Reading Reflection: Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh - Part One: Profits

In the introduction, Tony warns you that this book is not just about Zappos, or any other company he has been a part of; and it is not an autobiography. It is about him, and his path to happiness and finding out what that is and how to obtain it. Now naturally, information will come from his business life but what I really loved about the first part of this book, is that he includes bits of humor, to keep the reading light and enjoyable. I really enjoyed the first part of this book.

Now, to the reading; the second to last line of the second chapter is, "...I had decided to stop chasing the money, and start chasing the passion." WOW! This coming from the man who just sold his multi million dollar company, is pretty amazing! What I really loved about this first section, is he did not money control his happiness. Whenever he wasn't being true to his passion, and followed money, his productivity suffered. I loved that he was able to stop, right in the middle of all his LinkExchane/ Microsoft success, and say, what makes me happy? What do I love to do? When he realized that he what he was doing wasn't on that list, he walked away. I am sure it wasn't quite that simple, but to me, pretty amazing!

Another one of my favorite lines is, "...ultimate happiness is really just about enjoying life." I found that many of Tony's choices stemmed from his desire to be happy. It was not about status, money or power, just pure happiness. I believe that was his greatest profit of all.

Non-Profit Times "Best Non-Profits to Work For" analysis

I thought it would be interesting to compare the Non-Profit Times Best to Work For requirements to the Fortune/Great Place to Work requirements. The Non-Profit Times teams up with the Best Companies Group to conduct the analysis and assesment of each non-profit.

1) Registration and Eligibility

• Must be in business a minimum of 1 year
• Must be a non-profit with a 501(c)3 status
• Have a facility in US
• Have a minimum of 15 employees in US
• Non-profits may enter as a group, or as an individual organization as long as each participating organization is a separate legal entity.
• Registration deadline is mid October

2) Assesment

• Part 1: Employer Benefits and Policies Questionnaire
• Non-profit policies, practices and demographics.
• Part 2: Employee Engagement & Satisfaction Survey
• will select up to 400 randomly selected employees (amount will depend on size)
• Leadership and Planning
• Corporate culture and communciations
• Role Satisfaction
• Work Environment
• Relationship with Supervisor
• Training and Development
• Pay and Benefits
• Overall Engagement

3) Results

• All participating companies will receive an Employer benchmark report at no cost. The Employee Feedback reports are available for purchase to gain in-depth insight forom the employee survey process.

Great Place to Work diagram

Below is a diagram for the Great Place to Work organization. They believe that this diagram what make a great workplace, and you will notice that you see experiences and relationships - not bonuses and perks. That is not to say that having bonuses and perks will hurt your organization, but if you think about it - if your company can only provide those perks and bonuses but does not provide positive working relationships and experiences, how great of a workplace do you really have??

 

 

 

 

On the bottom portion you see three arrows steming from the word "Employee". This is how the employee views a great workplace - they can trust the people they work for, have pride in the work they do, and enjoy the people they work with. Trust is demonstrated through management's credibility, respect by how the employee is treated and fairness on how the employee feel's they should be treated.

 

When I initally looked at this, I did not get it; but as I am doing more and more research, I do understand. It comes down to the Employee, and if the employee doesn't trust the organization to do right, the culture will suffer.

"Best Place to Work For" analysis

As this project developed, I wasn't sure which way it was going to go. Instead of attempting to analyze individual companies and compare to the MET (which would be hard to do because not all the information is readily available). I wanted to focus on what is required to be considered a "Best Place to Work For". While that may not be the ultimate goal of the MET, I think it is important to know what is considered when looking at those companies that are considered "Best Place to Wor"k For

There are a few different "Best Place to Work For"(BPWF) lists floating around. The two that I will be focusing on will the Fortune's Top 100 and Great Place to Work's Best Small & Medium Workplace.

There are five steps to the whole process:
1) Registration Deadlines & Eligibility: companies must apply, they are not picked...if you don't apply, you don't get picked!
Fortune 100

• be five years or older
• have at least 1,000 regular FT and PT US employees
• must be registed by July 1

Great Place to Work

• be two years or older
• have between 25 and 999 regular FT and PT US employees
• must be registered by April 1

2) Assessment: Trust Index Employee Survery and Culture Audit. 2/3 of results are based on Trust Index and 1/3 on the Culture Audit
Fortune 100

• March - July (employee survery)
• July (culture Audit)

Great Place to Work

• February - May (employee survey)
• May (culture audit)

3) Evaluation
Fortune 100

• Aug - Dec

Great Place to Work

• June - Sept

4) Feedback: companies may use benchmarks, analysis and survey results to measure the healht and success of their organiztion, and to see steps that are needed to improve culture and business results.

5) Results and Awards: Not everyone makes the list, but those that do will be notified
 of their status and which media partner will be puslishing the list.

The Great Place to Work company has over 25 years of workplace culture insight. The companies are assessed by their:

• employee trust and engagement measures and benchmarks
• workplace culture and assessment
• best practices in hiring, two-way communciaiton, employee development, work-life balance, recognitition

I think analyzing the requirements for these competitions are a good start to determining what makes a great employment brand.

Organizational Theory and Management course - Human Resources Frame {Draft}

The 1st draft of the Human Resources frame of my org theory paper...

https://docs.google.com/a/metmail.org/document/d/14Q5k-JeLaQ1AGgwz6oXxbM92B7KbwvIsjSIPnfU69I4/edit

Organization Theory and Management Course - Structural Frame {Draft}

First Draft of Structural Frame portion of my paper for Organizational Theory and Management course..this is the first section of four to be done...

https://docs.google.com/a/metmail.org/document/d/17MNdO1AovlgWsFCUzZVFhlRU8L9VS__JQT92caXxBn0/edit

Case Study: Best Non-Profit to Work For: Year Up

In determining what my project will be, I decided to change my focus to the exploration of what makes a "Best Company to Work For?" and what does one need to create an employment brand. My hope is that this information/my findings will be applied to the website that I will be creating for the next semester. I will be doing a case study on selected companies (both for profit and non-profit) and compare them to the MET.

What is the name of the company? Year-Up
What type of agency/company is this? Non-Profit
What year was it founded? 2000
How many satelites (if any) are there? 8
What is the mission of the agency/company? To close the Opportunity Divide (the gap that exists between the 5 million urban young adults looking for career pathways and the projected 14 million vacant jobs over the next decade that businesses need to fill in order to prosper) by providing urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education.
Best to Work forAwards? #4 Best Non Profit to Work for in 2011, #25 Best Non Profit to Work for 2012
Recruitment/HR Website? Have a "Careers" section, that lists the misson and staff culture/expectations/diversity/ cultural competency. Also have a seperate section on Planned Growth.
Did anything stand out about the website? Staff picture, block letters (matches logo), Founder's book, link to blog that discussed different information (kind of like a TGIF, just not a weekly collaboration)

What differences did I see?
The MET is...
 a quasi-state agency
founded in 1996
3 satelites
although the missions are different, they both seek to help youth grow to do better
we have not signed up for any Best to Work for awards
we have a Career Opportunities section, that lists the jobs available and what it means to be a MET staff member

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Nine: From Good to Great to Built to Last (the last chapter)

I read Good to Great first, and plan to read Built to Last next, so I couldn't elaborate and reflect on all that was mentioned in this chapter. However, it was mentioned that Good to Great was considered a prequel to Built to Last because this book tells you how to build momentum and breakthrough as a great company (which can be applied to entreprenuers and start up companies, not just existing companies). Built to Last tells you how to stand strong, and become built to last throughout the changing CEO's, market changes, etc. So, can I see a correaltion between Good to Great and Built to Last? Absolutely! With all that has been mentioned in Good to Great, I see it as the groundwork to becoming an iconic company that is mentioned in Built to Last. You can't have an company endure years and generations of changes, without having solid groundwork.

I really, really enjoyed this book for many reasons, but most important of them being, I could relate this to my own experiences. I could see the material being applied to my work and the work that I have yet to do. I would suggest this book to anyone looking to start a business, or anyone looking to make a change in their personal life. The concepts are easy to understand, and while it is anticipated that the book would be dull and mundane, it really was not. I found the book to be a perfect mix of light hearted analogies, with concrete and real information. I am glad that Jodie suggested the book to me, because it really was a great read.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Eight: The Flywheel and the Doom Loop

The Flywheel and the Doom Loop...what do they have to do with building a great company? Everything! Companies that use a Flywheel pattern, know that there is no one single action that is THE thing that made the company breakthrough. They know that it is all the actions (getting the right people on the right right bus, following your Hedgehog concept, maintaining a culture of discipline, etc.) that get their flywheel moving towards a breakthrough. The Doom Loop is just the opposite, one would not be concerned with the build up, or all of the beginning actions, and go straight to the breakthrough.

When I read this chapter, I think of all of the "overnight sensations" that are reported about, and wonder what was their path to get there? Are they pushing a Flywheel or on a Doom Loop? It is mentioned in the book that most good-to-great companies, are not interested in the dramatic, flashy events that demonstrate change, but it is something more organic that they seek. If change is going to happen and is needed, then it will happen naturally.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Seven: Technology Accelorators

Thinking of new technology, and its effect on organizations, you would think an organization would want to have the latest and greatest technology on hand, wouldn't you? According to Jim Collins and his research team, technology should be used as an accelerator of momentum, not a creator of it. What this basically means is, you can't make good use of technology until you know what you will be most useful to the organization. You won't know that until you can link those to your Hedgehog Concept (three circles).  Acting with strict discipline, one must avoid getting caught up in technology fads, and only focus on those that fit within their Hedgehog Concept. Then using those that fit, use those to accelerate your good-to-great momentum to the next level. 

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Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Six: A Culture of Discipline

From the book:
"The fact that something is a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity"is irrelevant, unless it fits within the three circles. A great company will have many one-in-a-lifetime opportunities"."

This sentence really stood out to me. I guess when one thinks of something as once-in-a-lifetime, you get the impression that you must act on it; that this will never happen again - you HAVE to do it. What I learned is quite the contrary, you don't have to do anything. What you should do is react with discipline and remember what it is that you are trying to accomplish, and then decide if this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity makes sense within your three circles.

The key word in the last paragraph is discipline. When they speak of discipline or a culture of discipline, they are speaking of strictly adhering to your Hedgehog Concept (three circles) and the willingness to ignore the opportunities that fall outside that concept. What does that mean for the leader and their staff? They must be disciplined within themselves first, and this concept goes back to having the right people, on the right bus, at the right time...With disciplined leaders and staff, one can trust that they will use disciplined thought to take disciplined action. When you don't have the right staff, you will often find bureaucratic cultures will develop to compensate for the lack of discipline.

My Butterfly Story - Draft

I imagine my life as a big, fat, ugly caterpillar; always dreaming of becoming a beautiful butterly, fluttering among the pretty, red roses. You know, the kind of caterpillar who no matter what you tell them, they are sure of their beautiful butterfly destiny. I know there is a transformation that has to happen before one can become a butterfly, and until now, I have yet to find my cocoon.

I have been known to bounce from one interest to another, trying to find my true passion. My problem is I am passionate about being creative, I love to create; but it is the inner butterfly in me that keeps me fluttering from thing to another. Being the creative person that I am, I find that being able to pursue my passion is what keeps me sane in this crazy world.

This is where College Unbound comes in. I have been given the opportunity, to sit down and really confront what I have been scared to realize; and that is, I have to find a way to bring my creativeness to my work. Why would I be scared of that? Because I wasn't sure if I could be creative in the work that I do. I can't say that I wanted to be a successful artist, but I knew that I wanted to be able to do it if I wanted to. Once I realized that, I was able to allow room for growth and self-discovery through College Unbound.

I started this program, still very much a big, fat, ugly caterpillar attempting this program for everyone else except for myself. I didn't realize visualize this opportunity as a way for me to really get to know Danielle; I just saw it as a means to an end. As I ventured through the unsureness of indivdualized learning, I could see myself slowly changing. Still very much a fat caterpillar, I knew that I had to push myself.

And I have been pushing myself since February of 2012, it was this time that I lost one of my biggest supporters, my mother, number one reason for applying to the program. Up until then, I was content with getting by, wanting to be better but not really feeling the inner butterfly in me bursting out of my chest. When my mother passed away, I could feel the wings flapping in my throat, telling me, "You have got to do better! Be better! Fly better!" Since then I have been on a mission to flap my wings with pride, I have College Unbound to thank for that. You see, I see College Unbound as my cocoon of growth and self-discovery, and no matter when I graduate I know that with all that I have learned, I will be able to emerge as the beautiful, butterfly that is flapping around in my body.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Five: The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles)

When I started reading this chapter, I went into it thinking that I already knew how it was going to play out. "A hedgehog is someone who comes through and barrels his way through life, no games, no tricks - they just get down and dirty", this is what I said as I read the title. I guess the concept is about getting down and dirty, but it is the "before" we get down and dirty part that struck me.

The Hedgehog Concept is a clear, simple concept that flows from understanding where the following three questions overlap (or each one represents a circle and where the circles overlap)
1) What can you be the best in the world at? (and what you cannot be the best at)
2) What drives your economic engine?
3) What are you deeply passionate about? (you are not looking to cultivate passion, you want to discover what makes you passionate!)

When I reflect on this chapter, I think of chapter four, where they talk about confronting the brutal facts. In order for you understand what you are the best at and what you cannot be the best at, you have to be honest with yourself. Even if it is the core of your business, maybe that is not what you are the best at. Maybe that is not bringing in the most profit. This where you have find what you are best at, make sure that it is making you the most profit, and also keeping the genuine passion in play. Then this is where my "hedgehog concept"comes in...confront the brutal facts and get down and dirty in the work.

Reading Reflection: Good to Great by Jim Collins - Chapter Four: Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith)

This chapter really spoke to me because I could relate to it personally. Not only because I could relay the information in the chapter to my work life, but because it made sense! Creating a culture of truth, honesty and rigorousness can be difficult in the beginning but it is importatnt that if you believe in what you are doing, then never lose that faith that started you on that path.
Some of the key points that I look from this chapter were:
1) Leadership is about vision and creating a climate where the truth is heard and the brutal facts are confronted.
2) Lead with questions, not answers
3) Engage in dialogue and debate, not coercion
4) Conduct autopsies, without blame

What I really loved about this chapter (and I guess about the book so far) is that their staff are an important part of the decision making process. It is understood that transforming a company from good to great will not be easy, but what can leadership and the staff learn form one another to grow as an organization and as people.

I have been able to take the information and what I have learned in this chapter and apply it to my own life...and while the brutal facts are unsettling, I know that what I am facing is the truth. It will be from this point, that I can try to make necessary changes.