We're only two months into the new year, and I've already spent 20 nights in hotels and traveled to many cities all over North America. Tonight, I'm in Boca Raton, FL, and this month I still have presentations in Seattle, WA; Myrtle Beach, SC; Athens, Greece; Boston, MA, Sarasota, FL, and Salt Lake City, UT -- then, I'll start thinking about April. Why do I write about my travel schedule? Because I meet a lot of people all over the country that resonate with the message that we share about the way employees need to be treated (and appreciated) at work.
Despite my best efforts however, I find that some people hang on to the "good ole days" when we didn't need to praise a person for working. I also find that the people that are typically most defensive during a presentation are the people that everyone else hopes is listening (aka the person who needs the message the most). During breaks or after a presentation, I often get people that come up to tell me their stories -- stories that often include horror stories about their bosses.
The other day someone came up and simply said the letters "R-H-I-P" and I clearly didn't understand what he was saying. He then told me that those 4 letters are regularly used by his boss to remind him of his position at work. Still sensing my confusion, he finally told me what it stood for: "Rank Has It's Privileges." "Everyday," he continued, "my boss comes into my cubicle and says those 4 letters R-H-I-P, and I just bite my lip and put up with it."
What kind of boss do you work for? Have you ever had a similar experience? Does it make you feel like doing your best? What if your boss works hard to take credit for everything (unless it is bad)? Do you have a boss that is insecure?
Typcially, I find that angry managers really have bad self-esteem and they constantly need to cut others down in order to build themselves up. David Maister, a management consultant, recently stated the simple truth that "good managers help others to succeed and that they don't need to score all of the goals on their own." Good managers know how to celebrate when their employees succeed -- in fact, they coach their employees towards that success -- even when someone else scores the goal!
Let's face it, we all have insecurities and self-doubts that come out in different ways, and even our bosses will suffer. The question is: What are the business results when they simply work on tearing people down to bring themselves up?
Monday, March 3, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
What is Your Motive?
Some managers like to give feedback just to show people who is boss. What is your motive when you give feedback to employees? Is it to change behavior and improve performance, or to simply remind them that you are their superior?
Research says that people like to know where they stand. Employees like to be connected to the purpose and mission of the organization. Generally speaking, we all want to feel that we've given the best part of our lives in something that will actually make a difference.
As managers, our biggest duty should simply be to reconnect people with the organization's mission and purpose on a regular basis. By letting people know that we appreciate their good work and communicating that it does make a difference, we motivate employees to give their best on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, many bosses simply view their job as the enforcer and fire fighter. So, they spend much of their time consumed with things that distract from the bigger responsibility of motivating employees.
What is your motive when speaking to employees? Are you connecting and reminding them of the mission and purpose of their work, or simply letting them know who is boss?
Research says that people like to know where they stand. Employees like to be connected to the purpose and mission of the organization. Generally speaking, we all want to feel that we've given the best part of our lives in something that will actually make a difference.
As managers, our biggest duty should simply be to reconnect people with the organization's mission and purpose on a regular basis. By letting people know that we appreciate their good work and communicating that it does make a difference, we motivate employees to give their best on a regular basis.
Unfortunately, many bosses simply view their job as the enforcer and fire fighter. So, they spend much of their time consumed with things that distract from the bigger responsibility of motivating employees.
What is your motive when speaking to employees? Are you connecting and reminding them of the mission and purpose of their work, or simply letting them know who is boss?
The Insulated Manager
Why is it that bosses generally remain insulated from the employees they manage? While speaking to one such manager on the plane today, she simply admitted, "Being out among the employees required at least 4 hours of my day and it usually created a whole lot more work as a result." While we know that employees want better communication and interaction, we (managers) ultimately find it easier to simply stay in our offices and avoid at least some of the problems that face us on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we don't deal with the problems or issues of the day, indeed most managers say that they spend most of their time with problems and putting out fires -- which is exactly why they don't have time or energy to go out and find anymore than they already dealt with that day.
Is this management strategy (or coping mechanism) the best way for managers to spend their time? What is the alternative? What do you do to manage the daily requests and still find time to spend time with your employees on the front line?
Is this management strategy (or coping mechanism) the best way for managers to spend their time? What is the alternative? What do you do to manage the daily requests and still find time to spend time with your employees on the front line?
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Truth About the Younger Generations
Many say that the younger generations demand more praise and coddling at work. However, research suggests that this group of newer employees actually have more in common with their senior counterparts than many would like to admit. You see, everyone likes to be appreciated for a job well done. True, in the past, this type of corporate behavior was harder to find, but it doesn't mean that people didn't want it.
In fact, I think the younger generations have seen how their parents were treated at work (lay offs just before pensions kicked in, long hours away from home, and lots of stress when they were home, etc), and they don't want to end up the same way. They want a commitment from their employers that what they do will make a difference and that they will be recognized for their work. They want to see more loyalty from the employers before they blindly give their trust to the organization.
Interesting isn't it? Organizations expect loyalty and dependability, but they don't deliver the same to employees. Why should they be surprised by an employee's hesitancy?
Gallup asked 15 million people around the world what would it take for them to want to follow their leader? The # 1 answer: Show me that you care.
Maybe instead of labeling the younger generation as a spoiled group of undeserving recruits, we should ask how they have learned to feel the way they do about corporate life. What is it about organizations and businesses in general that have created the resentment and demands that they are so willing to vocalize?
Recently, someone with 30+ years of experience, commented in one of my sessions that they have felt the same way as the younger generation has for a long time, but they just never verbally expressed it the way people do now. Isn't it about time?
In fact, I think the younger generations have seen how their parents were treated at work (lay offs just before pensions kicked in, long hours away from home, and lots of stress when they were home, etc), and they don't want to end up the same way. They want a commitment from their employers that what they do will make a difference and that they will be recognized for their work. They want to see more loyalty from the employers before they blindly give their trust to the organization.
Interesting isn't it? Organizations expect loyalty and dependability, but they don't deliver the same to employees. Why should they be surprised by an employee's hesitancy?
Gallup asked 15 million people around the world what would it take for them to want to follow their leader? The # 1 answer: Show me that you care.
Maybe instead of labeling the younger generation as a spoiled group of undeserving recruits, we should ask how they have learned to feel the way they do about corporate life. What is it about organizations and businesses in general that have created the resentment and demands that they are so willing to vocalize?
Recently, someone with 30+ years of experience, commented in one of my sessions that they have felt the same way as the younger generation has for a long time, but they just never verbally expressed it the way people do now. Isn't it about time?
Friday, January 11, 2008
Get the Message Out: Training is Critical to Success
Organizations spend lots of time training managers in obeying the laws and standards of the operation, but hardly any time training them on how to engage their workforce. Interesting isn’t it? Low performing employees and turnover are some of the biggest frustrations for a manager. However, organizations don’t train managers on one of best ways to encourage performance, namely: recognizing for the right behaviors that they want repeated.
To add to the problems with the lack of training, many managers are brought up in a mentality that criticism is the only feedback that anyone needs. So, when they make a feeble effort to finally compliment someone, it simply falls flat. So, what do they do after a failed attempt? They go back to the status quo by criticizing employee performance and expect that somehow that will motivate them to do better.
Anyone who has ever studied the case of Home Depot and their former CEO Bob Nardelli can clearly see that ruling by fear will not get the desired results. He lost market share to Lowes and had 100% of his executives leave during his reign of terror (as reported by Newsweek). If we want to change tyrannical behavior, let’s start with training our managers that there is a much better way.
Still not convinced that training is critical? Consider this quote from a large client this week and how their CEO responded to the presentation by saying, “I’ve seen a lot of recognition programs in my career. What O.C. Tanner has created is a not a program it’s a system that will help our business, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. That’s why I’m the global sponsor. The only way we are going to hit our aggressive business strategy is if we execute. And that will only happen if our people feel engaged and recognized.”
Training on how to recognize and engage employees is a critical component to a manager’s success. Are pay and benefits still important to employees? Resoundingly, YES! Is recognition training the silver bullet that will solve every problem? No. However, it will go a long way in supporting goals, creating accountability, and engaging employees when it is done well. Rather than being the soft and fuzzy part of a business, recognition has become an essential part of great organizations. How are they ever going to do it well if managers aren’t trained?
To add to the problems with the lack of training, many managers are brought up in a mentality that criticism is the only feedback that anyone needs. So, when they make a feeble effort to finally compliment someone, it simply falls flat. So, what do they do after a failed attempt? They go back to the status quo by criticizing employee performance and expect that somehow that will motivate them to do better.
Anyone who has ever studied the case of Home Depot and their former CEO Bob Nardelli can clearly see that ruling by fear will not get the desired results. He lost market share to Lowes and had 100% of his executives leave during his reign of terror (as reported by Newsweek). If we want to change tyrannical behavior, let’s start with training our managers that there is a much better way.
Still not convinced that training is critical? Consider this quote from a large client this week and how their CEO responded to the presentation by saying, “I’ve seen a lot of recognition programs in my career. What O.C. Tanner has created is a not a program it’s a system that will help our business, and I’ve never seen anything like it before. That’s why I’m the global sponsor. The only way we are going to hit our aggressive business strategy is if we execute. And that will only happen if our people feel engaged and recognized.”
Training on how to recognize and engage employees is a critical component to a manager’s success. Are pay and benefits still important to employees? Resoundingly, YES! Is recognition training the silver bullet that will solve every problem? No. However, it will go a long way in supporting goals, creating accountability, and engaging employees when it is done well. Rather than being the soft and fuzzy part of a business, recognition has become an essential part of great organizations. How are they ever going to do it well if managers aren’t trained?
Friday, January 4, 2008
The Words We Use
Words are powerful. Indeed, I think we can learn a lot about an individual, a department, and an organization by simply listening to the words people use. What words are your employees using when they talk about recognition?
Awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing are just a few words that some people in our client organizations have used to describe being on the receiving end of recognition. As a result, many companies give up on the presentation and simply give employees the award without celebrating the purpose behind it. Of course, without the purpose, the award loses meaning, and the whole experience is often . . . well, awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing.
While meeting with a client recently, the HR Senior Vice-President said to me: “We don’t need the trinkets and trash . . . we simply want to know how to communicate better.” I cringed to think that she perceived their service award program in such a way. My response to her was this: “When the recognition experience is meaningful, the awards will no longer be perceived as trinkets and trash, but as powerful symbols of the employee’s contribution to the organization. And when the employee is honored, rather than humiliated, the recognition is appreciated.”
Our goal is to help organizations utilize all of their recognition awards effectively. Companies don’t want awards unless they know that those awards help them achieve their goals. If we want to be part of their solution, we have to help them make the recognition experience and awards meaningful.
Awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing are just a few words that some people in our client organizations have used to describe being on the receiving end of recognition. As a result, many companies give up on the presentation and simply give employees the award without celebrating the purpose behind it. Of course, without the purpose, the award loses meaning, and the whole experience is often . . . well, awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing.
While meeting with a client recently, the HR Senior Vice-President said to me: “We don’t need the trinkets and trash . . . we simply want to know how to communicate better.” I cringed to think that she perceived their service award program in such a way. My response to her was this: “When the recognition experience is meaningful, the awards will no longer be perceived as trinkets and trash, but as powerful symbols of the employee’s contribution to the organization. And when the employee is honored, rather than humiliated, the recognition is appreciated.”
Our goal is to help organizations utilize all of their recognition awards effectively. Companies don’t want awards unless they know that those awards help them achieve their goals. If we want to be part of their solution, we have to help them make the recognition experience and awards meaningful.
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