Opinion: Honest numbers turn heads, clear minds

Do the digits that are your age on that loan application lie? Did the numbers on the “owe” line for your taxes lie? Was your total cholesterol number a lie? Did your bathroom scale at home lie to you this morning?

No, numbers are often the real story.

Have you noticed that the numbers have been the story?

Both the Republicans and Democrats will tell us that they do not respond to poll numbers because the numbers cannot be trusted ... especially when they look bad.

The sale of nine ports to the Dubai-based DPWorld (United Arab Emirates) was going to be a small blip on the acquisitions timeline of this nation until telephone calls started to add up on the switchboards of every elected official in the United States. Poll takers went crazy because the math became mayhem.

Everyone in Washington can sleep like a baby who has just sucked down a bottle of formula when there are no numbers.

Democrats saw in DPWorld a Maypole to rally around and Republicans a spear to fall on after this fall’s elections … so the statistics hit the fan. And the deal was put on hold for 45 days.

Numbers have a way of turning heads, clearing minds and getting us sober.

How about, “You have 60 days to get your personal effects in order”? Or, “You owe the IRS …”?

So the question of this column is, “How are the numbers at work?”

No, I’m not interested in looking at your annual report, which is often more sanitized than surgical instruments. What do the numbers tell you about what is really going on in your workplace?

Let’s start with these questions.

Have you been bringing in the best consultants, the best trainers and the best staff? Have you tried “Quality Circles,” “The Seven Habits” and “Six Sigma”? Is your HR department constantly on the prowl for the latest and greatest adaptation of empowerment, the Pygmalion Effect and The Y Factor?

And does nothing change?

I am suggesting you need to look at the numbers, because the numbers, unlike people, do not lie.

Here are some sources for your honest numbers.

First, what is your profit and loss?

The profit numbers are the fun stuff. “We had a blockbuster quarter,” “We blew the doors off of this time last year,” “Our profits are up 50 percent.”

Watch the angst of Enron in Houston this month. You will learn a lot about getting giddy over green that was not reality.

The loss number is the important one. Your organization can rent out Branson to celebrate double-digit growth in profit, as long as you do not also have double-digit loss. How much did you lose to overhead, publicity, bonuses, travel and the Christmas party?

Do the math. Subtract the loss from the profit, and the remainder is an honest number. That number will not lie.

Second, look at the numbers for trends over the last five, 10, 15 and 20 years.

Why look at ancient history? Trending numbers will let you know if you are succeeding or slowly expiring. If the numbers are staying the same but your marketplace and consumer base has been growing … you are actually failing.

No one likes to hear that, but these numbers do not lie.

Third, look long and hard at the job satisfaction numbers and then link them to productivity. These numbers do go together.

Here is the method to determine these numbers. Construct an assessment instrument that can be administered at an online location that will give your staff both safety and anonymity to tell you what is really going on between their ears and at coffee break. This will be your job satisfaction number.

In the book, “First Break all the Rules,” by Buckingham and Coffman, the connection between job satisfaction and productivity is proven to be a bona fide principle. If your employees believe they are making a contribution that makes a difference and are regularly recognized for their commitment … they will always work from their gut. When any of us work out of our heart and not just our head, we produce volumes of work because we are “engaged.”

That fact leads us to your number. Yeah, your number.

Try this. On a one to 10 scale (one the lowest, 10 the highest) how would you rate your “engagement score” at work? Your engagement score is the degree to which you are personally invested and enjoy some nonmonetary intrinsic reward in return for showing up every day.

If that score is seven or higher, you can handle a lot of bad number news.

Life is just far too short and fragile for any of us to come in to work each day and endure another “2” day.

We can lie, but honest numbers never do.

Cal LeMon of Executive Enrichment Inc. solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting. He can be reached via his Web site, www.execenrichment.com, or via e-mail at execenrichment@aol.com.[[In-content Ad]]