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Put Leadership Training on the Front Burner
13August 2010
The recession forced corporations to cut down on training, especially leadership programs, creating a deficiency that will sooner or later show up in their performance. Leadership training is highly important for success – both long-term and immediate. There can be no justification for postponing it indefinitely, not even in these tough economic times. Even a paired-down program – a workshop or a seminar once in a while, dedicated to chosen key topics – can help boost morale, spur organizational growth, improve management/stuff relations, invigorate employees, and, overall, boost productivity and improve the bottom line. To this important issue is devoted my latest article on BusinessWeek.com. Please read a sample below:
A key to invigorating employees
Leaders must know how to motivate their teams to work for mutual success and the larger success of the company. Even with the economy still faltering, more progressive companies are considering restarting leadership training. They recognize it as a wise investment in creating an invigorated workforce.
Researchers from Harvard and McGill universities carried out a six-year global study of companies that sought improved working conditions at all levels of their business and managed to be profitable at the same time. The researchers found that these companies—ranging in size from small outfits of 27 employees to Fortune 50 corporations of 126,000—knew how to support leadership at every level and how to listen to employees.
One company, Costco, found that developing the skills and talent of its employees helped recruitment and improved the long-term quality of management.
Managers must include interpersonal intelligence in their leadership tool kit. They must demonstrate that they are trustworthy and transparent. In numerous studies conducted by our own firm, the “trust gap” between the boss and employee is clearly evident. But the trust gap can be reset.
Be sure to check the the complete article for more information and practical tips.
Does Your Boss Trust You?
22July 2010
Workplace issues are never out of the public discussion. Here are some recent media highlights: CBS News talks on “How to Handle Toxic Bosses“; BusinessWeek discusses “maltweetment” – people using social networking to get back at their higher-ups and co-workers; Time analyzes a New York state bill that targets workplace bullying ; and AOL DimeCrunch highlights a new job market tendency, the “tempreneur,” that is giving many people a renewed feeling of job security.
In my recent Psychology Today article I talk about another issue that can give you trouble at work: bosses who have an “employee trust deficit.”
Does your boss pop into your office at the most unexpected times to check up on you? Does he ask endless questions, micro-manage your work schedule or demand to know exactly what you’re doing? Do you want to take on more responsibility, but your ideas get shot down?
Some employees prefer having dialog with their bosses over feeling ignored. But there is a fine line between frequent communication and micro-management. Very often, a hovering, meddling boss leaves little incentive for you to produce your best work - because you believe that in the final analysis the end product won’t be yours.
Ironically, many managers feel that they are providing a service to their team members. At times, managers with the best intentions may not realize that they are not being a devoted mentor, but rather an unwitting menace. You are left feeling as if there is little or no trust in your decision-making.
The trust gap between bosses and employees can be mutually self-perpetuating. The same lack of trust in your judgment begets mistrust in your boss. This gap is at the root of significant downtime in your job, which clearly isn’t helpful to you or your company.
Read more about the importance of mutual trust and find suggestions on how to handle the problem here.
Respectful Workplace, Part II
1June 2010
RespectfulWorkplace published the second part of my interview. Here are a couple of excerpts:
RW: In your book, you mention creating a “humanized workplace.” Could you please describe for our readers what that would look like?
LT: In today’s high-tech environment, sometimes “humanity” can be forgotten. A humanized workplace is a collaborative work environment in which everyone puts the larger good of the company first. It is the reverse of a corporate playground rampant with TOTs. It’s a workplace that has a family feeling to it, where fun and humor are not just tolerated, but encouraged. Where teams are inspired by their leaders to innovate and work toward a common goal. It’s a place where people want to work, not a corporate playground.
RW: Give us an example of a successful managing up of a TOT and how it benefited the employees and the company.
LT: Ryan worked for an elusive TOT who ignored him for reasons Ryan couldn’t fathom. He would e-mail her with an important question and rarely get a response. However, she would drop by his office to tell him nonstop about her own projects, then leave. When he tried asking about his own projects, he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Ryan worried about his boss’s behavior. Was she angry; was there going to be a layoff; was his work not up to par?
Although nonassertive by nature, Ryan decided to take action and manage up. When his boss came around to talk, he rolled his chair around his desk and sat next to her with a crucial report in his hand on which he needed her feedback, effectively blocking the doorway. When Ryan brought up the report, she tried to make her exit, but was boxed in. Ryan got to ask his question because she realized that there was give and take involved, even if it meant through Ryan’s non-verbal skills.
Ryan also learned that he had to catch her when she was available (often doling out projects) if he needed her attention. He’s been proactive ever since by getting his materials together for a moment’s notice visit; making his needs more concise, and posing most everything into a “yes” or “no” question.
The result? His questions get answered, his work runs more smoothly and she tells him he’s doing a great job. Ryan’s approval worries have subsided and his projects have become more streamlined.
Read the whole interview at RespectfulWorkplace.com
Respectful Workplace
10May 2010
Last year I started guest-blogging at RespectfulWorkplace.com – a website whose mission is very close to my heart. Devoted to “fostering awareness and providing resources for creating more respect in the workplace,” RespectfulWorkplace.com is a collaborative project between Edge Learning Institute of Ohio (EdgeOhio) and Edge Learning Institute, a global provider of leadership and staff development services that help companies and non-profits improve management competencies, enhance customer service and improve employee engagement. The website’s goal is “to create an online community of people interested in creating and nurturing workplace environments where diversity and inclusiveness are not only recognized, but appreciated and celebrated.”
Respectful Workplace provides a rich variety of resources such as speakers, publications and articles that further this commitment. Identifying “flexibility and respect as core competencies for success,” they offer interactive educational programs, workshops, and seminars that help organizations improve their workplace culture. They welcome outside contributors and invite like-minded people to share their thoughts.
Respectful Workplace blog, to which I’m proud to be a contributor, is a great source of ideas and insights coming from both RW team and guest bloggers. Recently I’ve been interviewed by Respectful Workplace about my book, Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Here is a short exerpt:
RW: Could you describe what “managing up” is and how it applies to today’s workforce?
LT: By seeing the childlike motives behind a boss’s (or co-worker’s) actions, you can better manage even the most difficult situations. Managing up means going above and beyond the assigned tasks so you can support your manager and let yourself shine by being a proactive problem-solver and collaborator.
You can be a beacon of positive energy for your boss, co-workers and team. Part of managing up also means setting limits to bad behavior. Oftentimes TOTs are unaware of the effect of their actions. You can influence these actions, and your skills will be transferable to any job.
Read the rest of the interview (with the 2nd part coming next week) on the Respectful Workplace blog.
Is Your Career Poised for Success in 2010?
29December 2009
In Psychology Today.com, I talk about how you can shore up your job and career skills for 2010, and I’d like to address that here. I also hope that the New Year brings you much joy in your career, and life!
Many had to settle for a less-than-agreeable (or bad) boss, take a pay cut, or were laid off in 2009. But 2010 is upon us, and here’s a brief metaphor: 2010 is the Chinese Year of the Tiger, and the tiger is known for its strength and strategic skills in getting results. Without being a predator, you can be aggressive about achieving your career goals in the New Year.
First, decide what your heartfelt objectives are, then set your own rules. You do possess needed skills and company know-how. Replacing you costs time and money. So if you like the job you’re currently in, but not the terms, now is the time to fine-tune them to dial up your satisfaction level.
Assess your weaknesses. Clarify what you want more, or less of. How can you better manage your boss or co-workers? Learn how to better control office challenges by through reading, training and professional development. If fear has held you back, consider if it’s time to move on to the “great unknown.” Design your career objectives based on what would bring you the best long-term happiness. Then, pounce.
Regardless of your choice, the macro environment we’re in dictates a few requirements that will keep you at the top of your game:
• Make human relations skills your priority for 2010. Just because it’s a tech world on steroids doesn’t mean we must lose our humanity. In fact you can counter this trend by increasing yours. Even if those around you regress to virtual toddlers (Terrible Office Tyrants, or TOTs, as I call them) in the pressure cooker recession environment, ratchet up your “interpersonal intelligence” to set you apart from the rest in 2010.
• Take the initiative. Like so many aspects of achieving success, maintaining an objective, healthy perspective and being a proactive problem solver can make all the difference. Learn how to manage up and around you when the need arises. Reinforce positive behavior with your boss and others, which is a transferable skill.
• Keep Your Eye on the Prize. Despite the prevalent “sky is falling” mood in corporate America, stay focused and positive on fulfilling your career dreams. When things are in flux, chances for advancement can unfold before you at any time - if you allow them to. That practice will be contagious to most any boss and inspiring to co-workers.
• Reach Out - With Precision. Regardless of whether you’re making job move, networking is essential to career success, and who you know does make a difference. However, choose your venues wisely; time is a non-renewable resource. Master social networking tools, such as LinkedIn groups, blogs and Twitter, as well as targeted trade groups in your area. Reach out to contacts who are helpful, but also be of value to others in return.
• What Are You Saying? With text messaging, e-mails and hurried memos, your writing skills can deteriorate into a terse, nonsensical mess. Recipients may spend needless time trying to decipher what you mean, or worse, take it the wrong way. Take classes in writing and public speaking so that you can better sell your ideas and put your best foot forward in business.
• The 2.0 You. No matter how much experience you have, you can always become more tech savvy. Now is the time to not only upgrade, but to learn skills outside your comfort zone. Jobs are becoming increasingly specialized over time, and so is software that supports those positions. The willingness to learn continually is an invaluable asset.
Make 2010 the year of bold decision-making that you may have been putting off. (Just be careful to sharpen your skills, not your claws, as you set your sights on your goal.)
A sunny, helpful, open and positive disposition - combined with a thirst for knowledge - are the real “killer” skills that will last beyond 2010. They will last a lifetime.
