Introduction & Policies

This material is part of the Chanimal Management Training. It will use Chanimal as the example company and is written as though you are part of the company (similar to the editable training manual (available in the Chanimal Store).

It contains information about the management process and culture at Chanimal.  It intentionally does not include a lot of graphics so it is faster to update and easy to disseminate revisions via e-mail (500k instead of 500 meg!)–also because it (the full training manual) is accompanied by a set of PowerPoint slides that contain the main points with lots of graphics.

Training Methodology

If taught in a group in conjunction with the slides, you should:

1. First, read the section in the manual, then
2. Have your presenter review the slides so additional examples can be presented and questions asked.
3. Then you should take a few minutes to answer the review questions in the manual. It is also best if you can also teach or summarize these same concepts to an associate, your friend or family within 24 hours.  This is a proven approach (taught by Stephen R. Covey) to help you remember what you learned–critical since the concepts in this manual need to be over-learned enough to become a skill, and everyone can learn the skill of selling and management if practiced enough (drill for skill).

Please review the Chanimal Employee handbook for a list of general policies and procedures. These include the company policies for harassment, immigration, standards of conduct, performance expectations, payroll, expenses, violence, attire, company property, safety, conflicts of interest, benefits, etc.

Please note: This manual contains confidential and proprietary information that explains the unique value, approach, and methodology for Chanimal.  It is covered under our nondisclosure agreement (NDA), and should not be shared with anyone outside of the company without proper written authorization.

Following are some of the policies that may be unique for the Chanimal management team:

• Do not falsify reports. We pay salary and commission with some of our positions. We also pay bonuses at times based on activity–which is self-reported.  Reporting activity that is erroneous is unethical and kills the trust that must exist with the team, but it also defeats our ability to understand what is happening–so we can provide more leads, fix something that might be broken, or retrain and motivate if needed.
• Open Door Policy. The company has an open-door policy, which means that everyone is welcome to talk to any manager at any level (including the CEO). However, team members should be advised that they should always talk to their direct manager first (even if they doubt it will be effective),  and only escalate it if they cannot get everything resolved at the closest level. Bringing up issues at a higher level, before giving your direct manager a chance to address it is political, is unfair and unethical, and creates a culture that lacks trust.
• Office politics. As long as people have worked together, they have engaged in political games. Motivated by short-term gains—promotions, funding for a project, budget increases, making a single (often trivial) point, status with the boss—misuses their time and energy. Often a person is willing to sacrifice another person’s career, for the sake of a short term gain (even if it is a simple opinion).  Following are a few of the typical games people play:
  • Gotcha: identifying and communicating others’ mistakes in an effort to win points from higher-ups
  • Gossip: engaging in the classic rumor mill to gain political advantage
  • Sandbagging: purposely low-balling sales forecasts or other deadlines as a negotiating ploy
  • Gray Zone: deliberately fostering ambiguity or lack of clarity about who should do what to avoid accountability

All of these approaches are selfish, destroy trust since they are not win-win, kill teamwork, and the team members start competing against themselves as tribes, instead of focusing on the market competitors.

The resolution:  In two words, “STOP IT.”

There are natural sways of influence inside of an organization, and it is important to understand how things work and be credible enough to get your job done–but there is a limit: when your position (which is sometimes major, but often not) is more important than a person’s career–then you’ve crossed the line.

Think mid to longer-term and realize that the relationship with your team members is usually more important than many of the tasks at hand (the relationship is the key) and the person who can maintain them is often the last one standing–after they have placed the politician out with the milk (think Flintstones).  There is zero tolerance for win-lose, political behavior (rather than consensus building and working as a team). It won’t be rewarded and individuals involved stand a risk of losing their credibility and their position.

• Weekly reports. Weekly reports are due every Friday afternoon prior to the end of your business day.  The weekly reports are crucial to your professional development and necessary for the company to provide accurate financial forecasts.
• Team meetings. Attendance at weekly team meetings is mandatory.  Please contact your manager, immediately should an instance occur that you cannot make a meeting because of an unforeseen emergency.
• Office hours.  Assigned office hours are established with each employee. A salary is provided to compensate for their time in the office. The employee is expected to be in the office during their standard business hours. Any deviation of this schedule should be discussed with your manager.
• Office tools. Employees are provided with office equipment and a Skype telephone for use for Chanimal business transactions. It is essential that these tools be utilized during the normal course of business. Part of the reason for this equipment is to automate the reporting. The use of a non-company cell or home phone should not replace Skype unless it is approved by your manager.

More policies are found in the company policy manual–these are specific to the sales team.

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