Be a Connector!

What’s your approach to networking? Do you cringe when you even hear the word or do you look forward to an opportunity to expand your professional network?

I do a lot career transition coaching and most of my clients seem to think networking is a four letter word and will do anything to avoid it—which is not a good thing when you’re looking for a new position. Or, actually, if you want to succeed in whatever field you’re in—networking is here to stay so we all need to find ways to do and do it well!

Lucky for me, I ‘m someone who’d network 18 hours a day—I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. One of the ways networking is fun for me is when I can help other people connect.

Remember Malcolm Gladwell’s bestseller, The Tipping Point? If you’ve read the book you’ll probably remember his description of people who are “connectors”. It’s a pretty simple concept—connectors help other people get in touch with each other. 

Some people are natural connectors—they meet someone at an event and immediately think of someone they already know who this new person should know—because they either have something in common or one of the two people has knowledge of or interest in a subject the second person wants to learn or know.

Connectors have good memories or good records so that they can easily put the two people together—and sometimes the connection is made on the spot.

It happens to me all the time—I will be at an event or social function and will meet a new person and later at the same event I will meet someone else who is in the same field or who is looking for a job in the first person’s area of expertise.  It’s such fun for me to bring the two together. 

But, here’s how to make it really a connection—I don’t just say, Tony, I’d like you to meet Randy and then walk away. I share something about each of them that lets them both know it’s going to be worth their time to connect.

In addition to helping people meet other people, being a connector has other benefits:

1. The people you connect are usually more likely to refer you to other opportunities since you’ve gone out of your way to introduce them to someone who may have been a real help to them.
2. Being a connector provides you with a focus at a networking event. If you’re one of the many people who’d rather have a root canal than go to another event, if you go with the idea of helping other connect, you’ll be amazed at how many new contacts you get for yourself. This focus helps with the nerves many people feel as they walk into a room of relative strangers. 
3. And, in order to connect others, you first have to know something about each person so you can find someone to introduce them to—in other words, connect them to someone with a common interest, profession, or need. Get to know them by asking good questions about their lives.
4. By connecting people to others, you’re providing a valued resource.  There is usually a payoff to the connector—it may not be quick but most people are genuinely thankful for a good introduction and may help you by introducing you to your next great opportunity.

Working on your connecting skills will help you be a better networker so I encourage you to give it a try!

Barbara Mitchell

Compliance or Common Sense

Since October 2017, stories about sexual harassment have been in the media. Harassment, sexual and other types, is a serious workplace and societal problem and needs to stay at the forefront. Unfortunately, the nuances of the issue are often confused. The press doesn't always distinguish between sexual harassment and sexual assault. 

Behavior that is disrespectful often occurs on a continuum, and if it's not addressed early it can erode.  For example, subtleties, if not confronted and addressed, can deteriorate into sexual harassment, which can deteriorate into sexual assault. The lines between different types of behavior can at times be thin and blurred, but the behaviors are distinct from each other. 

What can and should we be doing about harassment, sexual and other types, in our organizations?  Funny you should ask.  In The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook, Barbara and I devote a chapter entitled Are You Playing Nice in the Sandbox?  to disrespectful and disruptive behavior, including descriptions of certain types of behaviors. Here are some of the key points – points I have long stressed in training – we make in the book:

• Live your values and don't tolerate behavior that is contrary to those values – behavior that is disrespectful and disruptive to the workplace. 
• If unacceptable behavior occurs, address it and empower every employee to address it –and live up to that commitment. 
• If behavior is judged against a standard of respect, organizations don't need to determine if it does or doesn't meet the legal definition (or standard) of harassment.  Simply stated, raise the bar on your acceptable standards of behavior – and live up to that commitment. 

This is what organizations should be stressing in their harassment prevention training. They should also be having more conversations about workplace behavior outside of compliance training sessions. Managers need to be involved and engaged in these conversations. 

Employees should feel comfortable confronting behavior with the perpetrator when it happens and reporting the behavior in accordance with the organization’s policies. How do you encourage employees to address and stand up to unacceptable behavior? After all, it can be intimidating.  We’ve got suggestions for that in The Conflict Resolution Phrase Book, a companion to our earlier book on conflict. A chapter in this book also entitled Are You Playing Nice in the Sandbox? is filled with phrases that can be used or tailored to respectfully confront disruptive behavior. 

Organizations have an obligation to be compliant with the laws. They also have an obligation to create and maintain workplaces that are comfortable, professional, and respectful for their employees, clients, customers, guests, and visitors. Common sense goes a long way toward meeting both of these obligations!  

There is much to say on this subject, and we will in future blogs, so please be sure to check our posts on Making People Matter, which we publish every week at makingpeoplematter.blogspot.com.

Micromanaging – Not Always a Bad Management Strategy

I can’t believe I just wrote these words!  After preaching for years that micromanaging staff drives people from the organization, I am now going to tell you that sometimes it is exactly what you need to do?  Well, here goes…

We usually focus on how to empower employees so that they can learn and grow but what about the times when you as a manager, need to be more closely involved in their work? What kind of balance is needed so you are sure the work is being done without stifling their creativity or enthusiasm?

Here’s an example of when you might need to be more of a micromanager—your organization is going through a huge change initiative. You’re changing strategy or going into new markets or adding a new and very different service or product.  Managers need to provide close direction until everyone involved gets where you’re headed and why.

Major organizational changes can upset even your most seasoned employee. People who are comfortable with their work and who you can almost read your mind and not need much of your oversight in normal situations, suddenly require much more of your expertise and your time so be available to them and yes, micromanage them until such time as they’re ready to step out without so much supervision.

Another example of when you need to micromanage is when a formerly excellent employee starts having trouble completing projects or misses major deadlines. You need to keep a close watch on that person’s work so that things don’t get to far out of hand. Remember, it’s your job to keep your employees on track—even when they’ve been productive in the past. 

You should step in and do your best to get things going the right direction but also take the time to counsel your employee. You may find out they have a serious health issue or problems at home that are taking them off their game. Whatever the reason is for their performance issues, you need to make sure the work gets done in a timely manner and at the highest quality level.

Consider a situation where your major client isn’t happy with the level of service they’re receiving. If this isn’t a time for micromanaging, I don’t know when it would be! You need to get right into the situation and resolve it as quickly as possible and if that means you have to be a micromanager, so be it.

After you’ve hopefully restored your organization’s relationship with the client, then find out what else you need to do to keep productivity as high as possible.

Be careful not to stay in micromanagement mode too long or you will de-motivate your team. Once the situation is resolved, we hope you can return to your supportive, coaching style. If, however, you find yourself enjoying being a micromanager when you don’t need to be, ask a trusted advisor or mentor for help.

Bottom line—short term micromanaging can be a good thing—just don’t let it be your preferred style or you may find yourself either needing to replace good employees who leave you or looking for a new job yourself!

Employee Retention – 2018 Style

In December 2017, the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent. This is great news for employees, but for employers who are struggling to attract and retain good workers and top talent – it’s time to get creative.  So what are they doing?

A January 12^th article in the Washington Post entitled Companies Struggle to Find, Retain Workers in a Hot Economy,” the following examples were cited:

• In Ames, Iowa, which has the lowest jobless rate (1.5 percent) in the nation, the Mary Greely Medical Center adopted more flexible employee scheduling to appeal to students from a nearby university. It has also tried to recruit “nontraditional workers,” including retirees, to fill entry-level positions.
• Working with the local Chamber of Commerce in Ames, it’s head of workforce development served as a “matchmaker” for several companies with vacancies to help place workers laid off as the result of a plant closing.

An article in Forbes Magazine’s December 2017 edition talked about innovative ideas in an article entitled Competition is the New Union. 

• Procter & Gamble is offering it’s 95,000 employees world-wide an equivalent of 1 to 2 percent of their salary set aside for a benefit for their choice – anything from disability insurance to financial planning to extra vacation. Let the employees choose the benefit that best fits their wants and needs!
• Hershey introduced a suite of “SmartFlex” policies for its white-collar workforce, which include leave options for new parents and expanded opportunities to work from home or work flexible hours. 
• Nvidia, an artificial intelligence firm, recognizes that if employees are going to do their best work, they need to offer them the best benefits. They will repay up to $30,000 in student loans and offer new mothers 22 weeks of paid leave.
• Accenture is committed to training. As its focus shifts to the cloud and consultancy services, and with technology changing so rapidly, helping employees develop cutting-edge skills is crucial – and it engages the employees they want to keep and advance!

As the economy continues to (hopefully) expand, the labor market will continue to shrink – especially when and if baby boomers retire. Organizations will continue to be challenged with new and exciting ways to attract and retain talent. What will your organization do? We’d love to hear from you!

Making Promotions Matter!

The Harvard Business Review had an article recently entitled “How You Promote People Can Make or Break Company Culture” Jamie Herzlich, a reporter for Newsday, recently spoke with me about it. She wanted my insights about whether promotions are important, especially in small or mid-sized companies. Yes, they are. 

Here are some of the thoughts I shared with her:

• Promotions can be a powerful way for organizations to retain employees and help them grow. When people have the opportunity to learn, develop and grow, it sends the message that they are valued contributors. 
• Managers have to know their people – their strengths, their development needs, and their individual career goals.
• Organizations should have a process for promotions. The process need not be elaborate – just a way to let people know there are opportunities available. It shouldn’t stop with announcing the opportunities. Consider all qualified individuals who express interest. 
• Encourage employees to express their interest in those opportunities. It’s a way for the organization and managers to understand who is interested in certain types of opportunities.  
• Managers need to be honest and candid with employees about their career aspirations and development needs. If aspirations are unrealistic – the opportunity will never be available within the organization or the employee needs to develop more – then help the employee recalibrate his or her aspirations.
• Support employees’ career development needs. Provide them with training opportunities – and this need not be attendance at expensive conferences. There are webinars and courses at local community colleges that may be the right fit. Provide them with mentors or stretch assignments so they will be ready in the future.
• Provide feedback to employees about promotional opportunities. If the employee expresses interest and is not ready for a promotion at that point, let them know why, and have discussions about career development. If the employee is considered, but not chosen, let them know why and encourage them to continue to express interest in future opportunities. 

Often time, promotional decisions are clouded with the perception that someone was already pre-selected for the position. It may be that someone is promoted because the scope of his or her job has changed and more responsibility has been assumed. If that’s the case, explain the circumstances when the promotion is announced so other people don’t feel “passed over.” Someone may be hired from the outside because they bring skills and experience that no current staff members possess and for which there’s an immediate need. If that’s the case, explain it. People may be disappointed, but they can accept it when they know the underlying facts that support the decision that was made. Make the promotions work for your employees and for the organization!

Bad News/Good News – Which Comes First?

Conventional wisdom about performance feedback indicates that you should start off a meeting with the employee with good news. Indeed, we’ve written in the past about the importance of creating a positive communicative atmosphere. In that spirit, we said:

• Be sensitive to the employee’s feelings. Always begin the meeting by providing positive feedback. Point out specific accomplishments, noting how they’ve contributed to the group’s efforts and to the organization.

• Emphasize problem-solving and concentrate on future actions that can be taken in any areas that need improvement.

That always seemed to make sense. Build them up before you talk about where things went wrong or can improve.

Then I read an interview with Dan Pink in the Washington Post on Sunday, January 7, 2018. Dan was talking about his new book, When. The last question posed to him by Jena McGregor was: “When you’re giving feedback to employees, should you give good news or bad news first? Dan responded, saying that he’s changed his behavior and thinking on this issue. There was a time when he agreed with the conventional wisdom and wanted to “offer a cushion before bringing down the hammer.” 

He explained why he’s reversed thinking on this. Apparently, there is research that shows most people prefer getting the bad news first and ending on a positive note. If we stopped to consider what we’d prefer, we would probably agree – have an ending that goes up rather than down. However, we act in ways different from our own preferences because we think we’re unique and other people don’t have the same preferences as we do.

The interview made me stop and consider how I might approach giving negative feedback or news in the future. Nevertheless, I still advise being sensitive to the other person’s feels and emphasizing problem solving. The news may be negative, but it needs to be delivered in a positive manner.

What do you think? Bad news or good news, which should come first? How might you adjust your future performance discussions? 

Up Your Game in 2018

A new year is here and with it brings all the trials that come with people management. We’d like to offer not a resolution, but a challenge to managers – up your game and let us help.

We’re starting the year off by finishing our manuscript for The Manager’s Answer Book – scheduled to be published this spring. This has given us the opportunity over the past months to consider, discuss and write about those traits and skills that make a manager great – curiosity, courage, and collaboration – just to name a few. 

Here’s a preview of what we have to say about those traits:

• Curiosity.  Curiosity is one of the most important tools managers should be using in their management journey. Curious people are always learning because they're always asking questions, reading up on topics outside their field of expertise and generally exploring. Be curious about what’s going on in your organization. Find out what other departments or teams are doing. Ask about the challenges your external and internal customers face.  It will help you gain a deeper understanding of what’s going on in the organization and industry. 

• Courage. Courageous managers speak out, take opposing points of view, and confront unpleasant situations and bad decisions. In addition, they suggest and advocate for ideas and positions that may be unpopular.  They are not afraid to put the interests of an employee, their team, or even the larger organization above their own self interests.  They move beyond the “what’s in it for me” mentality, sometimes to their own detriment, because they have the vision to see greater, long-term outcomes. 

• Collaboration.  Build collaborative relationships with your peers. No one person or department stands alone.  Work is interdependent. Seek out your peers and explore common business and personal interests. Determine how you can support the work of each other's department or operation. Agree on those things that your can do to support each other and develop a follow-up plan. Be sure that plan is ongoing and commit to maintain it. 

Throughout the year we’ll be looking at these and other attributes that define a good manager. We’ll also be sharing stories from our own experiences and asking you to share your stories about managers who demonstrated the particular traits that we’ll be writing about. We want to make sure that 2018 is about Making People Matter.