As a manager, you can “guarantee” performance.  Think about these practices common in unionized organizations and even the public sector…

A “high performing unionized organization” is an oxymoron and the exception, not the rule.  Joining the words “high performance” with a union is a contradiction.   There is good reason for this—actually three.

1. Union employees are not held accountable.

There is no accountability for high performance.  They not only get by with mediocre performance, they can freely perform poorly.

2.  Union employees are not rewarded for performance.

Rewards are dished out according to seniority, and are most times the same for everyone. The longer you’ve been there, the more privileged you are, period.

3. Union employees don’t’ get fired.

As long as there’s a pulse, you‘ve got a job. That’s the culture, long entrenched.

4. Manage like the unions, and you’ll get poor performance, guaranteed.

All you have to do is (1) avoid accountability, (2) reward for seniority not performance, and (3) never fire anybody. This is a formula that always works…to get poor performance.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

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Martha Forlines and Thad Green

We’ve had several meetings with clients over the past month. When asked about how things are going with their employees the replies have been “…well, it’s performance review time again.” followed by the eye roll.

(Of course we have to follow up on “the eye rolls”, clear indicators of discomfort and dread.)  So, is it because this is a sacred, annual process versus an everyday giving and receiving feedback process? As Steven Covey puts it, making deposits to the emotional bank account for both the employee and their manager builds trust.  Read on…

It was time for the dreaded performance review. The new employee REALLY didn’t know what to expect.

The seasoned manager said, “I want you to complete a performance review on yourself. We’ll discuss it next week.”

Is this:

1. Trickery
2. Unfair to the employee
3. Abdication of responsibility by the manager
4. All of the above
5. Or something else all together?

The new employee anguished over the self-evaluation—over HAVING to make commitments about strengths and weaknesses, measured performance, and improvement needs.

The realizations were sobering:

• I’ve never done a real self-assessment of myself and my capabilities.
• I don’t clearly know everything expected of me or how to measure and document my performance.
• I should have been having discussions with my manager throughout the year about these things.

In the end, the new employee made a realistic self-appraisal, gave a copy to the manager, and discussed it item by item.

The manager listened, asked questions, and tried to understand without agreeing or disagreeing.

The manager had completed a performance review on the new employee and handed over a copy to read.

They discussed it, mainly the differences in their ratings, which were few.

The manager thought the employee’s self-review should have been a little higher on a couple of things, lower on a couple, and explained why.

So what were the results here?

1. The employee was prepared.
2. The employee’s view came first and was heard.
3. There was more trust because the performance review was not a one-sided discussion.
4. There were fewer surprises for the employee.
5. The manager learned several new and key things about the employee.
6. It was easier for real issues to surface and be discussed.
7. Employee preparation dissolved the likelihood for conflict.
8. The final performance review was more complete and accurate.
9. It was easier to reach agreement.
10. The performance review was less dreaded for both sides.
11. This time next year, the performance review will go even smoother with this process.

What’s the main point? Employees need to prepare for performance reviews, so help them get comfortable with the process. It works out better for manager and employee.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

Recap of leader quick tip: Listen to what your satisfaction is saying

1950’s research on leadership and motivation still holds up.

The conclusion then, as now, is this: the best motivation is intrinsic satisfaction.

This is the satisfaction you get from the work itself.

That is, doing the work is fun, you enjoy it, it gives you satisfaction. This satisfaction has nothing to do with praise and recognition and pay or anything else that others give you for doing the work.

A golfer loves playing golf. An entertainer loves entertaining. The speaker loves making speeches. The leader loves leading. This is intrinsic satisfaction.

If you could afford to, you’d do the work for free. Maybe even pay to do it.

It’s simple. When you love what you do, you love doing it. 

If you ain’t lovin’ leading, you may be on the wrong path.

There is a research-based corollary to intrinsic satisfaction: we tend to be naturally good at the things we love. This is important.

Being naturally good at something means we aren’t struggling, we aren’t fighting an uphill battle, we aren’t facing failure at every turn. Fear is not the fuel that keeps us going.

Instead, it means we are sure of our self, we know we can do it. In other words, we are confident.

We can always fine-tune and strengthen our natural ability, but being in our natural place is a good place to be.

So consider the combined power of intrinsic satisfaction AND being in your natural place.

And two questions. Do you love what you’re doing? Are you a natural at it?

If you get a “yes, yes,” more power to you.

If you get one “no,” reflect on how this makes you feel.

Listen to what your satisfaction is saying!

Don’t you want to love being in your natural place?

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

You lead a darn good team, except for one person. You’ve talked to him, gently, several times. Nothing changes.  

You’ve heard it before—a list of key ingredients for creating a work environment where employees are highly engaged and successful, whether you’re leading a team or a larger part of the organization.

Putting the ingredients together is easier said than done, as you know.

Here’s why: there is a fundamental question that goes unasked—what is the common thread that cuts across all of the key ingredients?

Can you answer this question?

Give it a try after looking at the list of ingredients sifted from the stories of the “best places to work” recently appearing in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

1. Care about your employees – treat them with respect, fairness and dignity;
2. Offer them opportunities to grow and develop their skills – so they know they are a valuable asset;
3. Be available for your employees  to maintain trust – keep the lines of communication open;
4. Communicate your expectations clearly – if they mess up, forgive them and continue to hold them accountable;
5. Communicate the values the company honors then “walk the walk”;
6. Foster creative, innovative thinking through employee involvement ;
7. Foster an environment of trust, where everyone has each other’s backs;
8. Celebrate accomplishments often;
9. Hire the right skills, passion for the work and fit for the organization on the front end; and
10. Have fun and enjoy your work!

What do all of these ingredients have in common?

The answer to the unasked question is this: all of the ingredients are intentional—they don’t just happen. 

Think about it.

Why does it take intent?

Intent is required because few leadership styles that naturally create the necessary ingredients.

And one or two missing parts can drag employee engagement down quickly.

That’s why most leaders have to work at it.

Leaders must go beyond their skill set and especially their values and beliefs.

Yes, values and beliefs.

What values does the leader place on people, and trust, and communication, for example? Key ingredients of engagement that aren’t valued simply are not going to show up in the work environment.

Leader values determine what the leader does.

What are the leader’s beliefs about hiring people that fit the job and the work environment, or about how to deal with poor performers? When beliefs are inconsistent with an engagement environment, the necessary ingredients will not miraculously appear.

Leader beliefs determine what the leader does.

If you want to create a work environment that fully engages the people you lead, take a close look at your values and beliefs regarding the key ingredients for engagement—then get intentional about what to do.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

Recap of leader quick tip: Self-mastery lets you live life fully and richly, too.

How do you get to a full and rich life, personally and as a leader?

Self-mastery begins with conscious awareness. It’s all implied in Steve Jobs advice.

1. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

Conscious awareness that you’re living someone else’s life and that  you can stop doing it.

2. “Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking.”

 Conscious awareness of the dogma you are living and that you can change it.

3. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.”

 Conscious awareness that you’re drowning in the opinion of others and that you can choose to swim with your own ideas.

4. “And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

 Conscious awareness of when and why and how often you ignore your heart and intuition and that you can start listening.

The first step toward self-mastery is becoming more self-aware. This is difficult to do alone.

That’s why we are offering a Self-mastery for Leaders Workshop in the Atlanta area on November 11—to help you take a major step toward your own self-mastery, no matter where you stand now.

For more information on the Workshop, click here . . .

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

Yes, good ideas are worth a dime a dozen. No more, literally.

And why?

Because good ideas have no meaning, no value unless implemented.

And most never are.

And why is it that?

Why do so many lay on the shelf, collecting dust, never seeing the light of day?

There is one main reason leaders shelve good ideas.

The biggest reason good ideas are never implemented is that leaders are looking for a better one, forgetting that “good is good enough,” forgetting that a good idea implemented is better than a better one waiting to be found, forgetting that the “best” idea comes at a great cost, namely that it is found too late, or never found at all, and decisions go unmade, action goes wanting, problems go unsolved.

Looking for a better idea is the cornerstone of procrastination and indecision.

This is not a solid foundation for leadership.

Being decisive and acting quickly are the hallmarks of great leadership; perfection, maximizing, and striving for the best are not.

Get realistic and get going. Find a good solution, make it work, and tackle the next issue on your plate.

Just remember: when it comes to ideas, good is good enough!

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

Skill, skill,

skill.

Experience, experience, experience.

Leaders who exclusively hire this way make a BIG, BIG, BIG mistake!

The best hires are in love . . . with their work.

When they are, they excel. When they’re not, you’ve got problems.

When people don’t love their work, you can expect mediocre performance at best, and at worst, poor performance and trouble-making behavior.

Skill and experience are overrated!

Important, yes, but the overriding criteria? No.

People who love their work are motivated by the work itself. They work hard and perform well because they’re turned on by the work they do. The leader doesn’t have to motivate these employees, only get out of their way and let them do their job.

They continuously develop their skills, too, because the better they do their job, the better they like it. Any skill deficiencies quickly dissolve.

And employees who love their work consistently outperform those with greater skills.

Employees who don’t love their work are watching the clock and waiting on the next paycheck. They’re not taking the initiative and going beyond the call of duty. They’re never happy, but are constantly seeking it. Where do they turn? They always look to their manager!

If their manager doesn’t make them happy (can you really make another person happy?), they find it in other ways, like complaining or being defiant or stirring up trouble, which gives them a perverse form of satisfaction.

Leaders, avoid the pain.

Hire people who love their work, and dodge those who don’t.

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

Recap of Leader Quick Tip: Sanctioned behavior gets repeated

When you strain your energy to the utmost and you produce the best, do you expect to be rewarded or punished?

Rewarded of course… and if you’re not, then what?

If you sanction (accept) not being rewarded, it is sure to continue!

Behaviors toward you:

• Are you hated because of your achievements?
• Scorned because of your high standards?
• Denounced because of your character and virtues?
• Called selfish because you do what is right?
• Called arrogant because of your independent mind?
• Called ruthless for the strength and self-discipline of your drive to your purpose?

Your reaction:

• Have you borne it all and kept silent?
• Have you bowed to THEIR code of conduct?
• Have you accepted an undeserved guilt for who you are and what you do?
• Have you sanctioned (accepted) THEIR behavior toward you?

Then you should ask: WHY?

Martha Forlines and Thad Green

P.S. Think about how these questions form a common thread through leadership consulting, executive coaching and leadership training.

P.S.S. The leadership lessons in this Quick Tip and BLOG are taken from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.