How To Stop a Work Culture of Harassment (Part 1 of 3)

This article was originally published on October 12, 2017, and has been updated.

Odds are, you will never know there is a predator in your midst…I didn’t.

One of my direct reports was a bully, and I completely missed what was going on.

As a leader, it was my responsibility to create a work culture where employees felt they could come forward so harassment could be dealt with immediately.

I felt awful, because the team he led was made up of some of my longest serving employees, many of whom I considered friends. Yet they didn’t feel comfortable coming to me.

Why?

Leaders can allow and permit a culture where bullying, physical abuse and sexual harassment can take place.

I hear your blood-pressure alarm going off.

You’re indignant because you have a policy: ZERO tolerance for harassment.

You’re probably writing an email now to tell me the one harassment complaint you received was investigated and dealt with, and the predator was disciplined or fired.

But here’s the thing:

The news is full of organizations like yours, that pride themselves on strong leadership values.

These same organizations have binders full of policies that are replete with accusations of harassment and predatory activities—Canadian and American armed forces, the RCMP, and municipal police forces, to name a few.

So please save the energy you are about to spend on indignation, and invest that into action.

The Facts About Workplace Harassment

If someone is reporting harassment or bullying, I can assure you it has been going on for a very long time.

The statistics agree:

  • 52% of women report they have been harassed at work (CNBC)
  • 25% of all workers report some level of harassment or bullying (Queens University)
  • 33% of civil servants report they have been bullied or harassed (The National Post)

Canadian Business Magazine found that most people are victimized five times on average before they report or quit.

Most employees suffer in silence or move on to a new job.

Even in the most egregious form of harassment—sexual—a Huffington Post survey found that 70 percent of women who have been sexually harassed do not report.

Maybe I am too old and cynical, but I don’t think the human race will ever eliminate predators from the gene pool.

While I have my own thoughts on why these people exist, I’ll leave that up to psychologists.

What I do know and understand better than most is leadership.

What’s my point?

Predators exist, and they harass, abuse, assault, bully, and worse.

Are you really SO sure that it isn’t happening in your organization?

There are two interconnected reasons why you may never know what is going on:

  1. the victims do not trust the “system” to look after them; and
  2. the chain of command is seldom held accountable for the actions of the perpetrator.

Predators are persistent and ubiquitous and are currently—or will eventually be—in your organization.

It is bound to happen, but what you do about it is not preordained.

That’s what we’ll cover in Part 2 and 3 of dealing with a culture of harassment at work:

You need to build faith in the system so people will tell you (Part 2) and you need to hold your leaders accountable for what is happening on their watch (Part 3).

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check these out, too:

5 Tools That Helped Me Survive a Workplace Bully (Guest post)

80% Of Projects Fail Because Of ‘People’ Issues … Here Are 6 Things You Can Do To Reduce That Risk

People Pleasing Leaders & Soup Sandwiches – 5 Messes You Make When You Try to Make Everyone Happy

The #1 Secret & 4 tips You Need To Know To Delegate

You know you need to delegate. But do you know HOW to delegate? If you’re not getting the desired results, chances are this lies with you.

Most agree that delegation is critical to management success. If that’s true, why are we usually left unhappy with the results we get after we delegate?

“WHY! WHY! Oh why, do I not get what I asked for?” Sound familiar?

But before you go blaming those you delegate to, remember this:

Failed delegation is rarely the fault of the person to whom you delegated. Usually, it is the fault of the person delegating.

“Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works, too.” – Robert Half.

As for the common root of failed delegation? Well, 99% of the time, the leader’s instructions do not provide clarity for the person doing the work.

But you can change things and begin to get the expected results. And I’m about to tell you how.

How to Delegate: The #1 Secret

Okay, here it is, the number one secret about how to delegate:

GET (AND GIVE) CLARITY!

Without clarity, you’re leaving delegation up to guesswork. You’re expecting your team to read your mind. And when has that ever worked out? As lovely as it would be for our team members to know what we want before we even know what we want, this isn’t realistic. Or fair. With some effort in creating clarity surrounding expectations, delegation, in general, will become much more effective.

You will benefit from getting the results you want, and your team will benefit from knowing what their next move should be.

Here are four things to be clear on about how to delegate

You must be 100% clear on:

Clarity of objective: What exactly is it that needs to be done? Is an assignment as straightforward as it can be?

          • If a report is required, what exactly is to be completed? An email? A 1-page summary? A 10-page brief? Or, a 40-page report?
          • When is it to be completed?
          • What are the resources that are going to be available?

Clarity of responsibility: Whose assignment is it? Who does what to whom?

Clarity of time: The request was for a “quick competitive analysis.” Well, how quick is it? A day? A week? Two weeks?

Clarity of communication: Who reports to whom? When are status reports and updates due? When do you, as the assigned, want to know about risks and problems?

Clarity is a tricky subject. It’s a challenge for many leaders. But it’s worth the work of creating it. For more on how to do that, try this post next: Be The CRO – 2 Ways to Communicate with Clarity.

So, what is the solution?

As for how to achieve this clarity? Personal charters!

There’s no guarantee you’ll end up precisely with what you want. But you can improve the odds by creating a charter between you and the person to whom you are delegating a task.

These ‘charters’ can be verbal, in an email or in a formal written document. The point is to clarify expectations, milestones, terms & timings, schedule accountability and establish reporting expectations.

Okay, now we’ve given you the secret for delegating and four things you need to be absolutely clear on. Now, it’s time to go out and make it happen. Communicate expectations, clearly define those expectations, and don’t assume the person you’re delegating to can read your mind.

Need some help with that? Let’s talk. Click here to start a conversation and get the results you want.

Did you learn a lot from this post? Try one of these articles next:

Trust & Chance: 2 Things You Need for Leading in a Crisis

Trust & Chance: 2 Things You Need for Leading in a Crisis

Leading in a crisis presents an entirely new scope of challenges, and leaders of all kinds need to be prepared. I have given many workshops and keynotes in the past year where I relate my leadership experiences from the army and responding to disasters.

Leading in a crisis

There is one question that comes up at the end of almost every one of the bookings: How do you lead people during emergencies when they are scattered all over the place, and you have no idea what is going on?

The short answer? Trust and chance.

In 2011 there was a wildfire that tore across the bush in northern Alberta that forced the evacuation of 17,000 people. By the end, over 500 homes were destroyed, 300 of which were in the town of Slave Lake.

During the days of the main destruction I had a dozen teams of employees and volunteers that were deploying to the affected area to support the evacuation of all of these people.

The geography covered thousands of square kilometres of northern forest that covered most of northwest Alberta. Roads were closed and cell-phone coverage, spotty at the best of times, was down due to the raging fires. My people were driving into this maelstrom to deliver humanitarian services.

(For more on leading through fires, floods, earthquakes, COVID, and more, read this post next.)

In this day and age of instantaneous broadband and high-speed communications, I was utterly in the dark for most of the beginning days of the operations. My biggest fear was that my people were driving into the fires. My only instruction to those I could get a hold of was this: No one gets killed.

Chance was on my side, and no one on my team was hurt. In fact, there wasn’t a single fire-related casualty out of all of those people forced from their homes.

Trust was on my side, because of the work we had done to build our teams. I knew that these people would do the best job they could and knew that I had their back as they made decisions and took actions in the field.

(Leading in a crisis often feels like you’re trying to move forward without a map. Here are four ways to still make progress.)

How to build trust when leading in a crisis and beyond

There is little you can do to control chance. But there is everything you can do to build trust.

Here is the top three:

  1. TRAIN your people well and in challenging situations. Military leaders have learned repetitive training builds muscle and memory triggers that win out over panic when emergencies take place.
  2. NEVER, ever, discipline someone for making a decision; even if it is one you wouldn’t have made. Remember, they were there, and you weren’t. That said, when things have calmed down it is fair to review the actions taken with a coach’s or mentor’s eye around what lessons could be gained from that experience.
  3. TALK to your people in calm tones. Imagine they are in front of you; imagine putting your hand on their shoulder and talking them through a scary complex situation.

Additional leadership resources

Do you want to talk more about leading in a crisis and beyond? My services include organizational consulting as well as one-on-one coaching for new or uncertain leaders who need help finding their way forward. Let me know about the kind of results you want, and we’ll schedule a call to figure out the best way to get you there.

Looking for more leadership content? Try one of these three posts next:

This article was first published in 2015 but it was updated in 2021 just for you.

 

Millennials & Beyond: Developing Your High-Potential Employees For A Post Covid Reality

Millennials might be the high-potential employees your organization needs to move forward following the Pandemic. It’s time to stop fighting it and prepare for it instead.

There was a point where I questioned if there are any advantages to being a Millennial in today’s world. Stereotypes portrayed them as entitled, lazy, and idealistic.

But You need to understand one thing – YOU NEED THEM!

The next generation of high-potential employees

Despite that, Millennials, Gen-Y, Gen-X, and soon enough, Gen-Z will be running your companies and organizations before you know it.

Are you ready? Are you preparing these bright and shiny, high-potential employees to be your company’s future leaders?

Do you remember being 20-something? We all had big dreams of how life and our career would unfold.

For me, it was many years ago, but there was no question that I would lead a great organization and achieve great things.

Are you writing off high-potential employees?

I am 100% certain that my old bosses thought I was a cocky little pipsqueak, wanting more, excessively eager, and not wanting to pay my dues.

Sound familiar to the conversations happening at work today? (Read about getting your boss off your back)

Millennials through Gen Z’s have been declared the “ME” generation. The impatient generation.

But let’s be fair; the only reason Baby-Boomers weren’t connected to the Internet was that it was science fiction.

As far as entitlement goes, I wanted the corner office so bad my teeth ached.

Wanting is good. Wanting something pushes us to develop more, achieve more, and create more.

If there are people in your organization that want to develop, create and achieve more, ask yourself this: what are you doing to give them more? Are you preparing them to be the high-potential employees your organization needs?

Are you preparing them to LEAD your company?

Developing high-potential employees

Here are nine actions to engage, retain, and develop your high-potential employees to do more, regardless of the generation:

1. Make the case.

Educate everyone about the importance of developing your high-potential employees.

Action: Host a lunch and learn about the topics that are changing the work landscape to help everyone understand.

2. Recognize high-potential employees.

Let the high-potential employees know they are high-potential.

Tell them so they realize their long-term impact on the company.

Action: Have the CEO or a respected leader meet the high-potential employees over lunch.

3. Big picture.

Younger generations genuinely want to know the reasoning behind why things are the way they are at work.

This is not acting entitled.

Action: Everyone wants to make an impact; take the time to show them how their projects, responsibilities, and future roles tie into the big picture.

4. Provide a map.

People want to be fulfilled and challenged in their careers, so show them the available career path to keep them engaged.

Action: Ask your high-potential employees where they would like to be long-term, tell them exactly how they can get there to see the available options, and an organizational commitment to their goals.

5. Emphasize “soft” business skills.

Soft skills are critical to workplace success, such as business etiquette, writing, initiative, time management, and conflict management are all incredibly important—yet these things are not taught in college.

Action: Make “business etiquette,” a component of your development and training initiatives.

6. Provide experiences.

Encourage your high-potential people to take on new projects and responsibilities.

And give them assignments to stretch their potential.

Action: Allow your high-potential employees to shadow someone else in the company to gain exposure to different aspects of the business and encourage them to join industry and professional organizations.

(While you’re here, be sure to check out Increase Your Emotional Intelligence To Be a Better Leader)

7. Invest.

The long-term success of your organization lies entirely in the hands of your high-potential employees.

So don’t ignore investing in your most valuable asset: your people.

Action: Offer at least one training session per quarter, and institute lunch and learns or roundtables to build on what the training session covered.

8. Mentor.

Give your high-potential employees someone to look up to so they know and trust authority.

Action: Encourage a culture where casual coaching and conversations are an everyday occurrence up and down your organization’s hierarchies.

9. Feedback and recognition.

Younger team members should be confident, but this doesn’t mean they don’t want to improve. Tell them how they’re doing – and often- so they can learn, grow, and develop.

Encourage managers to be open, honest, and direct and share their management philosophy and style.

Action: Challenge your managers to sit down with direct reports once a month to deliver (and receive!) performance feedback.

So, are you ready to take action? Start developing your high-potential employees today. Your organization will thank you.

Did you like reading about how to develop high-potential employees, regardless of their generation? Here are a few more you won’t want to miss:

Six Tips to Partner With Your Boss
80% Of Projects Fail Because Of ‘People’ Issues … Here Are 6 Things You Can Do To Reduce That Risk
People Pleasing Leaders & Soup Sandwiches – 5 Messes You Make When You Try to Make Everyone Happy

This article was originally published in 2019. It was recently updated just for you!

7 Steps To Leading in A Crisis: Don't Be an Ass

7 Steps To Leading in A Crisis: Don’t Be an Ass

To some, this entire year feels like a storm of bad news. As a leader, you’re leading in a crisis and during unprecedented times. Naturally, world events might get to you. But are you taking this out on your team? They deserve better than you being an ass.

I have been blogging about leadership for a few years now. I draw the subject matter from my observations of other leaders, the questions readers and clients ask, and from my own experiences and mistakes. To protect the privacy of others – and my ego – I usually veil names and circumstances when I relate a story … but this one is all about me!

My own experience leading in a crisis

I spent a few years leading a public-sector organization. Things were going very well until a series of events pushed me into a place where I wasn’t sure who I could trust. I felt many of the people I was working with weren’t acting ethically and I began to feel undermined, paranoid, and under attack.

On the ‘Fight, Flight or Freeze’ spectrum, I do not fly or freeze well. When threatened, my instinctive reaction to fight. In that setting and at that time, I felt my temper becoming quicker to light. I was in such a state that I once slammed a door so hard it nearly came off its hinges.

Not one of my finest moments.

Maybe, maybe my reaction was understandable. But it was unacceptable and inexcusable.

My personal and professional expectation is to hold myself to a higher standard. In times of uncertainty and adversity and crisis, any signs of leadership immaturity will make your employees feel unsafe and insecure.

I needed to be the paragon of composure and not an ass.

So, if you’re leading in a crisis, let me save you from these same mistakes.

Here are seven ways to maintain leadership composure during the most pressure-packed moments.

Get A Grip On Your Emotions

Grow up!

You are the adult in the room so learn not to wear your emotions on your sleeve. When you allow emotions to get in the way, your employees interpret this as you not being objective and too passionate about the situation.

Balance expressing concern and care while maintaining your composure.

Read more about demonstrating leadership even in tough times here.

Try Not To Take It Personally

There are lots of reasons why decisions and circumstances don’t always play out logically.

Remain calm and never start thinking that your moral indignation will justify your actions.

Keep Positive

Employees are always watching your actions, behaviour, relationships, and overall demeanour.

You must maintain a positive mental attitude and manage a narrative that keeps their employees inspired and hopeful–even when you’re leading in a crisis.

This is where your leadership and resolve can shine. Stay strong, smile, and demonstrate authentic compassion and empathy.

Remain Courageous

Fear is contagious. So, act like a duck! Calm on top and paddling like hell underwater.

No matter what kind of crisis you’re leading in, project a sense of steady confidence. That way, you will instill it in others.

Remain fearless and cool to communicate a sense of composure to those you lead.

For more on moral courage, click here.

Be Decisive

Maintain your composure and never show doubt.

Speak with conviction, confidence, and authority. This gives employees the comfort that everything is under control.

Be Accountable

You have chosen to assume leadership responsibility, and it’s more important than ever when you’re leading in a crisis. So take the required steps to problem solve before things get out of hand.

You Got This

The most effective way to maintain composure during challenges is to act like a leader.

You have solved complex problems many times before. Knuckle onto this one with the same compassion, elegance, and grace.

It’s easy to lose composure during times of crisis if you let worry turn into fear. By remaining calm and in control you can step back, critically evaluate what is going on.

Your composure puts those you lead at ease and creates a safe and secure workplace culture where no one needs panic in the face of adversity.

Leading in a crisis and beyond

Oh yeah, and don’t be an ass.

If you’ve been thinking about moving your career to the next level? Looking for support while you’re leading in a crisis? You’ll also want to have a look at my 1-on-1 coaching services.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check these out, too:

The High Cost of Poor Leadership
10 Signs You Have a Scary Boss
People Pleasing Leaders & Soup Sandwiches – 5 Messes You Make When You Try to Make Everyone Happy

This post was originally published in March 2017, and has been updated just for you!

7 Steps To Leading in A Crisis: Don't Be an Ass

4 Things You Need To Do Before The Next Crisis “Nobody Saw Coming”

As we navigate one of the biggest global crises many of us will ever experience in our lifetime, people around the world are in a state of what’s known as crisis management. While managing crises seems like an effective solution, it just means we’re in a constant state of doing the bare minimum to keep our head above water.

Of course, some crises are out of our control. But what we DO have control over is taking steps to be prepared (physically, mentally, financially, emotionally, and so on) for whatever life throws our way. We can also be proactive in dealing with problems as we encounter them.

What is crisis management?

Crisis management happens when you’re too busy dealing with the problem at hand so small emergencies grow into large problems or crises. We become overwhelmed rather than investing time and resources into long-term solutions…Solutions that could prevent the crisis from occurring in the first place.

If you’re constantly in a state of crisis management, chances are your productivity is almost nil. And your nerves are likely shot.

I heard from a reader who was struggling with crises or emergencies that continually get in the way of their priorities. Now, I’m not 100% sure what’s going on in this person’s life. But if crises and emergencies are routine, then they aren’t crises and emergencies…They’re normal life for that person.

It reminds me of an old story about a suitcase manufacturer based in Montreal.

They made beautiful, high-quality suitcases that people might have used during the glory days of plying the seas via ocean liner. Sadly, they were slowly going out of business. People were no longer sailing. Instead, they were flying and required smaller suitcases.

When asked why this company didn’t start making small suitcases, they responded resolutely that they “couldn’t switch over because they were too busy making large ones!”

The suitcase company was in a state of crisis management. So, what can be done to put an end to crisis management and deal with problems as they come our way?

By the way, don’t miss this post where I share the three things you need to lead through a crisis.

Got a problem? Fix it NOW!

If you’re going to put an end to crisis management, you’ve got to get out in front of the problems. You need to stop them before they occur.

It’s not that small business owners and non-profit leaders DON’T want to nip problems in the bud. But doing so requires the two precious commodities we’re usually short on, time and money.

And since there are always more tasks than people to do them, it’s easy to see why crisis management is a problem.

Or why during a crisis we just keep making large suitcases instead of biting the bullet and switching over to what our customers want.

When you’re fighting for your life, the urge to stay with what you know and where you are comfortable is natural and completely understandable.

You begin to feel like you’re sinking. Your perspective is diminished. Short-term survival instincts kick in.

You can’t manage if you’re always in a crisis.

If you’re dealing with competing priorities, it can turn into a form of crisis management. Click here for some actionable steps for dealing with competing priorities.

How to eliminate crisis management

You didn’t get to where you are all at once. You did it one small step at a time.

So you shouldn’t be surprised when I tell you that it’s the same as eliminating crisis management.

Here are some steps to consider:

  1. Where did it start? The next time you’re faced with a problem, ask yourself and the people around you where it began. Find the true cause of the problem. Even if you don’t have the time or resources to fix the fundamental cause of the problem, just by identifying it, you’ve made progress in eliminating crisis management in your organization.
  2. What are the quick wins? There probably are many problems that can be fixed by making small changes.
  3. Are there sacred cows? These issues sound like, “We’ve always done it that way.”
  4. What is your collective intellectual horsepower? Ask your staff, Board, or a mentor for their thoughts and suggestions for improving the organization.

Like the suitcase company, if you’re too busy dealing with the crisis to fix the causes, you’ll be stuck with a failing enterprise.

Only by fearlessly shining a light on what’s going on in your company will allow you to identify – then fix – your problems.

If you’re interested in going even deeper or moving your career to the next level, you’ll also want to have a look at my 1-on-1 coaching services.

If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check these out, too:

A Curated List of Crisis Leadership Articles
9 Stupid Management Practices (and what to do instead)
The 6T’s To Know What To Delegate

This article was originally published on September 25, 2015, and has been updated.

π