Leadership Insights from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Indiana Jones' films are pure entertainment.  Last weekend, my husband, our black lab - Jack, and I watched a marathon of Indiana Jones' films.  It is a fun thing to do during a snowy weekend here in Cincinnati.  Temple of Doom has significant entertainment value, but there are some uncanny leadership insights we can pull out and apply to our respective businesses or even for career planning purposes.  Here are three key insights I gathered:

1. Always be open to change.
Indiana Jones and his accomplices - Willie Scott and Short Round - escape from an incident in Shanghai.  They board a plane, but later discover it was owned by the crime boss they were trying to escape from.  The pilots exit the plane and take all the parachutes with them.  The plane is flying without a pilot over the Himalayan mountains.  Facing death, Indiana Jones calmly figures out a solution to save them.  They end up using an inflatable boat to land on the mountain and ride down the slopes into a raging river.

There's a lot we can learn from this scenario alone as there are many leadership elements woven into it.  Companies sometimes try to operate without a strategic plan.  Or the leadership team knows the plan, but hasn't effectively communicated the plan to employees.  Also, there are alot of changes occurring in the environment - some changes are able to be controlled while others are not.  To be an effective leader, it is important that we "lean forward" and embrace change.  When problems or challenges occur, we need to approach them calmly and confidently, and develop creative solutions using our skills and talents.

2. Do the right thing.
After the dangerous ride in the inflatable boat, Indiana and his sidekicks arrive in the village of Mayapore, a desolate village in Northern India.  The villagers ask for their help in retrieving a sacred stone that had been stolen from their shrine along with the village children who were enslaved at Pankot Palace.  Indy and his team initially were focused on seeking out fame and fortune.  However, after critically listening to the villagers, they inherently knew they needed to adjust their mission.

Businesses today need to operate with an internal compass and do the right thing.  That may mean shifting the mission or objectives as the situation warrants.  Today, many firms are reviewing their strategic plan quarterly because of all the changes in the environment that are occurring.  Businesses need to do the right thing for their stakeholders - employees, customers, suppliers, and shareholders.  Employees want to work for organizations with high ethical standards and integrity.  Customers want to do business with companies that operate in an open, trustworthy manner.  Companies that operate on a strong platform of trust and integrity will naturally attract shareholders and other funding sources.

3. Create an environment of trust.
During their final exit, Indiana and his team mates are trapped on a rope bridge over a river that is swimming with hungry crocodiles.  Many businesses today are facing a similar situation; especially given today's fragile economic situation.  Their finances and employee morale may be weakened.  Competition in many industries is heating up - especially given the global marketplace we operate in currently.  Indiana uses creativity and problem solving to ultimately lead his team out of harm's way.  These are typical technical skills.  But the piece that made the difference was trust.  Indiana had worked to develop an "environment of trust" through consistent performance, communication and interpersonal skills.  Today's leaders need to adopt a similar strategy to help their companies navigate the rope bridges and crocodile infested marketplaces.

There's a lot more insight in this movie.  What are your thoughts?  Did you see any additional insights?

Chrissann Ruehle's firm, Complete Business Strategies LLC, helps companies navigate competitive marketplaces and achieve a competitive advantage by streamlining processes, reducing operational costs, increasing efficiencies, improving productivity, and increasing both employee and customer satisfaction levels.  She can be reached at chrissann@completebusinessstrategies.com or 513-443-2365 for additional information.

Lessons on Servant Leadership from the Dog Park

This weekend we did not have an opportunity to visit the dog park as our black lab, Jack, was ill. However, I did have a chance to reflect on employee motivation and simple techniques we can use as leaders to engage our employees.

W.H. Auden has an interesting quote; “To ask the hard question is simple”. Employees like to believe their leader has a sincere interest in their well being and professional development. As a leader, are you spending quality time talking with your employees on a daily basis? In the past, I worked with a leader that did a phenomenal job with motivating and leading his team. When he retired from his position, his employees actually planned his retirement party and commented he was the best leader they had ever worked for.

One day, I asked him about his leadership secret. He said it was simple. He made time in his schedule on daily basis to walk the production floor and talk with every single employee. It was manufacturing environment and he did not intend to make it a lengthy or formal discussion. Instead, he informally spoke to the employee by name and asked how they were doing. He asked a very simple, but insightful question: Do you have everything you need to do a quality job today? There is a term for this called “Management by Walking Around”. The employee trusted him and would openly share any issues they were having that day. If the employee revealed any issues, he would ask for ideas on a resolution. Frequently, they came up with some excellent and creative solutions. He and the operations manager would proceed to work on a resolution utilizing the employee’s input. This leader viewed his role as providing support and resources for his team members. In addition, this conversation with the front line workers often revealed issues with productivity and system performance which allowed the leader to rapidly troubleshoot problems and quickly respond to customer needs or concerns. This was an effective example of Servant Leadership.

Have you seen examples of Servant Leadership in your work or professional lives? We would like to hear about additional examples of Servant Leadership from you.

Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. The firm provides customized human resource consulting services for small businesses.

Lessons on Strategic Planning from the Dog Park

My young lab, Jack, and I visited the Dog Park in Cincinnati this weekend. We met a small business owner and had an in-depth conversation as we walked the perimeter of the dog park. He asked for suggestions on ways in which he could improve his business. He had recently lost several of his top performing employees and was evaluating his business to see where he could improve. As you can imagine, he was very concerned about employee engagement and productivity. You’ve probably heard the statistics; 1 in 5 workers plan to change jobs in 2010 (from CareerBuilder Survey, January 2010). You may be contemplating the same issue about your business.



Here are 10 fundamental tips to maximize employee engagement:


1. Does your company have a mission and vision? If so, does it reflect your current business, or does it need to be revised?
2. Has your mission and vision been communicated to employees? What methods are you using to relay this information – newsletters, intranet, emails, one on one meetings or discussions, group meetings, or a combination?
3. Do you have 1 year, 3 year and 5 year goals for your business? Are they written down? Does your management team fully support those goals? Or are you frequently operating in “fire fighting” mode?
4. Do you have the correct organizational structure in place to meet your current business needs? Are there initiatives that are falling through the cracks? Are you maximizing the talents and strengths of your human capital?
5. How would you characterize your company’s culture? Do all of your employees appear to be enthusiastic and engaged when they come to work? Or do you have people who have “resigned in their place”?

Lessons on Leading Change from the Dog Park

Over the past few blog posts, I’ve discussed lessons on business from the dog park. Visiting the dog park on Sunday afternoons has become a tradition for us. My black lab, Jack, and I both look forward to spending quality time together in addition to the social aspects of the visits. This weekend, there was a large turnout of dogs and their owners, and as a result, there was a tremendous level of activity. Some dogs were playing toss and retrieve games with their owners. Others were frolicking in the water. Some were resting quietly in the shade.

In many respects, this scene reminded me of organizations today and the challenges that leaders are facing with respect to leading change. The marketplace is rapidly changing. Customer preferences are shifting. The ways in which consumers obtain information about products and services is evolving. Technology is rapidly being transformed. Decision making is moving at a significantly faster pace. These market dynamics can create significant challenges for firms. Today’s leaders need a comprehensive strategy for leading change in their firms in order to maintain or enhance their competitive advantage. I have included three tools for the leader’s toolbox.

Initiate a formal mentoring program
This program should target both new employees as well as employees who wish to further develop their careers. Employees need to cultivate positive working relationships in order to thrive in this new, dynamic environment. The mentor can assist the new employee in assimilating to their new work environment by teaching the new hire the unwritten behaviors and actions that lead to career success at the firm. This can also serve as a professional development opportunity for the “mentor”. It is a way to show the “mentor” that they are a valuable employee and serves as a catalyst for developing their leadership skills.

There were several dogs at the dog park that stepped into this role, including Jack. He greeted new dogs when they entered the park, walked beside them to the play area, and “introduced” them to the other dogs. This helped to alleviate fears and smoothed their transition to the park.

Organizational systems should be fluid enough to embrace change
Has the mission and vision of your firm changed? Do your mission and vision statements reflect your current organization? Perhaps your company has entered new markets, industries, or even introduced a new product line. If the firm has changed its focus, it is important this information is clearly communicated to employees.
When was the last time the leadership team reviewed employee job descriptions and the organizational structure? Does the company’s job descriptions match employees’ current roles and responsibilities? Has the firm’s performance management system been adjusted to reflect shifting roles and responsibilities? If not, these are key areas to focus on from a leadership standpoint.

Employee Engagement Lessons from the Dog Park

My black lab, “Jack”, looks forward to spending Sunday afternoons at the dog park. It is a treat for both the owner and the dog. Yesterday, it was raining in Cincinnati, yet there were still a lot of people at the facility. I wondered what compels people to come out and stand in the cold rain to watch their dogs play; beyond their basic love of dogs. I put on my business hat and pondered what key learnings would apply to business. After much reflection, it came to me. As business leaders, how can we create an environment in which people are excited to come to work, even on difficult days, and fully engage their natural talents?

Jack and I visited a new dog park this weekend. Upon entering facility, there was a sign that provided guidelines for using the park. We stopped to read the sign and observed other dog owners and their pets. Our goal was to identify both the written and unwritten guidelines for the park. This prompted me to think of new hire orientations and on-boarding. As business owners, we need to communicate our expectations to new employees upfront. It is important that new employees learn both the written and unwritten policies and procedures. In addition, we need to help new employees develop positive working relationships throughout the organization. When performance expectations are clearly communicated, employees have a greater opportunity for success.

As leaders, it is critical that we identify employees’ natural gifts and talents, and place them in roles which allow them to freely utilize their strengths. There was a beautiful greyhound at the dog park. He was standing quietly in group and did not interact much with the other dogs. His owner threw a ball to the far side of the park. The greyhound took off running to fetch the ball. He broke into a beautiful, fast stride around the park. The other dogs in the group followed, but the greyhound leaped out in front of them. It was beautiful to see the greyhound striding with such freedom, grace and confidence. Employees inherently want to do good work and feel a sense of accomplishment. We need to look for opportunities and create an environment which unleashes their natural talents.

Another interesting observation was related to learning and knowledge acquisition at the dog park. There were several mini communities that formed. Dogs and owners would cluster around one group for an activity such as a game of tennis ball toss and fetch. One dog started the game while the others watched. The other dogs joined in after a few tosses. After the dogs progressed in their knowledge and mastered the tennis ball game, especially the “teaching” role, they would move on to a new and more challenging game such as Frisbee toss and fetch, and become a “student” again. While the dogs were learning from each other, the owners were sharing their lessons learned in training their pets. As business leaders, we need to search for opportunities to create “learning communities” in our organizations, which fosters relationships and facilitates the lateral transfer of knowledge. Every person has life experiences from which learning can be derived. Additionally, we need continually assign challenging assignments that empower and foster growth in our employees.

Employee engagement can be cultivated through a number of methods. When employees are fully engaged, they can propel your business forward and help you to leap ahead of your competition.

Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. A human resources management consulting business, Black Lab Ventures focuses on on-boarding, training & development, performance management, and health & wellness initiatives. Our signature service, called Culture Branding, is a form of employer branding designed to help companies attract top talent and retain employees they already have. For small businesses, we offer our HR Start-Up Kits – a simple and affordable method to achieve an HR presence. We also offer full service packages for mid and large-sized companies, and function as a complement to their HR departments so they can focus on their core business.

For more information, please visit our website at
http://www.blacklabventures.com/ or feel free to call us at 513-443-2365.

Cultivating an “EE Thumb” for Growing Employee Engagement in Your Organization

During this time of year in Ohio and many other areas throughout the country, gardening enthusiasts are busy planning their gardens. Gardening enthusiasts use the term “green thumb” to describe a person who is a gardening expert. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines this term as “an unusual ability to make plants grow”. As leaders and managers of our organizations, we can learn from the gardening pros and apply those same concepts to growing employee engagement in our business. We can develop an "EE Thumb".

The economic recession has taken its toll on employee engagement in many firms. Merit increases and bonuses have been suspended.  Budgets have been severely reduced. Employees are feeling the strain and pressure to perform. Today, many leaders are asking what they can do to re-energize, empower, and super-charge their teams.


What can we learn from gardening pros?

1. Gardeners focus on selecting the right plot. Leaders should assess their business model to determine: a. whether they are in the right business or not, and b. identify additional opportunities to expand their business.


2. Gardeners audit the soil. Leaders need to assess their processes, people and technology to ensure they are creating an environment that fosters growth in people and ideas.


3. Gardeners create a plan and they work the plan. If leaders wish to fully engage their employees, it is critical that they create a plan. Success requires planning, patience and persistence. Employees crave recognition and praise.


4. Gardeners ensure their garden receives a sufficient mixture of sun and rain. Leaders should celebrate company successes and dedicate sufficient time to learn from mistakes and failures so the company can continue its forward movement. Leaders need to create a positive environment in which employees are encouraged to grow and learn from problems.


5. Gardeners dedicate time for weeding. As leaders, it is critical that we routinely monitor engagement and search for opportunities to weed out destructive processes, procedures or negativity in the firm.


By developing a game plan and implementing systematic processes, leaders indeed will develop an EE-Thumb for growing employee engagement in their firms.

Chrissann Ruehle is Co-Founder of Black Lab Ventures, LLC. A human resources management consulting firm, Black Lab Ventures specializes in providing organizational development, onboading, training and development, health and wellness solutions, in addition to our Black Lab Culture Branding services for businesses. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.blacklabventures.com/ or feel free to call us at 513-443-2365.