The silence is deafening!!

I was leading a workshop the other day on Performance Management and there were a number of participants lamenting how their boss didn’t give them feedback on how they were doing.

“I’d like to know if I’m on track,” one person said.
“I do hear but only when there’s a problem,” piped up another. “ I know most of the time I do a good job, but the minute something goes wrong, that’s when I hear something.”

These people had come to the workshop as they were moving into a supervisory role. Soon they would be held accountable for their employee's performance. They would be involved in planning for the future, setting goals, coaching and giving feedback, as this was now expected of them in their new position.

Clearly some of them knew what NOT to do; they knew from first-hand experience.

Their experiences caused me to reflect on this common problem. Managers know it’s important to give feedback, yet in spite of knowing they should, they don’t do it for a variety of reasons. When I asked some managers about this common lack of action, these are some of the things they said.

• I just don’t have the time, and it akes a lot of time to do it properly.
• I don’t see them very often so I can’t give feedback on what I don’t know.
• They know I will speak up if I have a problem.
• No-one likes getting feedback, so I save them the pain.
• They know what’s working and where there is a problems, they’re adults they can figure out what to do.

The interesting thing is that all of these managers thought the Performance Management activity was about telling someone how they were doing.

I like to present it in a different light.

I ask managers to look on it as a conversation where they can get insight into the employee’s job, and the challenges they face and overcome. I suggest they ask the employee to think about the past year and to identify the highs and lows, the successes and difficulties and where adjustment or modifications could change things for the better. By using this approach, the pressure is taken off the manager, AND it allows the employee to share their perspective, which is often different from what the boss sees.

I also suggest sitting down over coffee to talk about their views. There’s no need to make this a BIG formal deal. This relaxed conversational approach helps to build a working relationship that goes far beyond performance management. Once the two people are talking and sharing perspectives, then they can move on to look at places where adjustments could be made to improve results. Once again this should come from the employee. It’s about asking for ideas NOT telling them how to fix things.

“What could be done to speed up…?”
“Where could we …”
“If you… how would that build better customer service?”

If you’ve been thinking, ‘I’m the manager I have to come up with a solution’, it puts unnecessary pressure on your shoulders. On top of that, most employees will resent being told how to fix their problem, they want to solve it themselves. We’ve found that imposed solutions are often sabotaged. Then employees can say, “See I told you it wouldn’t work.” On the other hand, if the employee gives you their ideas and if you encourage them to try it out, most employees will want to make their solution a success and will strive hard to make it work out.

So before you buy in to those avoidance excuses you play in your head, take a few minutes to chat with your employees informally about the job. Listen carefully; you’ll be surprised what you learn.

In the process of casually discussing the work, your employees will know you have noticed them and their contributions, and that you believe in their ability to make a difference. That alone will make a huge difference to that employee, because, feedback avoidance often leads to employees feeling invisible, and wondering if anyone sees the difference they make. So ensure they know their contributions are crucial and that you appreciate the things they do day in day out.

Your steady, reliable, consistent employees, who may never be your star performers, are the people who especially need to hear how much you count on them. Star performers are great, and they often get lots of acknowledgement. Conversely, your difficult employees must be talked with to get them to perform and meet expectations, but far too often the quiet, dependable, consistent employees are overlooked and that’s a shame - they are keeping things going by providing your core services.

So please, think hard about how much you have been taking your employees for granted and how they might be craving some feedback and acknowledgement of their work; then take a moment to ask a few simple questions to show you’re interested. You’ll be surprised at what you learn.

If you have managed to help employees become high performers, who are happily giving their best, please share you story with us. We can all benefit from new approaches.

It's a risky business!

I'm amazed at how complacent many of my clients are about their ability to hang in there for a few more months until the recent recession finally fades away. So complacent in fact that they have missed another risk about to land squarely and solidly into their laps - one that will come regardless of financial outcomes.

Their eyes have been so firmly fixed on the financial impact of their decisions, scanning what is happening with their suppliers, their competition and the bank rates, that they have failed to look internally to where they might be vulnerable going forward. The myopic view they have been consumed with has not afforded them a view of other lingering problems that are completely within their grasp to address, and address with little need for huge budgets.

The risk I am referring to is the one that will come when their long term employees, their “go to” people finally decide it’s time to retire. The amount of specialized knowledge these people carry in their heads, means that most companies will suffer an immediate, and dramatic impact on their ability to provide service levels that they currently take for granted.

The baby boomers are planning to leave soon and to leave on mass from your company AND your supplier companies all across the globe!

One of my clients thought about 40% of his workforce were on the brink of retiring – our risk assessment found he was a little low it was actually 60% because he had failed to consider his very mobile middle managers who had career aspirations outside his company. Can you imagine the impact it could have if all of that specialized knowledge walked out the door?

But capturing the knowledge is not an easy problem to solve; it’s far more than getting people to write down their procedures. The tacit knowledge that is told in stories and given as examples, is much tougher to collect, transfer and apply.

Why do you call this person instead of send an email?
What is it about you that makes customer X always turn to you for his needs?
Who is the person to talk to at XYJ company when you want an answer to a problem? Why do we do the job in this way?
Where did that idea come from?

Can you see how tough it is to capture those details and it’s the details that bring context to the decisions that emerge from meetings and board rooms in corporate North America.

We recommend a structured process as the way to determine your company’s vulnerability
1. Conduct a risk assessment just how many of your Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) will exit in the next three years?
2. Who else could fill the void now (at the same level of expertise) if they were to suddenly decide to leave?
3. What is your competitive advantage and how is that knowledge, approach, etc. imbedded into your employee’s jobs?
4. How are ‘lessons learned’ from day to day work captured, shared and stored for future access?

The knowledge that rests in the minds of your employees is the highest vale you have. It exceed s anything you will find on desks, in files, drawers and on the hard-drive! Protect it now for your, long term benefit.

Yes, the loss of corporate knowledge is a very risky business.

Perceptions

I was reading a blog post last week and pondering the content and how it might have value for me - or not, when a colleague called and arranged to meet me for lunch. It turned out she had read the same blog and wanted to see what I thought.

"Did you agree with what he said?" she asked, close on the heels of "Hello and how are you," as she slipped into her seat.

Those opening remarks launched our animated conversation - enjoyed with good food and wine, I might add.

"I felt some points were on the mark," I replied. Not so my colleague. "I thought it was rubbish" she said.

We then proceeded to pull the blog apart and lightly tossed our points of view across the table, both of us quoting examples from our background, research and projects to justify our points of view.

When I got home I forgot about it until I was sitting down to write an article for a client. I realised, as my fingers flew across the keyboard, that I was about to launch into a point of view based on a narrow window - mine. This pothole in the road of writing jarred me to a halt as I recalled the lunchtime banter with my colleague.

Was that author wrong as my friend attested? Were just a view points valid, as I had suggested? Probably not. Clearly he was writing from his point of view, from his experiences, from the books he'd read, web-sites scanned and the people he had met and worked with. He was writing and sharing with the reader his viewpoint and simultaneously giving us a glimpse into his bacground.

I know the challenge of being open minded; it takes some effort to be curious about why a certain perspective is presented as fact. We have to set aside our easy rebuttal to seek insight, so we don't just discount the different slant.

Blog posts have opportunities for people to comment, so I asked a few questions and received further insight into the the points of view we had questioned and discounted to readily. It was enlightening.

When faced with information that normally I would have been quick to challenge, I now stop myself and seek more information.
I ask questions like:
"Tell me more about that."
"Where did you learn about that approach?"
"What leads you to think that might work in this situation?"
"Help me understand why that will make a difference?"
"I'm confused, can you give me an example?"

When I'm willing to suspend my judgement and ask for more information, it frequently puts the information into context so I can see it's valid and possibly even helpful now that I have a bigger picture. It's humbling. I wish I could do it consistently, but I'm human and flawed like everyone else, so I will ask my questions when I remember and not beat up on myself when I forget.

Accountability

I was reminded today about how easily and pervasively people pass the buck for actions that are quite within their control. 'Accountability' was the number one chapter in my leadership book "L is for Leader' (ISBN 141209075-X) and worth repeating here.

I opened that chapter by saying... Accountability is a powerful quality. In the course of working with leaders in large, small, private, public and not-for-profit organizations one thing has stood out, time after time. Namely, the respect gained by leaders who admit their mistakes and accept responsibility for the outcomes. I went on to say... The leader who is truly accountable will own their part in the situation, will accept the limits or lack of flexibility within their organization and still step forward with some accountable dialogue. I continued a bit later by saying... This type of accountability has a huge spin-off throughout the rest of the organization. As other people see this example of leadership, it almost entirely removes fear - the fear of being penalized, ridiculed and held up for example. And as we all know, fear stifles creativity and growth and eliminates the courage to act. If fear of failure is removed, if punishment is eliminated, if ridicule is stamped out, then people will go out on a limb to try to improve the way in which they do business. By showing it's okay to make errors - by accepting the part you, as leader, have played - it goes a long way to creating strong, highly regarded leaders.

So let me take you to the story that promped me to write this blog.

Near where I live on Vancouver Island is the scenic Malahat highway that is frequently subjected to traffic accidents and closures; yesterday a serious tanker accident caused a 22 hour shut down as it lay on it's side spewing it's load of fuel into the adjacent salmon spawning river. Thankfully no-one was killed. But the same can not be said for the salmon. The entire river, from the point of impact through to the estuary, has been contaminated. It will take years for it to be restored.

Quickly the public outcry was heard with demands for an improvement to this winding road which snakes through a beautiful park.

Widen it, they cry.
Straighten it, they plea.
Install barriers, they insist.
Build another route, they demand.

Yet upon reflection, it is obvious the 'fault' lies not with the road, which is after all an inactive participant. The responsibility rests with the drivers, the active participants who choose not to follow or abide by the posted signs. I have driven this road on hundreds of occasions and have lost count of the number of people who swing out to pass at the first opportunity, regardless of the road conditions or visibility; rushing to get to their destination five minutes earlier!

So here we are with yet another accident on this beautiful scenic highway; hundreds of commuters inconvenienced for hours and still people are clamouring for a solution that will cost thousands of dollars. No doubt the driver will have independent representation, seeking for find a scapegoat so the driver can avoid accountability; a pattern we have all seen played out before.

I am hoping that once, just once, a driver who causes one of these un-necessary accidents will say, "I screwed up, I am to blame, I made a bad decision". But I'm not holding my breath!

You Can Transform Your Organization

I was talking with a business leader yesterday and he was lamenting about the lack of passion and energy at this organization. He said he wanted to create an engaged and dynamic workplace and had brought his managers together to talk about it, but all to no avail. He told me it was essential to his organization’s success to retain great talent and improve his employee relations but he feared some of his people were so disengaged they were looking for others positions outside his operation. He continued by saying he wanted to improve his bottom line and create a passion for success throughout his organization but he had no idea where to go next.

I told him he could do all of those things with a few careful actions but it would require getting all of his managers on board.

This is summary of what we discussed, based on my experience with transforming an organization from despondent and glum to passionate and engaged.
I told him, “It starts by making sure everyone in the organization knows, understands and realizes they really can bring about positive and lasting change, in fact, that leaders are counting on them to do so. In order to do that they have to see how their job IS connected to the vision, mission and values, and that showing up and making their best contribution makes a difference to the results."

It’s been shown time and again that when senior people closet themselves away developing their organization’s mission, vision and values the people back at the office are raising their eyebrows and muttering.

"What are they up to now?""What a waste of time.""What difference will that make around here?"

The disconnect between the well-intentioned senior leaders who are charting the course for the organization; finding the right words to express their mission, vision and values, and the employees who fill their corporate offices or shop floors, is not a gap - it’s a chasm.

• Yes, your clients will be able to understand your corporate direction, as the information will appear on your web site and show up on corporate materials

• Certainly, if they’ve done their homework, sales people pitching to your company will know what to focus on to reach your ears

But the employees?

True, they will see the signs and read the words; after all they are in the reception area, the boardrooms and meeting rooms.
But is that all that's wanted? Don’t leader's want it to resonate with everyone so that the workplace takes on a new life and energy?

What do those words mean to them? In most cases it means their leaders were off in fantasy land with no connection to the reality of their jobs. It’s the leader's job to change that viewpoint - to bring the words to life – to them – to their jobs.

Most employees will never make the connection between those lofty words - even if they are expressed clearly, using simple straightforward language - to their own jobs. In our experience employees will continue on in their tried and true pattern as if the executive retreat and the work of their leaders, was of little consequence; as if none of it has any relevance to them.

The well-facilitated discussions and final decisions that led to beautifully prepared corporate signs that declare the Mission, Vision and Values will never propel the organization forward as intended, without another crucial step, because it falls far short of what it could accomplish.

The CEO or president could gather employees together to talk about what those words mean for the company and their department - that would be a good start. Drilling down, taking time and opening up the communication lines to help employees understand how their job IS connected to the vision and mission must follow. Finally it’s essential to imbed the actions you expect from each individual into their personal annual performance plans, as this will result in behaviours that support the higher purpose of the organization.

The best results are achieved with a dedicated, strategic, constant ripple-down process.

Each vice-president or senior manager must talk about what the words mean with their managers; they have to ensure those managers know what’s expected of them and that they will be supported as they adjust and change past practices to align more closely with the vision. The managers have to know their performance will be measured against that goal; that actions must follow and that they will be held accountable to make changes.

This strong message will help those same managers encourage others to focus and realign their work to meet the mission and vision. Typically this leads to staff meetings, animated discussions and stronger action plans. It frequently leads to some confusion, perhaps a few disgruntled people, but there will certainly be passionate engagement. When you get employees talking about how they make a difference to the results in their organization they will find creative ways to improve. There’s no doubt that when employees see the link from their job to the corporate mission and vision there is a heightened awareness of the impact of their actions. This in turn drives more effective and meaningful performance reviews, less absenteeism, higher retention, more engagement and a stronger bottom line. So the missing pieces in many organizations are the links that make up the chain from top to bottom.

Words agonized over at retreats and finally placed on plaques must mean something to the employees. Naturally those words resonate with the people who created them, so taking the next steps to make them resonate with the rest of the employees must follow, if they are to have the high-impact they were intended to create.

So, next time you glance at those carefully crafted words, pause to ask yourself did we take the steps to help our employees see those words really do mean something for them?
If not, consider the actions outlined here; they could make a huge difference to your company on many fronts.

Client relationships

If you're like me, you will have met, established and built many solid working relationships with clients over the years, and while some of them have seemed 'a piece of cake' others have required more time and effort before there was an easy flow of information. I was pondering this the other day when I was having trouble getting a client to repond to my requests for information.

I asked myself a few questions:
What was going on over at their offices?
Why was he ignoring my requests?
How could I break through this barrier?
What had I done, or not done, to contribute to the problem?

In hindsight I realized several things could be at play and as I had missed some important elements right at the start, it would be up to me to find a solution.

First, I examined what we had talked about at the kick off meeting. We had spoken of the project outcomes, the steps and process to get from where we were so we could reach our target goal. We discussed the people who would be involved, their role, the budget and the reports we would provide each month but we hadn't talked about our expectations of each other. We had not shared our preferred working style and how we liked to get our information Duh! How could I have missed this - clearly it was a crucial ingredient and the failure to discuss it was now showing up and could potentially delay our work.

I looked back at the times when we HAD connected and quickly realised this was a 'phone call preference person' while I was 'an email type'. In the time it took for me to recognize this, a call was placed and we were able to nail down some specifics. This is what he wanted.

He would like it if I would give him a brief phone call once a week to talk about the highlights and update him on progress followed by an email - for his records. He also told me that if I wanted to talk with him he was generally at his desk between 7:30 and 8:30 and again between 4:30 and 5:30.
In response, I told him to use my cell phone instead of the office number if he wanted to get hold of me and that if I was busy he could expect to hear back within 24 hours.
He said he would call if he had any concerns but otherwise I was to keep going on the basis that he was happy with the work as it was unfolding.
With a simple phone call all of our communication challenges were overcome and we went on to have a healthy and productive working relationship. So, next time you are meeting with a client, stop to ask yourself have we declared our communication preferences so that all parties are clear about what is expected. It's amazing how often we assume our communication style will be matched by our client - not necessarily so as I found out.