Posted by Kaitlin King on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 @ 07:10 PM
By Jennifer Porcher, Vice President of Educational Services
“Is your team in conflict?” would be better stated, “Are you creating an environment of healthy debates?”
So often we find companies are more concerned with keeping their team in harmony than challenging one another’s decisions. It sounds right to not have people in disagreement, and it seems like the perfect situation to have constant harmony in the workplace. Isn’t that what we work towards, having a compatible team? We hire different personalities to balance out our strengths and weaknesses, but we don’t always take the time to listen to all perspectives or create an environment where people feel valued and heard.
As Dee W. Hock of Fast Company says, “Never hire or promote in your own image. It is foolish to replicate your strength and idiotic to replicate your weakness. It is essential to employ, trust, and reward those whose perspective, ability, and judgment are radically different from yours. It is rare, for it requires uncommon humility, tolerance, and wisdom.” The point is that we need to see different perspectives to be successful.
Then there are the companies who hire right, but don’t know how to maximize their resources by allowing discord. Why work so hard to create a diverse team if you are not allowing them to voice their individual views? Leaders can break this pattern, and encourage an environment of healthy debate by understanding and applying the following:
- First, know your people. You should have a good idea of how each member of your team makes decisions. You should know each member’s motivation and what drives them to succeed. The better you know your people, the more effectively you can manage the debate.
- Second, develop trust amongst your team. People will not expose themselves if they do not feel they can trust those around them. The best way to gain trust in any situation is to start by exposing vulnerabilities, to encourage team members to let down their guard. This is the most important action a leader can take, but they must lead by example and demonstrate their own vulnerability first. This takes time and consistency to establish, and once it is in place teammates must be given a safe place to reveal their true opinion and feel heard.
- Third, invest in a tool that helps team members understand one another. A personality profile like Myers-Briggs, DISC, or Worktraits™ is an excellent exercise to help with the process of understanding personalities and temperaments. Knowing these differences helps to honor individual uniqueness rather than allowing differences to be a source of irritation. It is not only important for you to know your people, but for your people to know one another.
- Finally, be a leader who is not afraid to “put it out there.” This process requires courage to look at an issue with a genuine desire to work through it. Willingness to hear everyone’s opinion and proof that the opinion is truly heard are vital. Leaders must demonstrate patience, and not take things personally. It’s not always about getting everyone to agree—the process of agreeing to disagree can even be a solution. It’s about hearing all perspectives.
Most people aren’t willing to challenge a thought process because they don’t have all the answers. However, creating a safe environment for healthy debate can encourage your team to express their opinions. By engaging in productive conflict and revealing individual perspectives and opinions, a team can increase a company’s capabilities.
Take the time to know your people, encourage your team members to share their vulnerabilities, invite them to build a strong level of trust with one another, and invest in a resource that provides further understanding of personality differences. Ultimately, allowing your team to feel heard by engaging in healthy debate will inspire a united front of individuals who are determined to see their group succeed. Their determination to collaborate for the greater good will sustain accountability and become your most powerful source of profitability.
Posted by Kaitlin King on Wed, Jun 16, 2010 @ 06:01 PM
By Michael Gunther
Entitlement. It's an interesting concept that seems to have worked its way into every corner of the workplace. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, entitlement is a belief that one deserves certain privileges. In the workplace, many employees feel that they are entitled to raises, days off, promotions, and other benefits, and don't necessarily think they should have to work for them. I know this because I regularly hear about this issue from business owners.
No Entitlements in Life
Entitlement is an interesting concept to me; growing up in a household of 17 kids made it hard to ever feel entitled. My parents did an exceptional job providing for our needs, but our ‘wants' had to be earned. We learned from an early age that if we wanted something, we had to take responsibility, work hard, and go get it; consequently, we all had various jobs ranging from babysitting and cleaning houses to mowing yards and managing paper routes. Eventually, we became very good at turning true wants into goals. In essence, my parents created a household of entrepreneurs.
Although there were numerous situations where I had to work for my wants, one in particular stands out. My parents initially enrolled their children in a private high school; however, they eventually stopped because of the cost. The younger siblings (myself included) would have to go to public high school. When it was my turn to go to high school, I had a strong desire to attend a private school like some of my siblings did. My parents made me a deal: they would pay for my tuition my first year (I would pay for my books and incidentals), I would be responsible for half the tuition my junior year and all of the tuition my senior year. I took the deal.
Once we made the agreement, I realized I not only had the desire to attend the private school, I had the drive. I worked various jobs - from McDonald's to babysitting to valet parking - and took the responsibility to make sure I could pay my way. And I am so thankful that my parents taught me this lesson early in life. Successfully meeting this goal gave me the confidence to know that I can create whatever I want, if I am willing to take the responsibility and make the effort. This is contrary to the entitlement attitude we hear of so often from employees in the workplace.
No Entitlements in Business
As business owners, our employees tend to rely on us to lead the charge in providing them with the opportunities to learn, expand their responsibility, and provide them with a living; however, what we business owners need to realize is that we have the opportunity to teach our employees to earn what they want, and not to expect that it be handed to them. Just recently, one of my team members, Eric Hubbs, wanted to hire a personal coach to enhance his skills and asked if Collaboration would pay for it. I told him that the company would pay for half of it only if we as a company achieved our quarterly revenue goals. This allowed Eric the opportunity to take responsibility and earn what he wanted. And he did just that!
Do your employees act as though they're entitled to that annual bonus, new sales training, or birthday lunch? You can change that by teaching your employees that they can have increased benefits, pay, and responsibilities, but that they will need to assist in creating additional revenue and opportunities to support those goals. I try to never say "no" to an employee's request. Instead, I ask "how can we make that happen within our current budget and structure?" This methodology takes the ‘entitlement' attitude and turns it into a ‘you can create what you want' attitude. It helps the employee, the business owner, and the company to grow. Bye-bye, entitlement. Hello, goal setting.
The Bottom Line
Employees need incentives and growth opportunities. Shift the entitlement attitude by offering them the opportunity to create what they want through their own hard work and focus. This approach creates an opportunity for innovation, teaches employees about goal-setting, and gives them a chance to experience the success of reaching their goals - all of which help propel an organization forward.
This is the fifth in a series of articles on Michael's entrepreneurial story and how being raised in a large family has influenced his career. To read the previous articles in this series, visit his blog at www.Collaboration-llc.com.
Michael Gunther is Founder and President of Collaboration LLC, a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive business owners to build profitable, sustainable businesses through results-oriented education, coaching, and consulting services. Learn more at www.Collaboration-llc.com.
Posted by Eric Hubbs on Wed, Mar 03, 2010 @ 06:54 PM
By Michael Gunther, Founder and President, Collaboration-LLC 
Many business owners I've worked with are often challenged by their employees not performing at the level they expect. These leaders often get frustrated that "nobody does their tasks correctly" or that their employees "aren't worth the effort." What I show them is that they can typically improve their employee performance problems by looking inward and making a few adjustments to their leadership strategies.
Leaders, if you are not receiving the outcomes you want from your employees, it's probably a good time to assess your leadership skills. It is the business owner who clearly understands and accepts both their strengths and weaknesses as leaders, and who have the drive to improve their performance, that achieves the greatest success - both in their business and in their employees' performance.
The Challenge
As a leader, you create the environment that your employees will emulate. They follow your cues in terms of performing - or not performing. Most employees I speak with actually want to do a good job and care about the success of the companies they work for, but they feel that the leaders are not providing clear direction or clear expectations about what they want accomplished. In addition, the leaders often will not let go of certain tasks or decisions that the employees feel they can handle; these leaders can sometimes be referred to as Micromanagers or Directive Autocrats.
Do either of these scenarios sound familiar?
The Micromanager: You want your employees to make decisions, but when they do, you criticize the decisions they make, correct their mistake, or take the task back. In this scenario, what you are actually telling them is that you don't trust them to make decisions, and that you're not willing to provide them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
The Directive Autocrat: You provide some direction on a project, but when the project is complete, it doesn't meet the outcomes you expected. You criticize the employee's performance, correct their mistake, or take the task back. In this scenario, what you are actually telling your employee is that it's not worth their time or energy to take the initiative to take on new projects.
The Solution
Both situations portray a management quandary, where leaders want better performance from their employees and employees want to perform well for the leader, yet there is disconnect between the two. And the shift has to start with the leaders. You must learn to clearly communicate your expectations and to address employees at the time mistakes are made.
Making mistakes and missing the mark on outcomes are opportunities for both employees and leaders to learn. Years ago, I had a mentor who told me that if I was not making mistakes, then I probably was not making decisions and therefore I was not learning and developing my skills. (Note that this is not the same as if an employee makes the same mistake over and over, and needs to improve their approach or skills.)
Leaders, when your employees make a mistake or are not performing at the level you desire try the leadership approach that my mentor used: ask them a few questions. How could they have approached the task differently? What did they learn from their decision? How could you, as the leader, provide clearer expectations of the desired outcome? The answers to these questions will help you ascertain what was missing in the process (communications, skills, or strategy) and ultimately what prevented the intended outcome from being achieved.
The Bottom Line
Want your team to perform at the levels you desire? Then adjust your leadership style by setting clear expectations and if they are not met, use the opportunity to ask questions and learn what you or your employee can do differently to achieve different results. Building a strong team takes patience, persistence, and clear communication.
Is there a topic that you would like Michael to discuss? If so, email him at MGunther@collaboration-llc.com or call (805) 541-9040 to let him know.
Michael Gunther is Founder and President of Collaboration LLC, a team of highly skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive business owners to build profitable, sustainable businesses through results-oriented education, coaching, and consulting services. Learn more at www.collaboration-llc.com.
Posted by Jennifer Porcher on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 @ 01:01 PM
by Jennifer Porcher
We've all heard the saying "there is no I in team," and yet I see so many managers overwhelmed and taking too much on their own plate, when they could be utilizing their Team to get work done. They may want to show that they can do the job and do it right, or they may be nervous that someone else might mess it up or someone might even do it better. Whatever their reasoning, they need to be taught the meaning of a Team and how to build a lasting one. If you teach the Managers within your organization how to delegate, empower others, and build loyalty, your Team will be much more productive and happier.
Delegate
Delegation is not about balancing out the workload, but an opportunity to bring others up through the organization. It is an opportunity to coach and mentor and to see who is capable and interested in stepping up and handling more. If delegation is done properly, it is one of the easiest ways to develop teamwork and to build stronger relationships among managers and their team members.
Empower Others
It has been my experience that one of the roadblocks to empowering organizations and establishing teams is management's belief that they have to give up control. In reality, control has nothing to do with it. Managers need to identify other leaders within their Team and empower them to make a difference.
Build Loyalty
Employees look for fulfillment in the workplace in many more areas than just compensation. They want to have a future; they want to feel needed. They need to know that their ideas matter and that they are being heard. A recent Society for Human Resource Management survey showed that 80% of employees don't leave a company, they leave a manager. The solution? Build loyalty between managers and their Teams.
Does your Manager act like there's an "I" in team?
Begin with a good assessment. How is your manager interacting with others? Is there loyalty among the team? Are your teams reaching their goals and reaching the right outcomes? A good manager has loyal team members; you will know this by the team's interaction and the department's turnover rate. It will also be evident in the general happiness of team members at work.
Then, explain the rewards they will reap if they embrace their team:
1. Absenteeism is reduced
2. Customer satisfaction improves
3. Decisions are made much more quickly
4. Problems are resolved at the source
5. Tasks are completed in a harmonious manner
6. Morale remains high
Invest in your manager if your manager is worth investing in. The outcomes of the team will be far more rewarding than to keep looking for the next great new hire that will turn it all around. Chances are, that person is with you already; they don't have the training or tools to make it happen.