Large Scale Management and Servant Leadership
April 5, 2010
An Interview with Justin Lowe, Senior Manager, Verifications with HMS by Tabitha Woods
Tabitha: Justin, if I were a stranger on the street and had never heard of HMS before, how would you describe what the company does?
Justin: Well, I would start with HMS’s mission, which is to help improve the effectiveness of the country’s healthcare system. A lot of folks might scratch their heads and say, “What does that mean?” Well, we provide a range of services that help government -sponsored healthcare programs, such as Medicaid and Medicare, to save dollars. As a result of our services, these programs can make healthcare coverage available to more people. So we have a direct impact on people’s lives.
Tabitha: So, tell me a little bit about your department.
Justin: The Verification Department at HMS authenticates commercial insurance policy information that is believed to exist (in overlap) with Medicaid coverage. In an average month, the department will verify in excess of half a million commercial insurance policies.
Tabitha: Your department is huge. How do you keep your employees motivated in their daily tasks?
Justin: To begin with, I think it’s important to share the company’s mission with them. I believe everyone has to find purpose in what they are doing. It’s very hard to come to work when you don’t understand where the organization is headed, and how you fit in. I have folks who work 12 hour shifts, three days a week. When people work that intensely, it’s important for them to know where and how they fit into the big picture.
I’ve always believed that you can lead somebody with a dollar only so far. If there’s nothing else, at some point they’re going to say, “You know, I don’t want to do this anymore.” So the carrot and stick aspect of motivation only goes so far. If I don’t also make someone feel like they’re an important part of why we are succeeding, they will walk away. Even people who make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year will walk away from a job if they’re miserable. So money, we know, isn’t the only answer.
I’ve always believed—in work and in life—that you have to grasp your purpose, whatever that is for you. It makes it a whole lot easier to understand what you are doing and why you’re doing it. And it gives you a reason to do it. The book The Purpose Driven Life has been an influence on me in that respect.
If you communicate the mission of what you’re doing—and HMS has a powerful mission—people will feel a lot better about their jobs. I want my teams to know that what they do every day is key to HMS’s success. In a down economy, and with healthcare reform on the scene, what they do is integral to the government programs that provide healthcare coverage to those who need it most. But then you have to continue to keep your teams engaged.
Tabitha: That was my next question…you’re brilliant!
As your employees come in day to day—to a high volume of telephone business—how do you keep them engaged throughout the day? How do they deal with intense calls?
Justin: We are in a very unique situation as a service center. Even though we are an outbound service center, we are not calling individuals and cold calling, or trying to sell. We are very much a “polling” type of organization. We are calling other businesses—insurance companies to be specific—and gathering information from them. It’s a business-to-business transaction. So, we don’t run into a lot of difficult telephone calls because it’s usually one professional talking to another.
The nature of the work we do in my department can be very challenging, since there is a fair amount of repetition. But we have so many folks who are self-motivated and have the drive to do their best, and that makes all the difference to them and to HMS.
I talk to my folks a lot about servant leadership and knowing the importance of their jobs as team leaders, supervisors, or managers. If you have people working for you, but don’t lead them, then you don’t really have a team.
Tabitha: Tell me about the support systems you have set up here. What’s the best way to build support in such a large group?
Justin: Because of the size of the department, I rely on team leaders and the individual units for that cohesiveness.
Tabitha: So you think that it filters from the top down?
Justin: Yes, but I would tell you that it’s an inverted pyramid. It filters from the top down, but the top level is that frontline staff. As a leader, I look at the fact that I have a job because I have 200 people first, I have 20 team leads second, I have 7 supervisors third. And then there’s me. I’ve got to always be thinking about those frontline folks. I am always thinking about those team leaders and supervisors, and try to be employee-centric. My philosophy is, whenever you can, err on the side of the employee. Do the thing that is right by the employee. There are always boundaries and limits within which you have to work. It’s not like we have a blank check to do whatever we want. But where you don’t have limits counts more—caring about staff, being visible to them, and going out of your way to recognize good performance.
Tabitha: Let’s talk about that. When they get feedback, do they get it directly from their team leads, or their supervisors…or you? How does that feedback come, and is it pretty specific?
Justin: There are a number of different ways that we provide feedback here. Team leaders and supervisors provide feedback and coaching during the training phase and during the formal evaluation process. We also produce written reports that are used to counsel and review performance with staff. I am a very strong believer in the importance of delivering both positive and constructive feedback. The positive feedback is very important because I believe that everybody is doing something right. It’s our job as leaders to serve employees by correcting any issues in their business practices, but also to serve them by building up their esteem, and praising them for what they are doing well. And that is extremely important to me.
What’s My Motivation?
April 5, 2010
When I was a young woman, I taught summer theatre classes to a group of kids that participated in a summer repertory theatre. I had no children of my own at the time, and after a few days of total mayhem stumbled upon a way to get everyone to participate. I found that the best way to get this room full of 5-12 year olds to cooperate with me was through creative choice.
What do I mean by that? The program had a curriculum, and my fellow teacher and I would give the young actors choices within the assigned structure. For instance, if the day was to focus on improving improvisational skills – we would focus on improv, but allow them to choose the order of the games. If we had time at the end of a class, we would allow them to come up with their own game to hone their skills. We would even let them work independently for a given amount of time, and then present their work. I found when my students felt as if they had a certain amount of autonomous control over their assignments and projects, they were, cooperative, creative, and open to new ideas. In a word, they were engaged.
This is why a light bulb turned on when I read Daniel Pink’s newest book, Drive. Daniel Pink has again shown us why right-brainers will rule the future, and why those companies that learn to work with creative mindsets rather than exert absolute control over creative workers will rule the corporate world.
Mr. Pink opens the book with a scientific study that looks at the basic human drives:
- Biological: This is about survival – food, shelter, water, etc.
- External: This includes reward and punishment – where managers and parents keep their focus.
- Intrinsic: This is the intrinsic satisfaction derived from completing a task.
Although this third drive probably isn’t news to you, it apparently has been hotly debated in the business management and psychological community. It is this third drive that Pink sees being ignored by managers and organizations today. And it is this third drive, that he says will dictate how companies work in the future. Pink says that this intrinsic motivation is as basic and as strong as the other two drives, and I agree.
The book has a myriad of examples of this particular drive. Study after study proves that this drive, which has been largely ignored by the corporate world, responds internationally to stimuli of autonomy. Jeff Gunther, a thirty-something CEO, entrepreneur, capitalist of several ventures turned his company Meddius, into a ROWE (Results Only Work Environment). This means that his employees have a certain amount of autonomy. Their work is based on results, and they can achieve those results when, where, and how they please. Of course, they have to produce results on time – but they don’t have to do it with a manager hanging over their shoulder. Production has gone up. Not only that – their goals are not tied to compensation. Radical. He says that the freedom they have is worth more than any kind of bonus. His employees’ family members agree.
Pink’s point is that the old style of management is broken in this rapidly changing economy. With low-skilled work being shipped overseas and replaced by software – the new worker is an intellectual worker. A creative worker. A worker that needs the space to innovate. The new model is self-direction. Meddius is a perfect example. They are in software development. They can now focus on the projects at hand rather than struggling to get to and from the office and still make a child’s softball game or soccer practice. Not only that, but when this model is implemented, it has a tendency to create loyalty. Workers are less likely to leave (even for a higher salary), and turnover can be reduced.
The corporate world is changing, and more and more people are doing creative work that requires the room to do it. Old management styles do not work for this kind of laborer, and, can affect their creativity, as well as their production levels. The old “eye-for-an-eye” management method is quickly becoming obsolete as companies learn to bring out the best in their creative workers.
Of course there will be a few bad eggs that try to take advantage of this new management style – and that is fine. Get rid of them. You can’t expect a utopia of creative and productive autonomy to crop up overnight! Change is hard – but corporations should begin to discover how they can speak to this third drive, this intrinsic motivation – before their competitors do. The future of your organization and your workers may depend on it.
“You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.” ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
Managing Meaning in the New Economy
April 5, 2010
As a manager, I am fortunate. I work with some of the brightest people that I know. The recruiters here at Delta Dallas are all articulate, sharp and good communicators. Recruiters, after all, must possess those qualities in order to succeed. You would think that this would make my job as Vice President of Operations easy. Well, it doesn’t.
You can talk to anyone who is in charge of any team, anywhere on the planet, and they will tell you that one of the highest priorities they have is managing meaning. You have to manage the meaning of vision, goals, objectives, project milestones, and your constituents’ interpretation of these elements each day. (Sometimes you have to manage them from moment to moment!)
When you are talking about the importance of meaning, the first thing that must be addressed is the need for what I call collective company meaning. A foundation of certain elements and dynamics have to be established in an organization before you can begin to define meaning in individual projects or initiatives. There are many things you can establish, but the two most vital pieces are:
- A clear, established company culture
People should know what to expect from their environment, and what behavioral, professional, and performance standards are set from their interview to their exit. This doesn’t mean that there will never be moments when people need to be coached on nuances in cultural expectations, but your environment should create a clear picture from day one. - A clear, shared company vision
This comes straight from leadership. You can engage workers at every level by letting them know what your company is facing, good or bad – and engaging them in the process for growth. They need to be engaged in shared vision from the very beginning, as it creates meaning for even the most menial of tasks.
Once everyone is speaking the same language corporately, you can begin to create meaning within the context of specific projects. When we are beginning a new project or initiative here at Delta Dallas, I find that it works best when I have met with my team to establish communal meaning and interpretation of the following:
- The purpose for the project or initiative
- Expectations
- Common milestones for the project that are meaningful to each player and team
- Specific times to check back in and be assured that everyone is still sharing understanding
- Time line for completion
- How results will be measured and interpreted
I have found that when we are assured that we have a common understanding of project elements and company vision; it allows everyone to move forward with increased confidence. If leaders establish a culture of authenticity, vision, and opportunity through shared meaning, they can create a great deal of loyalty in their constituents and increase innovation as well as productivity. The new economy demands it.
Kim Follis, CPC, CTS is Vice President with Delta Dallas. Reach her at 972-788-2300 or kfollis@deltadallas.com.
