People Power - November 2007

By Scott Humphrey

One of the questions I’m asked frequently in my interaction with dealers is, “How can I, as an owner, manager, or leader, influence the performance of my team?” There are so many possible answers to that question that I rarely know where to begin. I follow their question by asking several of my own to determine how serious they are about change and how far they’re willing to go.

Generally, I find that people don’t want to make real changes. Instead, they want to put band-aids on gaping wounds. Many owners choose the easier way instead of focusing on the right way. As we look toward 2008, there is no better time to realize the potential impact of your actions, words, and decisions on the success of those around you. Here are a few things that you can do to make things right in 2008.

Manage what is possible

A leader’s job is not merely to see people as they are, but to see them as they can be. John Maxwell, author of “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership,” calls this the “Law of the Lid.” It simply means that people consistently will not perform at a level above what they see as their best. They have literally placed a lid on their level of performance. It’s important to realize that their perception of their best is greatly influenced by life experiences, failures, and influential people.

Did you know that you can take fleas and put them in a jar with the lid screwed on, and they will jump up, hitting the lid, over and over for some five minutes? But if you look very closely, after five minutes you will see that the fleas are not jumping all the way to the lid anymore. They don’t like hitting the lid. Here’s the amazing part. After those five minutes you can remove the lid and the fleas will never jump out. Even though the lid is not there, they believe it is. People are the same way. They develop lids, or they have lids placed on them by people of influence: parents, coaches, neighbors, peers, etc… throughout their lives. They are convinced that they can’t. These lids become their standards for performance throughout the rest of their lives.

Leaders have the opportunity and the responsibility to remove the lids from their employees, peers, families, etc… by challenging them to reach higher and managing what is possible in each person.

Understand the impact of your words

Even great leaders can struggle with giving positive feedback and recognition. They often feel that a job well done is what employees are paid to do. These same leaders have little trouble pointing out the shortcomings of others. However, research proves that one of the easiest ways to change behavior is by reinforcing verbally the things employees do right.

As a kid you probably heard someone say, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” There’s only one problem with this. It’s not true! Words, especially those spoken by people of influence, have the potential to create lids or remove the lids that others have placed on us.

Renowned motivational speaker Zig Ziglar tells a story about a time that he went into a prison in Dallas, to speak to the prisoners about his faith. He took one of the Dallas Cowboys with him, knowing the inmates would be more willing to listen to a professional athlete. During a break Zig asked the football player how he rose to the ranks of professional. To which the ball player responded, “I can remember my dad telling me when I was just a kid that I was going to be a pro football player. All through my high school career he kept telling me, ‘You’re going to be a pro some day. I just know it.’ Even in college when I had a rough junior year, my dad was still there telling me I was going to make the pros. I never really thought about it, but I became exactly what my dad said I would be.” Zig said that without hesitation an inmate, who had been listening in on the conversation, muttered under his breath, “Yeah, so did I.”

As a leader, never underestimate the power of your words.

Live the Example

As a leader, it is vitally important that you live the example you want your team to follow. Live life as if your team is watching you.

Lou Little, one time college football coach at Georgetown, shared the story of a young man who tried out for his team. The kid was small and not fast enough to impress anyone, and he insisted on playing defensive end. The only thing he seemed to have was a determination to play football. Coach Little finally explained to the young man that he wasn’t good enough to make the team. He did however offer him the opportunity to be on the scrub squad. (This is the team that practices against the team that plays every weekend. They get all of the beating and all of the bruising, but none of the glory.) Coach Little made it clear that he would likely never make it into a real game. Undaunted, he never missed a practice. He even showed up when he was hurt. He began to have such a positive impact on the team that Coach Little would allow him to stand on the sidelines as a manager at home games. Every time that kid was on the sideline a man would come to the games and cheer nonstop for the team. Offense or defense, it didn’t matter. Even with Georgetown playing for the championship, he was becoming more of a show than what was happening on the field.

After one of these games, the coach watched as the young man went up to that cheering fan and they walked off hand in hand. The coach realized that the fan was the boy’s father. Coach Little said he had grown to appreciate the young man because of his effort in practice, but his respect grew even more when he watched him with his father, walking arm in arm. He decided to give the young man a chance. He announced on a Tuesday that for the championship game, the young man would be allowed to start. The team was very excited for him. Wouldn’t you know, after not missing a single practice in some four years, the young man missed practice the next day. The coach was disappointed and thought about not playing him, but he had given his word in front of the team. The young man was back at practice on Thursday and Friday.

The game on Saturday was for the championship. At game time Coach Little looked up and noticed the father had not arrived, but being a man of his word he started the undersized defensive end, fully expecting to take him out after the first series of downs. He changed his mind after the young man had two tackles. He decided to leave him in. That afternoon the young man made 15 unassisted tackles. He made 12 assisted tackles. He caused one fumble and recovered another. The clincher was the pass that he intercepted and returned for Georgetown’s winning touchdown. By any standards, that was a terrific year, and he did it all in one afternoon.

It was Georgetown’s tradition to have all the players sign the game ball and award it to the most valuable player. Guess who won? You’re right, that undersized defensive end. As Coach Little awarded him the ball, he said, “Son, I’ve been coaching you for four years. You’re not as good as you played today. What got into you?” The boy replied, “Coach, I don’t know if you noticed, but I missed practice on Wednesday.” Coach Little replied, “Oh yes. I noticed. You almost didn’t play today because of it.” “I’m sorry,” the boy said. “My dad died on Wednesday, but I was back at practice on Thursday and Friday.” There was a long pause before Coach Little said, “Son, I know you and your dad were close. I used to watch you walk around after the games, hand in hand. But how does your father’s passing make you a better player?” To which the boy replied, “Coach, my dad was blind.” And holding the ball high above his head he explained, “This is the first game my dad has ever seen me play.”

You see, the reality is that someone is always watching! I don’t know about you, but I play harder when I’m being watched. Live life with the knowledge that you always have an audience.

As you move into 2008, I challenge you not to settle for the decision that is simply better than where you are today. Instead, do what’s right, and do it now to improve performance. See the possibility in others around you. Use positive words to reinforce the right behaviors. And finally, live the example you want others to follow. When you do, I assure you that you can and will have a positive influence on your team, and when the economy turns, you’ll be positioned for success.