12.7 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Minimize Problems by Being Prepared

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Discrimination is a word that conjures up fear, anger, stress, and a whole host of negative emotions.  Complaints of discrimination can severely damage businesses.  Discrimination in the workplace creates an unfair and unpleasant working environment.

Reactive management refers to a situation in which you don’t – or can't – plan ahead for problems or opportunities. Instead, you react to them as they happen.  In contrast, proactive management happens when you plan ahead to avoid or manage problems.  You might be in a reactive state for several reasons:

o   A crisis may have forced you to change or abandon your plans.  You need to make short-term decisions to cope with the situation.

o   Your organization may have poorly planned processes or policies.  You need to spend your time fixing these or working around them, instead of planning for the future.

o   You may find a reactive management style exciting.  People with certain personality types can enjoy the "buzz" that goes along with it.

 

Firefighting is sometimes essential during a rush, or as part of a short period of change. However, it can have serious implications when it becomes the norm:

o   likely to deliver lower quality work

o   may be able to fight fires successfully most of the time, but sometimes it may fail

o   will need to shift your team members from one task to another

o   deal with constantly changing information

o   leaving staff frustrated, and they may start to look for more satisfying opportunities outside your team

o   individual performance will fall

o   hard to find the root causes of problems when you have to focus urgently on symptoms

o   less likely to spot the strategic opportunities that proactive managers exploit, because you don’t have the time and mind space to see them.

o   also stressful

o   don’t have time to unwind when dealing with one crisis after another

o    team members may be less resilient and not able to cope with this pressure

Moving to Proactive Management

Take Back Control of Time ·        Time is an essential weapon against reactive management ·        determine which tasks and responsibilities are critical or delay any non-critical tasks ·        prioritize ·        focus on essential tasks

Look at Processes ·        do a thorough review of all of the processes ·        look at people’s working practices ·        Map and challenge each process ·        explore possible process improvements ·        create checklists ·        involve your team members in this work

Turn Risks Into Plans ·        Conduct a Risk Analysis ·        prioritize the risks that you face ·        create a contingency plan each risk

Focus on Morale ·        bring positive emotions back to the team ·        look for small wins ·        create opportunities for your team to discuss problems, share information, and support one another, via team meetings or informal get-togethers

Build in Continuous Improvement ·        Make the most of your people’s knowledge and experience ·        encourage them to suggest changes ·        Create opportunities for your team to explore and implement ideas ·        schedule a regular time to discuss new ideas ·        set objectives that encourage creativity ·        simply create a suggestions box

12.6 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Standing Up for Your People

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Showing Support When It Matters

When you stand up for people, you show that you're "on their side" when they need help.  This builds long-term loyalty, trust, credibility, commitment, and morale in your team and it gives the people a confidence boost.  It also shows that you are focused on your team's well-being and interests.  This helps to create a positive working environment and shows everyone that you're a leader worth following.

The responsibility of a leader is to support the people appropriately, and to make sure that they have everything they need to do their jobs effectively.  When things go well, all share the credit and rewards.  The same should be true when things don't go well.  However, you shouldn't defend your people's actions in all circumstances.  It can be difficult to know when you should or shouldn't stand up for your people.

Know when to Stand Up for Your People

Know Your Values ·        know what you'll stand up for, and what you won't ·        fully understanding the organization's values and mission ·        prepare yourself mentally by thinking about what you'd do in certain situations

Analyze the Situation and Assess Risks ·        trust your own good judgment to make the best decision ·        gather facts about the situation ·        explore the behaviour ·        analyse the person you're defending

Decide on Action ·        If you decide that the person doesn't deserve your support, it's important to explain to him why you're not going to defend his actions, using the information that you gathered in the previous step

Defend Appropriately ·        plan what you're going to say in advance ·        Explain why you're standing by them ·        highlight the steps they've taken to remedy the situation ·        explain what you're going to do the make the situation right ·        make sure that it doesn't happen again ·        maintain good working relationships with the person you're speaking with, so be diplomatic at the same time that you're assertive ·        use empathy   to see things from his or her perspective ·        Communicate clearly and calmly ·        stay professional, even if criticism is unjust

Feedback ·        If you defend your people after they've made mistakes or performed poorly, make sure that they understand what they did wrong, and that they commit to ensuring that this doesn't happen again

There will likely be times when you need to defend your people from criticism, or stand up for them if they've made a mistake.  Make sure that you stand up for everyone on your team when appropriate, not just the team members you have a good connection with.

Defending team members will increase the sense of loyalty that they feel, boost their self-confidence and contribute to high morale.  If the problem arose because of a mistake or poor performance, make sure that you take appropriate steps to remedy the situation.

12.5: THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Managing Team Negativity

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

It can be incredibly hard to work with, and manage, people who have a negative attitude.  They seem to reject new ideas automatically, and often view change with distrust.  Negativity can spread quickly through a team or organization.  Everyone should assume some responsibility for stamping out negativity.

Managing negativity in a team and organization is especially important for leaders and managers.  A team's mindset and attitude often come from "the top".  Before trying to search for the root causes of the team's negativity, it's important to look at our own attitude first.

 

Creating a Happy, Committed Workforce

There are many different factors that can affect team morale.  When morale suffers, it's important that you take steps to rebuild it quickly.  According to sociologist Alexander Leighton, "morale is the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose".

Organizations with high morale experience higher productivity and staff engagement, they show lower employee turnover and absenteeism, and they have a happier workforce.  They find it easier to attract and retain the best talent.  There are many things that can cause team morale to dip.  For example:

·        Layoffs and restructuring.

·        Poor leadership.

·        Poor communication.

·        Lack of empowerment or autonomy.

·        Inflexible working conditions.

·        Cancellation of team benefits.

·        Damage to the organization's reputation or public image.

·        Losing a big contract or client.

·        Difficult co-workers.

·        Heavy workloads or stress, with no reward or gratitude.

·        No sense of social value to the work being done, or a negative impact on the wider society.

Too often, managers don't realize that morale is poor.

12.4 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Rumors in the Workplace

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

It's difficult not to become involved in gossip at work. After all, people like gossip and interesting bits of information.  At work, however, this type of interaction is harmful and costly. It wastes time, damages reputations, promotes divisiveness, creates anxiety, and destroys morale.

People start and spread rumors to make sense of what's happening around us.  To understand what's going on, people talk to one-another.  And, together, they fill in the holes in the story with a little bit of fact – and a lot of guesswork.  This new story spreads, with bits and pieces added along the way, until you have an out-of-control rumor spreading throughout your company.

Rumors often grow because people like to be "in the know."  Knowledge is power, and that's why the people with the least amount of power in an organization can often be the ones to start and spread rumors.  It can make them feel important if they're seen to know things that others don't.  Insufficient knowledge or incomplete information is often to blame.

The best way to fight rumors is with good communication.  When you communicate well, your team knows what's happening, and they trust that you'll keep them informed.  Good communication within your team also means that you will become aware of any rumors that are starting, and you'll be able to address them quickly and effectively.

Preventing Rumors

Keep workers informed

Communicate

Be open and honest

Establish transparency within your systems

Practice Management By Wandering Around

Let people know that rumors are unacceptable

Build a culture that promotes cooperation rather than competition

 

Managing Rumors

Deal with rumors immediately

Set a good example

Watch for patterns with rumors

Regularly audit your rumor behavior

Rumors at work aren't likely to disappear.  It's human nature to want to know what's happening around us.  When people don't have complete information, they may fill in the gaps with suppositions that may not be accurate.  Rumors are spread by people.  Stop rumors by talking about the negative effects of rumors and gossip.

12.3: THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Decreasing Absenteeism

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Sick leave for staff, whether it's used for legitimate or not-so-legitimate reasons, has become a major problem for many organizations and industries worldwide.  Sick days delay work, causing projects to fall behind schedule.  They create stress for other workers, who must make up for lost productivity.  Other people may need to work overtime to make up for the time lost.

There are two main reasons for high rates of absenteeism: (1) an abnormal amount of illness, and (2) abuse of the system by workers who call in sick when they're actually perfectly healthy.  To start improving the situation:

·        Be aware of, and responsive to, subtle indications of worker unhappiness or tension.

·        Offer rewards for zero absenteeism.

·        Carefully educate new hires about company policies.  If policies change, make sure that you educate everyone on these.

·        Research and discover new methods for reducing physical stress that workers may suffer on the job.

·        Provide training for managers and supervisors so they can deal perceptively and effectively with staff who have a lot of unexplained sick leave.

·        Offer opportunities for in-house exercise.

·        Consider giving workers additional days off, as part of their annual benefits, which are specifically for "preventive health care."

·        Be flexible about allowing workers to make up time they've taken off for a legitimate reason – for example, to care for a sick family member.

The best way to avoid abuse of your sick policy is usually to promote an attitude of compassion.  To reduce absenteeism, make company policies clear. 

12.2 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: The Overconfidence

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Overconfidence is surprisingly common.  Some overconfidence may have been a good thing in the past.  The problem with overconfidence is that it can be damaging, and even dangerous, in the workplace.

It sometimes seems that there are three types of people in the workplace:

·        The highly self-motivated – people who work hard and exceed expectations because that's their nature.

·        The noncommittal – people who do the right thing if managed reasonably well.

·        The "Rogues" – people who won't do what's expected, and seem to do the minimum necessary to keep their jobs.

It’s not easy to deal with people who perform usefully, but cause trouble in some way.  This is a significant challenge.  They can impact how others work and harm the efficiency of your team.  Dictionaries use terms like unprincipled, unreliable, mischievous, and dishonest.  In the animal kingdom, rogues separate themselves; they live alone and behave unpredictably.

Rogue workers meet both of these definitions.  They can be described using any number of other terms:

·        Poor work ethic.

·        Negative attitude.

·        Insubordinate.

·        Lazy.

·        Destructive.

·        Unmotivated.

·        Wasteful.

·        Egotistical.

The roguishness varies from person to person.  The behavior of rogues, and the severity of this behavior, may vary.

12.1 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Resolving Team Conflict

(SHORT NOTES FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT:

Difficult Management Situations at http://www.mindtools.com)

 

Building Stronger Teams by Facing Your Differences

Conflict is pretty much inevitable when you work with others.  People have different viewpoints and under the right set of circumstances, those differences escalate to conflict.  You can choose to ignore it, complain about it, blame someone for it, or try to deal with it through hints and suggestions; or you can be direct, clarify what is going on, and attempt to reach a resolution through common techniques like negotiation or compromise.

Conflict isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Healthy and constructive conflict is a component of high functioning teams.  Conflict arises from differences between people.  Differences make diverse teams more effective.  When people with varying viewpoints, experiences, skills, and opinions are tasked with a project or challenge, the combined effort can far surpass what any group of similar individual could achieve.  Team members must be open to these differences and not let them rise into full-blown disputes.

Understanding and appreciating the various viewpoints involved in conflict are key factors in its resolution.  These are key skills for all team members to develop.  The important thing is to maintain a healthy balance of constructive difference of opinion, and avoid negative conflict that's destructive and disruptive.

When a team oversteps the mark of healthy difference of opinion, resolving conflict requires respect and patience.  The human experience of conflict involves our emotions, perceptions, and actions.

 

THE 3 STAGE OF RESOLVING CONFLICT
Prepare for Resolution
Acknowledge the conflict	·        putting the team first ·        may involve setting aside your opinion or ideas ·        Active listening is essential
Discuss the impact
Agree to a cooperative process
Agree to communicate
Understand the Situation
Clarify positions	·        Remember that strong emotions are at work ·        understanding of positions ·        remain open, rather than criticize or judge the perceptions and assumptions of other people ·        Everyone needs to feel heard and acknowledged
List facts, assumptions and beliefs underlying each position
Analyze in smaller groups
Convene back as a team
Reach Agreement
Decide decision or course of action	·        Make sure the team is committed ·        acknowledge the contributions everyone made
Agree what needs to be done
Time to celebrate

Some key behaviors to prevent conflict:

·        Deal with conflict immediately

·        Avoid the temptation to ignore

·        Be open

·        Issues need to be expressed immediately

·        Do not allow issues to fester

·        Practice clear communication

·        Articulate thoughts and ideas clearly

·        Practice active listening

·        Practice identifying assumptions

·        Ask ‘why’ on regular basis

·        Do not let conflict get personal

·        Stick to facts and issues, not personalities

·        Focus on actionable solutions

·        Do not belabour what can’t be changed

·        Encourage different points of views

·        Insist on honest dialogue and expressing feelings

·        Do not look for blame

·        Encourage ownership of the problem and solution

·        Demonstrate respect

·        Take a break if the situation escalates and wait for emotion to subside

·        Keep issues within the team

·        Do not talk outside as it allows conflict to build and fester without being dealt with directly