Great Manager

No Swearing & Profanity: Mind Your Language

July 23, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi 2 Comments

Last week, Time Magazine discussed research that suggests that using curse words can help cope with physical pain. This reminds me of a 2007 research that implies that regular swearing helps employees better express their feelings in stressful circumstances and boosts team morale.

Such research is misleading in that the findings may be perceived as approving of profanity at work. As work environments have become more laid-back over the years, swearing is more commonplace than in the past, especially in blue-collar environments and certain other workplace cultures.

Harry S. Dennis III of The Executive Committee (TEC) in Wisconsin and Michigan explores two bases for the tolerance of profanity in workplaces.

The laid-back we-are-all-in-this-together culture is almost like a fraternity environment. The use of profanity somehow communicates a symbolic unity. Employees believe that their degree of comfort with one another means it’s OK to let down their guard. It becomes a casual exchange and falsely suggests a degree of communication intimacy.

In the hard-driving aggressive environment, employees use profanity to communicate urgency, a need for action. Most swear words are one syllable, so they carry a bullet-like impact and light a fire under the butt of the person on the receiving end so they get the job done. It is, in fact, a terrible negative motivator.

Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer at Microsoft, Bob Nardelli at Home Depot, Carol Betz at Yahoo! and other executives are reported to have cussed at work. When leaders and managers swear without restraint to express annoyance at an employee, colleague, competitor, customer or circumstance, the message they convey to their organizations is that profanity is acceptable. This is akin to potty-mouthed parents hinting that it is probably OK for their watchful kids to use curse words.

Swearing and poor language is not acceptable in any professional setting. Swearing is dysfunctional to the cohesiveness of teams. Many employees find use of expletives as discourteous and quickly lose respect for those using profane language. Managers’ abusive management style can quickly intimidate employees who may hesitate to speak out.

Bad language is unacceptable behavior. Organizations should require that employees exercise common sense and avoid using colorful language. HR must deal with issues of swearing in the workplace as they occur and institute disciplinary procedures to prevent charges of workplace bullying, abuse or discrimination. Leaders and managers should curb their own language and comply privately and publicly. Employees, even high-performing ones, who repeatedly disregard such requirements and undermine the trust and morale of workplace environments must go openly.

Email Tips: Delegating to Another’s Employee

July 15, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Here are six guidelines to delegate work to an employee who does not directly report to you. These guidelines are applicable even when you delegate to one of your employees’ employees.

When requesting a routine work from an employee, copy her boss as a courtesy. Such requests must be components of the employee’s work plan or previously agreed to by her boss.
When delegating special or time-consuming work to an employee, first write to her boss and request for the employee’s time. Do not go around the boss.
Provide all the necessary inputs and describe what you expect, and how and when you expect results. Be specific. Ask for timely updates.
If you have not gotten a response to an earlier delegation email, call or visit the person. Confirm that the employee understands your expectations. Ask for a status update.
Do not “copy up” (copy the boss or, worse, HR) as a means of coercion. Work with the employee directly to resolve problems before elevating your concerns to her boss.
Avoid prolonged debates or arguments over email. Problems are often easier to defuse using a more personal means of interaction. If you have difficulty in saying something via email, pick up the phone or walk up to the other and talk to her.

Four Telltale Signs of an Unhappy Employee

March 30, 2009 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

A skilled manager understands how to get work done through her staff under all circumstances. She makes herself available, delegates effectively and provides appropriate feedback. She works hard to sustain an effective work environment in which her staff feels motivated and takes pride in their achievements.

The skilled manager accurately discerns what her employees think and how feel about their work; she also assesses their happiness on the job. She recognizes unhappy employees through these four noticeable behavioral changes over time:

Tardiness: The unhappy employee tends to arrive late, leave early and takes longer breaks. He is often elusive and hard to pin down.
Disdain: The unhappy employee can be grouchy, whining, or may complain excessively. He tends to be oversensitive: he sulks at even the slightest criticism, gets defensive, or accuses supervisors of picking on him.
Indifference: The unhappy employee cannot focus on his responsibilities. Consequently, his work tends to be disorganized and incomprehensible. His workload is a struggle. He fails to update management on a regular basis, rarely has a say in important matters, and resists new assignments.
Aloofness: The unhappy employee is inclined to distance himself physically, socially and emotionally from his coworkers. He is likely to be uncooperative and refuses to accommodate others’ requests.

Respect People for Who They Are

September 13, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

“Respect People for Who They Are, Not for What Their Titles are”

In “The Best Advice I Ever Got” article in Fortune magazine, Herb Kelleher, founder and recently-retired Chairman of Southwest Airlines, discussed the importance of respecting and trusting people.

“One piece of [my mother’s] advice that always stuck in my mind is that people should be respected and trusted as people, not because of their position or title. Frequently, position or title did not reflect the true merits of a person.”

“Thanks to her advice, in the business world I try not to judge anyone by superficial standards. I try to approach them with an open mind. I’m very interested in their ideas. … You ought to be open to listening to people. Show that you care about them as individuals, not just as workers. You know how some people are always looking over your shoulder to see if there’s somebody more important behind you? Well, one of the things that I’ve tried to do–if I’m talking to a person, that person is the only person in the world while we’re talking. They’re owed that.”

[Note: Image of Herb Kelleher with mechanics courtesy of Southwest Airlines]

Call for Action

Our personal and professional lives are not solo acts. Every endeavour includes an active involvement and support of the people in our lives: parents, spouses, children, friends, bosses, employees and peers. Respect and trust are the foundation of connecting with people and building relationships. As managers and leaders, respect for people is fundamental to engaging them and getting things done. Yet, we live in a world obsessed with judging the significance of individuals based on the superficialities of appearance and social order.

Have an open mind. Accept people for who they are and respect their individuality.
Develop your listening skills. When listening to another person, think that he or she is the only person in the world.
Be compassionate and kind. Never treat people as a means to an end.

General Electric’s Jack Welch Identifies Four Types of Managers

February 6, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi 5 Comments

Jack Welch's Four Types of Managers

Four Types of Managers

Jack Welch, Chairman and CEO of General Electric from 1981 to 2001, described four categories of managers in General Electric’s year 2000 annual report.

Type 1: shares our values; makes the numbers—sky’s the limit!

Type 2: shares the values; misses the numbers—typically, another chance, or two.

Type 3: doesn’t share the values; doesn’t make the numbers—gone.

Type 4 is the toughest call of all: the manager who doesn’t share the values, but delivers the numbers. This type is the toughest to part with because organizations always want to deliver and to let someone go who gets the job done is yet another unnatural act. But we have to remove these Type 4s because they have the power, by themselves, to destroy the open, informal, trust-based culture we need to win today and tomorrow.

We made our leap forward when we began removing our Type 4 managers and making it clear to the entire company why they were asked to leave—not for the usual “personal reasons” or “to pursue other opportunities,” but for not sharing our values. Until an organization develops the courage to do this, people will never have full confidence that these soft values are truly real.

Live by Corporate Values

Organizations face the challenge of developing and sustaining a culture that is both values-centered and performance-driven. They begin by developing mission and value statements that, in due course, become little more than wall decorations because the organization’s leaders and managers fail to uphold these values.

Nothing hurts morale more than when leaders tolerate employees who deliver results, but exhibit behaviors that are incongruent to values of the company. For instance, an organization that thrives on teamwork will suffer, over the long term, if a manager habitually claims all credit for his team’s accomplishments.

Idea for Impact: Core Values Matter!

As a manager, drive accountability. Hold employees responsible for their behaviors. Reward employees for proper behaviors and publicly discourage behaviors that do not uphold values. Do not make exceptions—exceptions signify your own indifference to the upholding of values.

As an employee, understand that an essential requirement for your success in your organization is your fit. Your behaviors must be congruent with the character and needs of your organization. Even if you are talented, you will not fare well if your behaviors are inconsistent with the values of your organization. Reflect on your behavior. On a regular basis, collect feedback from your managers, peers and employees. Seek change.

Keep the company values front and center in people’s mind.

A Manager Badmouths an Employee

January 2, 2008 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

Recently, I observed the following instance of a manager’s poor attitude towards an employee.

Here is the case of Sandy, a manager, and Clark, her employee.

Clark had joined Sandy’s team four months previously. She did not get to interview and select him into her team.

Clark was not one of Sandy’s favorite employees. They had little in common and had difficulty getting-along. A communication break-down ensued.

Sandy paid little attention to Clark and did not train him well. Nor did she elaborate her expectations of his performance. Over time, Clark’s sub-standard work resulted in serious consequences for the organization.

Every time customers approached Sandy and complained of problems stemming from Clark’s carelessness, Sandy underscored those complaints. She portrayed him in a negative light: a troublemaker, a nonconformist, and obstinate to feedback. In due course, she exclaimed she was helpless and recommended laying-off Clark.

Eventually, Sandy’s badmouthing Clark did not go unnoticed. The leader of the organization reprimanded Sandy for her poor attitudes toward Clark and demanded correction of her behavior. When Clark learned of Sandy’s recurring badmouthing, he was upset and lost confidence in her. He requested a transfer to another organization.

Badmouthing is Disrespectful

In venting her grievances about Clark to the organization’s customers and peers, Sandy was perhaps trying to draw sympathy towards her helplessness—for not being able to change Clark’s behavior. On balance, she did not have a say in interviewing or selecting him.

Sandy did not realize, however, that by openly criticizing Clark, she was drawing unnecessary attention to her own shortcomings in two important aspects of her role as a manager. Firstly, with the communication break-down, she did not anticipate problems with Clark’s projects and take timely measures to mitigate potential negative consequences. Secondly, she failed to coach Clark, provide corrective feedback, and help him to change his behavior.

Take-Away Lessons for Managers

Do not openly criticize or air grievances about your employee in public. In addition to creating employee frustration, you draw unnecessary attention to your own managerial failure.
When people approach you with problems they face with your employees, acknowledge the problem, pledge to study further and correct the problem immediately. Show support for your employee. Ask what steps you could take to avoid such problems in the future. Promptly follow-up with your employee and help him/her overcome the problem.
Recognize that trust is the foundation of a good working relationship between a manager and an employee. An employee looks to a manager for support, feedback and opportunities for improvement. Not supporting—and worse, badmouthing—your employee can be detrimental to this manager-employee relationship. As we have discussed in previous blog articles here and here, an employee’s relationship with the boss is a key determinant of the employee’s satisfaction with his/her job.

Handling criticisms of employees is a routine part of a manager’s job. By acknowledging an employee’s shortcomings, being supportive of the employee and encouraging corrective actions, a manager can earn respect from all quarters of the organization—employees, peers and superiors.

The Foundation of Great Relationships: Get to Know People

June 16, 2007 By Nagesh Belludi 2 Comments

An Act of Astonishing Leadership

In a sermon on the meaning of work, Nancy Ortberg of the Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, recalled an astonishing leadership act from when she worked as an emergency room nurse earlier in her career.

“It was about 10:30 p.m. The room was a mess. I was finishing up some work on the chart before going home. The doctor with whom I loved working was debriefing a new doctor, who had done a very respectable, competent job, telling him what he’d done well and what he could have done differently.”

“Then he put his hand on the young doctor’s shoulder and said, ‘When you finished, did you notice the young man from housekeeping who came in to clean the room?’ There was a completely blank look on the young doctor’s face.”

“The older doctor said, ‘His name is Carlos. He’s been here for three years. He does a fabulous job. When he comes in he gets the room turned around so fast that you and I can get our next patients in quickly. His wife’s name is Maria. They have four children.’ Then he named each of the four children and gave each child’s age.”

“The older doctor went on to say, ‘He lives in a rented house about three blocks from here, in Santa Ana. They’ve been up from Mexico for about five years. His name is Carlos,’ he repeated. Then he said, ‘Next week I would like you to tell me something about Carlos that I don’t already know. Okay? Now, let’s go check on the rest of the patients.'”

“I remember standing there writing my nursing notes–stunned–and thinking, I have just witnessed breathtaking leadership.”

Call for Action: Get to Know People

Getting to know and caring for people is the foundation of great relationships, both in our personal and professional lives. We know little about the people we interact with on a daily basis—often, we know nothing beyond their first and last names, and their functional responsibilities.

Here are seven fundamental steps to help know people.

Most people are enthusiastic about sharing their stories—of where they grew up, their life-experiences, travels, hobbies, interests, or children. Depending on the level of acquaintance, gauge whether a specific person would be comfortable with talking about himself/herself.
Consider asking open-ended questions. Initial questions can focus on a favourite sport, travel or school/career history.
A person’s desk may provide clues for conversation starters. Some people have pictures of kids, pets or their hometown. Others have memorabilia from a sports team they support or their school. Some others have plaques from the awards and recognitions they won. People are keen to talk about these interests—they are great topics to start conversations on.
Listen carefully. Make a mental note of the details the person provides.
Relate to the other person’s stories and share your experiences. This helps the other person to get to know you too.
After your conversation, jot down a few details to facilitate a follow-up conversation later. For instance, if your project manager talked about her children, write down the kids’ names, their school, etc.
Be careful not to pry too deep. Steer away from conversations on social or economic status, health, faith, and other personal details. Watch for gestures of discomfort when you ask questions.

Listening to people and getting to know them transforms your relationships: it helps you connect with people positively and discover shared values/interests. At a higher level, it demonstrates your caring for your people and helps you influence them or facilitate change, depending on the nature of your relationship with them.

Notes: Reference to Nancy Ortberg’s sermon via Guy Kawasaki of Garage Ventures and Rich Karlgaard of Forbes Magazine.

Managerial Skills #2: Offering Retirees a Soft-landing

June 7, 2007 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

“Retired is being twice tired, I’ve thought.
First tired of working, then tired of not.”
– Richard Armour (American poet)

Retiring is a significant transitional event in one’s life. Retirement is ideally a happy stage of one’s life–an opportunity to relax and lead a peaceful life after decades of hard work. Yet, retirement can be stressful for numerous reasons: not being financially well prepared, failing health, the prospect of not being around people, or, missing work.

Managers can reduce retirement stress by offering retirees a soft-landing. As an alternative to cutting responsibilities abruptly, a prudent manager can allow a near-retiree to work for fewer hours and gradually handover responsibilities to successors. Part-time work can also help near-retirees to discover interests and activities they can retire to.

Consider the flexibility that your organization can allow. Encourage the retiree to contemplate various options you can offer. Do not impose any plan—the retiree will support any arrangement he/she helped establish.

A soft-landing will help retirees brace themselves for the substantial changes in lifestyle following retirement.

Keeping a Diary on Employee Performance

December 8, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi 1 Comment

Blog reader Sasawat from Bangkok (Thailand) asks:

“I recently joined a multinational chemicals company that uses a performance appraisal system. I supervise seven engineers. To help me do their performance evaluations at the end of the year, should I maintain a diary to record their projects and actions?”

Most managers rely on employee performance in the period immediately preceding the performance evaluation deadline. Unfortunately, they do not weigh performance from throughout the year (or quarter, if their organizations use a quarterly review system.) Some employees exploit this behavior by slacking-off during most of the year and by shaping-up in the weeks before a performance evaluation is due.

Keeping a Diary on Employee Performance A log or a diary will help managers record employee projects and behaviors in one location. Clearly, recording significant and relevant examples of employee performance helps managers write objective performance summaries.

Recording events in a dairy every week, however, becomes overwhelming when you have seven employees. Instead, ask each employee to keep a diary of his/her achievements. Review this information with your employee once every week. Give regular, specific feedback, both affirmative and corrective. This ensures that you keep yourself informed of your employee’s work and demonstrates that you care about his/her current work and achievements.

When a performance evaluation is due, study the employee’s diary along with your notes, if any from your weekly meetings. You should not have to dig through your files or seek reports from various sources. You will have accumulated all the data you will need, in one place, to help you prepare for an effective performance evaluation statement and discussion.

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Great Manager

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More on Effective Delegation

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“Respect People for Who They Are, Not for What Their Titles are”

Call for Action

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Four Types of Managers

Live by Corporate Values

Idea for Impact: Core Values Matter!

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Badmouthing is Disrespectful

Take-Away Lessons for Managers

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An Act of Astonishing Leadership

Call for Action: Get to Know People

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