Category Archives: Interdependence

The best way to make your customers happy

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When it comes to making your customers happy, a recent blog post from our friends at Brains on Fire said it best. “Happy employees lead to happy customers. And that “shared happy” leads to positive word of mouth.”

So, how do you increase the happiness of your employees? Steve Cooper blogged at Forbes.com about Dr. Noelle Nelson’s book, Make More Money By Making Your Employees Happy.  It turns out that what people really want is for companies to “keep promises and show compassion for their employees.”

Paul Spiegelman, author of Why is Everyone Smiling?, suggests at Inc.com:

Recognize and reward. Give accolades to people who are doing a good job by publicly recognizing what is going well.

Make room for fun. Make time for people to do something wacky or unusual.

Walk the talk. Rules, ethics and consequences apply to everyone, regardless of position.

Implementing these strategies doesn’t mean that your employees won’t face problems. Your job as a leader is to enable true happiness – the ability to effectively confront and work through the difficulties that are inevitable in any workplace.

Need to boost happiness at work? Contact Humanergy.

Photo from istockphoto

 


Tandem biking: A lesson in interdependence

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A colleague, David, bought a tandem bike recently. This has provided a new way for David and his wife Launda to exercise and tour the local area. It’s also provided a unique opportunity to explore their finely-tuned relationship (They’ve been married for 21 years and have got this whole relationship thing down…mostly.)

The AHAs started right when they got the bike. Mike at TeamActive did a great job explaining the unique challenges of tandem cycling. David and Launda listened, but also thought, “Hey, how hard could it be?” Turns out it was not a walk in the park, and they quickly figured out that they needed to consider themselves cycling newbies and be ready to learn.

In their 21 years of wedded bliss, David and Launda have worked through their fair share of communication issues. When you can finish each other’s sentences, coordinating your actions on a bike should be simple. What they learned by tandem biking is that it’s necessary to over-communicate, stop assuming and agree upon a shared language, especially when taking on a new, interconnected challenge.

The level of interdependence on the bike was a shock as well. Yes, in theory they knew that if David leaned one way, it would impact Launda and their joint stability on the tandem. In reality, even small shifts in foot or hand position can cause imbalance. Don’t even ask them about the challenges of crossing railroad tracks on a tandem. Painful memory, literally, but a valuable lesson learned about being more aware of unanticipated consequences of our actions.

Their experiences on the tandem are not that much different from what people in organizations experience, particularly after a long tenure. Try as we might, we forget how interconnected we are. We assume that people understand the things we say. We get caught up in our perspective and don’t consider the sweeping impact of our actions.

If you’ve been with your organization for a while (and maybe even if you haven’t), stop and consider what you may learn from the tandem bike experience. Are you taking your hands off the handlebars and not telling others that might be impacted? Be safe out there.

 

Please feel free to forward Humanergy’s blog to others who might find them helpful!

Photo courtesy of David and Launda Wheatley


How to respond to offensive remarks

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How many times have you heard a comment that struck you as disrespectful or offensive, and you didn’t respond? Maybe you didn’t know the other person, and felt too awkward to comment. Maybe you just weren’t sure you wanted to wade into the issue. Many of us (myself included) have opted not to comment, because we are afraid of the consequences or are unsure of what to say.

You don’t have to confront every piece of communication with which you don’t agree. When should you engage, having heard what you feel is a demeaning remark?

When it offends you. This may be obvious, but sometimes we think, “maybe I’m being too sensitive.” That’s usually just a way of avoiding the issue. If you find the remark offensive, that’s grounds enough to comment on it. You don’t need a panel of experts backing you up.

When the comment is made within your conversation. Overhearing a rude outburst from afar might give you a free pass. However, if someone makes an offensive remark in the context of your discussion, you can and should respond. Even if the words weren’t directed at you, it is still important to weigh in.

When you know the person. Strangers behaving badly may benefit from some type of intervention. Friends and colleagues definitely would. The difference here is your ability to influence their thinking and behavior. You owe it to the other person to bring the matter to their attention.

When you have the power. Let’s face it. There are some people who are in a much better position to confront distasteful speech. Leaders must role model the standards of the organization and confront those who disregard those standards. The implicit message when you say nothing is to approve.

When you know you should weigh in, how can you do so in a way that is maximally constructive?

Be brief. There is no need to launch into a protracted speech on the distasteful statement. Get to the point. “I found the term “fairy” to be offensive,” for example.

Stay focused on observable behavior. Resist the urge to extrapolate and comment on the person’s attitude or beliefs. “You used the word “girl” to refer to a grown woman.” Leave out your personal opinion that the person is a sexist.

Be willing to educate. Often people are operating out of ignorance and do not intend to be disrespectful. Assume that this is the case, until proven otherwise. A comment like, “that term has negative connotation you may not be aware of,” may pave the way to increased awareness.

State your feelings. After you’ve named the behavior, it is more than appropriate to state how you felt about it. “I felt offended [hurt] [angry].” This will help the other individual understand your true perspective and the impact of his behavior.

Be respectful and loving. It might seem strange to respond with care to a person who has said something you found repugnant. However, don’t give in to your urge to demean the speaker. Doing so would only inflame the situation, and may cause the other person to shut down and stop listening. Remember that your goal is to promote and model respectful communication; you won’t do that if you respond angrily.

Remain firm in your feedback. “Hey, lighten up,” can be a common response to being confronted. Simply stated, offensive speech is not trivial. At work, it can be illegal or at least highly disruptive. Your feedback is valid, regardless of the other person’s receptivity (or lack thereof).

Report abuse or discrimination. Persons who are verbally abusive or practice discrimination have no place in your organization. Take action, either yourself or by reporting such behavior to the person’s boss.

Part of our responsibility as human beings is to preserve the dignity of others. Caring enough to speak the truth is not always easy. It is, however, one of the most important things we can do. It may not feel that way at the time, but refuting objectionable comments is a courtesy we extend to the speaker. Giving difficult feedback means, “I care about you too much to let this go.”

 

Share a helpful tip with a colleague! Feel free to forward our blogs to others who may find them helpful.

Need more information or want to speak with a Humanergy associate? Contact us!

Photo purchased from istockphoto.com.


What you need is some tension!

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Few people would lobby for more tension at work. Yet there are ways in which tension can not only be helpful, but transformative. Artists talk about the need to linger in a state of tension in order for the creative juices to flow. Likewise, people in organizations need a little agitation to keep collaboration alive.

Jim King wrote in an HBR blog that tension in teams is a good thing. He praises teams who handle it openly and don’t bury discomfort in the name of team unity. To keep discomfort to a minimum, Mr. King recommends physically arranging the team around a whiteboard, so that they are facing “the issue” instead of other team members. He also reinforced the need to keep the discussion focused on facts, not personal aspects. Too often, people assume that others have the same knowledge, when in fact they see reality much differently. Aligning on the verifiable truth early will avoid angry outbursts later.

Taken too far or dealt with inappropriately, tension can be destructive. How can you diagnose whether the tension your team is experiencing is destructive or transformative? The telltale signs of destructive tension are:

  • People frequently use the phrase, “Yes, BUT…”
  • Thinking is narrow, limited to short-term or the current situation only
  • Individuals “own” parts of the process or project and aren’t open to others’ ideas
  • There is lots of talking, but little listening
  • Little to no mutual understanding
  • Tension is not dealt with openly, but shows itself indirectly (e.g., snide remarks, silos and lack of communication)

When you have transformative tension in your team, you will see an increase in:

  • Creativity and innovation
  • Free flow of ideas
  • Listening for deep mutual understanding
  • Respectful treatment of everyone
  • Valuing ideas, even if they are new or unusual
  • Use of the term “Yes, AND…” to build on suggestions
  • Group ownership of projects and processes
  • Acceptance that positive tension can be productive and necessary

Maybe we should embrace the fact that tension is an inevitable and even necessary part of work life. As the old saying goes, Goodbye tension, hello pension!

Have a question about this topic or want some input from Humanergy? Contact us!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng


Are you part of a culture of intimidation?

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You may be thinking, “Me? I’d never be a leader in an organization whose culture was intimidating! I’m a nice person!” Unfortunately, organizational culture and habits have a tendency to creep, if we’re not careful. There may be some ways in which you and other leaders contribute to people feeling constrained and bullied. You’ve just been too busy or narrow in your focus to recognize it. What are the symptoms of subtle intimidation?

Fuzzy accountability, blame and consequences that don’t fit. People aren’t exactly sure what they should be doing or what boundaries exist for their work. Expectations are unclear or inconsistent from one day to the next or one leader to the next. When things go wrong, the finger gets pointed, and the consequences don’t seem appropriate given the mistakes that were made.

Intense focus on what’s going wrong. Time, energy and emotion are invested in communicating about the problems and errors, and little is said about what’s working. Employees keep their heads down and hope for the best (or at least that they’re not the ones in the wrong this time). Sometimes negative feedback is delivered indirectly, such as jabs disguised as jokes.

Intermittent, inconsistent communication. Employees hear different messages from leaders, if they hear much at all. There is no context to what is communicated, so people don’t understand the importance and priority of the message. Confusion is common, and solutions are imperfect, since people don’t have access to necessary information.

Delegation is usually “swoop and poop” or micromanaging. Lacking the time (really, it’s commitment) to delegate appropriately, leaders plop projects in people’s inboxes, give direction via short, curt email or only half-delegate and then hover to make sure the work is getting done right.

Leaders don’t want feedback. Leaders may say they want critical feedback, but employees understand that this would come with grave consequences. “Remember Joe? Well, he criticized the boss and got canned.”

Leaders give feedback indirectly or vaguely. Often the person who needs the feedback is the last to know, as people discuss Sue’s problem with everyone but Sue. When leaders give feedback to their direct reports, they beat around the bush and don’t connect the dots between the direct report’s behavior and its impact. This leaves employees wondering what they did in the first place and uncertain about where they stand with their boss.

People create silos for support. To protect themselves or to gain power, people develop a group of allies within the organization. “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” Invisible silos of alliances exist and everyone knows who is in whose camp, even if it is not openly acknowledged.

If even one of these statements ring true, it’s time to take a stand and promote change. Start by modeling effective listening and openness yourself. Like everyone, you are not fully aware of the impact of your own behavior. Seek information to decrease your own self-deception. Then find like-minded people within the organization and ask, “Is this culture one that enables us to meet tomorrow’s challenges and achieve necessary results?”

Work together to build a safe, healthy and productive culture that allows people to fully engage in the organization’s mission and make a difference. Good intentions won’t change anything. As Mae West said, “An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.”

Have a question about this topic or want some input from Humanergy? Contact us!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng


Dangerous assumptions bosses make every day

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Shawna left the meeting feeling like her hiring decision had been all wrong. Why couldn’t Hector manage this project on his own? When Shawna was in his role, she was able to make decisions and move forward with little direction from the boss. Maybe it was time to consider moving Hector into a job that fit his apparent abilities.

We all make assumptions, even if we think we don’t. We assume that the people around us have (or should have) the same knowledge, experiences, understanding, beliefs and feelings as ourselves. When we communicate, how often do we check our assumptions? We rarely do…until our differences become apparent, and then it’s often too late to repair the damage. What types of assumptions might you be making, and how can you avoid them?

My direct reports and I have the same knowledge or understanding of business realities. This assumption can easily be validated by having regular discussions with your team about the context and reality your organization faces, including the “big picture.” You may be surprised to know that they either don’t know as much as you think or need help in understanding the implications for their work. You need to actively engage to help them comprehend how what they do fits into the bigger scheme. Redouble your efforts to communicate as much information as you can. This will enable them to do their jobs now and anticipate future change.

I understand how my direct reports feel about their work. Most bosses only see part of the reality for their people, but rarely the whole unvarnished truth. Sometimes the issues are transient and don’t require your input. Other times, an employee may not want to share the full measure of his/her frustration for fear of being seen as negative. While you may not be in tune with the day-to-day angst, stay connected with your people so that you don’t miss a critical issue that could impact the team’s performance.

My direct reports know when I’m just joking around. Flippant, sarcastic and humorous remarks may seem innocuous to you. Your team may be interpreting these comments very differently – searching for hidden meanings, taking “digs” to heart or otherwise misconstruing your intent. Save yourself the grief and loss of productivity by minimizing your attempts at humor. Instead, state your intended messages very clearly.

My direct reports and I approach a task in the same way. One of the most dangerous assumptions is that your people (must) do their jobs in the same way you would. Even if you recently held a position, you may find that your successor organizes the work differently, uses his/her distinctive skills and draws upon completely unique life experiences. Keep your focus on the results you need and allow people to achieve them in their own best way.

You may think that you are assumption-free. But how many times have you thought, Everyone knows that…. or When I was in your role… or How can she possibly do it that way? Replace those thoughts with communication that clarifies, such as Tell me more about that or Give me an example or Help me understand.

One of the most powerful attributes of any team is its diversity of experience, skill and knowledge. Recognizing that you filter reality through your own lens, take time to first understand what you may take for granted. Then be diligent in seeking to better understand your team by asking open-ended questions and honoring their unique perspectives. When you do that, you enrich your own view of the world and become a more well-rounded leader. Avoiding dangerous assumptions also means a more engaged team, better results and maximum impact. Not a bad set of outcomes, we assume!

Have a question about this topic or want some input from Humanergy? Contact us!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng


The power and limits of logic

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I am an unapologetic Trekkie. My favorite Star Trek character was Mr. Spock, the half-Vulcan, half-Human second-in-command. His Vulcan side was all about logic. Mr. Spock was the calm, rational figure in the midst of interplanetary strife. Mr. Spock once remarked, “Nowhere am I so desperately needed as among a shipload of illogical humans.” How does logic play into leadership?

Most leaders believe that they are logical, and think they assume the role of Mr. Spock in their organizations. They think critically and act in a rational manner. Accusing a leader of behaving illogically is tantamount to insulting their integrity.

The reality is that we humans are not always rational and misuse logic in order to advance our ideas, most often without even being aware of this misstep. Our emotions are in play at times when we least suspect it. (Even Mr. Spock experienced emotional outbursts that he found quite disturbing.) What are the positive aspects of logic and how can it also limit your leadership?

Make decisions based on facts and analysis AND past experience, intuition and nonlinear thinking. Intuition isn’t mumbo jumbo; it’s tapping the innate knowledge you’ve gained over the years.

Be methodical AND don’t be a one-method leader. Use the right leadership style for the people around you – not necessarily the one that is the most comfortable. Switch up your routines periodically to refresh your thinking and even establish new neural connections. Even something as simple as using your non-dominant hand to do routine tasks (like brushing your teeth) will stimulate your brain. Examine your habits and resolve to do one thing differently each week.

Establish order and structure AND allow time for creative thought and expression. Feel like every moment of your day is planned? Make a commitment to take 15 minutes each day for free-flowing thinking and action. Take a walk, move to music and allow your mind to wander. It will find its way home, refreshed and ready for the next challenge.

Make logical arguments AND recognize that it can make you over-confident. All it takes is one flawed assumption that we judge to be true. Then a whole cascade of false assumptions are made, in the name of sound judgment. Carefully examine the assumptions that underpin your logic. Seek new insight from others who may know more than you, and be ready to abandon old, defective ideas.

Apply logic AND only apply logic where it fits. Be cautious about your leaps of logic when you strive to connect things that have no relationship (or at least not the one you ascribe). One area where logic is unreliable is human behavior. Throw in spirituality, politics and relationships – and you’ve just scratched the surface of the vast territory where logic plays a bit part. Insisting upon a 100% rational approach in these arenas is asking for frustration and bad outcomes for all.

As Leonard Nimoy, who played Mr. Spock once said, “Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.” Live long and prosper.

Have a question about this topic or want some input from Humanergy? Contact us!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng


Interdependence: It’s real, and what you need to do about it now

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People in organizations like to talk about how “we’re all in this together.” But when it comes to acting like what happens in IT matters to Customer Service, for example, interdependence is like the tooth fairy. You’re ten years old and long ago figured out Dad’s slipping the dollar under the pillow. You go along with it, because it’s rewarded, and then you don’t give it a lot of thought. Likewise, you talk a good game about cross-functional communication, but you certainly don’t spend much time worrying about those other folks. After all, you’re up to your eyeballs in alligators with what you’ve been charged to do in your own department. Spending too much time worrying about other areas of the organization would be detrimental to your success.

That silo mentality only really works if you’re in business solo. For the rest of us working in organizations of any size, the reality is that we’re linked in a complex web of interconnections. If we recognize and make the most of interdependence within the organization, we will harness an untapped, potent force that produces results.

Stop slipping the dollars under the pillow. If you reward silo thinking and action, you’ll get more of it. If the only way for people to be seen as go-getters is to show independence and excellence in their functional area, you have some work to do. Help people understand that organizational success requires silo-free thinking and action. Give them a stake in it as well by aligning accountability with the interdependent reality.

Debunk the myth that cross-functional work is only good for innovation. Yes, groups of people coming together will birth great new ideas. They also are a necessary part of any organization doing its normal stuff.

Talk more, and do more too. The interdependent reality requires not only more communication, but more cross-functional, coordinated action as well. It isn’t enough that you copy the Sales department on Operations emails. Recognize the ways in which Sales and Operations impact each other, and most importantly, how they must integrate their work to benefit the total organization.

Work differently, not more. You can continue working like dogs within your silos, and you won’t solve the fundamental problems. In fact, you’ll just create more and different problems. To escape the cycle, rethink your goals and priorities. Ask: What are the things we must accomplish in order to not only meet, but exceed, the needs of our customers? What parts of the organization intersect with creating this value? This analysis will produce a set of interdependent goals that lead to sustainable success. This means you will need to stop doing some things. Ask: What am I (and my team) doing that does not contribute to this value? No matter how ingrained in the fabric of your organization, give up low value tasks so you can get the vital work done.

Spend differently, not more. Typically each department comes up with its own budget, and the battle begins. If you make the most compelling case (use the words crisis and failure a lot in your pitch), your area gets more and consequently, others get less. For long-term, sustainable success, gain a better understanding of the root causes of both your problems and your opportunities. Then assign resources to functions  that drive success and people who can deliver across departmental boundaries.

Slow and steady wins the race. You cannot transform your organization overnight. Create a plan for continuous movement that includes ongoing education at all levels. Take immediate action on stuff that isn’t too difficult to accomplish. Build on that success with more complex steps that are still practical.

Your silos were built over an extended period, and dismantling them will take time. (Sorry, no tooth fairy help here.) Balance urgency with patience, recognizing that this is not the “flavor of the month” initiative, but a prerequisite for survival.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!