Newsletter – How to make Sure That Your Staff Hears Your Feedback

August 28, 2017

How to Make Sure That Your Staff Hears Your Feedback

Frequently, when I am conducting an investigation or a leadership assessment, I am struck by how differently people perceive feedback. Although a leader will assert that they have given their staff person their evaluations of specific performance “numerous times”, the staff person, when questioned, denies ever hearing such a critique.

“…do not ignore the problem and hope it will go away or give people vague, passing feedback.”

The mystery of why we don’t see ourselves the way others see us is a matter of many complicated factors, https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200505/metaperceptions-how-do-you-see-yourself, including how we were raised, whether our brain is wired in a way to decipher social cues, our life experiences and so forth. Yet as leaders, it is essential that we do our best to make sure that our feedback is heard and integrated. The good news is that we can control our side of the process and that can make a significant difference.

What Should You Do?

As leaders, we have a responsibility to give people accurate, timely feedback. While we can never assume total responsibility for how our words are heard, these things help:

Use specific, behavioral examples. Don’t just say that someone seems to lack focus, tell them that their presentation was not organized in a logical way and that they jumped around from topic to topic. Tell them what they actually did and said that wasn’t up to par, and give them specific, behavioral examples of what would work better.

Don’t wait for annual performance reviews. Give people feedback close to the time the problem occurs. Performance reviews should never be a surprise but simply a summary of feedback they have received throughout the year.

Document, document, document. Make sure that you make notes in your manager’s file of the feedback you have given, as well as their response. After talking in person to them, summarize the feedback in an email to an employee, or better yet, have them summarize what you said in an email back to you. Some people integrate the written word better than they listen.

Train your employees on how to listen and receive feedback, as well as training your managers on how to provide feedback.

Mostly, do not ignore the problem and hope it will go away or give people vague, passing feedback. Feedback is an essential part of your job; make sure that you take it seriously.

Did You Know

All of our management and leadership programs include how to give and receive feedback so that you have the best chance of making sure that it is heard. We also conduct sessions to help employees ask for and receive feedback.

For more information, call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Be sure to read Lynne’s book “We Need to Talk — Tough Conversations With Your Employee”

and learn how to tackle any topic with sensitivity and smarts.

Workplaces That Work | (303) 216-1020 | lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

3985 Wonderland Hill | Suite 106 | Boulder, CO 80304

Newsletter – Micromanagement or Leadership? What Do You Choose?

August 21, 2017

Micromanagement or Leadership? What Do You Choose?

Micromanagement has a bad rap and deservedly so. Yet when people are struggling performers or new employees, you have to do it. Frequent one-on-ones, help with priorities, lists of tasks and follow-ups are all hallmarks of good management for staff in these categories. In addition, I’ve had leaders who took on new teams that had been so poorly managed, the new leaders needed to track them closely in order to try to shape things up.

Yet in general, if your staff is constantly complaining about being micromanaged, you need to listen.

When I speak with leaders about this feedback, their take on the situation is frequently that they have to manage people closely because when they give them more responsibility, they make mistakes or sometimes even create disasters. As an outsider trying to evaluate the whole situation, the truth may be hard to find.

“…if your staff is constantly complaining about being micromanaged, you need to listen.”

What Should You Do?

First, if you’re a leader who is accused of micromanagement — or an outsider trying to discover the truth about a team — listen. Ask open-ended questions (who, what, where, when) until you understand what the critic is suggesting. Don’t become defensive or shut them down without truly understanding the situation.

Second, ask whether letting your people have more responsibility is really such a bad idea or simply your own fear of releasing the reins. They may well make mistakes but there’s no other way fr them to learn. Try to break tasks down into manageable bites so that if they do miss the mark, you can give them feedback and they can integrate your suggestions, but an entire project doesn’t go awry.

Third, consider whether your staff is really incapable of taking on more responsibility. If, after honest reflection, you find that they are, you may have a bigger problem. Perhaps you’ve kept people around for too long who are simply incapable of progressing and growing in the way you need them to advance. If this is the case, you may need to put them on a performance plan and ultimately – and ideally, gently – move them along to greener pastures. If you’re avoiding this path because you don’t want to face what it would take to honestly evaluate performance and institute consequences, you’re not doing them or your organization any favors.

Did You Know

Balancing between micromanagement and leadership is something we address in all our management and leadership workshops.

For more information, call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Learn more about our training offerings and check out our team members at: www.workplacesthatwork.com

Be sure to read Lynne’s book “The Power of a Good Fight” –

Embracing Conflict to Drive Productivity, Creativity and Innovation.

Workplaces That Work | (303) 216-1020 | lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

3985 Wonderland Hill | Suite 106 | Boulder, CO 80304

Newsletter – Are You Making Google’s Mistakes? How to Avoid Their Current Diversity Dust-up

August 14, 2017

Are You Making Google’s Mistakes? How to Avoid Their Current Diversity Dust-up

A lot has been written about the recent firing of the Google engineer, James Damore, who wrote an internal – although widely circulated – memo about how there are fewer women at Google and other tech companies because of biological differences that made them unfit for such work. Damore also claimed that he found Google’s diversity training shaming to white men and that his “free speech” rights were being violated because he couldn’t express such views. http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-google-diversity-20170811-story.html

Damore is now claiming that he is considering suing Google because he had filed a claim with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) before he was fired asserting a right to talk to his fellow Googlers about such issues.

“Good diversity training should not make anyone feel stereotyped or insulted.”

Among the sound and fury about this issue, I’ve noticed a lack of legal clarity so I feel compelled to weigh in. First, despite what many employees think, most of them don’t have “free speech” or First Amendment Rights at work. The First Amendment applies to government action, not the action of private employers.Private employers have a right to create and enforce rules governing behavior at work, including rules governing speech. We all give up something in exchange for a paycheck and the right to say whatever we want at work is one of them. Without such conduct codes, workplaces would truly be back in the sandbox.

The legal conundrum here is that the NLRB which enforces The National Labor Relations Act, has ruled that employees have a right to engage in “concerted action”, including talking to each other about “working conditions”. This protected activity governs things such as chatter about safety issues, salary and benefits, and the like. I’m not aware of any case upholding the right to spout gender stereotypes. My bet would be that the laws on harassment will trump any NLRB claim.

Companies have the sometimes conflicting obligation to do “All Things Necessary” (that’s a direct quote out of the law) to prevent workplace harassment, including hostile environments based on gender, race, and so on. Allowing gender or racial stereotypes to be thrown about or used in hiring promotions would be a clear violation of the laws governing harassment and discrimination. An organization cannot sit back and wait for someone to make a complaint about such talk, they have an obligation to act, including disciplining or terminating individuals who engage in such behavior. Google had little choice but to fire or discipline the offending employee, not just for violating their internal code of conduct, but in order to prevent things escalating into a hostile environment (especially when Google is already being investigated by the Department of Labor for wage differences between men and women).

Good diversity training should not make anyone feel stereotyped or insulted. While I’m not familiar with the parameters of Google’s diversity efforts, it is possible to conduct training that does not create these kinds

What Should You Do?

Make sure that your diversity

training makes everyone feel included and not insulted. One way to do that is to avoid labels for people or behavior. I’ve written before that it’s not effective to call someone (or their behavior) “sexist”, “racist” and so on. In my experience, using those labels hardens opposing views and drives people to debate. Instead, be behaviorally specific about what kinds of speech or action violate the law, your organization’s policies or your values.

Allow the participants to engage in an open and respectful discussion about how they think they should treat each other at work and lead them through an exercise where they create their own values. Generally, these will be consistent with the company’s values, but if not, allow a lively discussion of differences and what individuals should do if their own ideas about values do not comport with the company’s. Make sure that you define diversity broadly: not just race, gender and sexual orientation, but all the things that make us individuals, including, for example, where we were born, what values we were raised with, our ideas and our ethnic background.

Allow people to volunteer their own “cultural stories” about the unique attributes of culture that they bring to the workplace and how that contributes to a richer tapestry for the organization. Don’t force anyone to share anything too personal that makes them uncomfortable, but allow them to choose how much they want to reveal. We’re always amazed at the stunning stories participants bring forth of their own accord.

Above all, be respectful and polite with regard to different views. We always want to model the very behavior we’re trying to instill.

Did You Know

We conduct diversity training along the lines described above. We use a variety of different facilitator pairs to make sure that the participants feel well represented. In 25 years of providing such training, we have never had anyone complain that they felt insulted or that their views were not heard.

For more information, call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com
Learn more about our training offerings and check out our team members at:

www.workplacesthatwork.com

Be sure to read Lynne’s books on sexual harassment and affirmative action.

Workplaces That Work | (303) 216-1020 | lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

3985 Wonderland Hill | Suite 106 | Boulder, CO 80304

Newsletter – How to Make Executive Coaching Work for You

August 7, 2017

How to Make Executive Coaching Work for You

We do a lot of executive coaching, therefore we are familiar with what works and what doesn’t work. Sometimes leaders leap into coaching with enthusiasm and excitement. Sometimes they are dragged in kicking and screaming because their boss has demanded that they change some behavior that is impacting the organization in a negative way. No matter. Once you are in a coaching situation you might as well make sure that you receive the full benefit.

“Realize that you are going to receive from coaching exactly what you put into the experience.“

Surprisingly, this doesn’t always happen. Usually, we coach people who genuinely want to improve their attitudes and skills, but occasionally, that’s not the case. I have worked with leaders who avoided appointments, resisted assignments and refused to talk openly about their challenges. At some point, this is a waste of their time and ours. Once you are engaged in the experience, why not make the best of it and gain everything you can?

What Should You Do?

Make sure the coach is a good fit. Ninety-nine percent of our coaching assignments come from referrals, so the assigning leader has confidence in their choice. Yet the person actually engaged in coaching may not feel the same. It is important that you feel comfortable sharing challenges with your coach and have confidence that their background is one from which you can learn. Coaches come in all shapes and sizes, some with great credentials and some — not so much. Sometimes it is just a personality conflict. A colleague may love your coach but for you, it’s just not a good fit. Request a change; otherwise you are just wasting everyone’s time and money. Make sure you stress that it is not coaching you are resisting, simply this particular coach.
Get clarity. Clarify upfront what your leader wants you to gain from the coach and make sure that the coach understands your goals.
Do your homework. Most coaches will give assignments; complete them. If you believe they are not relevant, speak up.
Make weekly notes. Make notes throughout the week of any challenges you are having at work; bring them up in your next session.
Be willing to be vulnerable. Clarify that confidentiality rules on the front end. Most coaches offer a degree of confidentiality unless you reveal something that creates a legal or ethical problem for the hiring organization.
Be open to feedback. It may not be accurate in your view, but at least consider it. Read: “Receiving Feedback: What Leaders Should Make Sure Their Team Understands
Be all in. Realize that you are going to receive from coaching exactly what you put into the experience.

Did You Know

We frequently offer executive coaching to help solve a variety of management and leadership issues.

For more information, call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Be sure to read Lynne’s book “The Power of a Good Fight” –

Embracing Conflict to Drive Productivity, Creativity and Innovation.

Workplaces That Work | (303) 216-1020 | lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

3985 Wonderland Hill | Suite 106 | Boulder, CO 80304

Newsletter – Leading to Avoid Confirmation Bias

July 31, 2017

Leading to Avoid Confirmation Bias

Frequently, I am asked to coach a manager or executive whose leader wants to change them in some way. Perhaps the leader needs to learn how to give people feedback without shouting demeaning comments, the leader needs to set more appropriate boundaries with her staff, or learn how to manage conflict.

Whatever the issue, my experience is that coaching is frequently successful, as long as the leader is given the appropriate incentive to change, and their boss can avoid confirmation bias.

Confirmation bias https://www.verywell.com/what-is-a-confirmation-bias-2795024 is the tricky psychological reality that we all face: we tend to pay attention to data that confirms our existing beliefs.

Because of the additional human tendency to wait too long to solve many problems, leaders delay requiring coaching of a specific employee until they are totally fed up with that employee’s behavior. Thus, even though the employee is changing, the leader doesn’t see the change because they are ignoring all evidence of change.

“Are you being objective in assessing the leader’s actual behavior

or are you only observing things they do and say

that confirm your bias?”

In one situation, for example, I coached a woman whose bosses told me that they simply didn’t like her. As usual, I asked for specific behaviors that they found distasteful. They responded with a list of annoying traits: she interrupted people in meetings, failed to let partners know before contacting the firm’s clients, and so on. She was receptive to coaching and we worked hard over a twelve-week period to ameliorate these behaviors. As I checked in with the leaders during the process, they admitted that these specific behaviors had changed. Yet at the end of the contract, they lamented that they didn’t know if she would ever be successful at the firm because they “wanted to work with someone they liked,” even though they couldn’t exactly tell me what about her remained a specific concern. Confirmation bias.

What Should You Do?

Don’t Delay. If someone is a technical expert and a valuable employee, yet needs coaching on people and management skills, don’t delay. Don’t wait so long that you won’t be able to assess any changes accurately.
Be Specific. Be specific on the front end of the coaching agreement. Make sure that you delineate specific behavior that you want changed so that you can more objectively assess whether that behavior has indeed improved.
Be Aware. Be aware of confirmation bias. Are you being objective in assessing the leader’s actual behavior or are you only observing things they do and say that confirm your bias?

Did You Know

We teach about confirmation bias as part of our leadership and conflict workshops, as well as striving to avoid assessments based on bias in our coaching assignments.

For more information, call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

Be sure to read Lynne’s book “The Power of a Good Fight” –

Embracing Conflict to Drive Productivity, Creativity and Innovation.

Workplaces That Work | (303) 216-1020 | lynne@workplacesthatwork.com

3985 Wonderland Hill | Suite 106 | Boulder, CO 80304