Do You Tell Stories? If not, you should

One of the most important practices for any leader - regardless of the level - is to capture and tell stories that reveal :

- who you are as an organization
- why you're worthy of pride
- what you value
- what behaviors you value


Doing this helps you:

1. Increase your ability to attract and retain talent
2. Engage your employees - i.e. get them to care
3. Strengthen your culture
4. Improve your orientation and onboarding program by making them more inspiring

I just came across a great article in Fast Company that included an example of a teaching story that tells employees who their employer, Costco, is and why they should be proud:

clipped from www.fastcompany.com Some organizations have evolved stories to simplify strategy. For instance, Costco (NASDAQ:COST) employees know the "Calvin Klein jeans story," as reported in Evelyn Clark's book Around the Corporate Campfire. In 1996, Costco was selling out of Calvin Klein jeans at $29.99 a pair. Then, the chain's buyers struck a deal to get about 4 million pairs at a discounted price; with Costco's usual 14% markup, the jeans would sell for just $22.99. The buyers knew that Costco could easily sell out the full order at $29.99. Where do you set the price? The decision: $22.99. Jim Sinegal, CEO, said, "I use that as an example because it would be so tempting for a buyer to go with the higher price for a very quick $28 million in additional profits, but ours didn't. That's an example of how we keep faith with the customer." These situations could be paralyzing: Should you maximize profit or stick with a rule that keeps prices at bargain levels? The Calvin Klein story resolves the tension. You can learn more about capturing and using stories in my white paper Successful Onboarding: Getting Employees Started Off Right

Do you make these "constructive feedback" mistakes?

Because one of the most difficult "managerial moments of truth" managers tell me they struggle with is giving corrective feedback, I decided to create a new seminar solely devoted to this and... a quick "Tip Sheet" too. Here's the tip sheet.

1. Sugar coating negative feedback because you’re afraid the person will get too upset and defensive. Result? They don’t get what you’re trying to say.
   

2. Caving in or backing down because the person is getting upset.
   

3. Avoiding the conversation until you’ve “had it up to here” and now are in a frustrated, take-no-prisoners state – which results in them instantly getting defensive.
   

4. Stating what you’re unhappy about without offering a clear picture of what you want them to do differently.
   

5. Plowing forward with an action plan without first getting agreement about the problem.
   

6. Giving positive feedback without specifics (e.g. “You’re awesome”, “You do such a great job!”)
   

7. Mistaking excuses for valid reasons - allowing the former and shutting down the latter.

8. Waiting for the once a year performance review to give feedback.
   

9. Using vague judgments without specific examples and concrete, sensory-based language. Common examples are terms like “more of a team player”, “more service oriented”, “more helpful”, “more professional”. Labels without examples leave people feeling helpless about making changes because they don’t know what specifically you’re unhappy about.
   

10. Controlling the airwaves so they can’t disagree or make excuses – i.e. making it a monologue instead of a dialogue.
    

11. Sandwiching your negative feedback between two positives: “I really appreciate how hard you work Sam, but…. Your quality levels are really poor and need to be improved… and I like it that you’re always on time."
    
    
12. Delivering a long warm-up preamble before giving the negative feedback: “I really appreciate what a team player you are and I really love your attention to detail and I think you’re doing a great job with…”
    
    
13. Using blunt, provocative, or shaming language to make a point: “I would think that it’s a no brainer…” “That train has left the station, so let’s move on, huh?”, “We’re all grown-ups here.” (said in a shaming tone of voice), etc.
    

14. Pretending to agree and then disagreeing: “I can see why you feel that way, but….” This pattern is especially good at triggering defensiveness and shutting down when it’s delivered with a vocal intonation that rises to a crescendo just before the “but” part comes.
    

15. Winging it. Making an assessment or judgment without thinking through possible angles and getting all the facts. Few things spark resentment than feeling unfairly criticized.
    

16. Using humor to make a point. Some humor – used VERY judiciously – can lighten the tone. Using sarcasm or “just joking” comments to make a point (“Oh, you’re on the 8:23 to 4 PM shift? Now?”) is not such a good idea.
    

17. Interpreting their intention: “I know there’s tension between you and Sarah because she got the Team Lead position you applied for, but…”
    

18. Use a “one size fits all” approach to praise, rather than tailoring it to the personality style of the individual you are praising.

If you would like information on the seminar, email me at David@HumanNatureAtWork.com

Are you driving away employees without even realizing it?

Here's a great, quick read that you should have everyone in your HR dept. and management team read:

The 7 Hidden Reasons Your Employees Leave

Here's the beginning of the article:

Nearly 90% of bosses think their employees quit to make more money. That means nearly 90% of bosses are wrong. Studies show these are the seven “real” reasons that retention isn't better:

Ask HR people their top issue these days, and it’s likely to be retention. That’s no surprise. The cost in dollars and disruption of replacing a trained employee is enormous.

What is surprising is how much employers misunderstand why their people leave, author Leigh Branham, SPHR, told a standing-room-only audience at a recent SHRM conference. That misunderstanding is evident in one astonishing statistical comparison:

--Employers who think their people leave for more money: 89%

--Employees who actually do leave for more money: 12%

The latter result, says Branham, founder of retention consultant KeepingthePeople, Inc., comes from a study of 19,700 post-exit interviews done by the Saratoga Institute, an independent research group. The data identified seven “hidden reasons” employees resign. Here are those reasons, along with Branham’s antidote for each:

for the rest, click here

More Evidence That "Everything Matters"

One of THE most important mantras for managers to remember is:

"Everything Matters"

I've written about this principle - and the story it comes from - in a number of articles, including:

If You Want to Be The Employer of Choice for Healthcare Workers: EVERYTHING MATTERS

Successful Onboarding: Starting Your New Employees Off Right

I always try to make sure I mention this principle in my management seminars, because the more you understand the truth of this when dealing with employees, the greater your ability to manage important moments of truth.

While there are a lot of applications to this principle, here's an important one if you want to:

- increase employee motivation

- improve employee morale

- reduce employee turnover

... and that is... if you focus simply on doing a lot of the best practices for motivating employees or becoming an employer of choice BUT.... you don't consciously and methodically remove the negative things you are doing... it's not going to work.

Why?

Because, the human brain is hard-wired to notice and remember the negative more than the positive. You've probably experienced this if you're a manager.

You can do 20 great things for your team and make one clueless, unthinking mistake, and that overshadows the 20 good things. That's how the brain works. That's part of human nature.

Here's some new research that once again shows how negative memories are coded and remembered more strongly than good ones:

Remembering The Bad Times Better Than The Good

Here's an excerpt:

"Negative events are remembered in greater detail than positive ones.

Kensinger reviews evidence that negative emotion enhances not only the subjective vividness of a memory but also the likelihood of remembering some (but not all) event details. For example, after seeing a man on a street holding a gun, people remember the gun vividly, but they forget the details of the street."

So... find out what you're doing that drives your employees crazy and you'll be far along the path to having a highly engaged workforce

21 Mistakes To Avoid If You Want To Be Super Successful At Managing Others

I am reading a wonderful book that I think all smart managers should read: “What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful” by Marshall Goldsmith

http://tinyurl.com/2uvrko

As a well known coach to successful senior level executives – including a number of high profile CEOs, Goldsmith identifies some of the most common “career halting” behaviors that even the smartest managers and executives make.

Addressing these not only helps managers/executives become even more successful, they obviously enable them to optimize the commitment, morale, and performance of their teams. So recognizing and changing these is a real win/win/win.

The smarter a person is and the stronger their personality, the more likely they are to unwittingly make these mistakes.

Here are 2 of the 21 Goldsmith identifies:

Adding “too much value” – This is hard when you’re an expert in your field. Here’s a common scenario… a young employee, full of enthusiasm, comes to her manager with a new idea. The manager, a seasoned pro, says “That’s a great idea... here’s what you can do to make it work even better.”

He thinks he’s adding value by providing a refinement – a “tweak”. While his tweak might make the idea a bit better, what it does to the employee’s commitment and morale more than offsets that improvement. Haven’t you had that experience with bosses of yours?

In the words of Goldsmith:

“Maybe you improved her original idea by 10% but you reduced her commitment by 50% or more. She no longer feels pride of ownership and this is what is reflected in the lackluster follow on performance.”

Failure to express gratitude – I see this as one of the most common morale-damaging practices in most organizations. According to a Gallup poll, 65 percent of workers say they didn't receive a single word of praise or recognition in the past year. This should be cause for extreme concern, since, as you probably know, a number of research studies have shown that “appreciation” is either at the top, or close to the top, of the list of employee motivators.

Some of the most poignant stories I’ve heard over the years from frontline employees and supervisors is how they’ve felt taken for granted when they’ve sacrificed for their employer – and how that affects their commitment and respect for their employer.

This reoccurring theme, plus the research makes me believe that SINCERELY expressing appreciation is one of the biggest “engagement bang for the buck” actions any manager can take. (Speaking of engagement, remember Gallup’s research also showed that only 26% of employees report being “highly engaged” – i.e. caring about helping their employer succeed).

If you want to hear an interview with Dr. Goldsmith, it’s at:

http://800ceoread.com/podcasts/archives/006793.html

If you want whitepapers on his findings:

http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/docs/press/WBA_WGYH_pt1.pdf

http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/docs/press/WBA_WGYH_pt2.pdf

Also, if you want more practical ideas on how to bring out the best in people, you might like this article I wrote recently:

“Want to Be a "Super Supervisor"?: Here are 11 Things You Can Do

http://tinyurl.com/3aklbp

Want to Be a “Super Supervisor”?

Here are 11 Things You Can Do

While updating the How to Be a Super Supervisor seminar (for information on that seminar, click here) I found myself thinking “If seminar participants only did a handful of things that we covered in this seminar when they got back to work, what would I want those things to be?”

In other words, what are those “differences that make a difference” that separate mediocre bosses from great bosses? Reflecting on the feedback I’ve gotten over the years from employees and the research on what matters most, I pulled together 11 things that – if you’re serious about optimizing employee performance – you need to do.

Some of these you can do with almost no extra time investment, others will require that you invest some time and energy. If you do, though, you will dramatically increase your ability to bring out the best in your people. So… here they are… 11 things you can do that will help you be a “Super Supervisor”

1. Remember “Everything Matters” and Practice Mindfulness. Pay attention to each interaction, each decision, and each communication. This practice is often called Mindfulness. Rather than running on autopilot while you interact with others, thinking about all the things you have to do, or just “winging it” when making a decision that affects your people, focus completely on that interaction, decision, or communication. Consider the way you are doing it and its potential impact. Question to ask include:

• Is this how I would like to be treated?
• How will the way I’m thinking about doing this or saying this affect morale, engagement, and trust?
• Does this communicate respect

2. Get “Internal Customer” Feedback. Ask your people what you can do to be a better supervisor. Questions you can ask are:

• The best supervisor you ever had, what did he or she do – and not do – to be a great supervisor?
• What was the most meaningful recognition or praise you ever got? What made it so meaningful?
• Can you tell me a time that you felt like a supervisor “blew it” in the way they dealt with you?
• What do I do that gets in the way of you doing your job well?
• What do I do that drives you nuts?**

3. Listen Better. The more you truly listen to what your people say, the more they will feel like you value and respect them, the less negativity you’ll have to deal with, the more they will care about what YOU have to say, and the more engaged they will be.

4. Make It Safe to Speak Up. Besides asking your people for feedback, develop the communication skills that make it comfortable for them to respond honestly. Learn how to make it safe for your employees to speak honestly and openly about what bothers them. Remember “Power may bring immunity from feedback… but not reality.” There is no such thing as Consequence Free Behavior. Just because employees don’t say to their boss “It really makes me mad that you do such and such…” doesn’t mean there are no consequences for their boss engaging in that behavior. Passive-aggressive behaviors, spreading negativity, diminished engagement, unscheduled accidents, theft, turnover, and workers comp fraud are all ways employees express their unhappiness with how they are treated. It’s less costly to get them to talk about it. So, invest in training and coaching that will enable you to be a master at making it comfortable for people to speak honestly and openly with you.

5. Act Like a Real Person, Not a Boss. Some supervisors express concern that if they “let their guard down” (translated: if they act and talk like a real person), their employees will try to take advantage of them or will lose respect for them. So, rather than just be themselves, they project a persona, almost like a bad actor from a city theatre overacting the roll of “boss” in a play about the workplace. Interacting with employees in an overly formal, reserved, “always on” mode makes it difficult for people to relate to you and to bond to you. Conversely, the more genuine and authentic you are, the more your people will bond to you – i.e. the more they will care what you think about them and the more they will care about doing a great job for you. This doesn’t mean you need to be as unreserved as you would with your closest friends or spouse. It does mean the more you act like yourself and not some role – the boss -- the greater your ability to lead people.

6. Confront Bad Behavior and Poor Performance Quickly and Decisively. Few things damage morale and respect faster than a supervisor who isn’t willing to deal with bad behavior and poor performance. Everyone notices and everyone is waiting for you to do something about it. So, do something.

7. Practice Being a Good Finder. The more you notice and acknowledge the good things your people do, the more good things they will do.

8. Express Appreciation. Few things kill engagement and discretionary effort faster than being taken for granted. Don’t take your people for granted. Express appreciation.

9. Show You Care About Your People As Individuals. It’s easy to act “all business” if you feel overwhelmed with all of your responsibilities and/or you have a personality style that focuses more on tasks than on relationships. Research from Gallup, Towers Perrin and other firms shows that feeling like their boss cares about them makes a huge difference in how employees act and how well they perform at their jobs. Employees who feel cared about are less likely to miss work, less likely to have accidents, less likely to file workers compensation claims, less likely to steal, less likely to quit, and more likely to recommend their employer to friends and family. Showing you care about your employees as people includes:

• Knowing something about who they are outside of work.
• Asking them how things are going.
• If they share something from their personal life (e.g. their daughter is going to college this fall or they are going to a Patriot’s game this weekend) , check in with them about it.
• If they request something (information, resources, a decision whether they can take their vacation during a specific week) give their request the same priority you would if your boss asked you for something.
• Do what you can to remove red tape and other obstacles that make it hard for them to do their work well.
• Ask them for input on the best way to supervise them
  

10. Model courtesy and civility. Because they are swamped with emails, voice mails, and a crushing workload, many people in the workplace don’t bother with the simple courtesies that make relationships work. When we ignore these, we signal to others that they don’t matter; we signal that we don’t care how we impact them. The more people are treated without courtesy and civility, the more they think it doesn’t matter (“Why should I care… nobody else does?”) Examples include:

• Not returning phone calls and emails. Requiring people to hunt you down, especially when the person needs something that is time sensitive.
• Not bothering to indicate you received an email that is either something you requested, something that is time sensitive, or something the other person needs from you. Doing this leaves them not knowing if you received it or not, and then putting them in the awkward position of either following up and appearing to be badgering you, or wondering if you didn’t receive it. A 5 second “got it, thanks” reply not only respects their time and effort, it also shows you care how you affect them.
• Saying “Please” and “Thank you”
• Show up to meetings and coaching sessions on time.
• Apologizing when you make a mistake or act in anyway you know is not respectful.

11. Spread Goodwill. Whenever you act in a thoughtful, considerate, generous way, you inspire others to do the same. By consciously looking for opportunities to spread goodwill, you not only increase the odds your team will have high morale and want to do their best, you will – by influencing how they treat others – have an impact on your whole organization. Examples of Spreading Goodwill include:

• “Catching people doing things right”; being a Good Finder.
• Expressing Appreciation
• Getting back to your employees promptly when they make a request (e.g. for time off, for a piece of equipment, for some information), rather than making them have to ask repeatedly.
• Showing an interest in them as individuals; bothering to know who they are.
• Asking for feedback on how best to supervise them.
• Showing them the same respect you would show a superior
• Showing an interest in helping them succeed at their job
• Showing an interest in their professional development
• If you find some information or resource you think they would find helpful, pass it along.

* If the whole idea of asking such questions makes you ill, look at what you’re afraid of. If you’re afraid it will make you look “weak” or unsure of yourself, you would be wise to get some coaching. Few things will elicit more respect and loyalty from employees than asking them how you can be the best supervisor for them. If you have very “rough and tough” employees and you’re concerned how they would respond to such a request, adjust how you would ask for this feedback so it fits your organization’s culture.

In addition to seminars on listening and communication skills, some books and CDs:

Crucial Confrontations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler

Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall B. Rosenberg

Turning Difficult Discussions Into Constructive Conversations (CD) by David Lee

****

David will be giving the seminar “What Every Supervisor Should Know About Human Nature” at several NH and Maine locations in April and May.

For information on the NH seminars: click here

For Maine locations, click here

The Author: David Lee is the founder of HumanNature@Work and is an internationally recognized authority on organizational and managerial practices that optimize employee performance. He is the author of Managing Employee Stress and Safety, as well as dozens of articles about employee and organizational performance that have been published in trade journals in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. For more of his articles, go to http://www.humannatureatwork.com/

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Employee Feedback: If You're Not Asking For It... You're Asking For It

Do you know what you’re doing right, when it comes to your – and your company’s – ability to create a high morale, high performance workplace? Do you know what you’re doing wrong?
Have you asked lately?

The importance of getting feedback from employees was once again impressed upon me in the last couple of weeks. I’m in the middle of interviewing a group of engineers who represent the kind of employee a company wants to attract and retain. In our interviews, I found myself continually impressed with the insights these individuals shared about what matters to them, about what their bosses do that make them want to stay, and what the company could do to make it even harder to leave (and no… they didn’t say “Pay me a lot more.”)

An Information Goldmine

They – just like your employees – possess a goldmine of information about what you can do to bring out the best in them and what you can do to attract and retain talent.

But, you gotta’ ask!

It’s just like in customer service. Companies known for great service got that way in part through engaging their customers in an ongoing conversation about what they’re doing well and how they can improve. Great employers do the same.

Never Mind the Information You Get…Just Doing This Makes a Difference (If…)

Although asking for feedback and input is the only way you’ll truly find out whether you’re delivering a work experience that optimizes employee performance and engagement, there’s another reason for doing so.
Just the fact that you’re asking for the input on how you can be an even better place to work sends a powerful message. It says:

“We care about you and therefore we care about how we affect you” and “You’re important enough to us to want to make this a good place to work.”

If you think that’s not important, remember Gallup’s landmark research on the drivers of organizational success. Two of the twelve most powerful drivers were:

1) My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.
2) At work, my opinions seem to count.

In his book “The One Thing You Need to Know: ... About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success”, Marcus Buckingham, who co-lead the Gallup project wryly notes that he wishes he didn’t have to report that “feeling cared for” wasn’t such a powerful driver:

“I’d like to replace this (managerial) skill with one that is more hard-edged, more tangible, but there’s no getting around the data. A multiple of research studies confirm that employees are more productive when they feel that someone at work cares about them.”

He goes on to discuss why he is “forced” to admit this:

“A multitude of research studies confirm that employees are more productive when they feel that someone at work cares about them. Employee who feel cared about are less likely to miss work, less likely to have accidents, less likely to file workers compensation claims, less likely to steal, less likely to quit, more likely to recommend the company to friends and family.”

Thus, sincerely caring about what your employees have to say has a huge bottom line impact.

Now, for the IF… Asking for input communicates you care IF… you do it right and IF you do something with the input. Chances are good this has not been the case in the past.

You Might Have Some Explaining to Do

If you’ve asked employees to fill out a survey in the past and the results ended up in the big Corporate Employee Survey Black Hole where most go, never to be heard from again… and IF their feedback resulted in zero change…
…. You’ve got some explaining to do.

You will need to acknowledge that you – or your company – blew it.

You’ll need to tell them what you will do differently this time. Acknowledge that you will need to demonstrate through action that this time is different.


Some Commonsense guidelines to make this all work...

Now the following suggestions may sound like common sense, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard employees talk about these basics not happening.
Here they are:

1. Set clear expectations. Let employees know ahead of time that not every recommendation will be feasible. I always encourage managers to be clear when it’s a “majority rules” situation or simple a “fact finding mission”. I use the customer survey analogy. No company implements every idea every customer has, but they do want to hear from their customers so they can make intelligent decisions.
   
2. Ask for specifics. If someone says “I don’t think we’re being treated like adults, here” ask them what they mean; ask them for examples. Abstract terms can mean any number of things to different people. Because they can mean anything, they mean nothing – unless you add concrete examples.
   
3. Don’t overreact to one-off comments. If one person makes a comment or says something needs to change, it doesn’t mean you should then do it. Feedback and suggestions are always a comment both about the target of the feedback and the sender. So, just because one person says that they feel like “people here aren’t treated like adults” doesn’t make it a fact. That’s why you need to get specifics and you need to consider the source.
   
4. If it’s a reoccurring theme that you disagree with, watch out. A more likely risk to watch out for is dismissing feedback themes you don’t agree with. This is especially true if you have a strong personality and strong opinions. If you have multiple sources saying the same thing, it’s time to pay attention. Don’t be like the senior management team who disagreed with the employee survey results they got and threw out the whole thing. (Yes, that really happened). As the saying goes: “If someone calls you a horse, you can assume the person is deranged. If two people call you a horse, you might want to pay attention….If three people call you a horse, it’s time to buy a saddle.”
   
5. Give clear time frames for when you will be reviewing the input and reporting findings. Keep to those. If you get behind, still report back when you said you would and let them know your current status and an updated timeline.
   
6. Report back. Tell you employees what the survey revealed, what you or the company will be doing, what suggestions weren’t implemented and why. For those you still aren’t sure about (“What ARE they talking about?”) ask for more clarification.
   
7. Keep that mind open. If you aren’t convinced that certain feedback is accurate or recommended changes are a good idea, try to keep and open mind. This is especially important for those items that employees feel strongly about. Let your employees know that you “get it” that these issues are important to them and that you’re willing to reconsider if they can provide a more compelling case.
   
8. Stay tuned. After some months have passed, revisit both the things that you addressed and those you didn’t. Have the changes worked? How about those things you didn’t act on… would it be a good idea to do so now?
   

In Conclusion

Much of what you need to know to increase employee engagement and become more of a talent magnet resides in your workers. So ask.


Note: To reprint this in an association or corporate newsletter, please contact the author first at David@HumanNatureAtWork.com



About the Author: David Lee is an internationally recognized authority on organizational and managerial practices that optimize employee performance. He is the author of Managing Employee Stress and Safety, as well as several dozen articles published in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He has held positions as a clinician, supervisor, and trainer in the healthcare field, and as a supervisor and trainer in the corporate world. His articles can be downloaded at www.HumanNatureAtWork.com