Tell Me More: How to Ask the Right Questions and Get the Most Out of Your Employees: The Shock Your Potential Series, #1

The Busier, the Better

Maria entered the doors of the Philadelphia Convention Center at exactly 6:00 a.m. on a blustery November morning. She had rushed, cutting her time close — so close that she had to forgo stopping at her favorite espresso stand on the way to town. She could only hope there would be time to find some bad convention coffee before her duties began.

More than 9,000 attendees would be walking in the door at 7:30 a.m., ready to network, learn, and work on their personal and professional development. Maria was here as one of 200 volunteers who were about to pull off the 12th Annual Mid-Atlantic Women’s Leadership Conference.

Maria had been an attendee at the conference for the past couple of years and, this year, she decided to volunteer. It had been a great experience thus far, and the entire team was smiling and filled with excitement. The buzz of happy chatter proved that.

Maria saw her new friend Joy waving to her. To her absolute delight, Maria discovered after making her way through the crowd to her friend, Joy was holding two latte cups.

Please tell me one of those is for me, Maria asked as Joy handed over a cup. One sniff of the cup filled Maria with a sense of caffeinated pleasure. Before they had a chance to do more than exchange a couple of quick platitudes, the conference chairwoman got things started.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank you all so much for the time, talent, and energy you have all brought over the past year to make this year’s Mid-Atlantic Women’s Leadership Conference a complete success! You may think that sounds premature since we are still 90 minutes away from the doors opening, but we have exceeded enrollment by 15 percent over last year and have hit an all-time-high registration record. We have already achieved incredible success, and the rest of the day today will be the icing on the cake.

Now, you all know what your assignments are, and once I let you loose, please find your team leader for any last-minute changes or updates. But before I do that, let me leave you with some advice. Today is not just about the 9,000 women, and 27 men, she said with a wink and a smile, "who will soon storm our halls here. It is also about all of you.

"You all volunteered for a reason. Today will be busy and, at times, stressful. Remember, however, that you are not just here to serve. You are also here to network and to further your own professional and personal objectives. You are here to learn.

Live in the moment all day. Listen to the speakers and hear their messages. Meet new people and learn from our exhibitors. Take the time to savor what this day is all about!

Applause and smiles abounded through the room. And with that, they were off. Maria and Joy met up with their team for one last review of assignments and responsibilities. It seemed like only a blink before 7:30 a.m. arrived, and the doors were open. Maria couldn’t help but swell with pride as she watched the flood of people who were literally lined up at the doors early, eager to experience this day.

Maria’s Background

Maria had built an enjoyable and successful career and was genuinely proud of what she had accomplished. Although she began her career as a teacher more than two decades before, after just one year of teaching, she found herself looking for something more. She enjoyed teaching, but there was something missing. And of course, the paycheck alone (or lack thereof) was enough incentive to see what else was out there.

Maria landed a job with a nonprofit credit counseling organization. The company was looking for a director of education, and the fit was perfect. She rose through the ranks quickly, eventually becoming responsible for not only education programs but also marketing, public relations, and leadership for approximately 100 volunteers. Because of the number of times she was interviewed by the local media, she also enjoyed a somewhat local celebrity status. The job was fun, and it helped develop the leadership skills she didn’t know she had. Looking back, Maria could honestly say that her years there gave her the confidence to do more than she had ever dreamed. Headhunters found her and, over the next two decades, she enjoyed positions within a couple of different industries. She met, worked with, and learned from many talented leaders and mentors, who helped guide her through various areas of responsibility. She found a passion for health care, and new doors began to open for her.

People liked working with and for Maria. They trusted her and knew she genuinely cared about them. That, however, didn’t mean she wasn’t tough when she needed to be. She was focused and driven. She considered herself a leader, not a manager, and she enjoyed much success.

Slightly more than three years ago, Maria was introduced to Mark Haddon, CEO of a large vision care company. Mark was a soft-spoken Southern gentleman who had successfully built his business over several decades and forged a partnership with 10 other independent owners to form a consolidated company and partner with a national eyeglasses supplier. Thus, EyeSeeYou was born.

In its first 15 years, the company had grown to almost 300 locations in 20 states, and the coalition of the original owners reaped significant financial rewards. The company was humming along nicely, finding its niche in the industry, and enjoying a positive local community presence.

Mark was beginning to look for a successor, and a mutual acquaintance connected him and Maria. After a few months of discussion, Maria decided to make the move. It was a new industry for her, but her background could easily be applied in this market.

The company structure, made up of many separate and yet aligned segments, was also new for her. A different person in the same footprint of their original business headed each region of the company. Even though 15 years ago they technically gave up their autonomy to gain the benefits of one large company, they still operated as if they were their own businesses.

None of the former owners wanted to assume the CEO role, and yet none were particularly interested in following anyone else either. She soon recognized that Mark let the individual business regions operate pretty much as they wanted to and only occasionally asserted a company mandate. In other words, none of the former owners really had to deal with a boss until she came along.

This fragmented leadership method posed operational challenges, and it took time for the group to find a new normal. Maria was extremely proud of how she worked side-by-side with Mark and the regions to streamline processes and procedures, and over time she gained the trust and support of the original ownership team. It didn’t hurt that under her leadership, they also hit two revenue record-breaking years in a row and were poised for a third by an even greater margin. After all, increasing revenue can often calm ruffled feathers.

The main problem for Maria was that as the company continued to grow and thrive, and as Mark began to remove himself farther and farther from the day-to-day operations, she began to feel like she had less time each day to get everything done as she carried more on her shoulders. Maria and Mark had a great symbiotic relationship, almost operating as co-parents of the company, each carrying a portion of the burden. But as Mark would be fully divested before Q3 of the next year, they both knew things had to change.

The challenges of this large and still-fragmented company meant that it was time to revamp and restructure. Maria had more than 30 managers reporting to her, and except for the original business owners, most of the leadership team had minimal experience leading people versus managing processes.

Her team was dedicated, and they handled many things well, but their lack of leadership experience was taxing. It seemed that she spent more time solving problems than working on the evolution of the business. It was frustrating and satisfying at the same time. After all, these people needed her.

As the conference participants began to move from the exhibit hall into the ballroom for the opening speakers, Maria had to stop to take two calls and answer three emails on simple issues that seemed to demand her attention. She knew she should turn off her phone, but she worried what other crises would emerge during the next hour and a half. She decided to put it on mute and see how it went. No need to go cold turkey. After all, her job duties today didn’t start again until the first breakout session. She could multitask a bit.

Ninety minutes later, the morning session was wrapping up, and Maria realized she recalled virtually nothing from the speakers. She had dealt with four more crises and had one lengthy texting interchange to talk a salesperson off a ledge, but Maria should have left the ballroom 10 minutes ago to get to the room where she was to be the facilitator for the first breakout session. Frustrated, and more than a little embarrassed, she hurried out the door before the bulk of the crowd.

Chapter 2

Tell Me More

Sprinting downstairs, Maria arrived in a rush to see the speaker walking the room to test the mic and find dead spots. She went over right away to introduce herself and apologize.

Maria wasn’t excited about this first session. The speaker, Jane Smith, was unknown. She had a book out but had self-published, unlike most of the other speakers for the day. Most of them were New York Times best-selling authors and had landed national and international acclaims thus far. The volunteers with more tenure covered those speakers and Maria reminded herself that next year she’d have a better pick.

Maria didn’t know what to make of Jane at first glance. She had seen her picture in the author bios, but you can only tell so much by a headshot. Jane seemed pleasant and had a welcoming smile, but what made Maria smile without hesitation were her shoes and hair.

The craziest pair of shoes Maria had ever seen offset a straightforward and elegant navy dress with simple jewelry. An almost cartoon-looking pink bow sat on top of a wild design of navy and pink flowers. The heel itself appeared to be glass or plastic and immediately made her think of Elton John’s famous goldfish shoes.

To add to the surprise, Jane had white blond hair with a shock of pink on the bangs that matched the bow on her shoes perfectly. She was a strange mix of professional, punk, and complete fun. Maybe this session would be interesting after all.

Ms. Smith, thank you for joining us today. I apologize for being late. I got caught up in the ballroom during the opening speakers. My name is Maria Sanchez, and I will be your facilitator today for this first session.

No problem! Weren’t the presentations wonderful? I stayed through the woman from the Olympic gymnastics team and was very impressed by her! Jane responded with a bright smile. She seemed genuinely interested in Maria’s opinion. Maria herself would have been too focused on her upcoming presentation to worry about what her facilitator thought about another speaker, especially as a couple of hundred women filed into the room, but she appreciated the interaction.

I am ashamed to admit this, but I didn’t pay enough attention to the speakers. Quite a few crises came up at work. They can’t seem to function when I’m not in the office. I promise not to be distracted during your presentation, however.

Well, Maria, thank you for your honesty. But I can promise you one thing. I will make you WANT to turn off your phone today. Let’s have some fun.

With that, Jane smiled and walked to get her water bottle and to take her seat. Maria took a moment to review her notes about Jane. She did have an impressive resume, but her book title Tell Me More sounded a little wan for Maria’s taste. As she rose to introduce Jane, Maria hoped that she could keep focused.

After her introduction, Jane rose from her chair and walked to the podium. She was quiet for a moment, looking down at the podium, or maybe her notes. Maria thought Jane might be nervous. After all, Jane’s book was just printed. Perhaps the woman didn’t have much public speaking experience. The room was about half-full with roughly 300 people present. That could make anyone nervous.

When Jane raised her eyes to look at the crowd, she was anything but nervous. That seemingly awkward moment quieted the whole room. She had garnered all their attention. And Maria could see that she had done it intentionally.

With a now quiet command of the room, she began.

Who here has one of these? Jane asked as she raised her phone up high. All heads nodded, and a few people had low and pleasant laughter.

Who here remembers a time when they didn’t have one of these? This question received a more mixed response.

As Maria looked around the room, she was surprised to see how many younger women were in the audience. She rarely thought about her age or how the workforce around her now held as many people younger than her as did people her age or older. When did that happen? When did she get older?

How many of you would panic if you lost your phone today?

The heads nodded more vehemently now, and the laughter became both nervous and ashamed. Maria knew the feeling. She lost her phone a few months back, and it felt like an eternity until she got a replacement.

How many of you came here today to learn and expand your mind? Everyone nodded, and now some with some understanding of what Jane might ask next. But she surprised them again with her next question.

Let me ask you one more question. Are any of you today waiting on news of a birth or the outcome of major surgery? One arm shot up near the front.

Looks like we have a winner! What is your name, and which are you waiting on? Jane asked.

The woman stood up and said, My name is Sandra, and my daughter-in-law went into labor this morning. Sandra was practically jumping out of her skin and beaming with excitement.

I fly out tonight, but I decided it was better to still come here today rather than wait at home all day by the phone. They live in Florida, and it’s her first child, so I plan to get there before the first diaper is changed!

Jane laughed and said, Congratulations! Is this your first grandchild?

Sandra nodded enthusiastically.

In that case, Sandra, you are exempt from my challenge. For the rest of you, I challenge you to turn off your phones completely. Jane paused to let this sink in.

"I want you to understand why I am making this request. Except for Sandra, none of the rest of us are knowingly waiting on life-changing news. And although many of you think that your companies will absolutely implode without you being 100 percent accessible for the next 55 minutes, they will not."

Jane directed a knowing smile to Maria, making Maria return the smile touched with guilt. To look like she was complying with powering down, Maria verified that the ringer was off on her phone. Who would