Millennium Marketing Research®

Tom Schori DBA Millennium Marketing Research®, 808 Ironwood, Normal IL 61761, 309-532-8466

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You can't be any good. . .you work for us.

By Thomas R. Schori, Ph.D., and Michael L. Garee, Principals,  Millennium Marketing Research, 808 E. Ironwood, Normal, IL 61761-5239. 

Call it "the grass is always greener. . ." syndrome, or the difficulty involved in being a "prophet in your own land," or even the belief that "familiarity breeds contempt." Regardless of what you call it, call it pervasive. And the "it" we’re referring to is the tendency for many company managers to view the skills, talents and knowledge of their own professional employees in a less favorable light than they do those of outside professionals. In other words, they assume their own employees simply can’t be all that good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be working for the company! How absurd!

Having been on the "other side of the desk" for many years in business, we certainly know how it feels to be on the receiving end of stinging¾ and insulting!¾ comments such as these: "We need some real pros for this project, so we’ve decided to go ‘outside’ for assistance." Or, "This firm is an expert in this area, so we’re going to have them do this job for us. Make sure you stay out of the way and don’t interfere."

Such insensitive attitudes are demeaning and demoralizing to a company’s own professionals, who many, many times have at least the equivalent expertise and knowledge of many outside professionals the company might be considering hiring. In addition, any company whose management views its own professionals with such disdain and lack of confidence is the epitome of short-sightedness! One assumes these employee professionals are paid a substantial salary (most are), that at one time they were certainly perceived as being an "expert" in some key area (the company hired them, didn’t it?), and that if they are so lacking in skills, knowledge and talent (most aren’t), instead of looking outside the company for expertise, managers should do everybody a favor and fire such incompetent employees!

Make working with ‘outsiders’ a ‘win-win’ experience for ALL

Are we implying that a company should always look to its own inside professionals to perform all key activities? Of course not. But certainly these professionals should always be made to feel an integral part of the process, to be viewed as valuable "partners," colleagues, and, yes, sometimes even "mentors," to any talent brought in from outside the company. In other words, the working arrangement needs to be "win-win" for all involved.

Who among you reading this column has not experienced having a group of outside "hot shots" whirl in to your organization to show you how it’s really done? (That sure made you feel like putting forth a 110% effort, didn’t it?) Think how much better the outcome would have been if, right from the very beginning, you and the "hired guns" could have worked together, harmoniously and out of mutual respect and consideration, and accomplished great things for the company.

Advantages of working with ‘outsiders’

To be sure, there are many advantages to employing the services of outside suppliers and consultants from time to time. Usually, though not always, these "outsiders" are allowed considerably more leeway than the company’s own professionals to explore tactics and strategies that the inside professionals have judiciously learned to avoid because of "politics," etc. Also, outsiders can indeed bring a fresher, more objective perspective to many challenges facing a company. But, like any "medicine," outside assistance must be applied in the correct "dosage" and at the right moment. And, in all except the most "chronic" company illnesses (which is grist for an entire future column), it should only be administered for the duration of the illness.

How does your company measure up?

There are many companies today who mouth the right words and phrases ("Our employees are our most valuable asset"; "We empower our employees"; "Our employees are our ‘front line’ in the market place," etc.). Unfortunately, the actions of only a relatively few companies provide genuine substance behind such sloganeering. We hope your company is one of these relatively few. If it isn’t, what can you do? Well, if you’re a manager who can effect change, then it’s to your and your company’s distinct advantage to change the way you view and treat your own professionals. On the other hand, if you’re a professional who is on the receiving end of such shoddy treatment, remember this: no one can make you feel inferior without your cooperation. Respectfully demand to be treated with the respect you deserve. If this doesn’t bring about positive results, maybe you’re wasting your time with your present company and it’s time to move on. Life is simply too short to simply "float" through it!