Nicholas Palmer - e-Portfolio for Experiential Learning Scholars Program (EXL)
Phillip Burgess is the Executive Director and CEO of Holman Bible Outreach International. He is an exceptional manager and communicator. Burgess graduated from Eastern Kentucky University and is the Alumni Advisor for the Delta Lambda Chapter of the Kappa Alpha Order.
Mr. Burgess says he communicates everyday with his employees in various ways. On a daily basis he asks his employees the status of various tasks and also asks for updates. He says this is mostly done by email but depending on the size of the project it may be done by a telephone call or a personal visit
Burgess evaluates and communicates his employee’s performances by first setting an established measurement plan for each employee. This is done once a year. There is also a six month interview conducted to see if all goals are being met. He informs me that they discuss any problems, and if there are, how to fix them. Once there is a clear understanding of the employee expectations and the evaluation is complete, both the manager and the employee will sign an agreement to ensure the understanding of the expectations.
Recognition of a good job often comes at a meeting where he recognizes someone for a job well done. He also motivates his employees verbally sometimes by just saying “good job, keep it up.”
Rewards come in a bonus and an annual incentive. You get a bonus by exceeding the established measurement criteria which comes out of the budget.
Mr. Burgess communicates with other departments of his organization as well. He holds meetings with his executive management weekly as well as the division heads. These meetings discuss current issues taking place in the company. Meeting with the Board of Trustees takes place quarterly and he also has direct reports once a week from current project heads. Mr. Burgess says that out of a fifty hour work week, he spends around twenty hours in meetings.
When communicating with an outside organization he mainly uses email. He will also meet face to face with other organizations when negotiating contracts.
Mr. Burgess believes that a lot has changed with communicating over the years. He says that there used to be a lot more personal interaction with employees and other organization. The development of email has taken away from much of the personal interaction in the workplace. He says that he communicates 60% by email, 20% by phone, and 20% in meetings.
Meetings are a great way to communicate he says, but it does have its down side. While in meetings, many people are doing the “Blackberry Prayer,” which is having your head down looking at your cell phone during a meeting. He says in the corporate world that they are often referred to as “Crackberries,” because they are so addictive and are hard to get someone to stop using it.
Interview Two