March/April 2001

The New Duck Takes Off

In the last issue of Duck Tales™, we bid farewell to Old Manco Duck® and Manco’s visionary founder, Jack Kahl. We will miss them both, but it’s unlikely we’ve heard the last from them. Who do you think keeps leaving all those feathers around the place?

Anyway, it’s exciting having a new Duck® in the top Duck® formation. Don’t look for too many major changes around here; expect the same commitment to service, customers, and associates, the same quality and values. Still, even the smoothest of leadership transitions represents a change. So in this issue of Duck Tales™, we’d like to focus on dealing with change and leadership transition. How can employees combat any unease and learn to embrace new challenges and opportunities? What can leaders do to encourage them? We have a few ideas we’d like to share with you. Oh, and by the way, the new Manco Duck® is eager to spread his wings and take flight!

Making Change

Businesses today are bound to undergo transitions, mergers, repositioning, and changes in leadership. How they handle these challenges is more than a test of character, it’s a test of survival. Companies that succeed in change are those that learn to adapt, to take firm stands, and to adjust cultures accordingly. In their zealousness to speed up transitions, however, organizations sometimes make some mistakes. Here’s a look at some of the most common errors associated with change:

(1) Too many lists. The more employees are bombarded with lists and details announcing a change, the more disinterested and disenchanted they become. Too many lists means too much time is being diverted from the actual tasks at hand.

(2) Too many teams. As with an overabundance of lists, too many teams devoted to coordinating a change actually slows progress. A select group devoted to a fast-paced transition should launch activities.

(3) A lot of hype. Communication is essential to a transitional process. However, if that communication is full of hype-filled material, shareholders, employees, and the public will be more confused than enlightened. Communication should be straightforward and factual.

Staying Positive Amid Change

Most people accept change as an inevitable part of their lives, but few can embrace it easily without at least some fear or insecurity. That’s where leaders can step in. While no one can eliminate the uncertainties of the future, leaders can help create an environment where people feel safe and even welcome new challenges.

The new Duck® on the block would like you to consider these strategies:

1.) Create a support network. Change usually affects the entire organization, but people often feel very much alone—as if they were facing it all by themselves. When employees have the opportunity to share their ideas, hopes, and fears, they feel stronger and more connected with others and the organization.

2.) Provide direction. Leaders should give employees a clear vision of where the organization is headed. Only then can people identify their individual purpose and goals. Such a sense of direction is the best antidote to anxiety and helps people remain positive.

3.) Remain trustworthy. Change can weaken trust that took years to build. To appear strong, some people hide behind masks of toughness. But true strength lies in displaying vulnerability, rather than concealing it. Employees know when leaders are being true to their feelings, and such honesty encourages trust and cooperation.

Bouncing Back

You can’t escape change—not at home, not in your community, and certainly not in the workplace. “Because change is everywhere…we have to find a way to thrive in the face of these stresses,” says Froma Walsh, author of Strengthening Family Resilience. Resilience means a person can be challenged and not break down. Resilience is becoming such a valued skill that schools nationwide are offering resilience classes; businesses are offering resilience training to employees; and sports researchers are studying how and why some athletes are able to perform well after defeat.

For the first time, experts have pinpointed concrete characteristics that make a person resilient. One researcher says an essential skill is the ability to connect with others. Children who grew up in abusive homes were able to lead happy, successful lives when they had someone around who loved them and boosted their self-esteem. In addition, resilient people have “a learning reaction, not a victim reaction, to bad events,” says the author of The Survivor Personality.

While resilience comes easier to people who are naturally calm, as opposed to easily excitable or—dare I say—flighty, resilience can be learned by just about anyone, say researchers. Some companies provide training in resilience. “In the past, if someone hit a disruption in their life—a divorce, a family illness—we would lose them for several months,” says one employer. But resilience training helps people bounce back, boosting productivity and reducing sick leave.

Changing of the Guard

Few people make it through a lifetime of jobs without experiencing the changing of the guard at some point. And in today’s often volatile work environments, leadership can change several times during a person’s career. Industry experts say adapting to new leadership doesn’t have to be fraught with anxiety. When the top brass changes, employees would do well to consider these suggestions:

* Begin by listening. In those first meetings with a new leader, let him or her know you’re happy to be a part of the new team and willing to change. Listen carefully and intently. Forget your own agenda—at least initially—and work to understand the new
leader’s position.

* Show that you can make a difference. You may have knowledge about the organization that your new leader doesn’t. Share useful information in a confident, but nonaggressive manner. Prove through quality presentations that you are a valuable and competent team player.

* Don’t get stuck in the past. This is an exciting time to hear fresh ideas and philosophies and to discover new methodologies. Adjusting to new leadership is not always duck soup, but it can be a great growing experience for all involved.

Held Together by Trust

Trust is crucial for companies under-going any type of change, whether it’s restructuring, downsizing, or hiring a new Duck® or two. Trust promotes stability, teamwork, growth, and loyalty when the company needs it most. For trust to be a reality, and not just a buzzword, however, it must be cultivated by all team players. Follow these tips to build trust continually—not just in times of change:

- Welcome feedback. People should feel comfortable offering feedback—positive as well as negative. An environment where people feel free to communicate openly is crucial for promoting trust.

- Listen. When receiving feedback, listen with an open mind. Try to understand, rather than judge, and offer advice only when it’s asked for.

- Be honest. Nothing earns trust better than integrity. Be sincere with people, honor your commitments, and admit when you’ve made a mistake. Do the right thing, regardless of the political consequences.

- Walk the talk. It’s important for others to see that your words are consistent with your actions. Even your best intentions don’t mean much unless you put them into practice.

Management in Succession

Succession planning isn’t just for an organization’s top Duck ® . When a manager steps aside, where do you look for a replacement? More and more companies today are making sure the new manager comes not from another company, but from the same organization. An internal succession plan offers a number of benefits. When a company loses a manager, a lengthy recruitment process can be both costly and nonproductive. An internal succession program for managers, on the other hand, allows someone to step in immediately, with little or no loss of revenue.

The process is also appealing to current managers who want to move forward in their career. It’s an equally appealing recruitment tool because job candidates today are as concerned with skill development as they are with salaries. A succession program involves these primary strategies:

Identify the right people. Look for candidates with strong thinking, planning, and project management skills. Also identify your organization’s short- and long-term skill needs and then find the people who can meet those needs.

Train them accordingly. Once you’ve identified potential managers, you must offer them the training and experience they will need when the opportunity arises. Companies with succession programs often assign some management responsibilities to candidates. One company, for example, arranges a two-day workshop in which management candidates oversee daily operations of a fictional company.

Offer a smooth transition. When a succession candidate moves into a vacant position, the organization should provide support, ideally by another manager for three to four months. Some companies try to have the outgoing manager work side-by-side with the transitional manager for at least a month.