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A Simple Word – “Thanks”

November 23, 2010/0 Comments/in Communication, Leaders/by admin

When many of us in the US are getting ready to hunker down with family and friends to enjoy our Thanksgiving holiday, it is a great time to think about giving thanks at work.

It’s so easy to forget to say thanks. We are all busy. There are a million things going on. We expect people to do their job and get on with it. But just showing someone a little appreciation now and then can mean the difference between a “punch the clock” mentality and a committed and engaged co-worker.

Leaders are often trying to figure out the best ways to incent people to do their best. Of course they talk a lot about money. And money is certainly nice. But when leaders just take the time to show some true and honest appreciation for the work people do, the sacrifices they make, and the extra effort they spend…. they are always surprised by what a difference it makes in the outputs they see.

And saying thanks is not just on the shoulders of the boss. We should all thank our peers for their support, their ideas, and their companionship. And we should even thank our boss for what they do.

You likely spend more waking hours with your co-workers than you do with your family and friends. These people are like your family. Like it or not, you are in this together. You are a team. You are there to catch each other if someone falls. You are there to catapult each other over the wall. If any one person in your organization fails, the entire organization suffers.

Be grateful for each other. And tell each other “thanks”. People will appreciate it. And so will you when they thanks back.

Just Treat People with Respect

November 9, 2010/0 Comments/in Communication, Leaders/by admin

I was in a situation this week with a client where I witnessed a “higher up” treating someone who worked for him in a way that was completely and totally appalling. He was rude, he was condescending, he was just down-right nasty. Sadly, this is not totally new behavior for this guy. I have seen it a few times – this was just the time that it really seemed “over the top.”

This guy doesn’t walk around exuding “mean”. In fact, he very adeptly hides his nastiness with a veil of a “fun guy” persona. He is always quick with a witty story, a funny joke, or comfortable banter about weekend plans. But when push comes to shove, he can just be mean.

As the nastiness was unfolding before my shocked eyes, it was clear that the root of this guys bad behavior was firmly planted in his own transition through this change. While he is a leader of the change we are working on, he is also affected by it.

If I look at his behavior through the lens of an observer of organizational change, I see a person who is struggling to maintain control and a sense of purpose… not just a rude guy.

He is not a project management guy, but he was put in a project management role… a highly visible project management role. He is trying to control the you-know-what out of every element of this change. Unfortunately, his efforts are backfiring. Every time he clamps down and treats someone like doo-doo, his team members check out even more (several are already looking for the exits). “Why should I bust my hump putting together a 20 page strategy or a detailed plan if I know you are going to dump all over it and basically start from scratch anyway?” They have a point.

It must also occur to him on occasion that there is not job “waiting” for him when this project is over. If this project goes well and happens quickly, there might not be a place for him. And if it goes poorly, there might not be a place for him either! Not an enviable situation. But he is not doing himself any favors by chasing team members away and behaving poorly. A highly visible role is a double edged sword… the executives he is interfacing with are not dense. They see the nastiness and are not digging it.

I don’t believe he is a bad guy. But there are lots of other people who experience change and uncertainly without getting mean about it. All he needs to do is treat people with a little respect. It’s not that complicated. I hope he makes it.

Follow the Leader

July 8, 2010/0 Comments/in Leaders/by admin

There are more than a few leaders who expect different things of themselves than they do of those who follow them. To some extent, that makes sense – leaders are different… they may have more responsibilities competing for thier time, they are often over-booked and short on time, they have a level of experience that many don’t have. But, on the other hand, it can be problematic. In the end, leaders are part of the organization and what they do is seen by others as important, while what they don’t do somehow seems less important.

We have seen it often with eduction in organizations. Executives often aren’t exposed to the training that people get one level below them, creating a knowledge gap. Managers are told that certain training sessions are mandatory. But leaders often say “we already know how to do XYZ… we don’t need training on it.” Unfortunately, they don’t know what they don’t know.

That knowledge gap can lead to the demise of the learning that was intended. Without exposure to the same learning, sometimes leaders don’t ask the right questions to reinforce the learning, or they do things to undermine things that were taught – all unknowingly. And, without the interest and attention from leaders, many times the managers assume this must not be so important.

Leaders set the pace and the tone of an organization. Follow the leader was a game we all played in grade school… and to some extent, we still play it at work. If you are the boss, think about what you are doing and how those following will see it.

Changing Behavior Starts with Connecting the Dots

June 29, 2010/0 Comments/in Communication, Leaders, Uncategorized/by admin

“People need to play bigger!” This was something a leader announced to his organization about how they could transform their business. He had conviction and passion… but he also had everyone is his organization utterly confused. Play bigger? What did that mean? How on earth were several thousand people going to put such a vague directive into action?

When people are asked to change, we need to be specific about what is expected. Sometimes it might seem like we are stating the obvious and not giving people enough credit to think for themselves. But people need the dots connected for them when they are asked to change… and they need the dots drawn very close together and connected with a big fat marker.

What is expected of me? What should I do? It may seem obvious to leaders, but it is often times not to the people who need to shift the way they work.

Getting more specific eliminates confusion and misdirected efforts. Knowing very clearly what actions they should take helps people focus on conquering small concrete goals to build their confidence. And pride in even small accomplishments helps accelerate a person’s ability to absorb the change.

Once people pick up the behaviors, they will internalize them and make them their own. They will start to build on the new behaviors and improve on them. They will come up with ideas for how they can be even more accountable without being asked because this will be their new standard of behavior.

Leaders are People First

May 25, 2010/0 Comments/in Leaders/by admin

I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard someone complain that change is not happening in their organization because leaders are not saying or doing the right things. In fact, the most commonly cited reason for failure of organizational change is ineffective or insufficient sponsorship.

But leaders are people before they are sponsors. Just as we need to help people in the organization get ready, willing, and able to behave differently, we need to help leaders make that same transition. We can’t expect leaders to magically commit to a new set of ideas and behaviors before they themselves have fully thought through what it means for them, how they will be valued under the new environment, how supported they will be, and more.

Sometimes when people see leaders taking time to understand what is required and how they will fit in, they assume with snide cynicism that the leader is being “political.” But evaluating their own fate does not make a leader “political”… it makes them human. (Don’t get me wrong, there are overly ambitious leaders out there… but they are the exception, not the rule.)

Next time you want to blame the failure of a change on leaders, think about how you can help leaders make the transition to new behaviors and ideas. If we accept that leaders are people first, we can better position them to be sponsors.

Tag Archive for: leaders

A Simple Word – “Thanks”

Just Treat People with Respect

Follow the Leader

Changing Behavior Starts with Connecting the Dots

Leaders are People First

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