Ever hear the “Do as I say, Not as I Do” statement before?.........Think back! For some, it may have been from your parents, for others, maybe a mentor that said it, or it may have been just last week at work! Another related and similar statement to this statement is “saying one thing but doing the opposite”. In this article, we will try and focus on the ramifications of these simple statements or actions, both professionally and personally.
Let’s start by asking yourself if you know someone who has said, or by their actions, used and/or acted on either statement? Now, whether this was a co-worker, owner, manager or friend, how did it affect you when it happened? For most of us, this starts to erode away the base foundation that this person has built his/her reputation on! No matter how good the rest of his/her “building” is, with an eroded foundation it is only a matter of time before everything starts to crumble around and eventually fail. So, we lose faith in his/her abilities and start to question most everything they do going forward. If enough people are able to see this occurring this person almost has to continue the ruse by building their building higher/bigger, but the foundation remains the same. The result is the same but maybe occurs quicker under the weight of the higher/bigger building. Obviously, or maybe not so obvious, we are substituting the word “building” for “reputation”, but make no mistake, people who don’t practice what they preach will all eventually fail and if you allow it, take you with them!
In the coaching and training world, we push people’s boundaries, because, without this push, they don’t/won’t change, and that is our job in most cases. As a matter of fact, sometimes we do this (push) purposely to see where their limits are and how they react when those limits are reached. I have seen many managers fail under this pressure or even the pressure of the day-to-day business activities and revert back to the old adage “do it or I’ll kill you”, another phrase for this was “ruling with a size 12 shoe” and neither work any longer! I might even recommend you stress every prospective employee during the interview process by stacking questions (one right after another putting them under pressure) to see where their limits are or if they remain calm, cool and collected under all circumstances. I recommend having this process as part of the interview process because finding out later can have extremely adverse consequences. Ever been in court or speaking with an EDD representative because you had a manager that verbally abused the employees? It happens and I’m here to tell you that you need to watch for any sign of it as an owner or manager. I was witness to just this type of abuse, almost bullying of all the employees earlier last year that continued until recently, and although this particular manager had been a
good manager to that point, something happened, and nobody recognized how big a problem it was until employees (some long-term) starting quitting, quite a few employees! Watch for it and correct it before you start to lose long-term valuable employees!
Going a step further in this conversation, remember when looking for a coach, trainer, mentor or simply just guidance, make sure to watch that person in their business very closely. Do they follow their own rules of teaching/preaching? Do they say one thing but do another? Do they live their private lives as they do their professional lives? These are all questions you should find out before entering into a personal or professional relationship with anyone! A quick note here though, everyone has minor exceptions or slip-ups, and sometimes we (coaches) push the limits of the “do as I say, not as I do” statement. What I mean by this for example is; your coach/trainer tells you that you need to take more regular vacations! Although you know this to be true, you ask them “when they took their last vacation?” The answers may surprise you, or maybe not as most live their personal lives pretty openly. Some people simply aren’t built to be able to take “normal” vacations and some people are workaholics, for instance, taking multiple long weekends instead of a week or two vacations because of their responsibilities to others. There will always be minor exceptions, but please make sure that they are just that, minor exceptions before you start using them for advice or guidance!
Remember the reasons for these writings are that we are trying to help, trying to keep you on the right side of the fence, morally and ethically! Failing to realize these very real situations can and do cause complete business failures. Watch for the signs, ask a question about their actions and act on them immediately & appropriately!
If you need help with your business and want to see and feel the successes you expected when you opened your doors, give us a call at:
The ACT Group, 805-444-2598 or visit our website for more information www.automotivecoachingandtraining.com
Ray Kunz
RayKunz Enterprises, LLC
Automotive Coaching & Training Group
ACT Today & Change Tomorrow!