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Month: September 2016

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

I was on my way to my manager’s office and noticed her door was open. As I came up to the door, I realized she was on the phone and heard her mention my name. She was telling the person on the phone about how she had told me to implement HER idea – the one that was really MY idea.

I was angry so I went to her door and cleared my throat. She looked up in surprise and quickly ended her call. She then asked me, “What’s up?” I should have confronted her but I didn’t. I’m not sure why. I usually have no problem in confronting people. However, I never trusted her again and never again made suggestions that would benefit the group or product. Not long after, I left her group. So perhaps that was my protest?240_f_58227718_credit

I always try to give credit where credit is due. If one of my team members does something really good, or has an idea I want implemented, I make sure to acknowledge that person and give them credit for the work. I do this because then my staff understands I won’t take credit for the good work they are doing. The result is my behavior motivates them to want to produce high quality work.

Acknowledging, publicly, individuals’ contributions is highly motivating.

Don’t de-motivate your team by taking credit for their ideas. Give them the credit that is due to them. It’s one of the best investments you can make in your team. And you will get the credit for having great team members who come up with and implement great ideas.

Of course, when I do have a good idea, I’m happy to take credit for it!

When Helping Is Not Helpful: Making Assumptions

When Helping Is Not Helpful: Making Assumptions

As a newly minted first line manager, I was eager to help my team. As I met with each person on the team, each one explained what he or she was working on. I asked a series of questions. Those questions were usually asked with the unspoken assumption that the employee hadn’t done something or considered something important in doing their job. After all, I was helping!

In one of these meetings, an employee said to me, “You know, it would be much more productive if you asked me if I did those things already instead of assuming I haven’t.” Oh. She didn’t say, ‘trust me to do those things,’ but that’s what I heard. I’ve always wanted my employees to trust me and here I was – not trusting them to do their jobs.

 Never make assumptions.

At some point in our careers, we all enjoy (not!) the manager that doesn’t trust his staff. You know the one. The one who assumes you haven’t done the simple things already and instead tells you to do them never asking if you already have.

Here I was, being that manager. Argh.assumptions

I didn’t think I was being an assuming type of manager. I really believed it was helpful to ask those questions. I still slip up every now and then and ask assuming questions. Sometimes I catch myself and respond with, “But I know you probably already considered that, right?” It’s how I try to recover from making assumptions. Why take the time to recover? Because making assumptions can damage the relationship I have with my employee.

So when talking to your employees remember what it feels like to have your manager make assumptions about you. Holding that thought in place, ask your employee what has already been considered or done. This is so much more respectful of your employees and you might end up very surprised by their answers.

The Hard Truth: Not all Your Ideas are Great

The Hard Truth: Not all Your Ideas are Great

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At a staff meeting, I very enthusiastically shared my great idea to improve productivity. It was such a great idea! I divvied up responsibilities to implement this great idea and left the meeting thinking how brilliant I was. I had recently been promoted to a director level position and I was eager to show what I could do.

Now, there are lots of ways to improve productivity. I had ideas, sure. But I failed to realize that my managers and their team members might have some input too. Nope. I charged ahead with my “great” idea. I didn’t pause to ask for feedback because I was so sure it was such a great idea.

A few days later, after investigating how to implement my great idea, one of my managers came into my office, shut the door and started questioning me about my great idea. I found this irritating. She was questioning me about my obviously great idea! 

 Maybe my idea wasn’t so great.

She kept asking what outcome I expected and how that outcome could be achieved if we implemented my great idea. At that point, I paused and looked at her. It finally struck me that my great idea might be a bad idea. I

idea-badrealized to really manage a successful team, I had to be willing to hear from my employees that what I thought was a brilliantly great idea – might not be so brilliant. That’s tough especially if I’m really attached to the idea and really do believe it is brilliant.

This manager then went on to propose another way to improve productivity and how it could be implemented and tracked. Her proposal was a better proposal than mine. I had a choice: refuse her proposal and continue with my great idea or go with her proposal. If I continued with my great idea, that I now knew had some serious downsides, this would signal to her and the entire organization that I was unwilling to consider other people’s ideas. This action could result in closing down creativity and innovation. Or, I could swallow my pride and choose a better idea than mine.

I told her I would think about her proposal and get back to her. I thought through the two proposals long and hard; clearly her proposal was a better one than mine. I decided to go with her proposal. What I didn’t realize at the time was my decision not only gave folks the freedom to propose new ideas but it also told them I trusted them.

Since that time, I’ve proposed new things and my team members have proposed new things. By making it a reciprocal conversation with lots of back and forth, I get buy-in and signal to the team that I respect and trust their input. I’m not saying I don’t at times decline their proposals. I do. But only after listening and weighing the pros and cons of each proposal. In this way, the door to creativity and innovation is left wide open.

Worse Line Ever From a Manager: “You all are like my children.”

Worse Line Ever From a Manager: “You all are like my children.”

“You all are like my children,” my manager said to me.

I just stared at him. I was offended on so many levels. I was NOT his child in any sense of the word. However, as this was my first professional job, I didn’t say anything in response though I could feel my body constricting in anger. He then went on to elaborate just why he thought his direct reports were like his children: We didn’t always agree, some team members get upset with other team members. And so on.

If what he really meant to say is we are all human beings that at times disagree with a direction or a decision, or that we can be offended by what we think are inappropriate remarks, then yes, we are all like children. And sometimes, that’s ok.

The most amazing, and appalling, piece of this point of view is that my manager clearly thought he was the only reasonable adult person at work. Wow. Pretty arrogant – and definitely wrong.

All of us, including those managers who think their employees are their children, have experienced frustration, disagreements, and yes, squabbling, at work. It’s called being human! Instead of responding by thinking people are acting like children, a good manager assesses the situation and takes appropriate action. He does not treat his employees like children.

Childish behavior at work is usually encouraged by the manager.

 

If you think you are the only adult at work, then you must be doing something wrong. If you treat people like your children, you will get childish behavior from some and others will leave your organization. This is why the real solution is to raise the bar on behavior.

raise the bar240_F_108753696_kNoLHj7Q3dcav34MqjeLB4Lexo8zWfs7

I treat those that work for me like I want to be treated: as an adult. I find it is more respectful and rarely does behavior degenerate into childish behavior. Especially since they know I expect professional, respectful behavior.