Have you ever worked with someone who was a real suck-up when the boss was around, but after she disappeared, he would be mean and nasty to the rest of the team? It’s like working with two different people, neither of them particularly enjoyable.

It appears I had this situation with my rooster, Hei Hei. After my experience with Oden, my late mean rooster, I thought Hei Hei was a great rooster. I was able to enter the coop without fear of him flogging me, I could tend to the food and water without worrying about his whereabouts, and when I did approach him, he would run away, not fly towards me like Oden did.

A month or so ago, Mike started suggesting that we should get rid of Hei Hei. We had plenty of peeps, so his “services” weren’t needed any longer, and the 4:30 AM crowing was getting old. But, I kept telling Mike, “He is such a nice rooster.”

A few weeks ago, I went up to the coop and found that one of my May peeps was walking like a penguin. I asked my chicken whisperer if she could check him out. Her inspection revealed that the peep was severely underweight and malnourished. What happened to him, you ask? Well, Hei Hei realized he had some competition from an up-and-coming rooster and kept him from eating and drinking. Apparently when a rooster walks like a penguin, he is showing submission to another chicken, in this case our rooster.

We separated “Penguin” from the flock and started adding apple cider vinegar to his water and feeding infant vitamins to him. He has gained the weight back, but he is still walking like a penguin.

This incident made me turn my attention to Hei Hei, and I realized how aggressive he was being with the hens. My focus had been on how he was treating me, not on how he was treating the rest of the flock. So, I agreed with Mike that we could remove him from the flock.

We had four choices for removing him:

1. Kill him
2. Kill him and eat him (not a viable option since I don’t eat our chickens)
3. Take him to the feed store where he would be rehomed (I think that is code for someone else eating him)
4. Take him to the fowl auction.

Read below to see which option we chose.

Do you have any Hei Heis in your organization? Employees that you know aren’t treating other employees well but are nice to you or giving you as an owner or manager what you want? Have you considered the impact these people can have on productivity, morale and employee engagement within your organization?

I was recently reading about the Welch Matrix, designed by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric. He classified his team members into categories based on performance and values match.

• Stars: High performance and high values match (In EOS language, these are Right People in the Right Seat).
• Terrorists: High performance and low values match.
• Potential Stars: Low performance and high values match.
• Deadwood: Low performance and low values match.

If you don’t address your low-values-match employees, you risk losing your stars or your potential stars. Worse yet, your stars could exit your organization, leaving your terrorists and deadwood to train the potential stars. Will those potential stars become stars or terrorists?

Be courageous when you see someone who doesn’t exhibit your core values. They can erode your organization’s culture in ways you can’t even imagine. Yes, addressing the issue can be scary, and it could impact your organization, but it won’t be as bad as you imagine. Just yesterday, a president of a company shared that she had known for two years she had a wrong person in her organization but was hesitant to remove them, due to a lack of technical expertise internally. She finally reached the point where she couldn’t wait any longer. Her thought after she addressed the issue? “I wish I had done this two years ago.”

Once the problem with Hei Hei was pointed out, I did act, but unfortunately, I think the damage to Penguin is permanent. What kind of damage are your employees suffering from with your “Hei Hei,” and will they be able to recover once you address the issue?

If you need help deciding how to handle your Hei Hei, or if you want to know how much we auctioned off Hei Hei for, send me an email. The situation won’t go away until you take decisive action.

If you have been reading my articles, you probably know that my beloved chickens are afraid of me. And they have been from Day 1.

The first day I brought my chickens home, they flew the coop. I guess I should have known that since they are birds, they can fly. I’m a little embarrassed to share that I went up to the coop during the first few days and tried to get them to come to me. I sat down on the grass not far from the coop with little pieces of pancake and said, “Here, little chicky” in my softest, sweetest voice. Well, it didn’t work. They stayed away from me.

Knowing what a great person I am, I figured it was their issue and not mine. Chickens just don’t like humans. Period.

I held this belief for quite a while.

Then I met the Chicken Whisperer next door. She takes her chickens for walks down the driveway, and when she enters their pen, they have no issues with her being there. She told me she starts by holding them when they are just a few days old, and they get used to her. I can tell you that isn’t going to happen here, where I have a mama hen who will attack anyone who gets near her peeps. Let’s just say the Chicken Whisperer’s peep-raising experience was different from mine. So again, not my issue.

But when I started to have trouble with Oden, my mean rooster, I did some research on how to “tame” a rooster. I came across a YouTube video of a woman walking around her pen, surrounded by chickens. None of them were running away and squawking bloody murder. This woman just reached down and picked up her rooster. I can’t say that he enjoyed it, but he didn’t flog her and run away.

The final realization came at Christmas, when my dear friend Vicky gave me a chicken hat as a gift. She was so excited to give it to me, and I stared at her, confused. Why would anyone think of putting a hat on a chicken? She couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen any of this on YouTube. I checked it out and sure enough, people knit hats to put on chickens. And guess what? Those chickens aren’t afraid of their owners.

I did some soul searching and realized I might have to accept some of the responsibility for the fact that my chickens don’t like me. First, I have dogs, and my dogs love to chase the chickens and even retrieve them if they get out. Second, chickens don’t like sudden movements. So, when I enter the coop moving pretty fast or I dump a load of weeds into the pen, it startles them.

This led me to consider what I could do to change my relationship with my chickens. The first change I’ve made is to have the dogs SIT-STAY away from the pen when I enter. And I move much more slowly when I’m around the flock. I also bribe them with mealworms because chickens LOVE mealworms.

I’m hopeful that these changes will soon make a difference. More importantly, the chicken situation got me thinking: How many of us tell a story about our relationships with other people and how the relationship isn’t good because of the other person? One of the harder parts of being an adult is having the insight to examine the role I play in my less healthy relationships. It is so much easier to blame others than to consider how I could play my part better. Do I have biases that keep me from hearing the other person? Is my body language sending a message that I’m defensive? Am I talking over them? Am I taking the time to really hear the meaning behind their words?

EOS is designed to help leadership teams get strong in three key areas: Vision, Traction and Healthy. Vision means everyone on the leadership team is crystal clear on where the business is going and how it’s going to get there. Traction means executing on that vision with discipline and accountability. And Healthy means transforming the leadership team into a cohesive, fun-loving group of people who like working together.

Which part is the hardest? Healthy. I coach my clients to be open and honest. Being open means you hear what other people are saying, instead of just waiting for them to stop talking so you can start talking. Being honest means if there is something in your head, get it out. Just say it.

If you want your business to achieve your goals, the leadership team and the rest of the organization needs to become Healthy. A strong leadership team working together can achieve anything. And getting strong starts with being healthy.

Here’s my challenge to you: Take a look at one relationship in your life that isn’t where you would like it to be. Ask yourself, What are you doing to contribute to its current state, and what are you going to do about it?

Not sure? I’m here to talk it through with you.

Life in the coop is never dull. After our two broody hens hatched their eggs, another hen decided it was her turn to be broody. Then a fourth hen decided to join her. So, we now have two hens with peeps and two broody hens, and the other three are trying to fend off Hei Hei.

Applying what I learned after my last round of broody hens, I left the hens in the coop and upon reaching 12 eggs (a nice sized clutch), we marked the designated eggs for them to incubate. After that, we removed any new or unmarked eggs. All was fine until we decided it was time to move the 4-week-old peeps and their mamas back into the main coop to make room in the broody hen coop. One mama was happy to roost up in the coop alongside her peep, but the other hen, Sally the Survivor (the lone survivor of the Great Chicken Massacre last May), wanted to keep her peep under her at night.

Sally is feisty hen, so, she kicked the broody hens off their eggs and decided she would sit on the eggs and her peep at the same time. This has caused lots of confusion in the coop, as the broody hens weren’t sure what they should be doing since another hen was sitting on their eggs. This resulted in hens moving the marked eggs to other locations in the coop, rotating hens sitting on the eggs in the nesting box, and at times, no hens sitting on the eggs. We had to throw away four eggs because they had been abandoned in various locations in the coop.

The grand finale came when I went up one night to put them to bed and, as I peered into the coop, the two broody hens were pushed off to the side, Sally was sitting in the nesting box on some eggs with her chick peeking out from under her, and next to her was our rooster, Hei Hei, sitting on the balance of the eggs.

All the confusion occurred because no one was clear on what their role was. Everyone in the coop was “dabbling” in incubating the eggs, but this kept the two hens designated for the role from doing their job.

How often do people in your organization veer outside their accountabilities because they like the work, or perhaps they don’t trust the person accountable to actually do the work? Do you have people stepping in because they see no one is handling something? Or on the flip side, do you have situations where no one takes accountability for something because they assume someone else is handling it?

In a recent EOS session, one of my clients was discussing the lack of a sales pipeline for incoming jobs. When I asked them who was accountable for sales, I got a bunch of blank stares. So I pulled out the accountability chart and used that as the foundation for our discussion. Guess what? It wasn’t crystal clear who was accountable, so everyone on the team assumed someone else was handling it.

Accountability doesn’t mean that one person does all the work. What it means is if you aren’t getting the results you need in a particular part of your business, everyone is clear on who needs to address the issue. If you are missing your sales numbers, the person accountable for sales needs to own this. If you’re struggling with scrap in a particular area of your process, you need to know who is accountable for scrap in that area.

When you are IDS-ing (IDS-ing my Broody Hen Issue), you can use a technique I call “Who Who One Sentence” as a framework for solving accountability issues. Who is Accountable? Who can solve it? In one sentence, what do you need?

The person sitting in a seat on the accountability seat should have the skills, abilities, knowledge, and passion to solve the problem. If not, you might have a people issue.

If chickens can get confused as to who is accountable for sitting on their eggs, imagine how confusing accountability can be in an organization full of humans. If you want to get more of the right things done, start by getting clear on who is accountable for what.

Need help? I’m just a call/email away.

In the life of caring for chickens, there are only a handful of things that can happen: egg laying, rooster drama, illness, death (not always by a natural predator, sometimes, it’s a dog), broody hens, and flying the coop. I’ve had to address all of these issues in the past few years. I entered this spring season feeling really good about what was happening up at the coop. We had plenty of hens laying lots of eggs, and an inquisitive rooster who hadn’t become aggressive (yet).

With spring comes the maternal instinct. Suddenly I found myself with not one, but two broody hens. This time around, I was determined to have a better outcome than last summer’s fiasco, when we had three broody hens sitting on 36 eggs and gathering up all the other hens’ eggs – in other words, no eggs for us.

So, on Good Friday in the cover of darkness, I moved each hen and her respective eggs to the peep pens. Keeping them separated from the other hens will protect the peeps from being attacked by other hens or falling off the coop ramp. It also limits the number of eggs in their clutch.

After getting them settled, I closed them in for the night. The next morning, they were both sitting on their eggs, and I left feeling pretty good about myself. That is, until later that afternoon, when I returned to the coop to find that both hens had left their peep pens and their eggs and were now sitting on new eggs in the larger coop. They had abandoned their 12 eggs and were starting over again with newly laid eggs.

After waiting about 48 hours to ensure they had accumulated enough new eggs to form a clutch, I moved them again, but this time, I closed the gate to prevent them from returning to the larger coop. I check on them later that day, and sure enough, they were back in the larger coop. They were so determined, they’d either figured out how to open and close a gate or managed to fly through a fairly small opening near the top of the gate. Either way, they were back sitting on eggs in the larger coop.

So we settled for Plan C, which was to leave them in the larger coop but mark the eggs they were sitting on, then periodically remove the unmarked eggs from under their care. In the end, they had around 10 eggs to incubate. About 3 days prior to the end of the gestation period, we moved them again into the peep pens. Fortunately, they stayed put and hatched some peeps. The yield was low, with five peeps hatching; at this writing, three have survived.

Managing broody hens is just one of the chicken issues that I am learning to navigate. I know every time it happens, I’ll get better at handling this issue.

Along the same lines, when I’m working with my clients implementing EOS, I remind them that there are just 23 issues in the history of running a business. The goal is to get them really good at solving those issues at the root so they go away forever.

The tool we use is called IDS, which stands for Identify – Discuss – Solve. Gino Wickman developed this tool when he realized that most teams, even high-functioning teams, are really good at getting into a room and discussing the heck out of problem, rarely identifying the root cause, and even more rarely solving the problem so it goes away forever.

Most teams just love to talk and talk and talk about an issue and then move on to the next issue before solving the one at hand. Some people may even do this intentionally in an effort to numb others into agreeing with them. And lots of my clients start solving one problem but soon realize they have followed a squirrel on a tangent that has nothing to do with the issue at hand. So to make IDS effective requires discipline.

Here is how the tool works. First, pick the three most important issues the team needs to solve. Don’t overanalyze this – just pick the most important issues. Then, start working on issue number 1. First step: identify the root cause. Of the three steps, this should take the most time, because once you dig down and identify the root cause, the rest is much easier. For example, if you aren’t hitting your sales targets, ask why. Then keep asking why until you have arrived at the root cause. Not sure you have arrived at the root cause? Ask why again just to make sure.

Once you have Identified the root cause, it’s time to move to Discuss. In this step, everyone gets to participate in the discussion, but you can say something once and only once, because more than once is politicking. And no one wants to beat a dead horse. If you stick to this rule, the conversation will eventually become stale and nothing new will be brought up. At that point, it is time to Solve.

In the Solve step, the team agrees on an action that needs to be taken. That may mean assigning a To-Do, communicating with some employees or possibly someone needs to do more research on the issue. Once you all agree on the action, make sure it is captured on your To-Do list.

At that point, you go back to the original list of three issues, pick the second most important issue and repeat the process. If you follow this process, you will get much better at solving issues and making them go away forever.

A word of advice: don’t shy away from the elephant in the room. If the root cause turns out to be a person in the room, talk about it. Be open and honest, which translates to saying what needs to be said, when it needs to be said, with the fewest words possible. I’m not saying you should attack the person. It’s important to focus on the person’s actions, not the person. Just don’t avoid the hard topics.

I’ve been using IDS to solve my broody hen issue. But after a few attempts to limit the number of eggs in my hen’s clutch, I came to the realization that the real issue is my chicken mama skills.

Give IDS a try and let me know how it goes. And if you have any tips on how to strengthen my chicken mama skills, I’d welcome the input – but please don’t attack me!

A few weeks ago, my husband and I went on vacation.  I can’t tell you what the time in the sun did for my mental outlook. I’d highly recommend you take some time to decompress after the stress of the past few years.  However, leaving our house requires finding a dog sitter and a chicken sitter.  Fortunately, we have a chicken whisperer who lives next door who has offered to care for our chickens in our absence.  This woman is an expert in all things chicken.  She is so good with her chickens that she actually takes them on a walk every day – they seriously follow her up and down her driveway.  (As you know, that is not the type of interaction that I have with my chickens.)

Anyway, I knew my chickens were in very capable hands – and that included Oden, should he decide to try any “chicken-business” with her.  (If you are new to my chicken stories, you have missed the adventures of Oden. Here is a link to one article I wrote about him, but essentially, he is a mean rooster who thinks nothing of asserting himself at the top of any pecking order.)

When we returned from our vacation, our chicken whisperer shared that she was up caring for the chickens one afternoon when Oden came up behind her, flogged her and dug his spurs through her boots, causing two 1-inch-deep puncture wounds on her leg.  She kicked him off and chased him away.  But every day after that, he was waiting for her, strutting his stuff in the run.  He wouldn’t go into the coop if she was around.

Well, if you are keeping score, Oden has three strikes: he flogged Mike, he has attacked me multiple times, and now he has flogged our chicken whisperer.

As they say, three strikes and you are out.

Yes, Oden has moved on to greener pastures. And we have a new first in command, Hei Hei (named after a character from the Disney movie Moana).  While I don’t love the name, I’m hoping a gentler name will result in a less aggressive rooster.

It was a hard decision to remove Oden from the flock, as he was really good at his job, and I know his aggressiveness was part of the job. But it is nice to be able to be in the run with the chickens and not have to worry about being flogged.  And I must say that Hei Hei has really embraced being at the top of the pecking order.

How many of you have Odens on your team?  Maybe they are really good at their job, but they are not enjoyable to be around or they are undermining your office culture.

If you are sensing something is wrong with an employee, chances are high that other employees have also noticed, and they are waiting to see how you handle this person.  What kind of message are you sending when you allow this issue to linger?

You don’t necessarily have to let the person go.  But being clear on what defines a great person in your company and then providing feedback on how each employee is performing against that definition is a path that leads toward resolution of “wrong people (chicken)” issues.

The tool we use in EOS is The People Analyzer.  We first help our clients discover their core values. Then we define what those values look like in action.  Upon completion, on a quarterly basis, the clients grade each of their employees on how well they are living and exemplifying the company’s core values.  It redirects those awkward conversations around performance and provides a simple way to communicate where employees are excelling and where they have opportunities to improve.

If you want to be one of those companies that isn’t struggling to find employees during this tight labor market, I’d urge you to define what a great person looks like and then strive to have every employee live it, even when no one is watching. Let those core values become a common language that everyone embodies.  What is the worst that could happen? Oh, I know: you could have a company full of people that you love working with.  And what could be better than that?

If you aren’t sure if you have clearly defined a great person for your company or communicated it to your team, it isn’t too late.  Reach out to me today and I can help you discover exactly what defines a great person in your unique organization.

Life is good out in the country.  Our little chicks are now 11 weeks old.  We have at least three young roosters (properly called cockerels).  It is so entertaining listening to them learn how to crow.  Quite honestly, I find it much more enjoyable than listening to Oden, our old rooster.  A couple of weeks ago, one of our young hens (properly called a pullet) laid an egg.  It was so small compared to our other eggs.
 
I believe this enjoyment came from addressing my issues with Oden.  Yes, he still needs to be reminded who is at the top of the pecking order.  Yes, he still makes me a bit nervous at times.  But, overall, everything changed for me once we came to a new understanding.  And now, I’m enjoying being a chicken mama.
 
I have heard similar expressions of enjoyment from my clients after implementing EOS.  Here are a few quotes from my clients:

• We finally have the right people in the right seats so we can focus on the more pressing issues
• I have more energy for my business than I have had in years
• My board has fully bought into our vision and has committed extra resources to ensure we achieve it
• My team is finally working together to solve problems, rather than pointing fingers
• I am fired up about our 10-year target! And the team loves it, too!

This energy coming from my clients fueled my desire to take the next step in my EOS career. So, after attending the training, I am now a Professional EOS Implementer, one of only 375 worldwide. 

EOS (The Entrepreneurial Operating System) is a powerful system that takes a holistic, self-sustaining approach to building a great company.  It helps business owners get the most out of their businesses.  We have delivered over 91,000 full-day sessions for more than 11,900 companies. As a result, these companies:

• Crystallize their vision, getting everyone on the same page and rowing in the same direction;
• Gain tremendous traction by building discipline and accountability into the organization; and
• Create a healthy, functional, and cohesive leadership team and company. 

For actual client testimonials, visit www.eosworldwide.com/testimonials or www.eosworldwide.com/eosstory to watch a short 4-minute video.
 
Want to see how your company is performing? Take an organizational check-up here.
 
This real-world, proven system is also captured in the award-winning book Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business.  You can get a copy here or send me an email and I’ll send you a free copy. 
 
If you know of a business owner/entrepreneur who is frustrated and/or looking to get more out of their business, I’d appreciate a referral.  You have my word: I’ll care for them like I care for my chickens, and they will thank you for it!
 
Cheers to enjoying a little EOS in our lives!