How ‘Work-as-a-Clerk’ Can Revolutionize Your Leadership and Boost Your Business
By Harold Lloyd, Executive Consultant at Harold Lloyd Presents
Work-as-a-Clerk…Who, me?
Remember your first retailing job? Remember saying to yourself, “Doesn’t anyone see how stupid this activity is? There’s got to be a better way. And, “If I were in charge of this place, this would never happen.”
And remember those other times when you said, “I wonder if anyone is noticing me.” Or, “I hope they appreciate my ideas because this newest one has really made a big difference.”
I guess it wouldn’t be a big surprise if I told you those same questions are being asked every day, in every store in your company. But why were you so concerned about those things back then but don’t seem to care so much about them now?
As organizations, we periodically embrace the notion of getting ‘[Back to Basics.’ But do you ever really go back to the basics?…that place where you started? The same place our customers experience every time they visit? Probably not. Why? You’re probably too busy.
The ultimate irony in retailing may be that we all know where sales come from and yet we personally spend almost no time there to see the customer/employee exchange for ourselves.
Theoretically, over time, we’ve all gotten smarter, wiser, and more experienced. But what good are all the added ‘smarts’ if we don’t utilize them? This added intelligence is useless if we only watch the game from afar. What most executives see today is filtered through miles of highway, miles of wires, or layers of staff. Staff hired to interpret for us what’s happening on the sales floor during the thousands of “moments of truth” that make up a week’s worth of sales.
Are we really too busy to occasionally go back to the basics and revisit our roots? Or, are we too afraid of what we might find?
Being either “too busy” or “too afraid” will ultimately lead to an underachieving organization.
Testing your memory again, do you remember the popular 80s management practice known as Management By Walking Around? It was a style of management that advocated a hands-on approach to managing a business. By definition, in an MBWA environment, managers would spend a significant amount of time informally visiting employees on the front lines. The purpose was to learn first-hand what is actually going on in the “real world” by listening to complaints and suggestions. The strength of MBWA was founded on informal communication and getting management out of the office.
It is interesting to note that MBWA seems to be appreciated by our employees. In the thousands of employee attitude surveys I have analyzed, one of the most appreciated management qualities is a boss’ willingness to pitch in when the going gets tough. Interestingly, I saw the exact same response from the associates in my restaurants. One of the top 3 criteria they admired most in their favorite shift manager was their willingness to ‘lend a hand.’
Now, our store managers will tell you they do this all the time. And, in most cases, they do. But what about those of us at the corporate level? Our idea of pitching in now involves helping our secretaries carry a box of letters to the mail room. Most of us don’t even buy our own groceries. Do you even remember how to disengage two jammed shopping carts? How to use the intercom to page for customer assistance? Do you know the refund policy at customer service?
“Not necessary to know that stuff,” you say? That’s a shame. Because you’re wrong. If you are a genuine leader, it is incumbent upon you to be aware of the intricacies of your operations to better assess your level of execution and to decide what part(s) of your operation needs improvement. The alternative is a risky reliance on others who may not know all that you do.
Enter, Work-as-a-Clerk…
Early in my career, and because I knew nothing, I committed to ‘working as a clerk’ for four hours in a different department each month. My title didn’t matter; for those few hours, I was simply a ‘part-time’ employee.
In one ‘work-as-a-clerk’ assignment, I worked as a grocery clerk. My day job was the company’s president. In 2 hours, I discovered a secret fort had been built out of cases of product in a remote corner of the grocery warehouse by some creative grocery clerks with too much time on their hands. It was outfitted with a small table, radio, magazines, and ashtray. The amazing thing was that it existed right under the store management’s nose for months.
In another ‘work-as-a-clerk’ episode as a dishwasher in one of my 3 family-style restaurants, I noticed 5 or 6 meatloaf dinners only half eaten in my mountain of plates waiting for their turn in the machine. This was a curious finding because our meatloaf dinner was a signature meal and almost always completely consumed. After a brief investigation, it was discovered that one of the new cooks that night was not shown ‘Step 5’ of a ‘7 Step’ process used in preparing a meatloaf dinner, namely, adding the seasoning. So, the meal ended up with a disappointing flavor profile. By ‘working as a clerk,’ I was able to quickly rectify the mistake and save the appeal of this popular meal.
In a typical ‘work-as-a-clerk’ assignment, I have never failed to find one or two ‘A-category’ improvements (game changers), three ’ B-category’ improvements, and three to five ‘C-category’ improvements. Any one of which would adequately justify my time committed to the program.
The tangible benefits of working as a clerk are real. The intangible benefits are obvious and equally profound. When our associates see us interested and intimately involved in their work and willing to make workplace modifications that benefit not only the customer but also them, the upside potential of a “work-as-a-clerk” program in your company can be huge.
Work-as-a-Clerk Rules…
There are only a few simple rules to follow to have a fulfilling experience, “Working-as-a-Clerk.”
First, the department manager you are working for must treat you like their typical employee. No special considerations. You show up on time, without your cell phone or your fancy executive nametag and be prepared to be treated as a new associate.
Secondly, keep your eyes and ears wide open looking for things that don’t make sense to you and for ideas that could become significant improvements for the overall company. For example, to emphasize the importance of frequent hand washing. I discovered one of my managers affixed a simple bicycle bell to each stainless-steel handwashing sink in the prep areas of the restaurant. After an employee washed his/her hands he/she would ring the bell with a paper towel to remind all to do the same. This wonderful idea was not a company policy but became one shortly thereafter.
Thirdly, and most importantly, do not critique your operations during your ‘Work-as-a-Clerk’ experience. Do not tell anyone what you think is right or wrong. If you do, your presence will send shock waves through the store. Remember, during your shift, you are simply a poorly trained, new employee, NOTHING MORE.
Finally, when you are done, move quickly to a quiet place with your laptop, legal pad, and pen or tape recorder and begin debriefing yourself. Don’t delay the process of documenting everything you thought was important while you were immersed in the department’s operations. A day or two later, you can take another look at your notes and prioritize your observations.
You are the best one to decide how to effectively share what you learned during your ‘work-as-a-clerk’ session with the appropriate people in your organization. But be assured, doing it in person is best, be it an operations meeting or one-on-one with your district managers. This allows those responsible for implementing the changes you are recommending to ask clarifying questions so they can fix the problem the first time. It’s also nice to send the department manager you worked for a letter of thanks for tolerating your less-than-desirable productivity. Let him/her know how impressed you were with their department and the guidance he/she afforded you.
Have you ever seen the TV show “Undercover Boss?” It is a reality show in which the CEO of a company dresses up like an employee and goes to work undercover to see what it’s like to work for his/her company.
When the show began, many friends and colleagues remarked how it reminded them of my ‘work-as-a-clerk’ concept, which I have been teaching for almost 30 years. The similarities are there, but there is one main difference: You don’t have to wait to become the CEO of your company to step back into your organization’s operations to see firsthand what’s really going on.
‘Work-as-a-clerk’ makes sense and it works. Do it soon, do it every month, do it for 4 – 5 hours at a time up to the time you retire. Your associates will respect you even more than they do now, your customers won’t believe their eyes, and you’ll grow your company by making meaningful small and large, tangible improvements in the way you conduct your business.
Good luck. Enjoy the experience!