Attitude problem

Changing cultures amongst the members of your company is probably one of the most difficult tasks that you can ever attempt to achieve.

With the increasing problems of sourcing security personnel or working with your existing team members, finding "the right attitude" seems to be a difficult and at times an impossible task.

What do we mean by 'culture'? Some of you may think that it’s just a question of religious belief or race, but in reality culture is the why and how we carry out tasks in our everyday lives, our views, our moral beliefs, the respect we have or lack of it that we have for others.

Why then is it so important that we have good culture within our companies?

Well, every business begins with an aim to make money, starting out to provide the best quality of service achievable. However, what starts off as a caring company with a good culture, providing service with "the right attitude" can all too often change over a period of time, making profit a priority and losing site of its aim to provide quality of service and maintain a good reputation.

The right culture within any organisation has many benefits, ultimately sustaining and aiding growth. The personnel with the right attitude working together within your company will pass on their positive vibes, thus aiding sales and service and creating a pleasant working environment.

'While you're here …'

We have all experienced the odd requests on attending security systems: "My door bell hasn't worked for over a year now. Could you have a look at it for me while you're here to service the alarm?" This request could be made by a 70 year old lady, unable to carry out any task of this nature, without even the remotest idea of who to contact to sort out her problem.

But what would you say? You could take the decision that this is not your problem, time is money, say it’s not company policy, you have a full schedule or just can't be bothered.

Or you could decide to spend five or ten minutes having a quick look, and possibly be able to rectify or give advice to help the client know what to do to resolve the problem.

The moaner may be a whiz with the screwdriver, but would you want to put an apprentice or new starter with him?

Remember good culture and the right attitude.

This lady will be down the bingo singing your praises … something along the lines of "Oh that lovely young man – and do you know what he did? He was marvellous, I've got their card somewhere in my bag" – probably with a few mint humbugs stuck to it!

"You were wanting an alarm system, wasn't you Emily?" It’s not just Emily who will be hearing your good name, but most likely all her friends, relatives, the chiropodist, meals on wheels etc …

Your company could suffer

Unfortunately, all too often ruthless and poor business practices are experienced by clients. Quite quickly these days media exposure of such companies can result in an empire being sunk overnight. Adverse comments about the way a business operates are like worms, they spread very quickly and can be very detrimental. Remember Ratners, the jewellery chain, and how a bad comment out of turn led to the the very quick demise of that particular company.

How do your own staff view your organisation? Are their comments positive? Could their comments affect how your company is perceived?

So how do we change cultures? It's not easy. You may have to consider communications and behaviour training to get your existing personnel to adopt positive good culture.

Don't ‘poo poo’ these types of courses. They can open the eyes of individuals and get them thinking about ways to improve their own attitudes and those of others who they come into contact with. Such courses are often invaluable and you will see many positive changes in the people who attend them, thus aiding your business as a result.

If courses will not change the mindset of a group or an individual, you may have to look at placing personnel into working situations where they can do less damage … For example, removing them from customer contact, maybe placing them in a workshop environment where they can provide technical support to the engineering team, bench testing or something similar.

Instead of just looking at potential employees’ qualifications and experience, look at their attitudes to life in general

If it is not possible because your organisation is too small, you may have to consider if it is time to dispense with a problem staff member altogether, replacing them with someone who has the right attitude. You may consider that this is a cruel blow to deal to someone who has given many years of service, but consider the damage they may be doing. If you are trying to expand and move forward these people will hinder your progress.

We all know this moaner

We have all heard of the "Bad Apple in the Barrel Syndrome" – we will call him Bert for want of a better name. No offence to anyone called Bert out there by the way!

Bert has worked in the company as an installation engineer for 15 years. He is a moaner, melancholy at the best of times, who does not believe in doing anything beyond the call of duty. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge – an indispensable member of the team, you might think. But think again.

He may be an absolute whiz with the old screwdriver, but would you want to put an apprentice or new starter with him? What is the likelihood that bad culture will be passed on? It is quite probable that whilst he can teach your new apprentice much in the way of electrical principles, installation practices and fault finding procedures, he will at the same time be passing on a negative attitude, his poor customer service skills, and passing on tips about cutting corners, getting him onside to become the new ‘Bad Apple’.

See how bad culture grows. It’s always easier to start at the beginning, recruiting the right people with the right attitude. Look at the way you select people for employment, and instead of just looking at the qualifications, knowledge and experience that prospective employees have, look at their attitudes to life in general.

You're not looking for Mother Teresa, but remember that you are looking for people who are going to deal with your customers every day. The ability to communicate effectively is a vital skill, as is a pleasant manner, politeness and a respectful moral attitude.

Hang on – yes, these are the skills we were taught by our parents and society when we were growing up.

So change your interviewing techniques, find out about family life and hobbies. Ask them how they view the world. Ask them what they would like to see change in the world around them. You can find out an awful lot about a person from asking questions, just remember to be a good listener. Remember you can provide training to give the necessary skills to someone who has the aptitude. These qualities can still be found in people today. You just need to take off the blinkers and don't take it for granted that qualifications and knowledge are all that are needed.