The purpose of this book is to put in writing the things I heard from the employees at the lower levels of different organizations; their ideas, suggestions, concerns, feelings, and-why not?-their genuine complains and frustrations. I hope this book helps to open the minds, hearts and souls of those who supervise people at any level of the organization, and not only the doors of theirs offices, to listen to what the employees want or need to say. They may be right or wrong as anybody else. If they are right, tell them what you plan to do, act accordingly and provide them with frequent feedback; if they are wrong, explain to them why they are wrong in a clear and specific manner. Organizations must make sure that supervisors are instructed to be available to their direct reports and listen to them. Fear, the main reason for employees not to speak to their supervisors, must be removed from the work environment because it closes the doors to many good ideas including significant cost saving suggestions, erodes people's commitment, causes decrease in productivity and increase in employee turnover among other diseases. Sometimes the lack of communication is not necessary caused by fear but by supervisors who apparently are listening to employees without taking any action or providing adequate feedback. People understand yes followed by action and feedback, and they understand no when the reasons are clearly explained to them; but there is something that people can't understand and usually creates anger, resentment and frustration: to be ignored.

Voices from Below

People at the Top Need to ListenBy Ysaac J. Chabo

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Ysaac J. Chabo
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4389-6157-6

Contents

Introduction.....................................................................ixHigher performance organizations.................................................1Clear Vision.....................................................................3Team work........................................................................8Customer satisfaction............................................................12Tapping employees' creativity....................................................14Challenging, but attainable standards............................................17A pleasant work environment......................................................20Enable and empower employees.....................................................25An employee-driven, customer focused organization................................29Sustaining healthy finances......................................................32Correctly planning for the best..................................................34Effective and efficient systems and processes....................................38Employees work as if it is their own business....................................39Using the modified Golden Rule...................................................41Effective communication..........................................................43Effective leadership and efficient management....................................48Quality and continuous improvement...............................................51Quality is a state of mind.......................................................52The culmination of something well done...........................................53A product or service fit for the intended purpose................................57Providing products or services that make us proud................................58Processes that produce the best output...........................................60Doing things right the first time................................................61Zero defects?....................................................................63Best product, timely delivered at the lowest possible cost.......................64More than doing the best at work.................................................67A journey to perfection..........................................................67What do people like about their jobs?............................................70What is great about my organization?.............................................82What is the purpose of your organization?........................................112What is the purpose of your job?.................................................121What is the purpose of your life?................................................126Problems that your organizations face today......................................134Problems that your organizations will face tomorrow..............................144What do we need to improve?......................................................148Organizations' strengths and weaknesses..........................................159What do effective leaders do? What do efficient managers do?.....................162Employee concerns and questions..................................................168Concerns.........................................................................168Questions........................................................................170Things that prevent employees from doing a good job..............................176How do you see others?...........................................................179What do you like about another employee?.........................................179What do you find good in an employee that you don't like?........................181Mutual trust.....................................................................185Your strengths and weaknesses....................................................188Strengths........................................................................188Weaknesses.......................................................................191How does fear at work affect you?................................................196Criteria for selecting a vendor or provider......................................198Performance evaluations..........................................................200Final comments...................................................................206Operating at the greatest potential..............................................206Reaching higher levels of productivity...........................................206Management listens to employees..................................................207Everyone is valued...............................................................208Acknowledgements.................................................................212About the author.................................................................213

Chapter One

Higher performance organizations

This is the first concept I present to participants in my Quality and Continuous Improvement (QuCI) seminar, and their initial comment is that at the higher levels in many organizations the image shown to the outside world becomes so important that the organization is presented as a higher performance one while conducting business as usual. In more simple terms, the faade becomes the most important part of the house. As they stated, this kind of organizations usually do not participate in programs, such as Malcolm Baldrige, because they know that the most light inspection would disclose their misrepresentations causing the mask to fall down. Too embarrassing!

Again and again, for more than twelve years, different employees at different levels in different organizations have addressed this concept by focusing first on their own definitions:

An organization with a clear vision, mission and values, embraced by all employees, with flexibility to change, and lead by the right leadership.

People working as a team in order to achieve common goals.

Continuously providing satisfaction to the customers in an effective and efficient manner. Understanding the customers' values.

Tapping on the employees' creativity. Using everyone's skills wisely. Encouraging and allowing "out of the box" thinking.

Maintaining a high level of excellence in its timely delivered products or services, at the lowest possible cost.

Establishing challenging, but attainable, performance standards. Working above and beyond expectations.

Implementing the continuous improvement of everything and innovating when necessary without fear of changing. Practicing benchmarking.

Creating a pleasant work environment where trust and compassion are the norm, not the exception. Embracing diversity. Eliminating the individual performance evaluation.

Enabling and empowering employees by allowing decision making at the lower levels when appropriate.

An employee-driven, customer focused organization which involves employees and customers in the continuous evaluation of the quality of the product or service, and maintains a healthy balance between productivity and quality.

Sustaining healthy finances to make sure the organization is viable.

Correctly planning for the best and organizing, instructing, implementing, and monitoring the highest possible level of productivity. Establishing preventive maintenance. Striving to excel.

Using effective and efficient systems and processes....