Archives 2023

StevenArmstrong.ca recently partnered with the HR team of a US-based regional financial services company that was challenged in connecting its dispersed employees across several States. The company was expecting massive growth over the coming years and needed to remedy its internal communications problems as soon as possible before it undermined its growth aspirations.

Challenges

The company needed a large-scale communications process.

There needed to be a process or structure in place to connect all team members. Even before the pandemic, communications were limited to local teams, posing significant challenges in disseminating information and collaborating meaningfully across groups.

A recent series of changes exacerbated the communications challenges.

Several changes – including redundancies, leadership changes and introducing of a new Performance Management system – meant that individuals had withdrawn into siloes.

The pandemic caused more significant disruption. At the time, the company needed more processes or systems to allow for large-scale, virtual communications and individuals became completely isolated from their team members and the company leadership.

Solutions

Steve assessed the challenges while connecting the teams using online and one-on-one interviews.

Sample Team Assessment Report (Amend)

StevenArmstrong.ca facilitated workshops virtually to bring teams together, learn about their challenges and collaboratively construct new communications systems that would solve the specific challenges identified by the HR team. These workshops brought together departments and levels that didn’t normally interact, allowing novel discussions and ideas to emerge.

 

Building a communications system

We analyzed workshop outputs to develop communication systems for the client. This included creating an agenda that addressed their identified challenges, increasing their connection to the solution, and encouraging attendance and participation in the new approach. Individuals were recognized for key roles, and then training was delivered to ensure they were appropriately prepared to foster open, transparent discussions during meetings.

Coaching the company to success

Once the communications systems were in place, StevenArmstrong.ca remained with the company to monitor meetings, identify potential areas of improvement, and coach individuals.

Impact

Teams were better able to connect.

At the end of the engagement survey, 92% of respondents said they learned information now that they wouldn’t have known before the new communications process was implemented, and 60% said they had connected with people they would never have met otherwise.

Senior leaders were better able to disseminate messaging.

Employees no longer felt isolated from leadership and were more informed on the business context, changes and performance management expectations that would help them thrive in their roles.

The rest of the company has recognized the divisions we worked with for their innovation.

Following our work, the HR team has been recognized for innovating and enhancing operations, particularly performance management.

Other divisions are now attempting to replicate the work, and StevenArmstrong.ca is working with Company directors to improve operations through better communications.

It’s straightforward being on a sports team. You know what your position is. You know what is expected. You know who’s with you and who’s against you.

The rules are clear.

In organizations, things are more ambiguous. Often, you’re not entirely clear about your role, the expectations placed on you, the expectations of others, the rules, and what success looks like.

Let me offer a model to check the health of your team and make things clear.

Each section considers the people you serve and those you work with.

Vision

Often “teams” are a loose collection of people who happen to work on the same project and often appear more like a conglomerate and less like a single unit.

Simon Sinek would ask, ‘Why.’

In other words, what are we all working to achieve?

If there’s no shared vision, is this even a team?

Two questions you might wrestle with:

Who are we helping?

To successfully serve, you need to know who it is you serve. Savvy marketers create avatars of their ideal customers to make them real.

Who is your team serving?

What dent are we making?

If you get away from the inbox and your calendar for a moment, what is your team to achieve?

What will be different if your team is successful in all they do?

If that’s unclear or just a little bit “meh,” then perhaps there’s work to be done to get clear on the Why.

Read more about the importance of clear missions.

Communications

What’s the data?

Communication has two parts: the data (the facts) and the judgments (our opinions about the facts).

What’s interesting is just how easily we slip from one to the other or how quickly judgments come to resemble facts.

As you make decisions as a team, ask yourselves, “What do we know to be true?”

What do you want?

An essential element of leading teams is understanding wants and needs.

If you find yourself at odds with someone on your team, one of the most powerful things you can do is ask them what they want and share what you need.

First, it’s shocking how hard it can be to articulate what you want.

Second, it’s shocking how quickly that knowledge can clear away what’s superficial and focus the conversation on what matters.

Read about communicating

Connection

Who matters?

You can’t treat everyone as if they were equally important to the team’s goals and ambitions.

Within your stakeholders, who’s on the A-List? If you could have only five names, who would they be?

I bet that you’re probably underserving your ‘A-List.’ How could you give them the support and service that they deserve?

Who is on the B-List? You are probably over-serving these stakeholders.

How can you scale back here, so you can direct more time and effort to your A-List?

Accountability

What’s the promise we’re making, and to whom?

Our very first question was, “Who are we helping?”

Now ask, “What’s the promise we’re making to them, and how are we doing delivering on that promise?”

Where are the soft spots?

Where do you need to lift your game?

How can I help?

Ironically one of the ways we break promises is that we over-deliver.

We think we know what’s wanted, so rather than check it out and get clear, we leap in and start doing stuff.

Before you rush in, slow down and clarify how they think you can help them. Ask, “What do you need from me?”

 

Final Thoughts

Here is your four-point health check for your team.

The questions may not always be easy to answer, but the answers are vital to your success.

Get clear on the questions, and you will raise your team’s impact, happiness and focus.

We’ve all been there.

Once a year, our manager would call us into their office and review what we had done well throughout the year – or, more likely, what we had done wrong eleven months ago. Then we would leave the manager’s office and return to work exactly like before.

Nothing changed! This is why it’s time to replace the performance review process.

Read more about the difference between High Potential and High Performance.

Need more reasons?

Performance Reviews Aren’t Effective – Performance reviews rarely lead to a change in behaviour by the manager or the employee. Year after year, most managers give employees the same feedback. And most employees don’t do anything in response. One reported that as little as one-third of employees showed improvement after their annual review. That’s likely because performance reviews rarely offer actionable steps for employees to take when struggling.

Performance Reviews Aren’t Reliable – Seventy-seven percent of HR executives believe performance reviews don’t accurately reflect employee contributions, according to CEB research. And CEB’s HR practice leader Rose Mueller-Hanson agrees with those executives. She states, “Our research shows that individual performance ratings have zero correlation with actual business results.”

Performance Reviews Are Time-Consuming – A recent CEB survey found that managers spend an average of 210 hours yearly in performance management activities. Managers said their employees, in turn, each spend 40 hours a year. Deloitte reported that its approximately 244,000 employees spent more than 2 million hours a year on performance reviews. That’s much time spent on something that is proven to be unreliable and ineffective.

Performance Reviews Are Costly – Besides the time it takes to perform annual reviews, there’s the actual cost. According to information from the CEB, a company spends about $3,500 per employee on yearly reviews.

Given the time and cost of performance reviews, it’s surprising that more companies haven’t given them up yet. But if those aren’t enough reasons for you, the new research on how ineffective and misleading they are!

 

 

It’s time to stop evaluating performance and invest in potential.

High potentials can be challenging to identify for two reasons:

First, high performance is easy to observe and drowns out the less obvious attributes and behaviours that characterize high potentials—such as change management or learning capabilities.

Second, few organizations codify the attributes and competencies they value in their ideal employees—which means that managers don’t know precisely what to look for to assess potential.

As a result, most managers focus exclusively on performance, which can be a problem.

When performance is the only criterion employees are evaluated on, high performers will be the only ones moving up—and high potentials will move out.

You should value and reward performance, but it can’t be the only entry point.

Learn more about the Better Leader Inner Circle

What are the key characteristics of high-potential employees?

The characteristics of high-potential employees include Ability, Aspiration, Behaviour, Social Skills, Adaptability and Leadership. These traits are critical to identifying employee abilities that can contribute to the business and enable employers to put development programmes in place to maximize the skills of these individuals.

Ability relates to performance, an individual’s expertise, innate skills, and capacity to work autonomously and consistently deliver results. 

Aspiration is the desire to grow, taking accountability for decision-making. They share a drive to achieve, individually and as a team, and support and encourage growth.

Behaviour is one of the easiest traits to identify. High Potential Employees Show an increased capability to learn, cooperate with others and manage their behaviours and emotions and how they behave under pressure.

Social skills and High Emotional Intelligence allow High Potential Employees to adapt their personalities to different responsibilities and changing circumstances.

Adaptability. Under pressure, High Potential Employees usually remain calm, continue to perform, and can pivot easily.

Leadership is imperative for High Potential Employees to understand and respect quality leadership and aspire to fulfil such roles successfully.

Most of us hate performance management programs.

Why?

Because:

• Performance management is usually seen as a bureaucratic HR process you are forced to do.
• We are not sure of the value performance management adds to the business.
• Performance management models change as often as the soup of the day.
• We have all had performance management nightmares.
• Mine:
• • • One employer changed the performance management system five times in 13 years;
    • Another had a rigid, complicated and frustrating system with no connection to pay or promotions;
    • Another had never completed performance management for anyone, ever.

If you want to improve your current process, here are six issues to address to ensure you get the highest return on your investment.

Challenge #1: Lack of strategic focus

The company’s strategy and goals must be integrated into its performance management process to deliver real business value. Too many goals will likely leave your employees feeling confused, unaligned, and inefficient.

Simplifying and prioritizing your company goals and focusing your performance management on a few critical goals will help your employees understand how their everyday work and individual goals will help achieve them.

Read about connecting performance management and strategic goals

Challenge #2: Lack of timely, meaningful feedback

When you wait until the formal performance review to provide feedback, employees may feel blindsided, leading to disappointment, confusion, frustration, and disengagement.

Train your managers to provide timely, meaningful feedback when positive behaviours or performance issues occur. Waiting too long to give feedback hurts your company’s employee morale, engagement, and, ultimately, your business performance.

Read about recognition

 

Challenge #3: Lack of leadership support

Leaders must be committed, actively engage their teams in performance management activities, and support and recognize managers and employees who exhibit the expected behaviours and actions.

Without leadership support, performance management will not be successful, no matter how well-designed the process is.

Challenge #4: Lack of proper training and communication

Leaders and managers may not fully understand what performance management is and what’s in it.

It is crucial to explain the benefits of performance management and provide ongoing training to help leaders and managers obtain the appropriate knowledge, behaviours, and skills to engage their teams in performance management activities properly.

Challenge #5: Lack of appropriate recognition and rewards

Rewards are significant in recognizing and promoting top performance and keeping your employees engaged, motivated, and inspired about their future with the company.

A valuable reward and recognition program should have clear expectations and criteria around the behaviours and actions that drive your company forward.

Read about good objectives going bad.

Challenge #6: Lack of simplicity

Whether you currently have performance management in place or not, the process you ultimately implement should be simple, easy to understand and use.

Managers and employees should not have to spend hours learning your new processes and tools or look for the performance-related information and forms they need.

Final Thoughts

Poor performance management is costly, delivers very little value, and can lower your employee engagement level and harm your business growth.

When done right, the impact of effective performance management is significant on your bottom line and will stop your top performers from walking out the door.

Sadly, old-fashioned ideas like “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs is but to do or die” still exist.

‘Theirs not to reason why, / Theirs but to do and die’: these lines have become famous, though they’re often misquoted from the 1854 poem ‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92).

The actual lines come from the second stanza of the poem inspired by one of the greatest calamities in British military history: on October 25, 1854, during the Crimean War, the British Light Cavalry Brigade, comprising some 670 men, charged disastrously against some 25,000 Russian soldiers.

The stanza was not about quiet courage; it was about blind obedience.

‘Forward, the Light Brigade!’
Was there a man dismayed?
Not though the soldier knew
Someone had blundered.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the Valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.’

So, as a leader, what can you do to make sure people can reply and speak truth to power in your team?

And how do you do it upwards?

How not to F Up conversations with your team

The Power/Truth Imbalance

The whole concept of speaking truth to power rests on an imbalance of power and information.

The Leader has the power, but often the follower has the information.

Why isn’t transferring valuable, truthful information a simple thing?

It’s because a combination of weaknesses, opportunities, and threats are at play wherever those imbalances exist. What they are and how followers can do something about them is worth examining as a follower, too.

Studying these imbalances helps you, as a leader, understand why people might not bring you their ideas.

Let’s look at an old-school SWOT analysis:

 

What must the Leader do to ensure followers speak the truth to them?

They need to create conditions that minimize the followers’ weaknesses and threats.

1. 1. 1. Do pass your experience on to your followers about why you are making the decision.
      2. Do give Followers the context behind the decision.
      3. Do not punish those who offer him their logical opinions and well-reasoned judgments.

The third bullet (above) third is the most difficult for a leader. If you can’t make your followers comfortable challenging you, don’t expect to reap the benefits of their honest opinion.

Improve your conversations through silence.

What does the follower need to do?

First, this must be based on a bedrock of competence and professionalism. If you are a constant complainer, your moment of truth to power will be taken as another complaint.

But to be listened to, try to avoid threatening the Leader.

• • 1. Please explain how you see issues and facts in light of his grasp of the situation and detail.
    2. Do so in a way that doesn’t threaten his Leader’s ego.
    3. Do not threaten the Leader’s authority.
    4. Do not diminish the effort that the Leader has made so far.

How might that look? Try to:

• • 1. The Leader’s attention is grabbed in a way that doesn’t threaten his ego.
    2. Puts the problem up front as an observation based on the follower’s knowledge.
    3. Offers a solution rather than demands a change.
    4. Reduces the threat to the Leader’s authority by giving them the power to decide.
    5. But finishes with a question, which creates a ‘closed loop communication.’ The Leader has to respond.

Frame your difficult conversations with the power of Facts, Feelings & Future.

Get attention, state the problem, offer a solution, and ask for agreement.

How does it work?

First comes the attention-getter. Recognize the Leader’s position by saying:

‘I know you have a tough job as our boss, and I am sure I couldn’t do better. But would you be open to hearing my thoughts on this project?’

Second, state the problem as you see it. Use a statement. 

“We plan to take the same action we’ve taken several times.”  

Third, offer a solution and use strong language:

“I know it seems like the safest option, and we’re under time pressure. We should take a few moments to repair the problem before we proceed.“

Finally, seek agreement. This is important because it focuses on the Leader to reply. It closes the loop of communication:

 “Do you agree?”

I wouldn’t go so far as to say this technique will suddenly lead to your boss listening to you and agreeing with every point you make.

However, it is backed by research in the airline and medical industries that shows it increases the chances of leaders listening to followers. It’s also shown to improve the quality of outcomes as well.

 

Follower or Leader: Improve your chances.

So, if you’re a leader, pass your experience on to your followers, give them the context and avoid punishing or otherwise damaging those who offer their logical opinions and well-reasoned judgements.

Teach your team to use the technique above and recognize it when it’s in action. When they use it, your team tries to tell you something you need to know.

Remember that complainers don’t get listened to when you are a follower.

Only competent professionals get to have their truth heard. Use the technique above to improve your chances of being listened to. Explain how you see issues and facts.

Do so in a way that doesn’t threaten your boss’s ego or authority.

 Instructions:

1. 1. 1. The quiz should take about five minutes.
      2. Answer the following questions by circling the letter (A, B, C, D) that best reflects you.
      3. At the end of the quiz, add the number of A’s, B’s, C’s, or D’s you have.
      4. Then discover what kind of leader you are, as well as tips for success with that leadership style.

Click Here To Download You Own PDF Copy Of This Quiz

---

1. Do you enjoy working in a group setting?

A. No, telling the group what we will do is easier.

B. Groups can be a good way of promptly achieving what you want to be done.

C. I would rather let the group work alone and then give them my thoughts on what they come up with at the end of the meeting.

D. Yes, I enjoy hearing what my peers have to say.

2. A colleague comes in late for work the third day in a row after promising you it would never happen again. She begs you not to tell your supervisor. What do you do?

A. You had already told your supervisor the first time she was late, and now you will put in a complaint to HR.

B. You tell her that it will be ok and that you will make sure no one finds out.

C. You don’t want to get involved, so you slip off and perform your duties. 

D. You tell her that you have already caught her up on the work she was behind but that you are worried she might get in trouble. You ask her kindly not to be late again.

3. If you had chosen a career path other than what you are doing now, which of the following would you have chosen?

A. A job in criminal justice (Judge, Police Officer, Lawyer).

B. A job in entertainment (Dancer, Singer, Actor).

C. A job in finance (Accountant, Business, Stock Broker).

D. A job in events (Event Planner, Wedding Planner, Manager)

4. Your colleague is having problems at home and is asking you for your advice at work. What do you do?

A. Tell them to keep their personal problems to themselves, especially at work. 

B. Tell them everything will be ok, and you will work out a solution for them. 

C. Ask them what they think they should do about the problem, and then tell them to follow their intuition.

D. Tell them you would be happy to help them every step of the way, whatever it takes.

5. How do you feel about rules?

A. You make the rules

B. It’s ok to bend the rules if you need to.

C. Rules need to be established to get work done.

D. Rules are made for a reason and should be followed. 

6. A new employee was hired last month, and he still hasn’t gotten used to how fast-paced your department is. What do you do?

A. You usually tell people what to do to be efficient, and he is no different. You don’t mind directing your colleagues. 

B. You encourage him to shadow you to learn how to do the job properly and efficiently, just like you. 

C. You let him work the job out on his own. He was given all the necessary tools in school to be successful.

D. You tell a few colleagues about the issue and work together to ensure he gets the proper training.

7. How do you prefer to make a big decision at work?

A. I like to make the decisions and then let my colleagues know what I have decided we will do.

B. Encourage your team to see it your way; after all, you usually have the best ideas.

C. You like to let your staff know all the information needed to make the decision and then let them brainstorm on their own.

D. You like to work with your peers to find the best solution possible, even if it takes a while to arrive at a conclusion.

8. How responsible do you feel for your coworkers?

A. I feel very responsible. I have always felt nothing will ever be done on time if I don’t constantly direct my team.

B. I am somewhat responsible for them because they admire how well I do my job. They might get confused if they didn’t have me as a role model.

C. I am not responsible for any of my colleagues. They have the materials they need to succeed.

D. We are all responsible for each other.

9. When you are learning something new you,

A. Want to gather the information needed and learn the facts quickly?

B. Read some of the material, but eventually, you teach yourself how to do it independently.

C. Like to learn only the required information so you are efficiently using your time.

D. Read all the provided material, as well as research it yourself. Also, you speak to your peers and exchange information and opinions on the subject.

10. What words describe you best?

A. Powerful, efficient and independent.

B. Energetic, motivational and charming.

C. Relaxed, trusting and helpful.

D. Logical, social and creative.

Click Here To Download You Own PDF Copy Of This Quiz

Exam Time is over! Now, count your A’s, B’s, C’s and D’s:

A’s _____ B’s _____ C’s _____ D’s _____

 

If you have chosen mostly A’s, you are a Rigid leader. 

• • • You are a powerful and intelligent worker; work is all about efficiency. 
    • You can sometimes come across as strict when you give directions, but in your mind, you are just doing your job well. 
    • Your leadership style is most helpful when there is a matter of urgency. 

However, this leadership style can come on as too strong in most situations. By delivering your message in a friendlier way, you will be able to do your work efficiently but also as one of the most well-liked employees.

If you have chosen mostly B’s, you are a Charismatic Leader. 

• • • You are a very energetic worker and carry a large amount of responsibility. 
    • You love to encourage your team to do the best that they can do, although, sometimes, you may believe that you are the only one who knows how to get tasks done correctly. 
    • This is not always a problem for you; this leadership style makes you likable. Your coworkers tend to admire your work ethic. 

However, if you aren’t at work one day, some of your coworkers will have difficulty figuring out how to perform tasks without your direction. You need to ensure that your team has their independence from you so they can succeed as well. 

If you have chosen mostly C’s, you are a Laissez-Faire Leader.  

• • • You are a leader that expects a lot from your coworkers. 
    • You give them the freedom to work independently without judgment, which works well if they are proficient workers and have a lot of experience. 

However, this leadership style can become disastrous if your colleagues are not as skilled as others. To avoid a lack of focus and motivation, you must make sure that you are checking in on your coworkers; They will benefit from more group work, and you will benefit from taking a more hands-on approach.   

If you have chosen mostly D’s, you are a Democratic Leader. 

• • • You are a team player and believe in equal participation; therefore, you are bothered when your peers don’t work together.
    • Discussion and debate are your forte, which can hold you and your team back.
    • This can be one of the most effective leadership styles because your people feel like they are being treated fairly.

However, you ensure you are using your time effectively and avoid getting caught up in being fair such that you lose sight of the task at hand.

How Did You Do?

Is There Space For Improvement?

Maybe You Should Join The Better Leader Inner Circle Program To Invest In Making You A Better Leader!