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

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

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

Achievement always fulfills some desires, and precludes others.

This collision is a growing concern among leaders.

The concern begins with a gnawing anxiety about what may happen.

Both good and bad come with achievement. When the bad outweighs the good, reality sets in and dissatisfaction shows up.

What’s a leader to do so achievement and desire do not collide?

Leaders can relate to this collusion between achievement and desire.

Achievement always leads to something, lots of things usually. Some are good, others are not so good.

Achievement is like a family vacation.

You got away from the office, but your mother-in-law came along.

You got to read some, but not enough because a dreaded cousin and her best (and obnoxious) friend visited for three days, uninvited.

You had fun with the kids, but you had to entertain them too much.

The food was great, but the weather wasn’t.

You got to do some things you wanted to do, but spent too much time pleasing others.

It was good to “get away,” but you had to settle too many arguments.

Nobody got sick or hurt, but you were bombarded with emails from the office with questions to answer, problems to solve, and decisions to make.

You were able to decompress, but then it was time to come home.

So how is achievement like a vacation?

First, you know on the front end what will please you, and what won’t.

Second, you can anticipate what could happen, and take action to insure much of the good, and prevent much of the bad.

Third, you can see how much good is likely to happen, and how much bad, and which way the scales will tip.

Fourth, you can make better decisions, if you anticipate and avoid unpleasant surprises.

In other words, look before you leap, so achievement and desire don’t collide.

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

Leaders everywhere

Are talking about

The importance of engagement

Of having employees

Fully involved in

And enthusiastic about

Their work

We all get

The WHY of engagement

It’s the HOW

That stumps us

It’s simple really

Motivation is the key to engagement

It’s like the often used phrase

If you really want to know

What’s going on

Follow the money

In your case

If you want to know how to

Engage employees

Follow their motivation

Then you’ll know

How to engage them

Because motivation determines engagement

And more

Motivation is the fuel for performance . . . no gas, no go

When motivation sags below the enthusiastic line

Effort shows a corresponding decline

Causing performance to cough

Like an engine begging for fuel

As a leader you have to wonder

How much unrealized potential

Is silently seeping away

Every second of every working day

In these turbulent and troubling times

Just imagine redirecting all of that unrealized potential

Like rechanneling fresh water into parched soil

Could you produce more

And what would happen to the wilted flower called profit?

Is your lost opportunity measured

In ounces or pounds or tons?

Recap of leader Quick Tip: What does employee engagement have to do with customer satisfaction?

If you measure customer satisfaction by having reliable processes in place to deliver quality products and services, plus good customer relationships, then there are a handful of employee engagement measures that can make a difference.

Employee Engagement Measures for Process Improvement

• One of the key measures for employee engagement around process improvement is having the materials and equipment for employees to do their very best job.  Ok, that sounds reasonable and fair.
• The second employee engagement measure for successful process implementation is having the opportunity for employees to do what they do best in their job every day.  This gets back to selecting the right people for the right seats on the proverbial bus, doesn’t it?

That’s as far as the research goes for process improvement and the link to employee engagement. But what about employees having input on the process improvement activities or employees needing to be communicated with about changes in the workplace before they happen?  It truly is in the eye of the beholder – the employee.

Let’s move on to what research says about managing the customer relationship… keeping the customer satisfied and happy. These two may surprise you.

Two Employee Engagement Measures That Contribute To Satisfied Customers

• The first: The purpose or mission of the organization makes the employee feel like their job is important. Shouldn’t everyone be made to feel like their contributions every day are important to the success of the organization?  What a lost opportunity for so many organizations and for so many leaders.
• The second: Co-workers are committed to doing quality work. Translated, this means “If I’m going to bust my hump every day doing quality work then I expect my peers to be doing the same”. Otherwise, keeping the customers satisfied is a lost cause.

So which of these elements do you as a leader have in your control in order to create a satisfying experience for your customers?  How about all of them? Isn’t that a relief !

If you really want to know more, all you have to do is ask your employees.