Secrets To A Candid Work Culture Revealed At RetailNOW

Jim Roddy, Vantiv

Do you really know each of your employees' greatest needs? Their biggest frustrations? What would cause them to leave? What would increase their engagement at work? And do you fully understand how your customers perceive your company? Which customer is shopping around for a different supplier? Who in your business community is praising you – and who isn't?

In my presentation "Secrets To A Candid Work Culture" at RetailNOW 2016, RSPA members and I will discuss proven principles and techniques you can implement in your organization immediately to create a candid culture. These five actions will help develop open, honest relationships with both your employees and your customers which will lead to a stronger, stable, and more profitable business.

1. Admit your shortcomings.

Early in my management career, I erred by venting to other co-workers about employees who frustrated me. When one employee confronted me and said that her trust in me had eroded, I agreed my behavior was unprofessional. I admitted that to her first and then to my entire department in a face-to-face group meeting. Unpleasant? You bet. Effective? Absolutely.

2. Improve on your shortcomings.

I stopped talking behind my co-workers’ backs in part because I asked them to call me out if I ever misstepped again. This next example is a little extreme, but it’s also extremely effective. A sales rep I worked with frequently wandered around our office to talk with his co-workers, harming his and their productivity. So he purchased a roll of police tape and hung a segment of it across his cubicle opening each morning to prevent him from leaving his desk during the work day.

3. Integrate candor into your hiring process.

Even Vladimir Putin can seem charming if you only ask questions like What are your career goals? What motivates you? and What are you looking for in a job? before making an offer to a candidate. Ask questions that challenge the candidate; it’s not a problem if they squirm a little when formulating an answer. Candid questions include:

• Give me an example of a time when you had to do the hard thing or have a difficult conversation.
• Describe an unpleasant work situation and how you dealt with it.
• Give me an example of a time when you weren’t getting along with a co-worker. How did you resolve that situation?

4. Establish employee-related systems where candid conversations can take place.

I recommend your business conducts at least annually a “Culture Health Checkup” that includes a detailed employee survey and in-depth employee interviews. I also recommend you establish a cadence of one-on-one meetings with every employee you supervise. Employees further away from your performance standard or new to a position may need a weekly meeting while others may require only a monthly sit down.

Also effective is a regular “company lunch” where all employees get together to provide updates on important initiatives and to celebrate recent successes. Don’t avoid prickly subjects during this luncheon; for example, if profit targets aren’t being met, share that data along with specifics of the plan to get back on track.

5. Engage customers in candid conversations; I promise they won’t bite.

The foundation of a candid customer relationship starts with a detailed contract and SLA (service-level agreement). I also recommend you conduct an annual “Customer Health Checkup” that includes a customer survey which is complemented by follow-up discussions centered on the question “what can we be doing better for you?” Your customers will gain even greater respect for you after these businessperson-to-businessperson conversations.

Jim Roddy recently joined Vantiv to lead their PaymentsEdge Advisory Services for the channel as a Reseller & ISV Business Advisor. He is the former President of Business Solutions Magazine and Past Chairperson of the RSPA, and he can be reached at Jim.Roddy@vantiv.com.