B2b Illinois - August 17, 2008

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The Weekly Business-to-Business Forum Editor: Andrew Wheeler 815-929-5416 [email protected] B2B Illinois is a product of The Daily Journal Advertising Department.

Fear and Loathing at the Water Cooler

Eight Ways to Counter the (Recession-Related) Employee Underground of Anxiety, Aggression and Shame Morrie Shechtman | B2B contributor

America may or may not be in a recession. Opinions vary. But ask any leader and he or she will tell you that something is going on. Employees are terrified. They’re afraid of their companies failing, of being downsized, of losing their homes and everything they’ve worked so long and hard to achieve. What’s more, they feel like failures. Few are hitting their targets (even after multiple downward resettings) and they’re constantly reminded of it in meetings. They’re confronted with embarrassing numbers or given patronizing and hollow pep talks. Here’s what can you do to help them deal with their fear and get more productive: First, don’t try to cajole people out of their anxiety. Stop using thinking and brainstorming

to talk people out of their feelings. Nobody’s going to think their way through this floundering economy, and workers are not going to be logically disabused of their fears or their feelings of failure. Get real. Start openly talking about reality, from the top of the organization down to the bottom. It’s far better to take the “It’s fear; it’s here; get used to it” approach than to pretend you’re all on a butterfly hunt. This reduces anxiety and allows people to refocus on productive work. After you address fear, bring up the other F-word. (Failure.) Start talking, especially with your key people, about what it means to fail. It is crucial, in this discussion, to get on the table the feelings of having disappointed others and of being disappointed in others. Don’t assume all conflict is bad. Employees disagreeing, even disagreeing vehemently, are not the problem. It’s when employees argue pointlessly, over non-productive issues, and with an edge of hysteria that they’re acting out of fear. Address the cause and the symptom will resolve itself. Whatever you do, don’t discourage employees from speaking their minds. Employees who hide in their offices and avoid all confrontation—those are the ones that you should worry about. Live by the theory of abundance, not the theory of scarcity—and teach employees to do the same. The theory of scarcity holds that there are very limited resources out there to meet your needs and you must therefore accept any opportunity that comes your way. The theory of abundance says that there are infinite resources available to you, and you can pick and choose opportunities that mesh with your values and that ultimately benefit you. Do a “recession review” of employee skill sets. Focus on the skills of

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your key leaders and ask them (and yourself) the following question: Of the skills that have made you successful thus far, which fit the current economic climate and which do not? Help employees to find their familiars. Simply put, a familiar is a feeling state we return to again and again. It is an emotional pattern that holds tremendous power over our choices, our relationships and our careers. You can help your employees tremendously by learning about familiars and encouraging your employees to identify and subsequently diminish their own.

Morrie Shechtman is a change management consultant, and author of Fifth Wave Leadership: The Internal Frontier. Facts on Demand Press, 2003, ISBN: 1-889150-38-X, $19.95

Will County’s Employment Growth in Good Position Nationwide Reinforces Recently Released Economic Update from Workforce Investment Board Lawrence Walsh | B2B contributor

Although a difficult economy is on the minds of most Americans, Will County continues to experience employment growth in comparison to other counties in the nation. According to the U. S. Department of Labor, out of the 329 largest counties in the United States, Will County ranked 12th in employment growth from December 2006 to December 2007. And the County is holding its ground in 2008, even with a 3 percent rise in population in the past year. This is encouraging news, especially when the state of the economy nationwide is not at all optimistic. Although the U. S. is going through some hard economic times, these numbers serve to remind us that Will County is in a better position than many areas of the country when it comes to economic growth and job opportunities. The Workforce Investment Board (WIB) of Will County also has news that reinforces the statistics from the Department of Labor. In their recently prepared Will County Economic Update, the WIB provides a variety of positive trends in the county between 2006 and 2008. With the release of the Economic Update, Pat Fera, manager of the Will County Workforce Investment Board, says the report provides

information on Will County’s population changes, employment changes, unemployment rates and wages. “The update shows that, although we’ve seen some downturns in the state and national economy, here in Will County we are still growing in both employment and wages,” Fera said, adding that the report offers information that is critical to their monitoring of the County’s economy. “We also can compare the statistics to state and national information, which not only helps us prepare for any changes that occur, but provides assistance to our residents dealing with the changes.” According to the update, industry job growth in Will County rose by 13,265 jobs between 2006 and 2008, for an overall 6 percent increase. The largest increase of jobs came from trade, transportation and utilities with 3,362 new jobs, while the highest increase percentage-wise was in the financial activities, education, healthcare services and government industry sectors—all posting about an 8 percent increase. There was only one industry sector that showed any decline in employment during this period, the agriculture, natural resources and the mining sector—losing 53 jobs. While looking at employment changes in the occupations, profes-

sional and related occupations rose by 2,980 jobs, service occupations were up by 2,865 jobs and sales and related occupations saw a 2,267 increase. As was the case at the state and national level, unemployment in Will County grew, going from 3.8 percent in May of 2006 to 6.4 percent in May 2008. The construction industry received the biggest hit. In 2007, 21,199 individuals held County construction jobs, and by October of that year 5,146 were deemed unemployed. On a more positive note, average monthly wages continued to increase between 2004 and 2007, rising from $3,133 to $3,482 in that same time period. Additional information regarding the Workforce Investment Board’s Will County Economic Update is available by going to www.willcountyworkforceboard.com.

Larry Walsh is the Will County Executive.

Is Your Business Killing Creativity? Five lessons to cultivate breakthrough innovation for explosive growth their successful environments. For more inspiration, check out the “About Us” pages of your favorite, innovative companies’ Web sites.

idea. Instead of sweeping failure under the rug, realize its value.

Scott Jeffrey | B2B contributor

In today’s hyper-connected, ludicrously-fast-moving global marketplace, businesses are racing to grow big—and fast. Wall Street and private investors alike demand double-digit growth year after year. Many business owners and executives fail to realize growth results because they haven’t set the right conditions. Profitability and customer loyalty are consequences of a business’ commitment to evolve, innovate and exceed their customers’ expectations. Ironically, a focus on obsessive growth can often stifle innovation, the lifeblood of a business’ growth and expansion. Conducting “business as usual” is a surefire way to make your business obsolete. Innovation and growth require unbridled creativity to innovate, solve problems and create a fabulous customer experience, which in turn requires the proper inner and outer conditions to manifest. Here are five lessons businesses must learn to unleash creativity and innovation in the workplace.

Lesson 1: Create an atmosphere where people are inspired to succeed rather than afraid to fail. Failure is a necessary aspect of invention (just ask Thomas Edison), but the fear of failure blocks the creative impulse. If employees are afraid of making mistakes, you can be sure that creativity will be stifled. Many times, failure is the gateway to a breakthrough

Lesson 2: Track performance by innovative contribution rather than time on the clock. Why should we track how many hours employees spend at their desks, when what we’re really interested in is their success at innovating, making customers happy and growing the business? We are interested in outcomes, not time clocks—in results, not efficiency. One can be efficiently busy yet ineffective at achieving results.

Lesson 3: Focus on allowing instead of doing. Give your employees space to wander, play and create—even on non-work-related activities. Google engineers, for example, spend 20 percent of their time working on whatever they want. Google trusts their talented employees to build useful and innovative things— some of which will become new projects in their Google Labs.

Lesson 4: Create an environment that lifts your employees’ spirits rather than drains their energy. Conditions in the workplace should support positive, creative thinking. Most office space feels dead and lifeless. If you don’t create an environment where people enjoy working, how can you expect them to perform at their best? Check out high-rated companies from Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” and model

Lesson 5: Foster creative collaboration rather than “just getting it done.”

Innovative companies understand that optimal business growth is directly connected to harmonious teams. If you’re focusing on policies, mechanics or systems of business instead of your people and the customers you serve, you’re bypassing the heart and soul of your business. Without positive emotion and heartfelt connection, the power of creativity is stifled. Providing a safe forum for employees to share their “crazy ideas” in an open and supportive environment can pave the way to extraordinary innovations. Scott Jeffrey, strategic coach and author of the newly released Creativity Revealed, shows readers how to tap into the source of creativity and harness it for greater personal and professional success. Scott is a managing partner at Nonbox Consulting, a creative problem-solving think tank that works with clients to tackle difficult business decisions with out-of-the-box ingenuity and psychological insights. For more information visit: www.scottjeffrey.com or email [email protected].

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