Absolutes in Management…

I have been reading many posts on LinkedIn and various other social media platforms where two absolutes are compared, and readers are encouraged to “think” that one if definitely better than the other.  One example is comparing classroom training with e-learning initiatives or On the Job Training, with people asking: “what is better, x or y?”  You really are comparing apples to oranges in such cases, as each of those initiatives is warranted in certain scenarios, and an absolute cannot be derived. 

I realize that we are in a world driven by bottom lines, and as such, there is a strong drive towards having a specific measure or outcome that will, hopefully, result in the most optimum solution.  Yet I truly find it disturbing to have so many re-posting the infamous “Manager vs. Leader”  articles that circle around Linkedin and Facebook every once in a while.

In an HBR blog entry, John Kotter stresses that these two are “radically different”.  John explains the misconceptions or “mistakes” that people often make in comparing management and leadership, where, for one, management is more about functionality such as planning and budgeting, where leadership is about “people buying in, … empowerment and, most of all, … producing useful change.”

I usually take the “road less travelled by”… so stop thinking in absolutes. You might learn something new!

To Shine or Not to Shine - Who is the true celebrity?

Throughout my training profession, I have encountered many “trainers” that demonstrate an attitude of being the Stars in the classroom.  I have always grinned and internally thought of how much the audience must be bored with a person trying to impress rather than provoke thought.

My latest encounter of a similar kind happened while I was browsing for NLP training providers.  I came across one such trainer, and what captured my attention was the testimonial section of his website, interestingly entitled “Praise for X” where X was the name of the trainer (I could have used a name like Steve or Bob, but I truly fear there might actually be a real Steve who has a “Praise for Steve” Section LOL!  This NLP Trainer is convinced that the true celebrity is him rather than his trainees.  While I completely agree with a testimonials section as an effective marketing tool, I hardly see the benefit of a “Praise for Me” section where the main focus is how fabulous the trainer was, rather than how much learning his attendees have gained.

Hanan Nagi, Founder and CEO of HNI Training and Consulting, a business partner, mentor, and friend of mine, was always keen on making sure the trainers she deals with completely understand the importance of not trying to be the celebrities on a stage towards fame, but rather pass on the honor to their audience, allowing them to shine.  That’s where the real magic happens.

Why managers do not get the most out of employees!

Have you ever wondered why many managers do not get the most out of their employees? The answer is simpler than you think.

As a leader in an organization, your utmost responsibility is to provide your employees with a working environment that is positively charged with motivation. Yet most managers do not particularly recognize this simple duty. Many managers tend to be promoted to a supervisory role due to their technical competence rather than people-management skills. As such, managers’ influence on the workforce is not always positive. The solution to this is in a few good words— literally speaking!

From the moment we are born, we instinctively recognize and respond to emotions. Even as infants, we react to positive facial expressions and warm voices with innocent laughter. Similarly, tears flow at the sign of the negative opposite. This pattern, though concealed with adult behavioral-masks, continues throughout our lives. We are emotional creatures, and these emotions function as a significant driver in our decision-making and execution process. When we feel good, we do well. When we feel bad… well, you get the point.

As a leader, your most important function is people management. That does not necessarily mean being “nice” all the time. However, it does mean showing positive emotions towards positive behavior. Often in our childhood, we were rewarded when we performed a desired behavior. These rewards clearly did not start with monetary compensation at that point, as that concept did not mean much to us then. Instead, the positive behavior was acknowledged and rewarded with a smile and a few good words, which insured you repeated that particular behavior. This is the effect of positive feedback.

According to research by the Corporate Leadership Council, a group that conducts research through several high profile organizations, providing positive feedback to your employees is categorized as an A-Level Driver, affecting performance with a value higher than 30 percent. The CLC also identified that while 89 percent of employees believe positive feedback to be their biggest motivator, only 39 percent seem to get any feedback at all.

Rewarding desired behavior with positive feedback is important, but how can you put it to work?

For this motivational tool to be effective, managers can turn to the following process:

1. Look for the Opportunity!
As a leader, you should observe and recognize desired behaviors by your employees. These behaviors could be as simple as completing a task earlier than scheduled. This means that you should be visible to your employees-- engaging them, mentoring them, and ultimately, leading them towards these desired behaviors. Moreover, you should look for and recognize a change in behavior, from the bad to the good. For instance, an employee who starts coming in on time after being habitually late is a prime opportunity to reinforce this desired behavior.

2. Explain the positive effect of the behavior on the working environment.
If you want a certain behavior to continue, your employees must understand the value of this particular behavior on the job. One might say, something like: “By drawing our attention to the risks of this project and identifying the measures we should take to minimize this risk, you helped the company avoid a serious setback that would have affected the whole project!”

3. Provide Positive Feedback
Positive feedback should be simple, direct, and from the heart. After having explained the effect of the observed behavior, show your appreciation with a simple and honest “Thank you.” This should be done in a public setting, if possible. If not, make the effort to publicize this feedback, either through some correspondence that involves the coworkers in the department, or an article in a company publication. The importance is that this employee feels appreciated and publicly acknowledged for what he/she has done.

So go and connect with your people, look for the good in them, and thank them for it. You DO know what you will get in return.