Managing Up, Down & Around: A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

Someone asked us the following question recently: In The Manager’s Answer Book you talk about managing up, down and around. I understand managing down is managing your team. What do managing up and managing around mean and do you have any advice on how managers can do this?  

Manager’s Tip:  Managing up refers to understanding your boss’s position, goals and responsibilities and working to help your manager achieve those goals. Observe your manager and get to know her so you understand her priorities, her communication style, and what she values personally and professionally. Understand the role she sees you taking in the department and then set out to perform your job in the most efficient and effective manner so you can contribute to the department’s success. 

Managing around or across the organization means understanding the organization and how it works – how information flows, what other functions and departments do and how your team can support them  Managing across requires political savvy and this is where curiosity comes in. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and build collaborative relationships outside your own department. Managing across is the ability to influence others, especially the actions of others, when you don’t have any organizational authority over them. Finally, managing around means understanding and honoring the processes and policies that other departments have in place. They exist for a reason.

You can read more in The Manager’s Answer Book. Section Five is devoted to “Managing Up, Down and Around” the organization, and the discussion starts on page 135.  The Manager’s Answer Book, is available from Amazon -- https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.

Setting the Stage for 2019

Auld Lang Syne. I’m not trying to rush the end of the year, but before we know it, we’ll be sipping champagne, toasting the arrival of 2019, and making New Year’s resolutions. Not so fast!  Before you announce or commit to changes in the new year, take some time to think and reflect on not just what, but why.

I was talking with a small business owner recently.  She told me she’s planning to increase her firm’s involvement in several social media platforms. When I asked her why, she explained that the firm is planning to introduce a new service line sometime during 2019.  It’s still in the development stage and the full implementation may not happen until the third quarter. However, she recognizes that while she has a solid client base that can take advantage of these new services, she wants to extend her reach and attract new organizations as well. Strengthening the firm’s social media presence will establish them as influencers in their industry. So they are going to launch targeted outreach campaigns to get in front of people and organizations with whom they want to engage. 

Listening to her explanation, I realized that she’d given a great deal of thought to her plan. She understood: 

• What was going to change (adding a new service)
• When the change was going to happen (third quarter 2019)
• What she wanted to accomplish (grow her client base)
• How she was going to accomplish it (targeted social media campaigns)

What does this have to do with New Year’s resolutions?  Everything!  Think about why you make them—other than wanting to shed some bad habits, which is a noble intention. As you think about 2019, ask yourself:

• What went well in 2018, and how can I build on that?
• How can it be better?
• What new beginnings or challenges will 2019 bring?
• What could or should change to meet those challenges?
• How will I go about making those changes?

As you prepare for the year ahead, also give some thought to shedding those things that are redundant – like the report that the department has always prepared (no one knows why anymore) but is never read! What about ways of doing things that are no longer effective?  How could you use the time that was spent preparing that report to accomplish something new that will have greater impact?

Put some deliberate thought into the resolutions and changes you want to make in 2019 in both your professional and personal lives. It’s a great time to break some old habits. Don’t be the person who lets life and change happen to you. Take charge, and make life and change happen for you!

We wish you a very happy holiday season and send you all good wishes for a wonderful 2019!

Cornelia & Barbara  

December Dilemma: Year-End Rewards

Back in the working days of yore during the industrial era, employers often gifted a ham or turkey to each of their employees at the end of the holiday season. It was considered a standard “Christmas” bonus – a way to thank the employees and their families.  In fact, I remember receiving a turkey when I worked in a restaurant during college.  My mother was thrilled.  Personally, I could have used cash to put gas in my car.   

If you want to do something for your staff this December, keep in mind the ideal bonus expresses gratitude, so make it meaningful and appropriate for your particular workforce. While you'll never be able to please everyone, know your workforce and what they value. Cash alone could be welcomed, but some practical suggestions in lieu of or in addition to cash could be:

• Gift cards – one employer gave employees gift cards to a local grocery chain. Other examples could be movie tickets, gas cards, or Amazon/American Express gift cards which can be used to purchase a large variety of items.
• Time off – one employer gave employees an afternoon off for holiday shopping, to take care of other holiday related errands, or to spend however they wish if they don’t celebrate any year-end holidays.

Don’t be afraid to get creative, but it you do, consider varying the nature of the bonus from year to year to keep an element of surprise for the employees. For example, one year give movie tickets, the next a grocery card. This helps you avoid setting a precedent or expectations, especially if cash is involved.

Don’t overlook some of the pitfalls of year-end rewards – this is where knowing your staff is priceless.  Give careful thought to what you do in order to avoid unintended consequences. For example:

• Don’t forget about employees in remote locations.  The employer mentioned above who gave the gift cards to a local grocery chain failed to do anything for employees working in other locations. It created a great deal of ill-will which could have been avoided. 
• Be careful with tangible gifts – people have different tastes and at the year-end holiday season, they could be overwhelmed with an abundance of stuff.
• Don’t give the bonus any holiday label – stress that it’s a year-end bonus. This works especially well if the end of the fiscal year coincides with the end of the calendar year. 

Year-end bonuses can be a powerful way to boost morale and strengthen employee engagement. Let employees know that you are providing this “2018 year-end bonus” because we want our employees to share in the organization’s success. And if you can, let them go home early!

Beyond Managing Your Team A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

I was asked this question in a radio interview recently: When I think of being a manager, I think of managing people. Can you comment on other things manager deals with, managers, and/or has to understand?

Manager’s Tip:  Depending on your organization, you may be called on to manage a special project or program from time to time. This may involve bringing together a team of people from different departments – people for whom you have no direct authority over – to work on a new initiative. This is where your influencing skills are helpful. You are also responsible for managing resources in your organization. You may have to manage materials if you are manufacturing a product. Most managers have a budget and have to manage financial resources.  If your organization has proprietary assets – information or products – that must be protected you and your staff must follow procedures to keep the intellectual property safe. And you may find yourself managing customers and outside business partners. The key to managing service providers is to set clear expectations and hold them accountable – just as you would your internal partners and employees. Likely there are contracts in place with these providers, so become acquainted with the terms and conditions of those contracts. 

You can read more about managing budgets, projects, and resources in Section 1 of The Manager’s Answer Book starting on page 15. The Manager’s Answer Book is available from Amazon -- https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.

Dashing Through the Data

Metrics are important in business today and a great deal of focus is placed on data analysis. Many organizations use dashboards – tools that track key performance indicators (KPIs) and other relevant data. Being able to measure effectiveness and efficiency in organizations is critical in today's business environment, and dashboards. Being able to measure effectiveness and efficiency in organizations is critical in today's business environment.

Metrics differ from analytics. Metrics are the hard numbers – the data that is collected. Analytics is the interpretation of that data and organizations use the analysis of data for several reasons: to evaluate performance against goals or to assess trends, for example. If your organization is using KPIs, they must be relevant to the story you want to tell, the challenge you want to address, or the problem you want to solve. Metrics that are meaningful are those from which you can glean insights for decisions. Measure what's helpful to answer a specific issue.

A good dashboard should be simple to use and easy to understand. It needs to be flexible and should integrate with the organization’s other systems, HRIS or financial systems, for example. Remember that you want to share the information on your dashboard with others, so avoid clutter and anything that's not visually appealing, such as too much color or graphics that are too ornate. Also don't display irrelevant data just for the sake of populating the dashboard. 

Manager’s Tip:  Become familiar with the tools your organization uses to measure effectiveness and efficiency. You can read more about measurements and analytics on page 29 of The Manager’s Answer Book.

Gratitude is a Two-Way Street

In our September 2018 newsletter, “Third Time’s a Charm,” we talked about the incredible experience we had seeing The Big Book of HR in the window of Barnes & Noble on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Needless to say, not only were we thrilled with the discovery, but we were so grateful to Cal Hunter, the manager of the business book department, for all he’s done to prominently display our books in that flagship store.

Before venturing over to the store that day in August, we called ahead to make sure he’d be there. We wanted to personally present him with a copy of The Manager’s Answer Book because we’d acknowledged him and his efforts in it. After all, books don’t sell on their own. 

After arriving at the store, I said to Cal, “I can’t thank you enough.” He corrected me.  “No,” he said, “it’s you and Barbara who I should be thanking.  If authors didn’t write great books, we wouldn’t have any to sell.”  When I asked if we could take pictures, he wryly responded, “Of course – this is your house!”  Then he got the store’s social media expert involved so we, the book, and the store – could receive even more coverage.  

Barbara and I know from investigating the publishing industry that this is a big deal. Primary placement for your book is priceless. We achieved it by being gracious and grateful to a savvy businessperson who was equally excited to meet us. Remember when we first met Cal he was looking for more HR books. And when we spoke on the phone that morning, the first thing he said to me is “Your book is doing great for us!” 

The story didn’t end that day in the store. In a follow-up e-mail, Cal expressed his thanks and appreciation to us for being “such authoritative and prolific authors” that allow the Fifth Avenue store “to present our customers with insightful content.” For Cal and his colleagues, it’s about the customer experience. It’s also about teamwork, because he understands that “bookstores exist because of the compelling work” authors do. Bookstores need authors to write books, authors need booksellers to market and sell the books, and both the stores and the authors need readers to buy and read them.  

This holiday season, Barbara and I are grateful for so many things. In our professional lives, we’re grateful to have wonderful people supporting us, like Cal Hunter, and our agent Marilyn Allen, -- we were surprised to learn that they share a long collegial relationship.  And we are especially grateful to you, our readers. Thank you for sharing our journey and supporting us!

And back to Cal’s comment – “this is your house.” Wow, we’ve got real estate on Fifth Avenue!  Well at least the space that our books take up, but we’ll take that and be grateful for it. 

Have a wonderful holiday season, and take some time to express gratitude to the people who support you.

Surviving the Talent Shortage: A Tip from The Manager’s Answer Book

Unless you live under a rock, you’re aware that we are in a serious talent shortage. Not only the unemployment is very low, there is a serious shortage of people with the right skill sets for the knowledge economy. 

Finding the right talent to fill positions in organizations is always a challenge but now, even more so. What can your organization do to survive and thrive, for that matter?  For one thing, you can work to retain your great employees so that you don’t have to replace them in a difficult job market. 

Manager’s Tip:  While there is no guarantee that they’ll stay with you forever, you can increase your chances of keeping them just a little bit longer by using some of the ideas found in the The Manager’s Answer Book:

“As you consider how to retain your great team, ask yourself these questions:

• Do they know how much I value them?  This is sometimes referred to as ‘re-recruiting your superstars.’ Sell them on the value they add to your team and let them know you are committed to adding to their skill set.
• Am I providing the high performers with career development opportunities such as mentoring, conference attendance, seminars, or degree opportunities? Investing I you superstars can encourage them to stay with you. Employees, especially Millennials, want to learn and grow, so be sure you offer developmental opportunities.
• Am I rewarding my great performers in ways that will motivate them to stay with me? In order to do this, you need to really know them individually so that the reward will fit them personally. To some people, a day off is a great reward. Others would rather have a bonus. There are countless ways to reward performance, but it isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ proposition.

For more ideas, see page 96 of The Manager’s Answer Book.

Creating Your Personal Brand - A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

As a manager, all eyes are on you.  You bring knowledge, skill and experience to the job, but you have to show you are credible and competent to be successful.  So how do you do that, and why is it important.  

Manager’s Tip:  You do it by creating your personal brand. Your brand is how you present yourself – how you communicate, act and interact with others. As a manager, you are representing the organization – whether interacting inside or outside – so you always want to be mindful of how your actions uphold the organization’s positive culture.  There are critical traits that illustrate a positive personal brand. Clearly at the top of the list are ethics and integrity – being true to your values and principles. You demonstrate this by making decisions that don’t contradict your values, seeking out people with common values and respecting the people around you. Trustworthiness is a close second to integrity.  You show other people that they can trust you by maintaining confidences, exercising discretion and avoiding rumors and gossip.  Listen to your staff and be as transparent as you possibly can. Be fair and consistent with your staff and admit when you are wrong.  And finally courage – having the confidence and integrity when you see something is wrong or not moving in the right direction to say something. Confront wrongdoing no matter where it’s occurring. Step up and do the right thing. Finally, courageous leaders not only speak out and take an opposing point of view, they also advocate for ideas and positions that may not appear to be popular.

You can read more in The Manager’s Answer Book. Section Four is devoted to creating your personal brand.  Ethics and integrity is discussed on page 111, courage on page 113 and trustworthiness on page 120. The Manager’s Answer Book, is available from Amazon -- https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.

Developing Your Management Skills: A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

I was interviewed earlier this month for the radio show “Thank God for Mondays” which broadcasts on WSOU in the New York City metropolitan area. The occasion was National Bosses Day. We talked about several areas that new managers need to prepare and develop. In particular, I was asked: What are one or two skills that new managers needs to develop quickly, and how can they go about doing this?  

Manager’s Tip:  One of the things that is particularly hard for a new manager to do is give up favorite tasks and projects – those things your good at doing.  Delegation is the number one management skill and not learning how to delegate can derail your career. As you let go of your pet projects, think carefully about which staff member is right for each one. Once you’ve chosen someone, describe the task, the timeline and the expected outcome. Be available to answer their questions. Delegating frees up your time to work on strategic items and develops your employees’ skills.

Time management is another challenge – and not just for managers.  Try using a to-do list to keep track of what you’re doing. You may also want to start an accomplishments list so you can see that you’re making progress. Don’t forget to prioritize tasks on that to-do list, and manage distractions and interruptions – but do so gracefully. Finally, don’t take on too much. 

You can read more about delegation and time management on pages 53 and 54 of The Manager’s Answer Book, which is available from Amazon -- https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.

Conflict, Stress & Holidays – Oh My!

It rained all night and the result for us was a peaceful night’s sleep.  “It’s a great way to relieve stress,” my husband declared. What stress is he under, I thought, but it had been a long time since we’ve slept through a rainy night. We live in the desert and rain here is rare.  

I’m writing this in late September, just after the devastating storm named Florence battered the east coast. Don’t tell people in the Carolinas that rain is peaceful and relieves stress, unless you want more conflict. We know better – we’ve lived through hurricanes and can understand and appreciate a different point of view.  

One of the keys to managing conflict – and alleviating stress – is the ability to listen to different points of view.  As we discuss in The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook, we all have different experiences that shape the way we see things and events around us. Hurricane season is devastating in coastal areas. The summer monsoon season, as the rainy season is called in the Southwest, is welcomed with open arms.

There are more stressful seasons descending upon us. Halloween? No, it will be fun even with the ghosts and goblins and other dark creatures. But then we prepare for Thanksgiving – families gathered around the table. You’re concerned that after the upcoming mid-term elections your right-wing and left-wing relatives won’t keep their political differences civil and are hoping your outspoken brother focuses his attention and comments on the football game rather than offending anyone. 

You may take a pass on Black Friday, but there’s still the stress of holiday gift giving – selecting the perfect gift for everyone, purchasing it, and wrapping it.  

Barbara and I have a gift suggestion, and we'd be honored and humbled if you'd consider it.  We published two books on conflict, The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook and The Conflict Resolution Phrase Book. They are available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and independent book sellers. Both address topics of diversity, differences and expectations among others. It could be the perfect answer for those relatives who can’t get along or a gift for your colleagues or clients not only at the holidays, but at any time during the year! These books are a good reminder that conflict can be addressed with grace and civility.

Look no further, you can order both books online. To ease the stress, we’ve added links.  The Essential Workplace Conflict Handbook: https://tinyurl.com/y8qy4msz and The Conflict Resolution Phrase Book:  https://tinyurl.com/ycktzyz9,

Free up your time this holiday season for the decorating, baking, partying – whatever you love, but can’t seem to find the time, to do. Fill this time with wonder and light and excitement before the gloomy days of winter, not stress and conflict. 

Having Fun at Work? A Tip from The Manager’s Answer Book

Wait a minute—isn’t having fun at work an oxymoron?  Isn’t work supposed to be serious just because it’s WORK? Yes, of course—work is serious, unless you’re lucky enough to be a comedy writer or circus clown, but aren’t there ways we can still have some fun at work and still be productive?

Our answer to this question is that not only can you have fun at work, there are good business reasons why you should bring some levity into your organization—none the least of which is that fun at work has a positive impact on your bottom line!

Make sure what you do to lighten the mood at work is not the kind of fun at someone else’s expense—that’s when issues like harassment, bias, and potential bullying pop up but if you know your employees well, I’ll bet you can come up some fun ideas that also might stimulate creativity as well! 

Manager’s Tip:  In The Manager’s Answer Book and give you some no or low-cost examples of things you can try including:

• Theme days
• Trivia contests
• Game days
• Ice breakers at staff meetings
• Improv sessions
• Celebrations for meeting deadlines
• Potlucks, chili cookoffs, tail gate parties

The list of things you can do is endless but be respectful of boundaries. Be sure that you as the manager participate along with other senior managers so your employees see a different side of you!

For more on having fun at work, see page 165 of The Manager’s Answer Book. Which is available at Amazon.com, https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble, or your local independent bookstore.

Why Mentoring Works - A Tip from The Manager’s Answer Book

I’ve worked with many top-quality mentors during my business career and I hope you have been as fortunate as I was. It was an honor to work with generous people who willingly shared their expertise to help me hone my skills as a manager.

Remember when we thought that mentors had to be older people with many years of experience? Well, those days are over. A better definition of a mentor is “anyone who has knowledge you don’t have.” This new take on mentoring is playing out in organizations today as Millennials mentor Baby Boomers in how to get the most out of technology as often as Boomers mentor Millennials in how to survive office politics!

Mentoring relationships can be formal or informal and savvy organizations are installing mentoring programs to attract, engage, and retain the best talent available.  But, if your organization doesn’t have a mentoring program, don’t hesitate to look for a mentor on your own.

Mentoring is the classic win/win situation.  The mentee gains knowledge they didn’t have, and the mentor has the satisfaction that comes from doing something to benefit another. The organization wins as well with employees who are more engaged in their work and their commitment to your organization for providing them with mentoring opportunities!

Manager’s Tip:  If you want more ideas on mentoring, in our latest book, The Manager’s Answer Book -- we answer this question: “I’ve had wonderful people during my career who served as mentors and helped me get to the management level. I’d like to start a formal mentoring program and have the support of senior management to do so. Can you give me some ideas on how to get started?”

“Answer:  Good for you to want to ‘pay it forward’ and encourage mentoring in your organization. Mentoring is an excellent tool to develop staff that doesn’t cost much (or any) money but it can pay huge dividends for the individual and your organization, including your ability to hire talent employees. Smart job applicants ask if they might have a mentor to help them be productive if they join your organization. Other benefits of mentoring programs include the development of cross-organizational connections as people mentor employees from other departments and build channels of communication—often between people who might not have otherwise worked together.”

Check out more information on designing a formal mentoring program or selecting a mentor on page 138 of The Manager’s Answer Book available from Amazon -- https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.  

Lifelong Learning A Tip from The Manager’s Answer Book

The May-June, 2018 issue of The Harvard Business Review has an article titled, “Why Lifelong Learning Matters More than Ever” which contains a powerful statement, “Lifelong learning is fundamental to building strong communities, companies, and economies.”

The article discusses how life long learning can go a long way toward helping us solve the skills shortage. While there are more and more learning possibilities available to our employees, not enough people take advantage of what’s available to them.

Organizations need to commit to providing learning opportunities and to make it possible for their employees to have the time to develop their skills through learning.

Manager’s Tip:  Life-long learning is a critical issue which we discuss in The Manager’s Answer Book:

Question: “I want to encourage my employees t continue to learn and grow. What can I do to help them see the importance of continuous learning?”

Answer: “Share what you’re learning with your staff. You can do this in a staff meeting by taking a few minutes to share a book, article, or other resource you’ve found to be helpful. If your employees seem receptive, it is a great idea to ask everyone to read a particular article or watch a specific video and then discuss it when you next meet. This is an easy way to get your employees interested in expanding their knowledge or skill base.”

There are so many ways to learn using available technologies, including:

• Webcasts
• Podcasts
• YouTube
• Online articles
• Audio books
• TED Talks

For more on this subject, see page 99 of The Manager’s Answer Book, available from Amazon -- https://tinyurl.com/y8umaqpz - Barnes & Noble or your local independent bookstore.

Third Time’s a Charm

Fifth Avenue holds fond memories for Cornelia who grew up on Long Island – frequent visits with her father as a child to view the store windows during the holidays.  So when our first book together, The Big Book of HR, was published, we were in New York for a writer’s conference and walked over Barnes & Noble on 5^th Avenue in New York City to see our book displayed on a shelf — pretty exciting for both of us. We never thought we’d tope that experience! We thought, “We can’t beat this!”

Fast forward a year and we were back in New York for the same conference and visited B&N on Fifth to discover two copies of the book were displayed, but on the lowest shelf, so getting a picture was going to be difficult. That didn’t stop Cornelia – she almost sat on the floor to do so.  At that moment, two men approached us and asked if they could help. One was the manager of the business book department who was excited to learn we were the authors of The Big Book of HR.

Turns out they were just discussing the need for more HR books. Cal turned to his assistant and instructed him to order more copies of the book. “I’m going to give your book better placement,” he exclaimed pointing to a display at the front of the store “Top Picks in Business. 

We were absolutely delighted to have met him but also to have him be so positive about our book. “We can’t beat this!”

Well, we go to the writer’s conference annually and make the trip over to see our books. Each of the but the next two years when we went, our friend Cal Hunter wasn’t there but it was still great to see multiple copies of The Big Book of HR prominently displayed.

But the third time was a charm. Cal was in the store and after thanking him for his support, he said, “Did you see the window display?” There in the window on 5^th Avenue in New York City, was The Big Book of HR in a display of “hot” business books!

We share this story for a couple of reasons. One is to thank Cal Hunter of the business book department of Barnes & Noble but the other is to serve as encouragement to you to not give up on your dreams and aspirations! 

Think about this, if Cornelia hadn’t gotten on the floor to snap a picture of our book, would we ever have had the experience of meeting Cal Hunter and having him take an interest in our book that ultimately made it to the window? I do know that not giving up was well worth it and I hope there is something in your life—either your personal life or your business life—that hasn’t happened yet. Our advice is to keep trying and never, never give up on your dreams!

The Disciple @Work A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

The word discipline often is associated with negative and constricting connotations as it is used today.   For example, control gained by enforcing obedience or order, self-control or even punishment.  However, according to Merriam Webster, the origin and etymology of the word discipline is from the Latin disciplina meaning teaching and learning, or as I heard recently, to impart knowledge and to enlighten.

When you think of disciplining one of your employees are you thinking of it in a negative, constricting way, such as to punish? Or are you thinking about it, as we would suggest, in a constructive way — a way to teach and thus have the employee learn?  In other words, is it a means for you to impart knowledge?

Manager’s Tip:  Manager’s often ask how to address workplace behavior without it appearing punitive. We advise in The Manager’s Answer Book that taking corrective action is not necessarily punitive action — and if you approach it as continuing development process or a teachable moment, it need not be an unpleasant experience for the manager or the employee. Rather than thinking of yourself as a disciplinarian or a task master, think of yourself as a disciple – a teacher or advocate of the employee.

We have more to say about corrective action and you can read it all on page 59 of in The Manager’s Answer Book.

The Disruptor @Work A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

“Engaging in virtuous practice is as hard as pulling a tired donkey up the hill, but engaging in negative, destructive activities is as easy as rolling a boulder down a steep slope.” A Tibetan saying. 

My yoga instructor starts and ends each practice with an inspirational reading or intention for the practice. When she read this one, it struck a sensitivity about workplace behavior. 

Manager’s Tip:  Managers are often confronted with destructive behavior at work and we ask in The Manager’s Answer Book:  “What can I (any manager) do to keep such behavior to a minimum?”  Don't act in kind by rolling those boulders down a steep slope and engaging in joking and teasing that could be disruptive or worse discriminatory. Even if the behavior is not discriminatory or harassment just yet, you could be heading in that direction. 

What to do? Pull that tired donkey up the hill.  In other words, be proactive in order to prevent inappropriate behavior from growing worse. Talk about disruptive behavior of all types in meetings with your staff. Let them know that such behavior – joking and teasing about personal characteristics or groups of people, for example – won’t be tolerated.  Explain the organization’s values and how those values are exhibited through everyone’s positive behavior. Yes, this may be harder than ignoring it – which is just as destructive – but the results are well worth it. 

To read our full answer about managing disruptive behavior, see page 121 in The Manager’s Answer Book.

Are You Ready For a Four-Day Workweek? A Tip From The Manager’s Answer Book

A firm in New Zealand recently tried an interesting experiment. They let their employees work for days a week while being paid for five days. The results were surprising to many—productivity went up while work/life balance increased by 24%.  Employees returned to work energized after their time off. 

According to a July 19, 2018 New York Times article, “Supervisors said staff was more creative, their attendance was better, they were on time, and they didn’t leave early or take long breaks. Their actual job performance didn’t change when doing it over four days instead of five.”

There’s a lot we could learn from this experiment, primarily employees saw a significant increase in work/life balance when they had time away from work. They said they “spent more time with their families, exercising, cooking, and working in their gardens.” The firm found this experiment so successful it plans to make it permanent.

While a four day workweek may not be what your organization can support, think about how complicated our world is these days. Today’s employees, especially Millennials, want a real balance between the time they spend at work and the time they spend doing the things they need to do to stay sane!

Manager’s Tip:  We address this issue in The Manager’s Answer Book: “How can I address my employees’ desires for work/life balance with my business requirements?”

Some of the suggestions we offer are flexible work schedules such as a compressed work week or the option of working from home a day or two a week. As long as the work gets done in a timely manner and to your requirements, cut your people some slack on when they physically need to be at your place of work.

Encourage your employees to take time off. We’ve all heard the alarming statistics about how many Americans don’t use their vacation time because they’re afraid they won’t be seen as totally committed to their work. Everyone needs breaks to refresh and rest. Let your people know you want them to take time off and model what you want them to do—take your vacation time and use weekends to disconnect yourself. You’ll be amazed at how creative you are when you are away from work pressures.

Going back to the New Zealand experiment above, don’t you want your employees to be more productive and more energized?  If you can accomplish that in less time so your people have better work/life balance, all the better!

For more tips on work/life balance, see page 106 of The Manager’s Answer Book available on Amazon at: https://tinyurl.com/y8e4ohe2

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!