Criticism: Use it Sparingly

We’ve all been there, either directly or indirectly experienced a leader who was or is extremely critical. These leaders like to pull things apart, critique, and figure out what can and did go wrong. Even when things go well, they constantly nitpick, finding the errors and fixing, or anticipating fixing things. Criticism can help in that it’s how we learn and do better the next time.

It’s unfortunate that sometimes the things we want to fix can’t actually be fixed, especially when it comes to the people who report to us and surround us at work. A common refrain is (often said with sarcasm) “Work would be great if it weren’t for the people”.

I think in many cases leaders mean well and they want things to go well and be successful including their people.  But when was the last time you changed when you received a criticism? It’s generally not a great strategy to help others improve without some attention to what’s going right.

One of the most common things I hear from a leader’s staff is that they don’t feel the leader is giving enough praise and encouragement. It’s time to balance your criticisms with some positivity.

Notice: Your critical demeanor may have clouded you from seeing what’s good. I believe you can “practice” and train yourself to look for things that are going right by the people around you. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. And it can make a world of difference to your ability to lead others to do the “right things”. Start today. What if you spent the entire day looking for what’s right?

Let them know you’ve noticed: No matter how small the “right” thing you’ve noticed is, say it out loud to the person you’ve seen doing it. Put yourself in their shoes. A little bit of noticing and letting them know what you observe can go a long way, especially if you have a habit of being critical.

Don’t forget to give credit where credit is due, especially for the big triumphs. Make sure that those who matter (the rest of the team, the “higher ups”, your peers) know that you are cognizant of the fact that you can’t lead alone. It takes followers who are doing the right things for a leader to be successful. Call out these “right things” by name to others, and be specific.

Find ways to celebrate. We are all too serious and professional for celebration – or are we? What keeps you from having a little fun in honor of the right things? Most people enjoy recognition, and celebration is a great way to do so. Ask the people who are doing the “right things” what celebration might mean to them (within appropriate boundaries) ok that’s my HR background stepping in☺.

Even those with critical tendencies can find things that are going well with others so take a few moments to notice and compliment them out loud.

Build Relationships to Achieve Results

If you aren’t achieving results, your leadership won’t matter to your business. But it isn’t just about the “business”  it is about people. I’ve been at organizations where relationships didn’t matter, and those organizations are not successful in the long run.

Your job is to build the team and then emotionally invest in its members. Like any coach, you own the job of finding the talent and uniting the players. And once they are on your team — invest. It’s pretty scary to think that the perfect employee is out there and you just haven’t hired them yet. Embrace the 90 percent capability you see in their talent and use sincere truthfulness and coaching to get closer to the 100 percent.

Encourage vulnerability and avoid a culture of blame. Team players need to feel comfortable and confident in their competencies, but they also need to be self-aware. Create an environment where you assume good of each other, candidly declare the breakdowns and then arrive at a solution together.  This creates a culture where employees feel trust, acceptance and support.

The world is a place of abundance and someone doesn’t have to lose for you to win. It’s OK to benchmark against others, but only compete against yourself. Think this way and it will change how you lead and fundamentally how your teams interact with each other.

Focus on achievement — not status.

Stamp out bureaucracy. This is a tough one as many people live by titles and status. Always put the right talent on the proper challenges without regard to rank. When we are not trapped in “status” discussion, we are positioned to make the right decision for the business.

Create shared values. Establish metrics, measure your business, create alignment and then celebrate successes. You must have shared values to create shared success.

Speak in partnership language. Simply put — it is WE, not “me” or “I.”

And most importantly, learn from your experiences but keep moving forward.

Three things all line managers should master

We know senior leaders must demonstrate respect, trust and caring for the workforce they manage, but what about line managers?  Studies have repeatedly proven that employees are more likely to stay with a company even when things are bad, if they have a good supervisor.

So as you hire new supervisors, if nothing else teach them the following:

 RESPECT

Line managers must be careful to remember that respect is a two-way street. If they want the respect of their direct reports, then managers must show respect for their direct reports as well.  “Respect is not something you only give away when it may serve your needs.” The same is true of employee recognition.  You don’t show your appreciation for your employee efforts only when those efforts directly work to your advantage. You should also be liberal with your thanks when your direct reports may have performed well in helping another manager, team or department.

TRUST

Trust is often more easily gained by direct managers than senior leaders who are more removed from employees. But as with respect, trust is a two-way street.  You have to earn it by the way you behave toward them and those around them.  Your people need to believe that you are
competent and that you care.

CARE

One way to demonstrate to employees you care about them is by taking the time to talk with them, to clearly communicate what you need them to do, praise them when they’re doing it well, and offer constructive feedback when they need improvement. Harvard Business School research showed employees overwhelmingly prefer a manager who is likeable to a person is very skilled but terrible at communicating.

 

Maintaining a healthy work-life balance

One of the biggest challenges many business leaders face is trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance.  In fact I think we all struggle with this at times, and it gets even more challenging as you move to higher levels of responsibility in an organization.

When someone shares their concerns with me the first question I ask is “Do you like what you do?’  I believe people are always better at doing those things they enjoy and are passionate about.  Sure you won’t like everything your job entails, but as a general rule, if you like what you do, you do it better.  It’s very hard to do your best work, if you don’t enjoy it, let alone balance it with family obligations, social engagements and hobbies.  Once this question is answered it a little easier to establish some parameters for yourself.  Below are some additional suggestions that I was reminded of at a recent event and I wanted to share with you.

• Make choices – Don’t let life happen.  Some people have more energy than others. Know your limits and schedule your time accordingly. Learn to outsource whatever you don’t like to do. Don’t enjoy cleaning the house? Then pay someone to do it for you. If you don’t have time to bake a homemade cake for your child’s bake sale, bring in a store-bought one, and for all you moms out there, throw away the guilt.

• Don’t feel guilty about making time for your family. Both work and family are important, and there will be times when you need to prioritize one over the other. This is normal over the course of a career and if you choose your workplace with care, your employer will respect your choices.
• Don’t neglect yourself. The soft issues — such as workplace culture — really do matter. You won’t be able to do your best work if your values don’t align with those of your work environment. If you’re passed over for a promotion because you chose your child’s concert over an after-hours get together, it’s probably time to consider a change. If you need to fit in daily exercise to maintain equilibrium, set aside the time and don’t apologize for it.
• For those of you unattached, choose your husband, wife or partner carefully. Once you’re married, you’re a team doing the work-life dance together.
• Recalibrate daily. You might not feel like you’re maintaining a work-life balance every single day. Take time to reflect and change your plan for the following day accordingly
• Finally, keep learning, laughing and have fun.

Tell us how you maintain your work-life balance?

Managing the holiday rush

The holiday season can be tough when managing your business and your employee needs.  Some businesses may slow down until after the New Year. However, others pick up because as year-end approaches there are numerous internal tasks that need to be completed and the clock’s ticking. It can make even the calmest of managers a little crazy.

It starts around Thanksgiving and goes for the next 6 weeks give or take a few days.  Assorted parties, kid’s pageants and other school festivities, shopping, and other family commitments can make it hard to maintain a level of staffing and service that your customers expect. How do you keep your employees happy and still get everything done?

When I managed a very busy call center, I asked my managers to do certain things to make things a little less hectic during this time as well as allow them to truly take their time off when they were not in the office.  It takes some discipline, but it does work.  Here are some tips for maintaining productivity and focus when the holiday season is in full swing.

• Alternate vacations and time off so everyone has an opportunity to have a holiday off.  This is especially important when you have a 24 hour operation.  A manager typically needs to be on call, if not in the office and it helps to have different people take the responsibility.
• Let people announce their personal schedules in a central place, and make sure everyone can access it.
• People should be clear about when they’ll be available for contact, when they’ll be away, and vitally important is how to best reach them if it’s critical.
• Make sure everyone has a back up in the event one manager can’t be reached there is a back-up.  It’s really frustrating for those that must be at work not to have someone to contact in an emergency.
• Everyone needs to be clear about what has to be accomplished by which deadlines. When they get done early and you have the flexibility allow people to leave early. It’s a small gift of time that is appreciated.
• Let everyone know what the official holiday office schedule is and who to contact if a particular office is closed. This is especially important when you have employees in different locations, with different time zones.  If an employee is trying to manage a difficult situation, they need to know who they can call for help.

For some people this time of year is a time to relax, enjoy themselves and recharge their batteries. For others it’s stressful and hard to be productive. It’s up to the leader to set the goals, set the tone and help people be their best.

Respect Our Decision

Many years ago I worked for a major airline.  I have to say that when I went to work for this organization, “union” and participation was pretty foreign to me.  Shortly after I joined I found out that employees had to belong to the union if you were part of a particular working group.  I was appalled that I had to pay dues to an organization that in my opinion did nothing for me.  I don’t think I ever met a union representative during my tenure as an employee.  I worked hard and followed the rules.  I had a great relationship with my peers and my leadership.  Excellent customer service was a given.  I had a good job, great benefits and worked with great people, exactly what did I need the union for. 

Later I went into management with this same airline and I finally experienced the union at work.  Don’t get me wrong some of the union representatives were great people.  I am also not saying that all unions are bad; I have some dear friends and family who support their unions.  But I do have to say that in my experience the only people the union really helped were those that didn’t do their jobs or had some other idea of what work required.  All of this to say I am so proud of the Delta Airline flight attendants and I hope the remaining non-union work force follows their example.

This is a huge and positive message employees are sending.  They want to be valued for their individual contributions.  And most people don’t need someone else to represent them.  Sure there are still companies out there that don’t treat their employee so great, but the employment laws are on their side. 

Delta has 20,000 flight attendants, and like any other employer makes its fair share of mistakes, but they must be doing something right when a large employee group decided to stay independent, even with laws passed this earlier this year that made it easier for unions to win elections.

This is the 3^rd time Delta Flight Attendants have turned away from unionization.  Isn’t it time for the union to step aside and allow this company and these employees an opportunity to move forward independently.

Is it bravery or just great leadership?

Do you ever wonder how you are really doing as a leader?  Who does the judging?  Meet a CEO who lets employees vote him in or out every year. 

ING Direct is a large European banking operation that does business in the United States with a very interesting twist. When ING first entered the country, they hosted focus groups to find out what people hated about their banks, and then they did the opposite. The first rule of ING’s code of conduct is a simple concept: “We will tell the truth.” Great businesses often start from this premise.

The company’s CEO Arkadi Kuhlmann puts himself up for election by secret ballot among his company’s employees every year. “All my colleagues think I’m nuts, and the board thinks I’m nuts,” Kuhlmann told the New York Times.  ”But I don’t want to serve here unless I’ve got the commitment of people genuinely wanting me to serve.”

Kuhlman says he is not asking to win a popularity contest, but he wants to know that employees have faith in the mission, the company and his abilities. Even though the shareholders, the board, and the customers seem to be happy with him he wants to know how the associates feel.  There are two messages he wants to send by doing this. One is that he doesn’t take the job for granted. And, No. 2, that he’s willing to be accountable to them, not because he works for them in a broader sense, but he feels that if he’s walking around saying that his associates are so important, then why don’t they have a say in terms of whether or not he’s leading them.

It takes courage and confidence to ask those who work for you how you’re doing as their leader.  But after all isn’t that what leadership is all about.

For the entire interview with Kuhlmann go to http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/31/business/31corner.html

Dress For Success

 This Blog was written by Gregg Hake.  http://gregghake.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/dress-for-success/

Company dress codes and people’s perception of what’s acceptable to wear in business has long been a debate.  I think Gregg says it the right way and more organizations should follow suit.  Thanks Gregg.

“Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire.” – Charles Dickens

One thing should be clear: clothes do not make a man a gentleman or a woman a lady; and, by the same token, a real gentleman or a true lady is always a gentleman or a lady, no matter what he or she wears. The clothes you wear either magnify or cloak your personality and what you wear is in many ways less important than how you wear it.

I relaxed my company’s dress code today in hopes that there might be room for greater creative freedom, not just in apparel choices but in thought and deed. We’ve been heavily engaged in breaking down assumptions we’ve held that have prevented us in any way from making it easy for our clients to do business with us and this fashion statement was freshly pressed to that end.

The fashion choices we make are deeply personal. Like our food choices, they are based part on preference, part on need, part on availability and part on custom. Your clothing is a calling card to your personality, to your mood and to your outlook and your ability to dress appropriately can have a significant impact on how successful you are in any department of life.

It is possible to overdress. It is possible to underdress. At times it makes sense to overdress while it is less commonly advisable to underdress. The key is to dress in such a way that you do not hinder your effectiveness in life. Neutral or helpful is good. Hindrance is bad.

I’ve found that first impressions are important to people but at the same time I’ve always enjoyed the times when I’ve been surprised to learn that my initial impressions were incorrectly formed. Appearances can be deceiving and its worth remembering that fact lest you be caught in a web of prejudice.

In relaxing the dress code at my company I hope that everyone will rise to the occasion and take care to determine what is appropriate. We don’t live in a time like the Elizabethan era where what was worn when was formalized and rigid. That said, the art of appropriateness lives on.

There are those (often men) who say that they don’t really care about what they wear, but then when you look at them from one situation to the next they somehow end up not just fitting in but often matching what others around them wear. I was recently in a small town where every guy had a baseball cap on with sunglasses perched atop the cap. I was convinced of a fashion conspiracy, but were I to ask about it I’m sure that every one of them would have said that they put no thought to the ensemble.

There is no harm done in caring about what you wear, neither is there any problem in my book with not caring much about what you wear, unless your lack of concern gets in the way of you delivering the greatness that is yours to give. Clothing fitly chosen, like words fitly spoken are an aspect of your aesthetic and there is no reason to decrease the odds of someone receiving you due to a poorly composed aesthetic.

At the end of the day, it’s not so much what you wear but the goods you deliver that tell the tale. If you don’t have the resources to wear what you would like to wear, don’t be ashamed. Do the best you can with what you have and you can’t go wrong. As Albert Einstein said “If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies…It would be a sad situation if the wrapper were better than the meat wrapped inside it.”

What’s your leadership impact?

Leaders set the tone for their followers and organizations.  Every leader from team lead to CEO makes an impact on others. Whether or not leaders know it, their followers monitor, magnify, and often mimic their behaviors. I worked with a company where the CEO did almost all of the talking in meetings, interrupted everyone, and silenced dissenting subordinates. His COO and other senior vice presidents complained about him behind his back, but as time went on, the COO started acting the very same way.  All the skills, experience and training that made him an effective COO began to change.

The ripple effects of this CEO’s style are consistent with findings from peer-reviewed studies showing that senior executives’ actions can reverberate throughout organizations, ultimately undermining or bolstering their cultures and performance levels.

Linda Hudson, CEO of BAE Systems, got this message after becoming the first female president of General Dynamics. After her first day on the job, a dozen women in her office imitated how she tied her scarf. Hudson realized, “It really was now about me and the context of setting the tone for the organization. That was a lesson I have never forgotten—that as a leader, people are looking at you in a way that you could not have imagined in other roles.” Hudson added that such scrutiny and the consequent responsibility is “something that I think about virtually every day.”

In your leadership role you too should think about the impact you make on future leaders.  The best leaders work tenaciously to stay in tune with this relentless attention and use it to their advantage. They know that the success of their people and organizations depends on maintaining an accurate view of how others construe their moods and moves—and responding with rapid, effective adjustments.

That view is invaluable for leaders as they try to carry out their first and most important task: convincing others that they are in charge. Leaders who fail to do this will find their jobs impossible, their lives hell, and their tenures short. Of course, taking charge effectively isn’t enough. The best leaders also boost performance by watching their people’s backs: making it safe for them to learn, act, and take intelligent risks; shielding them from unnecessary distractions and external idiocy of every stripe; and doing hundreds more little things that help them achieve one small win after another—and feel pride, respect and dignity along the way.

Maintaining a Great Culture

In 2009, Honest Tea was named a “Best Place to Work” by Bethesda Magazine, and this year, it was picked as a Winning Workplace by Inc. magazine.  Miri McDonald an expert on organizational development, recently spoke with Debra Schwartz who is the director of human resources for Honest Tea, a beverage company based in Bethesda, Md.  They spoke about Debra’s role in cultivating the company’s progressive culture. An edited transcript of their conversation follows.

What factors do you feel have contributed to winning these important awards?

Culture, which starts with hiring. The only way to maintain a culture is to hire the right people. Anyone we interview, no matter what position, is asked: “Why do you want this position and why do you want to work for Honest Tea?” The answer has to be creative, passionate and real for them to make it to the next round.

You are a member of Honest Tea’s executive team. Some companies don’t include the director of HR as part of their leadership. How do you think this decision has benefited Honest Tea? What do you say to companies that don’t include HR as part of the executive team?

HR belongs at the table for many reasons. HR brings an internal perspective and represents the employee’s view.  If you leave us out we cannot be the business’ advocate to the employees, we cannot explain all points of view.

What do you think are the top five trends for human resources over the next few years?

• Use creative models to add value. That means being creative with salaries, bonuses, and benefits without taking anything away from the employee. At the end of the day if we are not making money, then HR doesn’t exist.

• Position HR as customer service and internal marketing. HR is here to make the lives of employees easier and better.

• Make smart use of fringe benefits. This term has long been associated with company cars, lavish expense accounts and the like. The new trend is wellness-related benefits.

• Be limber. Don’t box yourself. As long as you’re not doing anything illegal or unethical, it’s OK to break the rules and bend with the business to make employees happy. Happy employees lead to even more loyal customers.

• Remember the personal follow-up. Employees like to know that their company cares about them. Whether someone is new or has been there a long time, a personal touch such as a call, e-mail, or short interaction to ask how they are, and what is going on in their lives goes a long way in building relationships.

I am proud to say that Honest Tea is ahead of the pack and already making strides in these areas.

What other advice do you have for human resource professionals that strive to make their companies a better place to work?

It is HR’s job to take care of the employees, their needs and their families’ needs so that the employee can take care of the business and customer. Listen, really listen to their needs and wants, and adjust accordingly.

Potential candidates may have the experience, education and skill set to do the job, but what do you include in your hiring practices to ensure your next hire will be a representation of your organizational culture?