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! 

THE MANAGER’S ANSWER BOOK

You studied economics, medicine, manufacturing, politics, sales, etc. You worked your way up in your respective field. And then you became a manager and on top of all the experience you have in your specific industry, there’s now so much more!

Whether you’re a new or seasoned manager, your responsibilities can become overwhelming at times. There are days and new situations that will leave you feeling vulnerable and alone. You don’t know where to start or even what or who to ask.

We are pleased to share our years of first-hand experience in our fourth book together, THE MANAGER’S ANSWER BOOK: Powerful Tools to Maximize Your Impact and Influence, Build Trust and Teams, and Respond to Challenges (Career Press an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, June 2018). 

Written in question-and-answer format, THE MANAGER’S ANSWER BOOK is an easy-to-use guide providing information on many aspects of managing, broken down into the following categories:

• Getting started: moving from peer to manager, setting goals, managing projects, resources, and much more.
• Developing your management skills: communicating, delegating, motivating, and facilitating.
• Building and managing your team: hiring, firing, and everything in between.
• Creating your personal brand: building credibility for yourself, your team, and your department.
• Managing up, down, and around: working with people and functions in your organization.
• Avoiding potential land mines: conflict, change, and risk.
• Recognizing legal pitfalls: navigating the haze of laws and regulations.

Some situations we discuss in the book include:

• My predecessor was held in high esteem by everyone—but I’m not her and will likely have a different style. What do you suggest?
• I’m adjusting to managerial responsibilities, but feeling cut off from people I used to brainstorm with. Is there a way to keep both?
• What is ‘workforce planning’? Where do I start?
• What should I be looking for in managing third-party contractors?
• I think my company wastes a huge amount of time in meetings and I’d like to change this. What can I do?
• My to-do list is out of control. How do I prioritize?
• What can I do to bridge skills gaps I see on my team?
• We have a very diverse workforce. Can you offer guidance for managing/interacting in this environment?

THE MANAGER’S ANSWER BOOK will help any manager stay informed and avoid unknowingly tripping over a new situation while providing insights into many situations and issues that managers face outside their own area of expertise. It’s the ultimate resource for managers at all levels!

THE MANAGER’S ANSWER BOOK is available on Amazon.com or at your local book store starting June 18, 2018 or you can pre-order it now on Amazon so you have it sooner. If you like the book, we’d be most grateful if you’d post a review on Amazon!

If you don’t find the answer to your questions in our book, contact us and we’ll do our best to respond in future blogs!

Advice for Graduates & Leaders Alike

The following is adapted from Jena McGregor’s article in the Washington Post on May 27, 2018 – The Best Career Advice From This Year’s Graduation Speeches

Oprah Winfrey, to the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism at the University of Southern California

Winfrey offered clear advice for graduates regarding the workplace. “Become so skilled, so vigilant, so flat-out fantastic at what you do, that your talent cannot be dismissed.” She also encouraged graduates to do what they loved because “your job is not always going to fulfill you.” Even on those days “you may not feel like going to work at all – go anyway, and remember that your job is not who you are. It’s just what you are doing on the way to who you will become.”

Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO of Chobani to the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School

Ulukaya's spoke about the growing societal expectation that CEOs speak up on social issues, stressing that “the center of gravity for social change has moved to the private sector,” with the business world and their leaders best positioned to lead the way. He also cautioned business school grads, “Don’t let it (your MBA) get in the way of seeing people as people and all they have to offer you, regardless of their title or position.” 

Abby Wambach, retired professional soccer player to Barnard College

Describing rules she used in leading a team, Wambach encouraged graduates to be energized by failure, support people from the sidelines and champion the power of the team.  However, she also spoke of the importance of knowing when “demand the ball,” and step into a leadership role – whether a formal or informal role – and take charge rather than playing a supporting role.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America and former State Department director of policy planning to Washington University in St. Louis. 

Slaughter encouraged graduates to look for opportunities in their “home towns, state capitals or bustling regional cities” where they can make positive change. For aspiring entrepreneurs, go to “where the real estate is cheap and the community is strong, where new tech sectors are springing up by reinventing traditional businesses from manufacturing to media.”  For aspiring architects, “go renovate your home town’s downtown, putting beautiful old buildings to new uses.”  Aspiring journalists, “go reweave the fabric of local civic life by creating or joining new models of producing local news.”

Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” to the University of Southern California

By far my favorite, Mukherjee's beautifully written keynote speech was focused on listening. This task of a “uniquely human capacity” and takes three forms — being empathetic with others, listening to the past and listening to nature, “eavesdropping on the universe, learning its natural laws, its geometries, its rhythms, its constancies, its mind.”  His powerful message warned that 

“It is impossible to ignore that we have stopped listening to each other. Or, for that matter, that we have stopped listening to natural laws,” he said. “The word 'listen' can be rearranged into 'silent,' – the absolute prerequisite of listening,”