Liz Strauss

Even more difficult to see are our relationships to our goals. These orientations to the outcomes that are important to the roles and functions that we serve can often be at cross purposes, or at the least add some conflict to our achieving what we see as the most perfect end. A look at the goal orientations across a team throughout an enterprise makes it obvious that these differences also can cause stress in our working relationships.

• On the warehouse floor, the shipping crew works to ship a product on time that will arrive packaged well and easy to carry and unpack.
• In customer service, the person on the phone has a goal to make a lifelong customer relationship..
• In accounts receivable, they hope that the price is a value that the customer understands and agrees with.
• The marketing folks want to be sure that the product meets current customer needs and desires with solid features and benefits.
• In the field, a sales rep wants a product that customers will immediately recognize and understand as useful to them. One that he or she won’t have to sell, but instead simply “show and tell.”
• In R&D, employees want to make state of the art.quality. They work for the highest design features supported by user-friendly, user-proof documentation
• The directors want their departments to meet the strategiy and budgets for the three year plan.
• The investors want all departments coming in as predicted on the yearly financials.
• The CEO wants all of the above and more.

All goals are important to the operation. Yet no outcome can stand alone and call itself perfection. An R&D masterpeice that doesn’t sell is not a masterpeice at all. The silo-ing of departmental goals divides the power of the enterprise. It causes friction as each part attempts perfection without the support of the other departments.

Stress is inevitable when an organization does not focus on a common outcome. The common outcome is delighting the customer with something that makes customers’ lives easier or more enjoyable.

When a leadership team understands that they must set goals across the organization. The level of stress becomes a shared burden. By nature of being supported from above and divided among many, the stress to each worker is much lower and often looks more like motivating energy.

Behind every Successful business is an Outstanding Manager. –Perfect Virtual Manager

Liz Strauss

We don’t often consider that people that we work with live in different relationships to time. These orientations to time structure how they react to information and their sense of urgency. A look at time orientations makes it obvious how these differences can cause stress in working relationships.

• On the warehouse floor, the shipping crew is oriented toward today’s shipping tickets and the 2:00p.m. deadline when the truck comes to pick up the packages.
• In customer service, the person on the phone is oriented to that moment and that problem, order, or shipment being discussed.
• In accounts receivable, the staff is focused on the time of the month in which books will need to be closed.
• In marketing, the current focus is the upcoming major trade show in two months. It happens only once a year, but draws 15,000 customers.
• In the field, a sales rep inputs order during the key selling week of two one-months selling seasons each year.
• In R&D, employees let go of a product they’ve been working on for five years.
• The directors are meeting to finalize the strategiy and budgets for the three year plan.
• The investors have just asked for an update on the yearly financials.
• There’s a meeting next week with the bank auditors to review the covenants of the loans.

Each task is important to the business operation. Each takes a different amount of lead time, information input, support from others, and development time. Only the people doing the work understand what the work entails. Yet all of the people interact with each other while all of the tasks are happening.

Stress is inevitable if we don’t see that we all work on different time lines. The formula for Stress Relief bears repeating.

How to Find Stress Relief

The best way to alleviate that stress is to breathe. Go outside of the office to get perspective — look at the sky and trees. It’s hard to feel stressed and sorry for ourselves — like we’re the center of the universe — when we see things that weren’t made by people. Breathe again. Then go back in and communicate with grace and humanity.

Behind every Successful business is an Outstanding Manager. –Perfect Virtual Manager

Liz Strauss