A Lesson from Barbara Bush A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

I may be paraphrasing, but this is one of the stories about Barbara Bush I heard on the news the evening of her death. It was a conversation she had with her son, George W. Bush, during a visit to her home while he was president.

Barbara Bush:  “George, get your feet off my table.”

George H.W. Bush:  “You can't talk to him like that. He's the President of The United States.  

Barbara:  “Yes I can. He’s my son and he knows better!”

Manager’s Tip:  What a wonderful lesson for all leaders. We ask in The Manager’s Answer Book what it means to assemble a personal board of directors. Shout this from the rooftops. Surround yourself with people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. All managers should surround themselves with trusted advisors from whom they can solicit honest advice and feedback. This should start with your team members, but don’t stop there. Include colleagues -- peers and even your boss’ peers -- from throughout the organization who will not be afraid to be honest with you and give you feedback. 

You can read all we have to say about assembling your personal board of directors on page 23 of The Manager’s Answer Book. 

The Awkward Welcome A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

He was excited about starting a new career and a new job. Yes, this first assignment was short term, but it was work in a new field and he looked forward to the experience. 

He knew where to go, but had no further information so he emailed the principal with his questions: Where do I park? What about the teacher’s lounge? What about lunch – is there a place to leave it and eat?  

He arrived the first day, went to the classroom and met with the teacher he was replacing for the semester. The kids were still on break, and the morning was devoted to meetings for teachers and staff. When they broke for lunch, a group of teachers, including the one he was replacing, left to go out. No one asked him to join them. He ate his lunch alone. 

Manager’s Tip:  This is not exactly the type of experience you want your new employees to have. You want it to be warm and welcoming. A question posed in The Manager’s Answer Book is “I want to do a better (onboarding) my team. Do you have any suggestions?

One thing we suggest is: Consider having one of your current employees reach out to the new hire before the first day. Not only does this provide a sense of welcome, but it allows for a collegial relationship to form even before the start date. The last thing you want the new hire to be worrying about are things like “Should I bring my lunch, and if so where can I put it?” – like in our opening story – or “Will my cubicle have a place where I can lock up my keys or purse?” If you turn to page 82 of The Manager’s Answer Book, you’ll be able to read the entire answer. 

The Not-So-Effective Interview A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

Arriving at the office suite for her interview, she rang the bell. There was no receptionist, but a gentleman opened the door and let her in. “I'm here to see Krista,” she said. “I'll get her,” he replied. 

Krista came out in a few minutes, introduced herself, and escorted her to a conference room. She gestured to water and coffee. “Help yourself. I'll be right back.”  

When she returned, Krista was followed by the man and another woman.  “I'm Zack and this is Jeanine,” he said extending his hand. Settling in a chair, Zack quickly took charge of the interview, with Krista and Jeanine occasionally asking questions. 

She was briefly thrown off her guard. This was not the interview experience she was expecting. She thought she’d be interviewing with Krista. Everyone was pleasant and professional, and all the questions asked were relevant. However, no explanations were offered as to who Zack and Jeanine were and why they were part of the interview? It was distracting. The experience did, however, result in a job offer the very next day, an offer she accepted. 

Manager’s Tip:  The interview is an integral part of the candidate experience, and we talk about it in The Manager’s Answer Book.  

Query: “Should I interview them (the final candidates) myself or ask some of the department heads to join me when we meet the candidates?”  One piece of advice we give: “if you choose to do a panel interview, let the job applicant know before they arrive for the interview, and give them the names and titles of who will be on the panel.”

We have more to say about interview types and processes, which you’ll find on page 95 of The Manager’s Answer Book.  We hope you’ll take the time to read it. 

Customer Experience…More than Good Service! A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

I just had one of those amazing customer services experiences that reminded me of how things should be but how rarely they are.  

It was a simple on line transaction that was made far too complicated by their processes and I had to make multiple attempts to fix simple mistakes. So, when I FINALLY resolved the issue and got an immediate message from their site asking for feedback, you can bet I did the quick survey which took all of 10 seconds because all I had to do was to click on the image that best fit how I felt about my experience.

Within minutes, I had an email message from a real person who apologized, explained what had happened and, here’s the best part—before she emailed me, she’d checked to see that everything was in order and wished me a great trip. The message was warm and friendly without being intrusive.  I felt so much better about the time I’d wasted on their site.

Manager’s Tip:  In our latest book, The Manager’s Answer Book, we pose a question: “I want to be sure we’re providing our customers with the best customer service, but I keep hearing that good customer service isn’t enough—that we have to give them a good customer experience. How can I make sure we are doing that?”

One thing we say in our answer is: “Create an emotional connection with your customers, because customers become loyal when they feel they received how they felt when they used a particular service or product. Studies show that an emotionally engaged customer is at least three times more likely to recommend your product or service. Emotional connections are formed when your employee finds a way to do something so special for a customer that the person is blown away.”

See page 159 of The Manager’s Answer Book for the full answer and a great example of how to provide a customer experience from Zappos. 

Royal Changes

Like 1.9 million other people, I watched the royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle last May. And what a wedding it was with the beautiful dress and the adorable flower girls and page boys—especially the twin sons of the bride’s friend who so loved being in the spotlight as they carried her train up that very long aisle and taking their responsibilities quite seriously!  All the pomp and ceremony you'd expect, but with some exceptions.

I, like a lot of people, saw this event as more significant than the average wedding--even an average royal wedding. A normal wedding impacts the families and especially the couple who are joining their lives—but this wedding seemed to have broader implications for more people.

Think about all that was different about that particular wedding.  The bride is an American actress with an African American mother and Caucasian father. An African American Episcopal Bishop preached a sermon about love, a gospel choir sang Stand by Me, and a 19-year-old black cellist played. It was enough to shake the foundations of the century’s old chapel in which all this took place!  Queen Elizabeth’s head must have spinning, especially when the Bishop was preaching in a style that appeared to make her and many others in the Royal Family a bit uncomfortable. I imagined her saying or thinking “We've never done it this way!”  Change does not come easy in a world where traditions run deep!

Change is a topic that didn't escape The Manager’s Answer Book. Managers need to understand that everyone approaches change differently. Some fight and resist it no matter what. Some stay quiet, taking a wait and see attitude sometimes hoping that it will go away. Some—the change champions—embrace change for what it is—an opportunity for growth and progress.  Managers have to help employees understand their response toward change and how the change will affect them. They must be on the lookout for conflicts to ensure that the changes positively drive the results the organization is seeking.

Never would I ever have thought I’d write a blog to compliment Queen Elizabeth on her ability to accept change but here it is!  I hope you can take a lesson from this royal experience—even if you stayed away from all the wedding news and slept in that Saturday morning.

Barbara Mitchell

Hawks and Doves

This isn't a political commentary. It's a story. We came home from a weekend trip and entered the house through the garage. So didn't notice it right away, not until I opened the front door there it was. Bird features – a lot of them, some in clumps – all over the courtyard. I asked my neighbor, Fran, if they had noticed anything unusual. “It was a hawk murder,” she said. 

We have many doves in our new neighborhood who delight us with their cooing. Unfortunately the hawk, who’s been frequently spotted and shooed away by a frustrated Fran, knows about this dove population too. In the laws of nature, the hawk is a predator, and this weekend with no human residents around as a deterrent, a poor dove fell victim to his prey. We witnessed all the evidence in our courtyard. 

In the workplace, managers often have to contend with hawks, the aggressive and competing types, as well as doves, who are all about compromising, being cooperative, and finding peace.  While managers may have to mediate differences between these two, or other types, a manager should never tolerate predatory, aggressive and competing behavior from any type. That means no cutting sarcasm or thoughtless humor. No jokes at others expense. No dismissive behavior – ignoring colleagues input or talking over each other in meetings. 

Managers have the responsibility to address and stop disruptive workplace behavior.  Respectfully confront the individual engaging in such behavior and explain why it’s wrong. “You may intend that joke to be funny, but it’s belittling and demeaning.” And, let the individual know that the behavior has to stop. 

Don’t wait until you observe such behavior. Be proactive. Talk about disruptive behavior of all types – harassment and bullying are the extreme examples – in staff meetings. “Comments and jokes that take aim at others are not professional and don’t belong in the workplace.” Have open conversations about the organization’s policies and culture, listen to employee’s concerns and encourage everyone to speak up. This will not only support and maintain a positive culture, it will build your personal credibility. 

Can you speak up?

Living in the Southwest, I'm once again reminded that there are so many dimensions of diversity. 

An article in the Albuquerque Journal on May 4, 2018 caught my attention. It was about two Native American teens who had travelled to a city out of state for a college tour. During the tour they were pulled from the group by two police officers. A complaint had been made by the mother of another student who stated, according to the article, they were too quiet. The teens were the only minorities in the group of white teens and parents.

The incident made national and international news with allegations of discrimination, negative stereotyping and racial profiling. That’s not what this post is about. It’s about a comment made by one of the officers.  He was reported as saying to the teens mother, “Maybe it will be a lesson for your kids that when they’re in a public situation to speak up.” 

There are numerous dimensions of diversity that go well beyond the ones that are obvious, the ones that can be seen and observed, like race and sex. People have different work and personality styles – they can be introverts or extroverts. My reaction when I read the comment by the officer: Maybe they are both shy! Maybe they are introverts.

Management lesson:  Every team will have introverts.  In meetings, you want to encourage everyone to participate in discussions. But remember, introverts don’t tend to speak up. They may have to be asked. They may need time to process the information being shared. You sometimes have to be creative and draw them out, especially in a meeting situation.  

Get to know your team members and learn more about them and their preferred style. We all have our own comfort zones. If you learn some people are shy or intimidated speaking out in a meeting – respect that difference.  If some individuals tell you they like to have time to process information before offering solutions – respect that difference. Find out how they are comfortable contributing. Leave the door open to accepting suggestions – perhaps in person or via email – after the meeting has concluded.  Don’t overlook them – they may have the solution you’ve been looking for!