The Enlightened Manager

Workplace Dysfunction as an Elephant in the Room

Hello everyone,

Can I share something I made, just for fun?  One of the things that I've noticed is that while there is plenty of team dysfunction in the business world, it can be a pretty uncomfortable thing to talk about.  I'm hoping my new campaign "Do you see the elephant?" will help people find the courage to speak up and take some action.

Here is a postcard from the new campaign.  It was fun to put together, and I hope it is amusing and thought provoking.

Thanks for letting me share.  :) 

Those Darn Norms!: How Coworkers and Bosses influence Motivation

"Why should I bust my tail when Janet surfs the internet at her desk every day?"

"I'm tired of being the only one who fills out invoicing requests.  No one else follows the rules."

"When Joe yells at work, no one says anything.  I guess that means I shouldn't say anything either."

Today I wanted to write a bit about group norms, and why they matter when it comes to individual motivation and performance.

When I work with a team that isn't thriving, I often hear the kinds of statements listed above.   It may not be rational, but it is very common that we resist taking on tasks and actions that our peers avoid.

Then we run into an issue with perception vs. reality.  If I perceive that my coworker is slacking off, I am going to get angry if my boss asks me to step it up.  If I perceive that my boss doesn't care when bad choices are made, I'm going to feel like I can't speak up either.

In short, our performance and motivation is strongly influenced by our group norms, the unwritten rules that govern how a team operates.

Intellectually, most of us know that saying "If he isn't working hard I can't work hard" is childish, but it runs very much with our human nature.  There is a kind of inertia that sets in when you feel the people around you are not following the rules.

My best advice to a group experiencing performance issues is to strike at the root of the matter.  No only the behaviors that need to change, but the norms that are driving them.

Yes, I am a "training consultant" but as I've said before here, training is only part of the solution.  You need to identify those norms that are holding a group back, point them out in all their ugliness, and help people develop the willingness to challenge them.

Truth be told, it's one of the things I love best about my job.  We can get so paralyzed by those "unwritten rules" that sap our productivity and happiness - It's tremendously fun and rewarding to pull the cover off the ugliness and empower people to change it.

Consulting is one of those rare careers where bold honesty and calling things out (tactfully) for what they are is rewarded.  I never was very good at keeping my mouth shut just to keep others happy. Just ask my husband! :)

Ageism in the Interview: Tips for Avoiding the Stereotypes.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see that there are a lot of unemployed people in the market these days.  In my conversations with some of them, a topic has risen several times, the idea that "my age is a disadvantage."

I wanted to write a bit about this, and offer some suggestions for people who are worried that their age is hurting them in the interview.

First, let me say that I acknowledge that ageism does exist, although I suspect it's a bit less common than people perceive.  In corporate environments, enthusiasm and malleability matter for some positions, and it's easy to feel like gray hair doesn't fit that "image" of a new employee.  That being said, it is my belief that most employers want the best fit, whether you are 19 or 95.

If you are an "older" individual (whatever that means to you) and you want to be sure that you are not fitting into a stereotype, here are a few tips to help out if you happen to interview with someone who is biased towards younger workers.

1) Dress appropriately- This is actually a good tip for any interviewee.  Look at how people dress at your target company and attempt to emulate it.  At a minimum, wear newer clothing.   A suit from the 80s may be clean and professional, but it can also date you.

2) Emphasize your interest in learning - A stereotype about younger workers is that they are more enthusiastic, better able to adapt, and more willing to learn.  By emphasizing your enthusiasm for the work and your openness to learning new things, you will help the interviewer avoid stereotyping.

3) Talk about experience situationally, not numerically -  Another tip is to give examples of your experiences, without making statements like "I've been in management for 20 years."   If you say "I got my degree in 1979" when your interviewer hadn't been born yet, you might intimidate them.

4) Don't talk about ageism -  I've been in some interviews where candidates spend most of the time talking about how they can't get a fair shake because of their age, and they are being discriminated against.  When someone walks into an interview talking about how they are a victim of discrimination before the interview has begun, the focus shifts from the candidate skills to the risk this candidate will sue - not a way to get hired.

Should you need to use these techniques?  No.  Interviewers should focus on skills and qualifications, not your birthday.  But because we know ageism is "out there" - these suggestions may help you overcome the invisible bias in the room.

Any thoughts or additional tips to add?  Post a comment - I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Recognition Matters: The Story of Allyis

I read an interesting article this morning in Seattle Business Magazine, written by Richard Law, the CEO of Allyis in Kirkland WA.

"Seven years ago, Allyis made a strategic gamble: take the majority of our marketing budget and turn it towards employee care and recognition....  The result? Appreciative employees help recruit the best talent they know, and when great work is coupled with positive attitudes, clients keep coming back and referring new clients.  The response has been universal across all generations and experience levels."

One thing that I found interesting about this story is that along with the kinds of recognition programs you might expect (kudos, awards programs, etc) Allyis also embarked on a transparency campaign.  Imagine your executive team openly blogging about what they are "thinking about or working on" and putting your financials bare to employee scrutiny and comment.

I admire Allyis's commitment to transparency and recognition, and the results they've achieved.  When you think about your organization taking these steps - how does that sound to you?  Interesting?  Terrifying?  Possible?

You can read more about Allyis at their website or in the February 2010 edition of Seattle Business.

On the importance of Vulnerability

How often do you get naked with your clients or team?  Not literally of course, but in the sense of being vulnerable?

That's the subject of Patrick Lenconi's latest book "Getting Naked."   I enjoyed Lenconi's other books, particularly "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and "Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars." 

As I read his latest fable - which talks about the importance of vulnerability and brazen honesty in consulting - I found myself thinking back to the moments when I had been brazen and/or vulnerable.

- The time I decided to take a risk by eschewing the "sales process" and simply walk in to a new client meeting cold - ready to begin consulting on the spot and give us a chance to feel each other out - without any masks.

- The time I turned to a coaching client, three sessions in, and acknowledged "this isn't working well - is it?" giving us an opportunity to change the way we worked together. (Which we did.)

- The team building session where I made a mistake, and then chose to point it out - using it as a teaching opportunity rather than glossing over it.

I enjoyed "Getting Naked" because after reading it, I realized the best moments in my own consulting have been those where I followed the principles that Lenconi described.

Perhaps another way of putting it is "Getting Courageous."  In order to do our best by the people we serve, sometimes we need to take risks.

If you'd like to check out the book - here is the link.

How to be more Creative (Podcast and Toolkit)

Hi Everyone.

I wanted to direct you to a podcast from Tom Kelly from the design firm IDEO about how to be a better innovator.  If you are interested in strategies for being more creative or innovative, this one makes a good listen.

Click here to access the audio.

One of the concepts he discussed is the idea of a "tortoise mind" which some would call the creative unconscious.  Have you ever been struggling with a difficult problem?  One method that I've used (and that is discussed in this talk) is the idea of delegating difficult questions to your unconscious.

1. State your question out loud (or write it down).

2. Ask your unconscious mind/brain (silently or out loud) to help you work on this question.

3. Return to the question periodically, but go do something else.  (or take a nap)

4. Wait for your mind to return the answer.

This may sound nuts, but there is value to "delegating" big questions to your unconscious mind.  Think of your unconscious as being a supercomputer that hums in the background - and let it work for you.

Are you interested in creative problem solving?  Check out the podcast, or download the Creative Thinking toolkit off my free resources page.

Watch that Trust Come Tumbling Down: Reflections on Obama

Previously on this blog, and also in my team development classes on Accountability at Work, I've talked about the factors that build trust and those that break it down. To recap, here is the basic four part formula to being trustworthy, which is another way of saying that you are accountable.

1. Say what you will do.  (Make a Commitment.)

2. Do it.  (Meet the Commitment.)

3. When you fail, own up to it. (Be Honest.)

4. Fail Infrequently.  (Have a High Standard.)

This isn't a political blog, and I don't much care who you vote for.  I know great leadership comes with all sorts of political viewpoints.  But I did want to take an opportunity to point out a real life lesson in accountability that highlights some of the dynamics of trust.

During the last presidential election, I remember watching then-candidate Obama give a speech.  During this speech he was talking about the lack of transparency and accountability in American government, and he made the pledge that if president, he would televise healthcare negotiations on public access (C-SPAN).  I remember that moment because it was the first time I seriously considered voting for Barack Obama as a presidential candidate.  That commitment (step one) was one that resonated with me.

Fast forward, and that promise wasn't kept.  Then it took several weeks for a grudging admission to come out.  (Read it here.)

It's not difficult to see why many people are beginning to doubt if they can trust the words of our current president.  He made a commitment, but didn't meet it, and it seemed like owning up to it came slowly.  As for the fourth item, failing infrequently, we haven't had enough time to see how many commitments will be kept.

As organizational leaders, I think this example can give us some things to think about.

1. Can I really keep these promises I am making?
2. If I fail, how should I communicate?
3. Am I meeting a majority of my commitments and demonstrating that I can be believed?

Just a few things to think about.