Keys to peer leadership

This is a guest article by Kevin E. O’Connor.

As a small business CEO observed a window washer at the Atlanta airport one day, she asked what she thought to be a straightforward question, “What’s the secret to window washing?”

“No secret, ma’am,” the window cleaner said as he continued working. “I just focus on keeping on with my tools and my experience. I keep on going.”

The master continued working with repeated, slick motions, his tool remaining fixed to the glass and leaving not one smudge. Then, true to his word, he kept on going.

When the CEO asked what was in the blue water, the cleaning professional smiled and said “I can’t tell you that! If you knew that, you could do my job!” Then, before attacking another pane, he said “It is very special, though.”

When a professional window cleaner uses just the right combination of resources—minimal tools; years of experience; a flowing, non-stop motion; and a secret concoction of suds—his or her work is efficient, engaging and looks natural—perhaps easy—to those who observe.

Unlike the window washer, many team leaders don’t find their work to be efficient, easy or appear natural. These leaders often do not have degrees in leadership; they are promoted because they are very good at their jobs. Their former colleagues and friends now report to these “peer leaders.”

There is a skill to leading your former peers without encountering resistance, resentment and regret. When your toolbox contains a simple collection of thinking, communicating and acting that is coherent, ordered and intentional, your leadership appears as if it is natural. When you’re charged with leading a team of your peers or former peers, the right combination of resources makes all the difference. The following techniques should be at the core of every peer leader’s toolbox:

1. Minimal tools keep you focused.

The most effective leader uses only one tool: his or her personality. One great peer leader uses his thirst for understanding and information. When a member of his team enters his office, he asks that person to be the teacher while he plays the role of student.

“Any questions I ask are merely a student asking,” he explains. “Then, I never use the words ‘I’ or ‘you’… I only use the words ‘we’ and ‘us.’ I want them walking out of my office feeling better than when they walked in.”

By using the mindset of education, the pressure is removed from his “teacher” so that no question is off limits. This philosophy sets the tone for education and teamwork. If, instead, he were to use his intellectual curiosity to demonstrate that only he knew the correct answer, he could face resentment. The best peer leaders learn to harness their personality to inspire trust and teamwork.

2. Experience gives you credibility.

Just as window washers have well-exercised wrists, your team wants to see that you still need and relate to them.

While your team is working to create the next product, researching relevant case law or driving across town at a moment’s notice to meet with a customer, they want to know that you’re there with them. Sometimes that means that they want your hands working alongside theirs, and sometimes it just means that they want to know that you understand their daily routines, frustrations and joys. Regardless of which approach your team members prefer, they want you to guide them in the next, and right, direction.

Your team will remember that you were there with them when you encourage. Today’s culture makes it easy for bosses to find faults, but you will have much greater influence when you frequently ask this question of your team members: “You know what I liked about what you did (or said)?” Be relentless as you look to find the ways that their input, skills and contributions have benefited the entire team. This is always of interest to the receiver; no one has ever responded “No, I don’t want to know what you liked!”

3. A flowing, nonstop motion is very intentional.

There are few things more beautiful than a leader who knows how and when to listen and where and when to speak; the times to agree and those to dissent; when to stay with the group and those other times when to go out on a limb. Just as the window washer intentionally follows a specific pattern, the successful leader never allows these moments to be chance events. Instead, successful leaders are always intentional. While employees sometimes want to be inquisitive, your peers want to be connected with you. With intimacy comes great trust and loyalty.

A consistent engagement with your team on a personal level (within the business environment) turns your role from that of a boss to one of a fearless leader, mentor and teacher. This intimacy comes when you go beyond their favorite sports team to learn about their childhood passions, when you understand that their family’s immigration experience deeply affected their outlook on international business, and that their self-directed nature comes from their Eagle Scout training. To the inexperienced leader, these characteristics are mere factoids. The best peer leaders know that an understanding of those experiences and traits leads to unbreakable loyalty, an impassioned work ethic and—most importantly to the company’s owners—higher profits.

4. Your secret formula keeps you ever useful.

Famous chefs sometimes share their secret recipes, for they know what many of us have learned after carefully following the same recipe three times: There are just some techniques that can’t be explained with words. Food rarely tastes the same way twice and rarely as good as it does in your favorite restaurant!

The window washer humorously refused to share the ingredients in his bucket for fear of being replaced. The best peer leaders are afraid that their talents and “secret concoction” may go unused, so they focus on how their team is furthering the company’s mission. When leading a group of your peers, you must have a firm hold on the secret formula that lies within you. Ask your team members what they believe to be your “secret sauce,” and be ready to listen without judging their responses. You may find that your team wants you to talk more at meetings, even though you might think you talk too much. Your team may want you to consult them but ultimately make a firm decision, while you may lead by consensus for you fear making decisions alone.  When your team tells you what they want, find a way to do what they have asked!

Dolly Parton said “Figure out who you are and then do it on purpose.” All of what you do as a leader must be naturally intentional, obviously purposeful, yet elegantly skillful.

Kevin E. O’Connor, CSP, is a facilitator, medical educator and author. He focuses on teaching influence to scientific and technical professionals who are charged with leading teams of their former peers. He presents and coaches over 175 times per year around the world to corporations, individuals, associations and nonprofits about how to move teams from conflict to consensus. His latest book, Fearless Facilitation, is due out this year. For more information, please visit www.kevinoc.com.

1/9/13 audio conference you don’t want to miss!

How to Be the Boss without Being Bossy

Is it possible to be the boss without being bossy? Yes, it is, and you can do it.

Boss is a noun. It is a role you hold. Bossy is an adjective, it is a description of your behaviors and actions.

The boss is the person who gets things done, makes things happen and holds people accountable. The bossy person has all the answers, rarely listens to anyone else, makes demands and openly confronts people.

Being the boss without being bossy is about balance. You achieve balance by knowing the difference between …

• Being friendly and being a pushover.
• Exercising authority and exerting control.
• Staying informed and micro-managing.
• Delegating a task and dumping responsibilities.
• Holding people accountable and beating people up.

Many people, especially people new to leadership struggle to find balance. They tend to fall on one side or the other of the friendly-bossy spectrum and keep missing the sweet spot in the middle that makes them the highly respected, effective leader they can be. This audio conference will help you find that balance.

Register now and learn:

• How to build rather than demand trust and respect.
• Why influence is better than control.
• How you can develop influence with others.
• How to confront poor performance without being aggressive.
• Striking the balance between accountability and micro-managing.
• Understand the difference between delegating and dumping.
• Learn to understand the critical difference between coaching and discipline.
• How to have a successful conversation about workplace behaviors and performance.

Presented by: Guy Harris

Guy Harris draws on more than 20 years of combined professional and military experience when he consults, coaches or trains in the areas of workplace conflict resolution, team and interaction dynamics, communication strategies and tactics, and emotional intelligence. He helps you understand – and work through – the reasons why your relationships are getting in the way of getting things done.

Guy has both Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Chemical Engineering. He was a qualified Engineering Department head in the U.S. Navy. He is a Master Trainer and Coach in the DISC Model of Human Behavior and a Workplace Conflict Resolution expert. He writes The Recovering Engineer Blog, he co-authored the book From Bud to Boss: Secrets to the Successful Transition to Remarkable Leadership, and he leads a two-day workshop on developing Conflict Confidence.

Be smarter about hiring

If you regret a hiring decision you made this year, you aren’t alone. Nearly 70% of employers said they had a bad hire this year, according to a CareerBuilder survey. That’s a costly mistake, with 41% putting the price tag at more than $25,000.

If you botch hiring, it can cost your organization in lost productivity, time and money to recruit and train another worker, lowered employee morale, damaged customer relationships, lost sales and legal issues.

Workers aren’t thrilled with the hiring process either. Half of new hires said they weren’t confident they made the right choice, according to a recent study by Development Dimensions International Inc. That study revealed that 14% of new hires fail in the first 12 months.

Here are some of the things DDI says employers can do to improve their hiring:

• Know what you need. Identify the knowledge, skills and experiences that a successful employee will need. Use pre-employment assessments to screen candidates, and prepare yourself to conduct effective (and legal) interviews.
• Be honest about the job. Give candidates realistic expectations about the work, their career opportunities and the organization. “Painting a rosy picture or pulling a bait-and-switch once they’re on the job will just mean you’ll fill that position again in 6 to 12 months,” said Scott Erker, Ph.D., senior vice president for DDI’s Selection Solutions and the study’s co-author, in releasing the report.
• Don’t stop once the new employee starts. Make retention a priority.  Improve your hiring practices with Hire Exceptional Employees: A Process for Recruiting Top Talent. This multimedia toolkit gives you a simple and easy-to-follow plan for finding and hiring the best person for the job.

6 reasons a leader’s personal business is the company’s business

This is a guest post by  David Gebler

Just after Gen. David Petraeus resigned from his post as head of the CIA, there was an outpouring of sympathetic media. Before possible national security issues came to light, friends, allies and commentators wondered aloud why the four-star general’s private behavior should have any relevance to his performance as a valuable leader in the war against global terrorism.

New developments in the story might have quieted these critics a bit. However, it’s important for all business and government leaders to grasp how their personal behavior affects the organization’s culture. In short, reckless risk taking by a leader begets reckless risk taking by his or her subordinates and employees. Dishonesty begets more dishonesty.

Here are six reasons a leader’s private behavior really IS their people’s business.

1. It condones rule breaking. A leader has to be the role model for his or her people. “Do as I do, not as I say.” That’s the mantra leaders need to live by in order to get their people following the company’s rules. It’s particularly true in organizational cultures, such as the military or competitive innovation firms, that require stringent ethical behaviors, conformity and loyalty.
2. It confuses the rank and file. Some military insiders have pointed out that our all-volunteer military has created a “military apart” culture that operates off the public radar screen, with its own rules and cultural norms. (See NYT article.) But this is also true of businesses headed by powerful or charismatic founders, who see themselves as commanders of their own business universe. The problem is, when employees are fiercely loyal to a brilliant but unethical leader, they may lose touch with their own ethical objectivity.
3. Leading demands good judgment. The ability to make difficult decisions consistently and use good judgment is part of why leaders get paid the big bucks. If leaders are vulnerable to self-denial and self-deception about their ability to manage an affair undetected, it raises the obvious questions about whether they are also in denial about other matters that more directly impact the business.
4. Leaders are responsible for reputation. A sullied leader lowers the reputation of the whole  organization, calling into question its cultural norms and core values. Like it or not, stakeholders expect leaders to uphold the organization’s reputation and enhance, not degrade, its standing by having an impeccable character.
5. It creates conflicts of interest. Whether by having an extramarital affair or by engaging in inappropriate favoritism with a co-worker, the leader creates allegations of unfairness that impact people’s reliability and performance. Relationships that are unprofessional and inconsistent with the organization’s values cause a ripple effect of dissention.
6. Integrity matters. Whether they like it or not, when leaders betray their spouses and family, it’s human nature for their employees to wonder if their leader is trustworthy. People will begin to wonder, if a leader can treat loved ones like that, how will he or she treat us? Without trust, a leader has no authority.

David Gebler is the founder and president of the Skout Group, a consultancy that helps companies evaluate the cost-effectiveness and scandal-potential of their corporate cultures. He’s a lawyer specializing in business ethics, and author of The 3 Power Values: How Commitment, Integrity, and Transparency Clear the Roadblocks to Performance (2012, Jossey-Bass).

Workplace conflict is a scary issue

If you aren’t spooked enough this Halloween, the following facts about workplace conflict will make your hair stand on end.

• Strained relationships between employees account for 60% to 70% of unproductive time and difficult situations, according to workplace experts.

• You are spending anywhere from 25% to 40% of your time managing conflict, The Washington Business Journal reports. That’s a lot of wasted time that you could devote to developing productive teams and improving your organization’s bottom line

If those points aren’t enough for you to rise up against the ghosts and goblins of workplace conflict, consider the legal liabilities. Misunderstandings and tension among employees can expose your organization to lawsuits, discrimination cases and even violent behavior.

Although handling conflict after it arises is a critical skill, successful managers understand how to stop conflict before it escalates. You won’t waste time refereeing arguments between workers. In addition, you’ll contribute to your bottom line by incorporating strategies that build a harmonious workforce.

Use these tips to head off conflict before it spins out of control:

• Develop clear policies. Leave no question in employees’ minds that rude behavior, bullying and intolerance are unacceptable. Tip: Consider providing a diversity program to educate workers about unintended slights that can raise workplace tensions.

• Recognize untapped employee strengths. If employees feel appreciated for their unique talents, they will be less likely to resent their co-workers. Take advantage of opportunities to praise each employee’s efforts.

• Treat everyone fairly. You may prefer the personalities of certain workers or value their contributions more. Don’t allow that to interfere with decisions on work assignments, workplace perks or pay raises. Example: If you are training your star performer to take over some of your duties, consider whether other employees should gain new skills as well.

What’s the biggest workplace conflict you’ve experienced so far?

[Image Source: Marc van der Chijs]

5 tips for dealing with political discourse in the workplace

This is a guest post by Joseph H. Harris, Partner, White Harris PLLC.

The presidential elections are right around the corner and if the political debate in your office is heating up, it may be time for you to step in and mediate the conflict. Over at the Raising the HR Bar blog, guest blogger Joseph H. Harris, a partner at White Harris PLLC offers this advice for organizations. Before you even think about addressing a political conflict in your office, read it to make sure you don’t land your organization in legal hot water.

With the 2012 campaign season in full swing, political discussions in the workplace are likely to become more prevalent and with them, conversations about any number of controversial topics.

Arguments between employees can create tension and disruptions that hurt productivity. Employers who have not considered their disciplinary approach carefully may punish employees in a manner that may appear discriminatory or retaliatory. Conversely, employers who go too far in the other direction—banning all political discourse—may expose themselves to an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board and may find such policies difficult to enforce.

What should employers do? Here are some tips:

1. Be proactive. Contrary to popular belief, the First Amendment does not apply to private workplaces. Therefore, at least as a matter of federal law, employers have a great deal of latitude to restrict political speech at work. Some options employers may want to consider include prohibiting political discussions in work areas during work hours, implementing a dress code that bans political campaign tee shirts, buttons or other paraphernalia, and banning political solicitation during work hours using company resources.

However, be advised that under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employers cannot prohibit employees from displaying union-related material. So, although employers can prevent employees from wearing “Vote Romney” or “Vote Obama” hats, for example, they cannot prohibit employees from wearing hats that say “United Auto Workers for Romney” or “United Auto Workers for Obama.”

The NLRA also protects the rights of employees (including in non-unionized workplaces) to work together to improve the terms and conditions of their employment, such as their wages, hours, and benefits. If there is a direct link between a political issue, for example raising the minimum wage, and your employees’ terms and conditions of employment, employers should exercise caution. Restricting such conversations might violate the NLRA.

A word of warning: Some states (including New Jersey, New York and California) impose additional restrictions on employers’ ability to regulate employee political activity. Make sure your policy is compliant with the law in your jurisdiction.

2. Call a staff meeting. Review company policies concerning discrimination, harassment, retaliation, discipline, solicitation, online communication, the use of electronic resources, voting, dress code and code of conduct. Hold a meeting with the staff to remind them of these policies and how to make a complaint. Remind employees that the company’s email system is to be used for the benefit of the company and not to promote their political views.

3. Warn your supervisors. Caution supervisors and managers not to discuss their political views with subordinates, as political comments by senior personnel may be used against the company in an employee’s subsequent discrimination, harassment or retaliation lawsuit. For example, if a gay employee is terminated, he or she may point to a supervisor’s negative comments about gay people in an office debate about gay marriage as evidence that the discharge was actually the result of anti-gay discrimination. (Sexual orientation is a protected category in New York.) In addition, federal election laws restrict what businesses can do to encourage employees to support a candidate. Some states also have laws that prevent employers from promoting a candidate or political position.

4. Discipline employees uniformly. Remind supervisors and managers that discipline must be imposed uniformly with the focus on the violation of company policy, not on the content of the political speech that gave rise to the infraction. Failure to do so could be used against the company in a lawsuit for discrimination, retaliation or harassment. Using the same example as above with the gay employee, if only gay employees, voicing support for gay marriage as a political issue, are punished for violating company policies concerning political activity at work, that may later be used against the company in a civil rights lawsuit.

5. Review your leave policies. Some states, such as New York, require that employers give employees time off to vote.

Join Joseph Harris and Evan White on October 22 for the audio conference Legal Dos and Don’ts of Employee Discipline. Evan and Joseph will focus on some of the most common mistakes employers make concerning discipline and discharge. They’ll also offer practical guidance on how to develop and implement disciplinary policies and procedures in a way that will be effective in controlling employee behavior while minimizing employers’ legal exposure to risk. Don’t miss it! Register now!

About the author: White Harris PLLC practices exclusively in the area of labor and employment law, representing management. The firm counsels businesses on how to comply with local, state, and federal employment laws and represents them in court, before government agencies, and in alternative forums such as arbitration and mediation. For more information, visit http://whiteharrislaw.com.

Mr. Harris is an alumnus of Oxford University and a graduate of Haverford College and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is admitted to practice in the state of New York and in the federal courts in the Southern and Eastern districts of New York. He is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the New York State Bar Association and the Labor and Employment Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association.

[Image Source: Alynn]

Do you know what really motivates your staff?

When managers are asked to predict what factors employees consider most important in their jobs, 90% of them get it wrong. Complete the following exercise to see if you know what truly motivates your staffers. Listed below are 13 factors compiled from surveys of hundreds of thousands of employees over the last 50 years. Take a few minutes to rank each factor in its order of importance to your employees, with “1” being most important, “2” being second most important and so on.

• Work with people who treat me with respect.

• Interesting work.

• Recognition for good work.

• Opportunities to develop skills.

• Working for people who listen if I have ideas.

• A chance to think for myself rather than just follow instructions.

• Seeing the end results of my work.

• Working for an efficient manager.

• A job that’s not too easy.

• Feeling well informed about what’s going on.

• Job security.

• High pay.

• Good benefits.

Did you get it right? Most managers will list job security, high pay and good benefits in the top five. However, in reality, the factors are in their correct order as listed.

What did you list? Do you know what motivates your employees? Right now, randomly pick three of your employees and ask yourself: What factors have the biggest impact on their morale and motivation? If you’re quick in coming up with answers, you’re in the minority.

This content was adapted from the brand-new training tool Retaining Great Employees. Click on the link to learn more.

Out of the list, what aspects does your organization struggle most with? Struggle least with? 

[Image Source: Highways Agency]

Handling employees’ missed deadlines

During a recent dinner conversation, I asked a close friend “What is your biggest complaint about work?” Without hesitation, he said “People who miss their deadlines.” Then he went into a 20-minute tirade about how one missed deadline by one person throws everything off. He talked about how it is almost always up to him to make up for that person’s shortcomings. Finally, throwing his hands up in exasperation, he muttered “The work has to be done, even if that means that I log in over the weekend to finalize everything.”

The person making him crazy doesn’t report to him, and he is not one to go tattling to his boss, so he pretty much has learned to live with the problem. I wanted to be able to offer him some gem of information that would change his life. However, when you get down to it, this is the kind of performance issue that managers must address, so until he is willing to start pointing fingers, he’ll have to live with it.

You can make sure your employees don’t suffer the same fate. Things happen and you can’t expect every employee to meet every deadline, but if missed deadlines are becoming a problem in your department, take these steps:

1. Delegate effectively. That means dividing the work up evenly, assigning realistic deadlines and ensuring that people have the right skills and training to do the job. Dump too much work on someone or expect too quick turnarounds, and you are begging for missed deadlines.

2.  Prioritize employees’ assignments. One of the biggest productivity killers is allowing interruptions and seemingly urgent tasks to disrupt your work. As you make assignments, rank them, letting employees know how important and/or urgent it is for them to complete each task. Setting specific deadlines for every task you hand out is critical so that employees can prioritize their own work.

3. Battle procrastination.  Some people thrive on completing tasks at the last-minute. In fact, they may produce their best work then. Others put off tasks they simply dread. Still others drastically underestimate the time requirements of a particular task.You can reverse procrastination habits by monitoring employees’ progress, especially on big or long-term projects. Also, when you make assignments, talk about how much time you think it will require so that employees have a clear picture of what each assignment entails. And finally, break down larger jobs into smaller tasks with specific deadlines. That encourages steady progress, rather than leaving everything to the last minute.

What’s your biggest complaint about work?

[Image Source: Zach Klein]

3 do’s and one don’t for canceling meetings

By Amy Beth Miller, editor of The Organized Executive

The less time your team spends in meetings, the more productive and happy everyone will be. Remember these guidelines for when to excuse yourself or someone else from a meeting:

Do:

1. Scratch routine meetings. Hold meetings only when you have a reason to do so, not by default. If the only reason you have for a meeting is to share information, ask yourself whether there’s a better way to do that, such as by email or a team website.

2. Ask to be excused from meetings. Just because you’ve been invited doesn’t mean you need to attend. Ask the person who called the meeting what he or she expects you to contribute. You may be able to skip the meeting, send one of your team members instead or attend only a portion of the session.

3. Grant a pass. When an employee is working on something urgent, allow that person to skip a meeting and catch up later with you or another team member.

Don’t:

1. Frequently cancel meetings with your team members. When you say “Something important came up and I need to reschedule,” you’re telling your employees that they aren’t important, particular if you do that over and over again.

Learn how to hold more productive meetings, with the Meeting Makeover Training Kit. You’ll become the best meeting leader in your organization.

[Image Source: CTA Web]

Don’t miss the warning signs: Avoid communication breakdowns at work

I recently returned from a wonderfully refreshing vacation in Newport, R.I., a city I’ve visited many times. The whole city is charming, but one of my favorite places has always been Cliff Walk, a trail that runs along the coastline. Even on the foggy day I took these photos, you can see the appeal.

Not surprisingly, the gorgeous views of the ocean and of Newport’s famous seaside “cottages” make Cliff Walk a popular tourist destination. Much of the path is paved and makes for an easy stroll, but there are parts that are quite rocky and uneven. I enjoy hiking, so I’m undeterred by those sections. However, I met quite a few people along my walk who didn’t seem prepared for those parts: older couples and parents with small children. As I waited for her to gingerly climb down a steep rock, one woman turned to me and said “Well, this was a mistake!” She smiled as she said it, but it was obvious that at least part of her regretted taking the trek.

I didn’t think too much about it until I finished my two-mile stretch and saw this posted on the ground for people coming in the opposite direction:

It says—at least, I think it says—“Next exit 1 ½ miles – Path becomes rocky and uneven – If you are unsure of your capabilities, turn back.” That certainly explained why so many people appeared unprepared for the difficult parts. The sign was strangely placed, requiring people to look down to even see it, which was unlikely considering the views. Moreover, it was nearly impossible to read, with a third of the message disintegrated by time and the elements!

That ineffectual warning sign reminded me of how important clear communication is in our workplaces. As a leader within your organization, it’s your responsibility to be on the lookout for problematic messages and communication breakdowns like the one on Cliff Walk. They might be literal signs, such as a safety message that’s in an ineffective location and, thus, jeopardizing your team. More likely, though, the problematic messages won’t be found on a sign at all. They’ll be unclear directions that cause your staff unnecessary frustration and stress, discrepancies between what you claim to value and how you act, or unintentionally offensive comments that leave team members stewing angrily for weeks.

In my experience, most people want to do the right thing. Those people on Cliff Walk didn’t want to endanger themselves or hold up others on the path. Most of them probably wouldn’t have attempted that section if they’d known what to expect. Your staff is the same way. They want to do good work. They don’t want to upset you or their colleagues. Make sure you—and your organization at large—are communicating clearly. What does “good work” look like in your organization? What are your expectations of your team members? Don’t leave those important messages to chance.

Have you experienced communication breakdowns with your staff? C³: Clear Concise Communication will provide you with the tools you need to become a more effective communicator and leader.

[Image Sources: Catherine Ahern]