San Juan Capistrano. July, 2010
Founder and long time executive announced that he is resigning immediately as President and will concentrate on volunteering as executive director for for Kill Cancer Foundation which he started in memory of his wife, Leslie Bauer - Szczepanski who died of cancer in 2008. Kill Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)3 IRS approved organization

"Cancer is the terrorist within" stated Sepanski. It kills more people yearly than all terrorists put together in the last 100 years. Yet, more funds are allocated to urgent incidents and foreign programs that scream out loud and not to fighting this terrible disease. Kill Cancer Foundation has two websites, KillCancer.com and CruiseForCharity.com. Cruise for charity donates to worthy participating non-profit organizations every time someone books a cruise.

"We will make a difference." Sepanski will aid in transition and continue to lead high-end consulting projects in leadership, strategic planning and change management. "I really love teaching and look forward to teaching business in a local university again." he continued.

Zigmund Sepanski to lead Transition Management Presentation for Dean Foods division.
© Zigmund Sepanski 2009 - 2010
San Clemente, CA

SUMMARY

This is a time of tremendous change due to acqusition and streamlining initiatives. This summary outlines the steps required to make transition least painful for employees and retain the highest level of profitability.

SENSE OF FEAR, LOSS AND ANGER SETS IN
Of the four stages of change this division is in the RESISTANCE STAGE where all employees, including top managers and supervisors are experiencing a sense of loss:

A         loss of power
B         loss of control
C         loss of stability
D         loss of security
E         loss of direction
F         loss of connection with company history

These feelings are natural and should be managed to a termination point that transfers from resistance to engagement. At the same time management must realize that such change that you are going through is disruptive and causes great discomfort in the short run.  It requires a whole new mind set. However that is a part of natural progression. If it was not disruptive it would not be different from the past.

During this stage people will grumble, old timers will unconsciously sabotage progress, accidents and absences increase and resignations may occur. Top management who initiates the change sees signs of danger and sometimes reacts with the wrong solution. Work that should take 6 hours takes 10 hours due to misdirected focus and emotional employee response. 

WORKFLOW WILL EXPAND

One of the by-products of rapid change is that work which should take a certain amount of hours takes longer. Your managers may complain that they have too much to do and too little time under the new system. There are several reasons for it:

1.      They are forced to go out of their comfort zone and break old work habits. This is not easy and many managers continue the old work habits that they try to apply to the new system. This WILL NOT work and everything takes longer.

2.      They may not have the skill sets required under the new regime and need re-training.

3.      They focus on the negative “how we used to be” instead on the opportunity the new system provides. This distracts them from performing their best

4.      They may not be able to manage time properly because of the chaos created in their mind due to the changes. As a result everything takes longer

5.      They might be confused as to what is important and what is not because they are out of their comfort or expertise zone, lack direction from the top or are not used to a number of dotted line requests.

6.      Middle managers are pulled in a variety of directions and they don’t know which way to turn. Leadership, training and clear directions from the top are needed.

MANAGER REACTION VS. SUBORDINATES

OPPORTUNITY DRIVEN:  This manager will go forward and force the change on his/her subordinates irrespective whether they understand, buy in, or are ready for the change. These managers implement change by order and by memo and there are no options.  They will have a short-term success spike, followed with resignations and burn-out from subordinates.  In the longer term productivity may drop and a high turn-over will result. These are very good managers but they rely more on dictatorial tactics to push the change through.

AFFILIATION and EMPATHY DRIVEN

On the other side of the spectrum we will have those managers who want to be liked and treat their people with kid gloves. They will allow a slow pace of transition and will burn themselves out while trying to appease everyone. Their department will have lower productivity because resistance to this change will take longer than it should.

COMMUNICATION DRIVEN

Somewhere in the middle is the Lehigh manager who realizes that the change has to be implemented in a timely fashion, with understanding that employees are going through a loss and that this loss has to be addressed before this resistance stage changes to engagement stage. This manager controls the length of that loss, implements communication programs to channel it within reasonable time limits and drives reasonable implementation of the engagement stage.

BRIEF SUGGESTIONS for strategy meeting

1. You should have a Change Transition Team.  Too many times only one top manager takes it on his/her shoulders to guide the company through this change.
2. All managers need to understand that the resistance stage is a natural stage when such rapid changes happen. Managers reaction to their concerns will either drive or put a break on success of their engagement. In a very recent Gallup poll it was clear that “key drivers for engagement are more about personal relationships that people have with their managers.” Engagement Strategies Magazine, Summer 2009.

3. H.R. manager or I should do a 3-4 hour session with small groups of managers and supervisors explaining what the natural human reaction is to this rapid change. It is vital that they understand the need for communication and how their subordinates react.

1. Learn how change affects the emotional well being of their employees
2. List the things that they are giving up in the “way it used to be”
3. Goodbye ceremony. Although at first top management sees this as unnecessary this little exercise does a lot for morale and helps in the transition. At the end of the above 3-4 hour meeting in the group the managers write down what they miss from the old company and in a ceremony they bury them in a time capsule or write them on balloons and let them go

 4   Then the GM needs to have a meeting with these managers in a small two- three hour meetings.

                  a.   Now that we let go of the old company….
b.   What are you going to do to be engaged in the new company?

5        Ensure that right people are in the right positions:

2. It is a tendency in a “family” oriented company such as Lehigh was to try and save everyone. We all know that some people are not meant to be in the position they are in. This is either because they do not have the skills developed or they are not a good fit irrespective of the skills. HR needs to match the skill of existing managers to the skills required. Institute training for those who are trainable, move others to different positions where they fit or move them out if there is no fit. Under the new system moving people out if they do not fit is acceptable. Conduct individual skill assessments as outlined by Pam.

6        Reward for the change. Show the individuals and  team that once they cross from resistance to engagement they will be rewarded.

7        Provide a prioritization and time management class for supervisors and managers.

8        Identify old work methods and throw them out

9        Measure work and nature of work load through an independent time-load study of several key people

10    Reduce all unnecessary meetings

A FEW ACTION ITEMS FOR MANAGEMENT:

1. Identify who is losing something, (see sense of fear at top of this memo)
2. Identify what behavior changes they will have to make
a. What they need to stop doing
b. What old habits they need to break
c. What secondary changes that their changes will cause
d. What new habits they need to pick up
3. In meetings with them have them identify what they miss.
a. Keep asking why
b. Have them identify specific losses
c. Bring their losses in the open

4. Once losses are identified, can you give them something to make up

Above article has a copyright and cannot be reproduced with permission
© Zigmund Sepanski 2010

PRESS  RELEASE
San Clemente, CA
September 15, 2009

Innovative Cancer Funding Initiated by PowerBusiness Executive

Would it ease your mind knowing that while you are enjoying a relaxing cruise a portion of your cruise cost would go to a good cause? Now it’s a reality with GoodCauseCruises.org, a brainchild of Zigmund Sepanski, PowerBusiness CEO and Executive Director of Kill Cancer Foundation, whose wife died of cancer last year. GoodCauseCruises.org partnered with Travelmakers, a travel and incentive fulfillment company who is an agent for Royal Caribbean International to organize non-profit donation cruises.

There are two ways that money will be donated to a good cause. For individual cabins, a donation under the cruiser’s name, will be made to a charity selected by the person for every cabin booked. GoodCauseCruises.org estimates that for every thousand cabins booked over $50,000 will be donated to favorite charities.

However the largest contributions will come from setting up good cause cruises with non-profit organizations and all donations for people sailing under that group will go to that non-profit organization. “For example, if we have 36 cabins in a non-profit group with $100 donated per cabin by us and Royal Caribbean International plus 2 free cabins to be raffled off the donation to that organization could be well over $5,000 on just one sailing,” states Sepanski.

“With donations down nationwide this is a great fundraising tool that is fun at the same time. All the work is done by our organizations, including fliers, webpage, reservations, answering questions etc. and the non-profit organization gets all the benefit.” he continued.

“I founded Kill Cancer Foundation (KillCancer.com) in memory of my wife who suffered terribly with cancer. The first major donation was from Signature Travel Network, an organization of high-end travel agencies. Then I realized, that if a small portion of all the hundreds of thousands of people who take vacations and cruises, would be set aside for a good cause we could do make a difference. And that is how GoodCauseCruises.org came about.”

A number of non-profit organizations are already planning fundraising cruises. GoodCauseCruises.org  is currently in negotiations with Children’s Hospital of Orange County to create a “For the Children” cruise. Kill Cancer Foundation is doing two non profit cruises in 2010 with donations going to cancer research.  Orange County Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OCSPCA) is planning two non profit cruises for 2010. In addition, San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce is also planning a good cause cruise with funds going to a local non-profit organization while Ride for the Heart Foundation is planning several cruises for 2010.

“We are looking for volunteers nation-wide to work with non-profit organizations to help them create good cause cruises.” according to Sepanski. More information can be obtained by going to www.GoodCauseCruises.org or calling 800 684-3260 ext 0

End

Top Drink Company Selects Zigmund Sepanski to Lead Strategic Planning Sessions

San Clemente, Ca. September, 2009. A top division of Dean Foods and US third largest drink producer, selected a California consultant, Zigmund Sepanski to lead November executive strategic sessions in Florida. Participating will be executives from Lehigh Valley Dairies production and distribution facilities in Landsdale, Allentown, Schuylkill all in Pennsylvania, Harrington Delaware and Wildwood New Jersey.

Lehigh Valley Dairies produces and delivers milk, milk products, lemonades chocolate drinks to such leading retailers as as Wal-mart and Giants and to communities throughout the Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia markets.

This is the third year where Zigmund Sepanski, whose consulting and training clients included divisions of Coke, Pepsi, Apple Computer, Best Foods, Lucent, Avon, Compaq Computers, Price Waterhouse, Mckinsey and Company, Rosche Pharmaceuticals and many others, will be conducting the strategic planning meetings for Lehigh.

"Lehigh Valley Dairies is a very progressive company with increasing sales and profits in this very challenging environment." states Sepanski. " Despite rising costs of materials and milk production they have been innovative in building new production facilities and implementing strategies that make them a leader in their field." he continued.

Sepanski has a Master of Science degree, was director of strategic planning for Sun Computers Inc., president of Intelcom Corporation, C.O.O. of Apple Computer Inc. IMC in Europe and taught marketing and advertising in California colleges.

For more information contact Victoria Orlich at 1 800 684-3260 ext 0.

Dean Foods division contract goes to FunIncentives

San Juan Capistrano, Ca February 28, 2007 Lehigh Valley Dairy in Pennsylvania selected FunIncentives, a unit of PowerBusiness Associates Inc.to design, and implement an incentive program for their East Coast teams

Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms, a division of Dean Foods is a well known milk and dairy producer for over 70 years. From facilities in Lansdale and Schuylkill Haven, PA, Lehigh produces top quality dairy products and fruit juices. One of its best known products on the East Coast is Over the Moon milk, a 100% real low fat and non fat milk enriched with calcium and protein, using a proprietary process that makes the milk taste rich and creamy with less fat.

Ms. Bauer was worldwide director of marketing for a Lockheed division, marketing manager of NEC USA server division, and VP of Sales for Apple Computer IMC in Europe

Business units

In addition to FunIncentives, PowerBusiness Associates Inc. has business units focusing on change management, internet marketing, business opportunities, promotional products and Funcompanies travel.

Leslie has been in the travel business for six years and came to AuthorizedAgents with extensive senior sales and channel development experience. She directed Nippon Electric Company USA (NEC) server divisions distribution marketing efforts, was a worldwide director of channel development for a Lockheed division, was a VP of Sales of an Apple Computer European country operation.

In addition, Leslie worked for Apple Computer USA for over 11 years where she constantly received top sales awards for the most millions sold. Steve Jobs personally congratulated her on her awards and she was promoted to managing Apple relations with major US distributors. Leslie is a director of Strategic Business Institute and of AuthorizedAgents' parent company, PowerBusiness Associates Inc. and an investor in BBs Creative LLC, and advertising and graphics agency.

She conducted sales, customer service and sales management training classes for such companies as McDonalds, Compaq Computers and Apple and has travelled extensively throughout Europe.

Leslie has a business and economics degree from Alfred University in New York.