Present & Accountable

Several months ago I was in the midst of buying one house and selling another – preparing to relocate to a new area. As you can imagine, there were so many details that needed attention – details about both transactions, utilities on both ends, forwarding mail, notifying creditors – the list was endless. There were so many balls were in the air at one time, so many errors we caught, and so many bizarre requests and suggestions we received.  There is one favorite, and every trainer or facilitator reading this, I dedicate this blog to you. 

Working with the escrow officer handling the purchase of our new home was becoming exceptionally challenging –I’ll spare the details. She sent us documents to review and asked us for other information that we’d already sent. The odd thing was that she could not have prepared the documents she wanted us to review had she not had the information we sent. Her request was a real oxymoron. Nevertheless, I sent it again.

Next day I was speaking to her on the phone and asked if she’d received the information. She profusely apologized and explained, “I was in a training session all yesterday afternoon when I sent you the e-mail. I was trying to remember if I’d received the information or not. I guess I shouldn’t have done that. I’m sorry you had to send it again.” 

I had my opening. I couldn’t resist to tell her, in a lighthearted fashion, that I often conduct training and yes, she shouldn’t have sent me the e-mail while sitting in a training session. She should have been paying attention to the training, after all, “you were in the training for a reason.” 

• She likely missed some important information in the training session while she was busy sending e-mails
• She created additional work and frustration for me, a client for whom she was responsible who was in a transaction 
• Her actions (requesting information she’d obviously received) reflected poorly on her credibility and her ability to pay attention to details – an important part of her job

All of this reminded me of a presentation I once attended where the speaker spoke about three important qualities to cultivate: presence, acceptance and trust.  

• Presence – the ability to be here and now and focus one’s thinking in order to move toward a goal.    
• Acceptance – the ability to deal with reality as it is rather than as we’d like it to be.  
• Trust –  the ability to be reliable and project confidence while remaining open to unforeseen outcomes

Too often when I’m in meetings or leading one I observe is people looking down at devices and missing everything. Take the time to look up from that devise.  Look around you.  Get involved and engaged in the experience at hand.  Be present and draw from the environment.  

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!