Here's a presentation on organization communication that Jeanne Malnati of The Culture Group gave on October 17, 2012. View and get a glimpse of how The Culture Group approaches team building and communication.

1. THE ART OF EFFECTIVE
LEAN COMMUNICATION
Jeanne Malnati, Owner, Lou Malnati’s

2. LOU MALNATI’S
• Lou comes to
America
• Opened first Lou
Malnati’s in 1971
in Lincolnwood, IL
• Died in Feb. ‘78
1

3. LOU MALNATI’S
• Chicago style deep-
dish pizza
• Lou Malnati's
Pizzerias have
stayed true to the
original 1943 recipe
• Fresh ingredients
are a must with a
flaky, buttery crust
• Offer a gluten-free
“crustless” pizza
2

4. LOU MALNATI’S
•1800 + employees
•Over 250 have been with us
more than 10 years
•34 locations- all in Chicago-
land area
•High value of “giving back”

5. A CRISIS OCCURS
BUFFALO GROVE, IL
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6. THE MALNATI EFFECT
3

7. THE MALNATI EFFECT
Back to Back
Face to Face
Side by Side

8. HAVE A CONTINUOUS
IMPROVEMENT PERSPECTIVE
l
DRAMA Work
izationa pla
Organ lth Cultu ce
hea Ill-will or Good-Will? re
ip Com
ti onsh mu n
Rela mics icatio
Dyna Issue n
TOXIC s
Whispering/Gossiping/Complaining/Quitting

9. TOP 3 INGREDIENTS
OF THE MALNATI EFFECT
Create a Regularly Set Time for Open
Expression
Embrace Full Responsibility
3
Invite Feedback as a “Gift”
4

10. TOP INGREDIENT #1
Create a regularly set time for
open expression.

11. LOU MALNATI’S
COMMUNICATION GROUPS
• Lou Malnati’s now has
15 communication
groups.
7

12. ENGAGED EMPLOYEES
“The key indicator most
strongly correlated with
10-year returns is
employees’ comfort in
speaking up even when
they have negative
things to say.”
– Michael Griffin
Director of Global Research,
Corporate Executive Board
6

13. Stats on Employee Termination

14. TOOL #1
DO THE 2-MINUTE CHECK-IN
A “check-in” is used so each
person “gets themselves in the
room”.
The acronym SASHET is the
second part of the tool.
8

15. SASHET
Sad
Angry
Scared
H appy
Excited
Tender
9

16. TAKE ACTION
2 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
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17. TOP INGREDIENT #2
Embrace full responsibility
11

18. LISTENING TO YOUR QUESTIONS
• Blame questions
• Who’s going to fix the problem?
• Who did it?
• Who dropped the ball?
• Why don’t I have that report today?
• Embracing full responsibility questions
• What do I need to learn about my part in this situation?
• Without blaming or shaming myself, how could I have shifted the
way I handled myself?
• What do I really want?
• Am I willing to view others as allies vs. enemies?

19. TOOL #2
DO A CLEAN SLATE ASSESSMENT
Sheet of paper
Two columns - your name and a
person you “blame”
List what “they” did
Under your name - list what you
could have done differently
12

20. 4-STEM RESPONSIBILITY TEMPLATE:
When you ____________________________
I felt _________________________________
Because I told myself ___________________
What I wish I had done differently is ________
_____________________________________.
13

21. TAKE ACTION
3 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
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22. TOP INGREDIENT #3
Invite feedback as a “Gift”
15

23. TOOL #3
DO A JOHARI’S WINDOW CLEANING
16

24. HOW TO USE JOHARI’S WINDOW AS A TOOL
Focus on Pane II: The Blind Area.
Ask 1-2 people you trust to give you the
“gift” of blind spot feedback.
Ask them to share truthfully how they
experience/view you.
Feedback, face to face in person, is most
impactful.
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25. Tell the person thank you. Do not get
defensive.
Examine what they have shared with
you.
Find a trusted friend to process this
feedback with you.
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26. TAKE ACTION
3 QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:
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27. AWARD CRITERIA
Survey Factors
• Direction
• Conditions
• Career
• Execution
• Managers
• Pay & Benefits
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28. TESTIMONIALS
“I worked for 20 years at a public transit company where the atmosphere
amongst leaders and employees was brutal. Jeanne Malnati hears and
sees things in voice tone and body language and she draws people out
so to get to something deeper. She refuses to stay on the surface,
knowing that the deeper relational and communication issues must be
addressed to achieve true team unity. She challenges us by speaking
hard truths , but it doesn’t hurt. Jeanne is a real champion to each
individual, a powerful mediator. At the top of the list, she is caring. She
creates an environment where it’s safe for all of us leaders to express.”
Mindy K.
Director of Sales and Marketing, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria
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29. CONCLUSION
Top 3 ingredients of The Malnati Effect:
• Create a set time for open expression
• Embrace full responsibility
• Invite feedback as a “Gift”
When implemented, they will help foster a
culture of trust in your workplace, where people
feel
respected, cared for and best of all -
they love coming to work each day!
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30. • No matter where you are personally or
professionally with an individual colleague, your
team or entire workforce, remember:
– You CAN change ONE thing about your
team, starting TODAY.
– You CAN change the way you
communicate.
– You CAN decide to make space and time
for more open communication.
– You CAN decide to stop the blame game.
– You CAN begin to create a culture that
embraces feedback as a gift.
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31. LOU MALNATI’S
Questions?
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32. JEANNE MALNATI; LCSW
Jm@jeannemalnati.com
The Art of Effective LEAN Communication
VS3-06
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