Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It’s Only Common Sense: Take Your Company From Zero to Hero

Many times, we can be too close to the problem to see it. It’s the old “forest for the trees” predicament. When this occurs it’s time to step back and do a full evaluation of the situation. It’s time to take a clear and unadulterated look at you and your company. There is nothing wrong with doing this kind of exercise, and I recommend it happens on a regular basis. In the end, no matter how bleak things may look, it will help get your company on the right path.

Conversely, you might be pleasantly surprised at what you are doing right. Perhaps you just need a little bit of tweaking to take your company from good to great.

Laurie Grenier of “Shark Tank” likes to say that she knows the difference between a hero and a “zero.” Let’s use this terminology to do some actual comparisons of companies that are a zero—or a hero.

• When you walk around your company, how many Dilbert cartoon strips do you see hanging on walls? If you see a lot of them, your company might be a zero. People who are happy with where they work will not identify with Dilbert.
• When you listen to people talk, do they use the pronouns “them,” “they,” and “their"? If they do, your company might be a zero. Hero companies use the pronouns like “us” and “ours.” They are all inclusive, meaning we are all on the same team.
• When someone gives a report that discloses unpleasant news, do your people tend to shoot the messenger and attack the validity of the information? Hero companies take the negative information seriously and start an initiative to correct the problems.
• When someone comes up with a new and innovative idea, do your people immediately come up with 50 reasons why it won’t work, or do they immediately engage in conversation on how to make the new idea, product, or innovation even better? Hero companies understand that new ideas matter.
• When something goes wrong, do your troops form a circular firing squad and blame one another? In a hero company, they pull together and cooperatively start solving the problem.
• When a customer files a complaint about your service, or rejects and returns your product, does your gang blame the customer and make a list of why this is a bad customer? Hero companies immediately start working on the problem, even calling the customer to see what happened and what they think the problem is, and start fixing it immediately.
• When you hire a new person, do your people immediately start looking for things that this person does differently and ridicule him or her for that, or do they accept that person and the team? Hero companies seek to learn more about the new hire to see what contribution they can make to make your company better.
• Does your company blindly put policy in front of people? No matter what the circumstance are, no matter if it makes sense or not, do they take delight in saying, “That is not our policy.” Hero companies teach that erring in favor of the customer means playing the long game instead—always the right game in the end.
• Are your people doing things out of fear? Are they terrified of losing their jobs if they do the wrong thing, speak up, or go against the rest of the members of the team? Are they silenced by fear or confident they can speak up without ramifications? Hero companies make room for all opinion at your company’s conference table.
• Is criticism and back-biting encouraged in your company? Do your folks like to talk about someone behind their back? Worst of all, do you enjoy jumping in yourself? A hero company will discourage bad-mouthing of any kind, reminding everyone that we are all part of the same team and that we all must look out for one another.
• When someone comes up with a new idea, does the rest of the group find ways to beat that idea into the ground because it will take them out of their comfort zone, or do they go with the new idea, appreciate what it can mean to the company, and start looking for the best way to implement that idea? I think you know which one is the hero company.
• When someone is trying to make the company better, speaking up in meetings with productive and innovative ideas, does the rest of the team look at that person with disdain and call them a suck up? A hero company would want everyone to compliment the idea and freely come up with their own ideas so that you have a brain trust rather than a brain freeze.
• Most importantly, do people stay at your company because they have no place else to go? Is it a great company to work for? Are they invigorated by being part of a great company like yours? A hero company takes the lead.

How you answered these questions will be a sure barometer of what kind of company you are—a zero or a hero. Think about it.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.