Issue 91 - It Don’t Mean a Thing
A few days ago I received an unsolicited email from an individual in Washington state who has been in my programs in the past and who reads these monthly Transformational IMPACT Tips religiously. It seems she had recently stumbled upon a problem related to her personal style of leadership. It was a problem she didn’t initially realize she had and therefore, didn’t understand. She needed help. Not pious, pie-in-the-sky, philosophical type help; no she needed practical help and she needed it right away.
Her initial email set in motion a series of emails between the two of us over a period of a couple of weeks. During the process, I began to think her experience might have practical value for others like you. I asked if she minded if I shared her experience with my Transformational IMPACT Tips readers. Her response did not surprise me: “Please feel free to use my situation in any way that may help other managers,” she wrote.
I am using it here and I hope it does help.
Note: The situation recounted here has not been fabricated or exaggerated
in any intentional way. Some of the email correspondence has been condensed for the purposes of this article. The name of person in question and the organization she represents have been omitted simply because I thought it was the right thing to do.
S.M.’s Initial Communication
Phil, good morning, I am a manager at a facility in Washington state. I have had the opportunity to hear you speak in Texas and Florida. Today, I have a leadership situation that I hope you might be able to help me with.
Our organization has all of our staff members regularly complete an employee survey. Once the results are tabulated, we managers are expected to create an action plan to address the shortcomings identified by the survey. We then present this action plan to our teams.
During this most recent survey, my team members rated me rather low in response to the survey statement: “My manager cares for me as a person.” I am confused. I am very visible with the team and I always try to include them in determining the best way to run the office. I reinforce their positive contributions immediately by presenting them with “caught in the act” awards and I thank them for working hard and for working overtime. So, I am at a loss to know how to proceed. I considered asking the group in a department meeting how I could improve in this area, but I don’t think they will be honest in an open forum. Phil, do you have any ideas or exercises to suggest? I need HELP!!
S.M.
P.V.H.’s First Response
S.M., since the survey results indicate (true or not) that you don’t care as much about your employees as you might, here is something I suggest you can do immediately.
First, I recommend you schedule individual meetings (as opposed to open,
free-wheeling department wide meetings) during which you seek out each
individual employee’s thoughts on how you might be able to connect with
each employee more personally. (Yes, this could take some time, but this is time invested, not time wasted.) During these meetings, admit that you are confused by the ratings and that you really don’t know what to do, even though you sincerely want to rectify the situation in a positive way. Come to each meeting with a list of prepared questions designed to get each employee talking about this particular issue of concern. Be specific. Ask the questions directly and then listen intently to the answers you receive. Don’t try to explain, justify or defend your past actions. Just listen. In so doing, the intent is to show yourself to be open to ideas, suggestions and even criticisms
that can ultimately benefit them (the employees), the department and you.
At the end of each individual meeting, I suggest you make no direct promises. Don’t say, “You’re right, I will immediately make that change.”
Instead, say, “Thank you for your honest input. I plan to listen to the input from everyone, then take what I have heard and try to process it in a way that will help us all.” Once you have completed all the one-on-one sessions, processed the information and have gleaned from them what you can do specifically to help remedy the problem, THEN have a department wide meeting. Thank the group collectively for their help and announce to everyone at the same time what your action plan is.
S.M., what I am suggesting is not easy. Many average leaders wouldn’t even consider taking such action. But, if you can keep an open mind relative to the information people share, if you can keep your emotions in check, and if you can resist becoming defensive, then this exercise, this opportunity, could prove to be one of the greatest leadership learning experiences of your management career.
Please keep me in the loop. I am anxious to hear how it goes.
Phil
S.M.’s Second Communication
Phil, thank you for the quick response. Let me share with you the obstacles to do it your way.
We are so limited in time that meeting with each staff member individually isn’t practical at this point. That might be one of my ongoing goals to be included in my upcoming action plan. But for now, what can I do at the staff meeting? I would like to have a short exercise that deals with this immediate issue. Thanks again for helping.
S.M.
P.V.H.’s Second Response
S.M., your time restrictions make the situation more challenging. However, some way, some how and at some point you need to find time to spend with each individual. The fact is this–the more one-on-one time you spend with them, the more you get to know about them as individuals. The more you know about them, the more you will be able to connect with them as you continue to work together.
However, in the meantime, I suggest you consider this approach for the meeting you are planning. Instead of trying to create some contrived exercise that will probably be blown off by some of the group and minimized by others, why not try blatant honesty? For example, you might begin the meeting by saying, “I’ve scheduled this meeting for a very personal reason. I’m at a loss as to what to do to correct a problem that apparently is affecting all of us. The recent results of the employee survey give indication that I
don’t seem to care about my employees as individuals. That’s not the case in my mind at all, but apparently for some in this department it is a very real perception. We need to address that problem. I am being honest with you, now I hope you will be honest with me. What might I do to better understand your individual needs?”
Then, of course, the next thing you must do is shut up and listen. If and when they do share their individual thoughts and concerns—DON’T DARE BECOME DEFENSIVE! You asked for their input and now they are stepping out courageously to offer it. Don’t ruin a good thing. I assure you that responding to their comments in a defensive manner will be poorly received by the entire group, not just one or two individuals.
Now, you may or may not get the amount of feedback from the group in an open forum that you hoped for. Only time will tell. However, there are a number of hidden benefits from this approach you need to recognize whether anyone speaks up or not.
Benefit # 1: Most will appreciate your honesty (and courage), especially given the somewhat critical evaluation that came from the survey. They will recognize that the average supervisor would have worked to ignore or sugarcoat the issue rather than addressing it head-on like you have done.
Benefit # 2: Everyone in the group is hearing your comments and observing your demeanor at the same time in the same way. There is no hallway or break room chatter regarding “What did she say to you? Well, she said something different to me.” They all heard what you said.
Benefit # 3: You may be surprised by the fact that several people speak up in the open forum and share specific observations about what you might do in the future. They may speak up more quickly because for some, there is safety in the numbers of the group, rather than the isolation of a one-on-one discussion.
Benefit # 4: Whether they choose to speak up or not, from that point forward they can never legitimately say they didn’t have the opportunity. You put it out there for any and all.
I hope this helps.
