The Bumpy Road of Managing People

So.  You went for that management job or started your own business, eh?  Guess what?  You are no longer the focus of your work life -- other people are.  Are you sure you wanna do this?

You probably didn’t plan your career this way – at least not consciously so.  If you had wanted to “work with people” and make THEM the focus of your career, you would have chosen a “helping” profession like social worker, teacher, or nurse or doctor.

But you weren’t necessarily people focused to begin with.

Instead, you started out in engineering, business operations, marketing, carpentry, accounting, forestry, horticulture, engine repair, the culinary arts . . . . something focused on an interest, talent, or skill that was easy for or of interest to you.  While it’s true that people use the products and services provided by these occupations, these jobs aren’t really known as “people-oriented”, are they?

Now, you find yourself in a position to manage people, not because you necessarily enjoy dealing with the challenge of getting the best out of those you now supervise, but because of any number of other reasons, like power, status, money, prestige, recognition, or because there isn’t any other way for your career to progress as it is “supposed” to.

You are badly in need of some guidance, my friend.  So, take a deep breath and read on for navigation tips:

First, learn to check your ego at the door.  When supervising others, you must consciously shift your focus from yourself to those you supervise.  Up to this point, your career has been focused on you – what YOU think, what YOU can do, who YOU know.  That ends right now.  Your thoughts, your needs, your concerns, your technical ability . . . they are not your number one concern anymore.  Instead, your world now centers on the thoughts, needs, concerns and technical ability of your employees.  Your management brilliance will be measured by how well you elicit the best work from these people, who may be nothing like you, and to do that you have to focus on what makes THEM tick.

Second, learn to listen . . . a lot.  Before, you simply had to understand the task, and then carry it out to the best of your ability.  Now, you must engage your employees in what needs to be done to improve in the department or the company.  They will have much to say whether they tell you out right or not.  When in doubt, close your mouth and listen (without that ego that you just checked at the door).  Your employees will come to you with complaints about the company, you, and each other . . . and with excuses for why the work is not done or not done well, and your initial reaction will be to shield yourself from blame.

You’ve been a master at doing the work.  You’ll want to justify everything you’ve done and to correct their facts and interpretations.  Don’t.  Listen for the emotion behind their words, and validate what they are experiencing.  Then, redirect them by asking questions about what they have experienced.  Eventually, you’ll get to the real reason they came to talk to you, and through that conversation you will prove to be someone whom they can trust because you kept the focus on them and listened.

And third, the last big tip is to learn to manage your negative emotions.  You’re human, so there will be times where you lose your cool.  But as much as possible, stay as cool, calm and collected as you can.

The biological reason for doing so is that when your emotions kick in, you don’t think as clearly as you normally would because the body is taking energy from the logical prefrontal cortex and sending it to the emotional limbic system, which is the seat of emotion response.  The professional reason for staying collected is that blowing up in anger or being overly excitable signals your employees that you are not the controlled leader they are looking to for guidance.  Your employees need you to be a stabilizing presence, which in turn, increases your trustworthiness.

When you’re angered or irritated, take a deep breath while counting to 10 before responding to give your emotions time to pass, so your logical brain can have time to kick in again.  Then realize, whatever happened is not the end of the world.  Your response can then be focused on how to move forward to get things back on track.

Supervising a group of people who produce fantastic results is truly a rewarding experience.  And the road to getting there will teach you more about yourself than almost any other life experience.  Enjoy.

Employee Recognition for the "No Nonsense" Boss

You know who you are.  You grew up in a family where no news was good news.  When your parents had a conversation with you, it meant you had screwed up.  You’re focused on work, not that you don’t like people. You do.   You just like them better when they are working.  While you make pleasant conversation with others from time to time, it drives you nuts or at least makes you a bit antsy, and you feel it’s a waste of your time if the chit chat goes beyond 5 minutes.

Now, you’re in charge of others.  Maybe you have your own company, you’re a CEO of a large company, or you’re in charge of a department or a small work crew.  Doesn’t matter.  You’re now faced with getting the most out of others, and the concept of employee recognition or appreciation comes up.  The idea alone makes you crazy.  Employee appreciation.  After all, employees are getting paid to do their jobs.  You think, “Why should you have to gush all over them?  Geez.  Grow up, employees.  This is the adult world.  Not everyone gets a trophy for showing up to work.”

Granted, it would be a lot easier if everyone could simply show up, hit their marks, and know in their heart of hearts that they did a good job . . . unless you say something to them.  But that’s not the way the world works.  Employees’ need to belong and to feel good about themselves and that means they need you to recognize their efforts from time to time.

Yes, some recognition programs miss the mark.  They put too much emphasis on the token given to the employee (a watch, a trophy, a bonus, etc.) than on the meaning and sentiment behind the token.  (How many of you have commemorative service pins that you don’t want and don’t know what to do with?)  If a program stresses form (getting something) over function (appreciation), then the recognition program is the problem and needs to be revamped or dismantled altogether.

Here’s what we know about employee appreciation:

1.            Performance is higher in groups where the leader shows more encouragement.  In fact, a survey showed that 95% of those survey agreed with the statement, “I get a lot of satisfaction knowing I've done a good job.”  Kepner-Tregoe (1995)

This indicates that to get the best performance out of employees, employees want and need to hear that you recognize their efforts and to know that you were pleased with their work.  It doesn’t mean you have to throw a party or buy them expensive presents each time they do something right.  It simply means you need to acknowledge the efforts.  How about a simple thank you?

2.            Teams with managers who were encouraging and offered praise performed 31% better than teams that did not.  Greenberg, M. H., & Arakawa, D. (2006).

Again, recognizing efforts and telling employees that they are doing well and that you appreciate their efforts is all that is needed.  The research doesn’t say you need to spend a ton of money making a big deal out of every success or breakthrough.

3.            Deliberate and specific recognition/praise is more motivating than money. Deci, E. L. (1996)

When you show your appreciation, be deliberate in recognizing employees and be specific about what it was they did so well and why it mattered to the company.  Don't say only, “Thank you.”  Instead say, “Thanks for the long hours and hard work you put into the ABC project.  Because of your efforts, we landed the account.”

So, as much as it irks you to recognize when employees get it right, it can pay off big for them individually.  Consequently, sincerely saying a specific “thank you” will pay off big for your company, department, or work crew.  It’s not the fancy recognition program you design or the stuff you give people; it’s the recognition and appreciation, stupid.

Don't Rely on Employment At Will

Most managers operate under the delusion that the concept of “employment at will” will save their bacon when they don’t want to mess with an employee anymore.  Just fire them.  Done.  After all, that’s what employment “at will” is all about right?

Wrong. 

It’s true that, in general, “employment at will” means that either the employer or the employee can end the work relationship for any reason or . . . no reason at all . . . as long it there wasn’t an illegal reason.  Just like that.  You can be free to work with other employers.

The main idea behind “employment at will” is that neither party is required to continue working together for a specific amount of time.  And you’re thinking, so what? Isn’t that how it’s always been? 

Nope.

Employment at will evolved in the 1870’s, when laissez faire capitalism was starting to gather steam.  Before this time most employment relationships were presumed to be for a year at a time.  There was no quitting after a few weeks because you got a better offer. The doctrine of “employment at will” simply eliminated the presumption of a one-year employment term, allowing worker and employer to end the relationship whenever it didn’t suit either any longer.

Today in many states, “employment at will” has qualifiers.  In Utah, “employment at will” is still subject to notions of fairness regarding the reason an employment relationship ends.  In Utah, when you terminate an employee, the decision is subject to 3 notions of fairness, including (1) whether there was an implied contract (like making explicit verbal or written promises to an employee about job security) , (2) an implied covenant of “good faith and fair dealing” (aka requiring “just cause” to let someone go), or (3) whether the termination violates explicit, well-establish public policy (e.g., you can’t fire someone just because they filed a workers’ comp claim).

So, the next time, you’re fed up and just want to make an employee go away, hoping “employment at will” will be the reason.  Think again.  Here are 4 suggestions for laying groundwork just in case you end up firing someone:

1.            Have an “employment at will” statement in your employee handbook or employee policies.  Make sure all employees receive a copy of the handbook or policies when they are hired.

2.            Be honest with an employee about how he is not meeting your expectations.

3.            Don’t delay in addressing employee issues, thinking they will go away on their own.  They won’t.

4.            Talk to the employee in private about the issue(s).  AND summarize this conversation in the form of a memo of understanding (on company letterhead & dated) that clearly states the issue and what the employee is expected to do to conform to your expectations or to company policy.

5.            If the problem persists, issue a written warning to the employee(on company letterhead & dated), re-stating the problem , when you addressed it before with him, and noting that it is a serious matter that the employee must correct.  State in the warning that the employee will be “subject to discipline, up to and including dismissal”, if he doesn’t correct the problem.  Get the employee’s signature on this warning or at least have someone witness that you gave him the written warning if he refuses to sign it (and some employees will refuse to sign).

If the employee doesn’t correct the problem after getting a warning, you could discipline with an unpaid suspension or even termination.

With this basic documentation in place, an employer has a good chance of prevailing on an unemployment claim or even a workplace discrimination claim these basic with documents, showing the employee knew there was a problem and failed to correct it.

Nothing is a sure bet when dealing with employees. But don’t rely on “employment at will” as your only reason for terminating an employee.

Are You Managing or Bullying?

“I feel like you’re intimidating and bullying me.”  These are the words of a female employee during a meeting with her male supervisor, who intended to set expectations with her. The supervisor was taken aback and started to question his behavior.

With stories of bullying of children frequently in the news, it makes us stop and think.  So, how do you know whether you are managing or bullying?

Keep in mind that a few employees will attempt to deflect attention away from themselves, especially when a work issue is being addressed.  One thing they may say, whether they really believe it or not, is that you are bullying them, especially if they believe that no one – not even their supervisor – has a right to dictate terms to them at work.

Also, employees may use the word “intimidation” when describing what it felt like when they were called into the boss’s office to discuss a performance deficiency.  Well, sure, it’s intimidating, especially when you know you’ve failed in your work commitment.  But that doesn’t mean the boss was purposefully intimidating and is a bully.

According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, bullying is a “laser-focused”, “systematic campaign of interpersonal destruction” that has nothing to do with work itself and that negatively impacts the employee’s health, career and job.  It

targets the employee for no good work reason, causing an employee, who otherwise does acceptable work, to feel hopeless about the situation. Bullying targets tend to be good workers, who are “independent” and not easily “subservient”.  G. Namie, TheChallenge of Workplace Bullying, Employment Relations Today, 2007, 34(2), pp.43-51.

To help clarify, these are examples of when your behavior could be “bullying” as opposed to “managing”:

Bullying	Managing
On a performance review, the supervisor is intentionally biased or gives inaccurate feedback because he doesn’t like the employee even though the employee is a good performer.	On a performance review, the supervisor shares honest, substantiated feedback with the employee, whether he likes the employee or not.
The supervisor deliberately excludes an employee from workplace meetings and activities for no good reason or for a concocted reason when other employees in the same job classification attend.	The supervisor includes an employee in workplace meetings and activities that other employees in the same job classification attend, even if the employee is not the best performer.
The supervisor instigates or fails to stop others from spreading malicious gossip, jokes or rumors about an employee which are not true.	The supervisor refrains from joking about, gossiping or spreading rumors about any employees.  Instead the supervisor addresses any problematic conduct or performance with employees directly and privately, giving the employees an opportunity to give their version of the situation.
The supervisor pesters, spies, or stalks the employee with no business reason for doing so.	The supervisor monitors all employees’ whereabouts if there is a business reason for doing so, and documents and addresses any issues of attendance or productivity privately with employees, giving the employees an opportunity to give their version of the situation.
The supervisor criticizes or belittles the employee persistently or allows others to do so without saying anything.	The supervisor speaks privately with the employee if there are documented conduct or performance issues, getting the employee’s explanation during the conversation.
The supervisor metes out undeserved or unwarranted punishment to an employee.	The supervisor addresses only work related issues, gathering all relevant information regarding a situation, including the employee’s version of events, before deciding whether or not to discipline an employee for workplace misconduct.
The supervisor consistently gives an otherwise good performing employee assignments that are beneath his position to create a feeling of uselessness.	The supervisor holds employees accountable to job performance standards and documents/addresses sub-standard performance with interventions such as re-training, job shadowing, etc.

The manner in which the supervisor interacts with an employee in any situation can increase or decrease the employee’s perception of being bullied, even if the supervisor’s behavior is not out of line. So, know when you have a right to address a situation with employees and do it professionally and respectfully.

Are Your Meetings a Snoozefest?

What is the difference between a newsletter and a meeting?  You think this is a trick question?  It’s obvious, right? Apparently not so obvious to a lot of leaders.

Like a memo or newsletter, many meetings end up as simply a way to disseminate information.  Those attending go around the horn and update the others in the room about what’s going on in their respective areas of responsibility.  Or maybe during the meeting someone “trains” you on a new procedure, product, or service.  Thus, many meetings are simply newsletters in disguise.  If you are gathering others in a room or in a virtual meeting space to merely disseminate information, send a newsletter or memo instead.

In contrast, you should use a meeting format when there is a topic to discuss that is critical to the long-and short-term success of your organization.  As proposed in Patrick Lencioni’s Death by Meeting, every good meeting needs “conflict” . . . something that will spark all kinds of thought, discussion and disagreement, allow enough time to dicuss the issue(s), and not mix administrative, tactical and strategic topics.

With multiple options for interfacing and communicating with others available today, it is even more important to determine whether or not a meeting (whether virtual or face-to-face) is really necessary. The main reasons to have a meeting:

1.       To check-in daily with those working with you.  This is a short 5-10 minute administrative meeting where a supervisor and her direct reports briefly huddle to exchange information regarding their top priorities of the day.  It allows for quick updates, coordination and coverage if needed.

2.       To report back on the progress of tactics that are being implemented and are based upon the goals generated during a strategy session.  This is a weekly meeting where an entire team meets to report on individual efforts to impact team and organization goals and to make new commitments for the coming week.  In addition to Lencioni’s book, I recommend The Four Disciplines of Execution by Chris Chesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling for a practical structure to these types of meetings.

3.       To discuss the current strategy related to the organization’s current business goals and the progress being made.    These can be held monthly or as needed and usually last from 2-4 hours.

4.       To do more in-depth organizational planning, including to review strategy, industry trends, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  This can be a two- to three-day meeting held offsite and may include department heads and other senior leaders, who gather to brainstorm, analyze, prioritize, and discuss where the business is going with respect to its market, products, service, or structure.  Sometimes they also discuss internal talent and succession planning.

All of these meeting types require the participation of the attendees around a meaningful topic.

So reflect on the meetings you convene or attend.  If you lead the meetings, what can you do make them more engaging for the others in the room? What topics, central to your organization, need to be discussed more and would lend themselves to lively discussion and analysis?  Assuming little or no discussion is required, what straightforward information currently shared at your meetings can be shared in a way that doesn’t take meeting time?

In short, instead of holding a meeting where others are dragging in a few minutes late, dreading the time they will have to spend listening to the same old irrelevant information and hoping there will be someone else in the room they can text with under the table, what can you do to your meetings, so others can’t wait to come and participate . . . ?