I’m not a Facebook user of any great note. My children laugh at the small number of “friends” I have. However, yesterday, laid low with back troubles, I decided to see if I could find any of my old school mates. I found Sheila.
Sheila got “knocked up”, as we used to say in those days, when we were 16. I only saw her once after the baby was born. She brought her baby to school for a visit. I was intimidated and frightened by her new role and we lost touch. Facebook showed me that Sheila went on to a full life. She is now settled in the UK, where she and her husband run a tax franchise. Her albums are full of children and grandchildren.
There is much debate about the value of Facebook in the workplace. I recall a client being very distressed because employees would put their place of work on their Facebook pages. He felt it would lay the company open to security issues. Trying to manage what people say on Facebook, or anywhere else for that matter, is pointless. Social media is the modern equivalent of the water cooler and no boss every managed to keep that one quiet. Humans need to connect.
Social media, such as Facebook, should rather be seen as an opportunity for organizations to create networks and communities well beyond those with whom it would typically interact. The traditional mindset of a business is one where you put up a shingle and send out a few flyers. In effect “build it and they will come.” That notion of business is based on the idea of pre-existing communities, of high streets filled with people making connections and hopefully talking about your business. Sadly, communities like that do not, for the most part, exist any longer. We live isolated lives in the suburbs, using cars to connect us with our communities of friends, our work and other parts of our lives.
Because of the fractured nature of our lives, community is becoming more and more important. Savvy organizations recognize this and are attempting to provide employees and customers with a greater sense of belonging. MyStarbucksidea is an online community of coffee lovers (employees and customers) coming together to offer the mother company ideas to make the Starbucks experience even better.
Similarly a client of mine has had a fan page for clients and employees for quite a few years. It’s an opportunity for like-minded people to get together and share chat about what they consider to be important, in effect, a community. Even my neighbourhood corner store is into the notion of community. The guy who owns the store is bringing in local produce and putting in a kitchen so people can come and have a cup of tea or coffee and meet with neighbours.
There are huge advantages to building a sense of community within your workplace; the most obvious is enhanced engagement and improved productivity. In addition, once you build a community others want to join and work with your community. This translates to more potential (and like-minded) employees and customers.
Here are some basic strategies for building community within your organization:
• Tell stories of successful employees – story is the bedrock of community building
• Show employees why the organization is heading in the direction chosen by the senior team. Help them understand the broader context in which you operate and why your particular niche is important – in other words what makes us a community and how we contribute
• Have employees involved in the annual planning cycle
• Hold very regular town hall meetings with senior leaders. Make sure food is always part of your meetings. Food is fundamental to human relations
• Have a corporate cause to which everyone can contribute either financially or through time.
• Try social media in a managed fashion with a clear goal of establishing a sense of community. Start up a blogging centre. Collectively blog about your cause. Showcase stories related to your cause on your blog.
• Socialize. We are humans. Once we understand one another’s humanity – it makes working together a great deal easier.
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Building a common language in your organization
Today I attended a sustainability forum in downtown Vancouver hosted by Metro Vancouver and the Board of Trade. Lunch was served, along with some interesting ideas, and a fair amount of political grandstanding.
One of the comments from the floor struck a chord; it was about the language we use and how it is open to misinterpretation and misunderstanding, particularly between different groups, say for example between business and sustainability groups.
Misinterpretation and misunderstanding based on the language we use is more common than one would imagine, even within small cohesive groups, even within families.
Here’s a telling example of how we use language very differently. My husband and I were shocked when our teenage daughter told us that girls will often call one another “bitch”, not as an insult but as a recognition of the other’s female status; horrifying to us older fogies, but perfectly acceptable to my daughter and her contemporaries.
Here is another, less extreme example. Earlier this year I was working on a technology change project. During the development phase we discovered that people were using different words to describe the same action or process. It was extremely confusing and a situation and that required action in the form of a common lexicon; a language that everyone could refer to and use. Developing the dictionary was the easy part – ensuring people used the same words in their daily interactions was far from easy.
Organizations need to speak the same language over and above the everyday languages we use like English, French, or Cantonese. We all have a laugh at the terminology that plumbers or doctors use; the acronyms and terms that make sense only to them. The languages that these people speak are important not only because they provide a powerful shorthand for them to communicate, but also because it helps create a sense of identity, a sense of community. From a more practical point of view talking the same language reduces risk and enhances the likelihood that we will do better business.
Every industry, every business has its own shorthand; we use it to simplify communication and signify our membership of the group. The trouble starts when different groups use different language and the connections break down. We see this commonly between divisions – the silo effect, also between managers and employees – the “them and us” syndrome.
Language goes hand in hand with culture. The words we use can set us apart from one another and also hold us in old and destructive patterns. In one organization I am familiar with, the management team paid a consultant (a colleague of mine) to sit in on their meetings to identify inappropriate use of language as they moved from their “old” way of doing things to the “new” way of doing things. They knew that it was important to speak the new language rather than the old if they wanted to act differently.
Using a consistent language throughout the organization has clear benefits:
• The right language clearly speaks to organizational goals and objectives
• Employees feel part of cohesive group
• The language provides a shorthand to culture and process
• Risk is reduced through clear communications
• Customers hear constancy in language, and very correctly, interpret is as steady, reliable service
Developing a consistent language is usually the result of a cohesive culture. However, as in the example above, language can be used to reinforce direction and ways of thinking. Here are some steps you can take to support culture through language:
• Start at the top. Identify the words and phrases that support the corporate direction;
• Have senior leaders promise to find ways to use the new speak in their daily connections, at staff meetings and presentations
• Change policy documents, informational materials and other standard corporate documentation to reflect the new language.
• Make sure the new words are used in support of ongoing company communications; emails, newsletters, bulletin boards, intranet etc.
• When cascading important information through the company, provide supporting discussion guides with the new language so that managers begin to use the new language.
One of the comments from the floor struck a chord; it was about the language we use and how it is open to misinterpretation and misunderstanding, particularly between different groups, say for example between business and sustainability groups.
Misinterpretation and misunderstanding based on the language we use is more common than one would imagine, even within small cohesive groups, even within families.
Here’s a telling example of how we use language very differently. My husband and I were shocked when our teenage daughter told us that girls will often call one another “bitch”, not as an insult but as a recognition of the other’s female status; horrifying to us older fogies, but perfectly acceptable to my daughter and her contemporaries.
Here is another, less extreme example. Earlier this year I was working on a technology change project. During the development phase we discovered that people were using different words to describe the same action or process. It was extremely confusing and a situation and that required action in the form of a common lexicon; a language that everyone could refer to and use. Developing the dictionary was the easy part – ensuring people used the same words in their daily interactions was far from easy.
Organizations need to speak the same language over and above the everyday languages we use like English, French, or Cantonese. We all have a laugh at the terminology that plumbers or doctors use; the acronyms and terms that make sense only to them. The languages that these people speak are important not only because they provide a powerful shorthand for them to communicate, but also because it helps create a sense of identity, a sense of community. From a more practical point of view talking the same language reduces risk and enhances the likelihood that we will do better business.
Every industry, every business has its own shorthand; we use it to simplify communication and signify our membership of the group. The trouble starts when different groups use different language and the connections break down. We see this commonly between divisions – the silo effect, also between managers and employees – the “them and us” syndrome.
Language goes hand in hand with culture. The words we use can set us apart from one another and also hold us in old and destructive patterns. In one organization I am familiar with, the management team paid a consultant (a colleague of mine) to sit in on their meetings to identify inappropriate use of language as they moved from their “old” way of doing things to the “new” way of doing things. They knew that it was important to speak the new language rather than the old if they wanted to act differently.
Using a consistent language throughout the organization has clear benefits:
• The right language clearly speaks to organizational goals and objectives
• Employees feel part of cohesive group
• The language provides a shorthand to culture and process
• Risk is reduced through clear communications
• Customers hear constancy in language, and very correctly, interpret is as steady, reliable service
Developing a consistent language is usually the result of a cohesive culture. However, as in the example above, language can be used to reinforce direction and ways of thinking. Here are some steps you can take to support culture through language:
• Start at the top. Identify the words and phrases that support the corporate direction;
• Have senior leaders promise to find ways to use the new speak in their daily connections, at staff meetings and presentations
• Change policy documents, informational materials and other standard corporate documentation to reflect the new language.
• Make sure the new words are used in support of ongoing company communications; emails, newsletters, bulletin boards, intranet etc.
• When cascading important information through the company, provide supporting discussion guides with the new language so that managers begin to use the new language.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
A balanced approach to decision making
Here’s a story from my salad days. I was working in stakeholder relations with a large organization based here in Vancouver. Part of my responsibility involved attending project meetings. I was young, green and woefully ignorant on the technical complexities of the project, so I happily took on the role of listener. It turned out to be a real advantage and learning opportunity.
In this particular instance a group of senior professionals were talking about technical options. One of the gentlemen noted that he felt the approach they were discussing was too conservative and would limit future options. The response to this statement from the colleague who favoured this option was: “I disagree.. let me restate my opinion once again.” With that the level of tension in the room increased significantly and the two leading proponents of the differing alternatives were politely at each others throats until the end of the meeting. The rest of the attendees sat and watched. Of course there was no resolution.
I’m sure most of you have been in similar situations. The lines are drawn, people take their positions and there is no forward movement. Our world trains us to be very good advocates. Our society rewards us if our solutions are adopted so we like to get in there and tell people exactly why our ideas are best. Unfortunately advocacy alone can lead to conflict and ideas that are not sufficiently explored - culminating in bad decision making.
In the example above we needed some inquiry. Inquiry helps people to better understand one another’s’ reasoning and thinking behind a solution. So, for example, in the situation above a little bit of inquiry in the form of a question like: "Can you give me an example of what you mean" or "Can you share with me the data you are using to support that conclusion?" would have avoided conflict and allowed deeper and more meaningful exploration of the proposed approaches.
Inquiry is particularly important as our world - and the problems we deal with - become more and more complex. Inquiry can be used to truly understand the issue and the implications of proposed solutions. It is also useful when we reach an impasse. By asking the right questions people can begin to think outside of the box and look at the world from someone else’s perspective. And of course questions can be wonderful for drawing out the wisdom in the room, particularly when some people are hesitant to share ideas.
Currently I’m working with two other consultants on a new business opportunity. We are all strong minded and independent and each of us is very good at advocating his or her position. For this reason we have set up our exploration phase to include a significant amount of inquiry. This allows us to better understand one another’s’ thinking. It’s proving to be a fascinating process and we are discovering more depth to our partnership then we had earlier imagined.
However, we should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Being a good advocate is also important; we need to have opinions, as long as we are open to listening to others.
Inquiry and advocacy should work together. Inquiry broadens and deepens our understanding. Advocacy leads us to action. Without a balance between inquiry and advocacy people are more likely to remain neutral. As leaders, it is our role to balance the two to ensure effective interactions.
How do you balance inquiry and advocacy? Generally inquiry precedes advocacy - assuming we do not have all the information. Through inquiry we expose ideas and ask others to challenge and probe them. However if all the information is available then we can go ahead and advocate – which hopefully will lead to action.
Here are some approaches you may wish to consider in developing your inquiry skills:
Ask in a way that does not provoke defensiveness:
“Can you help me understand your thinking here?”
Draw out reasoning:
“Where does your reasoning go next?”
Explain your reasons for inquiring:
“I’m asking you about your assumptions here because…”
Test what they say by asking for broader context:
“Can you describe a typical example?”
Check your understanding:
“Am I correct that you are saying…”
Explore, listen and offer your own views:
“Have you considered…..”
A few tips for effective advocacy:
• Provide data and back up information
• Help people understand the context for an approach
• Make reasoning explicit
• Encourage others to explore your views
• Acknowledge weaknesses, and
• Actively inquires into others' views.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate change and strategy so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at www.nickyfried.com or read her blog at www.nickyfried.blogspot.com
In this particular instance a group of senior professionals were talking about technical options. One of the gentlemen noted that he felt the approach they were discussing was too conservative and would limit future options. The response to this statement from the colleague who favoured this option was: “I disagree.. let me restate my opinion once again.” With that the level of tension in the room increased significantly and the two leading proponents of the differing alternatives were politely at each others throats until the end of the meeting. The rest of the attendees sat and watched. Of course there was no resolution.
I’m sure most of you have been in similar situations. The lines are drawn, people take their positions and there is no forward movement. Our world trains us to be very good advocates. Our society rewards us if our solutions are adopted so we like to get in there and tell people exactly why our ideas are best. Unfortunately advocacy alone can lead to conflict and ideas that are not sufficiently explored - culminating in bad decision making.
In the example above we needed some inquiry. Inquiry helps people to better understand one another’s’ reasoning and thinking behind a solution. So, for example, in the situation above a little bit of inquiry in the form of a question like: "Can you give me an example of what you mean" or "Can you share with me the data you are using to support that conclusion?" would have avoided conflict and allowed deeper and more meaningful exploration of the proposed approaches.
Inquiry is particularly important as our world - and the problems we deal with - become more and more complex. Inquiry can be used to truly understand the issue and the implications of proposed solutions. It is also useful when we reach an impasse. By asking the right questions people can begin to think outside of the box and look at the world from someone else’s perspective. And of course questions can be wonderful for drawing out the wisdom in the room, particularly when some people are hesitant to share ideas.
Currently I’m working with two other consultants on a new business opportunity. We are all strong minded and independent and each of us is very good at advocating his or her position. For this reason we have set up our exploration phase to include a significant amount of inquiry. This allows us to better understand one another’s’ thinking. It’s proving to be a fascinating process and we are discovering more depth to our partnership then we had earlier imagined.
However, we should be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Being a good advocate is also important; we need to have opinions, as long as we are open to listening to others.
Inquiry and advocacy should work together. Inquiry broadens and deepens our understanding. Advocacy leads us to action. Without a balance between inquiry and advocacy people are more likely to remain neutral. As leaders, it is our role to balance the two to ensure effective interactions.
How do you balance inquiry and advocacy? Generally inquiry precedes advocacy - assuming we do not have all the information. Through inquiry we expose ideas and ask others to challenge and probe them. However if all the information is available then we can go ahead and advocate – which hopefully will lead to action.
Here are some approaches you may wish to consider in developing your inquiry skills:
Ask in a way that does not provoke defensiveness:
“Can you help me understand your thinking here?”
Draw out reasoning:
“Where does your reasoning go next?”
Explain your reasons for inquiring:
“I’m asking you about your assumptions here because…”
Test what they say by asking for broader context:
“Can you describe a typical example?”
Check your understanding:
“Am I correct that you are saying…”
Explore, listen and offer your own views:
“Have you considered…..”
A few tips for effective advocacy:
• Provide data and back up information
• Help people understand the context for an approach
• Make reasoning explicit
• Encourage others to explore your views
• Acknowledge weaknesses, and
• Actively inquires into others' views.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate change and strategy so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at www.nickyfried.com or read her blog at www.nickyfried.blogspot.com
Facilitating for success
Every day about 25 million meetings take place in corporate North America; half that time is wasted.
Researcher Steven Rogelberg surveyed employees and found that professionals spend 5.6 hours a day in meetings. We can all relate to the feeling of gloom the surveyed employees expressed when sitting in unproductive meetings with piles of work waiting on their desks.
I have a game I play in one of my workshops where we look at the cost of holding a series of meetings over the course of a year. It’s quite shocking to realize your organization has just dropped $30,000 for last year’s departmental meetings.
The reasons for failed meetings are well documented, they include:
• No meeting objective
• Agenda incomplete and not sent out prior to the meeting
• Lack of clarity on roles
• Meeting does not start on time
• The agenda is not followed
• Conflict is not managed
• The meeting does not move toward resolving an issue/s
• Actions and deadlines are not assigned.
All of the above are valid. However, in addition to solid meeting management I’d like to suggest that we also need good facilitation skills for effective meetings. Let me explain.
We tend to work very much in isolation; often people come together from different parts of the organization to complete individual pieces of the pie. When we meet, it’s to get the big picture and to make decisions to move the process forward. However, given our cultural inclination to avoid confrontation and crucial conversations, we tend to revisit the same issues and our meetings become exercises in frustration.
Meeting management is defined as the process of planning, monitoring and coordinating all components of a meeting. Facilitation, on the other hand, is leadership by consent. Facilitating a meeting is different from leading a monthly organizational meeting using parliamentary procedure. The facilitator is a neutral guide who takes an active role in guiding the process.
When you become a facilitator, you share responsibility with the group members for progressing toward the goals. As facilitator you act as a guide, drawing out wisdom in the room as you move the participants forward in a particular direction.
Recently I had the pleasure of facilitating a series of management meetings with a very specific purpose. Initially I was participating very actively, by the last session my presence was superfluous and the group was self managing.
This is the process I use for facilitation. I hope you find it useful.
Stage 1 – Prior to the meeting
• Clarify purpose and objective of meeting.
• Develop an understanding of the issues
• Explore any previous sessions – reviewing strengths and weakness of those sessions
• Look at potential conflicts between participants
• Confirm expectations for you as facilitator
• Develop and send out the agenda
• Prepare materials and logistics for the meeting
• Agree on process / methodology of the meeting
• Confirm roles and responsibilities
• Establish group norms and rules for meetings
Stage 2 – During the meeting
• Begin the meeting and establish the meeting objective
• Keep everyone on track with the agenda
• Challenge thinking
• Help the group create lists of important points
• Summarize the issues from time to time
• Share ideas when they can help the meeting progress
• Provide handouts when needed to clarify the main points
• Raise questions to bring out different viewpoints
• Guide discussion
• Restate ideas when the person presenting them is not clear
• Provides constructive criticism when, for example, a person or people attempt to dominate the meeting
• Take notes
• Conclude the meeting.
Stage 3 – After the meeting up
• Report back in a fashion that ensures the process will move forward
• Follow up with people who committed to actions in the meeting.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate strategy and change so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at www.nickyfried.com or read her blog at www.nickyfried.blogspot.com .
Researcher Steven Rogelberg surveyed employees and found that professionals spend 5.6 hours a day in meetings. We can all relate to the feeling of gloom the surveyed employees expressed when sitting in unproductive meetings with piles of work waiting on their desks.
I have a game I play in one of my workshops where we look at the cost of holding a series of meetings over the course of a year. It’s quite shocking to realize your organization has just dropped $30,000 for last year’s departmental meetings.
The reasons for failed meetings are well documented, they include:
• No meeting objective
• Agenda incomplete and not sent out prior to the meeting
• Lack of clarity on roles
• Meeting does not start on time
• The agenda is not followed
• Conflict is not managed
• The meeting does not move toward resolving an issue/s
• Actions and deadlines are not assigned.
All of the above are valid. However, in addition to solid meeting management I’d like to suggest that we also need good facilitation skills for effective meetings. Let me explain.
We tend to work very much in isolation; often people come together from different parts of the organization to complete individual pieces of the pie. When we meet, it’s to get the big picture and to make decisions to move the process forward. However, given our cultural inclination to avoid confrontation and crucial conversations, we tend to revisit the same issues and our meetings become exercises in frustration.
Meeting management is defined as the process of planning, monitoring and coordinating all components of a meeting. Facilitation, on the other hand, is leadership by consent. Facilitating a meeting is different from leading a monthly organizational meeting using parliamentary procedure. The facilitator is a neutral guide who takes an active role in guiding the process.
When you become a facilitator, you share responsibility with the group members for progressing toward the goals. As facilitator you act as a guide, drawing out wisdom in the room as you move the participants forward in a particular direction.
Recently I had the pleasure of facilitating a series of management meetings with a very specific purpose. Initially I was participating very actively, by the last session my presence was superfluous and the group was self managing.
This is the process I use for facilitation. I hope you find it useful.
Stage 1 – Prior to the meeting
• Clarify purpose and objective of meeting.
• Develop an understanding of the issues
• Explore any previous sessions – reviewing strengths and weakness of those sessions
• Look at potential conflicts between participants
• Confirm expectations for you as facilitator
• Develop and send out the agenda
• Prepare materials and logistics for the meeting
• Agree on process / methodology of the meeting
• Confirm roles and responsibilities
• Establish group norms and rules for meetings
Stage 2 – During the meeting
• Begin the meeting and establish the meeting objective
• Keep everyone on track with the agenda
• Challenge thinking
• Help the group create lists of important points
• Summarize the issues from time to time
• Share ideas when they can help the meeting progress
• Provide handouts when needed to clarify the main points
• Raise questions to bring out different viewpoints
• Guide discussion
• Restate ideas when the person presenting them is not clear
• Provides constructive criticism when, for example, a person or people attempt to dominate the meeting
• Take notes
• Conclude the meeting.
Stage 3 – After the meeting up
• Report back in a fashion that ensures the process will move forward
• Follow up with people who committed to actions in the meeting.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate strategy and change so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at www.nickyfried.com or read her blog at www.nickyfried.blogspot.com .
Monday, June 7, 2010
Giving it all away
This week I had the satisfaction of working myself out of a job. As a consultant it’s part of what I do. I create plans, systems and processes, and engage people in them with the ultimate view that they become part of my client’s business; owned by the employees. There are some similarities to delegating.
Delegating multiplies your effectiveness provided 1) the people you are delegating have the skills to do the job and 2) you have the ability to let them do it their way and don’t have the need to look over their shoulders every five minutes.
The group I handed control to was a team going through a major change. Connecting this group to change meant we had to set up projects that connected and involved them, in a meaningful way, in the new world they were to work in; in other words they needed to take ownership of the process. In this instance a young woman had embrace a leadership role that she was very unsure about.
As a seasoned employee it’s sometimes hard to understand why a task you are so comfortable with should be so daunting to someone else. Sometimes we have to look to our personal lives to better understand how to support people. As parents, partners and friends we can certainly understand what it means to take on new ventures; the exhilaration and anxiety that goes with a challenge. Once we can connect with that experience – we can plan for success.
Here are my 11 steps for effective delegation for managers and employees:
1. Delegation means you transfer authority and the associated responsibility, from an employer or superior (who has the right to delegate) to an employee or subordinate. This means that someone else is now responsible for the work. So – butt out. Provide support and guidance but understand that everyone does things differently. Don’t you hate being micro-managed? Why would you want to do the same and lose the trust of an employee you value?
2. Delegation is an opportunity for both the manager and the employee. It’s a thoughtful process which means you don’t just give away work because don’t enjoy it. You do, however, want to give away work that will stop you from reaching your full potential.
3. Think about the fit. Does the employee have the skills to take on this task?
4. Plan the handover. Define the tasks and how the transition will take place.
5. Take time to communicate the new process to the assigned person; let them know why you are delegating to them. They need to understand what they are getting out of the assignment.
6. Think about training and resources. Will the individual need some training or additional resources?
7. Be extremely clear on your expectations.
8. Get agreement on timelines.
9. Make sure the individual is reporting to you on a regular basis.
10. Is there anyone else who needs to know about the delegation? If yes - inform them. Connect your employee with them.
11. Stay in touch. Provide feedback. Create a safe environment for your employee to grow.
By the way, I am delighted to report that the young woman I mentioned in the third paragraph has taken on the challenge with gusto. In fact she has improved on the process I started her off with. She has the advantage of a manager who meets with her regularly and supports her every step of the way. He trusts her enough to let go, but is caring enough to make sure she is not left alone.
Delegating multiplies your effectiveness provided 1) the people you are delegating have the skills to do the job and 2) you have the ability to let them do it their way and don’t have the need to look over their shoulders every five minutes.
The group I handed control to was a team going through a major change. Connecting this group to change meant we had to set up projects that connected and involved them, in a meaningful way, in the new world they were to work in; in other words they needed to take ownership of the process. In this instance a young woman had embrace a leadership role that she was very unsure about.
As a seasoned employee it’s sometimes hard to understand why a task you are so comfortable with should be so daunting to someone else. Sometimes we have to look to our personal lives to better understand how to support people. As parents, partners and friends we can certainly understand what it means to take on new ventures; the exhilaration and anxiety that goes with a challenge. Once we can connect with that experience – we can plan for success.
Here are my 11 steps for effective delegation for managers and employees:
1. Delegation means you transfer authority and the associated responsibility, from an employer or superior (who has the right to delegate) to an employee or subordinate. This means that someone else is now responsible for the work. So – butt out. Provide support and guidance but understand that everyone does things differently. Don’t you hate being micro-managed? Why would you want to do the same and lose the trust of an employee you value?
2. Delegation is an opportunity for both the manager and the employee. It’s a thoughtful process which means you don’t just give away work because don’t enjoy it. You do, however, want to give away work that will stop you from reaching your full potential.
3. Think about the fit. Does the employee have the skills to take on this task?
4. Plan the handover. Define the tasks and how the transition will take place.
5. Take time to communicate the new process to the assigned person; let them know why you are delegating to them. They need to understand what they are getting out of the assignment.
6. Think about training and resources. Will the individual need some training or additional resources?
7. Be extremely clear on your expectations.
8. Get agreement on timelines.
9. Make sure the individual is reporting to you on a regular basis.
10. Is there anyone else who needs to know about the delegation? If yes - inform them. Connect your employee with them.
11. Stay in touch. Provide feedback. Create a safe environment for your employee to grow.
By the way, I am delighted to report that the young woman I mentioned in the third paragraph has taken on the challenge with gusto. In fact she has improved on the process I started her off with. She has the advantage of a manager who meets with her regularly and supports her every step of the way. He trusts her enough to let go, but is caring enough to make sure she is not left alone.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Influence: helping others reach their potential
“The greatest ability in business is to get along with others and influence their actions.”
John Hancock
Last month I gave a talk on influence in the workplace. We spent some time exploring the difference between influence and persuasion. One of the participants felt that persuasion brings to mind someone getting you to do something that you might not really want to do. Influence on the other hand is all about creating “win win” situations.
The word “influence” comes from the Latin, "influere", which means "to flow into". The ancient Romans believed select individuals had special powers flowing into them from the gods. The assumption of strength and power and uniqueness remains to this day. To be regarded as a person of influence is to have power.
Chain-of-command hierarchies are obsolete. Today we function in networked, team-oriented organizations. To be successful we need to be able to influence others-especially those over whom we have no direct control.
Consider Ray Anderson who started Interface, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1973. Every year his factories produced hundreds of gallons of wastewater and nearly 900 pollutants. Then Anderson read Paul Hawkens' book, The Ecology of Commerce. And he knew he had to change the way his organization did things.
At its plant in LaGrange, Georgia, Interface used to send six tons of carpet trimmings to the landfill every day. By June of 1997, it was sending none. At Guilford of Maine, a division of Interface, new computer controls installed on boilers not only reduced carbon monoxide emissions by 99.7%, but also improved the boilers' efficiency. The result - waste decreased and profits increased.
Anderson did a masterful job of persuading an entire organization to change. Admittedly he had the advantage of being the CEO. But many CEOs are not able to shift their organizations. Great plans die because leaders can’t figure out how to change people’s behaviors. Research shows that 70 percent of change initiatives fail because those who are to carry out the work are not engaged.
True influence is about understanding how to work with, and through others, to achieve a stated objective while staying true to your core values and maintaining your integrity.
There are three factors to consider in influence; emotion, strategy and consequences.
Emotion:
Ninety percent of decisions are emotional. In fact even with what we believe are logical decisions, the very point of choice is arguably always based on emotion. To influence means we must have the ability to connect with people at a fundamental level. No matter how logical your arguments you have to appeal to people’s emotions.
Research shows that we do business with people we like and avoid those we don’t like. So the more in tune you are with people you are trying to influence - the more they will be open to influence.
What to do:
• Develop relationships well in advance of attempting to influence. Understand and connect with the people you want to influence so that you are the person they like and trust.
• Help people to see the emotional benefits of the facts and figures so it’s easy for them to come to a point of decision.
Strategy:
Your likelihood of influencing others will increase significantly if you have a strategy or plan of action. People will feel far more comfortable if they see you have a vision and a path to achieve that vision.
The psychology of influence tells us that people respond more favourably to solutions if they believe the plan of action came from them. Find a way to link your strategy with their ideas.
What to do;
• Build a plan of action when trying to influence for a project. Show people you have thought about the issues.
• Link your strategy to pet ideas of the people you are attempting to influence.
• Link your strategy to corporate strategy to show strategic thinking and a willingness to plan for the good of all.
Consequences:
Influence is built upon making others successful. When you are trying to influence others ensure that your solution deals with their pain points and/or achieves goals and objectives of interest to them. Often the need to protect against pain takes priority over everything else.
What to do:
Understand the concerns of the people you are attempting to influence. Build your approach with their needs, not yours, in mind.
Influence is all about facilitating for mutual benefit. Take a real interest in the success of others, be likeable and focused on offering real results in a strategic fashion that mitigate any potential pain for the person you are trying to influence.
And finally, remember enthusiasm is contagious. Believe in your project, like the people you are attempting influence and be credible.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate strategy and change so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at www.nickyfried.com
John Hancock
Last month I gave a talk on influence in the workplace. We spent some time exploring the difference between influence and persuasion. One of the participants felt that persuasion brings to mind someone getting you to do something that you might not really want to do. Influence on the other hand is all about creating “win win” situations.
The word “influence” comes from the Latin, "influere", which means "to flow into". The ancient Romans believed select individuals had special powers flowing into them from the gods. The assumption of strength and power and uniqueness remains to this day. To be regarded as a person of influence is to have power.
Chain-of-command hierarchies are obsolete. Today we function in networked, team-oriented organizations. To be successful we need to be able to influence others-especially those over whom we have no direct control.
Consider Ray Anderson who started Interface, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1973. Every year his factories produced hundreds of gallons of wastewater and nearly 900 pollutants. Then Anderson read Paul Hawkens' book, The Ecology of Commerce. And he knew he had to change the way his organization did things.
At its plant in LaGrange, Georgia, Interface used to send six tons of carpet trimmings to the landfill every day. By June of 1997, it was sending none. At Guilford of Maine, a division of Interface, new computer controls installed on boilers not only reduced carbon monoxide emissions by 99.7%, but also improved the boilers' efficiency. The result - waste decreased and profits increased.
Anderson did a masterful job of persuading an entire organization to change. Admittedly he had the advantage of being the CEO. But many CEOs are not able to shift their organizations. Great plans die because leaders can’t figure out how to change people’s behaviors. Research shows that 70 percent of change initiatives fail because those who are to carry out the work are not engaged.
True influence is about understanding how to work with, and through others, to achieve a stated objective while staying true to your core values and maintaining your integrity.
There are three factors to consider in influence; emotion, strategy and consequences.
Emotion:
Ninety percent of decisions are emotional. In fact even with what we believe are logical decisions, the very point of choice is arguably always based on emotion. To influence means we must have the ability to connect with people at a fundamental level. No matter how logical your arguments you have to appeal to people’s emotions.
Research shows that we do business with people we like and avoid those we don’t like. So the more in tune you are with people you are trying to influence - the more they will be open to influence.
What to do:
• Develop relationships well in advance of attempting to influence. Understand and connect with the people you want to influence so that you are the person they like and trust.
• Help people to see the emotional benefits of the facts and figures so it’s easy for them to come to a point of decision.
Strategy:
Your likelihood of influencing others will increase significantly if you have a strategy or plan of action. People will feel far more comfortable if they see you have a vision and a path to achieve that vision.
The psychology of influence tells us that people respond more favourably to solutions if they believe the plan of action came from them. Find a way to link your strategy with their ideas.
What to do;
• Build a plan of action when trying to influence for a project. Show people you have thought about the issues.
• Link your strategy to pet ideas of the people you are attempting to influence.
• Link your strategy to corporate strategy to show strategic thinking and a willingness to plan for the good of all.
Consequences:
Influence is built upon making others successful. When you are trying to influence others ensure that your solution deals with their pain points and/or achieves goals and objectives of interest to them. Often the need to protect against pain takes priority over everything else.
What to do:
Understand the concerns of the people you are attempting to influence. Build your approach with their needs, not yours, in mind.
Influence is all about facilitating for mutual benefit. Take a real interest in the success of others, be likeable and focused on offering real results in a strategic fashion that mitigate any potential pain for the person you are trying to influence.
And finally, remember enthusiasm is contagious. Believe in your project, like the people you are attempting influence and be credible.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate strategy and change so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at www.nickyfried.com
Discovering your unique ability
My coach has me on a journey to discover my innate ability.
Innate ability is that which comes naturally to us. It is our preferred mode of operation; it is instinctual. We do it very well and we get a great deal of satisfaction from work performed in this mode. However, because it is instinctive we tend to take it for granted – until someone points out how valuable it is.
Some of you may remember a book “Now Discover your strengths” by Buckingham and Clifton. The premise of the book is that we should build on our strengths and if we do we will be successful.
In reality we often train our weaknesses which means that we end up with mediocre weaknesses. Why not train our innate strengths for excellence! Imagine our organizations full of people employed for their strengths and trained to become outstanding in the areas where they have natural talent. Sports people do this all the time – with obvious rewards.
It’s a “win win” when employees are operating in their natural mode. They are happy and more productive and the organization gets the benefit of an employee who does a darn good job with passion. I had coffee with a woman yesterday who used to work for a large financial institution in town. She found her passion for facilitation quite by chance and realized where she wanted to spend the rest of her working life. She is now busy, and happily, pursuing that career elsewhere because the bureaucracy she worked with had her pidgeoned in a box she no longer wanted to be in.
Because we have certain innate abilities doesn’t mean to say that we aren’t good at other things. I’m pretty good at administrative stuff - when I have to be – but it is not on my list of favorites things and I do tend to avoid it. On the other hand, I love to work with groups and help them move toward a stated goal in a creative fashion that engages them. And the more time I spend doing this the happier, and more productive, I am.
Your innate abilities and those of your staff may surprise you. My coach had me ask my clients what they thought my abilities were. None of them told me I was a great trainer or a fabulous creative writer, but all of them mentioned my ability to communicate effectively and get people on board and behind a project - which might explain why I do so much work in the area of change.
You might want to figure your innate abilities, as well as those of your team members. This is the kind of information that you can use to focus people on activities that will make them happy and your organization more successful. One way to do this is by taking an online assessment. I recently completed the Kolbe A Index www.kolbe.com . The Kolbe looks at four action modes; information gathering and sharing, arranging and designing, dealing with risk and uncertainty and your best way for handling space and tangibles. The results were pretty surprising. My scores showed me to be very high on conceptualizing and risk taking. Again, skills that are important if you work in the area of change. The Kolbe is around $50 for each person.
Another option is the Strengths Finder from Gallup. Purchase the book “Now Discover your strengths” by Buckingham and Clifton and you will get access to an online profile and find your five top strengths.
A lower cost strategy is to get together as a team and focus on what you consider the other team members unique or innate abilities might be. Try and be as specific as possible, focus only on positive attributes. For example I’m a risk taker. This could be seen as negative but the Kolbe highlighted it as very positive for example it allows me to initiate change, improvise solutions and options and create a sense of urgency. You get the idea of why working for change is good for me!
Here are five steps you and your team can take to identify and take advantage of your unique abilities:
1. As a team consider one another’s unique abilities. Summarize the findings. If you prefer do online assessments.
2. Circulate everyone’s unique abilities – give people time to celebrate how they are perceived or assessed.
3. Come together as a group – celebrate the great strength you have as a group
4. Consider how you can support one another to ensure each individual is spending more time on his or her unique ability.
5. Review your training strategy. Train your unique abilities.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate strategy and change so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at http://www.nickyfried.com/.
Innate ability is that which comes naturally to us. It is our preferred mode of operation; it is instinctual. We do it very well and we get a great deal of satisfaction from work performed in this mode. However, because it is instinctive we tend to take it for granted – until someone points out how valuable it is.
Some of you may remember a book “Now Discover your strengths” by Buckingham and Clifton. The premise of the book is that we should build on our strengths and if we do we will be successful.
In reality we often train our weaknesses which means that we end up with mediocre weaknesses. Why not train our innate strengths for excellence! Imagine our organizations full of people employed for their strengths and trained to become outstanding in the areas where they have natural talent. Sports people do this all the time – with obvious rewards.
It’s a “win win” when employees are operating in their natural mode. They are happy and more productive and the organization gets the benefit of an employee who does a darn good job with passion. I had coffee with a woman yesterday who used to work for a large financial institution in town. She found her passion for facilitation quite by chance and realized where she wanted to spend the rest of her working life. She is now busy, and happily, pursuing that career elsewhere because the bureaucracy she worked with had her pidgeoned in a box she no longer wanted to be in.
Because we have certain innate abilities doesn’t mean to say that we aren’t good at other things. I’m pretty good at administrative stuff - when I have to be – but it is not on my list of favorites things and I do tend to avoid it. On the other hand, I love to work with groups and help them move toward a stated goal in a creative fashion that engages them. And the more time I spend doing this the happier, and more productive, I am.
Your innate abilities and those of your staff may surprise you. My coach had me ask my clients what they thought my abilities were. None of them told me I was a great trainer or a fabulous creative writer, but all of them mentioned my ability to communicate effectively and get people on board and behind a project - which might explain why I do so much work in the area of change.
You might want to figure your innate abilities, as well as those of your team members. This is the kind of information that you can use to focus people on activities that will make them happy and your organization more successful. One way to do this is by taking an online assessment. I recently completed the Kolbe A Index www.kolbe.com . The Kolbe looks at four action modes; information gathering and sharing, arranging and designing, dealing with risk and uncertainty and your best way for handling space and tangibles. The results were pretty surprising. My scores showed me to be very high on conceptualizing and risk taking. Again, skills that are important if you work in the area of change. The Kolbe is around $50 for each person.
Another option is the Strengths Finder from Gallup. Purchase the book “Now Discover your strengths” by Buckingham and Clifton and you will get access to an online profile and find your five top strengths.
A lower cost strategy is to get together as a team and focus on what you consider the other team members unique or innate abilities might be. Try and be as specific as possible, focus only on positive attributes. For example I’m a risk taker. This could be seen as negative but the Kolbe highlighted it as very positive for example it allows me to initiate change, improvise solutions and options and create a sense of urgency. You get the idea of why working for change is good for me!
Here are five steps you and your team can take to identify and take advantage of your unique abilities:
1. As a team consider one another’s unique abilities. Summarize the findings. If you prefer do online assessments.
2. Circulate everyone’s unique abilities – give people time to celebrate how they are perceived or assessed.
3. Come together as a group – celebrate the great strength you have as a group
4. Consider how you can support one another to ensure each individual is spending more time on his or her unique ability.
5. Review your training strategy. Train your unique abilities.
Nicky Fried is the principal of Nicky Fried Consulting Inc. She helps organizations to translate strategy and change so that employees understand where the organization is going and how they support it through their daily actions. Learn more about us at http://www.nickyfried.com/.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Helping employees through change
My 13 year old son is a member of the BC Boys Choir. This week sopranos and altos (unbroken voices) received an invitation to sing with Sarah Brightman, who is performing at one of the 2010 Olympic venues. We couldn’t figure out why he was so resistant until we realized that he thought he would be performing at the Opening Ceremonies; a stressful and overwhelming thought for him. Once he understood that this was not the case – he was happy to commit.
We all come at life with an existing framework; an understanding of how the world works. Sometimes our preconceptions get in the way and hinder us from moving forward and making decisions. This is particularly true when we ask employees to go through change.
The usual management strategy is to try and persuade employees with facts and figures. The only trouble is that employees will take the facts and figures and interpret them within their existing framework or mind set, and the interpretation might not be exactly as management intended.
To influence effectively we need to understand the world from the other persons point of view. We also need to be ready to trade, in other words provide them with something of value, in return for their support of the change process.
I am currently working with a client on a technology change project. The rationale for the project is solid and the change necessary. The trouble is the group has gone through a number of earlier technology changes that were not positive. This is their existing framework. This is how they see the world and no amount of facts and figures will change that. That’s because decision making has a strong emotional component to it. Research shows that at the point where we must decide, emotion is necessary.
Employees will decide to adopt a change when they can see themselves, and the role they play, within the change. This allows them to make decisions at an emotional level and adapt the change to their internal framework.
The client I am currently working with has opted for a multi-pronged approach to ensuring their employees connect with the change, and understand its value for them.
Here are some of the things you can do to make sure you are not one of the 70% of change initiatives that fail because the people who are to make the changes are not engaged.
1. Long before the change begins talk to your employees about the world the business operates within. Share with them key business results, market information, issues and challenges the industry faces, trends, and other relevant information. Interpret it so they understand what the business needs to do to move ahead. If you are involving them in key business information before you ask for change you are in effect giving them something of value – information , but also trust in sharing information usually meant for senior leaders. This value can then be traded for cooperation at a later stage.
2. Have a clear vision for your project. This will help people to connect with it at an emotional level - and understand their personal contributions.
3. Engage the employees in defining how business processes will change with the adoption of the new system. It’s their work, so they will be able to tell you what they do now and how that will change. There is great value in being seen and acknowledged as an expert.
4. Give the technology a chance. Answer all the important business questions before you introduce it.
5. Be clear about what the technology can and cannot do. Manage expectations.
6. Communicate regularly. Resist the temptation to only communicate when you have all the answers – you never do.
7. Understand clearly how different people will use the technology. Not every group will need to be communicated to in the same way.
8. Work with champions of the change to illustrate early wins. Show the behaviours people need to adopt to be successful.
9. Ensure training is relevant to each group and offers employees a real way to apply the technology.
Change is never straightforward but an acknowledgement that implementing it is more about the people then the technology and process is a good place to start.
We all come at life with an existing framework; an understanding of how the world works. Sometimes our preconceptions get in the way and hinder us from moving forward and making decisions. This is particularly true when we ask employees to go through change.
The usual management strategy is to try and persuade employees with facts and figures. The only trouble is that employees will take the facts and figures and interpret them within their existing framework or mind set, and the interpretation might not be exactly as management intended.
To influence effectively we need to understand the world from the other persons point of view. We also need to be ready to trade, in other words provide them with something of value, in return for their support of the change process.
I am currently working with a client on a technology change project. The rationale for the project is solid and the change necessary. The trouble is the group has gone through a number of earlier technology changes that were not positive. This is their existing framework. This is how they see the world and no amount of facts and figures will change that. That’s because decision making has a strong emotional component to it. Research shows that at the point where we must decide, emotion is necessary.
Employees will decide to adopt a change when they can see themselves, and the role they play, within the change. This allows them to make decisions at an emotional level and adapt the change to their internal framework.
The client I am currently working with has opted for a multi-pronged approach to ensuring their employees connect with the change, and understand its value for them.
Here are some of the things you can do to make sure you are not one of the 70% of change initiatives that fail because the people who are to make the changes are not engaged.
1. Long before the change begins talk to your employees about the world the business operates within. Share with them key business results, market information, issues and challenges the industry faces, trends, and other relevant information. Interpret it so they understand what the business needs to do to move ahead. If you are involving them in key business information before you ask for change you are in effect giving them something of value – information , but also trust in sharing information usually meant for senior leaders. This value can then be traded for cooperation at a later stage.
2. Have a clear vision for your project. This will help people to connect with it at an emotional level - and understand their personal contributions.
3. Engage the employees in defining how business processes will change with the adoption of the new system. It’s their work, so they will be able to tell you what they do now and how that will change. There is great value in being seen and acknowledged as an expert.
4. Give the technology a chance. Answer all the important business questions before you introduce it.
5. Be clear about what the technology can and cannot do. Manage expectations.
6. Communicate regularly. Resist the temptation to only communicate when you have all the answers – you never do.
7. Understand clearly how different people will use the technology. Not every group will need to be communicated to in the same way.
8. Work with champions of the change to illustrate early wins. Show the behaviours people need to adopt to be successful.
9. Ensure training is relevant to each group and offers employees a real way to apply the technology.
Change is never straightforward but an acknowledgement that implementing it is more about the people then the technology and process is a good place to start.
Climbing up Maslow’s hierarchy
So much of what we do is about meeting needs.
Maslow outlined it perfectly in his hierarchy of needs; you have to meet basic requirements before you can deal with higher level needs. At the bottom of the Maslow’s pyramid are needs associated with food, water and sleep, this is followed by physical safety, then belonging and affiliation, next is esteem and right at the top of the pyramid is self actualization. This is the point where we fully realize our potential.
Here in North America we have made good strides in meeting employees needs as outlined by Maslow’s hierarchy. We pay decently and frequently offer benefits, safety is a focus for all out organizations, and we work hard at developing culture and recognizing our employees. But somehow that whole actualization thing is a little bit trickier then it should be. Not all our employees feel like they make a contribution to the success of the organization and the direct impact of that is poor engagement. Not surprising given engagement is all about the involvement, commitment and satisfaction that employees have with their work.
The level of employee engagement is directly associated with performance. Some 32 % of Canadian employees are partly or fully "disengaged." Companies with the lowest percentage of engagement show declines of 33 per cent in operating income and 11 per cent in earnings per share.
I can’t think of one client I have worked with who hasn’t imagined how exciting it would be to have the majority of employees right at the top of the pyramid. Most of us can recall a situation where we have been involved with a motivated, excited group of individuals - people who feel they are making a major contribution to the organization. It is a powerful experience!
I have worked with several such teams and observed a number. The common denominator is excellence in leadership. More specifically leaders who establish a clear vision and create the kind of environment that deliberately takes care of all Maslow’s levels – pushing people up to self actualization, where they are at their most engaged and most productive.
One of the most effective means of helping people understand their contribution and how valued they are is by connecting them directly with customer needs. Helping employees understand the Maslow equivalent of client needs and what this means for them.
I was privy to an excellent example of Maslow-focused project management. This particular project manager worked to put her team in the shoes of the client, building understanding and relationship between the two that would pleasantly surprise any client. Together her team established service criteria based on client needs. She then worked very, very hard to model the kind of behaviour she wanted her employees to adopt. Her team was a screaming, happy mess of actualized success. Her company made money on the project and brought in more business because of it.
What she did sounds pretty straightforward, but it’s not always that easy to build a self-actualized team when you’re dealing with the reality of getting things done. The approach that the project manager above took meant that she had to do a lot of planning and thinking about the people stuff. Often it’s easier to simply do the work at hand.
Another example came from a manger who helped his employees connect their own needs with those of their customers – right at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy. He encouraged employees to become involved in community projects of their choice. In this way he blurred the lines between customer and employee.
Helping your employees reach their fullest potential begins with leadership. Here are six steps you can take to begin to build your employees toward self actualization.
1. Begin with yourself. How far on Maslow’s hierarchy are you? What do you need to do travel further? Understand what makes you most fulfilled.
2. Build a customer-focused vision with your team. They will be more likely to accept a vision they have been involved in developing.
3. Together with the team establish your customer-service standards.
4. Work individually with each team member to ensure s/he understands their personal contribution. Plan with each employee to find opportunities for his or her special talents. Help them build their own self-actualization plan.
5. Build a community giving program. This helps shift the focus to the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.
6. Develop your own local reward process.
Maslow outlined it perfectly in his hierarchy of needs; you have to meet basic requirements before you can deal with higher level needs. At the bottom of the Maslow’s pyramid are needs associated with food, water and sleep, this is followed by physical safety, then belonging and affiliation, next is esteem and right at the top of the pyramid is self actualization. This is the point where we fully realize our potential.
Here in North America we have made good strides in meeting employees needs as outlined by Maslow’s hierarchy. We pay decently and frequently offer benefits, safety is a focus for all out organizations, and we work hard at developing culture and recognizing our employees. But somehow that whole actualization thing is a little bit trickier then it should be. Not all our employees feel like they make a contribution to the success of the organization and the direct impact of that is poor engagement. Not surprising given engagement is all about the involvement, commitment and satisfaction that employees have with their work.
The level of employee engagement is directly associated with performance. Some 32 % of Canadian employees are partly or fully "disengaged." Companies with the lowest percentage of engagement show declines of 33 per cent in operating income and 11 per cent in earnings per share.
I can’t think of one client I have worked with who hasn’t imagined how exciting it would be to have the majority of employees right at the top of the pyramid. Most of us can recall a situation where we have been involved with a motivated, excited group of individuals - people who feel they are making a major contribution to the organization. It is a powerful experience!
I have worked with several such teams and observed a number. The common denominator is excellence in leadership. More specifically leaders who establish a clear vision and create the kind of environment that deliberately takes care of all Maslow’s levels – pushing people up to self actualization, where they are at their most engaged and most productive.
One of the most effective means of helping people understand their contribution and how valued they are is by connecting them directly with customer needs. Helping employees understand the Maslow equivalent of client needs and what this means for them.
I was privy to an excellent example of Maslow-focused project management. This particular project manager worked to put her team in the shoes of the client, building understanding and relationship between the two that would pleasantly surprise any client. Together her team established service criteria based on client needs. She then worked very, very hard to model the kind of behaviour she wanted her employees to adopt. Her team was a screaming, happy mess of actualized success. Her company made money on the project and brought in more business because of it.
What she did sounds pretty straightforward, but it’s not always that easy to build a self-actualized team when you’re dealing with the reality of getting things done. The approach that the project manager above took meant that she had to do a lot of planning and thinking about the people stuff. Often it’s easier to simply do the work at hand.
Another example came from a manger who helped his employees connect their own needs with those of their customers – right at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy. He encouraged employees to become involved in community projects of their choice. In this way he blurred the lines between customer and employee.
Helping your employees reach their fullest potential begins with leadership. Here are six steps you can take to begin to build your employees toward self actualization.
1. Begin with yourself. How far on Maslow’s hierarchy are you? What do you need to do travel further? Understand what makes you most fulfilled.
2. Build a customer-focused vision with your team. They will be more likely to accept a vision they have been involved in developing.
3. Together with the team establish your customer-service standards.
4. Work individually with each team member to ensure s/he understands their personal contribution. Plan with each employee to find opportunities for his or her special talents. Help them build their own self-actualization plan.
5. Build a community giving program. This helps shift the focus to the higher levels of Maslow’s hierarchy.
6. Develop your own local reward process.
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