Last week a few of us went to a presentation by Pat Murray on Group Dynamics.  Since we all work in groups it is good to know the psychology of groups.  We are a social animal.  Our behaviors, character, identity, status and place in the world all come from imprinting from our groups.  These groups could include our family, military, corporate, religious and other social organizations.  Groups are a mental configuration.  There is no individual action there is only group action.  Connection to a group is a requirement for human survival.  Many people don’t get over being dumped from a group.  Long term military people die on average 18 months after leaving the military.

Learning more about group dynamics can help organizations recruit better and lead better.  When hiring a new person to join your group the only important decision is do they fit or not.  Here are some questions you could ask during an interview to get to know that person’s groups:

•    Walk me through your resume, take as long as you want.  When the energy goes up ask more questions.  That is their group.
•    Walk me through your heroes and role models.
•    Can you give me some examples of when you have sacrificed a great deal to maintain personal integrity?
•    Can you walk me through everything you are sure of?

Pat said any statement in an interview that can’t be backed up with a concrete example is probably a lie.  That seems a bit extreme to me as people are nervous when interviewing.  Yet, know that past behavior is the best indicator of future behavior.  Getting examples from their past is a good way to know how they might fit.

The role of a leader is to maximize connection and minimize separation in the group.  The leader helps the group deal with the real issues.  Real issues come with high anxiety.  A high performing group will confront this issue.  When the group feels safe enough to speak up and deal with the real issues you have a high performing group.  If you see people go to silence during a meeting.  Or the real meeting is in the bathroom after a meeting.  Then your group needs to work on communicating more effectively.  On a basic level you need to get reality on the table and confront it.  This will help build trust, relief and energy in your group.

I believe Taylor Studios has a high performing group.  This took 18 years of getting the right team, culture, values, rules and processes built.  We used to deal with small issues in our meetings like why someone didn’t follow a rule.  Now we can deal with bigger issues like offering our clients more value than the competition.  Our team is excited and energized about the company’s future.  We have a shared fate.  When you have this type of group dynamics it is exciting to come to work everyday.

What groups do you come from?  How are the group dynamics where you work?

Yesterday, Myrna and I went to Peoria for the Get Motivated conference. Wow! What a day! We saw Brian Tracy, General Colin Powell, Former First Lady Laura Bush (via satellite), Rudolph Giuliani, Terry Bradshaw, Zig Ziglar, Dr. Robert Schuler, James Smith, and many others speak. It was a full day that ran from 8am to 5:30pm with very few breaks. I’m glad I took a few notes because it was certainly information overload (but that’s a good thing!).

All the speakers, while talking about different topics such as business, finance, and leadership, had common themes: self responsibility, being a parent rather than expecting teachers to be, the Golden Rule, God, not worrying about the past, and being optimistic rather than pessimistic. The phrase “what goes around comes around” was mentioned a few times, too.

What gives someone the right to act like they are better than anyone else and belittle someone just because they work as a janitor or trash collector or an assistant? How is their position any less important than the high-powered CEO? How could we function without them? If General Powell can take 15 minutes out of his day to sneak away from his security detail to talk to the parking attendants and if he can write thank you notes to his assistants and others in the Secretary of State’s office, why can’t all bosses and supposed leaders? If you don’t think encouraging your subordinates and thanking them for jobs well done takes too much time and wouldn’t have any effect, I challenge you to start doing it and see if there’s a shift in office morale.

We are very fortunate to have great bosses here at TSI; note of gratitude, lunch dates, and verbal praise are common. I believe that the morale and self esteem is directly tied to productivity. To build a great team, a leader must take the time to recognize and encourage those who help the company achieve its goals. By doing so, it lets the employee know that what they do is valued and appreciated. On the other hand, if an employee doesn’t help the company reach its goals, then the boss needs to step up and be willing to make the tough decision to let the person go before that person’s performance affects the morale of others.

As an employee, it’s important to strive to make a difference every day, be self-aware and open to feedback, and to always maintain integrity. Constantly growing and evolving is important for each of us, not only professionally, but also personally. What kind of life do we have if we become stagnant and simply go through the motions? What’s the point? Terry Bradshaw told us to smile. He said he smiles all the time because then people won’t realize he really doesn’t have anything to say. I don’t think that’s true, but he did get a chuckle from the audience. He also said to be optimistic. Life is too short to be a pessimist (or a realist as some around here like to say).

Jessica Mullins, Business Assistant:

How long have you been with TSI?

1 year, 9 months

What did you do before you started working at TSI?

Worked in the Carle Clinic Business Office

What do you do at TSI?

Human Resources - Accounting

What do you like best about TSI?

The people.  TSI creates amazing things!

What’s your favorite TSI project?

Rain forest exhibit - Miller Park Zoo

Why?

It really feels like you are in a rain forest.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?

Nope…can’t say.

What’s the favorite part of you day?

Last 15 minutes of the day when I pick up my office OR when my in-box is empty.

I have had Apple computers since the late 80s.  I drank the kool aide and have been a Mac advocate ever since.  Unfortunately, about five years ago, I moved to a PC for work.  We were using software that just plain worked better on the PC.  With angst I agreed that I needed the PC.  I’ve hated it ever since (except for the Apple sticker I put on the back).

This week I got an iPad.  I am happy.  The world is a better place.  I’ve now decided to consolidate everything and am going back to all Mac all the time.  I have my MacPro, my iPad and my iPhone.  By the end of September I’ll have transferred everything off of this PC and will be done with it!

What is it that draws me to Apple to this degree?  I’m a logical, reasonable, numbers oriented person.  My conclusion is it is beautiful.  Beauty causes an emotional attachment.  I want to use it.  I want to look at it.  I want to carry it around.  Donald Norman speaks of this in his book Emotional Design.  I like how he describes his teapots,  “These objects are more than utilitarian.   As art, they lighten up my day.   Perhaps more important, each conveys a personal meaning: each has its own story.”  He postulates, “…that aesthetically pleasing objects actually work better.   As I shall demonstrate, products and systems that make you feel good are easier to deal with and produce more harmonious results.”

If a product can make you smile and lighten up your day, it must produce better results.  I’m a results oriented person.  Happier people produce better results.  Beautiful things create a positive emotional response.  When in a positive emotional state, I make better decisions.  This is why Apples are better than any other computer out there.  Just take a look at this iPad with its beautiful wireless keyboard.  It is a beautiful design.   I’m looking forward to my iLovely future.

What things do you have because they are beautiful even if something else may be more functional?

Posted by: Myrna Webber, Account Coordinator

With the recent news of a JetBlue flight attendant quitting his job in the most unique way and the media reporting a high average of employees unsatisfied in their jobs, one may wonder if there are any workplaces with a welcoming and friendly environment.  There is in Rantoul, Illinois.  It has been three months since I accepted a position with Taylor Studios and I continue to be amazed at the attitudes in the office and at the fabrication shop.

The atmosphere here is refreshing and it is a great place to work. There are no yelling matches or disgruntled looks and no one plays the blame game.  No one takes themselves too seriously and often laughter can be heard from the conference room.  E-mails are sent company-wide announcing that ice cream is in the freezer and if someone is making a trip to Dunkin’ Donuts you’re typically asked “Need anything”?  Late in the afternoon you can often find the designers throwing a Frisbee outside for a few minutes.  All of this is great but it’s not all fun and play.  Walk through our offices/fab shop and you will see dedicated employees working hard to make TSI the best design and fabrication firm in the industry.

In addition, how many workplaces can boast that they are animal friendly?  Betty’s dog, Inca, is here every day following her around.  You know when Betty is near by the sound of the dog tags clinking together.  If you need to concentrate, shut your door as our resident kitten, Plyboo, is running around.  She has been known to pounce on electrical strips causing  computers to shut down when she hits that on/off button.  Occasionally your computer mouse may disappear as she plays with the cord or she may grab your leg in order to hoist herself into your lap.  Hopefully, when that happens you know she is in the room, otherwise it’s quite a surprise. It’s really nice to have these animals in the office and it only takes a few minutes of petting them to realize that they are enjoying it here, too.

TSI is not fantasy-land and not every day is perfect. There are still deadlines to meet, project delays, and numerous other issues that can be stressful.   However, it is the teamwork, dedication, and attitude of the employees that makes TSI truly unique.

Jane Skinner, Controller:

How long have you been with TSI?

7 years

What did you do before you started working at TSI?

15 years as Controller for a manufacturing company

What do you do at TSI?

Financial management and department head

What do you like best about TSI?

Our product is easy to get excited about.  We have produced many interesting exhibits and there is a sense of pride sharing them with your family and friends.  I also enjoy the team atmosphere at TSI.  Everyone is cooperative and working toward the same goals.

What’s your favorite TSI project?

Gettysburg cyclorama

Why?

I visited this exhibit last fall and it is very cool.

What’s something your coworkers don’t know about you?

I grew up in a big family - I have 5 sisters and 2 brothers.

What’s the favorite part of you day?

Early morning - I like to think about my day and make plans for what I can accomplish.

Today’s post was written by guest blogger, Rob Meier.  Rob is a licensed Social Worker with 20 years experience and currently works in healthcare as a diagnostic imaging consultant.

The core of our American way of life is the small business.  Small business is driven by profit.  Profit is what builds the personal wealth of owners and his/her employees.   However,  in today’s environment, the profiteering entrpeneur is  frowned upon as our national financial system came close to collapse.  We look upon the “owner class” of small business America with disdain.  Some may feel that their successes are due in large part to skimming the cream off the labor of their employees and so we discount them as greedy and heartless when in fact the exact opposite is the case.

America’s heart is still small business and at the core of small business is the man or woman that risked all in order to make a better life for themselves and those who they rely on.  While building their future they took many people along with them to success.  We look to large multi-billion dollar companies that were started as mom and pop operations in basements and garages.  For example,  Hewlett & Packard,  Cook Medical, Eli Lilly, Dell and Apple Computer, Nordstrom, Mattel and Starbucks are just but a few companies that started from literally nothing.  They were birthed by one or two folks that wanted a better life for their families.  These people risked everything they owned to start something in hopes it would amount to a better life.  Behold, organizations were born that gave thousands jobs with benefits and a means by which to build their own personal wealth, families and lives.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “industry need not wish.”  The entrepreneur assesses the risks against consequences and makes decisions that not only affect themselves but family members and employees as well as their customers.  Their industry drives them. The object of the risk is PROFIT and profit drives industry.  Profit is the nourishment from which business feeds.  Profit is not necessarily money; it is not greed; it is not negative.  Profit is in fact growth and with growth comes greater prosperity.  Prosperity encourages even more investment (risk) in hopes of yet greater profit so the growth cycle can continue.  Profit is in fact a good thing.  All of us benefit from profit.

We recently bid a project along with 20 other firms.  Within a couple days, we received the bid tabulation sheet.  The bids ranged in price from $150,000 to $675,000.  Our bid was in the middle.  This was a fabrication-only project so each firm was provided the same drawings.  How could the bid amounts vary so greatly?  Some of the things I thought of were:

• Lower quality product
• Less service
• No warranty
• Lower labor costs
• More efficient
• Plan to change order for everything along the way
• Do not plan to follow the specifications they bid
• Materials are less expensive
• Different fabrication method

I decided to do some follow-up on jobs we had lost because of a substantial price difference (over $100,000).  I sent some of my staff on the road to look at our competitor’s work (see Jason’s recent post).  Some of the clients they visited were our past clients, so these clients were able to compare their experience working with us and their experience working with the firm that underbid us.  When the clients began talking about their most recent experience, they made statements that included:

• They did not meet their dates
• They did not involve us in the process (e.g. weekly phone calls, approvals, website posts of progress, etc.)
• They gave us samples of what they were going to produce and did not produce it
• They asked for their money without providing the deliverable
• They were on the phone during our meetings
• We asked them to redo it several times
• It isn’t what we wanted

At one of the sites we visited we noticed the other exhibit firm used a different fabrication method than we do.  In the coming weeks, we will analyze whether that is a more efficient method.  At this point, we do know it does not offer the opportunity for the client to critique the work along the way and the natural elements were not the quality we produce - from the species of trees to the undulations in the groundform to the transitions into the mural.

We talked to another client about the design process and whether they got the same level of detail in the design deliverables.  We were told our deliverables differed significantly.  We have seen the lack of detail in other designs.  Many lack even the simplest of measurements or the quantity of graphic panels.

As a company that has a foundation of being frugal and efficient, it can be frustrating to lose work to a substantially lower-priced firm.  We have a core value of high integrity and back up our commitments.  This means we will not buy the job and change order it later to make up the difference.  We will make it according to the samples provided, etc.

We will continue to conduct research and will attempt to show the marketplace the differences in deliverables.  When bids come back ranging drastically in price, there is no way the bids can be apples to apples.  If the project is awarded to a company simply because they offer the lowest price, one must ask how that firm can provide the same product and service as the other firms.

If you have chosen to work with a firm based on the low price of their bid, how was your experience?  Are you happy with the finished product?

I recently asked the Community Manager at a PR firm in Chicago, “How do we get more comments on our blog?”  (Yes, I realize a good blog isn’t defined solely on the number of comments it receives (good thing!), but it is a starting point.)  Daniel posed the question on their blog, Spin Sucks.  The suggestions he and other readers offered were good and I will start implementing several of the ideas.  Dan’s post was also referenced by another blogger, Adam Singer, creator of The Future Buzz.  This blog probed my question a little more deeply and also offered some good tips.

An assumption made in The Future Buzz post was, “The real reason they are blogging (speculating here) is to build awareness for their firm and to gain additional inquiries (and ultimately clients) from blogging. “  So why do we blog?  We’ve been asked this question many times and Adam was pretty spot on. (Not really a difficult assumption to make.)

We started this blog about a year and a half ago.  We recognized the importance of social media and embraced it.  We wanted a way to connect with potential and current clients and others in the industry. We also wanted to educate our readers as to why we’re different.  In this industry, differentiation is hard.  We believe we offer our clients more value and a higher quality product, but there’s more to it than that and that’s often difficult to explain in 15 pages or less.  So we started blogging in order to give our clients, and yes, our competitors, a behind the scenes look at what we do, why we do it, what we believe, and ultimately how we’re different from other firms in our industry.

The posts you read on our blog range from meeting our staff, to learning about our management style, to understanding our history.  Some posts are fun (see what Tony does in his spare time), some are informative (see Renee’s series on our design-build process), and some are serious (see Betty’s position on incentives).

Do you have a blog?  Why did you start blogging?  What do you hope to gain from your efforts?

Posted by: Kara

I had my weekly meeting with our controller, Jane, this morning.  One of the things we talked about is organizing our pay policy.  We have a procedure and a strategy and now we need to organize it all together and make an official process.  Some of what we did to create a pay strategy is the following:

• Written job descriptions
• Establish pay ranges for each position within the company
• Market research on what those positions are paid in our market area
• A process for each department head to request raises
• Pay level spreadsheets for each department head
• Each employee gets an annual review. Raises are not given at that time. Expectations and goals are clearly communicated
• Annual review of pay ranges

There are market forces that affect pay policy.  If there is a limited pool of qualified employees for a particular position we are recruiting for we may modify the pay range.  The profitability of the company and forecast for future work could also affect pay ranges.

Once an employee reaches the top of their pay range for any position they would have to offer value in some other way in order to be paid outside of their pay range.  This also applies to making progression within your pay range.  An employee that has diversified skills may be more valuable.  If you can sculpt, paint and do woodworking that may be more valuable than someone that can only do woodworking.  If you can produce something fast you may be more valuable (this applies more to hourly workers than salary, but counts in both).  If you have not offered more value than you did in the previous year your raise may match that year’s inflation rate.  In 2009 there was no inflation.  According to the BLS it was negative .4% for 2009.  In 2010, it has been 1.1%.

Pay may also vary depending on what other benefits we are offering individuals.  We offer a variety of training.  If we are sending someone through extensive and costly training that may affect their pay for that particular period.  If we have to train someone extensively that may affect their pay level.  The pay strategy includes all benefits (health insurance, 401k, life insurance, etc.).

The work that we do is very unique and very competitive.  We compete with companies across the U.S.  Our competition often bids lower.  We assume part of their ability to do this is based on their pay strategy.  If you have to pay workers less in Atlanta for the same work we produce in IL that can make it difficult for us to compete.  We consider the unique work we do as a competitive advantage.  How many people can work at a place in which one day you learn about dinosaurs and the next the civil war?  It’s a very creative environment which also makes it appealing to come to work every day.  This advantage may mean we pay slightly less than the contractor down the street.

Do you have a pay strategy?