Managing by Exception

Meet Fred.  Fred is a senior director at Big Ideas Inc., a professional services firm specializing in social media marketing.  Fred manages a creative team of 6 mid-career professionals.  One of Fred’s team members, Mike is an easy going guy who regularly shows up for meetings 5 to 10 minutes late.  Fred, a stickler for punctuality, is annoyed with Tom’s behavior and issues a terse email to the entire team stating that, starting with next week, meeting doors will close at the start of each meeting.  Late comers will be locked out. For the 5 team members who are continuously punctual, this new procedure is annoying and insulting, especially since they know that only one member of the team caused such a draconian result.

Sound familiar?  Fred is practicing exception management.  He is communicating a directive to the entire staff, is essentially accusing all of them of a negative behavior even though only one person needed the correction.  Not only is this a waste of time and effort, it sets a negative tone for the team as a whole.  Managers who exclusively manage by exception create a climate that promotes behavior governed by rules and policy rather than by trust and respect.

Don’t manage by exception. Correct behavioral gaffs by dealing directly with the individual.  Here is how Fred should have dealt with Mike:

1. Grab Mike immediately after the meeting.  Feedback needs to be given as close to the errant behavior as possible.  Waiting until the next day or even next week will weaken the urgency of the message.
2. Use as few words as possible.  Get to the point.  Be frank, concise, and even blunt with the message.  Talking around the issue, embellishing it with superfluous points only muddies the waters.  A good formula to use is: specific behavior + situation/context + impact on the team.  In Mike’s case, it might sound like this:  Mike, you were 10 minutes late to the client meeting this morning.  We had to wait for you, making the meeting time run over.  Now we are all running late for our next meeting which means I won’t get to finish the report that is due by close of business today.
3. Stop and listen to Mike’s response to your feedback.  Really listen.  Ask questions.  Summarize back to him what you are hearing.
4. Jointly agree on commitments and outcomes.  Ask Mike to email back a summary of the agreements and commitments.

Honest, open and timely feedback, both positive and constructive, is the bedrock of building trusting relationships.  Sending mass emails hoping that the offending party sees themselves as the culprit and corrects their behavior is a grossly inefficient way to create a positive work environment.  I have no quibble with policy and procedure manuals.  They serve as useful tools to clearly describe acceptable behavior in the workplace.  But they can never replace direct one-on-one feedback.  Policies and rules are a means to an end, not the end itself.  They provide behavioral direction and set boundaries, give us the roadmap to our destination.  The destination itself is a work environment that allows everyone it to have meaningful work and achieve great business results.

By Alice Waagan

Workforce Learning

Like if You Remember

A number of my Facebook friends post pictures of items from an earlier time -- the 50's and 60's - memories of their childhoods.  There is always the caption "like if you remember" this piece of nostalgia from a presumably simpler time.

Remember mail slots - when the mailman came to your door and deposited the mail through a slot that landed the mail inside your house?  We had one in the house I grew up in but over time the local post office had them replaced with boxes outside the houses.  The mail carrier still walks the route there to deliver snail mail.

My son lives in a house in Albuquerque, NM that still has a mail slot.  The mail is deposited in a basket that sits on the floor.  The mail carrier still walks the route there too.  In my neighborhood, mail carriers drive trucks and deliver mail to a box that sits on the street.  I read recently that the U. S. Postal Service wants to install "pods", like the ones in townhouse neighborhoods, in all residential neighborhoods to reduce labor costs.

I remember how exciting it was to receive a letter in the mail.  Now I cringe at how fast my e-mail fills up.   Times have changed.  There was a time when we were so dependent on the mail.  Is it a matter of time that snail mail and mail carriers become obsolete?  We have to know where we've been to know where we are going.

The technology is great but it can't replace thinking and judgment.  It can't draw on lessons from the past.  A friend in New Mexico has a grandson-in-law who farms.  He grew up farming, learning from his parents and grandparents.  He learned how to read nature, forecasts, and his instinct.  He now has his home outfitted with many, many electronic and technology devices to assist him.  But there are times he questions the readings and follows his instinct.  He understands where his been.  He takes advantage of his past as well as the technology that the present offers.

Organizations, like people, need to understand their historic roots.  They need to draw on the foundations of the past in order to succeed in the present and shape the future.  Do you know the origins of your organization?  Do you know when, where, why and how it began.  Do you know who its founders were?  Understanding where you've been is very powerful knowledge for paving a path for future growth and success.

Network Internally…It can Pay-off!

Just about everyone who works in the world of business has a need to connect with others inside their organization. It doesn’t matter if you work for a large or small organization; for a for-profit or a non-profit; or a governmental agency or the private sector—wherever you are, having strong relationships with co-workers is critical to success!

Most professionals focus most of their energy externally (and that certainly is important) but we believe developing relationships internally is equally important to success in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace.

Developing strong internal relationships takes some work but can pay off in many ways including making you more productive!  Isn’t it easier to make a request of a colleague when you know a little bit about that person or when you’ve just had coffee with them last week?  Think about how you can develop strong internal relationships with your co-workers. Here are some ideas:

•            Network internally—build relationships with colleagues outside your area of expertise. For example, if you are in finance, get to know the business development staff or the human resources team.
•             Be credible and build trust—act with integrity and honesty at all times.  This means keeping commitments—in other words, doing what you say you will do—when you say you will do it!
•             Find a mentor who is not in your field.  If you are in the HR department, maybe you would like a mentor from operations.  Working with a mentor is a great way to build internal relationships.
•             Be a good listener and ask good questions.  Invite people from other departments for lunch and ask them how they came to work for your organization.  Ask open ended questions and express sincere interest in the other person!
•            Volunteer for cross functional task force or rotational assignments. What a great way to learn more about other people and functions while working alongside to solve a problem or issue.
•            Model excellent customer service (and satisfaction) inside and outside.  This goes hand in hand with being credible and building trust.  Go above and beyond to meet the needs of others to show your commitment to the organization’s success.
•            Confront conflicting views—don’t run away from conflict but work to mitigate issues that create conflict in your organization.  A lot of learning comes from resolving conflict!
•             Be an influence for positive change.  Be open to new ideas and welcome input from others in your organization.
•            Understand and support your organization’s culture.  Be a positive force in your organization to support your mission, vision and organizational values!
•            Recognize and address changes in the business climate and provide value-added responses.  Keep current in your field and in your business sector so that you can be prepared for coming changes in your marketplace!  You know they’re coming!

One Enchanted Evening

My first encounter with opera was at the Santa Fe Opera in early August.  I'm so glad I held out for such an enchanting evening and experience.

The setting was absolutely spectacular.  A summer sky over the desert brought some rain before the performance.  We watched the clouds bring much needed rain to other locales.  And nature gave us a splendid light show as we watched lightening strikes.  Even during the performance, flashes of lightening in the distance illuminated the periphery, enhancing the setting.

The Opera House itself compliments the landscape.  Its design draws parallels to the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi people who inhabited the lands long ago.

The stage and set were simple, but elegant.  The singers, with passion in their voice and body language, and the orchestra all told the story.  An elaborate set would have been a distraction to both the performance and the natural beauty of the desert.  The elegant simplicity enhanced it.

The music was melodious.  My friend, Nancy, was right.  You can't go wrong with the Italian composers.  The orchestra captured the passion of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata.  I'd read the story behind the opera beforehand so I'd be able to follow.  A big tip of the hat to technology – built into the seat backs for the benefit of the person sitting behind is a small screen that translates from Italian into either English or Spanish so you could follow the story.  Yes, like at the symphony I could have been engrossed in the music alone, but this was so much more engaging.

Whenever I go to a live performance, I have to take it all in, the sights and sounds that are all around.  Months earlier I was in Carnegie Hall to see and hear the Boston Symphony.  What a beautiful concert hall.  I was drawn in by the surroundings as much as by the musicians.  I was fascinated watching them and listening to the music they were making.  It was the sum of all the parts that made it a great experience.  However, the Santa Fe Opera experience gets an A++.

My point:  Observe what's around.  Be aware of who's contributing and understand what they are contributing.  Learn to listen to everyone who's making a contribution.  Listen with your ears, but look for the simple, subtle details of body language.  Challenge yourself to use all of your senses, to take it all in. 

A Change of Scenery

When I go to the movies with my husband, we usually sit in the same general area.  When I go to the theatre, I like to sit in the orchestra section if possible.  When I go to my yoga class each week, I like to find the same spot in the room.  When I can’t be in my usual spot, it seems to throw off my practice for the evening.

We are such creatures of habit.  We drive the same routes to the same destinations.  We walk through the same or similar routine each day.  And we sometimes encounter the dreaded phrase at work, “We’ve always done it that way.”

I recently went to a play at the Kennedy Center.  I wasn’t able to get seats in the orchestra section.  Rather, we sat in the first tier balcony.  It was a wonderful view -- and quite a different experience!  Looking down onto the production was like looking at a panorama rather than my usual experience of looking up and back and forth throughout the performance.  One of my companions that evening noted that he’d been to the Kennedy Center several weeks earlier to see a musical and sitting in the orchestra he could only see the dancers’ legs!

A change of scenery gives you a whole different perspective.  It’s like seeing things through a whole new set of lenses.  It not only opens your eyes, but your mind and your viewpoint (or opinion) as well.  I realized I was not only seeing differently, but hearing and listening differently as well. 

Barbara and I recently met with an HR team from a local company over lunch at a restaurant.  There was a room reserved for the group – between 16 to 18 individuals in all – so we were able to talk around the table without disturbing or being disturbed by others.  It was an opportunity for them to talk about HR issues with two colleagues outside their organization – an opportunity to hear things from different perspectives.  How wonderful for them to work for a company that allows them some time out to change scenery, hear some different points of view, or maybe lend credibility to theirs.  I left that meeting – which lasted about two hours – feeling totally energized.  I’m sure they felt the same!

HR leaders often have to guide change within an organization.  Often that change comes from within.  Often it comes from outside.  To be effective change agents, its important for any leader to maintain flexibility in attitudes, perspective and approach.  It’s critical to network outside your organization and be in tune with trends – trends in your area of expertise, in the marketplace, in your industry.  It’s important to listen to expert opinions and to opposing points of view.  It’s important to have a change of scenery – both within and outside your organization.

So get moving.  Drive to work using a different route.  Get out from behind your desk and go to lunch – someplace new with someone different.  Walk down the hall and have a conversation.  And the next time you go to the movies, sit someplace different!