Category Talking To Your People

The Best New Year Letter An Employee Could Ever Write You

Mrs. CEO,

I am one of your employees.

I work in operations, and I don’t have a fancy title.

I like working here, I like what I do, and I love my career. My role here has grown in ways I never expected, and I am thrilled with my job’s direction.

I wanted to write you because I only saw you at last year’s Zoom Christmas party or on the website, but I never had the chance to talk to you.

I understand that you are super busy running the company, travelling, and keeping stakeholders & shareholders happy.

And I didn’t want to come off as a whiner, but I wanted to share a few of the things that I see, but you might not notice:

Corporate Strategy – I know your executive teams think about Strategy from time to time.

But at my level, I know my tasks, but I have no idea how I contribute to the company’s success. When I asked my supervisor, he threw his hands up and said It didn’t matter because Corporate had no idea.

Read why your employees don’t give a rat’s $%^# about your precious Strategy.

Company Values – Our corporate values look good on the banner and the website, but it doesn’t seem to impact me.

There are roadblocks everywhere to getting our work done.

And it seems better to keep our mouths shut than try to tell a supervisor about problems.

Read about values and keeping employees.

Performance – I have been passed over for a promotion several times. It never seems fair because nobody has ever taken the time to explain why.

I want to get promoted or get a raise, but the process seems mysterious, and nobody knows how the system works.

Read about avoiding performance management fails.

Town halls & Teleconferences – I think I know what you are trying to do, but they are hours long and full of last year’s numbers and technical jargon.

Read about how not to screw up talking to your employees

The company you describe in your presentations sounds like Google, and as much as I want to believe your description, it doesn’t feel that way.

I struggle to know why you see a different picture of the company than we do.

I try to have a positive attitude and look for ways to contribute more, but the people I work with are frustrated and discouraged. No one seems to know what is going on, the reorganization a few months ago was nerve-racking, and we are all a bit scared.

I want success for the company because I like it here. But I must admit, I am struggling to understand why our managers are not trained to help us get there.

Maybe you, or some of your executives, could stop presenting to us, stop by the shop floor, talk with us, and listen to us. You might learn that there seems to be something missing because things are not going well at my level.

We like you, the company and our jobs and only want the best for everyone. We need to understand.

Sincerely,

Your Worried But Loyal Worker

Written with credit to several online examples

Three 3-minute articles to discuss with your team to create a lifetime of positive change (for everyone).

This article has been reprinted several times, most recently,

the Engineering Management Institute has reprinted it

What you can do with this: You can print, read, share, and discuss it.

How to use this material:

      • Discuss. Remind. Encourage.
      • That’s my recommended approach to helping people commit and develop.
      • I recommend reading and discussing the first three articles with your team and repeat weekly.
      • Each can be read in less than three minutes and discussed in 10 to 15 minutes.

How to prepare:

      • Share one of the articles with your team and schedule a time for discussion.
      • Or share the guide with your department leaders and have them facilitate smaller discussions.
      • Ask everyone to read the discussion article.
      • Ask them to make notes on anything they find valuable or disagree with. If you prefer, give them some questions about the material for ideas and ask them to provide some advanced thought.
      • On your own, read the article, make your notes, and answer the questions you intend to ask or give.
      • Give some quick thought to any likely objections or challenges to the material you can anticipate from your group. (Who might ask what and how you want to respond?)
      • Introduce your upcoming discussions in person or by email. Feel free to use the following as a suggested script to edit to fit your style:

“I came across a few short articles that significantly impacted me. I thought we all might benefit from reading and discussing them over the next few weeks – one each week.

“Each article can be read in less than three minutes. Please read the first one and give some advanced thought to it. Make notes on anything that connects with you.

“Let’s kick off next week strong and meet in the conference room Monday morning at 8:00 for 20 minutes at most.

“I think the effort will be good for our work, but it also might be helpful to each of us personally.”

Discussion tips:

      • Be enthusiastic.
      • Avoid interrupting or finishing someone’s thoughts or answers.
      • Add a small gap of silence to an answer – just a beat or two. This may allow someone to expand on something and avoid someone feeling that they need to rush through their answers.
      • When you feel someone might have more value to add, encourage them with a “What do you mean, Nancy?” or “Can you expand on that?” or “What happened next?”
      • Invite different people to contribute to the discussion or have other people lead the talks each week.
      • Be ready to help the discussion move on if someone takes too much control of it. (“Good point, Bob. If we have time in the end, let’s come back to this.”)

Discussion #1: Slippery Moments & Quiet Quitting

The Gallup organization says that in North America, roughly:

              • 29% of us are engaged and care about our work
              • 54% of us are just “Going Through the Motions.”
              • 17% are “Disgruntled” and get in the way of those who care

Of course, we all have moments when we are not working at our best, but the “Going Through the Motions” people or those who have “Quietly Quit” are challenging to deal with. Dealing with the “Going Through the Motions” or “Disgruntled” can be slippery and trip you up.

Slippery Moments Discussion Questions:

          • How do you think the numbers from Gallup stand up here?
          • What are some typical examples of moments we see here?
          • What are the consequences for our customers/ourselves?
          • What are your thoughts on the problem?
          • What are a few specific things we could start doing today to make those “Going Through the Motions” or “Disgruntled” moments less frequent? What else?

Discussion #2: Distraction Diet

Imagine the incredible results you’d have if you focused more during your day. You could:

                • Contribute more
                • Serve people better (internally and externally)
                • Come up with more ideas
                • Waste less time ramping back up
                • Create more opportunities
                • Plan better
                • Be less frustrated and stressed

Five ways to knock out the bulk of distractions:

        1. Establish focus hours for yourself. Set aside time each day when you’ll be unavailable for anything but true emergencies. If you can, commit to no inter-office communications during focus hours unless it genuinely can’t wait. No small talk. No “Hey… just a sec” interruptions.
        2. Turn off email alerts and commit to checking them at the most minimal level you feel is possible without harming service to others.
        3. Turn off chat and messaging apps (personal and team) unless your work requires it to get the job done.
        4. Avoid the web during your money hours (hours of the workday where you make good things happen) unless you need it for your work. The distractions are endlessly pleasant for those who’d prefer to avoid making good things happen (not your goal).
        5. Face away from distractions if you’re in a setting that allows you to do so.

Distraction Diet Discussion Questions:

          • What are the most valuable of the five ideas for us? The least valuable? Why? Why not?
          • What impact can our distraction have on our customers/colleagues?
          • What are some other ideas we could do to improve?
          • If we gave out an award to the most focused person on our team/department, who would win it? Why?
          • How can we help each other when we slip? What kind of agreement can we make to stay committed to better focus?

“The major problem of life is learning how to handle the costly interruptions. The door that slams shut, the plan that got sidetracked, the marriage that failed. Or that lovely poem that didn’t get written because someone knocked on the door.” ~ MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (1929 – 1968)

Discussion #3: Do as I say, not as I do.

Given that most of us can’t get it right all the time, is it just more good advice?

          • Someone suggests you be more approachable to invite opportunity and better relationships, but you hide behind your desk.
          • Is the advice wrong if a boss is not patient or thankful but suggests that you should be?

When I find myself indulging in being grumpy, I’ve found it helpful to remember four things:

          1. I’m a grown-up.
          2. It’s not about me.
          3. I won’t be here forever.
          4. I want to make good things happen for others (which, in turn, will make good things happen for me).

Do as I Say Discussion Questions:

          1. What connected most with you from the article? Why?
          2. Why do you think someone’s hypocrisy makes it easier for us to disregard their advice?
          3. What does “Go first … and stay with it” mean?
          4. How do you think we can better minimize our occasional negative moods?
          5. What would you add or revise to overcome grumpiness?

My conclusion

It’s always the leader.

  • We try to hire the right people. We do our best to develop and grow those people.
  • But we get busy and stop listening. Take a few moments each month to use these questions to prompt a conversation.

Listen.

  • You will be surprised, even shocked, with what you will learn.

How to handle underperformance – Productively!

Most people want to be successful in their job.

Consider the following suggestions when you observe performance that is not meeting your expectations:

  • Make sure you and the individual have the exact expectations and goals, as a mutual understanding of performance objectives is critical to managing performance.

Read why High Performance is not the same as High Potential.

  • How:

Schedule a conversation with the person and make sure you have enough time not to be rushed

Ensure that you have a mutual understanding of the employee’s performance objectives

          • Ask the person to describe what they are trying to do and how they view their performance. DO NOT interrupt and allow the employee to talk.

Listen carefully and thoughtfully to the person’s view of the situation.

          • Paraphrase what you heard the person say to ensure you understand
          • Ask the person to repeat what they said, but in different words

A Poor Performer Costs Money, But If You Like Them, It Will Cost You $76,500* – Two Approaches To Cut That Cost

Once they are finished, consider what they said and then share your expectations and perceptions.

Discuss any discrepancies between your expectation and what the employee has told you by:

          • Be specific about your expectations for goals and objectives that the employee is not meeting.
          • Listening carefully to the person’s ideas and perspectives and then determining if there is a way to improve the person’s work.
          • If the poor performance results from a lack of skill, knowledge, or experience, give specific direction to provide coaching and development opportunities.
          • If the poor performance results from conflicting priorities, clarify your preferences for this person.

Once you have a shared understanding of the situation, refocus the conversation on the future, not the past.

Ask the person for their ideas and solutions for closing any performance gaps.

Agree on the steps to be taken and a time frame for each step

Read about performance management fails & what to do about them

Follow up on the performance regularly by scheduling meetings and informally with regular check-ins.

How to create Leaders, not Followers

We always underestimate the incredible impact of our presence in our organizations.

Walking through the office, around the shop floor or on a project job site can be very revealing.

Read about Absent and Unseen Leaders

Imagine being the leader who learned something new about your organization every time you did a walk around.

Imagine sparking a new conversation about how to do things better every day.

Toilet Seats & Servant Leadership: Two Actions You Must Balance To Ensure Success

Imagine the impact on your team if they felt their work and effort were valued.

What goes on in your workplace that reinforces the concept that you and the people at the top are leaders and everyone else is a follower? You might be startled by how persuasive this is within your organization.

When did you last walk around with a curious intention to see what was happening?

What would it tell you if your people were:

        • Checking with bosses to get permission to go home or take a break
        • Supervisors held meetings to detail only what they expected from their employees
        • Employees had to fill in forms or send emails to get permission to act
        • Only certain positions or ranks, could make certain decisions
        • Supervisors asked questions of their employees to establish authority rather than curiosity & respect
        • Employees report only problems instead of bringing ideas for solutions
        • Conversations between employees and supervisors where subordinates, in effect, were only told what to do.

Next time you talk to your team members, discuss what they see or think with your employees.

Read about the power of not talking during a conversation.

Some questions could be:

        • If you were me, what would you be worried about?
        • Can you describe the decision we need to make here?
        • Can you explain the pros and cons of the decision?
        • I wasn’t here, what would you do?

If you find yourself in a position where you feel like you might need the boss to tell you what needs to be done, try these questions:

        • I don’t want you to tell me what to do here, but can you provide more clarity?
        • What is your overall intention with the project?
        • What would it look like if I was successful?
        • How can I make this more successful for both of us?

The secret to creating Leaders throughout your organisation

Use: ‘I intend to ….’

Read about the 6 Questions To Bring Clarity to Your First Team!

When we give people instructions, we create followers.

When we tell people what our intention is, we create independent-thinking leaders.

I believe that people are already empowered, and by allowing them to understand our intentions, we give them the authority to act upon their empowerment.

To gauge if your people feel disempowered, listen for language like:

        • ‘We’ve always done it the way.
        • I was told, or they told me …
        • What would you like me to do?
        • What should I do about it?
        • Do you think we should …?
        • Tell me what to do.

As Curious Leaders, What Are The Right The Questions to Ask

But to truly empower your people, you should actively use phrases like:

        • I intend to…
        • I would like to…
        • I plan to…
        • I will…
        • Let me give you an update.
        • Here’s what we are thinking about this.

Instead of waiting for an order for the next step, an empowered employee should brief their supervisor with the rationale for the action they are about to take.

Using empowered language builds energetic, emotionally committed employees who begin to think about what needs to be done and the right way to do it. They start thinking aloud about what they intend and at a higher level.

Because you are clear about your intentions, they can articulate and verbalize their intentions to meet your goals.

5 Behaviours at the Heart of a Great Team

‘I intend to …’ creates ownership in goal setting, giving the employee responsibility and increasing commitment to achieving the goal.

Intentions can do more than this; they can significantly increase goal attainment.

Where goals intentions specify a specific endpoint, intentions describe the when, where and how of reaching the goal.

 

Based on the work by L David Marquet & his book ‘Turn This Ship Around.

Are your One-on-Ones Increasing Dysfunction on your Teams?

Based on an article by Debbie Elison & reprinted from www.TableGroup.ca

Have you ever questioned the value of your one-on-one meetings?

Most of us dutifully hold them but rarely ask why.  

Many clients say, “It’s my direct report’s time with me.  I let them talk about whatever they want to get their job done.”

While it always sounds like a great idea, it has a downside.

Leaders spend as much as 30 hours monthly in one-on-ones, building relationships, helping people grow, and improving morale.  However, many one-on-one conversations undermine the team, fuel dysfunction, and lower morale and productivity.

The first time, I realized how damaging one-on-ones were at an offsite with a team reviewing an assessment of their team’s effectiveness, which indicated that the team was struggling with a commitment to decisions.  

As we unpacked the reasons for the issues, a phenomenon unfolded that no one had realized.

The leader had allowed scope creep into the one-on-ones.  Instead of talking about the development of the employee, which is the most productive use of a one-on-one, team members had broadened them to include other things that were important to get their jobs done, such as:

      • Their opinions on important decisions.
      • Issues they were having with other team members.
      • Requests for direction and decisions on operational matters.

This scope creep resulted in individuals holding back in the team meetings and, instead, waiting for one-on-ones.  

Decisions were made in one-on-ones that should have been debated with the larger team.  Not surprisingly, the team hadn’t genuinely bought into the decisions made.

I have encountered this same phenomenon many times.  

Well-intended leaders try to do the right thing and end up causing more harm than good. 

Recently, I saw a leader believing he was doing the right thing by giving everyone attention and direction, only to realize that he was leaving most of the team out of critical conversations.  

 

Click the image to contact Steve & learn more

So, what can you do to improve your one-on-ones?

DO:

      • Identify one or two opportunities for the employee’s growth during a specific period
      • Ask for examples of the employee exemplifying those behaviours since the last one-on-one
      • Discuss progress on operational deliverables
      • Coach them on how to talk with a person with whom they are having an issue
      • Ask what you or the organization can do better
      • Mix it up from time to time and ask more significant questions of each other about how you collectively can bring more value to the organization

DON’T:

      • Change or cancel the meeting without providing an apparent reason
      • Change a direction or decision affecting the rest of the team
      • Be defensive about constructive feedback they give you

Review this checklist with your team so they can hold you accountable for these practices, but do not use this as a license to cancel your one-on-ones. 

He refocused them and has received accolades from his team.  

Do them right and watch your people flourish.

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