The Different Ways That People Handle Change
Peter Stark discusses two of several different ways that people handle change. How do you handle change?
Filed under: Leadership, Leading Change, Peter's Blog on January 26th, 2010 No Comments »
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Have Courage – Ask for Feedback
How to Encourage and Receive Constructive Criticism
Have you ever said to your employees, “I value your input. Talk to me. Let me know how I’m doing. My door is always open, and I encourage you to give me feedback”? Now, here is the real test. Did you really mean it and did your actions demonstrate your willingness to listen to employees who were brave enough to give you feedback on your performance?
Would you agree that it’s easier to ask for employee input than to receive actual feedback? We give employees one message, but do our actions or responses, whether they are verbal or nonverbal, really convey our sincere interest in the feedback they may have for us? Was this employee heard?
Filed under: Leadership, Peter's Blog on January 22nd, 2010 No Comments »
The Other “F” Word – Feedback!
How to Use Feedback as a Valuable Tool
In our work with managers and supervisors, one of the areas where they express the most discomfort is in regards to giving feedback. We have heard the following reasons (excuses) for avoiding the process: “I tried it before and it didn’t work”; “I kept hoping that the problem would go away”; “I thought somebody else would take care of it”; and “I didn’t want to upset the individual.”
Feedback can be a powerful tool to build relationships and share useful information as to how we perceive others. However, as with any tool, it can be misused as a weapon. Instead of being used to help people make choices and build new behaviors, it can be used to tear people down. In this special two-part series on feedback, we’ll provide you with the information and steps on how to use this valuable tool. In this entry, we’ll discuss how you can give feedback responsibly and effectively. In tomorrow’s entry, we’ll look at the challenges involved in receiving feedback in a non-defensive and accepting manner.
While many of us can relate to being afraid of hearing feedback, what we often forget is that the person giving the feedback is uneasy too. Giving feedback is a skill, generally one that we haven’t been taught. It’s no wonder that people are afraid to hear what we have to say. What often comes out are accusations, blame and judgments.
The following are guidelines to assist you in giving effective feedback:
Filed under: Leadership, Peter's Blog on January 21st, 2010 No Comments »
Choosing the Right Person for the Right Job
We work with managers extensively to develop their skills in coaching and counseling employees for improved performance. And we are often intrigued and confused that individuals who are in great need of serious coaching and counseling were ever hired in the first place. In some cases, definite coaching and counseling problems showed up in a person on the first day or within the first weeks of employment.
The following are ten tips that, if followed, will help managers ensure they hire individuals who are not only technically competent, but also are a great fit with the culture of the department or organization.
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Write a specific, comprehensive job description, prior to advertising or interviewing anyone.
We recommend gaining agreement from several people on your team as to what are the characteristics and job competencies that will be needed for someone to be successful in this position.
Filed under: Peter's Blog on January 20th, 2010 No Comments »
Leading Organizational Change with Confidence
Even in the Face of Opposition
Robert F. Kennedy once said, “About twenty percent of the people are against any change.” Our findings, in working with managers and supervisors tasked with leading organizational change, support Kennedy’s theory. No matter how effective a leader you are, it is not uncommon for you to periodically find your change efforts being challenged, or even sabotaged. Some people seem to come programmed with a basic distrust of any change and will work frantically to preserve “the way things used to be around here.” While we can’t change the behavior of others, we can change our own. The following six tips will help you successfully lead your team forward, even if you face a sea of resistance.
Filed under: Leadership, Leading Change, Peter's Blog on January 18th, 2010 No Comments »
10 Keys to Strategically Lead Organizational Change
In this video, Peter gives 10 keys to strategically lead organizational change. This is a continuation of our November issue of The Quest for Workplace Excellence. Sign up here!
Here is a quick summary of the tips that Peter outlines in the video above:
- Clarify your vision
- Ask yourself, “How have I changed?”
- Involve everyone in the change process
- Increase communication and provide training
- Change what you reward
- Hold people accountable
- Redefine your heroes and heroines
- Demonstrate unwavering commitment
- Redefine loyalty
- Become comfortable with change
Filed under: Leadership, Leading Change, Peter's Blog on January 15th, 2010 No Comments »
Great Leaders are Great Listeners
When we ask participants in seminars why it is important to listen, the responses almost always relate to the need to gain accurate information from employees. That is correct, but it’s only a small part of the reason why it’s important to listen. A greater concern to a leader should be that their employees truly believe that their leader cares about them. One way to say that you truly care about employees and value their opinions is by listening to them with undivided attention.
The following tips will help you to listen more accurately and convey the feeling to others that you really do care about them and value their opinions. Listening involves not only hearing the speaker’s words, but also understanding the message and its importance to the speaker, and then communicating that understanding to the speaker.
Following these five guidelines will improve your listening ability:
Filed under: Leadership, Peter's Blog on January 13th, 2010 No Comments »
Why Employees Resist Change
Changes in the economy and the business environment have forced some organizations to change the way they do business. Whether we like it or not, managers and supervisors are the ones who have to implement the changes. In addition to the more traditional skills we possess as supervisors, it is critical that we understand our role as leaders, or change agents, in these rapidly changing times.
Unfortunately, all employees do not respond to change with the attitude, “Fantastic… another organizational change, and I’m excited to be a part of it!” Given that change is here to stay, why do some people seem to dig in their heels and resist it at all costs? The following 10 reasons best describe why some people have a tough time changing their mindsets and behavior:
Filed under: Articles, Leading Change, Peter's Blog on January 12th, 2010 3 Comments »
Are you Setting your Goals High Enough?
As we enter the new year with the talk of resolutions abound, I am reminded of a wonderful story that has been around for centuries. An old fisherman would walk out to the end of the pier every day. With him he took his rod, reel and a dirty old stick that was broken off at exactly ten inches. Each day he would drop his fishing line into the water. When he would reel in a fish, he would hold it up to the dirty old stick and if it was bigger than 10 inches, he would throw it back. If it was smaller than his stick, he would keep it and throw it in his bucket.
Filed under: Peter's Blog, Vision on January 11th, 2010 No Comments »
Caring is Crucial in Motivation
A lot of leaders are uncomfortable with the word “care.” Does a manager really have to care about subordinates to get them to do the job they are paid to do? The answer is “no.”
You can get people to do what they are paid to do by using all sorts of manipulative tactics. You could easily tell employees that if they do not get a task done, you will give them a negative performance appraisal, and that, in turn, will make them ineligible for the next round of raises. That may work. Or you may have employees who do “exactly what you tell them to do.” What you will not have is a workforce that is motivated to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Why? Because you do not care about them. Their level of care for you as an individual, or your success as a manager, is lacking because of their limited relationship with you.
Filed under: Leadership, Peter's Blog on January 6th, 2010 No Comments »
8 Steps to Becoming the Leader You’ve Always Wanted to Be
True leaders understand that success does not depend on their titles, but on the values they uphold and the choices they make on a daily basis. They know that leadership is not achieved through technical expertise, but rather is based on a relationship with their followers. It is our hope that the following insights will help you with the “relationship savvy” you need to be a great supervisor, and an outstanding leader.
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Acknowledge that the world is rapidly changing.
You can decide that you are going to help create change and learn from it, or you can try to resist change. The current state of the economy is proof that it is important to change. Managers and employees alike will need to remove themselves from their comfort zones, whatever those may be, to enable their organization to survive the economy and come out on top.
Filed under: Leadership, Leading Change, Peter's Blog on January 5th, 2010 No Comments »
Are You Accessible and Approachable?
A concern that frequently frustrates employees is the lack of accessibility or approachability of their own manager. There are many reasons why employees feel that their manager is not accessible nor even approachable. Some of their stated reasons include:
- The manager is not receptive to negative feedback.
- The manager spends a large portion of the day in his/her office with the door closed.
- The manager spends too much time in meetings.
- The manager provides more negative feedback than positive recognition.
- The manager does not have time to spend with employees because he/she is always too busy putting out fires or working on important projects.
- The manager travels and is out of the office a lot, slowing down the decision making of people who need additional answers or input from the manager.
Filed under: Articles, Peter's Blog on January 4th, 2010 No Comments »