Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1253723
JUNE 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 51 big or little stuff. In the last month or two, we have tried to make sure we have enough PPE for everybody or we brought in lunch so that people don't have to go out and get lunch or worry about making lunch when even going to the store is a hassle these days. We have aimed to take one thing off the worry list; two would be better, but one is a good start. Matties: Something I often hear is that employ- ees expect to understand the direction or strat- egy of the company. They want to know how to measure their success. How do they know when they win? Those are some of the things that—especially in good times or bad, like dur- ing this outbreak—are even more important. How do you feel about those? Forsythe: I agree. I'm not the biggest psycho- babble guy, but I'm a big believer in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. At times like this, people tend to gravitate toward that bottom rung. The good news is I'm in the lifeboat, and there's no water in the lifeboat. Now, I wonder where the lifeboat's going. If I don't answer those first two questions right, then it doesn't really matter what the answer to the third question is. In times of stress and challenge, like we're dealing with by any measure today, it starts with those basic things from a company's per- spective. Are the lights on? Is payroll being made? Are we paying suppliers, or are custom- ers paying us? That basic Maslow core is func- tioning. From an employee perspective, was it just dumb luck that we were selling Clorox wipes when the pandemic hit? You wouldn't have to be too much of a savant to do well if that was your line of work right now. Or were we more typical and, frankly, got dealt an array of chal- lenges? How is the team doing with it? Do I think we're going to come out on the other side? Right now, I'm not sure many people are worried about 2021 earnings. It's like anything else. When things are calm, you can look to the future, and hopefully, all that earlier planning allows you to execute during these challenging times where we don't really need a new strategy. We just need to do what we do well. We might need some differ- ent techniques, but all the goals are the same. The expectations are similar. It reminds me of a conversation I had with some marketing folks a number of years ago who said, "We want to update things, but we know who we are. We want to get our hair done; we don't want a brain transplant." People perceive that, and the companies know who they are in these difficult times. That comes from the leadership and employ- ees together defining that over a long period of years. What's the company's "it," and as the people and team embrace that, does that "it" stay the same when times get tough? It's like the old story about two angels. There's an angel on each shoulder, and one is the bet- ter angel. Do they listen to the better angel? Or when they're stressed out, do they cut and run? That's the stuff that employees are looking for. Are they with me when times are tough? If they are, then I'm probably with them. Matties: Even in a regular routine of work, employees want a measure. They want to be held accountable. They want to know when they're doing well and when they're not, including areas to improve. They want to know that leadership is looking at it as a process and not just a number. Forsythe: It's very important that people have growth opportunities. There are lots of ways to grow and learn more. It makes me think about how KYZEN has changed, as well as the world. Even though we believe we are still true to ourselves, what goes on daily is differ- ent than what it was 30 years ago. The com- pany has grown, as well as our people. We have added individuals to the team and had those new people fit in well and help the over- all team grow. These things are key to growth because you're right that most people want to improve themselves. It can be in modest or big things, but it's the idea of lifelong learn- ing. You don't necessarily have to learn a lan- guage in a week, but you can learn things that make you a better, more interesting person and perhaps a more valuable employee. Over time,