do if these eleven characteristics and behaviors appear to exist – at least on paper - but there are still high levels of disengagement – with symptoms ranging from low productivity to customer commitments not being met, to union organizing attempts? Most often the answer is that there is a disconnect between intent and practice. The organization wants these characteristics to be part of the way things are done, but, in fact, the translation of intent into practice results in something very different at the operating level. Every time that happens, opportunities for commitment and engagement are lost – often replaced by a cynicism that becomes harder and harder to deal with.

To guard against those lost opportunities, many organizations use periodic surveys of employees to get a measure of how closely intent has been turned into practice. The first time many of these surveys are done the reaction from the leadership at the results is one of surprise at how different the perceptions of their people can be from what the leaders had intended. But by identifying the disconnects and taking action, organizations can preserve the high level of engagement they have worked so hard to get.

Use the eleven behaviors and characteristics as a checklist – add to them to reflect cultural differences from one organization to another. Then use surveys as a reality check of where your organization stands. Be prepared to be surprised at the results – and be prepared to take action where issues are identified. These steps to committing to greater engagement will help your organization gain competitive advantage through greater employee engagement.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph & Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

The Biggest Challenge To The Obama Administration

The four stages of change –“Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing,” represent the biggest challenge to the Obama Administration. The four stages are always part of any change process – regardless of scale, complexity, or any other factors. In the case of the Obama Administration - still in Stage One - the most challenging stages, where effective leadership is most critical - are yet to come.

Stage One – Forming - is where excitement, optimism, enthusiasm, expectations, energy and conviction are the highest they will ever be. This is the stage where everything is seen as a possibility. It's the stage where concepts, convictions, ideas and philosophies are transformed into plans of action. There aren't too many boundaries around the Stage of Forming. Dreams and hopes and visions all contribute to the goals and aspirations in this Stage. The higher the expectations, the more energy and commitment can be sustained and momentum generated – but with the risk that the fall in Stage Two will be harder than if expectations are based on reality, and not on ideals. Think post election and all the initiatives that have been introduced in the first six months of the Obama Administration. Think “a crisis too good to waste.”

In Stage Two - Storming – reality starts to set in. Reality in the form of scarce resources, differing opinions, unforeseen changes in circumstances, and a host of other things that keep those goals set with such high expectations in Stage One from happening – or at least not happening on the overly optimistic schedule set during Forming. This is the most dangerous stage in the four stage process. More changes lose their way and fail as a result of frustration from unrealized expectations than any single other cause. This is where frustration sets in, idealists desert the ship when they see their interests not being met to their satisfaction. Think “ How are we going to pay for this?” Or “Is this really necessary?” Or “We're trying to do too much too soon!” Or “This isn't what I expected or signed up for!” This Stage is starting to develop – and it is the single biggest obstacle – and opportunity – for the Obama Administration.

Stage Three – Norming – is that stage where the lessons of Stages One and Two are used to create a more realistic, attainable program of change. A lot of goals and initiatives never reach this Stage – they die in Stage Two of anger, suspicion, frustration and the very weight of their expectations. The goals that do survive to be reset in this Stage have the benefit of real world experience - of striving for more but coming up short. But rather than abandon the goal, new norms of what represents success, and new norms of performance are established. Success in change depends on strong, practical leadership that can effectively channel the intention, the commitment, the experience and the frustration into an objective, proactive force to see new ways of looking at how to meet the goals for the enterprise – in this case the enterprise is the nation. The Obama Administration isn't here yet.

Stage Four – Performing – is the Stage where success becomes evident – where all the expectations and intentions of Forming, all the trials and tribulations of Storming, and the give and take of Norming, result in the alignment of available resources to achieve attainable goals. The changes that get achieved may be far different from what was started with in Stage One. I truly hope, for the nations sake, we can get there on the truly important priorities - but there are so many expectations, so many promises to so many interest groups, and so many circumstances that will work against the expectations of Stage One.

Let's hope the messy art of politics - which is subject to the same four stages of change as any other segment of our society - can deal with the storm of Stage Two, and create from it a realistic set of initiatives that will keep our nation moving in a positive direction. Certainly, the expectations of Stage One cannot be sustained. And at some point that fact has to be made clear to the country. “Yes we can” is very different from “Yes we will.”

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph: 602-795-4100; Fax: 602-795-4800; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Muddling Through As a Success Strategy

Have you ever noticed how some people just seem to work their way through some of the most difficult situations, and come out the other side successfully? When asked, these people usually give some “ Aw Shucks” kind of answer, and move on to the next thing. Those people know how to muddle – in the best of ways.

I'm not talking about muddling as a way of preparing a cocktail, or as a negative description of someone confused and without a clue, but as a way of moving through unfamiliar, confusing and ambiguous situations and having the action of muddling lead to successful conclusions.

I watched a tree trimmer work on a very overgrown and damaged tree. His work consisted of pruning a little and stepping back a lot. When asked how he approached this task, he stated that he always started with the end in mind - in this case he wanted to make the tree look good, but more importantly, he wanted to improve its ability to survive and prosper. How did he do that? He said he just stepped into the tree and started taking out branches and growth that he knew wouldn't contribute to his goals. Then he would step back and look carefully at what he had done as a guide to what he had to do next. As he stayed focused on what he was doing, the decisions as to which limbs to prune became clearer and clearer, until he had completed his work and he could feel satisfied that he had met his goals. I call it effective muddling – letting your actions develop the solution.

I like to tie flies for fly fishing. For a long time I was intimidated by the perfection of the work of others. It kept me from tying flies – at least until I felt satisfied that I had acquired all the possible knowledge needed to tie a pattern. I've found that over the years I've developed a pretty good body of knowledge about how to tie most patterns. But more importantly, I've found just diving in and having Eureka! moments as I developed new understandings, skills, and knowledge is so much more fun than trying to do everything right the first time. I've learned to relax and let my muddling do the teaching for me.

Let's face it – telling your boss that you're muddling through as a means of finding a solution or meeting a goal is probably not the brightest thing one can do. But that's the way countless problems and issues and conditions are wrestled to the ground every day. Successful muddlers know you gotta get into the problem to see what it's all about. And the best way to do that is to stick your nose in and go for it. It may be that things become more confusing before they become clearer. But every act results in increased knowledge.

Brainstorming and “Ready, Fire, Aim” are two successful muddling techniques - and ones that sound impressive to a boss. Planning and goals are very important parts of success, but that first step into the unknown, having the courage to take that step, is just as important. And to do it without a clear plan – whatever that means, or without clear goals, is the mark of a successful muddler. A “just do it” person. That's what Thomas Edison meant when he remarked that each failure to invent the light bulb brought him closer to success. Without muddling through, Edison would not have given himself the opportunity to fail as a means of learning

Many people refer to muddling as a process – it is – but attaching that description to it kinda takes away from the fun of it. Muddling is as much art and attitude as it is process. So the next time you're faced with a situation and you don't know where to begin, give yourself permission to muddle – and watch the solution form from the actions that you take. That's what successful people do more often than not.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph& Fax: 602-795-4100; E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved

Make Real Choice The Basis For Success In Hiring The Right People

Act in haste and repent at your leisure. Who of us hasn't at some time acted in haste and later regretted a hasty decision? I suspect we all have done that. Lots of little decisions can be made quickly based on personal experience, intuition, biases, and our body of knowledge without much damage being done. But when it comes to hiring the right people for the right job, acting in haste will have long term negative consequences.

To make real, considered, job focused choice the basis for hiring the right people three Elements need to be in place.

1 – Start with a written blueprint of the position. Not just a Job Description, although that's an important part of the blueprint. I mean a profile of the job and what attributes and qualities are needed for success. And a written statement of the top 3 to 5 accountabilities of the job is a must, as is the participation and buy in of the stakeholders to the development of the profile of key accountabilities, attributes and qualities.
2 – An active recruiting campaign to provide choice in the form of vetted candidates that meet the “Must Have” requirements developed in Element 1.
3 – A process for selection that relies on the skill, experience and a shared understanding of what's needed for the job on the part of a selection team using tools and techniques that help select the right people for the right jobs.

These three elements create the space for choice to work and guard against the kind of snap decisions based on biases and emotions that often lead to failure.

The following is a real world hire decision that illustrates the negative consequences of acting in haste.

A newly hired Division President needed a General Manager for one of the five operating units reporting to him. He filled the position very quickly. He selected a transfer from another division of his new employer who had been mentioned as a candidate by a corporate HR person. The basis for the HR recommendation was the candidate having asked what it took to get promoted. The President was impressed with the way the candidate arranged his transport to the interview – all the way from Hartford CT to Boston MA, his fast walking and fast talking, and his immediate availability. On that basis the President hired him. For the candidate it was a big promotion into a troubled business that needed technical and leadership expertise if it was to survive. Contacts in the division he had come from were mystified at his promotion. He was described as a “dud.” He lasted two years, never relocated to Boston, and finally resigned just before he was going to be fired. The damage he and his boss did resulted in the operation being consolidated with another operation in a western state, and over 200 employees in Boston losing their jobs.

This new President had a pressing need, he had very little knowledge of the organization, and he had no developed contacts or processes within his new corporation to help him vet candidates. He also had as a model a former boss who routinely made snap hire decisions and then fired people as soon as it became apparent he had made a mistake. Absent any other information, this new President assumed that behavior was the way to do things.

The three Elements – a job blueprint, a recruiting campaign, and a selection process can create choice and protect from the kind of snap decision this President made. When it's tempting to act in haste, the three elements can be a real aid to creating space for a reality check – and providing the tools for real choice.

It's surprising how often hiring decisions are made in haste based on pressing needs and biases that have nothing to do with success in the job. Inventory your own choices in selecting the right people, and then use the three Elements to improve your success in selecting the right people for the right jobs.

Written by Andy Cox, President

Cox Consulting Group, 4049 E Vista Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85032 Ph & Fax: 602-795-4100;E Mail: acox@coxconsultgroup.com;Website:www.coxconsultgroup.com; Blog: http://multiplysuccess.blogspot.com

Copyright 2009 All Rights Reserved