“This change will make things better for YOU.”
Nobody believes you, no matter who you are.
Nobody believes you, no matter what you say.
Nobody believes you, no matter how you say it.
Why? Everybody has been trained to be paranoid. Think about it.
Everybody has been burned before, and memories are long.
So, what is behind this state of paranoia – fear. If you see a face like this…
that’s the first step in identifying the paranoid/fear response. So, then you ask yourself what should I do next to keep them engaged?
A great first step is to meet with them one-on-0ne and ask them questions and listen to what they have to say.
Active listening is a powerful tool as a leader.
While you can’t give them false assurances, you can empathize with their feelings and ask how you can help them.
Then you can listen some more and make commitments that are reasonable to make at this step in the change process.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
Change and the paranoid mindset
May 23rd, 2013 by Martha ForlinesLeader TIP – Honoring the differences
May 8th, 2013 by Martha ForlinesAward winning author, Lois Frankel PhD, has researched the differences in how men and women prefer to communicate whether at work or at home. Of course the punch line is to better understand these differences and communicate to these preferences. Generally speaking, Lois believes that men are heard and women are liked.
Take a look at the chart below, keeping in mind that these are very generalized statements…but according to Dr. Frankel for the most part hold true:
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
How to “run off” high performers
April 25th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
What motivates high performers? Beating last month’s goals, helping the team be successful, getting recognized for achievements in person, learning new skills, facing new challenges, overcoming adversity, creating a solution to a big problem. We could go on, but you get it. It can be any of these things or none of these things.
As a leader, one of your jobs is to find out what makes your high performers tick, create an environment for them to be motivated to succeed then recognize their accomplishments the way they want the recognition.
Sound easy? For some leaders it’s not. They are threatened or resentful of the high performer’s success and do things like this:
Tell their highest performer who has been with them 6 months that they can’t go to the team luncheon to celebrate successes…why… because they haven’t been employed long enough.
In team meetings they don’t ask the high performers to share the secret to their success so others can benefit.
The practice of tolerating poor performance will over time run off high performers.
High performers will remind you of commitments you’ve made to them, like conducting a 6 month performance review and potential merit pay increase. Replies like, “You should be happy you have a job.” will not create the results you are looking for.
Failing to give high performers what they want and need to continue to grow and be successful causes them to go elsewhere.
Ok, you get the picture. High performers are a treasure to you as a leader, so how do you keep them engaged and happy? You have to ask them what motivates them, then give them what they want and need to be successful and appreciate their contributions! It’s really not complicated.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
The Toxic High Performer
April 9th, 2013 by Martha ForlinesToxic high performers get results, but leave a scattering of wounded along the way.
Their negative impact on others is legendary, and they either are unaware or unconcerned.
They are the center of their universe.
What is a leader to do?
The answer is simple: STOP ALLOWING IT !
It takes a guts and a simple conversation.
“This can’t continue.” Spell out what you mean by “this.”
The implication is that the Toxic One cannot continue working here.
You may want to say it directly. Showing you mean it is important.
Then throw the ball to Mr. or Ms. Toxic. “How can I help you change?”
If he/she does not produce concrete, practical ideas, simply say, “Come back tomorrow with a plan.” Set the time.
Keep in mind that “I’ll do better” is not nearly enough.
Stay firm. “This can’t continue.”
Remember, most people find it hard to change on their own. Providing an experienced coach is a good option.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
Leadership attitude and employees
March 29th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
College professors often say, “This would be a great place to work, if it weren’t for the students.”
And leaders sometimes think it, too, about their employees.
Fifty years ago, leading was defined as getting things done through others.
Leading has changed over the years, but not that part.
Leaders who have a negative attitude for employees share a high risk of failure, especially in environments of change.
Creating organizations and leaders with real change competencies requires:
- Employees being kept informed about things that affect them and the organization’s vision;
- High employee involvement is the rule, not the exception;
- Employee recognition and appreciation are everyday events;
- Employees are educated and trained properly to do their jobs well; and
- Employees are able and willing when the organization structure supports the business goals.
Change management just might be the next frontier of business improvement for organizations of all sizes. Your leadership attitude about employees is very important in consideration of effective change management.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
My boss is killing me
March 13th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
Answer these questions and follow your own advice:
Do you have a toxic or indifferent boss? How does this affect you?
Has this happened to you before? If so, why?
Should you try to change your boss? Will he/she change?
Or should you change your reaction? Can you respond differently?
Is your boss’s boss aware of the situation? Is he/she allowing it?
Is this the right place for you?
Repeat: Answer these questions and follow your own advice. It will change your life.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
Is engagement invisible?
February 27th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
You have a problem. It could be your computer, or cell phone, or your health.
An example:
The doctor rushes in an hour late . . . and talks as fast as he walks.
“Here’s the deal. You have atrial tachycardia. In other words, your heart is out of rhythm. This means a high risk of stroke, so we have to fix it.”
Hmmm!
“We’ll start with trying the least invasive approach—shock therapy. We call it rebooting. You’ll be asleep so you won’t feel anything. It’s a low risk procedure, but nothing’s guaranteed. If this doesn’t work, we’ll try something else.”
Yikes!!
It’s an outpatient procedure. Just call my nurse to schedule it. Tell her you need the TEF and DCCV. “
Whoa!!!
He checks his watch and says, “Any questions?”
So . . . how engaged is the doctor with the patient?
How engaged is the patient with the doctor?
How satisfied is the patient with this interaction?
It can be the doctor, the cell phone rep, or the computer geek. It does not matter.
If the customer isn’t engaged, the customer isn’t satisfied.
And if the customer has to force engagement, he won’t be satisfied either.
If engaging the customer is not a priority, you can predict customer satisfaction, and it isn’t pretty.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
There’s no room for democracy
February 13th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
This issue came up recently—voting to make major decisions.
It makes sense to get input before making big decisions—but giving everyone an equal voice does not.
If the decision goes bad, who is to be held accountable?
Answer: if everyone is accountable, then no one is!
And isn’t turning decisions over to a group an abdication of leader responsibility?
Answer: of course it is!
Leaders are defined by their decision making. Either you step forward to make decisions, or you don’t.
And what kind of leader would use voting to make decisions anyway?
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
You the change agent
January 30th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
As a leader, one of your important roles is as a change agent. Do you know your own response to change that impacts you at work? It’s important to know the answer to this question, as it all begins with you – the role model.
It’s kind of like being a movie star. The minute you step into your workplace all eyes are on you…watching how you behave verbally and nonverbally. Actually they are watching your actions far more than listening to your words. So, how you react to change sets the tone for your team.
Do you know how each of your team members individually respond to change? If the answer is no, then how do you know how to support them through their own change process? Remember our mantra – meet them where they are and “manage to the individual”. Here are a few tips on effectively leading change:
1. Communicate about the change early (if you can), communicate often and with a consistent message;
2. Communicate the change one-on-one for those directly affected;
3. Explain how they are directly affected, then observe their verbal response and their body language;
4. Practice active listening – seek to understand their response;
5. Get their input on solutions about the change that work for them;
6. Once the change has occurred, keep them updated and issue an all clear if appropriate.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
A Pack of Lies
January 9th, 2013 by Martha Forlines
Everybody is getting the same pay raise because:
1. Everybody did a great job last year.
2. Everybody deserves a raise.
3. Everybody worked hard.
4. With so little money, it doesn’t really matter what I do.
5. With so little money, it’s only fair to give everybody something.
6. Even poor performers are entitled to a cost of living raise.
7. High performers who complain about this are not team players.
8. High performers make more money and will not be upset if lower paid people get nice raises.
9. Nobody will be overjoyed with this, and nobody will get really ticked off.
The easy way out is just a pack of lies. If you want to run off all your high performers, keep giving everyone the same pay raises!
Good leaders never take the easy way out! If you need to – take a dose of courage and do an honest job of deciding who are high performers, consistent performers and poor performers…then reward them accordingly.
Martha Forlines and Thad Green
