The Master of Retention with Lynn Thomas, CEO of Thomas Consulting Inc

Alan Olsen: discusses how to be a master of retention with Lynn Thomas, CEO of Thomas Consulting Inc.

Transcript (software generated)

Alan Olsen

Welcome to American Dreams. I’m here today with Lynn Thomas. Lynn, welcome to today’s show.

Lynn Thomas

Thank you for having me on. I’m delighted to be here.

Alan Olsen

So Lynn, for the listeners, you have a remarkable career. I think you started out with Arthur Andersen.

Lynn Thomas

Yes, I started out as a tax attorney with Arthur Andersen and enjoy that very much. But it was really clear, it would be probably four or five years before I’d have contact with clients. And that’s really what I enjoyed the most.

And so I went to Bank of Boston was a private banker there and then was part of a change or what they used to call reconfiguration. And two people people involved in this reconfiguration had heart attacks, and one person died, one person was out on disability.

And I came up with a company that could come in and educate everyone about stress, because it was a stressful process. And I went up to my head of project. I said, $500. And he said, No, and I said, the 500 for everyone. When he said no. And I said, I’ll pay for it. He said no.

And so I sort of turned around and walked out in the next day I resigned. So I didn’t really plan to become a consultant. It just, where I was willing to put my energy and my caring of people and making a great business to an organization that was very clear that they did not care about their employees.

So that was a non starter for me.

Alan Olsen

So stepping out into the the entrepreneurial role with clients? Were you nervous at first?

Lynn Thomas

I don’t think I knew enough to be nervous. What I did was I went Sloan Business School and MIT every day, I’m in Boston. And I sat for three weeks and just read,  what’s hot and what’s going on what do clients or businesses need. And for that, I got really client retention.

And Frederick Reichheld from both companies. So the other person has said more than 30 years on the one or two people the country have spent 30 years or more on the retention industry.

And so I read a lot with him and what was going on and the fact that the numbers pardon me, night, how much on some level, you know, I want to I want clients that work with their bottom lines increase. And there’s many ways that can increase. So if he will say to you go to HR well, that’s it.

Well, I care about HR by nearly but rather more by an owner of company or the C suite, I want to see more productivity, more engagement. I want cheap employees attract the right ones, and be able to retain them even optimally, that they’ll refer their friends

Alan Olsen

Remote working that represent today’s workforce. What do you think will happen to remote working in the future? Is it here to stay?

Lynn Thomas

So part of it depends on the industry, I think if it’s more like high tech, possibly, but I do think there’s something about, you know, human connection is what we all need and what people really missed.

Eventually, during the pandemic, the lockdowns we had, and even now on bringing into clients that are a little bit nervous about coming into the office or nerveous being around people like me. Those skills we haven’t used for a long period of time, so we’re not as comfortable with them.

So I think for some industries that it may stay permanent I think for some organizations, hybrid will be the way to go but there’ll be some days you’ll probably have to be in the office,  two days home, three days in the office, something like that.

Because you do want employees to meet clients you do want to see new employees sometime face to face. Some companies may make you come in every quarter, they bring everybody together for you know a week. Maybe that’s enough to keep people going

Alan Olsen

You know, the, the mindset in the business and personal lives. You know, I think that since we do remote work, it may be more challenging to switch back and forth between personal versus business.

But do you believe in having the right mindset? And how should a person identify with the right mindset when they’re involved with remote work?

Lynn Thomas

I think the mindset, one that I strive to always keep his abundance, not scarcity. Our brain does look for scarcity, because it wants to make sure we’re going to be healthy and survive looks for dangers and fears, but to train you to look for where are the opportunities .

And pretty soon after COVID a week or two, I was like, Okay, this is really bad. It’s not looking good. But where are the opportunities?

So what’s the opportunity of working from home, how’s that a good opportunity for people who have parents that you can care of, for younger children, that seems to be worked out for them. So it gives you the opportunity to be to not have to hire somebody for your children and your parents on?

So I think making a positive your choices of positive optimistic, abundant mindset is really important. And if we upload down to all do, you know, I’ll just say a monitor outs, you know, to myself, he’s off innately that somebody wants to work remote, and I love being around people.

So it’s remote work. And I can communicate effectively, but a much better in person. And I think that one of the goals, if you’re on both is you want to make two or three meaningful connections a day with your fellow employees.

So that would be if you and I are working, I could say, Hey, Eric, what are your plans for the weekend? There’s a part of us that does need a human connection and to make that the mindset, okay, I wanted to make two or three great connections by the end of the day, so I don’t feel lonely, isolated.

Alan Olsen

Lynn, one of your unique capabilities is finding innovative ways to help companies find the untapped potential of their employees? Can you help identify one technique?

Lynn Thomas

Sure my favorite one, it’s a friend of mine is Scott Jones and he did invent worse now and and Scott’s just very disciplined, very warm and open minded person but he bites down every day is most pressing personal professional, Paul, Nick comes up find solution.

And the first time we told him that I said, stop by 20 He’s the First Five, everyone said the next minute for next 15 When you get to 16 1718 then you start combining a little number three number eight, number 11 It gets really interesting and you’d be surprised people come up with.

And he said well in school there was one right answer. There’s no black and white and the work is great you know and you are taught how to function and dwell in a great environment.

So I challenge my clients to come up with twice solution and I’ll say to them You after the first five or so you really know if me attending your thing this is stupid exercise.

But push yourself because I did this a lot in how I got my creature exotic exotic journey maybe creature new stuff are doing cottager vocabs crater I thought I resist died smart in some ways in this that personable but great up. And then that’s where my creativity I tapped into it.

I love speaking of speaking nation’s law, how get my business and the one I remember the most. And it just, ah, well love it is I speak in front of 5000 people. And when I saw my images up, it was like, wow, something that me like to walk and I was a shy kid that had become a mother Sturt.

So I did not know that potential was inside me that as I wanted to reach maximum number of people, I want to have an impact on people’s lives. And the opportunity to speak to a large Booth was an example of that.

And also doing all these teams everyday for now it will keep it Tampere said this good as he said, If you go to work the same way every day or you stay home every day, and eat lunch with the same people and you talk to the same people and you converse the same people on the weekend.

You go to the same restaurants, it was a movie theaters, he said Where the heck are you supposed to get new ideas? He said when I go to the airport, I get a bad disease I know nothing about most do pick up magazines, you know something about to reinforce the same ideas over and over?

He said mix it up, you know and stop the this the law if he does anything that backlog of day, is it? Yeah, I think it’s a pattern every two years. And there’s a direct correlation between 20 solutions and 10 things uncomfortable because it possibilities of what he sees the future is enormous.

This bill does huge. And so I challenge the clients because in this day and age, you need option A, B, C, D and me listening five reasonable action. So if you come up with 20. And if you had enough employees have come up, let’s say 60. And then you could say Okay, which one then started on Wait.

Now which one we could do the head of the people? Which ones do we need to be training for? Which ones do you need more money for? Which ones can be done most quickly? Is there other organizations we need B flat rate with et cetera, then you can evaluate them?

That you come up with one at sort of like Stuxnet put any case, you know, the only ones why option doesn’t work you’re like, and it’s like, yeah, I never thought about that. So I do. Pizzaria says that they think they look Fred, the genius in every employee, the slice of genius, and every employee.

And I like to find geniuses in employees of my client, because they’re always there. And then they do what they’re working on and what they’re good at. But it may be something totally differently. My creativity is enormous.

And I did not see battery. You know, that was I did nothing creative as a kid. Yeah, just that was in Wawa.

Alan Olsen

So Lynn, if a person wants to reach out and contact you towards becoming a client, or for more information, how would they go ahead and do that?

Lynn Thomas

Sure. Um, think about it, um, beaten over LinkedIn, Lynn, Thomas or email is LYNNTHOMAS@ThomasConsulting. And I’ll be old fashion and give you a phone number on 781-899-4210. And I’m always happy to help people get through difficult conversations, or give ideas.

So you have a question. Call me contact me in any way that works for you.

Alan Olsen

It’s been a pleasure having you on the show today.

Lynn Thomas

Thank you. It’s been great being here and thanks for your questions and your  time. Thank you

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