Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication: Strategies and Skills for Employees, Managers, and HR Specialists

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication Strategies and Skills for Employees, Managers, and HR Specialists Thad B. Green and Jay T. Knippen

Q

QUORUM BOOKS Westport, Connecticut • London

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Green, Thad B. Breaking the barrier to upward communication : strategies and skills for employees, managers, and HR specialists / Thad B. Green, Jay T. Knippen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-56720-200-4 (alk. paper) 1. Communication in management. 2. Communication in organizations. 3. Management. I. Knippen, Jay T II. Title. HD30.3.G736 1999 658.4'5—dc21 98-30542 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 1999 by Thad B. Green and Jay T. Knippen All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-30542 ISBN: 1-56720-200-4 First published in 1999 Quorum Books, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.quorumbooks.com Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents Preface

ix

PARTI: GETTING ALONG WITH MANAGEMENT

1

Introduction

3

1. Choosing to Communicate Upward

9

PART II: UNDERSTANDING MANAGERS

15

2. What Motivates Managers

17

3. Every Manager Has a Style

26

4. Managers and Pet Peeves

34

5. Reading Managers

41

PART III: DEALING WITH PROBLEM MANAGERS

55

6. Nobody's Perfect

57

7. Responding to Unfair Performance Appraisals

66

vi

Contents

8.

How to Get Managers to Stop Checking Up

74

9.

Dealing with Information-Hoarding Managers

80

10.

Working with Perfectionist Managers

88

11.

Handling Problems with Two Managers

96

12.

Giving Positive Reinforcement to Managers

102

13.

Clarifying Expectations

108

14.

Dealing with Insecure Managers

115

15.

Surviving Incompetent Managers

123

16.

Overcoming Intimidating Managers

133

17.

When Managers W o n t Change

143

PART IV: ASKING MANAGERS

153

18.

The Business of Asking Managers

155

19.

Asking for a Raise

163

20.

How to Ask for More Interesting Work

172

21.

How to Ask for and Get More Responsibility

181

22.

Asking Not to be Bypassed

191

23.

Asking to be Managed Differently

201

24.

Asking for Positive Reinforcement

209

25.

Developing a Mentoring Relationship

220

26.

When More Resources Are Needed

230

27.

How to Get Feedback

237

28.

Asking Not to be Overworked

245

Contents

VII

PARTV: HELPING MANAGERS

253

29.

Helping Managers Make Better Decisions

255

30.

Getting Faster Decisions

261

31.

Dealing with Managers Who Decide too Fast

269

32.

Communicating Successes

275

33.

Communicating Failures

281

34.

Responding to Change

291

35.

How to Receive Feedback

298

36.

Handling Criticism

306

37.

Being Late for Work

315

38.

Being a Better Team Player

321

39.

Showing Loyalty

329

40.

Accepting Authority and Responsibility

336

41.

If Everything Fails

346

Select Selected Bibliography Bibliography

351

Index

352


Preface All employees struggle at one time or another with the task of getting along with the people above them. Employees feel the frustration of trying to get along when they are worked too hard and paid too little, criticized too often and given too little praise, and expected to change when managers are unwilling to change themselves. Employees see the difficulties when managers give unfair appraisals, look over their shoulders, hoard information, set unrealistic expectations, and when they intimidate. It is equally hard when managers clearly show distrustful, thoughtless, and inconsiderate behaviors. And when employees hear a harsh word, a put-down, or an unrealistic demand, they feel the sting of it and getting along clearly is viewed as difficult. Most employees agonize over situations like these but in the end accept them because they simply do not plainly see how to get a firm grip on a better way. This book is designed for anyone who wants to get along better with management and especially for h u m a n resource professionals, trainers, managers, mentors, and others who want to encourage and prepare employees to do so. The skills to accomplish this are clearly spelled out in a way t h a t gives a good sense about concrete steps employees can take to deal with the variety of obstacles they face. This book is overflowing with sensible guidelines and sound advice that will help em-

X

Preface

ployees get a handle on what to say and do to get along better with management when getting along looks, sounds, and feels difficult. The work t h a t resulted in this book began over twenty years ago. We were management professors who saw students warm up to the idea of not only learning how to manage and lead teams of people they someday would direct, but also to the possibility of gaining a competitive edge in their careers by developing the skills of communicating and working effectively with those above them. In 1980 one of us began to look beyond the classroom and decided to push these skills to the world of work by breaking away from the university and forming a company that has provided this "getting along" training to approximately 54,000 managers and employees in some of the largest corporations in America. The other author continued in the academic environment and has provided the same skills to thousands of undergraduate and graduate business students while at the same time continuing to make refinements that have honed the skills you see in this book into a set of tools t h a t can contribute to the success of managers or employees who want to get more out of their work and personal life. In other words, everything in this book has both a firm theoretical foundation and a solid grounding in the practical realities of how to get along with management in organizations that have a tight grip on the never-ending pressure to perform. People who are first learning the skills recommended here sometimes feel uncomfortable because there is a sudden awareness t h a t the language called for is on the edge of the conventional. However, this slight departure from the norm may be just the remedy that is needed, and perhaps now is the time for employees to go ahead and try something different. A second matter of discomfort that some people see and feel as they begin to learn these skills revolves around the issue of whether using the skills will be viewed as manipulative. There is nothing to fear here because our experience with teaching and using these skills is t h a t they clearly are nothing more, nothing less t h a n a set of solid tools all managers and employees need for working with the people above them. For these and many other reasons it is time for employees to buckle down and learn these skills so they can buckle up for a quick trip, some easy sailing, and the rush of benefits that flow from strengthening communication and getting along better with management when they decide to use these skills. Learning and using these skills is possible because several people saw the way to reach out and touch us with the kinds of ideas and support t h a t made this book possible, and so we thank John Harper for pushing along the development of some of these skills early on, and Andy Cutler and Lynda H a r t for seeing the value in them and making it possible to "take them to the world." And a special thanks to Stacy

Preface

XI

Green Sindle for going beyond the call of duty, as she does on everything, and expertly handling all aspects of preparing the manuscript for publication.


Part I GETTING ALONG WITH MANAGEMENT


Introduction Getting along with management, like getting along with anyone else, requires communication. This means t h a t employees who want to take control of their lives at work must take the initiative and focus on communicating upward. The importance of upward communication traditionally has been viewed from the perspective of management and the organization. Little stress has been placed on how much employees can benefit, especially when it comes to getting along with the people above them. It would be interesting to notice how much difference could be seen and felt if employees took more initiative rather than letting the responsibility for communicating remain primarily in the firm grip of management. The problem with such a shift in responsibility taking hold is that employees clearly would be left to face the dilemma of what to communicate and how. Most employees simply do not have a good handle on what is appropriate to communicate to their managers and they certainly do not have a full and accurate picture of how, especially when it comes to communicating sensitive information to managers who themselves may not be especially sensitive to facilitating communication from their employees.

4


This book addresses the what and the how from the perspective of both employees and management. It is designed to show what employees need to communicate to their manager and how to communicate it effectively for their own benefit as well as t h a t of their manager and the organization. H u m a n resource professionals, trainers, managers, mentors, and others who want to train, coach, guide, and advise employees regarding the what and the how of communicating upward (and certainly employees themselves) all will find this book enlightening and useful. UPWARD COMMUNICATION NEEDS CONCRETENESS Upward communication is defined in a variety of ways with some definitions helpful to employees, some not. One way is to define it as employees sharing with management their feelings and ideas. 1 Another is to define it as the flow of messages from employees to managers. 2 Both of these definitions are fairly standard, all-encompassing views t h a t provide little guidance for employees. Still another definition is t h a t of communicating the following from below: (1) employee achievements, progress, and plans; (2) unresolved work problems in which employees may need help; (3) suggestions and ideas for improvement; and (4) employee's feelings about their jobs, associates, and the organization. 3 This is a definition that is viewed as being on the right track because it goes beyond vagueness and generality and adds specificity, but it is not enough. What is needed is an employee definition of upward communication t h a t advances the meaning by adding a kind of concreteness t h a t provides employees something useful to grasp. Such a definition is shown below and includes several dimensions critical to the success of employees, managers, and the organization.

An Employee Definition of Upward Communication Employees communicate upward to: 1. understand managers, 2. work with managers, 3. ask managers, and 4. help managers.

Introduction

5

HOW CAN EMPLOYEES BENEFIT? Most employees feel the pressure of the constant struggle to meet performance expectations, to reach their potential, to get the most out of their jobs, and to get what they want. They clearly see t h a t most of this is tied to their manager. In one way or another, the manager has a heavy hand in much of what employees are looking for in their jobs, like guidance, direction, support, help, money, responsibility, resources, praise and recognition, challenging work, coaching, feedback, respect, and time for family. Employees cannot sit back and wait for what they need to get the job done and what they want and deserve for doing it. They must go for it, they must reach out and get a firm grasp on what they need to perform well, to enjoy their work, and to feel they are getting the rewards they deserve. This means it is essential for employees to do the right things with their manager and this invariably calls for them to strengthen their communication. It requires communicating more to their manager and communicating it more effectively. Employees can see t h a t their needs will be better met when they become skillful at this. The ability of employees to get along with their manager is a major factor in determining their success or failure at work, 4 and it is not possible to get along unless they communicate the right things in the right way to their manager. Studies have shown that the performance of employees improves as they communicate more effectively with their manager. 5 Employees need to find a way to get more of what they want, and need, to do their job and for doing it. Upward communication is the way, but it can be a battle to acquire the skills and overcome the obstacles t h a t stand in the way. THE BATTLE EMPLOYEES FACE There are conflicting views about the battle employees face when it comes to communicating upward, but this matters little to employees. One study indicates t h a t managers appear to be taking upward communication from employees more seriously and acting upon it. 6 Another study concludes t h a t even though upward communication has become increasingly important, employees believe their managers are less willing to listen. 7 However, when upward communication is viewed from the employee perspective, these studies are irrelevant. What matters to employees is whether or not their manager is receptive to upward communication. In other words, what really count are the barriers employees face when communicating with their own manager. These can be considerable.

6


Included among the multitude of obstacles are status and power differences and lack of trust between manager and employee. 8 Managers who get defensive, do not listen or show concern, penalize for candor, fail to respond, or delay in responding also deter upward communication. 9 It is interesting t h a t managers do not erect all of the barriers. Employees choose to restrict upward communication when the information is unfavorable to the manager, when employees have a strong desire for advancement, and when managers have considerable influence over employee careers. 1 0 Employees are encouraged not to give up on communicating upward, but instead to get equipped to win the battle. It is only by getting properly prepared to make solid decisions about what to communicate and then how to smoothly communicate it that they will be able to enjoy the wide range of benefits t h a t can follow.

WINNING THE UPWARD COMMUNICATION BATTLE Employees would do well to follow three basic guidelines. They should recognize t h a t managers always want to know what is going on, 11 though it is important for employees to get a feel for giving the right information in the right way. In addition, it is important for employees to meet with their manager when communicating with them on matters of substance. Although an increasing number of managers prefer t h a t employees use voice messaging and e-mail for communication t h a t falls into the "for your information" category, face-to-face communication is far and away the most effective mode of communication between managers and employees. 12 Employees also would do well to maintain frequent contact with their manager 1 3 because doing so provides a regular and easy opportunity to communicate upward. While general guidelines are important, the bottom line is t h a t it takes skill for employees to communicate with those above them. Skill development is the only way employees can win the upward communication battle. Employees must develop two skills. First, they must know how to make good decisions about what to communicate. Second, they must know how to communicate it effectively.

Employees Must Know 1. What to communicate upward. 2. How to communicate it.

Introduction

7

Regarding what to communicate, employees are faced with many choices. Some are easy, some are not. All should be considered, though all will not be chosen. Many choices t h a t employees will find interesting and valuable are included in this book (see the Contents). The question of how to communicate upward presents a dilemma. Few employees know how because the how typically has not been spelled out for them, instead remaining a nebulous, ambiguous task with little concreteness. This leaves employees ill-equipped for effective upward communication. How to communicate upward becomes an altogether different matter when the charge becomes less generalized and instead is viewed as a set of specific skills. Rather t h a n focusing on the broadly stated skill of communicating upward, a skill that is too elusive to put one's arms around, specific skills can be identified t h a t are more easily grasped, like communicating successes and failures to the manager. Learning how to communicate upward becomes a rather simple task when structure is added to each of the definable skills. In other words, when each skill is structured into a series of practical, easy-touse steps t h a t employees can follow, acquiring upward communication skills becomes a straightforward learning exercise through either selfstudy or training and coaching. The necessary step-by-step structure is provided in this book by devoting one chapter exclusively to one skill. Although the basic structure is easy to grasp, rigidly sticking to it is neither recommended nor advisible. Nothing is perfect, nothing works all the time. There is no "pat" answer, no "one best way" when it comes to communication, interaction, and behavioral skills. However, combining a good, solid structure with sound practical judgment will take employees a long way down the road to success. While employees will have to apply their own judgment, they can t u r n to a set of skills developed over time, refined, and proven, as the foundation for their approach. And t h a t is what this book provides. It offers the skill development tools needed to prepare employees to communicate upward with their managers in an effective way that benefits the employee, the manager, and the organization. NOTES 1. Robert Kreitner, Management, 6th ed. (Boston: Houghton MifQin Company, 1995), p. 378. 2. Donald S. Miller, Stephen E. Catt, and James R. Carlson, Fundamentals of Management: A Framework for Excellence (Minneapolis/St. Paul: West Publishing Company, 1996), p. 88. 3. Leslie W. Rue and Lloyd L. Byars, Management Skills and Application, 7th ed. (Chicago: Irwin, 1995), p. 90.

8


4. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 1. 5. Robert A. Snyder and James H. Morris, "Organizational Communication and Performance," Journal of Applied Psychology, 69 (August 1984), pp. 461-465; and Elmore R. Alexander, Marilyn M. Helms, and Ronnie D. Wilkins, "The Relationship Between Supervisory Communication and Subordinate Performance and Satisfaction Among Professionals," Public Personnel Management, 18 (Winter 1989), pp. 415-429. 6. "Relying on Bottom-to-Top Communication," Employee Benefit Plan Review, 41 (October 1986), p. 30. 7. Alan Farnham, "The Trust Gap," Fortune (December 4, 1989), p. 57. 8. Lyman W. Porter and Karlene H. Roberts, "Communication in Organizations," in Marvin D. Dunnette, ed., Handbook of Industrial and Occupational Psychology, 2nd ed. (New York: Wiley, 1983), pp. 1573-1574. 9. Rue and Byars, Management Skills and Application, p. 90. 10. Charles A. O'Reilly III and Karlene H. Roberts, "Information Filtration in Organizations: Three Experiments," Organizational Behavior and Human Performance (Vol. 11, 1974), pp. 253-265. 11. Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss, p. 57. 12. Fred Luthans and Janet K. Larsen, "How Managers Really Communicate," Human Relations, 39 (February 1986), pp. 161-178. 13. Andrew Dubrin, Winning Office Politics (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990), p. 67.

1 Choosing to Communicate Upward Most employees have trouble at one time or another with upward communication. For many employees, this causes numerous problems. Improvement generally is possible and the trick is knowing how to make it happen. To do this, employees need training in the subtleties of effectively communicating with their manager. Employees know t h a t more communication is in their best interest. They also know it is not always easy to do. How do employees know? They have tried and they have failed. We all have. This does not mean it will never improve and t h a t employees are destined to a life of misery because of it. The key is for employees to take the initiative rather t h a n waiting for their manager to encourage more upward communication. It is easy to show employees how to do this more effectively. All they have to do is use the steps t h a t follow.

DECIDE TO MAKE IT WORK No matter how little employees are communicating with their manager and no matter what is causing this, employees can do something about it. It begins with deciding to deal with it.

10


Employee:

(to self) There's got to be a way for me to communicate more with my manager. I'm bound and determined to try my best to figure out and come up with something that not only will work for me but will make things better for my manager as well.

Getting started is not always easy. Employees need to look at the consequences of not communicating things to their manager. There are a lot of them. Employees will want to decide which ones apply to them. Consequences include not getting problems solved, getting blamed for problems, not getting feedback on performance, feeling all alone to meet performance goals, bypassing the possibility of getting positive reinforcement, leaving the manager unaware of the good things the employee does, and forgoing the opportunity to ask for and get things employees want and need. Employee:

(to self) I cut my own throat by not communicating with my manager. Had I done something about it in the beginning, things would have been a lot better.

Employees sometimes need to be reminded to consider the benefits of better communication like preventing problems, solving problems quickly, performing better, feeling a greater sense of accomplishment, and getting along better with their manager. Employees also may need to be reminded t h a t good communication with the manager is the pathway to much of what employees want in a job and specifically is a major factor in determining success or failure at work. 1 Studies have shown t h a t individual performance improves when communication with the manager is effective.2 Employee:

(to self) I need to communicate more with my manager. An improvement certainly would be welcomed.

Employees must realize t h a t much of what they want depends on their communication. Everything is affected to some extent by the way employees communicate with their manager and that can be frightening. It makes employees want to take control of their lives and get their communication in order. That is good. A strong desire is the initial step toward improvement. Employee:

(to self) Communicating better with my manager sure makes a difference. I get more done in a shorter period of time and I find that I enjoy it more.

The goal is for employees to communicate in a way t h a t both man-

Choosing to Communicate Upward

11

ager and employees gain in a win-win situation. Managers want and need more communication from employees, and employees as well as managers reap the benefits. Employee:

(to self) I'm lucky because communicating more is helping me get along better with my manager. It's easier than I expected. And it all came about when I made up my mind to make it work.

DETERMINE WHAT TO DO Employees need to clearly understand why they have not been communicating enough with their manager. Employees must ask themselves why. The first step is for employees to objectively identify what the manager does t h a t makes it hard for them to communicate. There are many obstacles, including the fact that the manager may be too busy, seems disinterested, does not listen, does not welcome upward communication, is too grumpy to talk to, keeps the office door closed, is not an approachable person, or does not want to hear about problems. Employees must be honest in assessing themselves in terms of their own reluctance to communicate. Employees may be unwilling to talk through problems, want to avoid conflict, do not like or respect the manager, are too busy, are too independent, or do not realize the value of communication. Employee:

(to self) It wasn't until I stopped placing all the blame for the lack of communication on my boss that I started seeing things I should be communicating to her.

Employees are now ready to identify solution approaches. They should be encouraged to identify the most troublesome problems and decide which to work on first, second, and so forth. Employees need to decide how to deal with the problem, how to approach it, such as changing the way they do certain things, maybe asking the manager to change in some way, jointly working it out with the manager, understanding the manager better, or gaining a better self-understanding. Employee:

(to self) The most troublesome problems with my manager are that she never has time to listen to me, doesn't encourage me to communicate even important things to her, and sometimes makes me feel unwelcomed. The one that gives me the biggest concern is her lack of encouragement. That makes me want to avoid communicating anything to her.

12


DECIDE HOW TO DO IT

Given the approach to be used, the employee needs to decide how to carry it out. Whatever the approach, certain skills are required to make it work. Skills, and courage, are needed to ask the manager to change, and skills are necessary to strengthen an employee's communication ability. Employees must identify the skills they need. They must then practice the skills, talking and practicing to themselves, or to someone else, and give themselves feedback and get it from others until they feel ready. It is important for employees not to yield to the temptation of unnecessarily distorting communication with their manager to make the communication acceptable. 3 Tactful honesty generally is the best guideline for employees to follow. This means employees are faced with the dilemma of deciding exactly what to communicate. 4 Employees must p u t careful thought into this. Once they are prepared, it is time to meet with the manager. Employee:

I'm glad that we have this opportunity to chat. The reason I asked to meet with you is that I know I don't communicate enough with you and I wanted to ask if you would help me with this. I'm going to start taking the initiative to communicate more. It would help if you would encourage me. This doesn't come easy for me and your support and encouragement would help me a lot. At the same time I'm going to work on my communication skills, especially communicating with you in a more direct, more concise way so I don't take up so much of your time.

Employees find it helpful to be aware of the conclusions resulting from a review of several studies on communication between managers and employees. Accuracy of the communication is aided by similarities in thinking between the manager and employee, but is limited by status and power differences, by the employee's desire for upward mobility, and by a lack of trust between manager and employee. 5 TAKE ACTION Employees must feel confident when approaching their manager. It should be pointed out t h a t if employees follow the suggestions outlined here, they will be better prepared t h a n others would be and better prepared t h a n they usually are, so they have every right to feel confident t h a t they will be successful. Then it is time to apply their skills. With

Choosing to Communicate Upward

13

their planned approach in mind and the skills they have practiced, they are ready to take action, to take the steps toward improving the way they communicate things to their manager. Employees should be encouraged to evaluate and assess both results and the process they use. It is helpful to utilize self-assessment and feedback from others, especially the manager. It should be emphasized to employees that a focus on skills is the most important p a r t of improving communication with their manager. Success depends on the employee's skills. A skills emphasis is the most neglected aspect of trying to make any improvement. This certainly is true for the skills required for employees to communicate better. Everyone sees the necessity for managers to have the skills to communicate with subordinates, as evidenced by business school degrees, attendance at management training programs, and the reading of management and communication books. However, most employees overlook the need for skills when communicating with their manager. This situation is further complicated because the learning resources t h a t deal with these skills are limited, and those that are available typically do not take a skill focus. However, there are some resources that do emphasize skills. It makes sense for employees to seek them out and develop the skills they need so they can improve communication with their manager. SUMMARY The best way for employees to communicate upward more effectively is to learn this simple four-step process.

Choosing to Communicate Upward 1. Decide to make it work. •

Look at the consequences of not communicating with the manager.

•

Consider the benefits of better communication.

2. Determine what to do.

14


•

Identify the manager's contribution to the lack of communication.

•

Determine reasons the employee is not communicating.

•

Come up with a solution approach.

3. Decide how to do it. •

Identify the skills needed.

•

Practice and develop the skills.

4. Take action. •

Focus on developing the skills of upward communication.

NOTES 1. Christopher Hegarty, How To Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 1. 2. Robert A. Snyder and James H. Morris, "Organizational Communication and Performance," Journal of Applied Psychology, 69 (August 1984), pp. 461-465; and Elmore R. Alexander, Marilyn M. Helms, and Ronnie D. Wilkins, "The Relationship Between Supervisory Communication and Subordinate Performance and Satisfaction Among Professionals," Public Personnel Management, 18 (Winter 1989), pp. 415-429. 3. John M. Ivancevich, Peter Lorenzi, Steven J. Skinner, and Philip B. Crosby, 2nd ed. Management Quality and Competitiveness (Chicago: Irwin, 1997), p. 378. 4. Ibid. 5. Lyman W. Porter and Karlene H. Roberts, "Communication in Organizations," in Marvin D. Dunnette, ed., Handbook of Industrial and Occupational Psychology, 2nd ed. (New York: Wiley, 1983), pp. 1573-1574.

Part II

UNDERSTANDING MANAGERS


2 What Motivates Managers One of the hardest questions employees try to answer is why their manager does certain things. What makes managers tick has been pondered for years. Some managers are motivated by power, others by prestige. Some are motivated by money, some to help others. Some of the greatest achievers are driven by fear of failure and the need to prove themselves to compensate for faltering self-esteem. 1 The point is t h a t different people are motivated by different things 2 and employees are encouraged to find out what managers want and give it to them. 3 Fortunately, there is a series of things employees can be coached to do to get an inkling into the workings of their manager's behavior. Figuring out what motivates their manager may be easier t h a n employees think, if they will follow a simple approach consisting of six steps. REVIEW THE BASICS OF MOTIVATION The starting point for figuring out what motivates any manager is to realize t h a t it is a guessing game. However, employees can learn to use available information rather t h a n jumping to conclusions. Another fundamental to finding out what motivates a manager is to realize t h a t it is a never-ending, ongoing process for three reasons. One

18


is t h a t guesses are just that, guesses, and it takes time to refine them to the point of feeling comfortable with them. The second is t h a t just when employees are certain one of their guesses is right, time proves them wrong. Even more time is needed to gather additional information to make a more informed revised guess. The third reason is t h a t the things t h a t motivate any manager change over time. When managers are young, strong motivators may be promotions, power, and prestige, but as they get older their motivators often change to security and retirement. The last fundamental is t h a t most managers are motivated by many different things. However, there are a few dominant ones t h a t have a strong influence and the key is to find those. Employees can think of their manager and start making first guesses by picking from the list the dominant motivators. Perhaps the manager is motivated always to be right, play it safe, make everything perfect, follow the rules, be a maverick, be liked, be known as being different, keep people happy no matter what, be respected, look good to his boss, be in control of everything, be sure the job gets done no matter what, be a good manager, be viewed as a good manager (different t h a n being a good one), look good, avoid conflicts, get recognition and praise, advance, grow and develop, try new things, beat the system, have job security, please the boss, not fail, achieve, have power, or be influenced by what others think. Employees should decide if any of these are dominant motivators for their manager. The answer is probably yes. Having made the initial guess as to what motivates the manager, employees should refine those guesses and attempt to truly understand the motivation. They can ask their manager, ask others, observe their manager, and listen to their manager. ASK THE MANAGER Employees need to remember t h a t oftentimes they overlook the easiest way to learn something about their manager. The manager is the employee's best source of information. Before asking, employees will want to keep in mind t h a t part of what they hear will be true and part may not be, but asking is a starting point in refining initial guesses. The first step is for employees to decide what questions to ask. They can pick out a few from this list, or come up with some of their own. 1. What do you like best (worst) about your job? 2.

What things aren't going very well?

What Motivates Managers

3.

What keeps you going?

4.

What's the best (worst) job you ever had and why?

5.

What are the most important things you look for in a job?

6.

What motivates you the most?

19

The next step is for the employee to pick out a time and ask the questions. This is not the time for a formal meeting. The employee should choose a time when the manager seems relaxed, is not pressured to do something else, and is in a talking mood. The idea is to ask questions and listen. Nothing else. There is no need to evaluate what is said by saying "that sounds good" or "I wouldn't like that"; just ask, listen, nod, and encourage. Employee:

Hi. How was your weekend?

Manager:

Great! For a change we did nothing. Just laid around the house and did nothing. Grilled steaks on the gas grill yesterday. How about yours?

Employee:

It was a typical weekend. Jimmy's game on Saturday and church and lounging on Sunday. Now it's Monday and time to get motivated for another work week. What motivates you the most?

Manager:

Well I guess getting things started so they get done on time and then being able to look back on them with pride.

Employee:

When things don't go well or as expected, what keeps you going?

Manager:

Just knowing that my manager will be pleased when we figure it out and solve it. If she's happy, then I'm happy.

Employee:

What are the most important things you look for in a job?

Manager:

I want it done right the first time with no errors. I hate for anyone to see something we've done and it has a glitch that we should have caught.

Employee:

Speaking of a job, I better go get started or I won't have one.

ASK OTHERS Employees can decide who to ask by finding out who knows the manager, preferably people who have been around long enough to

20


have formed and tested their own guesses about what motivates the manager. They can be current or former subordinates or others who have worked closely in some capacity with the manager. Employees should be reminded t h a t it is best to stay away from the people who might use such a conversation against the employee, such as those who dislike the employee and take pride in telling the manager everything t h a t goes on and color it with their own interpretation of things. Next employees must decide what to ask. Here are a few questions t h a t will help. 1.

What motivates him the most?

2.

What's the best way to sell her on an idea?

3.

What really turns him on?

4.

What makes her work the hardest?

5.

What's his hot button?

6.

What pulls her strings?

7.

What makes him tick?

J u s t as before, employees are to be reminded to ask, listen, and avoid evaluation. OBSERVE THE MANAGER Employees are encouraged to observe everything, especially when the manager is highly motivated. Employees also will want to observe when the manager has hardly any motivation at all or when there are changes in motivation levels from high to low and the reverse. It is helpful for employees to identify the things that are influencing the motivation, though mere identification is not enough to gain true insight into what motivates the manager. Employees must interpret the things they see in terms of what motivates the manager. Following are some examples of things to observe, with possible interpretations in parentheses. The interpretations are reasonable ones though certainly not the only ones t h a t could be made. 1.

Repeatedly insists that everything be done precisely the right way (motivated by perfection).

2.

Has to come out on top of every argument (motivated to win, can't lose).


21

3.

Does things the right way even if it isn't popular (motivated more by doing the job right than by what people think).

4.

Always checking on things to be sure they're being done right (need to control, need for perfection).

5.

Gives in to make people happy, even if it causes problems with production (need for acceptance, to be liked).

6.

Can't say no (need for acceptance, to be liked).

7.

Avoids confrontation (likes peace and harmony).

8.

Takes credit for everything, no matter what (motivated by looking good in the eyes of certain people).

9.

Fights for things like a corner office, or a reserved parking space (motivated by what others think).

10.

Will not try anything new and different (not a risk taker).

11.

Seems happiest when running the show (likes power and authority).

12.

Welcomes questions and suggestions (secure).

13. Afraid to make decisions, always does the safe thing (insecure).

LISTEN TO THE MANAGER It is good for employees to listen to everything and interpret what the manager says as it relates to motivation. Examples of things to listen for and how they might be interpreted are given below. As in the case above, the interpretations in parentheses are reasonable interpretations, though certainly not the only ones t h a t could be made. 1.

"I'd pick poppy seeds out of black pepper to get that promotion" (promotion a motivator).

2.

"I'd kill my grandmother for that promotion" (promotion a motivator).

3.

"That's too risky. Let's play it safe on this one" (not a risk taker).

4.

"I know you've reworked this two times already, but it still isn't exactly right. I want you to do it again" (perfectionist at any cost).

5.

"I'll be upset if I don't get the credit I deserve on this" (recognition is important).

6.

"If I don't get a good pay raise, I'll have to look for a new job. I can't make it on what I get here" (motivated by more money).

22


7.

"Enjoying my work is really important" (work itself is a motivator).

8.

"Let's try something new and different. It won't be the end of the world if it doesn't work" (risk taker, secure person).

9.

"My job is simple and easy. I can do it in my sleep. It's just no fun" (motivated by challenging work).

10.

"When policies stand in the way of getting work done, I say policies are made to be broken" (need to achieve).

11.

"I know all of you are working hard, but it's not good enough. Everybody has to do more" (producing is more important than being liked by employees).

MAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS Employees are encouraged to make guesses based on at least four things: asking their manager, asking others, observing their manager, and listening to their manager. Four additional factors t h a t should influence guesses are frequency, importance, patterns, and dominance. Frequency, how often the motivator seems to be a real influencing factor, will help determine the intensity of the motivator. For example, are there frequent signs t h a t being liked is a dominant motivator for the manager? Are things often said and done t h a t indicate playing it safe is a dominating factor? Employees who notice the frequency can make stronger guesses as the frequency increases. The importance of a factor, even though it may not show up frequently, can be revealing. For example, if the manager gets extremely upset when turned down for a promotion, then perhaps promotion, recognition, and money are very important factors. If the manager has never been happier since the scope of authority was greatly expanded, then perhaps power is extremely important as a motivator. Employees can look for patterns t h a t show up frequently and appear to be important. One pattern can be illustrated by interpretations t h a t have a common theme such as a manager who does not rock the boat, does things the proven way, follows the rules, does not take a risk, and plays it safe. Employees also can watch for dominance of the motivators. They can identify the few things t h a t have the dominating influence on motivating their manager. While considering the frequency, importance, and patterns of the things t h a t seem to motivate, dominance will emerge. Dominance is a pattern to notice. The motivation of some managers is so dominated by power, advancement, and money t h a t they


23

will do anything to get them, regardless of the effect on others, amount of risk, whether subordinates like them or not, or the frequency of conflict it causes. Yet the motivation of other managers might be dominated by enjoying the work, having good relationships with others, and having job security. This manager does not have a need for things to be perfect, to produce to the maximum, to always be right, to have a lot of power, or continue to move up the ladder. SUMMARY

Remember, the idea is for employees to start with the information they have and guess what motivates their manager. Then they can ask, listen, observe, and interpret to refine those guesses. If employees learn to view this as an ongoing process, they c£n always have a good understanding of what motivates their manager.

What Motivates Managers 1. Review the basics of motivation. •

Realize that figuring out what motivates is a guessing game.

•

Realize it is an ongoing process.

•

Realize different managers are motivated by different things.

•

Make best guesses about the manager's dominant motivators.

•

Refine guesses.

2. Ask the manger. •

Decide what questions to ask.

•

Meet with the manager, ask, and listen.

24


3.

Ask others. •

Decide who to ask.

•

Decide what to ask.

•

Ask and listen.

4.

Observe the manager. •

Observe when the manager is highly motivated.

•

Observe when the manager is not motivated.

•

Interpret observations and compare with other information about what motivates the manager.

5. Listen to the manager. •

Listen to what the manager says t h a t is related to motivation.

•

Interpret in the context of the manager's motivation.

6. Make an educated guess. •

Use all information obtained and make best guesses.

•

Consider the frequency, importance, patterns, and dominance of the factors t h a t seem to motivate the manager.

NOTES 1. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 40. 2. Thad Green, Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today's Workforce: A Guide To Expectancy Theory Applications (Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books, 1992).


25

3. Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), p. 16.

3 Every Manager Has a Style All managers have a unique management style in the way they manage and every employee can accept that, accept it in almost every manager except their own. Somehow employees expect their manager to use the management style they prefer rather t h a n accepting the style the manager uses. Employees long for a manager with the perfect style, one t h a t precisely matches their needs and desires. Employees may need help to realize t h a t their manager is a unique individual and, like any other manager, has a unique management style. Mere realization though is only the beginning. Employees should be encouraged to deal with their manager according to who she is, not who they want her to be, not who they imagine her to be. 1 This is important because the employee's relationship with the manager is a major factor in the employee's success or failure. 2 This is largely because conflicts between employees and their manager often arise when employees do not understand and respond appropriately to their manager's style. 3 Employees must understand that different management styles must be dealt with differently. 4 Employees need to be trained to take four steps to fully understand and effectively deal with their manager's style of managing.

Every Manager Has a Style

27

REALIZE THE NEED TO KNOW THE MANAGER'S STYLE Employees feel better when they understand their manager's style of management. The understanding yields more predictability and reduces employee frustration and stress caused by the uncertainty of never knowing what the manager will say or do next. Knowing the manager's style helps employees have a better attitude. It helps them get closer to accepting the manager's style and this can lead to a more positive attitude on the employee's part compared to a negative attitude associated with thinking, "Why can't he change?" "Why does she have to be t h a t way?" "Is he crazy or what?" "Does she have to stay on our backs all of the time?" "Why does he have to push us so hard?" "Why does she treat us all the same when we're all different?" and "Why is keeping everybody happy more important to him t h a n getting the job done?" Acceptance of the manager's style is enhanced when employees realize why their manager chooses a certain style. Employees should be reminded t h a t the style a manager selects is the one she thinks will work best given the ones she is familiar with and the ones she thinks she can use effectively. If she had different knowledge or different skills she might use a different style. But since she doesn't, she is doing the best she can given her situation. It is good to remind employees that knowing their manager's style can prevent problems. Along with feeling better, having a better attitude, and accepting her style, employees are better able to predict what their manager is likely to do in a given situation, thus helping prevent misunderstandings, conflicts, and problems. Knowing the manager's style helps employees perform better. Employees spend less time questioning the style of their manager, complaining about it, arguing about style issues, and dealing with styleinduced problems, and more time dealing with real issues and real problems. Managers use different ways of expressing their styles, and sometimes use different styles when certain tasks are extremely important or have impossible deadlines. Understanding the style of the manager can help employees better understand manager expectations and priorities and this helps employees perform better. All of this sounds good, but how do employees get these benefits? It begins when they realize the need to know their manager's style. Most employees are not consciously aware of the need to do this and may need to work at it.

28


DETERMINE WHAT STYLE THE MANAGER USES Employees can learn to find out what style of management their manager uses. This means employees must keep in mind t h a t management style generally is thought of in terms of two things: (1) concern for production and (2) concern for people. Managers may have a great deal of concern, or very little concern, or a level of concern t h a t lies somewhere in between, for production, for getting the work done. The same is true for the concern for people, for being kind and considerate toward employees, for treating them fairly, or for involving them in the decision-making process. The manager's concern can be anywhere on the scale from maximum concern for people, to no concern at all, to anywhere in between. Managers may show a high concern for production in different ways. It may be a production issue t h a t reflects little concern for people. The manager may be tough, harsh, and unkind in pushing production by yelling and screaming, being demanding and demeaning, and criticizing and threatening. Or she may have a strong concern for production but in an organized and systematic way of establishing high expectations and providing structured ways of meeting them, while at the same time showing consideration for the interests and well being of the employees. A high degree of concern for people also can be shown with little emphasis on production. J u s t as there can be too much concern for production at the expense of employees, there can be too much concern for employees at the expense of production. With management style being viewed as concern for production and concern for people, the question becomes one of how employees can determine the style their manager uses. This is simple. Employees simply have to gather and interpret certain kinds of information. But what do they look for? How do they get it? How do they interpret it to determine the manager's concern for production and concern for people? The information comes from employees listening to and observing the manager. Does the manager stress reaching goals, meeting expectations, producing more, improving quality, providing better service, increasing revenue, decreasing cost, increasing profit, doing things right, meeting deadlines, achieving standards, and pleasing customers? If so, this is demonstrating a high concern for production. Does the manager stress treating employees fairly, showing kindness, being honest, communicating openly, asking for employee input, involving employees in the decision-making process, showing respect, recognizing capabilities, helping employees achieve their goals, understanding problems, having realistic expectations, giving employees what they deserve, listening to employees, being flexible, making work


29

enjoyable, and having a helping rather t h a n a bossing attitude? Demonstrating these attributes shows a high concern for people. How do employees gather this information? Again, this can be easy. They should not rely solely on past impressions of their manager. Instead they should look and listen again but this time with an open mind, specifically looking for the concern for production and people their manager is showing these days. Employee:

(to self) My manager has been under a lot of pressure lately, especially the closer we get to the shipping date. She is yelling at us which is so unlike her. She's constantly checking up on us to see how much we've produced and doesn't seem to be the least concerned for how we feel.

Once employees have gathered this kind of information, they should interpret it, and determine what style of management their manager is using. Employee:

(to self) Hmmm. I guess that's classic high concern for production and low concern for people.

ANALYZE HOW WELL THE STYLE FITS Employees need to learn how to determine if the manager's style fits the situation and the employee's preferred style. An example of a manager's style fitting a situation would be where a company is working on a relatively short-term special project, the success of which will determine large orders, guaranteed growth, and profit in the future. A good management style would be one t h a t places major emphasis on production, even at the expense of employees for a short duration (long hours, tension, and stress) to insure the success of the company and the job security of the employees in the long run. Manager:

We're going to have to work three hours overtime tonight and tomorrow, as well as working both Saturday and Sunday, in order to assure that we meet our shipping date. Shipping this order on time will get us future contracts and this in turn will mean job security for all of us.

On the other hand, if employees are doing routine work, emphasizing production is appropriate but not at the expense of the employees. Instead of a low concern for people, successful managers show a high concern for people by insuring t h a t they are both comfortable and satisfied while involving them in the decision-making process of the project.

30


Manager:

How's everyone doing? Is that new air conditioner keeping everyone cool enough? We've got a problem and I wanted to get your input on how we could solve it. You guys always have great ideas.

In another situation where the employees are self-directed, selfmotivated, and achievement-oriented, successful managers do not show a lot of concern for production. It is not needed with these workers, and they do not want it. Not showing a high concern for production would be the appropriate style to use. In a situation where employees need direction, are not selfmotivated, and are not achievement-oriented, successful managers show a greater concern for production. Manager:

Yesterday's production run was good. Congratulations. Today we need to set up for a new batch and start the initial run to maintain the level of production that we're capable of.

In yet another situation the manager may be a smart, strong, dominating, controlling person by nature, and recognizes that he would have difficulty using participative management as a way of showing concern for people. Realizing this, and rather than struggling to use participative management, the successful manager would find it best to use some other way that is more natural, such as giving a lot of praise and recognition for maintaining high production and exceeding the goals, or by focusing on treating employees fairly. Manager:

Super effort last month. Look at these production levels. We exceeded our goals by 17 percent. You're each to be commended for a great job. Having a crew like this makes me feel great. You deserve all the recognition. Thanks a million.

While the above illustrations have shown a manager having a good style fit, there are many other examples of managers not having a good fit. The object here is for employees to determine how well their manager's style fits the situation, the employee, and the manager's personality. The information for this analysis can come from employee observations, talking with their manager, and asking others. Having made this analysis, the next step is for employees to decide what this means personally to them and how to respond.

ACCEPT AND DEAL WITH THE MANAGER'S STYLE If the style of the manager fits, the employee is one of the lucky few


31

who have an exceptional manager. Employees should relish their good fortune. If the style of the manager does not fit, the employee has a dilemma. Does the employee quit and get away from it? Or try to get the manager to change? Or does the employee change and deal with the manager's style better? None of these seems to be satisfactory. Quitting and running away most likely will only get employees another job with which they are not as familiar and a new manager who also may have a style that does not fit. If the manager has a hopelessly bad style and is incapable of changing, or unwilling to change, getting out may be the best option. However, employees should be reminded that neither employees nor the manager are likely to be in their current positions permanently, and waiting it out may be best for an employee's career. Changing the manager and getting her to use a different style is a low-percentage option. Most managers are short on either the willingness or ability to change. However, there are times when employees can influence their manager's style. Employees can watch and listen for those rare times when their manager uses a preferred style. When she does, employees should give positive reinforcement. Effectively using positive reinforcement consists of a three-step process: (1) state the behavior the employee wants to reinforce so the manager knows, (2) tell the manager how it feels when that style is used, and (3) thank the manager for using that style. When the manager reverts to another style, ignore her behavior. Extinguishing poor behavior and rewarding good behavior can do more to change a manager's style than any other means known. Employee:

Yesterday you asked my opinion on reorganizing the office. That made me feel good. It made me feel like my ideas are valued and that I'm a valuable person. I like to feel that my input is both worthwhile and needed. That means a lot to me. Thanks a lot.

When employees know and understand the style their manager uses, they are in a good position to make some changes in themselves and improve their working relationship with their manager. Employees should be encouraged to focus on: 1.

accepting the style their manager uses;

2.

predicting behavior based on that style;

3.

developing a more positive attitude about their manager;

32


4.

avoiding problems that normally would arise as a result of their manager's style; and

5.

improving their own performance in view of what is known about the style the manager uses.

As discussed earlier, little can be done to change the basic style of the manager. Accepting the manager's style can go a long way in the employees' adjustment to t h a t style. Having reached this mental state, employees can use their knowledge to predict how the manager will behave in a given situation. This helps employees develop a healthier attitude and enables them to avoid problems by predicting and anticipating the manager's behavior and developing coping strategies to improve performance. SUMMARY Every manager has a style. Every employee needs to know it. Following a few steps helps employees learn their manager's style of management, accept it, and effectively deal with whatever management style their manager uses.

Every Manager Has a Style 1. Realize the need to know the manager's style. •

Note how it improves attitudes.

•

Note how it prevents problems.

•

Note how it improves performance.

2. Determine what style the manager uses. •

Determine the manager's concern for production.

•

Notice the manager's concern for people.


33

3. Analyze how well the style fits. •

Decide if it fits the situation.

•

Decide if it matches the employee's preference.

4. Accept and deal with the manager's style. •

Accept the manager's style.

•

Predict the manager's behavior based on style.

•

Get a positive attitude about the manager.

•

Avoid problems resulting from the style.

•

Improve performance by knowing the manager's style.

NOTES 1. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 50. 2. Ibid, p. 1. 3. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 120. 4. Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), p. 16.

4 Managers and Pet Peeves Every manager has pet peeves, many centering on such things as being on time, interrupting someone who is talking, giving full attention to the person speaking, using split infinitives, chewing gum, complaining about working late, making off-color comments, errors in written reports, smoking, long hair, messy desk, and so on. While these pet peeves can be annoying, there are some things employees can be guided to do to make them more tolerable. There are four easy-to-use steps that can aid employees in understanding and coping with their manager's pet peeves.

RECOGNIZE THE NEED TO KNOW THE MANAGER'S PET PEEVES There are several compelling things that can help employees deal with their manager's pet peeves. First, employees need to recognize the importance of the pet peeves to their manager. Pet peeves are deepseeded, permanent, not likely to disappear, and important to their owner. All of this is part of the definition of a pet peeve. And if they are important to the manager, then they are important to the employee. Second, employees will want to consider the consequences of violating pet peeves. What does it do to the manager? It causes stress,

Managers and Pet Peeves

35

anger, frustration, resentment, and so on, which often results in a desire for the manager to get the employee back by doing something t h a t the employee will not like. What do managers do? They use pet peeves to judge employees rather t h a n judging them on their performance. They withhold rewards like promotions, raises, and praise. They dish out punishments such as verbal abuse, poor work assignments, and sometimes even fire people who do not accommodate their pet peeves. The bottom line is t h a t employees suffer in some way. Third, employees need to consider the consequences of satisfying their manager's pet peeves. When employees please the manager, the manager in t u r n is more likely to please the employees. Managers will overlook a lot of other things when employees satisfy their pet peeves, maybe even tolerate performance that isn't quite up to par. For some managers, satisfying pet peeves simply is more important t h a n performance. Whether this is right or wrong is not the issue. It is reality that employees need to understand in order to create a healthier climate within which to work. Success depends on it. 1 Fourth, employees need to realize the obvious: namely, that they have to know the manager's pet peeves and meet them to avoid the negative consequences and to take advantage of the positive ones. Before identifying their manager's pet peeves, employees will find it helpful to recognize a few things that they may want to know but really do not need to know. Employees do not need to know the priority of the pet peeves. They all are very important. Employees do not need to know the logic behind the pet peeves. They may have no logic. And employees do not need to know why they have value to their manager. In other words, there is no need to judge the pet peeves or to get hung up on whether they are good or bad. Employees should learn to recognize them for what they are: namely, pet peeves. IDENTIFY THE MANAGER'S PET PEEVES Managers do not publish, or even announce, their pet peeves, yet it is easy to find out what they are by asking a few questions and keeping ones eyes and ears open. Employees can simply follow this principle: If you want to know, ask. 2 They can start by asking their manager about preferences and expectations. Employee:

Everybody has a few things they really stress, like being on time or not having a messy desk. What are some of the things like this that are important to you?

Manager:

The first thing that jumps out is smoking. I hate smoke and don't want anyone smoking around me. You don't smoke, do you?

36


Employee: Manager.

Fortunately, no. Another thing I don't like are errors on letters, memos, and reports. I don't feel that it is my job to proofread your work. I expect you to do that. Oh, I realize that occasionally a typo will sneak past someone, but with both you and your secretary proofing everything, that will be a rare expectation. I guess those two are my two big bugaboos. I'm really quite easy to please. Ha! If you believe that you're gullible. But I can't think of anything else unless it were a desire that everybody be willing to put in some extra hours on those few occasions when we need more time on a project.

Employee:

Thanks for sharing those thoughts with me. I feel more comfortable knowing about them.

Manager:

Sure.

Another way to identify a manager's pet peeves is to ask others. Employees will find it helpful to ask several people, especially those who have been around for a while. Employee:

Pat, what are some of our manager's pet peeves?

Pat:

Smoking is the big one. She hates smoking. Don't disagree with her in a meeting or in front of others. If you don't agree on something, see her in her office and then just say that you have another idea about how we might handle this and that. If you present it that way she will discuss it, think about it, and if she agrees, adopt it. But if you confront her in front of others she becomes very defensive and won't even consider your suggestion no matter how good it is.

Employee:

Thanks Pat. I appreciate the hints.

Employees are to being encouraged to go beyond one source of information. Getting the reaction of several people is the best way for employees to start seeing the real pattern of their manager's pet peeves. Employee:

Jill, could you share with me some of her pet peeves?

Jill:

Sure, I'd be happy to. I probably don't need to tell you about smoking.

Employee:

Yeah, I'm beginning to catch on about that one.

Jill:

Something that I've noticed that I'm not sure others have caught on to is that she appears to have a preference for people who come in early. You notice that she's always here


37

when you arrive. Well lately I've been coming in about a half hour early and her attitude towards me has changed considerably. A couple of times I've actually been embarrassed by what seemed to me to be preferential treatment. Employee:

I've kind of noticed that. I thought that maybe you were her pet employee.

Jill:

Gosh, I hope people don't believe that.

Employee:

No, I was just kidding. I'm sure, knowing you, no one would think that.

Jill:

Good.

A third way to discover pet peeves is to observe the manager's surroundings. A good place to start is her office. Notice how she keeps her office. Is it neat or sloppy? What type of objects does she use to decorate her office? Employee:

(to self) The first thing that struck me when I entered her office were the three signs referring to smoking. Come to think of it, there's another one on the door to her office. They almost take the place of pictures or artwork. Speaking of her pictures, she has a picture behind her desk of her family (husband, two kids, and herself). Interesting! At the company picnic last Saturday only her two kids were with her. Yet she wears a wedding band. Her desk and table have a lot of things on them, especially stacks of what appear to be different projects. Yet each stack is quite orderly.

Employees also can observe how the manager relates to others. For example, if an employee comes late to a meeting, what happens? Does she chastise with, "Why are you late?" or "Don't let it happen again!" Or does she just ignore it? It also is helpful to watch for nonverbals. Does she t u r n red, look furious and angry, and shake her head in disgust or disbelief, or does she hardly notice? Paying attention to her actions can pay off. Does she shut and lock the doors at the beginning of meetings and not open them for late arrivals? Or does she give handouts or catch people up on what's happened so far in a meeting when they arrive late? Employee:

(to self) I noticed that in the meeting when Tom openly and not very tactfully disagreed with her, she looked furious and didn't acknowledge Tom's comments and continued presenting the virtues of her own position without encouraging reaction from Tom or anyone else.

38


Employees should be encouraged to complete and confirm the list of pet peeves, to keep asking and observing .until no more pet peeves are identified. Confirmation comes with consistency in what is heard and observed. Employee:

Jill, I'd like to ask you something. When I was in the manager's office I noticed what appeared to be a picture of herself, her husband, and two children. Yet at the picnic only her two kids accompanied her. I also noticed that she wears a wedding band.

Jill:

Her husband passed away about a year ago. They were very close. He died of lung cancer.

Employee:

(to self) Now I understand the no smoking. It all fits.

DEVELOP A PET PEEVE STRATEGY While pet peeves sometimes can almost drive employees crazy, seldom are they justification to quit the job. The best thing is for employees to develop a strategy for how to live with them. The best strategy is twofold: accept the manager's pet peeves and figure out what can be done to make things better. Employees find it is useful to recognize t h a t everything about the job can't be like they want, so employees will find it helpful to make a decision not to let the pet peeves bother them and affect their performance. Employees can choose to satisfy the pet peeves, even though some of them may seem stupid and uncalled for. One approach is for employees to consider the pet peeves to be another work expectation t h a t must be met. With this in mind, employees can decide on the behaviors they will use to satisfy each of the pet peeves. Employee:

(to self) I will certainly want anyone meeting with my manager for the first time to know about her smoking preference. I'll make sure that Jill or Tom proofread everything after my secretary has proofed it before sending it to her. I'll make sure I'm always at least five minutes early to meetings and any disagreements I have I'll discuss with her privately either before or after the meeting. I'm going to start arriving at least fifteen minutes early at least four out of the five mornings. In addition I'm going to show a willingness to work extra hours when needed.


39

MAKE IT A PET PEEVE TO SATISFY THE MANAGER'S PET PEEVES

Employees should be ready now to effectively address their manager's pet peeves. They recognize the need to know these pet peeves, they have identified what they are, and they have developed a strategy for satisfying them. All that is needed now is for the employee to carry out the strategy. It helps when employees make it a pet peeve to satisfy the manager's pet peeves. SUMMARY

In living and coping with their manager's pet peeves, employees will find this four-step strategy useful.

Managers and Pet Peeves 1. Recognize the need to know the manager's pet peeves. •

Know that the pet peeves are important to the manager.

•

Consider the consequences of violating the pet peeves.

•

Consider the consequences of satisfying the pet peeves.

2. Identify the manager's pet peeves. •

Ask the manager.

•

Ask others.

•

Observe the manager's surroundings.

•

Observe the manager's interactions with others.

3. Develop a pet peeve strategy. •

Accept the manager's pet peeves.

•

Figure out a strategy to deal with the pet peeves.

4. Make it a pet peeve to satisfy the manager's pet peeves.

40


NOTES

1. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p.l. 2. Thad Green and Bill Barkley, Manage to the Individual: If You Want to Know How, Ask! (Atlanta: The Belief System Institute, 1995).

5 Reading Managers Another special way to help employees understand their managers is to teach them how to identify their manager's behavior style. Among the most important information employees can have about managers is knowledge about their behavioral tendencies. By teaching employees how to identify their manager's behavior style, employees can often predict managerial behavior, anticipate reactions and responses, and know in advance what the manager is likely to say and do. Such knowledge helps employees perform better,, keeps them out of unnecessary trouble, and generally makes their job more pleasant. More specifically, it facilitates communication, interactions, and good working relationships, and in general helps employees get along better with management. Many employees might think it difficult or even impossible to characterize a manager's behavior style. They might typically throw up their hands in a helpless gesture, saying, "If only I knew what my manager was going to do next, he's so unpredictable!" or "I never know what she is thinking." Identifying a manager's behavior style is easier t h a n one might think. 1 Employees can come to understand that the process does not require a college diploma but simply a willingness to observe over a period of time the manager's behavior, words, and tone of voice. For em-

42


ployees, the secret is to identify a few important things that enable them to predict many other things. Employees need to be aware of the key principle about discovering style: Observing a little enables you to know a lot. Here is an example of one employee's observations. Employee:

(to self) My manager is such a perfectionist. He wants everything organized his way. He makes all the decisions and doesn't involve any of us. He demands that we put everything in writing, and he never takes a chance or a risk. I'll bet he even washes and irons all of his own clothes! My former manager was so laid back that she didn't seem to know where anything was or where we stood on any of our departmental projects. She appeared to be disorganized yet when you confronted her with a question you were amazed to see that she was on top of things. She left everything up to us as long as we kept her informed by telling her how things were going from time to time. She was steady, didn't get nervous, and she always was there for us.

Being able to recognize and understand a manager's behavior style is a valuable way for employees to predict and anticipate what a manager will say and do. Employees can learn to do this by developing the skills outlined in the following simple four-step process. SELECT A FRAMEWORK FOR READING THE MANAGER'S STYLE Although there are a number of frameworks employees can use to characterize a manager's style, experience shows the behavior style framework is often the one employees can most easily and effectively grasp and apply. However, so employees can see that there are a variety of frameworks, each of which can be used to characterize a manager's style, it may be helpful to sketch out a number of them. Here are five possible frameworks one might use to characterize a manager's style: thinking framework, leadership framework, participating framework, learning framework, and behavior style framework. The best rule is for employees to select the framework which will predict their manager's behavior best, since that is the main purpose of identifying a manager's style. All of the frameworks mentioned here have advantages and disadvantages. The thinking framework, based on work by Ned Herrmann, 2 uses insight from right brain/left brain research and asks employees to decide whether the manager functions as predominantly a right-brain thinker (creative, nonlinear, spatial, imaginative, and synthesizing) or a

Reading Managers Reading Managers

43

left-brain thinker (analytic, linear, logical, rational, systematic, sequential, and factual). The leadership framework asks whether the manager tends to focus on accomplishing the task or does she seem more concerned with her team's well-being.3 The participating framework asks whether the manager allows employees to participate to a large degree in making the decisions of the department or does he usually make all the decisions unilaterally and merely tell his people of his decisions and expect them to carry them out.4 The learning framework, based on research by John Grinder and Richard Bandler,5 asks whether the manager represents the world in a visual, auditory, or kinesthetic way. The first, for the most part, represents the world with pictures, the second with sounds, and the third with feelings. Visual managers: (1) like things in writing, (2) prefer visuals like charts, diagrams, and overheads, (3) recall things from the past by seeing pictures of people and things in their mind, and (4) imagine the future with visual images. Managers who are primarily auditory: (1) prefer verbal reports over written reports, (2) like to discuss and talk about problems, and (3) enjoy face-to-face interactions with employees. Kinesthetic managers: (1) like to feel and touch the problem, (2) prefer to go on-site and get their hands on the machine that isn't working, and (3) sense and feel the way things are. The behavior style framework, found in a work of William Moulton Marston titled Emotions of Normal People,6 asks about the manager's patterns of behavior. Is the manager predominantly a dominating, influencing, steady, or conforming person? Over the years, in academic classes and corporate training programs, these five frameworks for classifying a manager's style have been assessed on the basis of how easy they are to understand and use, how well they predict future behavior, and how accurate the predictions are. Employees can select one of these frameworks and concentrate on using it to read their manager. From experience, the one that probably stands the test best is the behavior style framework. It is consistently the best choice to help employees read their managers. It is best in accuracy of predictions, especially in how much it predicts, and it is the easiest to understand and use. The reason is that behavior style characterizations are not as narrowly defined as the other four frameworks tend to be. Moreover, the behavior style framework encompasses much material from the other frameworks. For all these reasons, the behavior style framework will be presented here.

44


UNDERSTAND THE BEHAVIOR STYLE FRAMEWORK

This approach is based on the four classifications of behavior styles first named by Marston in his book Emotions of Normal People. Originally, Marston called the styles dominance, inducement, submission, and comphant, but over the years people have come to employ the names dominant, influencing, steady, and conforming. The descriptions of these four styles, as given on the following pages, have been developed from the works of many researchers and practitioners.

Behavioral Tendencies of the Dominant Manager • •

Bottom Line Oriented

• •

•

Challenges Status Quo

•

Self-Starter

a

Dislikes Details

•

Likes to be in Charge

•

Likes Change

•

Not a Good Listener

•

Decisive

•

Always Right

•

Needs Little Information

•

Doesn't Smile Much

•

Not Open to Suggestions

•

Frowns

•

Makes Things Happen

•

Cold

•

All Business

•

Hard

a

Direct

•

Intimidating

•

Intent Is to Overcome

•

Enjoys Conflict

•

Likes to Conquer

•

Confident

•

Enjoys a Challenge

•

Arrogant

•

Straightforward

•

Dislikes Routine Work

•

Positive

•

Gets Bored Easily

•

Optimistic

•

Takes on Too Much

Aggressive

Risk Taker Results Oriented

45

Reading Managers •

Strong Ego

•

Oversteps Authority

•

Impatient

•

Argumentative

•

Values Time

•

Results Valued More Than People

•

Innovative

•

Defiant

•

Problem Solver

•

Dislikes Wasting Time

Behavioral Tendencies of the Influencing Manager •

Talkative

•

Likes Having Fun

•

Optimistic

•

Convincing

•

Enthusiastic

•

Poised

•

Emotional

•

Meets Strangers Easily

•

Impulsive

•

Outgoing

•

Popular

•

Hates Rejection

•

Trusting

•

Accepting

•

Persuasive

•

Misjudges Others

•

Creative

•

Warm

•

Laughs a Lot

•

Charming

•

Motivates

Q

Charismatic

•

Sense of Humor

•

Makes a Good Impression

•

Negotiates Conflicts

•

Many Acquaintances

•

Articulate

•

Few Close Friends

•

Smiles

•

Not a Detail Person

•

Enjoys People

•

People Valued More Than Results

•

Situational Listener

46


Behavioral Tendencies of the Steady Manager •

Steady

•

Relaxed

•

Predictable

•

Low Key

•

Possessive of Things

•

Undemonstrative

•

Possessive of People

•

Self-Controlled

Q

Understanding

•

Conceals True Feelings

•

Friendly

•

Will Hold a Grudge

•

Sincere

•

Even Tempered

•

Team Player

•

Approaches Things

•

Good Listener

O

Dependable

•

Emotionally Mature

•

Patient

•

Complacent

•

Empathetic

•

Lenient

•

Dislikes Conflict

•

Has Calming Effect on Others

•

Supportive

•

Calm

•

Maintains the Status Quo

•

Dislikes Urgency

•

Dislikes Change

•

Dislikes Pressure of Deadlines

•

Slow to Adjust to Change

•

Can't Say No

•

Difficulty Setting Priorities

•

Family Oriented

Q

Takes Criticism of Work as

•

Relationships Are Important

Personal

•

Doesn't Like the New

Q

Amiable

•

Easygoing

•

Procrastinates

Systematically

and Different •

Wants to Know Expectations

47

Reading Managers

Behavioral Tendencies of the Conforming Manager •

Analytical

•

Disciplined

•

Fact Finder

•

More Strict Than Tough

•

Accurate

•

Unmovable When Mind

•

Detailed

•

Conscientious

•

Prefers Switching to Fighting

•

Precise

•

Adapts to Avoid Confrontation

•

Systematic

•

Strong Need for .

•

Sensitive

O

Objective

•

Documents Everything

•

Clarifies

•

Goes by the Book

•

Defines

•

Tries to Please

•

Gets Information

•

Perfectionist

•

Criticizes

•

Slow to Take Independent Action

•

Tests

•

Once Sure, Very Determined

•

Maintains Standards

•

Diplomatic

•

Quality Oriented

•

Complies with Authority

•

Prefers Precedents

•

Needs Reassurance

•

Bound by Methods

•

Dislikes Challenge

and Procedures

•

Prefers Personal to

Is Made Up

Self-Preservation

Public Recognition

•

Gets Bogged Down in Details

•

Yields to Avoid Controversy

•

Cautious

•

Does Not Like to

•

Tentative

Verbalize Feelings

•

Hesitant

48

• • • • • • • •


Avoids Trouble Does Necessary Homework Makes Few Mistakes Avoids Risk Proceeds in Orderly Way Nonargumentative Likes Established Procedures

• • • • • • •

Doesn't Like to be Rushed Organized Neat Prepares in Advanced Strictly Business Methodical Conservative

Prefers Proven Systems

IDENTIFY THE MANAGER'S BEHAVIOR STYLE Everyone—including managers—acts in every one of these four behavior styles to some extent, but most people operate mainly between two styles: a primary style and a secondary style. Thus, most managers have both a primary style, the one they tend to show most often, and a secondary style, the one they use next most frequently. It is important to get employees to identify their m a n a g e r s primary style, and helpful to identify the secondary style as well. Employees should make a preliminary determination of their manager's primary style based on their first reaction to the four lists of behavioral tendencies. Then employees can review the four lists and check all of the behavioral tendencies t h a t apply to their manager. As they check off each one, it is helpful to think of some event or interaction t h a t gives evidence t h a t their manager does indeed possess t h a t behavioral tendency. For example, one employee who felt her manager had the influencing style checked the behavioral tendency "talkative." Employee:

(to self) Yesterday he called me into his office and I was there for thirty minutes. I never could figure out why he wanted to see me, unless it was just to talk. And that's what happened. He talked and I listened.

The general rule is t h a t the style t h a t has the most behavioral tendencies checked is the manager's primary style, and the style t h a t has

Reading Managers

49

the next most boxes checked is the manager's secondary style. For example, the same woman explained why she decided her manager was of the influencing style. Employee:

(to self) I checked off the most tendencies for the influencing style. He is a warm, charming, egomaniac who loves to namedrop. He can easily be diverted to some tangent. He has unrealistic expectations and has a tendency to overspend. He can be very manipulative and at times comes across as being superficial. He's a poor listener and a big talker, talking more than listening. He doesn't analyze things well and tends to "wing it." He concentrates on making a good impression and often misses early warning signals. His secondary style is much harder to determine. I guess he would be most like the dominant style, since he is strong, competitive, forceful and results-oriented. He can be detailed, yet at times he seems to scatter his efforts across many projects. While he likes change, he wants it to be his change. He definitely wants things done his way.

The woman who categorized her managers primary style as influencing and his secondary style as dominant found much to confirm her designations. Employee:

(to self) Twice this month we have gotten in trouble on the Warner project because he has overspent our budget. His desire to make a good impression on the executives at Warner overrides his job of analyzing the project to make sure we're on target. And, as for his dominant secondary style, last month seemed to be "change month." Every time I'd turn around, he was making some change in procedure. He wouldn't listen to reason. Once he'd made up his mind on a change, that was it. It had to be done his way.

DECIDE HOW TO WORK WITH THE MANAGER'S STYLE It is important t h a t employees do not expect their manager's behavior style to change, nor should they try to change it, because a person's style basically is impossible to change. It is best for employees to accept and adjust to their manager's behavior style and to work with it, rather t h a n expecting the manager to adjust to theirs. Here are some suggestions that will help employees communicate and work more effectively with their manager.

50


Responding to the Dominant Style • •

Avoid wasting their time. Focus on the bottom line.

• •

Value their time.

•

Stick to business.

•

Show respect.

•

Emphasize results.

•

Give direct answers.

•

Avoid details.

•

Be clear and specific.

•

Be brief and to the point.

•

Be action oriented.

a

No small talk.

•

Don't be intimidated.

•

Have good eye contact.

•

Be decisive.

•

Show that you are competent.

•

Be straight and direct.

•

Be prepared.

•

Play to their ego.

•

Go at a fast pace.

•

Help get results.

•

Acknowledge their

•

Use no-nonsense approach.

power

and

Gain their respect.

authority.

Responding to the Influencing Style • •

Be friendly.

Laugh with them.

Be accepting.

• •

•

Be enthusiastic.

•

Have fun with them.

a

Socialize with them.

•

Be warm.

a

Focus on the big picture.

•

Support their dreams.

a

Avoid details.

•

Respect their intuition.

•

Emphasize the new and different.

•

Acknowledge their feehngs.

•

Allow them to talk.

Q

Leave time for socializing.

Smile.

Reading Managers

51

•

Provide direction with questions.

•

Solicit their ideas.

•

Ask their opinion.

•

Be fast-moving with them.

Responding to the Steady Style Q

Listen.

•

Don't be pushy.

•

Be open.

•

Move slowly with them.

•

Avoid conflict.

•

Don't change things quickly.

•

Develop a relationship with them.

•

Get to know them.

•

Show interest in their family.

•

Find areas of common interest.

•

Be nonthreatening.

•

Don't hurt their feelings.

•

Be caring.

•

Don't push them to take a risk.

•

Be sincere.

•

Keep things predictable.

•

Show interest in their

•

Avoid surprising them,

personal goals.

•

Show understanding.

•

Help them achieve personal goals.

•

Be supportive.

•

Recognize they can't say "no."

•

Avoid pressuring them.

•

Let them be part of the team.

Responding to the Conforming Style •

Avoid rushing them.

•

Avoid getting personal.

•

Give them the details.

Q

Avoid small talk.

•

Answer all their questions.

•

Have backup data for everything.

•

Avoid surprising them.

•

Present all sides of the issue.

52


•

Support ideas with accurate data.

•

Be objective.

Q

Be patient.

•

Present the facts.

•

Be well prepared.

•

Avoid confrontation and conflict.

•

Be analytical with them.

•

Give reassurance.

•

Stick to business.

•

Avoid challenging them.

•

Be straightforward and direct.

•

Avoid changing things quickly.

Here are some e x a m p l e s of how employees m i g h t respond to m a n agers w h o s e primary styles are dominant, influencing, steady, and conforming, respectively. Employee: (to dominate manager) I wanted to meet with you for no more than five minutes. We're projecting a cost overrun on the Bates project. I want to tell you the plan to get it back in line, get your reaction, and make a decision on it. Employee: (to influencing manager) Jean, your idea was super and you deserve all the credit for coming up with such a great solution. I've done everything you suggested, and everybody is happy with it. Employee: (to steady manager) The project is moving along at a steady pace, right on schedule. Everything seems to be going as you planned it. I don't anticipate the need to change anything. Employee: (to conforming manager) You requested that I keep you informed about the Sindle project. Well, I thought you would want to know that the contract was signed yesterday at 4 o'clock without the slightest hitch. Sindle's management did not ask one question or request a single change. Everything went just as you had planned and wanted it to go.

SUMMARY E m p l o y e e s communicate upward more effectively w h e n they are able to identify the behavior style of their manager and respond appropriately to it. E m p l o y e e s can do this by following the four-step process outlined here.

Reading Managers

53

Reading Managers 1. Select a framework for reading the manager's style. 2. Understand the behavior style framework. •

Understand dominant

tendencies.

•

Understand influencing

•

Understand steady tendencies.

•

Understand conforming tendencies.

tendencies.

3. Identify the manager's behavior style. •

Make a preliminary guess of the manager's style.

•

Use the four lists of behavioral tendencies to assess the manager's style.

4. Decide how to work with the manager's style. •

Select ways to respond to the manager's style from the lists of suggested ways to respond.

•

Use the responses selected.

NOTES 1. Thad Green and Bill Barkley, Manage to the Individual: If You Want to Know How, Ask! (Atlanta: The Belief System Institute, 1995). 2. Ned Herrmann, "Brain Dominance Technology," in Training and Development Handbook: A Guide to Human Resource Development, 3rd ed., Robert L. Craig, editor-in-chief (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company), pp. 349-359. 3. Ralph Stogdill and A. E. Coons, eds., Leader Behavior: Its Description and Measurement (Columbus: Bureau of Business Research, Ohio State University, 1957). 4. Robert Tannenbaum and Warren Smith, "How to Choose a Leadership Pattern," Harvard Business Review (March-April 1958), pp. 95-101.

54


5. John Grinder and Richard Bandler, The Structure of Magic II (Palo Alto, Calif: Science and Behavior Books, Inc., 1976). 6. William Moulton Marston, Emotions of Normal People (Minneapolis: Persona Press, Inc., 1979).

Part III DEALING WITH PROBLEM MANAGERS


6 Nobody's Perfect Many employees strongly feel things would be better if only their manager would change. Employees say they would be more motivated, would perform better, and enjoy their work more if only their manager would start doing certain things and stop doing others. Many managers can and will change, and employees should be encouraged to help facilitate the changes by following a few simple steps. ACCEPT THAT THE MANAGER IS NOT PERFECT The first step is for employees to realize that their manager is fallible. 1 Nobody is perfect. Managers certainly are not and no amount of wishing will make them perfect. Employees must be persuaded to deal with their manager according to who the manager is, not who they want the manager to be. 2 However, there are several options when employees find it increasingly difficult to live with managerial imperfections. One possibility includes changing the manager, at least in certain ways.

58


WEIGH THE OPTIONS FOR DEALING WITH THE MANAGER There are many options available for employees to consider when dealing with a manager who has undesirable behaviors. One option employees often turn to is that of complaining, either to oneself or to others. Frequently employees are astounded. They can not believe what the manager does. It helps when employees try to understand why their manager does certain things and they can reach this understanding by asking themselves and others why. Rather than doing this, many employees simply prefer to complain. Employee:

(to self) I can't believe this. Why does she have to be that way? I just don't understand. She's making everybody miserable. (June happens to walk by) Hey June. Did you see our manager's latest maneuver. She's decided that we're going to have two morning briefings a week instead of just the one on Monday. Instead of wasting an hour on Monday morning we're going to extend it, spread it around and waste an hour on both Monday and Wednesday. If we're lucky we'll do this every day. If something isn't working, why does she always think that more of a bad thing will be better? An idiot could manage better.

What are the consequences of complaining? The manager seldom changes because of the complaints behind her back. The situation does not improve unless the manager hears about it, and then it may get worse rather than better. About the only gain is that the employee has ventilated and somehow feels a little better for having done it, yet knowing deep inside that this has not accomplished a thing. Another option is to get out. When employees believe the manager will never change, they feel helpless and want out. Some employees are willing to try for a transfer or just quit. Employee:

(to self) She's never going to change. I can't stand this any longer. I've got to get out.

The consequences are quite clear. The employee may or may not be able to get another job right away, end up with a better job, or end up with a better manager. Most likely the employee will merely exchange managers and get one who uses a different set of poor management techniques. Yet another option is to get rid of the manager. Employees often believe very strongly that the manager cannot change, will not, or both. They may dislike the manager very much and sincerely believe that the manager deserves the worst for what she has done. Employees some-

59

Nobody's Perfect

times believe t h a t the manager should be punished and end up having a vendetta to "get the manager." If employees are successful in getting rid of the manager, they may or may not get a better manager and are left with the reputation of "doing people in," a reputation t h a t few employees would want. If employees are not successful, they are likely to suffer a lot because of the failed attempt and they may even lose their job when the manager retahates. In either case employees are not likely to gain anything from pursuing this tactic. Employees often choose to wait it out when their manager behaves in ways they dislike. With this option employees believe t h a t the manager will eventually "see the light." They believe that the manager can and will change, t h a t the circumstances t h a t are causing the manager's problem will change, or t h a t time alone will solve things. Employee:

(to self) Things will get better. Just give it time.

Employee:

(to self) She's just having a bad day. She's under a lot of pressure right now. That's bound to change.

Employee:

(to self) She's having problems at home. That can't last forever.

It is true t h a t time alone may solve the situation employees face at present. Circumstances may change, the manager may change, the employee may get promoted or transferred, or the manager may get promoted, transferred, fired, or leave. It may be solved in a few weeks or it may take months, even years. Even though employees suffer daily as they wait, this can be a good strategy if, in fact, time will solve the problem and the employee has the patience to wait. However, if the problem will not be solved by waiting a reasonable amount of time, employees can choose another option. The live with it option is where employees believe the manager cannot or will not change, t h a t nothing will make things better, and it is preferable to live with things the way they are rather t h a n go to all the bother to try to change the situation. Employee:

(to self) She's never going to change. There's nothing I can do about it. I'll just have to learn to live with it.

The consequence of taking this action is t h a t employees give up trying to improve their situation. This is the decision to just make themselves miserable for an extended period of time. Giving up means their life will continue to be one they do not like and they will be unhappy. Another option is where the employee changes. With this option, employees conclude t h a t the manager will not or can not change, and

60


they themselves are willing and able to change in order to improve the situation. Employee:

(to self) She's never going to change, but maybe I can.

Depending on what the employee is trying to change, this can be a feasible, good solution and at times a relatively easy solution. Yet in other circumstances it is very difficult because employees sometimes do not care to make an effort for something t h a t is really their manager's problem and not their own. Employee:

(to self) Because she's doing something wrong, why should I have to change to accommodate her.

Many employees fail to consider an option, the possibility t h a t they might have the power to change the manager or at least modify certain behaviors. Many employees may feel it is an impossibihty not worthy of consideration. Yet people do change. With a little help, perhaps the manager can and will. Perhaps t h a t little help could be provided by the employee. Employee:

(to self) Things won't get better unless I do something about it. Perhaps I can provide the impetus that will cause the manager to consider changing her ways.

With this option, employees have everything to gain and nothing to lose. If they try and nothing changes, they do not lose anything. But if they enact a change, they have much to gain. This definitely is an option employees should be encouraged to pursue. TRY CHANGING THE MANAGER FIRST Employees sometimes need a nudge to make up their minds to try to change their manager. It starts with employees singling out something they would like to see their manager change. It is best to state specifically the way the manager now acts, and then state specifically the way they would like her to act. Employee:

(to self) I get so irritated when I go in to see my manager and she starts opening her mail, like I don't exist. I'd like her to give me her full attention.

It is helpful for employees to identify the reasons the manager is t h a t way. Perhaps she is not aware of the need to change or is not aware the employee wants a change. Or perhaps the manager is not

61

Nobody's Perfect

willing to change. This could be because the manager does not see any reason to change. That is, she does not see the benefits, especially what she will get out of it. Or perhaps the manager has reasons for not changing such as she does not like change, she has a fear of losing control, she has a fear of failure, she is not a risk taker, she likes things the way the are, it has always been done t h a t way, the m a n a g e r s manager reinforces the behavior, it would take too much effort, it would give one employee too much benefit, or it would look like favoritism. Employee:

(to self) I think she sees it as an opportunity to get two things done at once and doesn't realize she is conveying a message of disinterest to others.

Perhaps the manager is not able to change for reasons like not knowing exactly what changes employees want her to make, not knowing how she can make the change come about, not having the skills to do it differently (like being more participative), cannot break ingrained habits (like being critical), having pressure from above not to change (like "push your employees hard"), or being told not to do something a certain way (like "don't tell employees too much about what is going on in the company regarding the financial situation, new products, or longrange plans"). Employees should be encouraged to determine the likelihood they can change their manager. This can be based on the reasons the manager is the way she is. Employees should select something to change where the chances of success are good. They should be discouraged from choosing something t h a t will be impossible to change. DEVELOP AN APPROACH FOR CHANGING THE MANAGER Employees should prepare to meet with their manager. This preparation begins by determining exactly what their manager is doing now. Next is deciding exactly what employees want their manager to do differently. They also should list ways the manager would benefit by changing. And it is important to anticipate the manager's objections and figure out how to deal with each of them. Employee:

(to self) She's always opening her mail while talking to me. I would rather she give me her undivided attention. By giving me her full attention, she would motivate me to strive to do a better job. She will say that she was just trying to get a "2 for 1," but wouldn't mind changing this habit.

How do managers feel about this kind of approach? Typical reactions include the following comments.

62


Manager:

If somebody wants me to do something different, they better be prepared or they can forget it.

Manager:

I'll listen to an employee who is prepared, but I don't want to hear any half-baked ideas.

Manager:

With me, the battle is half won if they're prepared when they come to me.

Employees should set a meeting with their manager when she can give her full attention. It is helpful to decide whether to tell her in advance what the discussion will be about. For some, knowing will help prepare them to be participative, while for others knowing will allow them to become defensive and make it hard for them to listen well. In the meeting, employees should objectively describe the desired change. It is important to avoid blaming or accusing the manager. It also is good to indicate the positive things about the way the manager is doing it now, but also indicate concerns to show how it is not in her best interest to continue doing it t h a t way. Manager:

I'm more receptive when employees are objective. When they are accusing, blaming, or pointing fingers at me, it makes me not want to change even when I know I should.

Manager:

I can't stand it when employees get emotional or complain about something I've done. I respond better when they are objective.

Manager:

Nobody likes it when employees gripe about something they have only half-thought out.

Employees will want to emphasize the benefits of changing, clearly stating and stressing how the manager benefits. For every benefit to anybody or anything, it is persuasive to show how it ties back into benefiting the manager. Manager:

I can't tell my employees this, but I'm more likely to change when they show me it's in my best interest to change.

Manager:

I like it when an employee shows me the benefits. That's the way you sell an idea.

It is a good idea for manager and employee to agree on how the manager will change. This means coming up with suggestions by first asking the manager for her ideas and then adding others she may not mention. Suggestions can be evaluated by asking the manager what

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Nobody's Perfect

she thinks will work and what her preferences are. Employees can share their opinions, too. Then agree on the change. Be sure it is something the manager can do and is willing to do. It is important for manager and employee to agree on who is to do what. Manager:

I don't like somebody telling me what to do. I do better when I come up with the ideas.

Manager:

I'm more willing to do things differently when I'm involved rather than being told by an employee what to do.

It is very important for employees to give the manager positive reinforcement for hstening, and for being open, cooperative, and willing to change. Manager:

Sure. Everybody likes to be thanked when they're going out of their way to make things better for employees.

Manager:

My employees always want positive reinforcement from me, but they never give me any. I'd love it if they did.

The employee can summarize how the manager will change, what the employee will do, and how the manager will benefit. Manager:

I like a good summary. It lets me know if we're on the same wavelength before the meeting ends.

OBSERVE THE MANAGER'S CHANGED BEHAVIORS After using this approach for changing the manager, employees will want to observe the manager's behavior, specifically the changes agreed upon. If the manager has changed, giving positive reinforcement is appropriate. If the manager has not changed, it is appropriate for the employee to point it out and discuss it. Oftentimes, going back and using some of the key parts of the approach again will get the manager on track to change the behaviors. Manager:

I don't mind an employee following up on something I've said I'd do. Sometimes I need it.

Manager:

Hey, sometimes I forget or don't get around to something because I'm busy. I don't mind getting a reminder, as long as it doesn't imply I'm not doing my job.

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FALL BACK ON OTHER OPTIONS WHEN NECESSARY

When attempts to change the manager do not work, employees can try another option as outlined earlier. If the chances of changing the manager on a certain thing are too slim to even try, employees can go to another option initially. But employees should be encouraged to remember that they can change most managers on some things. The idea is to pick the right things to change, use the approach described here, and go for it. It may be as simple as making their manager aware of the need to change, helping her see something more clearly, or giving her an idea about how to do it. SUMMARY

The approach recommended here is a basic format that employees can use anytime they are going to try to get their manager to change. If employees are trying to change something that is changeable, this approach will help them be successful. Employees have a lot to gain if it works and little to lose if it doesn't. Employees should be encouraged to give it a try. They will see. It can work wonders.

Nobody's Perfect 1. Accept that the manager is not perfect. 2. Weigh the options for dealing with the manager. •

Complain.

•

Get out.

•

Get rid of the manager.

•

Wait it out.

•

Live with it.

Nobody's Perfect

3.

•

Change self.

•

Change the manager.

65

Try changing the manager first. •

Single out a desired change.

•

State how the manager acts at present.

•

State specifically the preferred way for the manager to act.

•

Identify reasons the manager acts t h a t way.

•

Determine the likelihood the manager can and will change.

4. Develop an approach for changing the manager. •

Set meeting.

•

Objectively describe the desired change.

•

Agree on how the manager will change.

•

Give positive reinforcement.

5. Observe the manager's changed behaviors. 6. Fall back on other options when necessary.

NOTES 1. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 70. 2. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 50.

7 Responding to Unfair Performance Appraisals The employee walked out of the performance appraisal in total shock, not believing what the manager had said. The manager had not documented anything. He just talked in circles using broad innuendoes, not saying anything concrete. Then he rated the employee's performance as a three on a five-point scale. The employee thought many of the individual ratings were ridiculous, like the two rating for attitude and the comment "attitude could be improved." The employee left saying, "I'll show him how to improve my attitude—with another company." Performance appraisals frequently are not exactly what employees expect or want. Emphasis tends to be on what they did not do or what they did wrong rather than on accomplishments. Even if more time was spent on the positive side of performance, it would not make many appraisals palatable. Somehow managers have a way of making the negative dominate. When employees are unhappy with what they consider to be an unfair performance appraisal, it helps to realize where the manager is coming from. Studies show that managers get httle or no training to prepare them to do performance appraisals. Only 25 percent of managers who do performance appraisals receive training for it, and when

Responding to Unfair Performance Appraisals

67

there is training, it often deals only with the administrative aspects. 1 If managers seem ill-prepared to conduct performance appraisals, it may be because they are. However, the importance of performance appraisals to employees remains. A survey of nearly 600 organizations shows t h a t managers use performance appraisal results for compensation (85.6 percent), counseling (65.1 percent), training and development (64.3 percent), promotion (45.3 percent), staff planning (43.1 percent), and retention and discharge (30.3 percent). 2 From the employee's point of view, much is riding on performance appraisals. Employees are encouraged to recognize t h a t the last appraisal is history, but the next one still is in the future. Little can be done about what the manager said last time, but something can be done to control what is said in the next one. It is easy to help employees deal with a less-than-desirable performance appraisal if they will learn the skills required to take appropriate action. It all begins with preparation.

PREPARE TO DEAL WITH AN UNFAIR APPRAISAL The first thing employees should do is allow a few days to pass so the fury and anger can subside a little and they can approach the appraisal with a cooler head. It is hard for employees to think clearly and logically when they are uptight with emotion. Next, employees need to review how they were evaluated. This calls for looking at the method by which they were rated. It also includes listing areas t h a t seem to be more important to the manager. Which ones seem to be his favorites? Which ones are of less interest? How many concrete, documented examples of actual situations did he use? Employees can spend some time laying out how they should be evaluated, concentrating on areas where expected results can be stated in a specific, measurable, and realistic way, making a list of things they hope to accomplish prior to the next appraisal period, and putting it in writing. A key to success in this preparation is for employees to focus on results 3 and to stay specific.4 Suppose t h a t one of the areas an employee wants to improve upon is the number of times she comes to work late. Here is one way to state it. Employee:

(to self) I need to improve on the number of times I am late for work. Writing this down is a good start, but it could be more specific. Maybe my goal should be to reduce the number of days I am late for work.

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Now it is more specific, but it is not measurable. How would she and her manager know during the next performance appraisal whether or not she actually did reduce the number of times she was late unless she went back and counted both the number of times she was late during the last period and the current period. Therein lies the way to make this measurable. Count the number of times late the last period and then set a reasonable number of days to reduce it during the next period. Employee:

(to self) Reduce the number of days I am late for work to no more than one per month.

Now it is measurable. Is it reasonable? Is one day per month attainable? Is it too easy to reach? Is it too difficult? To be realistic the goal should be something the employee has to stretch for to attain. With some effort the goal can be reached. It should not be something the employee has to kill herself to accomplish. When each item on the list of things to accomplish is specific, measurable, and realistic, the employee is ready to meet with her manager. MEET WITH THE MANAGER A time should be set when both manager and employee can work without interruption. It makes sense to establish a quiet place and time and arrange to the extent possible for minimal interruptions because something important is to be discussed. Employees can open the discussion by expressing concern with the recent appraisal. It is good for employees to acknowledge t h a t the manager may be concerned with their work and accept at least partial blame for both the results of the appraisal and for any concern t h a t the manager may have for their work. Employees should indicate a desire to improve future appraisals. Care must be taken not to attack the manager or refer to the previous appraisal as poor. It is best to downplay the previous appraisal and concentrate on ways to make the next one better. Care also must be taken by employees to avoid becoming defensive about their ability or previous rating. Employee:

The reason I wanted to meet with you today is to discuss my recent appraisal. I know that you have some concerns with my work and I accept part of the blame for both my work and the appraisal. My goal is to improve the next appraisal and that is specifically why I want to discuss with you today.


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FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS TO THE MANAGER Here employees should be encouraged to describe the benefits to both manager and themselves with emphasis on the advantages to the manager if the employee improves performance. Employee:

By improving my performance during the next performance appraisal period I will receive a better appraisal from you but the important thing is that my performance will be contributing more to the department and helping you achieve the results you want.

REACH AGREEMENT ON THE NEXT APPRAISAL Employees should give their manager a written list of goals for the next period, with each goal specific, measurable, and realistic, and ask the manager for comments on the goals. Employee:

Over the last couple of weeks I have been giving some thought to the things I think I should concentrate on to improve my performance. Here is the list I made. Each item is as specific as I could make it so both of us would know exactly what I would be concentrating on. Next I made sure each goal had a number so it could be measured and a date by which I would accomplish it. Finally I made sure each goal was realistic, one that would require some effort and stretching on my part, yet not so difficult that I would not be able to reach it.

The manager should be given a chance to indicate how he would like to see the list of goals changed. Any differences can be negotiated. The final list should be jointly compiled. Employee:

What changes or additions do you think should be made to the list?

Next, employees should be encouraged to find out what their manager wants them to concentrate on during the next performance appraisal period. Employee:

From this list of goals for the next period, what do you want me to especially focus on?

Finally, employees should summarize the measurable results that have been agreed upon.

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication Employee:

Here is the final compilation of goals that I am going to concentrate on over the next performance appraisal period. Do you see any additions or corrections to be made to the list?

By putting these goals in writing, and making them specific, measurable, and realistic, employees will be teaching their manager to more objectively appraise them without ever mentioning the fact t h a t the last appraisal was subjective and undocumented. Employees should be reminded t h a t the key is to keep the conversation future oriented. Employees need to understand the importance of determining how each result will be measured, and agreeing on the role t h a t both the manager and the employee will play. Also a timetable should be established to indicate when the measuring will take place and how the results will be reported to the manager. Employee:

All right, here is the list of goals and here is the timetable stating which one of us will do the measuring and on what date.

SUMMARIZE EVERYTHING To reinforce everything t h a t has transpired, the employee should summarize the entire process. This will help assure t h a t the next performance appraisal will be more specific and based on objective and documented data. Employee:

To summarize what we have agreed upon today, here is a list of goals which we agree will form the basis of my efforts for the next six months. During that period both you and I will measure the progress at various times. These times are also indicated on the list. Not only will this document guide my performance, but it will also provide the structure by which you will conduct my next performance appraisal. If this sounds okay to you, I'm ready to get to work.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TO THE MANAGER Employees will want to t h a n k the manager for the meeting and for giving insight into what is expected during the next performance appraisal period. This includes telling the manager how the employee feels, being sure to draw upon inner feelings and describing them to the manager. Employee:

Thanks a lot for meeting with me. This has been a great help.


71

It makes me feel at ease knowing exactly what I am accountable for, and by when, and how it will be measured. I now feel that I have a good grasp of what you expect of me, and I can assure you that during my next performance appraisal you will be very pleased. Thanks again. TRACK PROGRESS WITH THE MANAGER Employees must keep a tickler file t h a t will remind them of the dates on which to measure progress on their goals. After checking it, employees will want to report back to their manager to keep him informed of progress. In this way, employees are demonstrating t h a t they are seriously working on the goals and subtly reminding the manager t h a t he has an obligation to do his part of the reporting. Employee:

Today is the tenth of the month and that is when we agreed that I would report my progress on some of these goals. I am pleased to tell you that these two are both done, this one ahead of time. On this goal I am about halfway through, which is where I should be as of this date. However, on the ninth goal I am behind. I should have had the initial cost figures completed. There are two figures I am waiting on from the suppliers. I must confess that I probably have not been pushing them hard enough and I take full responsibility for that. I will be on their backs every day this week until I get those figures.

The tickler file also should remind the employee of the dates on which the manager had agreed to measure progress and provide some feedback. If he is a few days late in doing this, he should be reminded of his obligation to do this. Employee:

I was noticing that it is the twentieth of the month and I was wondering if you had forgotten to give me a report on my progress toward the goals, or if perhaps some other pressing matters have kept you from it.

When the manager does follow up by giving feedback as he said he would, employees will want to be sure to give him positive reinforcement. Employee:

Thanks for the feedback on my progress. It really helps when you show me that what I am doing is important enough to give me input. It makes me feel like my job is worthwhile.

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SUMMARY

Improving performance appraisals need not be left to happenstance. Employees can take an active role to assure that the next appraisal is handled by their manager in a more objective, more effective manner. This can be effectively accomplished when employees follow a prescribed process.

Responding to Unfair Performance Appraisals 1. Prepare to deal with an unfair appraisal. •

Let anger subside.

•

Review the appraisal.

•

Decide how the appraisal should have been.

2. Meet with the manager. •

Express concern with the appraisal.

•

Acknowledge the manager's concerns about performance.

•

Accept at least partial blame for the appraisal and performance.

•

Indicate desire to improve future performance.

•

Concentrate on how to make future appraisals better.

3. Focus on the benefits to the manager. 4. Reach agreement on the next appraisal. •

Give the manager a list of performance goals.

•

Get the manager's reaction.

•

Ask the manager to indicate priorities for the goals.

•

Put the goals in writing.


•

Be sure the goals are measurable.

•

Agree on a timetable for measuring goals and reporting results.

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5. Summarize everything. 6. Give positive reinforcement to the manager. 7. Track progress with the manager.

NOTES 1. William S. Swan and Philhp Margulies, How to Do a Superior Performance Appraisal (New York: Wiley, 1991), p. 8. 2. "Performance Appraisal: Current Practices and Techniques," Personnel, 61 (May-June 1984), p.57. 3. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 58. 4. Ibid, p. 129.

8 How to Get Managers to Stop Checking Up It is nerve-racking for employees to have managers who are constantly looking over their shoulders and checking on them. It makes employees feel like their manager is just waiting for them to do something wrong and then pounce on them. It may seem there is nothing employees can do about it, but there is. Employees can be trained to follow a four-step procedure that will solve the problem. PREPARE TO TALK TO YOUR MANAGER Employees can identify the reasons why the manager might be checking on them. Is the employee new, doing new work, or doing work that is difficult? Perhaps the manager is being supportive or helpful, showing an interest in the person and the work, or she simply likes the employee. Or perhaps she is the type who does not trust anyone. Some managers operate under the belief that everybody lies, cheats, steals,


75

wastes time, avoids work, is irresponsible, or tries to do the manager in. Or maybe in the recent past the employee has done some things t h a t gives the manager reason to feel she needs to check on the employee. Employee:

(to self) She knows that my work is critical and she probably thinks that she is showing an interest in me and my work, and is being helpful and supportive by assisting me whenever she can.

Whatever the reason, it is best for employees to have a positive attitude about it. They need to believe they can turn the problem into an advantage, such as seeing it as opportunity to interact with and learn from the manager, getting ideas to perform better, getting work preapproved, or some other advantage. By having a positive attitude, employees can t u r n a poor habit of the manager into an advantage for themselves. Employee:

(to self) While that may be her reason for checking on me, it still hinders and bothers me. However, I can do two things. First, I'll use it to my advantage to do a better job. Second, I'll figure out ways to get her to check on me less.

Employees can develop a plan designed to minimize the manager checking on them. They should rule out the easy-way-out solutions to the problem, such as avoiding the manager, ignoring the manager, being a "yes" person, hoping t h a t time alone will solve things, or deciding to just live with it. None of these, in reality, solves the problem. Employees will want to set themselves a goal like "reducing the need my manager feels to check on me." Employees then must decide how to attain this goal. Examples of ways to do this are: (1) taking the responsibility for finding out performance expectations, how to meet them, and what the expected results and deadlines are; (2) keeping the manager better informed of progress, problems, and other matters of importance; or (3) asking questions when something is unclear. Another step is to identify how the manager will benefit by reducing the amount of time she spends checking on the employee. And, of course, it is important to formulate a solution to present to the manager. Employee:

(to self) I could work hard to perform well and show her I have the knowledge and skills to handle this job on my own. I also could suggest that she probably feels she is demonstrating an interest in me and my work by being helpful and supportive while assisting me in my various tasks. Then I could tell her how all of this actually affects me.

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MEET WITH YOUR MANAGER AND DESCRIBE THE SITUATION

Employees will find it helpful to objectively state their awareness of how much their manager checks on what they are doing. The mere mentioning of this will usually come as a surprise. The manager likely will not have thought of her behavior as managing the employee too closely. It is appropriate for employees to be candid with their manager,1 but they will want to take care to be descriptive rather than judgmental or evaluative, focusing on the manager's job-related behaviors rather than criticizing the manager personally.2 Employee:

Lately I have noticed t h a t you keep checking up on most everything I do.

The employee then can state the positive things about the checking, for both manager and employee, as well as the negative aspects from both points of view. Employee: There are some positive aspects about this. I get some good ideas and suggestions on what to do and how to do it, it gives me a chance to interact with you, and it provides me the opportunity to ask questions. From your side, it provides you with frequent updates on my progress, it allows you to offer input on how things could be done, and it gives an opportunity to identify problems at a much earlier stage because of your vast experience in the field. However there also is a cost to each of us. For you the cost is t h a t it takes a lot of your valuable time, it sometimes requires dealing with details and trivial matters, at times it gets you behind on the other tasks you have to do, and sometimes causes you some irritation. For me, I get the feeling t h a t you don't trust me or t h a t you feel I'm not capable of handling the job. This in turn erodes my self-confidence and self-image. It affects how I feel about my work and at times makes it hard to concentrate, which results in not being as productive as I could be. I spend a lot of time wondering how soon you'll be by to check on me again, and not enough time concentrating on what I'm doing.

Employees also will want to express their concern about the situation. They can describe their concern about how it affects the manager and about what they have done to cause the manager to feel the need for the checking up on them. Employees should accept full responsibility for the situation, apologize for causing it, and indicate a desire to make the situation better for both sides.


77

Employee: Employee:

I'm concerned about how this affects each of us. I'm also concerned about what I have done to cause the need to be checked on. I accept full responsibility for the situation and apologize for causing it.

Manager: Manager:

This comes as a surprise to me. I had no idea t h a t you had concerns of this nature. I just felt I was being helpful. I didn't intend for you to think I didn't see you as capable of handling the job. There is no need to apologize and accept blame for this. I'm probably more at fault than you.

Employee: Employee:

I would like to suggest a way to make the situation better for both of us.

AGREE ON A SOLUTION E m p l o y e e s will w a n t to m a k e a r e c o m m e n d a t i o n , s t a t e t h e benefits, especially to t h e m a n a g e r , a s k t h e m a n a g e r to r e a c t a n d m a k e a n y s u g g e s t i o n s , n e g o t i a t e a n y differences a n d r e a c h a n a g r e e m e n t , a n d s u m m a r i z e w h a t b o t h m a n a g e r a n d e m p l o y e e will do. Employee: Employee:

I would like to take a greater responsibility for keeping you informed regarding my progress and problems. This would free you from having to worry about how I am doing and allow you to accomplish more. At the same time it would allow me to develop my self-confidence and not feel t h a t I'm being constantly watched? What do you think?

Manager: Manager:

I can accept that. I just worry t h a t something will come up t h a t I could spot and resolve ahead of time because of my years of experience, something you might overlook thinking everything was coming along fine.

Employee: This doesn't mean you would never check on how things are Employee: coming along. It just means there won't be as great a need to do it as often because I'll be keeping you better informed. Manager: Manager:

Okay. I guess I'm just a worry wart. Let's give it a try. Also, maybe you could let me know in advance about the really critical things I might need to give more attention to and come to you when I'm needed.

Employee: Employee: That sounds fine to me.

END THE MEETING WITH POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT A s a l w a y s , e m p l o y e e s will w a n t to t h a n k t h e m a n a g e r for t h e t i m e g i v e n 3 a n d p r o v i d e positive r e i n f o r c e m e n t for l i s t e n i n g , h e l p i n g , a n d

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being understanding. Employees also should extend a special thanks for giving them a chance to prove themselves. It also is good to end the discussion by summarizing the benefits to the manager. Employee:

Thanks a million for listening and understanding my silly idiosyncrasies. Thanks especially for giving me some space and letting me prove myself and develop a greater sense of self-confidence. You will see. I'm going to do a better job of keeping you informed as to my process, and you'll get more accomplished for not having to constantly worry about how I'm doing.

SUMMARY Employees find it liberating to understand t h a t getting their manager to stop checking on them can be something within their control and need not be left to the manager's discretion. The following guidelines depict the four simple steps to bring this problem to a solution.

How to Get Managers to Stop Checking Up 1. Prepare to talk to your manager. •

Determine why the manager is checking up so often.

•

Be positive about changing the manager's behavior.

•

Develop a plan.

•

Set goals.

2. Meet with your manager and describe the situation. •

Objectively state awareness t h a t the manager is checking up often.

•

State the behavior.

•

Express concern about the situation.

positive

and

negatives of the

manager's


79

3. Ag ree on a solution. •

Make a recommendation.

•

State the benefits of it.

•

Get manager's reaction.

•

Negotiate, if necessary.

•

Summarize agreement.

4. End the meeting with positive reinforcement.

NOTES 1. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 155. 2. Cyril R. Mill, "Feedback: The Art of Giving and Receiving Help," in Larry Porter and Cyril R. Mill, eds., The Reading Book for Human Relations Training (Bethel, Me: NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, 1976), pp. 18-19. 3. Fritz, How To Manage Your Boss, p. 141.

9 Dealing with InformationHoarding Managers Many employees have managers who do not share the information employees need to successfully complete their jobs. Employees often could be doing their jobs much better and faster if only their managers would give them the information they need.1 It makes employees say, "I think I'll look for a job where the manager works with you rather than against you. Johnny Paycheck's song surely fits me. Tou can take this job and shove it.' " Sound familiar? But employees do not have to quit and they do not have to accept the hoarding. There is a way employees can get managers to share the information they need. This way consists of a series of steps designed to change the information-hoarding behavior. RETHINK THE REASONS FOR THE INFORMATION HOARDING The first step employees should take is to recognize the legitimate reasons the manager may have for not sharing the information. Perhaps the manager did not have time, or forgot, or did not know the em-


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ployee needed it, or thought the employee had it, or did not think it was relevant in the situation. The second step is to identify the stickier reasons the manager may have for not sharing the needed information. Perhaps he thinks it is too confidential, or t h a t the employee may use it against him, or he is fearful t h a t by knowing too much the employee will take his job away from him, or withholding information gives him a sense of power, or he wants to see the employee fail. Regardless of the reasons, one end result of the withholding of information is t h a t it tends to keep the employee dependent on the manager. To achieve this result, some managers deliberately withhold information from their employees. 2 Step three is to identify the most likely reasons the manager is hoarding the information. Employees will do well to remember that the manager's reasons for hoarding need not be logical from the employee's perspective, but to the manager it makes perfect sense. Having made a best guess about why the manager may be keeping information to himself, employees should acknowledge t h a t it is their responsibility to seek out all the information that they need, and the manager's sole responsibility to give it. It would be nice always to have it automatically available when it is needed, but that simply is not the case in many situations.

DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM TO THE MANAGER Employees need to be coached to tactfully describe the problem to their manager. The best way to do this is to first identify the problem, cite one or two specific examples of missing information, and then show how the work suffered from the lack of information. Employee:

There are times when I don't receive sufficient information to adequately handle my job. For instance, last week I was unaware that the format for the monthly report had been changed. Naturally I submitted it using the old format. We were the only department still using the old format. More specifically, yesterday I didn't realize that the Zanex Corporation order was a rush job, and I merely scheduled it along with the other shipments for today. Subsequently we failed to ship it yesterday as promised. This morning I received an irate call from Jack threatening to take their business elsewhere. I can't say I blame him. In both of these cases I found out that you had information I needed.

At this point it is very tempting to point the accusatory finger at the manager and make him back down. Not only will this not work, it is far from the best way to handle the situation. The goal is to get the man-

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ager to willingly share needed information. This involves laying a good foundation for the manager to trust the employee. 3 One good way to start building this trust is for employees to accept responsibility rather t h a n blaming the manager. This is the key to getting the manager to be willing to share needed information and is described in the next step. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY TO GET NEEDED INFORMATION Employees should be advised to acknowledge to the manager t h a t it is their responsibility to get all the information they need. The employee can indicate t h a t in this instance, she goofed, and then express embarrassment for not getting the available information from him. Employee:

I know that it is my responsibility to find out if any job is a rush order. I sure blew it on the Zanex order. I really was embarrassed when Jack called this morning.

INDICATE WHY THE INFORMATION MAY HAVE BEEN WITHHELD If employees asked for the information and the manager deliberately withheld it, it is appropriate for employees to indicate t h a t they know it was withheld and t h a t they are sure there were good reasons for doing so. At this point the employee can pause and give the manager a chance to respond. Silence communicates. It forces communication. Employee silence will clearly communicate t h a t it is the manager's t u r n to speak, and it probably will get a response. Employee:

I know that you knew it was a rush order, but for some reason did not pass that information along (pause).

On the other hand, if not getting the information was definitely the employee's fault, the employee can indicate what happened. Perhaps the employee did not think to ask, or just never got around to it, or asked at the wrong time, or asked the wrong question, or perhaps simply did not probe enough. Again, pausing and giving the manager a chance to respond can be helpful. Employee:

I know that you knew it was a rush order, and I know that it is my responsibility to find out which orders are rush so I can schedule them ahead of the regular ones. In this particular case, you had just asked me to make sure that the mechanics were servicing the trucks on schedule and that was uppermost in my mind and I forgot to ask (pause).


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After listening to the manager's response, it may be appropriate and beneficial to ask for the manager's view about what happened and why the needed information was not passed along. Employee:

How do you see the situation?

After carefully listening to what the manager has to say, the employee needs to respond. Employees will want to take care and communicate t h a t the manager was heard and t h a t his view of the situation was accepted. This does not mean t h a t employees must accept what the manager said as their own view, merely t h a t they accept it as the manager's view of why the information was not received. Oftentimes employees will disagree with what the manager says. However, employees must resist the temptation to return to their side of the story. To do so would only escalate the discussion into a war, which nobody can win, certainly not the employee. Employee:

As I understand it, you didn't feel that I would need the information to successfully complete the project and you have been extremely busy with the new bid that is due soon and the fiscal year-end reports due in Susan's office next week.

STATE THE BENEFITS OF MINIMIZING THE HOARDING Next employees should outline the advantages of minimizing this problem in the future by stating the benefits of doing so from the point of view of the manager, the organization, the employee, and the customer, but present everything as a benefit to the manager. 4 The object here is to instill the necessity of changing the hoarding situation to the benefit of all concerned. This is a necessary step to lead into the solution. Employee:

As can readily be seen, all of us benefit if I have the information prior to my needing it. You can choose the time that is best suited for you to give me the information. This will minimize the inconvenience to your busy schedule. The organization will definitely benefit through a better finished project at an earlier date. I'll come out ahead because I will have all the needed information prior to starting the project and can devote my time to successfully completing it to the best of my ability. And, of course, the customer will benefit greatly by a more timely and better quality final package.

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AGREE ON A SOLUTION The best way to get started on finding a solution to a problem is to ask the manager for his ideas. Employee:

What are your ideas on how this can be accomplished?

After listening to her suggestions on how to solve it, the employee can make additional suggestions which may differ from her ideas. Employee:

That's fine. I can visualize times where for one reason or another I might feel that I did not get the information I needed. In these situations I would like to feel comfortable in coming back to you and requesting additional information with some assurance that you would be willing to help.

SUMMARIZE AGREED-UPON SOLUTION Next it is important for the employee to summarize all t h a t has been agreed upon and what both the manager and employee have agreed to do. Employee:

That's great! You are going to make a conscious effort to keep me more fully informed on matters that you feel I need to know. I am going to feel free to ask you for additional information whenever I deem it necessary and you will do your best to meet those requests.

END MEETING WITH POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT At this point it is wise for employees to give their manager some positive reinforcement for what he has done and, more important, what he has agreed to do in the future. Positive reinforcement can do more for changing his behavior t h a n the entire discussion above. It is the catalyst for motivating any person to really try to change his behavior. Thus it is a key ingredient to solidifying his changed behavior. Employee:

Thanks a lot for talking to me about the information needed to do my job to both your satisfaction and mine. It makes me feel good that you consider this to be a significant issue. It also makes me feel good to know that I can come to you and you will listen to me and my suggestions. It makes working for you enjoyable and that means a lot to me and my attitude towards you and my job. Thanks again.


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The second step in ending the meeting is to briefly summarize the positive outcomes to the manager. Care must be taken to stress those positives t h a t will really cause the manager to want to change in the future. The key here is to concentrate on what is in it for her. Employee:

This will accomplish two things for you. It will allow you to have a greater confidence that the job is being done correctly and to your satisfaction. And second, it will free up more of your scarce time to concentrate on your duties. Who knows, maybe once or twice a month we will get out of here before seven o'clock.

FOLLOW UP FOR RESULTS Changing an ingrained habit t h a t is the product of years of solidifying does not go away in one easy conversation between manager and employee. This means employees should expect that the manager will go back to her old ways. Rather t h a n be disgusted with this return to old habits, it is helpful for employees to realize that this is a natural and expected behavior and employees need only to repeat, with a slight variation, the above conversation. Employees would never want to be so naive as to think t h a t the above discussion will wipe out a lifetime of learning to hoard information. Employee:

An old friend of ours showed up again today. Remember this morning when you were working on . . .

SUMMARY Managers who hoard information can be encouraged to change this habit. Employees can take the necessary action to cause their manager to want to change. The method to accomplish this consists of nine steps.

Dealing with Information Hoarding Managers 1. Rethink the reasons for the information hoarding. •

Recognize legitimate reasons for the manager not the share information.

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•

Identify the stickier reasons for the hoarding.

•

Determine the most likely reasons.

•

Accept responsibility to seek information needed.

2. Describe the problem to the manager. •

Identify the problem.

•

Cite examples.

•

Show how work suffered without the information.

3. Accept responsibility to get needed information. 4. Indicate why the information may have been withheld. 5. State the benefits of minimizing the hoarding. •

State benefits to the manager.

•

State benefits to the employee and others.

6. Agree on a solution. •

Ask the manager for ideas.

•

Make other suggestions.

7. Summarize agreed-upon solutions. 8. End meeting with positive reinforcement. 9. Follow up for results. •

Expect the manager to continue hoarding information occasionally.

•

Remind the manager of the agreement not to hoard information.


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NOTES

1. James A. F. Stoner and R. Edward Freeman, Management, 5th ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1992), p. 544. 2. Ibid. 3. Muriel Solomon, Working with Difficult People (Engelwood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990), p. 236. 4. Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), p. 115.

10 Working with Perfectionist Managers Many employees work for managers who are perfectionists. These managers are very demanding, especially in terms of the details and fine points they view as important. This is a particular problem for employees who are not perfectionists and see such demands as completely unreasonable. Training can go a long way in preparing employees to work effectively with perfectionist managers. Employees can quickly learn a few basic steps that can work wonders toward alleviating the world of perfection persecution. GET IN THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND Realizing that "once a perfectionist, always a perfectionist" can go a long way in helping employees cope with the perfectionist manager. Either the genes they inherited, the environment in which they were raised, or both, cause managers to be the way they are. Regardless of the reason, employees cannot change the manager's basic makeup. What employees can do is change some of the impact of the perfectionist behavior.


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Employees can think about the good things t h a t would happen if they could please their perfectionist manager. Then they can make up their minds to do everything within their power to meet their manager's perfection expectations. Actually employees probably like the final result of perfection, but it is the process t h a t gets to them, all those incessant revisions and delays that take forever to work through. Many employees set a goal for when they intend to finish a project and when t h a t goal is missed they are dejected. Oftentimes the result of working with a perfectionist has more to do with achieving the goal on time t h a n anything else. By understanding and meeting the manager's expectations, employees can improve the manager-employee relationship and set the stage for those expectations which cannot be met. Those expectations will be covered later. FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT IS EXPECTED It is essential for employees to clearly identify all of their manager's perfection expectations. This means finding out the precise end result expected in terms of quality, quantity, deadlines, and cost. Before accepting any task assigned by a perfectionist manager, employees must always get a very clear statement of expectations. 1 This means employees must determine not only the end results expected, but also if they are expected to get the end results in a particular way and, if so, find out exactly how the manager wants the task done. Another step is to determine the constraints within which the employees must work. Last, employees must find out all the resources, such as time, dollars, information, equipment/tools/supplies, individuals, and type of authority t h a t they will have at their disposal in order to complete the job. Employee:

So the expense reports I turn in to Roy must be filled out completely without a single error or omission. All the receipts must be paper clipped to the expense report in the order in which the expense occurred, which is also the order they are recorded. The dates and the amount on the receipt and on the report must match to the penny. All subtotals, such as food, lodging, and mileage, must add up for each day as well as by category. And each item must have the proper job code for posting to the correct client's account.

NEGOTIATE EXPECTATIONS, IF THEY CANNOT BE MET Employees will find it beneficial to evaluate the end results and how to achieve them in view of the constraints and resources. If the

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employee can meet them, fine. However, when employees determine they are unable to meet the end results, they need to negotiate those expectations with their manager. Employees should name the expectations they think they can meet and those they feel they cannot meet. Employee:

Turning in my monthly expense report by the 20th with all the major expenses recorded can be done. But to get it all perfectly correct is humanly impossible. To attempt to get this all recorded perfectly for a whole month without ever making an error and then to get it back one week later from Roy for needed corrections is devastating. Also, having to wait an extra month or two to get an expense check just because one column was a penny off is a problem.

Employees should give the objective reasons why they cannot meet the manager's expectations. Employee:

It is impossible to do a whole month's expense report every month without making a single error. There are simply too many job codes, checks, and cross-checks to get it on the first pass every single time.

Employees can then indicate exactly what needs to be different in order to meet the expectations. Perhaps the end results need to be relaxed, or changed, to reflect how the employee is to achieve them. Perhaps constraints need to be relaxed, or more resources provided to get the job done. Employee:

Minor, simple errors or obvious omissions that can be handled by Roy should be corrected in the office rather than sending it back to the field people.

It is very important t h a t employees show how these differences will benefit the manager. Employees should not hesitate to ask for the things they need to get the job done. Employee:

If Roy could just correct these minor errors or omissions, then we would not have to take out time to remember what we were doing six weeks ago. The time this would save the field people would allow us to service the client better and Roy would not have to keep going back to a particular expense report and try to remember what was wrong or missing on that particular report.

Manager:

That sounds reasonable. Let me discuss it with Roy and get his reaction to handling it this way. However, you still must take utmost care in submitting your reports. Just because


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Roy will be able to correct some of the errors does not mean we have reduced the standards any. When employees get what they need, the next step is to thank their manager and proceed with the work. Employee:

Thanks a lot for handling this request. It makes me feel like working harder when you accept some of my ideas.

If employees do not get what is needed, it is fine to point out any reservations they have about being able to meet the manager's expectations and proceed with the work. Employee:

The only reservation I have is that Roy will still pass the little errors back to us that he has the capability of correcting. His perfectionist attitude will be hard to change when it comes to dealing with the field personnel. We can work on that when it occurs.

It always is wise for employees to summarize the end results they expect to achieve and how they expect to achieve them. Employees can present any constraints they visualize t h a t might hinder their progress, and indicate the resources they will need to complete the project. Employee:

As I understand it, I will continue to do my best to make my expense reports as accurate as possible, but if there are some minor errors which Roy can logically correct, he will do so rather than constantly sending every little error back to me.

GIVE COMMITMENT Managers like it when employees verbally commit to do their best, to keep the manager informed, and to gladly accept any feedback or advice. Employee:

You have my commitment to strive my hardest to make this system work. I will let you know how it is working and I look forward to any feedback you may have regarding handling the expense reports this way.

KEEP THE MANAGER INFORMED OF PROGRESS Employees will want to report progress by first pointing out what is going well. Next they should indicate what is not going well, why it is not progressing as expected, and suggest what needs to be done at this

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stage. This is the time to push for anything the employee did not get when negotiating with the manager earlier. Now that the employee has been working hard doing things the manager's way without much success, it is possible to make a better case for those additional things still needed. Either the employee can suggest them or ask the manager what to do. The employee can negotiate for those additional things the manager is hesitant to give. The employee can end by summarizing what has been agreed upon and commit to proceed. Employee:

I just wanted you to know t h a t for the most part things are going quite well. However, I have run into a slight snag t h a t perhaps can be remedied quite easily. There are times when it is necessary to exceed the allowable expenses in order to service a crucial problem. This happened to me last month when it was mandatory t h a t I be in Chicago to make a presentation to Clanstell Corporation. When I finished the night before in Joliet the last plane had left for the night and all the car rental agencies were closed. I had no choice but to take a taxi to get me there. The bill was $231, which exceeded the allowable amount of $50. Needless to say Roy disallowed t h a t expense and kicked my entire expense report back. Roy should be allowed to approve unusual, justified expenses in cases like this. What do you think?

Manager:

I think on these large exceptions Roy should continue to disallow them and t h a t you will have to get approval from me.

Employee:

Okay, I'll get any large exceptions cleared with you prior to submitting them to Roy.

BRIEF THE MANAGER AT THE COMPLETION OF THE WORK

Giving a briefing at the completion of the work allows the manager to get the true and complete story the way the employee wants the manager to hear it rather than the way someone else desires it to be heard. Employees should discuss successes with the manager first. This way the manager starts off with a good impression. For each end result that was fully achieved, employees should state the result, indicate how others have reacted favorably to it, and thank the manager for helping make the success possible. Employee: This month's expense report went much smoother and for the Employee: first time was not sent back. The other field people are hoping this will work well for them also. Thank you for making this possible. A manager who listens to his people is hard to find and I appreciate your helping solve the expense reporting mess.


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For each end result t h a t was not fully meet, the employee can state what happened and point out how it is less of a problem t h a n might be expected and why. Perfectionists want things better t h a n they need be and by stating how and why it need not be that perfect, employees may convince them it is all right the way it is. It is important to indicate why things turned out the way they did and what was learned from the experience t h a t will be beneficial next time. Employee:

Unfortunately, because of the time it took me, I am behind on my other work, but I plan to stay late tonight and catch up. So by morning everything will be caught up.

Employees can end by making an overall summary statement of the success of their work, as well as asking the manager for an assessment of it. Last, t h a n k the manager for helping make things better. Employee:

I feel very proud not having to do my expense reports over numerous times and I certainly enjoy getting my expense check earlier. What's your assessment of how it's working?

Manager:

I'm glad it's working for you and I think with time Roy will adjust to it also.

Employee:

Thanks a lot for working with me on this. You'll never know how much it means to me. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Working with a perfectionist manager need not be an impossible situation. Employees should be encouraged knowing they can prepare to take the action necessary to make the world easier for themselves and still meet their manager's expectations. All employees have to do is follow the guidelines suggested here and they will handle their manager's perfectionism perfectly!

Working with Perfectionist Managers 1. Get in the right frame of mind. •

Realize t h a t perfectionists do not change.

•

Decide to meet the manager's perfection expectations.

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2. Find out exactly what is expected. Clearly identify all expectations. Determine constraints in meeting the expectations. Find out the resources available to meet the expectations. 3. Negotiate expectations, if they cannot be met. Evaluate how to meet the expectations. Decide if the expectations can be met. Name expectations that can and cannot be met. Give objective reasons why some expectations can be met. Indicate what needs to happen so expectations can be met. Show how the manager will benefit. Give positive reinforcement if the manager makes it possible to meet the expectations. Express reservations if any expectations still cannot be met. Summarize everything. 4. Give commitment. 5. Keep the manager informed of progress. Report what is going well. Report immediately what is not going well and offer suggestions.


•

Make a case for anything needed to meet expectations not being met.

•

Negotiate for what is needed.

•

Summarize all agreed upon.

•

Commit to proceed.

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6. Brief the manager at the completion of the work. •

Discuss successes first.

•

Minimize the impact of any expectations not fully met.

•

Give an overall summary of the success.

•

Thank the manager for helping make things better.

NOTE 1. Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman, What to Say to Get What You Want (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pubhshing Company, 1992), p. 184.

11 Handling Problems with Two Managers There are more employees reporting to two managers t h a n ever before. It would be ideal for each employee to have only one manager, but the fact remains, this oftentimes is not the case. As a result, many employees find themselves dealing with the problems of having two managers. One manager tells them to do something one way. The other tells them to do the opposite. The first and most natural reaction is to fight it, but much more is gained when employees are coached to understand the situation and develop the skills to deal with it. Before looking at the specific steps to follow to handle problems with two managers, it is helpful for employees to be reminded of some guidelines suggested from research studies. Deahng with this kind of problem is more effective when there is a very short interval between the time the problem arises and the time employees address it with their manager. 1 Delays in dealing with the problem lessen the likelihood of bringing about a change. 2 Being clear when discussing the problem is important to dealing with it effectively.3 When deahng with problems of this type, it is important for employees to analyze, decide, and act. 4


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UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM WITH TWO MANAGERS To understand the problem, employees first need to identify the type of problem they are facing. There may be a conflict in what both managers told the employee to do. For example, one manager says do it, the other says don't. There also may be a conflict in how they told the employee to do something. One manager says do it this way, the other says do it t h a t way. It also is a conflict if each manager told the employee to do different things at the same time. And managers sometimes give an employee assignments t h a t have conflicting deadhnes or give more to do t h a n the employee has time to do. Other conflicting situations are possible, if this is not enough. Employee: Employee:

(to self) One manager has told me to do something and the other one unbeknownst has told me to do something else. There is no way I can satisfy both of them.

Next the employee needs to determine who is causing the problem. Is it one or both of the managers, or is it the employee? Once this is determined, the employee then can identify exactly what is causing the problem. Maybe one manager has violated an agreement t h a t both managers and the employee have previously agreed upon to handle situations like this. Perhaps it is a case where the work of both managers really must be done at the same time and the employee simply does not have enough time to accomplish all of it. Or it could be t h a t one manager is simply being unreasonable. It could be other reasons as well. Employee:

(still to self) Both of these tasks must be done. There is simply not enough hours in the day to get them both completed.

DECIDE THE BEST WAY TO APPROACH THE PROBLEM Employees need to understand four ways they can go about dealing with problems with two managers. Employees must choose one. The first way is for employees to use the prior agreement, if there is one, that all three established to cover situations such as this. The second is for the employee to confront the manager who caused the conflict and request a change in what the employee has been asked to do, or request that the manager meet with the other manager to resolve it. Third, the employee can ask the other manager to help by giving advice on how to handle it, by talking with the other manager (the one who caused the problem) in order to resolve it, or, if this manager has the ultimate authority over what the employee does, by using t h a t authority over the

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other manager. The fourth way is for the employee to call a meeting with both managers to resolve it. Employee:

(to self) This seems to be a situation where the three of us could best solve it.

DECIDE SPECIFICALLY HOW THE PROBLEM SHOULD BE HANDLED Employees need to narrow in and decide on a specific solution t h a t they think would be the best way to solve the problem. Perhaps one manager could change (1) a deadline, or (2) what needs to be, or (3) how it needs to be done. Perhaps one or both managers could agree to let someone help the employee do the work. It is helpful for employees to realize that problems involving two managers often require one manager to back down on a big issue and maybe lose face in doing so, or to at least give in a little. Care must be taken to allow this to occur amicably. Employee:

(to self) What do I think would be the best solution? I could work overtime to get the job out and the report in by tomorrow. No, that would take eight to ten hours of overtime. We could delay the shipping of the job. But we promised we could deliver on time. We could send the report to the home office the day after tomorrow. That would make us look bad in the eyes of top management when the other plants get their reports in on time. We don't need that. George could be given the report to do and I could handle getting the job completed. Seems like getting George to help is the best solution.

Having determined how the problem will be solved, the employee needs to figure out how to sell the solution. Either the employee will make the recommendation or lead the manager(s) into coming up with it. Employee:

(to self) What's the best way to present this to Brenda and Hector? I think I should tell them what I'm thinking rather than trying to lead them to come up with it.

DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM TO ONE MANAGER, OR BOTH, AS APPROPRIATE The employee can briefly indicate the nature of the problem, tracing what has happened from the first manager's request to the second


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manager's request. It is helpful to explain why this is creating a problem and indicate the consequences: t h a t is, the employee does not know which way to do something after being told two different ways, or the employee cannot get everything done, or some deadhnes will be missed. Employee:

I appreciate you both meeting with me. We've got a problem. Hector, you've given me a rush job to have the crew get out immediately and Brenda, you've told me to have the report ready to send to the home office by tomorrow morning. I know both are important, but I can't get them both completed by tomorrow.

REACH AGREEMENT ON THE SOLUTION The preferred approach is for the employee to suggest some options, indicate the preferred one, discuss why it is preferred, describe exactly how it will be implemented, get the reaction of the manager(s), reach an agreement on the solution, and summarize the agreement. The second approach is to ask the manager(s) for a solution, react to it, reach an agreement on who is to do what, with the employee summarizing the essence of the agreement. Employee:

I've given this a lot of thought. First, I thought I could work overtime and get them both out. But that would take eight to ten hours of overtime, so that's not really possible and it would be too costly anyway. Next I thought we could delay shipping the job, but we promised shipment so that would not be feasible. I'd thought of sending the report the day after tomorrow, but that would cause us to look bad in the eyes of the home office when all of the other plants got their reports in on time. We definitely don't want that. My last and preferred solution is to have me concentrate on getting the job shipped and to have George take the responsibility for getting the report completed and sent. What do the two of you think?

Brenda:

George starts his vacation the day after tomorrow, so he's loaded for tomorrow. Jennifer could handle the report and you could get the job out as you suggested. Hector?

Hector:

Sounds fine to me.

Employee:

Okay. Jennifer will handle getting the report to the home office by tomorrow and I'll concentrate on getting the job shipped. Should I tell Jennifer, or will one of you?

Hector:

I'll tell her.

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GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Employees should be reminded, as always, to end the discussion by thanking the manager(s) for the meeting, for coming up with good ideas, or for accepting some of the employee's suggestions. Employee: Thanks to both of you for meeting and helping work this out. Also thanks for not only coming up with some good ideas, but for taking some of my suggestions. It gives me confidence when you accept my input. I feel much better knowing exactly where I'm heading. Thanks again. SUMMARY Working for two managers is a situation that is becoming more frequent with our increasingly changing world. Working effectively with two managers and h a n d h n g demands from multiple directions necessitates t h a t employees take control. This is best accomplished by following this six-step process outlined here.

Handling Problems with Two Managers i

1. Understand the problem with two managers. •

Identify the type of problem.

•

Determine who is causing the problem.

2. Decide the best way to approach the problem. •

Choose one of four solution approaches.

3. Decide specifically how the problem should be handled.

4.

•

Narrow the solution approach into a specific solution.

•

Decide how to sell the solution to one or both managers. Describe the appropriate.

problem

to

one

manager,

or

both,

as


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State the n a t u r e of the problem. Trace w h a t h a s happened. Explain why it is a problem. Indicate the consequences. 5. Reach agreement on the solution. Suggest some options. Indicate the preferred solution. Explain why it is preferred. Describe how it would be implemented. Get reaction. Reach agreement. Summarize agreement. 6. Give positive reinforcement.

NOTES 1. Cyril R. Mill, "Feedback: The Art of Giving and Receiving Help," in Larry Porter and Cyril R. Mill, eds., The Reading Book for Human Relations Training (Bethel, Me.: NTL Institute for Applied Behavior Science, 1976), pp. 18-19. 2. Lyle E. Bourne, J r . and C. Victor Bunderson, "Effects of Delay of Information Feedback and Length of Post-Feedback Interval on Concept Identification," Journal of Experimental Psychology (January 1963), pp. 1-5. 3. Mill, "Feedback: The Art of Giving and Receiving Help," pp. 18-19. 4. Donald H. Weiss, How to Deal with Difficult People (New York: American Management Association, 1987), p. 46.

12 Giving Positive Reinforcement to Managers All employees would like their manager to change in some way. It may be an irritating habit or a counterproductive behavior. These changes often will improve employee motivation and performance and help employees get along better with their manager. Employees do not always have to live with the undesirable habits and behavior of their manager. Learning the skills of a technique called behavior modification can make a difference. This gives employees the power to change some of the ways their manager behaves. The technique requires employees to use the five, easy-to-follow steps of positive reinforcement.

UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT J u s t because employees are subordinates does not mean they have to be under all of the whims and control of their manager. It merely means t h a t the employee tool bag is smaller than the manager's and at times the employee has to be very skillful in using the tools t h a t are available. Perhaps the most powerful tool in the employee's bag is positive reinforcement. 1


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Employees can utilize positive reinforcement to change an undesirable behavior of their manager into one t h a t is desirable. When managers exhibit desired behaviors, positive reinforcement can be used to maintain the behavior. The steps to effectively use positive reinforcement are spelled out clearly and give the desired results when applied as provided. 2

STATE THE UNDESIRED BEHAVIOR The first step is for employees to clearly understand exactly what behavior they want to change. This is accomplished by specifically stating the undesired behavior the manager exhibits. Three examples will help illustrate the process. Employee:

(to self) My manager comes to me several times each day and checks on my work.

Employee:

(to self) My manager frequently asks me to do things at the last minute, not giving me enough time to do the work properly.

Employee:

(to self) My manager seldom lets me know ahead of time about being unavailable, like being out of town, in long meetings, or working on a rush job, and not being able to see anyone.

Employees must resist the temptation to dwell on this step. To linger will change the whole tone of this skill from positive to negative. The key to successfully utilizing this procedure lies in accomplishing this step in the shortest amount of time. Employees should merely state the undesired behavior and quickly move to the next step. STATE THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR The next step is for employees to specifically state the desired behavior they want their manager to show. Employee:

(to self) I would like him to check my work once each day at a designated time.

Employee:

(to self) I want her to give me things enough ahead of time to do them right, or allow me to get others to help.

Employee:

(to self) I would like to know ahead of time when he will be available and when he won't.

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Desired behaviors become the employees' goals. When the manager demonstrates the behavior, employees will know they have succeeded. CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR Positive reinforcement works best and fastest when employees create an opportunity for the manager to show the desired behavior. Otherwise, employees have to wait for it to occur naturally and then reinforce it. In order to create the opportunity, the manager must first be aware of the particular behavior t h a t is bothering the employee. This can only be achieved with the employee diplomatically explaining both the undesired behavior and the desired behavior. In stating the undesirable behavior, employees first must be careful to talk strictly about the behavior and refrain from discussing the manager's personality. By talking about the observed behavior, employees increase the likelihood t h a t the manager can discuss it without becoming emotionally involved. If employees choose to attack the manager personality, a battle may be instigated which can easily escalate to a war. Second, employees need to let their manager know how this makes them feel. Without insight into an employee's feelings, a manager may be unable to share or understand the impact she has on the employee. Consider again the three examples presented earlier. Employee:

I wanted to chat with you about a minor thing that at times bothers me. Frequently during the day you check on me and my work. Checking on my work, and I know it's probably a silly feeling of mine, makes me feel Fm not capable of doing my job to your satisfaction or mine without some outside monitoring.

Employee:

I'm glad we have this chance to talk because there's something I need to share with you. Frequently, I'm asked to do things without enough lead time to do them properly. This makes me feel inadequate because when they don't get done or don't get done properly, I feel that this reflects on my ability, and in turn I feel incompetent.

Employee:

Thanks for meeting with me. There's something I've wanted to discuss with you. Frequently I discover that you are out of town, tied up in a long meeting, or working on a rush job and not seeing anyone, and I don't know about this ahead of time and can't make adequate preparations to handle things in your absence. This causes me to not fulfill my job to the best of my abilities and at times I feel like a failure.


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Now employees can t u r n to creating an opportunity where their manager will show the desired behavior rather than waiting for the opportunity to occur naturally. This is accomplished be asking the manager to show the desired behaviors. Employee:

Perhaps you could try checking on me once a day for a couple of days to see how that works.

Employee:

It would help me greatly if you could give me more lead time.

Employee:

I would appreciate it if you could let me know in advance when you are going to be unavailable.

The alternative is for the employee to wait for an opportunity when the manager shows the desired behavior. Circumstances may allow the manager to check on the employee only one time during the day, such as when she is tied up on a project, in a day-long meeting, or out of the office for most of the day. The manager just happens to give enough lead time on a rush job. Or the manager by chance informs the employee of her impending schedule.

GIVE VERBAL PRAISE WHEN THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR IS SHOWN When the desired behavior is shown, employees must give the manager positive reinforcement immediately. Positive reinforcement is super glue t h a t can bind the newfound behavior in the manager. Positive reinforcement should be given every time the desired behavior is shown by the manager in order to change the behavior and have it become second nature to her. Once she has internalized her newfound behavior, the employee merely needs to give positive reinforcement sporadically to her in order to maintain the behavior. To give positive reinforcement to the manager, employees only need to focus on saying three things: (1) state the desired behavior, (2) indicate why the behavior is desired, i.e., the feelings it gives, and (3) give verbal praise. Employee:

Today you checked on my work just once. I think it's working great. I feel that you trust my ability to do the work and that in turn gives me greater confidence. A side benefit that I didn't realize is that I have more time because I don't spend as much time with you and I'm not wasting time wondering when you'll be coming by. This in turn allows me to accomplish still more. I'm sure that you also appreciate having some extra time. Thanks a lot!

Employee:

You've been consciously giving me some additional lead time. I've been better able to complete the work and have it ready

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for you when you need it. I appreciate that and it makes me feel good to know that you value my needs. Thanks. Employee:

Letting me know ahead of time when you're not going to be available is really working well. I'm able to plan for your absence and to meet with you prior to your absence to brief you, ask questions, or remind you of some things you will want to remember. I feel relieved knowing that I have more control of my future. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

SUMMARY Giving positive reinforcement can do wonders when employees want to modify their manager's behavior. Employees who follow the prescribed steps will get the results they want.

Giving Positive Reinforcement to Managers 1. Understand the purpose of positive reinforcement. •

Use with managers to change undesirable behaviors.

•

Use to maintain desired behaviors.

2. State the undesired behavior. 3. State the desired behavior. 4. Create an opportunity for the desired behavior. •

Make the manager aware of the undesired behavior, focusing on the behavior, not the manager's personality.

•

Share feelings associated with the undesired behavior.

•

Ask the manager to show the desired behavior.


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5. Give verbal praise when the desired behavior is shown. •

State the desired behavior the manager has shown.

•

Share feelings that come with the desired behavior.

•

Give the manager praise.

NOTES 1. Thad Green, Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today's Workforce: A Guide to Expectancy Theory Applications (Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books, 1992), pp. 128-132. 2. Ibid.

13 Clarifying Expectations It is easy for employees to be confused about where they fit in terms of their job. They worry about taking on too much or perhaps not doing all t h a t is expected. Often they wish their manager would tell them what they are responsible for, what their job is. Not knowing where the job begins and ends or what is expected can be very frustrating. In addition, not knowing what is expected keeps employees from performing as well as they could. 1 Help is closer t h a n employees may realize. It is found when they take the initiative to find out exactly what is expected. The answer lies in the willingness of employees to get a clear view of what their manager's expectations are for them. 2 Some skill is required to do this effectively, but with a little help employees can quickly learn how to get the clarity they need.

IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF EXPECTATIONS Many managers look for employees to take the initiative to find out what is expected of them. Even if managers do not, employees are well advised to assume the responsibility for knowing exactly what they are


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expected to do. This means employees need to start by identifying the different kinds of expectations managers have. This prepares employees to move ahead and to get a clear picture of what their manager expects. Expectations fall into two categories, task and general. Employees need to understand the expectations t h a t managers have in terms of the things (tasks) they are supposed to accomplish in their job. What to do. What not to do. How to do them. How not to do them. The end results of doing them. These are the tasks t h a t comprise the job. Filling out the phone log, gathering data and compiling the monthly report, performing routine maintenance on the machines, and signing the log when taking tools or supplies are a few examples. Managers have all kinds of general expectations, including being kept informed; being asked questions when employees do not know or understand, when they need information or ideas, or when they want a reaction; honesty; being on time to work and to meetings; finishing work; following policies, rules, and procedures; quality of work (perfection, or the minimum, or somewhere in between); how to treat people; how to treat customers/clients; gossip; loyalty; doing it "my way"; and a host of others. For instance, employees may be expected to arrive at work a half hour early. It is not a rule. It is not written down anywhere, but both the manager and all the other employees adhere to this expected behavior. Employees need to understand that managers have general expectations like these t h a t differ from task expectations. There are three ways for employees to get information about their manager's expectations: (1) ask the manager, (2) ask others, and (3) observe and listen to the manager and others. There is no specified order for using them. All are valuable. ASK THE MANAGER TO CLARIFY EXPECTATIONS The manager is the only one who can really tell employees about the task expectations. These are not expectations to be getting secondhand. General expectations can be gotten from the manager, too. Although employees can get them fairly reliably from others, it is best to confirm them with the manager. Employees are encouraged to meet with their manager, state the purpose of the meeting, and indicate the benefits to be gained by knowing the expectations. Employee:

I wanted to talk with you to be sure that I know what you expect. If I know your expectations, I can better meet them which in turn means that I'll do more and better work. Both you and the department will come out better.

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Determining the manager's expectations is as easy as asking a few questions. Here is a list of basic questions employees can ask. Employees should plan in advance which questions to use. "What are your expectations for me?" "What do you expect me to do?" "What do you expect me to accomplish?" "Anything you expect me not to do?" "How do you feel a b o u t . . . ?" "What do you expect in terms of. . . ?" "What do you prefer regarding . . . ?" "What do you want me to do a b o u t . . . ?" Asking these questions will give employees an idea of the manager's general and task expectations. From the manager's answers, employees can frame additional questions. Employee:

How do you want me to keep track of my time?

Manager:

We have a time clock, but no one uses it. They are sort of demeaning. Just let your secretary know when you work other than forty hours a week. If you work overtime or if you take some time off we need to know. Otherwise, we'll assume you worked a normal forty-hour week.

Employee:

What do you want me to do in terms of keeping you informed?

Manager:

I don't believe in checking on people all the time. We work hard at the interviewing stage and hire only high-quality, topnotch people. You will have a lot of freedom to do as you see fit and deem necessary. I only need to know things on an exception basis. If something is extraordinary, then I would expect you to inform me. Otherwise, just continue with your job.

Employee:

What format do you prefer when I do report something to you? Do you prefer a memo, e-mail, or a meeting?

Manager:

My first reaction is to say that if it is something small, a memo will suffice. However, in line with what we were just discussing, if it's something small, you need not inform me. I hate a bunch of meaningless memos cluttering up my desk. (You note how neat and orderly his desk is.) Therefore, if you have something that you feel I need to know, we should have a little chat.


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Employees will find it very helpful to practice the two active listening techniques of restating and summarizing. Restating can be accomplished by simply repeating a word or two that the manager has just said or by repeating the general drift of the conversation. Here are some examples of restating. •

"So what you're saying is . . ."

•

"My understanding of what you want is . . ."

•

"The bottom line is t h a t you expect. . ."

The purpose of restating is to assure the manager t h a t the employee is listening and understanding and therefore can continue talking. Manager:

Therefore, if you have something that you feel I need to know, we should have a little chat.

Employee:

A chat?

Manager:

Yes, I think we might get together and discuss it.

Employee:

So what you're saying is that I should keep our communications to just the necessary ones and those few will be face-toface as opposed to a more formal memo, report, or e-mail.

Manager:

Yes.

Employees will find the active listening technique of summarizing to be valuable. Here are some examples. •

"Okay, you're making three points . . ."

•

"So, you're saying two things. F i r s t . . . Second . . ."

•

"Let me summarize the main points."

The goal of summarizing is for employees to convey their understanding of several key things the manager has said. Employee:

To make sure that I understand, let me summarize what we've been talking about. In terms of reporting my time, I'll just let my secretary know whenever I work other than the normal forty-hour week. I'll keep you informed in face-to-face meetings of things that would be exceptional, but you do not want to be besieged with bunch of incidental information.

Manager:

That captures what we've been discussing.

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ASK OTHERS FOR CLARITY J u s t as going to the manager can help employees better understand expectations, others in the organization can shed some light on them, too. Employees should choose some basic questions to ask others about the manager's expectations. Here are some examples. •

"Any special expectations I need to know about?"

•

"How does she feel a b o u t . . . ?"

•

"What does he expect in terms of. . . ?"

•

"What does she prefer regarding . . . ?"

•

"What does he want us to do a b o u t . . . ?"

J u s t as with the manager, restating and summarizing are good techniques to utilize when gathering information about the manager's expectations from others. OBSERVE AND LISTEN Another way, and perhaps one of the best, to determine expectations simply is to observe and listen to what the manager and others do and say. 3 Here are some examples of questions employees can ask themselves. •

"What does she say and do when someone comes to work late?"

•

"How does he react when work is not done on time?"

•

"How does she t r e a t employees who are not loyal?"

•

"What does he say and do if things aren't done his way?"

•

"What do my peers report to her?"

•

"What things do my peers not tell him?"

•

"How do my peers treat each other?"

SUMMARY Knowing what the manager expects will make the work life of employees much easier. To do this employees simply need to gather some


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information. The following steps offer some basic guidehnes for doing this effectively.

Clarifying Expectations 1. Identify the different kinds of expectations. Understand t h a t managers have task expectations. Understand t h a t managers have general expectations. 2. Ask the manager to clarify expectations. Meet with the manager. State the purpose of the meeting. Explain the benefits of knowing the manager's expectations. Plan in advance the questions to ask. Ask questions to identify task and general expectations. Restate and summarize expectations. 3. Ask others for clarity. Choose some basic questions. Ask. 4. Observe and listen. Observe the manager's actions for expectations. Listen to the manager for expectations.

NOTES 1. Thad Green and Merwyn Hayes, The Belief System: The Secret to Motivation and Improved Performance (Winston-Salem, N.C.: Beechwood Press, 1993), p. 40.

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2. Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman, What to Say to Get What You Want (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pubhshing Company, 1992), p. 184. 3. Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), p. 18.

14 Dealing with Insecure Managers Oftentimes employees find it hard to accept, comprehend, and understand insecurity in others, particularly their manager. The basis for it seems to escape any logical train of thought. Yet insecurity among managers is prevalent. And insecurity is not a domain reserved exclusively for poor performance. Some of the most accomplished managers are driven by insecurity, fear of failure, and a need to constantly prove themselves. 1 Being insecure is a feeling, a fear, an anxiety of being unsafe. It need not be a reality to others as it may be just in the mind of the manager experiencing it. Yet for the manager it is reality. When a manager has an insecurity, it can permeate every action, influence the way life is viewed, and affect decisions and behavior. Frequently employees have a desire to understand the insecurity in their manager. They want to know the why behind the behavior and actions of their manager. Understanding why a manager does something can be a very complex, deep-seated, and time-consuming task. It often takes years for professional counselors to even begin to determine why people do certain things. Fortunately employees do not need to know why their manager is insecure. They need only to be prepared to recognize, accept, anticipate, plan, and prevent the insecurity from surfacing in a negative way.

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°


RECOGNIZE THE MANAGER'S INSECURITY Employees can learn to recognize the range of things their manager may be insecure about, such as making mistakes, making bad decisions, performing poorly, looking bad, appearing foolish, not being respected, not having authority recognized, not being liked, not being accepted, not being viewed as competent, being out of a job, uncertainty, things changing, or a host of other bothersome factors. It is helpful for employees to notice situations where their manager said and did something t h a t reflected insecurity-situations like someone questioning a decision, not allowing employees to give input on how to solve a problem, unwilling to hire a really competent person, or unwilling to take a stand on a sensitive issue. Employees who think about how their manager responded in these situations will begin to understand the way insecurity manifests itself. Employee:

(to self) Jim always procrastinates when he has to make a decision. Any decision on his part and paralysis sets in. It's not that he can't make a decision, because he is talented. He just has this fear of being wrong and won't make a decision until he is absolutely sure that he will be right.

Employee:

(to self) Nicole doesn't keep us informed about what's going on. When she receives a piece of information she keeps it to herself instead of passing it on to others in the department. It's as though she's afraid to have us aware of what's happening.

ACCEPT THE MANAGER'S INSECURITY Insecurities tend to build up over time, they often begin in childhood, they are fueled frequently by common, everyday events, and they seldom are erased, certainly not by the actions of a single employee. 2 Employees find it helpful to recognize t h a t complaining will not help, t h a t managers are not likely to overcome the insecurity, and t h a t the best way to deal with it is to accept it and take on the responsibility of behaving in a way to minimize the impact the manager's insecurity can have on them. Employee:

(to self) All I can think about is how stupid it is for my manager to feel threatened when some of us ask questions about things she asks us to do. She's plenty smart and usually right, but she's so afraid of being wrong. So what? Everybody is wrong sometimes. But all I'm doing is wasting my time by complaining. That only hurts me and doesn't help the situation. In fact, there isn't anything I can do to keep her from


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being insecure. My best strategy is to do things so her insecurity doesn't come up around me. That way I won't be affected as much. ANTICIPATE INSECURE BEHAVIORS The question for employees now is how to deal with it. Initially employees need to think first and act later. That is, employees who think before they act can anticipate how they might threaten their manager's security. This way they can figure out how to say or do things so they do not cause an insecure manager to suffer. So, how can employees anticipate insecurity? The first step is to focus on the right things. If employees have routinely done or said certain things for a long time and there has never been any reason to believe those things have threatened the manager's security, there is little need to worry. Instead, the focus should be on the things t h a t are known to have threatened the manager in the past, such as something the employee or someone else said or did. Employees should concentrate on things they know make their manager feel insecure. Employee:

(to self) She gave me this data she worked hours on to compile and asked me to make some calculations, tables, and charts for her to use in a presentation to her manager. There are two problems. One, she left out some data in what she compiled, and two, the calculations, tables, and charts will not convey all of the main points she wants to make in her presentation. Maybe I should tell her so she will look good in her presentation.

Employees can put themselves in their manager's shoes and figure out employee actions and words that are the most likely to be interpreted in a way t h a t will surface insecurities, and actions and words that are least likely to do so. This is a very effective way for employees to anticipate insecure behaviors by their manager. Employee:

(to self) She'd probably think I'm showing off, trying to make myself look good at her expense, trying to make her look bad, and trying to create a situation where I can take the credit when her presentation goes well.

Employees must decide if their specific actions will cause insecurities to surface in their manager. If the conclusion is t h a t they wouldn't, employees should move on. But if employees conclude t h a t their actions may be threatening, it is best to stop, back up, and hold off. It is time to do things differently. But how?

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(to self) This definitely is a situation where she would feel threatened. She is so insecure and feels so threatened when someone points out that she is wrong about even the slightest thing.

PLAN FOR THE INSECURE BEHAVIOR When employees learn to anticipate t h a t negative behaviors likely will result from insecurity, they can plan for them. The planning begins by determining how the manager likely would respond to what the employee is thinking of saying or doing. Employee:

(to self) If I point out these two problems to her, I know what will happen. She'll get defensive like always. She'll blame the missing data on someone else, accuse me of thinking I know more about her job than she does, take the work away from me and do it herself, and not speak to me for a week.

At this point there is a temptation for employees to determine why the manager is this way, but employees should remember t h a t uncovering the why is a long and winding road that takes a trained psychologist, which employees are not. This means employees must learn to resist the temptation to determine why and instead focus their attention on determining what will trigger the manager's insecurities. The next step is to determine what the manager's probable reaction will be. This is important because it provides the basis for figuring out how to successfully deal with the situation. Employee:

(to self) If I point out the two problems by saying, "You left out some of the data when you compiled it and you're missing some of the tables and charts you need to use," what she's hearing is, "You're stupid."

Employees will want to come up with options, looking for one t h a t the manager will view as nonthreatening. Consider the options t h a t are available. Employee:

(to self) I could just do what she has asked me to do and I won't worry about the missing data or additional tables and charts she needs. That's on option. Another option would be to get someone else to point out the two problems to her and let them embarrass her and get yelled at. That would get the burden off my back. Perhaps there is a way I could understand her and talk with her about it first in a way that would not be threatening to her. Or maybe I should just get the missing data, include it, prepare everything she needs for the


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presentation, give it to her without saying anything, and let her do what she wants to with it. Next, employees are ready to determine the probable outcomes of selecting each of the options being considered, and choose the option t h a t will be good for both manager and employee. Employee:

(to self) Do only what she asked. That means she would come off less successful. She, I, and the department would miss the opportunity to really score in the big boss's eyes. We wouldn't want to pass that by. Get someone else to point out the two problems. But that would certainly be unfair to both my manager and my coworker. Understand why she is this way. There I go again. I have to remember this is beyond my training and capability. I have to resist this temptation. I don't have the ability to determine why she does it. Just accept her for what she is. Get the missing data, develop the charts and tables, and say nothing. But this is so hard. It's my idea, my discovery, my brain, and my creative insight. But it's my best option.

It is time now for employees to plan exactly what they will say and do. They should realize t h a t it is one thing to get their ego stroked but t h a t it is even a greater accomplishment to achieve a goal without others knowing what they did. In today's selfish world it is easy for employees to forget t h a t their day will come, their light will shine, t h a t no darkness can ever cover up a bright, shining light. Employee:

(to self) I'll just gather the additional data, develop the needed charts and tables, and give her the material she needs to be successful in her presentation to the big manager. If she doesn't realize what I've done, so what? It's far better than having her feel insecure and take the entire project away from me. If she does discover what I've done there is a good chance that she'll just accept it and present it to her manager. Even if she doesn't say anything to me, we have both gained from the experience. We can just continue working as a team and no one need be the wiser for it. There's something beautiful about a well-running quiet machine.

PREVENT THE INSECURITY FROM SURFACING All t h a t is left now is for employees to execute their plan in a careful, nonthreatening way, watching for signs of insecurity every step of the way. When necessary, the plan can be modified in midstream to prevent any insecurity from surfacing.

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Employees will want to evaluate what happens and learn from it, noting which parts of the plan were most effective and which ones didn't work as well as anticipated. This makes it possible to repeat those plans which worked well and modify those which are in need of improvement. SUMMARY The key point for employees to keep in mind is that the best way to deal with an insecure manager is to focus on prevention. Employees have to be smarter t h a n the problem. Once the manager's insecurity surfaces, there is little employees can do. It is difficult to make it go away. The challenge is to prevent it from surfacing. Prevention is the key and preparation is the secret to prevention. When employees follow the preparation and prevention guidelines suggested here, they will handle their manager's insecurity problems just fine.

Dealing with Insecure Managers 1. Recognize the manager's insecurity. •

Be aware of the range of things any manager may be insecure about.

•

Notice situations when the manager's behavior or words reflect insecurity.

2. Accept the manager's insecurity. •

Recognize t h a t complaining will not help.

•

Acknowledge t h a t the manager is not likely to overcome the insecurity.

•

Take on the responsibility of minimizing the impact of the manager's insecurities.

3. Anticipate insecure behaviors. •

Focus on things known to have threatened the manager's security in the past.


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Get in the manager's shoes to understand actions and words t h a t are most and least likely to surface the manager's insecurities. Decide if specific actions will surface insecurities. 4. Plan for the insecure behavior.

Determine how the manager is likely to respond. Resist the temptation to understand why something triggers the insecurities. Focus on what will trigger the manager's insecurities. Determine the manager's probable reaction. Come up with options, looking for one that is nonthreatening. Determine probable outcomes of each option. Choose the best option. Plan exactly what to say and do. 5. Prevent the insecurity from surfacing.

Execute the plan. Watch for signs of the insecurity. Modify quickly if necessary. Evaluate what happens and learn from it.

NOTES 1. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 40.

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2. Thad Green, Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today's Workforce: A Guide to Expectancy Theory Applications (Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books, 1992), pp. 46-51.

15 Surviving Incompetent Managers Employees often have difficulties and experience frustration when they have to work with an incompetent manager. It is common for employees to feel like the situation is outside their control and t h a t it is a matter of waiting it out and hoping things will get better. This is seldom the case, and while perfect and complete solutions are not likely, much can be done to help employees not only survive but deal effectively with many aspects of the incompetent manager. Following a prescribed set of straightforward steps can make a difference for employees. COME TO GRIPS WITH THE SITUATION Many employees live in an idealist world. They keep thinking that sooner or later their workplace and work situation will become what it should be and t h a t their manager surely will change for the better. Idealist employees view the present as temporary and the future as more ideal, saying things to themselves like "managers are supposed to be competent"; "managers who are not competent are trained or replaced"; "the higher ups understand the situation and will get it straightened out"; "I don't deserve this"; "I shouldn't have to suffer

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through this kind of thing"; and "it probably will not last long, and everything will work out if I give it a little time." Other employees are pessimistic. They believe the worst is going to happen. When it comes to incompetent managers, pessimistic employees think things will never get better, only worse. The first step for employees who work for incompetent managers is to move from either the idealist or pessimistic state of thinking to the realist state of believing. Facing reality and becoming a part of it will do much to help employees conquer the incompetent manager, for without a realist approach, employees are forever doomed to a less-thandesirable situation. Realizing t h a t nothing is going to magically happen and cure all of the incompetent manager's ills, and t h a t the situation is not totally hopeless, is the initial step in gaining some amount of control over the situation. Realist employees will think differently, saying things to themselves such as: "there are a lot of incompetent managers, and I work for one of them"; "while some people around here see the incompetence, the ones who can do something about it may not see it, or may not see it fully"; "even if they do see it, it may be difficult for them to do something about it even if they want to"; "this situation could go on for a long, long time"; "even though my manager is incompetent, he's still my manager"; and "I'm the only one I can depend on to figure out how to best deal with this situation." Employees should tighten their belts and decide to make the best of a bad situation. This includes resisting the temptation to complain to themselves, to others, or the manager. If they complain to others, the manager will somehow find out and things will only get worse. So employees will do best to keep their complaints to themselves, or better yet not to even think out the complaints, and instead resist letting complaints even penetrate their thinking. Employees also are encouraged to resist placing blame. An interesting approach is for employees to realize that things are just the way they are and view this as an opportunity to develop new skills, to learn how not to manage, to meet a challenge, and to prove to themselves and others t h a t they can overcome adversity or even convert adversity into advantage. In other words, employees would do well to get a mind-set to do something positive about it. UNDERSTAND THE INCOMPETENCE The second step is for employees to gain an insight and an understanding as to why the manager appears to be incompetent. This means identifying specifically the incompetency. The more specific, the quicker and better employees will understand their manager. Thinking


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through things specifically like this helps: she makes poor decisions, he doesn't see problems until they are already out of hand, he offends everybody to the point t h a t nobody wants to work for or with him, and she doesn't know the technical side of the job. Being specific helps employees realize the exact level of the incompetence rather then generalizing and concluding t h a t the manager is more incompetent t h a n is really the case. Employees need to determine if the incompetence is real or imagined. Do other employees see it? Does the manager see it? By listening to other employees and observing the manager, employees can gain insight as to how others see the situation. Employees easily can listen to what others say about the manager and also listen to what the manager says. Employees will find it helpful to learn how to determine what is causing the incompetence. Does the manager have the skills and not use them, or are the skills simply not there? If the manager has the skills, why are they not being used? Is something preventing the manager from using them: pressure, emotional problems, family problems, alcohol, drugs, or maybe the manager's manager? Is this temporary or more permanent? Employee:

(to self) Why is she incompetent? Why does she do these things? A couple of things are going on in her life right now. Her husband has been ill for awhile and there is more pressure around here at budget time. Perhaps a combination of these two things coupled with the normal stress is causing her not to function very well.

Next employees need to assess the likelihood that the manager can and will change. If the manager doesn't have the skills, can they be developed? Is there time to develop them? Does the manger see the need? Is the manager willing to work at it? If the manager has the skills and is not using them, is the situation likely to change so the manager can and will start to realize the potential that is there? There are two bottom-line questions. Can the manager change? Will the manager change? Employee:

(to self) He is an average manager under normal conditions, but whenever there is the least amount of pressure, he pulls into a shell and can't even function.

THINK THROUGH THE PERSONAL IMPACT OF THE INCOMPETENCE Employees sometimes need guidance, and certainly deep insight, to take the next step and identify how the incompetent manager affects

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their: (1) emotional well-being, including, anger, frustration, insecurity, fear, disgust, and motivation; (2) physical well-being, like sleeping, eating, drinking, and smoking habits; (3) performance, including being difficult to perform well because it's hard to concentrate, hard to overcome the manager's decisions about what to do, when to do things, and about decisions regarding allocation of resources, hard to deal with the manager's failures, such as not giving information, not making timely decisions, not arranging meetings, not coordinating things, not developing client relationships, and so forth; (4) relationships, at work, home, and in all parts of their hfe; and (5) career opportunities, and the fact t h a t careers can be made or ruined by how well employees deal with an incompetent manager. Employee:

(to self) I get so frustrated and mad working for him. Every time he sticks his no-good brain into something he knows nothing about, I get so frustrated that I can't do even the routine jobs I used to do with ease. I find that I'm late for meetings, whereas I used to pride myself in arriving on time. I find that I'm eating way more than I used to eat. At home I'm more irritable with my wife and kids.

FOCUS ON INCOMPETENCE-BASED LEARNING Employees should be encouraged to view this as a good opportunity to learn, an opportunity t h a t others may not have, or may pass by, an opportunity to get ahead of others in development and personal growth. Here is a chance for employees to have a positive impact on themselves and their manager t h a t most, if not all, others will fail to see and seize upon. Others tend to fail to get out of the complaining stage and into the growth, opportunity, seizing state. This will give prudent employees a decided advantage over others. Employees may need to be nudged to identify some learning goals: how to deal with this incompetent manager and future ones; how to deal with specific situations under the supervision of an incompetent manager; how to avoid the mistakes their manager makes; how to become a better manager; and how to work with their own subordinates more effectively now or when they become a manager. Employees who let learning from the situation be a guiding focus in everything they do always come out ahead. Employee:

(to self) Now is my chance to get a jump on the others. Here is my chance to learn more about my manager, and to have an impact on her, the workplace, myself, and my career. These opportunities do not often present themselves. I need to jump at this opportunity.


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FORMULATE AN "INCOMPETENT" STRATEGY The strategies employees can choose range from quitting, to confronting the manager, changing the manager, simply accepting the manager, or changing some of the things they as employees do. Quitting usually is too drastic. Confronting the manager is very risky because it tends to provoke an emotional reaction that can have negative consequences for the employee, and the emotion is apt to cause the manager to focus elsewhere and overlook the real issue, as well as provide negative consequences for the employee. 1 If confronting the manager is not likely to work, changing an incompetent manager is next to impossible. The best strategy employees can select for deahng with an incompetent manager is a combination of the two remaining ones: accepting the manager and changing themselves. The strategy of accepting the situation is not complete because it does not include action toward improvement. Changing themselves is not a complete strategy either because employees cannot change unless they have fully accepted the situation the way it is. Full acceptance means giving up hope t h a t the manager will change and putting resentment about it in the past. It is this kind of acceptance and willingness t h a t allows employees to change themselves and gives the best chance of working effectively with an incompetent manager. To change themselves, employees will need to decide how to make personal changes in view of the manager's incompetence. This is the "incompetent" strategy t h a t works best. Let's see how. PUT THE STRATEGY TO WORK Employees, like everyone else, engage in self-talk. Unfortunately employees too often say the wrong things to themselves, like: "things will never be different and I cannot do anything about it"; "it is my fault t h a t things have gotten so bad"; "she is incompetent and I will never be able to accept it"; or "this is just a hopeless situation." This is negative self-talk and is self-defeating. If employees think this way, they will start believing it; and if they beheve it, they will act in a way to prove t h a t it is reality; and soon it will become reality. When employees say these kinds of things to themselves, it is nothing more t h a n wallowing in their misery and making things worse, rather t h a n accepting the situation and preparing themselves mentally to make things better. Employees need to realize what they are doing and eliminate their negative self-talk.

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication Employee: Employee: (to self) These are negative thoughts trying to creep into my head and I won't let them. I'm smarter t h a n that.

Employees can replace these negative thoughts with positive self-talk. This involves stating (1) what the situation is, (2) what it does not mean, and (3) what it does mean. The key here is for employees to keep it as simple as possible as they think through the situation to themselves. Employee: Employee: My boss is not competent. I can't change that. It doesn't mean t h a t it will negatively affect me. It simply means t h a t I'll have to accept him the way he is. Employee: Employee: I've thought through this carefully. I don't like working for an incompetent manager. That doesn't mean t h a t I have to quit or fight it. It means t h a t it is better to accept it and handle it the best way I can. Employee: She can't change. That doesn't mean things will forever be as Employee: they now are. It means I'll have to do something besides trying to change her, like changing myself. Employee: Employee:

This does not mean it is a permanent situation. This can be a temporary situation. Things change fast. It means I have to be patient. One of us will get promoted or transferred soon.

Employee: Employee:

This doesn't mean t h a t I'm going to let him make my life miserable or ruin my career. It means I'm going to have to do something to make this work. I'll learn how to work with him.

Employee: Employee:

I don't like this. That doesn't mean t h a t it will be this way forever. It just means 111 do what ever I have to do to survive.

Employee: Employee: I don't have to think negative. Everybody goes through bad situations. It means I need to be positive. I can do better because of it. Employee: Employee:

This doesn't mean I have to feel sorry for myself. It means this is an opportunity to learn some valuable things t h a t will benefit me in the future. A chance to grow and develop.

Employees can rehearse what they are going to do, visualize doing it, and feel the new successful situation. Employees should do this over and over in their minds, practicing the successful outcomes so many times in their minds that later when they are actually living them it seems like deja vu, like they have been there before and that it seems like a rerun of a past happy situation, actually visualizing themselves successfully handling the situation.


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Employee:

Accepting my manager is something I can do. It feels different knowing that I can accept him as he is. I can see myself feeling better and more relaxed.

Employee:

This temporary situation is passing. I can visualize the future when one of us will be moving on and the situation has taken care of itself.

Employee:

Working with her will be so much better. Accepting and working harmoniously is so more enjoyable. And at the same time I am growing and learning from the experience.

By going through the steps outlined here, employees will be able to respond differently to their manager. They will be able to show respect. After all, the manager is the manager. And somebody thinks the manager should be in the position, rather then someone else, rather t h a n the employee. Employees will find it works best to show respect. It does not help the situation when employees do not agree with the manager's decisions and actions, shake their heads in disbelief, disagree with her, argue with her, or fight with her. It works best when employees let the manager know they realize it is the manager's decision to decide things the way she thinks is best. Employee:

Shelia, you're the manager and I'll do whatever you want me to do. However, I feel that you are being too tough on us by scheduling all of the vacations. I feel that as supervisors we know our people and our production schedule best and because of that we are in a better position to make vacation decisions. But it is your job to decide who schedules vacations. I'd like you to think it through again. I will accept and stand behind whatever choice you make.

Employees should not only show respect, they should give support. They should tell their manager they will be supportive and encourage others to be supportive. Employees who work for, not against, their manager are more successful. Employee:

Tom, you have my support on this decision. You're the manager and I want you to know that you'll have my backing for whatever decision you make.

Employees should also be helpful. Find out what the manager wants done, when, and how, and then do things that way. It is not the employee's job to agree with everything; the job is to do what the manger wants, whether the employee is in agreement with it or not. It is okay for employees to ask for background information so they can see what is behind a decision or action and to inquire about objectives, outcomes, and consequences if doing so helps them do a better job. How-

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ever, asking and inquiring are not okay if employees are doing it to second-guess the manager, to provide the basis for criticism, or to make the manager look bad. Employee:

Shelia, could you give me your thinking about scheduling vacations because it seems as though it would make more sense to finish the Schmidt job first, and then worry about vacation scheduling.

Employees also are encouraged to be loyal. This means giving the manager information, rather t h a n withholding it, so better decisions can be made. It means making the manager aware of potential or existing problems. It means doing what employees are asked to do, even when they think it is not best for the organization. It means saying positive things about the manager to others or saying nothing at all. It means being honest with the manager on all matters. Employee:

Tom, the router is producing on the high end of tolerance at maximum adjustment. We need to schedule some routine maintenance before we have to reject our output for being out of tolerance.

Employee:

Shelia is giving us more feedback on our work. She sure is trying harder.

SUMMARY There is much t h a t can be done and work more effectively with an seem simple, and they are, but they ployees are encouraged to give them pact when they use them.

to help employees get along better incompetent manager. The steps will have a dramatic impact. Ema try. They will see a positive im-

Surviving Incompetent Managers 1. Come to grips with the situation. •

Be realistic and realize things will never be perfect but can be better.

•

Decide to make the best of a bad situation.

•

Resist placing blame.


2. Understand the incompetence. •

Identify the specific incompetence.

•

Determine if the incompetence is real or imagined.

•

Identify the cause of the incompetence.

•

Assess the likelihood the manager can and will change.

3. Think through the personal impact of the incompetence. 4. Focus on incompetence-based learning. •

View this as an opportunity to learn.

•

Identify learning goals.

5. Formulate an "incompetent" strategy. •

Accept the manager's incompetence.

•

Decide how to make personal changes in view of the manager's incompetence.

6. P u t the strategy to work. •

Avoid negative self-talk.

•

Engage in positive self-talk.

•

Visualize how acceptance of the incompetence can make things better.

•

Show respect.

•

Be accepting of the manager's actions.

•

Be supportive.

•

Be helpful.

•

Be loyal.

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NOTE

1. Stephen P. Robbins and Mary Coulter, Management (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1996), p. 624.

16 Overcoming Intimidating Managers Most employees know how difficult it is to work for an intimidating manager. It is frustrating. It makes employees feel inferior and, gives them a feeling of inadequacy. Employees want these feelings to go away so they can have the power to be all they can be rather t h a n let the intimidation inhibit their performance. Employees often need help to overcome these feelings and experience a sense of joy, fulfillment, and accomplishment. Employees need to learn how to apply a series of well-thought-out steps to work more effectively with an intimidating manager.

UNDERSTAND INTIMIDATION In order to overcome intimidation, employees must first know what it is. To intimidate is to make timid, to inhibit, or to frighten. To be intimidated is to be timid, inhibited, or frightened. Knowing intimidation is only the beginning. Recognizing what causes intimidation is more difficult, but employees must know the causes. Intimidation can be caused when employees have long-standing personal feelings of insecurity, inferiority, and inadequacy about things in general. Intimidation can be caused also by


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being around others who have things employees greatly admire like intelligence, education, family background, ability, position, possessions, ambition, and motivation. This intimidation is based on something the other person has rather t h a n does. Being around others who have things employees fear also can be a source of intimidation. These things can be position, power, authority, influence, or ruthlessness, for example. Yet another source of intimidation is based on what a person does. Intimidating behaviors occur when a manager frequently points out, shows, proves, or otherwise makes employees aware of their inadequacies such as deficiencies in their knowledge, decisions, actions, abilities, background, or education. Intimidating behaviors can expose the employee's own vulnerability, helplessness, and hopelessness regarding a relative lack of power, authority, and control over one's own destiny. Knowing what intimidation is and what causes it leads to ways to deal with it. One way is for employees simply to avoid it. While extreme, this is accomplished by terminating contact with the intimidating manager by quitting the job. The other extreme is merely to live with i t - t h a t is, accept it and do nothing but suffer. A less extreme way is to minimizing the causes of it. This is accomplished by minimizing the frequency of intimidating interactions with the manager as, for example, staying away from the manager when she is likely to be in a mood to intimidate when the employee has screwed up something the manager would have done perfectly, or staying away from a situation where she has to show how much power she has. Another way to minimize it is to get the manager to reduce her intimidating behaviors. A fourth and preferred way is for employees to change the way they deal with intimidation. They can do this by following four simple steps: analyze their intimidation; decide to do something about it; develop an anti-intimidation plan; and put the plan into affect. ANALYZE THE INTIMIDATION Employees find it helpful to determine what is causing them to feel intimidated. Do they have long-standing feelings of insecurity, inferiority, and inadequacy? Do they greatly admire certain things about their manager t h a t is intimidating to them? If so, what are they? Does the manager have certain things t h a t the employee fears? What are they? Does the manager behave in ways that are intimidating? What are the specific behaviors? Employee:

(to self) Why am I so intimidated by my manager? Perhaps the fact that she has a master's degree while I only have my undergraduate degree bothers me. Or just the mere fact that she's a woman and I've never worked for a woman before.


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She's younger than I am and already she's higher in the organization. She's so strong, so confident, and yet so overbearing. It is essential for employees to recognize how they deal with intimidation. Employees need to identify what they are doing, how they are responding to and dealing with the intimidation stemming from each of the causes identified. Employee:

(to self) I've been thinking of working on my master's degree. I've considered taking a course to gain greater confidence in myself. I've thought of asking for a transfer or even quitting. Lord, I've even thought of a sex change. Maybe I'll just analyze it and come up with a good way to cope with it.

Employees need to assess how effectively they are dealing with the intimidation. Is their approach working? If it is not working as well as preferred, what can be done? Employee:

(to self) Asking for a transfer or quitting is avoidance and likely to land me in another identical situation. Continuing to gut it out no longer is satisfactory. No, my problem is deeper than that. Thinking of taking courses is not accomplishing anything. Action is what I need. But where do I start?

DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT Employees need to be encouraged to decide to do something about it, to hold avoiding the intimidation (at one extreme) and living with it (at the other extreme) as last resorts, and focus on a combination of minimizing the causes of it and changing the way they deal with it. Deciding to do something is a four-step process that focuses on realizing the need for action and believing things will improve: acknowledge the problem; think about the advantages of not being intimidated; recognize that things can be better; and decide to take some action. It is essential for employees to acknowledge the problem t h a t being intimidated is causing. Perhaps employees feel inferior, insecure, discouraged, depressed, unhappy, miserable, unworthy, and so forth. Or perhaps they have a poor relationship with their manager because they are uncomfortable, cautious, uncertain, timid, tentative, quiet, or nervous when they are around their manager. Maybe their performance is not as good as it could be because they are afraid to make suggestions, contribute ideas, challenge things; or they are afraid to ask questions to find out what to do, how to do things, and what is expected; or they are afraid to take the initiative, to take risks, do things on their own, to try


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new things. They might not be getting all of the things they want like promotions, good pay raises, praise and recognition, challenging assignments, more responsibility, or acceptance. Or perhaps they are getting things they don't want like boring work, dirty work, bad hours, criticism, or no respect. Employee:

(to self) I feel inferior and tentative when I'm around her. I don't ask enough questions. I don't feel like I'm advancing as rapidly as I'd like.

Employees will find it helpful to think about the advantages of not being intimidated so much and so often. Some typical advantages are t h a t they can feel better about themselves, can have a better relationship with their manager and with others, can perform better, and can receive more rewards. Employee:

(to self) If I weren't as intimidated, I'd feel better and would be willing to ask more questions about things I'm unsure about. In turn, I could demonstrate my ability which would result in more rapid advancement.

Employees often need help to recognize and believe t h a t things can be better. Employees need to know t h a t being intimidated by managers is a common problem and t h a t many employees have been able to overcome it. Employees must believe that there are some simple and easy things they can do to minimize the intimidation, things t h a t people like themselves have used successfully many times. Finally, employees must decide t h a t something needs to be done, t h a t something can be done, and t h a t all they have to do is just go ahead and decide to do something. Employee:

(to self) I know there are some things that I can do to overcome these feelings of intimidation. I'm going to decide what they are and do them.

DEVELOP AN ANTI-INTIMIDATION PLAN Employees will need to identify circumstances where they are intimidated by their manager: (1) when asking the manager questions, she makes employees feel like they should already know the answer whether it is a question about background information, the status of something, or what to do, how to do it, or why it needs to be done; (2) when the manager is asking employees questions, such as for opinions, ideas, suggestions, or information, especially in a group, her comments make employees realize how inadequate their responses are; or (3)


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when the manager is evaluating the performance of employees, they feel as though everything they do is unsatisfactory, t h a t it always should have been better or easier. Identifying specific examples rather t h a n making generalizations is more helpful to employees. 1 Employee:

(to self) When I ask questions, she makes me feel as though I've not done my homework. She asks if I've researched it thoroughly, if I considered this, if I considered that.

The next step is for employees to identify ways to minimize the frequency of the intimidating circumstances and ways to deal better with them when they arise. This is the critical step in overcoming an intimidating manager. This is the step where employees decide what to say and do. In the first intimidating circumstance, where employees need to ask the manager questions, one option is not to ask but instead to get the information elsewhere whenever possible. This way employees are asking their manager fewer questions and minimizing the frequency of intimidating circumstances. When employees do ask their manager questions, they can preface each question with information to let the manager know they have exhausted all other ways to get the question answered and t h a t is why they are coming to her. This will enable employees to deal with intimidation better. Employee:

I've been trying to get some information on . I searched the files and found nothing. The last person who worked on this is no longer here. She's moved and I wasn't able to track her down. Our library hasn't been able to turn up anything on it either. I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions?

Manager:

Sure. It sounds as though you've done some good preliminary searching.

Employees will be more effective when they plan each question in advance and get the wording right so they are asking good questions. It helps to make a written list and use it. And it is prudent for employees to pick the right time to ask their questions. Even a good question asked at the wrong time can result in some intimidating comments. In the second intimidating circumstance, where the manager asks employees for their opinions, ideas, suggestions, and information, there are at least six things employees can do to minimize the problem and deal with it more effectively. 1.

Employees can avoid meetings whenever possible when it is known the manager is likely to be asking for opinions, ideas, and suggestions.


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Schedule other meetings, appointments, and travel so as not to be available. 2.

Employees can anticipate when and what they will be asked and prepare in advance to answer those requests. If it is known that the manager has been concerned about a certain problem, and that she asks for opinions on things like this, employees can be prepared to respond.

3.

Employees can always be sure they understand what their manager is asking, and if they do not understand, they can ask for clarification. This does three things: it helps employees to be sure they understand what their manager is looking for, it gives them time to think about how to respond, and sometimes by giving clarification the manager gets diverted and never comes back for a response.

4.

5.

6.

Employee: Employee:

I'm not sure what you're asking. the question?

Employee: Employee:

What specifically did you want to know?

Employee: Employee:

So, what you want to know is . . .

Could you repeat

Employees can deliberately divert their manager's attention by asking her or someone else a question, or making a relevant comment that will encourage someone else to talk. Employee: Employee:

How is all of this related to . . . ?

Employee: Employee:

This is a complicated situation. Is there some way we could agree on the main issues we need to consider?

Employee: Employee:

Frances Helen, what do you think about this?

Employees need not try to respond if they don't think they can make a contribution. Employee:

I've thought about that some, but I'm just not sure how it should be handled.

Employee:

I've been working on this for a while, but I'm still stumped.

Employee:

That's a tough one. Could I think about it for a while and get back to you later?

Employees can volunteer opinions, ideas, and suggestions before being asked. This allows them to get prepared and to contribute when they want to rather then being put on the spot when the manager asks. Employee: Employee:

Let me jump in here and point out that. . .


Employee: Employee:

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If I could interrupt a minute and mention . . .

In the third intimidating circumstance, where the m a n a g e r is e v a l u a t i n g employee performance, there are at least four w a y s to minimize the problem a n d deal w i t h it more effectively. 1.

Employees can reduce the manager's need to evaluate them. This is done by keeping the manager well informed and by regularly reporting successes and failures. When managers feel informed, they will feel less need to evaluate. Employee: Employee:

2.

I just finished that rush job you requested. Everything turned out pretty well. I ran into only one difficulty, but I got it worked out before it got to be a real problem.

Employees can influence the evaluation process. They can have considerable influence over when they are evaluated, what they are evaluated on, and the information used to evaluate them. Regarding when they are evaluated, employees can take the initiative and ask to be evaluated at a certain time, whether it is for a certain period of time or for a certain piece of work they have done. This puts employees more in control and makes it possible to be evaluated when they are ready-that is, when they think they will get the kind of evaluation they want. Employee: Employee:

Could I meet with you sometime today to get a reading on the report I turned in to you on Monday?

Regarding what they are evaluated on, employees can take the initiative and ask to be evaluated for specific things. This gives control over what they are evaluated on, focusing on those things they have done well. Employee: Employee:

I've been working hard to improve the way I handle my current assignment. Sometime in the next week or so I'd like you to tell me how you think I am doing on it.

With respect to the information the manager uses to evaluate, employees should recognize that any manager's best source of information about an employee is the employee. Employees know more about their performance than anyone else. They can take advantage of the information they have and give it to the manager. This helps both the manager and employee. It helps the manager evaluate the employee better than otherwise is possible and it helps employees because they get a more objective evaluation.


140 Employee: Employee:

3.

Employees can find out the basis for the manager's evaluation and perform to meet those expectations. Most employees who get bad evaluations do not get them because they cannot do the work, but because they do not really know what the manager expects. This is especially true for employees who are intimidated by their manager. The intimidation causes them not to ask what is expected, and makes it hard to listen when being told. Employees can find out what the manager expects from them, then do everything possible to meet those expectations. Employee: Employee:

4.

You were asking the other day how things were going. We just finished getting some performance data together. I thought you would like to see a summary of it. Except for a couple of things we are already working to improve, it looks pretty good.

I know you expect a lot out of all of us here, and I welcome it. However, I am a little confused about what you're expecting me to do in one area, and was wondering if you could tell explain it more fully.

Employees can look at evaluations in a different light, not as something to fear, a time to be punished for the sins of the past, but as an opportunity to learn how they are doing and how they can do better in the future. Each evaluation, whether for a single piece of work or work over a long period, can be viewed as a vehicle for improving the next evaluation. Employee:

(to self) I've got this all wrong. In the past I've dreaded discussing this type of thing with my manager. I'd be afraid t h a t she would criticize something I've done. But instead, this time I'm going to be more open to her criticism, listen to it, and learn to do things the way she wants so t h a t in the future she will have less to criticize me about. That way I will not have to always be trying to dodge her. Maybe I'd even hear her say some nice things to me. I'm going to treat this as a motivator to help me do better on future evaluations rather than viewing it as a gig for past mistakes.

PUT THE PLAN INTO EFFECT

Employees need to be reminded that having a plan is the key. Once they have it and are committed to it, they can put it into effect and take the steps necessary to effectively deal with an intimidating manager.

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SUMMARY

Employees can learn to step up and step out of intimidation. They will be glad they did. So will their manager. All it takes is a little courage and following a few basic steps. Any employee can do it.

Overcoming Intimidating Managers 1. Understand intimidation. •

Know what intimidation is.

•

Know what causes it.

•

Know ways to deal with it.

2. Analyze the intimidation. •

Identify what is causing the feelings of intimidation.

•

Recognize how the intimidation currently is being dealt with.

•

Evaluate handled.

how

effective

the

intimidation

is

being

3. Decide to do something about it. •

Acknowledge the problem.

•

Think of the advantages of not being intimidated.

•

Recognize t h a t things can be better.

•

Decide to take action.

4. Develop an anti-intimidation plan. •

Identify circumstances which give rise to feelings of intimidation.


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•

Identify ways to minimize the frequency of intimidating circumstances.

•

Identify ways to better deal with the intimidating circumstances when they do arise.

5. Put the plan into effect.

NOTE 1. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 198.

17 When Managers Won't Change Employees often feel their manager was born on the wrong side of the fence with everything seemingly in conflict with the employees' preferences and ways of doing things. What can employees do when the manager's style just doesn't fit and he is unwilling to change? Does the manager use all of the wrong ways to motivate employees and not realize it? Does the manager have some pet peeves that drive employees crazy and she simply is unable to change? Whatever the problem, what can employees do when the manager is either unable or unwilling to change?

BE SURE THE MANAGER WONT CHANGE Employees should recognize the importance of being right in their conclusion t h a t the manger will not change. This is important because it is hard for employees to move ahead with conviction if they are still half-believing and hoping their manager will change. Moving ahead without conviction means employees will be indecisive, they will procrastinate, and they will flounder in a half-hearted effort to deal with the situation. Employees can gather information to either refute or con-

144


firm their opinion. Certain information can be easily collected. How long has the manager been this way on the issues of concern to the employee? Has the manager overcome pressure to change these things in the past? Has the manager ever tried to change these things? Is the manager generally open to suggestions to change? Has the manager changed on anything similar in the past? There are three bottom-hne questions. Is the manager aware of the need to change? Is the manager willing to change? Is the manager able to change? Employees can get this information by recalling things they have seen and heard in the past, by talking with other employees who have been around for a while, and by talking with their manager. It is possible to get the manager to talk about why he won't change, to talk about the thing t h a t is bothering the employee. Employees can ask questions, listen, and probably be able to size up the situation pretty well, certainly better t h a n if there is no discussion with the manager about it. If the manager is unaware of the need to change, there may be hope t h a t change might occur once he is aware of the need. Employee 1: It's difficult getting motivated around here. If I screw up on something, I hear about it from my manager, but if I do something well I never hear a word. How do I know when I'm doing my job as expected? Through silence. How do I know when I'm not doing what's expected of me? When I hear about it. This is backwards. I should hear about my good deeds and be left alone to figure out how to solve my screw ups. But I'm not the only one. He treats Ginger and Allen the same way. It's just his way of motivating you. Or he thinks he's motivating us. Employee 2: I've noticed that too. The only way I know I'm doing a good job is when others tell me. Employees sometimes need a friendly nudge to overcome the reluctance to openly discuss these matters with their manager. One of the best ways to get free of reluctance is to realize that experience shows t h a t being open and honest in a sensitive, caring way is the best policy when employees are discussing things t h a t want their manager to change. Employee:

Al, there's something you do that bothers me and I was wondering if you would be willing to discuss it with me.

Manager:

What's that? (continuing to look for something on his desk)

Employee:

I guess the best example is that you're doing it now and you always seem to do it when I need to see you about something. Whatever you are doing when I walk into your office to see you, you continue doing it. You ignore me. When I walked

When Managers Won't Change

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into your office just now you were looking for something on your desk. When I mentioned that I wanted to see you about something, you continued looking for whatever is missing, ignoring my presence. You give me the impression that what you're doing is more important than what I've got to say. Manager:

I'm sorry. I do that frequently. It's a bad habit. It's not that you or what you have to say is unimportant, it's just that I think I can listen to you and accomplish something else at the same time. I'll try not to do it in the future. If I do it again, point it out to me. That's the only way I can stop it.

Employees will want to use all the information gathered to assess the manager's ability and willingness to change. If the manager is either unable or unwilling to change, it's time for employees to start taking positive steps to deal with a manager who won't change. Employees will want to consciously make some basic choices, and act on their decisions. DECIDE WHETHER TO RUN OR STAY There are times when it is appropriate for employees to run, to leave a manager who w o n t change. This make sense when employees are being forced to do things t h a t are unlawful or unethical, when their integrity is compromised, and when the manager in some way makes it impossible to get the job done. However, having a difficult job is not justification to bail out. Others will not see it as just cause, and employees may be h u r t more in the long r u n by baihng out t h a n suffering through it and making the best of a bad situation. Bailing out generally is not appropriate just because times are tough. Employees should be encouraged to keep in mind t h a t running usually means going into a new situation with a lot of uncertainty and the possibility t h a t the new manager will be worse t h a n the one the employee has now. Other factors might be less desirable as well, like job security, the nature of the work, or the new co-workers. These factors should be weighed carefully by employees before making the decision to run. Employee:

(to self) This is not what I want to do for a living. I think it's best that I find another job. Maybe I should give this a little more thought. Why is it that I'm leaving? I'd be leaving a good-paying job that's close to where I live because my manager does not give me enough to do and I am left with idle, unproductive time on my hands. I need a manager who is involved, hands-on, supportive, and encouraging. I'm not like others who enjoy having freedom and independence and

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nothing to do. A new job probably would have some aspects about it that I don't like. No job is perfect in every way. Employees should be encouraged to evaluate the strategy of staying. Is the manager likely to move on in the next year or so via promotion, a transfer, getting fired, quitting, or retiring? Is the employee likely to move on via promotion or transfer? One of these possibilities usually is very likely, though employees may not have any concrete information about the prospect of it happening. Is there something employees can do to hang on a little longer in hopes the situation will change? Is there anything they can do, like accept it, make up their mind to live with it, change their attitude about it, change the way they respond to the unpleasant things their manager does t h a t might make it better? Usually one or more of these will improve the situation. Employee:

(to self) Things change around here so fast. Perhaps if I hang in here a little longer something will happen. Maybe Bill will get transferred or promoted. Or maybe another job will come open within the company and I can switch to something with a manager who better meets my needs. Yes, I owe it to myself to hang on for a while.

IF THE DECISION IS TO RUN, SELECT A RUN STRATEGY There are two choices when the decision is to run: quit and leave or change jobs within the organization. When employees are considering the possibility of quitting and leaving, they are encouraged to think about the implications of this to their career, to their financial situation, to them personally, and to their family. If all of this seems positive, taking the next step makes sense. The key here is to identify the options outside the organization and carefully explore them. Employees can evaluate the strategy of changing jobs within the organization. Rather t h a n quitting and leaving, employees can consider applying for another position in the same organization. If the manager is really bad, making it impossible for the employees to do their job, others probably are aware of the situation and the chances of leaving one job but staying in the organization may be good. It is possible to check around and explore possible opportunities that may be available immediately, or within a year or so. Being too impatient can cause employees to make hasty decisions they may regret. Whether the strategy is to quit and leave or change jobs within the organization, employees are not likely to be moving on immediately. Both of these strategies take time, so there is a need for a stay strategy, at least for the short term.


Employee:

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(to self) This is a good company. The benefits are decent and they offer steady employment. My hatred for my manager could be easily solved by finding another position within the company. I'm going to ask Karen in the Human Resources Department to keep an eye peeled for a position I would be qualified for. I'll also shop around with some of my friends and see what they know about future openings. I'll bet that within a year something interesting will come open. A year's not that long. I can put up with him for a year, knowing that help is around the corner if I will look for it. A year with that jerk. Ugh! I'll just have to keep reminding myself how great it will be when I transfer to my new job. I almost can taste my celebration dinner now.

IF THE DECISION IS TO STAY, SELECT A STAY STRATEGY There are three basic strategies for staying put with a manager who won't change: fight it, accept it, or change it. Employees can evaluate each of these strategies, starting with fight it. There are two fight strategies. One, get the manager fired. Two, make the manager's life miserable. P u t him on the spot, set him up to look bad, make others aware of his incompetence, be defiant, argue, play games, essentially get him back. Going for the throat (getting the manager fired) is risky business. The odds are against employees. Even if they win, and get him fired, they probably lose too. What do they lose? Time, energy, friends, and a reputation of a negative, vindictive employee. Plus it is hard for employees to do their job when they are trying to get their manager fired. It causes people to choose sides. It causes innocent others to suffer adverse consequences. Even those untouched will not easily forget the damage t h a t may have occurred. Getting the manager fired is not a high-percentage option, and even if it happens, chalking up a victory may be the only positive thing that comes of it. The employee's remaining reputation as a troublemaker may haunt and h u r t in places least wanted and expected. Employee:

(to self) Gosh, it would be great to see her fired. I'd love to see the look on her face the day she found out. What a glorious day that would be. Realistically though, getting her fired would take a lot of doing. Even if I could pull it off, I'd probably be doing a lot of damage to others and myself in the process. I wouldn't want the reputation of being a vindictive employee. I also don't have the time nor would I enjoy the atmosphere around here while I was pulling it off. Perhaps this would not be my best choice. But it would be so nice to see her out of here. I guess that's just wishful thinking.

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The strategy of making the manager miserable is risky too. It doesn't solve the problem. It's a diversion from what employees should be doing-namely, doing their job well. And their performance will suffer. Others may see the employee as a worthy adversary, but they will not see the employee as dealing with the situation effectively. Neither will they see the employee as the kind of person who should be shouldering more responsibility in higher level positions in the future. Employees may get the manager back by making her life miserable, but ultimately employees lose by choosing this strategy. Employee:

(to self) Making her life miserable would be so much fun. That would be a small payback for all she has done to me. Realistically though that may not be the best strategy. If I spend my effort getting her back it will detract from my performance and others might view me as vindictive. Neither of those are traits I would want to display as my image. They certainly would not help in future promotions. But it sure would be fun to see her crawl.

Employees should be encouraged to evaluate the strategy of accepting the situation. Why should employees fight if they can't win? Why not just accept it and do the best they can under the circumstances? This is a strategy with some appeal. The situation is most likely a temporary rather t h a n a permanent one. Sooner or later, under normal conditions, either the employee or the manager can be expected to move on to some other position. By waiting it out, the situation may resolve itself. This strategy has some merit, at least on the surface, until employees think about what life is like living with the manager day in and day out. This is difficult, very difficult, unless patience is one of employee's virtues. Employee:

(to self) Perhaps the best thing to do is to just accept it. I'm strong. I can live through any adversity. After all, the Pilgrims sure had it tough. They fought the Indians, the environment, and starvation. They didn't run when the going got rough. I can take anything, even her. This situation isn't forever. Things are bound to change. One of us is bound to leave. If I just display patience, I'm sure the situation will rectify itself.

Employees certainly will want to evaluate the strategy of changing the situation. There are two possibilities here. One is to change the manager. The other is for employees to change themselves. Changing the manager is a great strategy, one t h a t often is tried, but when managers have a history of being unable or unwilling to change, this is not a strategy t h a t is likely to work. No, changing the manager in this situation is a low-percentage strategy.


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The other strategy has far more promise. Rather t h a n changing the manager, employees can focus on changing themselves. They can do it. It is a matter of changing in a few ways t h a t make it possible to work more effectively and get along better with a manager who won't change. Usually this means nothing more t h a n changing a few behaviors. Employee:

(to self) I'll make sure that every report I turn in to her is proofed by at least two other people. One error per month will be my goal. She'll never catch more than one error per month. I swear.

The best strategy for dealing with a manager who won't change is a combination of two of the options detailed here-namely, where employees accept the situation and change themselves. The strategy of accepting it is not complete because it does not include action toward improvement. The strategy of employees changing themselves is not a complete strategy either because they cannot change unless they have fully accepted the situation the way it is. Full acceptance means employees must give up hope t h a t the manager will change and put any resentment behind them. It is with this kind of acceptance, plus a willingness to change themselves, that gives employees the best chance of working effectively with a manager who won't change. This is a strategy t h a t will work. Let's see how. Employee:

(to self) Mario won't change. He always ignores everybody when he strolls into work like a king each morning. Or how about when he sneaks up on you trying to catch you not working. Being critical of everything you do is his way, ineffective as it is, of motivating you. And his pet peeve of never eating anything at your desk, as though eating keeps you from performing, is nonsense. But that's Mario and that will always be Mario. Perhaps each morning I can try to stop him by saying good morning to him. I don't have to wait for him to initiate the greeting. I can initiate it. When he sneaks around trying to catch us not working, I can just tell him that I see him sneaking around trying to catch us. Maybe letting him know that I'm aware of what he is doing will make a game of it rather than letting it bother me. As far as his criticalness goes, I'll just try to accept that as constructive feedback and search elsewhere for my positive reinforcement. Janet, Mario's boss, frequently tells me how much she appreciates my work. I'll just rely on her and a few others for my strokes. Rather than aggravate him by eating at my desk, I'll just make it a habit never to eat there. That's not such a big deal. Not ever spilling food or drink on what I'm doing will be nice. And I've been waiting to shed a few

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication pounds. Not eating at my desk could be a help in trying to lose some weight.

DEVELOP A STAY STRATEGY W h e n the strategy is for e m p l o y e e s to accept the fact t h a t their m a n a g e r won't change, but t h e y will change t h e m s e l v e s , the first step is state i n behavioral t e r m s the thing t h a t the manager won't change. Employee 1: (to self) She pushes me to do more work and better work than is possible to accomplish during normal work hours, and is not very considerate of me in the way she does it. For example, she frequently gives me something to do, tells me to have it ready by a certain time, tells me it better be perfect, and never asks me if I can get it done on time, if I need anyone to help me, or if I can come in early or stay late to get it done. She simply expects it to be done and has no thought about what it takes to make it happen. Employee 2: (to self) He uses threats, punishment, and criticism all the time and never rewards me when I do a good job. I've lost all motivation to work. Employee 3: (to self) He's got this thing about being on time for meetings. He goes bonkers if you're late, and holds it against you forever. Specifically, if you come in late he says something critical, which is embarrassing if others are in the meeting, and then for the rest of the meeting, he asks you all of the hard questions, and gives you all the dirty work that results from the meeting. N e x t e m p l o y e e s should state in behavioral terms w h a t they can do to deal w i t h the t h i n g s their m a n a g e r won't change. Employee 1: (to self) I can estimate how long it will take to do the work the way she wants it done, tell her when I can get it done if I work on it alone, indicate when I can finish on time if she'll let Robert help me, and ask approval for Robert to help. If she says no, I'll tell her I'll do the best I can, and will keep her informed of my progress so it will not surprise her if it isn't finished on time. This will give her a chance to let someone help me when she sees it will not be completed on time. Employee 2: (to self) When I complete something I'm especially proud of, I'll show Jan. Jan is always full of praise when I do things well. Then I can use her praise to buoy me up and get that needed motivation to tackle another job.

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Employee 3: (to self) Being late is a habit I have that certainly could be improved upon. After all, being late does not help me with my manager or anyone else who might go bonkers over it. Just because people don't make an issue over it doesn't mean they approve of someone like me who is frequently late. I think that if I am willing to change and get to work on time, I can improve my standing with many others as well as my manager. Starting today I'm going to make it a habit to be five minutes early to meetings. I'll take something along to work on in case no one else is there early and I find myself with idle time on my hands. This change in my habit will actually save time so I won't get stuck with as much of the dirty work as I normally do. Yes, this is going to improve both my work life and help me get along better with my manager. It's going to be fun being on his good side and not having to do his dirty work. I'm looking forward to the new me. START SHOWING THE STAY BEHAVIORS Once employees plan out new behaviors to match their stay strategy, there is nothing to it but to do it. When they change, they will see things change for the better. SUMMARY When the manager won't change, it is best for employees to accept this and move ahead to change themselves in a way t h a t will resolve the problem. To do this, employees need to be prepared to apply a few basic steps.

When Managers Won't Change • —

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1. Be sure the manager won't change. •

Gather information.

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Assess the manager's ability and willingness to change.

2. Decide whether to run or stay.

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•

Carefully weigh the option to run.

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Evaluate the strategy of staying.

3. If the decision is to run, select a r u n strategy. •

Carefully consider the quit and leave strategy.

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Evaluate the possibility of changing jobs within the organization.

4. If the decision is to stay, select a stay strategy.

5.

•

Consider the option of fighting a manager who won't change.

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Evaluate accepting things the way they are, i.e. accepting the manager.

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Make an assessment of changing the manager.

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Make an assessment of changing yourself.

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Choose to accept the manager and change yourself.

Develop a stay strategy. •

State in behavioral terms the thing the manager won't change.

•

Identify in behavioral terms what the employee can do to deal with the manager.

6. Start showing the stay behaviors.

Part IV ASKING MANAGERS


18 The Business of Asking Managers Being afraid or hesitant to ask the manager for something or about something is natural. Asking is not a skill t h a t comes easy. Oftentimes asking is not only appropriate, but the only way employees will obtain what they desire. Yet many employees miss the opportunity to receive something because they simply fail to ask for it. There is a basic approach t h a t can be used to ask the manager for anything. UNDERSTAND THE BUSINESS OF ASKING Managers expect employees to ask for things. Asking is not a problem for them, but not asking might be. Who wants employees who do not have the courage and confidence to ask for things once in a while? Manager:

(to self) You know, I like Susan. She's up front with me. She speaks her mind and lets me know what she's thinking and what she needs. I wish some of the others were more like her.

Managers have asking expectations. They expect employees to ask for reasonable things like a raise that's not too big, a promotion when the employee is qualified, and more responsibility when the employee is

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ready for it. Managers expect employees to ask at the right time, such as when they have time to talk and when they are not stressed out. Managers expect to be asked in the right way. Some asking styles to avoid are: demanding ("I must have it."), threatening ("If I don't get it, I'll . . ."), emotional ("Can't I . . ." sob, sob . . . "have . . .?"), begging ("Please, please, I beg of you . . ."), arrogant ("I deserve it."), unprepared (looking at it only from the employee's perspective, not having the facts, and making wrong assumptions), and whiny (asking in a childish or annoying manner rather t h a n being firm and strong). Employees often need to be encouraged to make up their minds to go ahead and ask when they need to. This requires understanding t h a t they are expected to ask. It means they must learn to know how to ask for the right things, at the right time, and in the right way. Manager:

(to self) Susan asks for things in a strong, positive, nonthreatening, and prepared way. That's probably why she seems to get everything she asks for. But her way is a good way, not just good for her, but good for all of us.

MAKE THE ASKING DECISION To ask or not to ask, t h a t is the question that should be pondered when employees are considering asking for something. Employees should be encouraged not to just make a blanket decision to ask for everything they want because they have decided it is okay to ask. It is not appropriate to ask for everything and it is important to make good decisions about what to request. Here are some guidelines employees can use to decide each situation on the basis of its own merits. Employees will find it helpful to identify exactly what they want, like a raise, promotion, bigger budget, more feedback, positive reinforcement, or more involvement in decisions. It is good to be specific, like a 10 percent raise beginning the first of the month. Manager:

(to self) I like it when employees tell me exactly what they want. I usually say no when they haven't thought through things well enough to know exactly what they are asking for. If they know what they want and come out and ask for it, they stand a good chance of getting it.

It is very helpful for employees to list the ways their manager would be better off by giving them what they want. Employees should list the ways others as well as themselves would benefit, too. Employees are more successful when they identify the most likely objections their manager may have. For example, granting the request may not be fair to others who may have been turned down on the same


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request, or others above or below the employee may complain, or the manager may look bad if it means reversing a previous decision, or there is not enough money, or not enough time to deal with it now. Employees will then want to identify ways to overcome each objection. Manager:

(to self) I'm impressed when employees don't think about things only from their own perspective. It gives me confidence in them. And, of course, I make decisions on the basis of how they affect me, so I like employees to spell out the benefits to me. I'm particularly impressed when an employee anticipates an objection I might have, thinks it through, and figures the best way to overcome the objection. It tells me that they have done their homework and that they have given it a lot of thorough thought.

By weighing the manager's objections and deciding how to overcome them, employees can determine their chances of success. Will the manager likely say yes or no? Employees are encouraged to identify the consequences of a no, like coming across as naive, appearing foolish, upsetting the manager, having to deal with the rejection, resenting the manager, or being viewed by others as weak and having no influence with the manager. While these are frequently thoughts employees may have, seldom if ever does the manager view it in this manner. These are typical ill-founded thoughts on the part of employees. Even if the manager has a need to say no, the most likely impression is t h a t the employee made a thoughtful request. When employees ask for the right things, in the right way, at the right time, managers are not left with a negative impression. Rather, they view the asking in a very positive way. Manager:

(to self) Even when I find it necessary to say no to employees, I'm pleased that they make an attempt to solve a problem by asking me. I would much rather an employee feel comfortable with making a suggestion and possibly receiving a no, than to not make an attempt to ask me out of some silly or stupid notion on their part about how I might view them if I have to decline their request.

Employees also are encouraged to think of the consequences of a yes. Employees typically impress the manager with their courage, preparation, and insight. And employees learn something useful about the manager, like the way decisions are made or how to use a different approach for greater success next time. Employees also impress others who are too timid to ask.

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication Manager:

(to self) Of course I like it when an employee has a reasonable request and I am able to grant it. This is the best of both worlds. We both gain. I'm impressed with the employee who has both the courage and foresight to think a problem through and come up with a logical request.

With this analysis in mind, employees can decide whether to ask or not. It means weighing the chances of success against the consequences of a no. The consequences of no may be so damaging that employees should ask only if they are almost certain of getting a yes. Or there may be no negative consequences to speak of, so employees have nothing to lose even if their chances of getting a yes are slim. Employees should weigh the consequences of not asking. Some possible consequences might be that employees cannot do their job unless they get what they need (like more resources), will be miserable (manager has a management style that drives the employee up the wall), or will have a decline in motivation that will lead to problems (manager never gives feedback or positive reinforcement). When employees decide to ask, they need to move ahead to develop an approach to do the asking. Manager: (to self) I appreciate people who speak up and make their requests known. It helps me to know what my people need. The worst thing is to find out that good employees have decided to leave the company because they were unable to get what they needed and they never made their requests known. The saddest situation is when you would have been pleased to grant a request had you only known about it, but now it's too late because they have left the company and you have lost an excellent employee needlessly. Oftentimes we are able to grant requests when they make them. I would encourage all of my employees to feel confident enough to discuss their needs with me.

DEVELOP AN ASKING APPROACH

Getting what employees ask for depends on having a persuasive sales pitch, and this should be the focus of the approach they use for asking. Much of the sales pitch is developed in the process of deciding earlier about whether to ask or not. Employees will need to do some background work to get prepared to ask. This involves determining specifically what is happening that has prompted the employee to ask for something. It is important that employees get the facts rather than make assumptions and jump to conclusions, and figuring out why it is the way it is, how long it has been hke that, and how long it is likely to stay that way. Employees should identify the positive and negative consequences of this situation to


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themselves, their manager, and relevant others, and make a list of the positive and negative consequences of the situation changing versus not changing. Employees will want to decide specifically what to ask for. This means rethinking everything and deciding what is wanted, what is ideal, what is the least to settle for, and what to ask for, all things considered. Often it makes sense for employees to ask for something a little beyond what they are willing to accept to allow the manager some face-saving bargaining power, if this is important to the manager. It is essential for employees to view things from the manager's perspective. Specifically, employees will want to determine how the manager will benefit by saying yes, anticipate possible objections the manager may have and decide how to overcome them, identify the reasons why they deserve a yes, and prepare to show how they will be able to handle the situation if they get a yes. Manager:

(to self) I appreciate a person who comes in with a wellthought-out sales pitch. She knows what she wants, asks for it, and backs up why she needs it. I like employees who have some fight in them when it comes to discussing their needs, but then will back off some if they're too far out of line.

MEET WITH THE MANAGER AND ASK When employees are prepared to ask, the next step is to get an appointment. This means doing a little research about when would be a good time to meet with the manager. It is especially helpful to get the opinion of the manager's secretary. Then it is a matter of deciding when to meet, considering the research. The goal is for employees to get an appointment at a time when both manager and employee have adequate time, the manager is in a good mood, interruptions will be minimal, and the manager is not under a lot of pressure and stress. Careful timing will increase the chances of being heard and getting yes for an answer. Employees should set an appointment as near the manager's preference as possible, considering their own situation as well. It is best for employees to begin the discussion by establishing the need for a change. This creates a need for the manager to say yes. This means employees should objectively describe the current situation, using research, background information, facts, and figures. It also is important to objectively state the consequences if the situation remains unchanged. Employees will want to present the consequences to clearly show the impact on the manager. Again, as they relate to the manager, employees need to state the consequences if the situation were different.

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Manager:

(to self) An employee who can show me exactly why we need something and how it will benefit everybody has an inside track. He's already well on his way to receiving his request.

Now it is time for employees to make their sales pitch. This includes spelling out exactly what they want, stating it in a way t h a t they overcome the objections the manager might have before they surface, indicating why they deserve it, and how they are ready, willing, and able to handle the new situation. Employees should end the sales pitch by indicating the benefits to the manager, to others, and to themselves. Manager:

(to self) The employee who has a logical, well-thought-out, organized request is going to win out over the employee who beats around the bush and takes forever to make a point, if he ever does.

Now it is time for employees to ask for what they want, to go for closing the sale. Employees have to ask for what they want, and asking point blank is a good way to do it. Once they ask, employees should stop, shut up, and wait for the manager to respond. Employee:

So, can I have a 10 percent raise?

Managers react favorably to this approach to asking. The thoughtful preparation makes it easy on them, makes it easier for them to make good decisions. Manager:

(to self) You know Susan is different than the others, but that difference is a good difference. She always knows what she wants, has the facts to back up what she's asking for, and looks at the issue from both sides, not just her selfish viewpoint, but mine and the company's as well. She even states my objections before I can think of them and then counters them with a logical explanation. If only I could get the others to think through an issue like Susan does, my job would sure be a lot easier.

Manager:

(to the employee) I think your idea is great. I can see that you've given this some forethought and your effort is well received and appreciated.

In response, employees will want to reach agreement with the manager by answering any questions, responding to any objections, negotiating based on earlier thinking about what would be acceptable, reaching agreement regarding any changes, and summarizing what has been discussed and agreed upon as the next steps to take.


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Employees will want to end the discussion by giving positive reinforcement, specifically rewarding the manager verbally for listening, being understanding, caring, being willing to help, thinking through the situation, coming up with new ideas and suggestions, and especially for saying yes. SUMMARY This basic approach can be modified and used by employees to ask their manager almost anything. The key to success lies in being thoroughly prepared. Asking the manager is a skill that employees need to develop with care. By using the steps outlined here, employees will be prepared to ask and they will be successful. Employees need to be reminded t h a t they may get nervous when thinking about asking their manager for something, and t h a t is okay and very normal. They should be encouraged not to let anxiety cause them not to ask, but instead use the energy from the anxiety to help them prepare because preparation builds confidence. Then it simply is a matter for employees to do what they know how to do, and they will be surprised at how often they will get what they want by asking.

The Business of Asking Managers 1. Understand the business of asking. •

Realize t h a t managers expect employees to ask for things.

•

Understand the manager's expectations around asking.

2. Make the asking decision. •

Identify exactly what is wanted.

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List ways both manager a n d employee would benefit.

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Anticipate the manager's objections and decide how to overcome them.

•

Identify consequences of a yes or no answer.

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•

Decide whether to ask or not.

3. Develop an asking approach. •

Do background work and get prepared.

•

Decide specifically what to ask for.

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View the asking from the manager's perspective.

•

Determine how the manager will benefit.

•

Anticipate objections and decide how to overcome them.

•

Identify reasons the request is deserved.

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Prepare to show t h a t if the request is granted, everything will be handled well.

4. Meet with the manager and ask. •

Get an appointment.

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Establish the need for a change.

•

Make the sales pitch.

•

Ask for what is wanted.

•

Reach agreement.

•


19 Asking for a Raise Asking the manager for a raise can be a frightening experience. Most employees dread the thought of rejection t h a t might accompany such a request. The frightening part of asking for a raise is t h a t it deals with such a personally sensitive area-namely, how much the employee is worth. Employees, however, can do something to reduce the fear and enhance the chance of getting a raise. Asking for and receiving a raise entails a thorough research process and begins with a great deal of preparation. In fact, to get the best possible raise, most of what employees have to do must be done long before asking for the raise. 1

PREPARE TO ASK FOR A RAISE The first step in preparing to get a raise is to be thoroughly familiar with the raise process. There are several important questions employees must be coached to answer. One, does the manager have the authority to give a raise? If yes, the employee is in luck. At least the manager can decide. If the manager does not have the authority, employees will find it takes a long time to get a decision from someone else while working through their manager. Employees not only have to sell

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the manager that they deserve a raise, they also have to sell the manager on selling someone else to give them a raise. Does the organization give raises only at certain times of the year? If all raises are given at the same time, then everyone is competing for their share from the pot. Frequently the raise pot has an upper limit for the total amount that can be spent for pay increases and therefore might hmit the amount any one person can receive. If this is the case, getting the raise the employee wants is much harder. Employees are in a much better bargaining position if the company does not give all the raises at the same time. Is there a freeze on raises at the present time? If there is, it does not mean employees cannot get a raise, it just means it will be harder. If employees can determine how long the freeze might last, they can decide if it would be in their best interest to wait until the freeze is over. If, on the other hand, employees view the freeze as a long-term situation, or they feel that they have a very strong case and can overcome the freeze criteria, then employees can proceed with their preparation. What are the steps and how long does it take for a raise to be approved? Knowing the steps of the process is a necessity for employees to plan their strategy. They must take care to assure that each of the steps is followed to prevent the raise-granting process from bogging down at any particular step. Employee:

(to self) I need to concentrate on a plan of steps to assure t h a t I present my case in the best possible manner in order to do everything possible to enhance the likelihood of receiving a raise.

The second step of preparation is for employees to obtain proof of performance. They must recognize that they do not deserve a raise just because they need one to pay the doctor bills, want to buy a new car, desire to move to a nicer location, or the fact that they are overextended on their credit. Nor do employees deserve one simply because they are loyal and hard working, have a lot of education, have been working there a long time, or they are friends with the president's wife's first cousin's brother-in-law. Employees need to realize a raise request must be based on their contribution to helping the company make a profit, or, in a nonprofit organization, helping to meet its goals. The best way for employees to do this is to get measurable proof like sales they made, costs they reduced, or specifically how they helped reach the organization's goals. Another way is for employees to get proof of ideas that led to increased sales, cost reductions, new products/services, getting/keeping

Asking for a Raise

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clients, or input they had in generating operating funds. A third way is to use the results of recent performance evaluations. The last way is to get testimony of others such as co-workers, people in other departments, or customers. The more important the person is the better. Employees should use persons who they know are able to influence the manager. Employee:

(to self) I've received the salesperson of the month award twice this year and am in second place for total sales for the year. In addition, my idea to combine two territories led to a considerable reduction in the cost of servicing our customers. Also, by serving as the United Fund chairperson, I demonstrated my willingness to help in areas other than just marketing.

Step three is for employees to obtain proof of their worth. One way is to find out what others make who are doing similar work in similar positions in the company. Care must be taken to allow for the fact that some managers think the amount of pay should be based on education, years of experience, or age. Another way for employees to obtain proof of their worth is to determine what they could get in the open market. This can be done by reading want ads, talking to employment agencies and people they know in other companies, and maybe even having a few interviews. Job offers from another company make strong bargaining tools, but also r u n the risk t h a t the manager might indicate t h a t they could not come close to meeting an offer and recommend that the employee accept it. Thus employees r u n the risk of being pushed out if they use other job offers to help them obtain a raise. Another excellent way for employees to determine their worth is to find out what their replacement cost would be. If they were to leave the company, what would it cost the company to get a replacement? In this figure, employees would want to include the cost of recruiting, interviewing, reference checks, medical exam, hiring, training, and most important the cost incurred during the first few months when the replacement's productivity will be low. The h u m a n resources department frequently has a dollar figure for the cost of replacements. If not, there are some publications which indicate replacement costs in each field. Employee:

(to self) I can get some figures from advertisements in the newspaper and in the industry magazine. The cost to replace me would be somewhere around $9,000-$ 12,000. I've heard the folks in HR say that it costs $20,000 to replace a skilled person.

The fourth step is for employees to decide on the amount of raise to request. Three amounts need to be determined by employees: the

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amount they want, the one for which they will settle, and the one for which they will ask. Employees should be encouraged to spend some time thinking of the exact amount they would desire and the absolute amount for which they will settle. In many organizations employees must ask for a higher amount t h a n what they want to get. Historically, some companies always grant a lower raise t h a n the one requested. Knowing how much the company reduces the amount asked for can only be determined by finding out what others have asked for and received. Employees can talk to some trusted friends and determine the percent reduction historically in raise situations in the company. Employee:

(to self) From what others have said, I'll need to ask for $4,000 in order to get a $2,000 raise. They seem to give you half or a little less than half of what you ask for.

Next employees need to plan for any possible objections the manager may have to any kind of raise request, and to the specific dollar amount to be requested. When employees go to their manager asking for a raise, even when the request is based on sterling achievement, they should be prepared for counterarguments. 2 Some of the typical responses of managers are t h a t the employee has not been in this job long enough, is too young, does not have as much experience or education as others, raises are given only once a year and now is not the time, or the manager does not have the budget or authority to grant a raise. Employees must decide which of the objections are most likely and decide the best way to deal with each one. Care must be taken to treat each one separately and to resist the temptation to combine some of them in a group and dispense with the entire group at one time. Employee:

(to self) What objections might my manager raise? I'm sure that he'd state that raises are decided in the fall of the year and that now would not be an appropriate time. My answer to that would be that I'm not asking for a regular raise, but rather for an equity alignment and that precedent has been set for giving these at times other than the fall. He also will probably state that I've been in that job for just over two years. By his way of thinking that will not be enough time. He will cite others like Joan or Fred who were in their position for a much longer period of time before getting an equity alignment. I can counter that with the fact that my accomplishments are greater than theirs and that I was able to achieve them over a short period of time. A person should be rewarded for what he achieves rather than for his attendance record.

The sixth and last step in this phase is for employees to prepare a presentation for their manager. Employees should be ready to state

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why they are meeting, to present their proof of performance, to state their worth to the company, to ask for a raise of a specific amount, and to overcome objections before they are expressed. PRESENT A STRONG CASE Timing is very important anytime employees are meeting with their manager, but especially so when are asking for a raise. Employees are encouraged to choose a time when the manager can talk without interruption, is not being consumed by some major problem, and is in a good mood. It also helps to ask for a raise after having completed a really good piece of work t h a t the manager knows about and was pleased with. Employees should start the meeting by stating clearly and specifically the purpose of the meeting. It is helpful for employees to resist going around the mountain, instead indicating in a simple manner exactly why they are there. Employee:

The reason I asked to meet with you today is to discuss my salary. I feel that I deserve a raise.

Managers tend to respond best when employees immediately move into a discussion of their performance, especially presenting proof of their performance. Employee:

Over the last two years I have handled more client cases than any of the investigators in the office. Last year I had 157 cases and the year before 138. Sam was the next highest with only 116. I outproduced all 17 of the investigators. Not only have I handled them, but I have more of our clients requesting me to handle their cases than any other investigator in the office.

Subsequently, employees should present their proof of worth to the company. Employee:

I found out that Sam is making $17 an hour and I am making only $14. I feel that my hourly pay should be compatible to my production and in line with what other investigators receive. Also I noticed that Able Investigators is advertising in the newspaper for experienced investigators to start at $19 an hour. Furthermore I've heard you and the folks in Human Resources estimate that it cost the company $20,000 to hire, train, and wait for a new investigator to become productive enough to justify his salary.

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Quickly overcoming the anticipated objections before they are raised is the next step. This allows employees to prevent any solidification in the manager's mind for denying the raise. Employee:

I know that you might be thinking that Sam has been here two years longer than I have, but longevity is not the reason we are a successful company. Having satisfied clients with well-investigated cases is the goal of our company and I am helping us reach that goal more than any other investigator.

ASK FOR A DOLLAR AMOUNT Employees next should indicate t h a t they deserve a raise and request the amount desired with confidence and conviction t h a t it will for forthcoming. Any sign of hesitancy or lack of confidence will open the flood gates of rejection. Employee:

I deserve a raise and request that my hourly rate be raised to $20 an hour beginning with the next paycheck.

Without pausing and before the manager can react, it is good for employees to state any objections the manager might have for giving the raise and show how the objections are not the issue in this situation. Employee:

I know you might be thinking that it is not my anniversary date and, therefore, not the appropriate time to be considering a raise, but this is not an annual review request which you always give without my having to ask. This is an equity adjustment. Also you might think that Sam would be upset if I were to make more than he does. This would be simply explained to him by stating that those who produce will be compensated accordingly. If he would handle more cases he could expect to be paid at a higher rate.

At this point, it is helpful for employees to stop and wait for the manager to react, then answer any questions and overcome any additional objections presented. Manager:

This would be fine, but I don't see how the budget would allow me to grant you a raise in the middle of the year.

Employee:

I realize that this is the middle of the year, and I'm not requesting a regular annual evaluation. I'm asking for an equity alignment.

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If I were to go to work for Able Investigators it would cost you way more t h a n the small amount I'm asking for now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not threatening you with Able. I love this company and the last thing I would want to do is to leave, but I feel t h a t I'm due what I'm worth.

REACH AGREEMENT If necessary, employees should be prepared to negotiate whether they get the raise at all and the amount of the raise if it is granted. When negotiating, employees should quickly return to the reasons they deserve a raise. The only thing the manager can do is to refuse again, which is where the employee is now. However, by returning to the reasons why they deserve a raise, employees demonstrate their sincerity, and their ability to fight for what they feel is correct. Perhaps the manager will have a change of mind. If not, reach agreement on when a raise can be considered again. That is, employees can convert the "no raise" into "no raise now" situation so that the door is left open to approach the subject at the earliest possible date. This is a way for employees to say that they still feel very strongly about the raise and that they do not intend to drop the subject. In this way employees are serving notice that they will continue to return to the subject until it is rectified. Manager: I just don't see any way this can be done. Employee: I see a way. You can look at the number of cases I've handled in the two years I've been with the company, you can look at the quality of my work as attested by the clients who request t h a t I handle their cases, and you can come to the conclusion t h a t before you lose a fine worker you need to be equitable. Manager: Gee, you drive a hard bargain. Were you always this pigheaded? Suppose I raise you to $16 an hour. Employee: No! That would still leave me being the best producer and the second highest paid. Manager: Okay. I'll give you $18 an hour. And that's final. No more negotiation allowed.

Employees now will want to reach agreement on the next step(s) in the raise procedure. For example, the employee and manager should agree when the paperwork will go in, whether there is anything the employee can do to help, and what needs to be done to get the next person to approve the decision. If it was decided that there would not be a

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raise at this time, employees will want to determine what has to happen to get a raise the next time they are considered. Employee:

What is the next step? Is there anything that I can do to assist in the approval or taking this to the next step?

Manager:

No, the next step is for me to simply sign the paperwork and send it to Payroll.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TO THE MANAGER Employees should be coached to give positive reinforcement, as appropriate, to the manager for giving her time, attention, interest, understanding, agreement regarding performance and worth, and for giving the raise. Employee:

Thank you for spending your time and listening to me. And a special thanks for my raise. It makes me feel good that hard, dedicated work pays off. I appreciate working for a manager who will consider your worth to the company and reward you for it. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Employees need help and guidance when asking for a raise. It takes special care and preparation and following a proven set of steps is the key.

Asking for a Raise 1. Prepare to ask for a raise. •

Be familiar with the raise process.

•

Obtain proof of performance.

•

Obtain proof of worth.

•

Decide on the amount of raise to request.

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Plan for possible objections. Prepare a presentation. 2. Present a strong case.

Present proof of performance. Present proof of worth. Overcome anticipated objections. 3. Ask for a dollar amount. Request the dollar amount. Overcome objections. Pause for reaction. 4.

Reach agreement. Negotiate if necessary. Agree on the steps in the raise procedure.

5. Give positive reinforcement to the manager.

NOTES 1. Books, 2. Books,

Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage 1987), p. 111. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine 1985), p. 126.

20 How to Ask for More Interesting Work It is not necessary for employees to go to work day after day and face the same boring work. They have the inherent responsibility to make their job what they want it to be. Employees can control their own destiny. All they need is some guidance that will enable them to ask for and get more interesting work. THINK THROUGH THE BORING WORK SITUATION

Employees should identify specifically what they do not like about their job. Perhaps it is too routine, there is not enough to do, the people employees work with lack any kind of spark, they only do a small portion of a job and never get to see or be involved in the final product, or decisions are all made by higher-ups and passed down as orders. Employees should be encouraged to decide what kind of work they want to do. Perhaps employees would be more excited and challenged if their job had some variety, there was more to do, the people with whom they worked were more interesting, they could work more with customers, or they could be involved in the decision-making process. Employees will find it beneficial to determine if they have the skills required for what they want. Is the employee trained? Does the em-


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ployee have the education? Does the employee have the experience? Can the employee acquire the skills quickly? Is it feasible to do this job or is it just pipe dreaming? These are just a few questions employees might want to ask themselves. As another important step employees should be nudged to take is to identify their goals. Perhaps some employees want to grow and develop, have more challenging work, take on more responsibility, be more involved in the decision-making process, use more of their skills, prepare for a higher level position, or work in an invigorating environment. Employees need to determine if the job they want will meet their goals. If not, they must revise one of the two. Employee:

(to self) I need to be more motivated, more involved in what I'm doing. I've got the skills and ability to take on more challenging work. Specifically, I'm ready to take a stronger hand in ordering inventory and scheduling needed maintenance

Getting ready to ask is the key for employees to end up with more interesting work. Simply whining or wishing will not get it. Success comes from carefully thinking through the situation and preparing to ask. PREPARE TO ASK FOR MORE INTERESTING WORK Employees will find it helpful to identify what the consequences would be to their manager, the department, and to them if there is no change in their work. Employee:

(to self) If I were to continue to work in the existing environment my work would suffer, my output would surely decrease, and I'd be a bad influence on others. My department's reputation would suffer regarding other departments and our customers. Because my manager would look bad and/or be hassled, she might be left with no other option than to reprimand me in some manner, and maybe even fire me.

This type of work situation could affect employees' personal lives, their families, and their mental and physical health. Eventually they may actually quit, or worse yet quit mentally, wherein they give up while still remaining with the company and collecting a paycheck as well as developing headaches, stomach disorders, spastic bowels or colons, ulcers, heart problems, obesity, or any of the other manifestations of an inward struggle with stress. What started out to be simply an uninteresting job can become an intolerable situation.

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Also employees will want to identify the consequences of changing to more interesting work. This is basically the opposite of the above consequences wherein employees are more motivated, do more work, do better work, serve the customer better, and are thus more valuable to their manager, department, and the company. Employees are leading healthy stress-free lives and everyone comes out looking good. "And they all lived happily ever after." In addition, employees need to figure out and identify a solution where their manager can give them what they want and feel good and safe about it. Some of the ways to get more interesting work might include changing the way employees do things, rather t h a n what they do, exchanging a p a r t of an employee's job for a part of another person's job where both parties support the change, redesigning all or part of an employee's job so a lesser skilled person can handle it thus freeing the employee for more interesting work, or even computerize a part of the job to get more time for more interesting work. Employees should be coached to identify the ways their manager will benefit. 1 Here are a few examples of those benefits. The employee's production and quality of work will increase, and this will have a positive impact on the department. There will be a better spirit among other employees and thus their production and quality will increase also. Customers will be better satisfied and the manager and department will receive recognition. Another essential step employees should take is to identify some reasons why their manager might say no. What objections might she have? She may feel t h a t she needs the employee's expertise awhile longer. Perhaps nobody else is capable of doing this job or no one wants to do it. She might feel t h a t the employee has not been there long enough to be asking for more interesting work. She may not want to upset anybody else. For example, if she gives more interesting work to one employee, what are the rest of the employees going to demand? Perhaps the manager is too new or simply not confident enough to start making changes or simply does not like change. Or maybe she dislikes the employee, wants to punish him, or wants the employee to quit. These need not be rational, logical ideas or reasons, nevertheless they can be serious objections. Whatever the objections might be, employees need to decide how to overcome each of them. Employees are advised to prepare a defense for every objection the manager may throw at them. 2 A good idea is for employees to show t h a t others are trained, have the needed experience, and are capable and willing of doing the job. Also, employees should indicate t h a t the criteria for doing more interesting work need not be determined by months or years of suffering. Improving an employee's job could lead to betterment for others and everybody could gain. Employees may want to show new managers t h a t this is an opportunity to


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impress their own manager with their capabilities and t h a t this would build their own self-confidence. Employees should recognize t h a t the manager probably does not actually dislike them, but merely has some other employees who are her pets or favorites. The employee should indicate to the manager how the job can be made more interesting and productive and this will enhance the employee's image in her eyes and thus make strides to improving her opinion of the employee. Whatever the manager's objections might be, the employee will need to show the manager how these suggestions will actually improve the situation rather t h a n make it worse, and that by following the employee's ideas the work environment will be improved. Employees may need to revise what they want in relation to reality and understand t h a t they may not get everything asked for, but it is okay for employees to ask for more t h a n they expect to get. However, as a reminder, they must prepare themselves mentally not to receive everything and realize that the improvement they do get may be gradual. ASK THE MANAGER FOR MORE INTERESTING WORK Employees should arrange for a time to meet when the manager is more likely to be in a receptive mood. This will necessitate understanding their manager's personality, work habits, and preferred times for meeting with employees. Employees will need to determine when their manager is the most creative and receptive to change. When does the manager's schedule allow the freedom to step away from the emergencies of the day? Once the best time has been determined, employees should not hesitate to schedule a meeting with their manager. Once in the meeting, employees should get down to business and indicate their concern about the lack of interesting and fulfilling work. Employee:

The reason I wanted to meet with you today is to discuss the nature of my job. At times I find it to be somewhat boring and unrewarding from a challenging standpoint. More specifically I find that I'm doing something in a short period of time and then repeating myself many times. Furthermore I'm not involved in decisions affecting me or my job. I'm not even asked for my input. Rather, decisions are made for me and communicated to me in what seems at times to be an order.

Then employees need to mention the consequences of improving and not improving their job. Employee:

I don't want to appear to be complaining, but I find that my feelings are affecting my attitude which in turn is being reflected in my output in terms of quantity and quality of my

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work. This is something that neither of us wants as you, the department, the company, and I will look bad and lose because of it. On the other hand, there are some things that can be done to make my job more interesting and motivate me to the extent that we all gain. With a few changes I can do more and better work. That helps everybody. For employees to get more interesting work, they should be encouraged to ask for what they want and be sure to make their requests specific. However, employees need to take care not to appear demanding because of the fine line between clarity and being dogmatic. Employee:

I would like to have control over the incoming inventory of supplies. Furthermore, I would like to be involved in deciding what maintenance will be performed and when. I would also like to make suggestions regarding changes that I feel would improve performance and to suggest what additional equipment is needed.

The next step is for employees to reassure their managers t h a t they have the skills to accomplish the new work and then describe specifically how the changes can be achieved. Employee:

I feel that I have the ability to handle the inventories, maintenance, and improvement challenges. By keeping control of the inventories right in the department, I can stay on top of our needs and will be able to control them more tightly, thus resulting in carrying a smaller amount which in turn will lower our carrying costs. Working with the machines every day gives me a good idea of our maintenance needs. The maintenance department follows a schedule and it does not always meet our needs. I did a lot of maintenance work on machines like these before I came to work here. This puts me in a position to know when we need to request unscheduled maintenance. There are some changes to our processes that I would hke to suggest that would greatly enhance our ability to gain an edge over our competitors. Also there are some new machines that I would like to recommend as possible replacements for some of our worn-out, older machines.

For employees to be clear and fully understood, they should summarize the benefits to their manager, the department, the organization, and to themselves and show how the changes will meet their personal goals.


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Employee: The benefits t h a t accrue from this are many. The department Employee: and the company would gain because we would be saving money on inventory costs. With better maintenance, we would have less downtime and production would increase. Better processes could give us an edge, too. All of this could make a noticeable difference in our department's performance. And it would help me meet personal goals of doing more interesting work, getting a greater breadth in experience, and increase my chances to be promoted.

REACH AGREEMENT U p to t h i s p o i n t , t h e e m p l o y e e h a s controlled t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n . N o w it is i m p o r t a n t for t h e e m p l o y e e to k n o w w h e r e t h e m a n a g e r s t a n d s o n t h e s e s u g g e s t i o n s . T h e b e s t w a y to get t h e m a n a g e r ' s r e a c t i o n is by asking, t h e n answering any questions. Employee: I have been doing all the talking. What do you think about Employee: these ideas? Manager: Manager: I like your ambition and you have some good ideas t h a t I think you are ready to handle. However, there is one thing t h a t I am unclear about. You mentioned t h a t you would like to have control over the incoming inventory. Do you mean t h a t you would like to change suppliers or t h a t you want to merely control the quantity ordered? Employee:

I was referred to the quantity, not the suppliers.

Manager:

Okay. You are aware t h a t the suppliers are determined by the company and we are able to get quantity discounts by ordering for the whole organization.

Employee:

Sure, I would not think of messing with the suppliers.

T h e n e x t s t e p is for e m p l o y e e s to overcome a n y objections t h e m a n a g e r m i g h t h a v e a n d to n e g o t i a t e for w h a t t h e y w a n t . N o w is t h e t i m e for e m p l o y e e s to r e a c h a n a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e i r m a n a g e r o n w h a t t h e y will or will n o t b e able to do. Manager: Manager:

You mentioned controlling the maintenance on the machines. I understand where you are coming from, but looking at it from Maintenance's viewpoint, I can understand their desire to handle the scheduling so t h a t they can balance it plant wide.

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Employee:

I was not thinking about routine maintenance as much as I feel I should determine when a machine needs to be repaired just halfway so that we can make sure the machines are running in case of an emergency, then schedule a later date for tearing it down and really going into it.

For clarification, employees need to summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee:

Manager:

Let me make sure I understand what we have agreed upon. I'm going to be able to control the quantities of supplies we keep on hand for the department. I'm also going to work with Maintenance on deciding when a machine needs to be shut down for a major nonroutine overhaul and when we can fix it temporarily when its needed to meet a deadline. And I have your authority to recommend to you some changes to our processes and work up a proposal for some new equipment for your consideration. You seem to have a handle on what we've discussed. Good job.

Employees should be advised to agree on steps to take to accomplish what has been decided upon with their manager and to summarize those steps. Employee:

Is there any special format you would like to see used for new equipment proposals?

Manager:

No. Just use whatever will clearly show costs and savings.

Employee:

I know that everything we have agreed on here affects a couple of other people. I guess you'll get us all together and discuss the changes so we'll all be singing out of the same hymnbook.

Manager:

Yes, I was thinking of getting them in here right now.

GIVE MANAGER POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT As always, employees should be encouraged to give positive reinforcement to managers who listen, understand, cooperate, and work in the best interest of both the employee and the organization. Employee:

Thanks a lot for discussing with me some changes that will make my job more interesting. I was sort of hesitant to come to you with these suggestions. I'm sure glad I did. I'm really


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pleased with the ideas we have come up with and assure you that I will strive my best to prove to you that your faith in me is justified. SUMMARY Asking for and receiving more interesting work is a necessary part of every employee's job and can be effectively accomplished by following a simple series of steps.

How to Ask for More Interesting Work 1. Think through the boring work situation. Identify what is not liked about the job. Identify the kind of work t h a t is preferred. Decide if skill requirements can be met. Identify goals. 2. Prepare to ask for more interesting work. Identify consequences of no change verses changing. Identify a solution. Identify benefits to the manager. Identify objections and ways to overcome them. 3. Ask the manager for more interesting work. Arrange meeting. Indicate the concern about the uninteresting work. Mention consequences. Ask for more interesting work.

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Indicate that skills possessed match the skills required. Describe how the change will be achieved. Summarize benefits. 4. Reach agreement.

Get the manager's reaction. Answer any questions. Overcome any objections. Negotiate, if necessary. Reach an agreement. Summarize the agreement. Agree on steps to take and summarize them. 5. Give manager positive reinforcement.

NOTES 1. Stephen P. Robbins and Mary Coulter, Management (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1996), p. 644. 2. Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), p. 112.

21 How to Ask for and Get More Responsibility Employees often wish t h a t their manager would give them more responsibility. At the same time that employees are being underutilized, managers often are coming in early, working through their coffee breaks and lunch, and taking work home with them in the evening and on weekends. Managers frequently are overworked at the same time that their employees are underutilized. Many employees feel hopeless in this situation and wish for more responsibility, which only makes them more frustrated. Some employees are even resigned to the situation. Employees need not give up, because there is a way for employees to ask for and get more responsibility, even when a manager is reluct a n t to give it. DECIDE SPECIFICALLY WHAT IS WANTED Employees must decide exactly what additional responsibility they want. They may ask themselves, "What additional work, tasks, assignments, and projects would I like to have?" Identifying specific re-

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sponsibilities is the key to receiving more responsibility. Here are some examples. Employee 1: (to self) I would like to be involved in the goal-setting process, determine what order to do my work, be responsible for creating and sending reports to the customer, and solicit new customers. Employee 2: (to self) I would like more responsibility for bringing in new accounts by giving a portion of my territory to another salesperson in order that I might spend a greater amount of time selling new accounts. Employee 3: (to self) I would like to head up the United Fund Drive, be placed on a committee to determine the feasibility be establishing a retail outlet for our new product, and establish a budget for the upcoming period. Next, employees will find it helpful to determine what authority they will need to accompany the newly gained responsibility. Employee 1: (to self) I would need to use the computer. Employee 2: (to self) I would need to be given the authority to determine which accounts would remain with me and which would be assigned to the new salesperson. Employee 3: (to self) I would have to have the authority to pick the area United Fund campaign captains and delegate their duties to them, to have access to and utilize the company production and profit data for determining exactly how the feasibility study would be conducted, and to pick a budget committee to work with me.

IDENTIFY THE MANAGER'S POSSIBLE OBJECTIONS Perhaps the manager thinks that an employee has enough to do already, or possibly does not like the employee and wants to block advancement by limiting the job. Maybe the manager is afraid t h a t peers will cause problems if one employee is given more responsibility. Another possible objection is t h a t the manager believes the employee is trying to replace him or is simply threatened by the ability and ambition of the employee. By identifying all of a manager's objections, employees can be prepared to offset them with the benefits t h a t will accrue to the employee, their manager, and the company.


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IDENTIFY THE BENEFITS OF GETTING MORE RESPONSIBILITY Employees should first identify the general benefits of getting more responsibility, like growth and development, increased motivation, happiness, and a better chance for advancement. However, employees may want to be careful because a benefit might further heighten a previously mentioned objection. For instance, if the manager is afraid t h a t an employee might be trying to get her job, a benefit of advancement should not be included. Next, employees will want to think of the general benefits that would accrue to the manager, like contributing more, which in t u r n makes the manager look better; taking a load off the manager, which makes the job easier and gives more time for other things; or helping the manager achieve personal goals. Now t h a t employees have listed the general benefits to themselves and their manager, they should think of the specific benefits t h a t will accrue to each of them. Employees could name the skills t h a t they would learn, such as how to use the computer more effectively, decipher important data from the unimportant, conduct a feasibility study, or to establish a budget. Specific benefits to the manager could include helping in an area t h a t is understaffed, where production goals or quality standards are not being met, where operations are disorganized, or where there is no leadership. IDENTIFY QUALIFICATIONS FOR MORE RESPONSIBILITY Employees must summarize the qualifications t h a t are needed for the additional responsibility being requested. These could include education, training, work experience, technical skills, communication skills, leadership skills, maturity, motivation, enthusiasm, and ability to handle increased workload, pressure, and responsibility. For each of the qualifications, employees need to determine how they measure up. Employees may find it helpful to show documented evidence to support specific qualifications. They may want to summarize their educational level, the titles of training programs completed, skills they possess, and qualities like motivation, enthusiasm, and the ability to handle increased responsibility, perhaps even identifying specific incidences when they handled increased workloads and performed admirably under pressure.

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PREPARE TO MEET WITH THE MANAGER

Employees must prepare beforehand to request more responsibility. This includes deciding how to overcome objections, identifying the benefits to all concerned if they get more responsibility, and preparing the presentation. After the preparation is complete, employees may even want to rehearse what they will say to their manager and then record their dress rehearsal and critique it before going on stage. ASK FOR MORE RESPONSIBILITY After the opening pleasantries, employees should get down to business and state the purpose of the meeting. Manager:

Hi Jim. How are you?

Employee:

I'm fine and yourself?

Manager:

Great.

Employee:

The reason I wanted to meet with you today is to request more responsibility.

The next step is for employees to state the general benefits t h a t would accrue from this additional responsibility. Employee:

Additional responsibility would motivate me and make be happier. It would provide me with the growth and development needed for future advancement and promotion. There are several benefits for you. You would look even better to your manager. If I'm accomplishing more, then you will be receiving credit for getting more done in the department. It will also relieve you of some of your load, which will make your job easier, thus freeing your time for other pressing projects.

The third step is for employees to make the specific responsibility request. Employee 1: I'd like to be responsible for creating the reports and sending them to the customer instead of merely compiling the statistics to be given to someone else to present in a customer report. Employee 2: I'd like to split my sales territory and give a portion of it to another salesperson in order that I might devote a greater amount of time to selling more to my present customers and


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developing new accounts. At present I'm too busy taking the same routine orders. Employee 3: I want to serve on the committee studying the feasibility of establishing retail outlets for our products. The fourth step for employees to take is to state the specific benefits for themselves and their manager. Employee 1: Along with learning how to write a report to the customer, I'd be learning how to better use the computer. You in turn will be able to delegate more of your duties to Sandy as she will be free of writing the reports. Both Sandy and you are one step closer to promotion. Employee 2: Both myself and the salesperson who got the other part of my territory will learn how to generate additional business from our existing customers and how to solicit new accounts. This will increase the department's total sales greatly and go a long way toward meeting your departmental goals for the year. Employee 3: Serving on the committee will broaden my decision-making ability and give you and our department a voice in an important decision. We will be able to assure that our input is both protected and utilized. Finally, employees will want to get the manager's reaction. Of course, employees should answer any questions the manager might voice and handle any objections by showing how some objections do not really apply or how the advantages far outweigh the minor problem t h a t most likely will not even arise. And employees will need to be prepared to negotiate for what they want. Employee:

What's your reaction?

Manager:

Well, I don't know. You're pretty busy with your normal duties. You don't want to slight your other work by taking on too much.

Employee:

I've thought about this carefully and believe I can handle my normal duties and take on this assignment without disrupting my output one bit. My duties are not as demanding since we started using the computer. I'll work overtime and do whatever is necessary if need be.

Manager:

But what about George and Paula? They'll feel passed over if they are not considered. Perhaps their feelings will impinge on your ability to perform as well as you have in the past.

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication Employee: I don't see even the slightest problem. J u s t let me handle it. Employee: You'll see. You just make the announcement and I'll handle it from there. I've talked with both of them about this and they've encouraged me to do it. They're pretty busy with their own work, but promised to cooperate and help me in any way they could.

GET APPROVAL AND COMMITMENT E m p l o y e e s n e e d to a s k for a p p r o v a l a n d c o m m i t m e n t to t a k e o n t h e a d d i t i o n a l r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . If m o r e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y is g r a n t e d , t h e n t h e e m p l o y e e s s h o u l d clarify b y r e s t a t i n g t h e c o m m i t m e n t . Employee: Employee:

Well, the pros outweigh the cons. May I be responsible for creating the reports and sending them to the customer?

Manager: Manager:

Yes. I know t h a t you will do a fine job.

Employee: Employee: Okay. I'll start tomorrow to write the reports based on the data t h a t I've just collected. If t h e r e q u e s t for m o r e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y is d e n i e d , it is e s s e n t i a l to find out why. Employee: E m p l o y e e : So it's agreed. We'll split my territory so t h a t I can go after new accounts.

Manager: Manager:

No, I don't think we can.

Employee: It sounded like you agreed with the concept. Why have you Employee: changed your mind?

Manager: The concept is fine. I don't have a problem with it. But there Manager:

are a few problems. We don't have anyone at the present time who has enough time in their schedule to handle your split accounts, and you are not trained in cold calling. Also your total sales have been declining.

E m p l o y e e s also will w a n t to d e t e r m i n e w h a t m u s t be d o n e i n o r d e r to g e t m o r e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y i n t h e f u t u r e . Employee: I'm disappointed. I was really looking forward to a new chalEmployee:

lenge. Actually, I think t h a t you'll find that my total sales have increased. What needs to be done in order t h a t I could have my territory split?

Manager: Manager:

First let's talk about your sales. It's true t h a t your total sales are up, but that's because the Jorgenson account has increased 183 percent. Disregarding the Jorgenson account the rest of your accounts have remained the same or declined.


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Employee:

So all I have to do is increase my sales in most all of my accounts and I can have my territory split.

Manager:

At such time that you have increased the sales in over 50 percent of your accounts we can discuss hiring another salesperson, giving you cold calhng training, and splitting your territory. Notice that I said discuss. This is not a promise but a challenge.

Employee:

So, the challenge is up to me. If I get the sales up in over 50 percent of my accounts there is a good chance that I will be rewarded with a split in my territory and that I can attend cold calling training.

Manager:

Yes, and I'm confident that you can do it.

AGREE ON THE NEXT STEPS If the commitment is given, employee and manager must discuss the next steps to fully implement the plan for increased responsibility. The manager's suggestions will be helpful regarding what has to be done, who has to do it and by when, who needs to be notified, who will do the notifying, and what the timetables should be. With all of the suggestions, an agreement should be reached between manager and employee. Then the employee should summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee:

Okay. I'll start tomorrow to write the reports based on the data that I've collected.

Manager:

That's fine, but first a couple of things need to be done. I'll need to tell Janet that you are going to be learning to write the reports. I need to assure her that this is not a reflection of her work but merely a way to reward you and expand your duties. Likewise, she will have more time available to learn some new tasks. I'll also inform Janet that she will be training you on writing and sending out the reports.

Employee:

Great. After I finish my first couple of reports, I'll run them past you.

Manager:

That won't be necessary. I know that you can handle it. Once they meet Janet's approval they'll be ready to go. I don't need to see them.

Employee:

Let me make sure I understand this. I'm so excited. I want to make sure I've got it right. You're going to notify Janet that I'm going to be learning to write and send the reports to the customers and the she'll be training me. Once she indicates

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that I'm ready, I'll be on my own. I don't need to show them to you. Manager:

You've got it.

CONCLUDE MEETING WITH THANKS AND COMMITMENT As always, employees should thank their managers for meeting with them and having confidence in them. It is important for employees to tell their managers how the decision makes them feel. Employees also will want to commit to accepting their manager's advice, recommendations, and feedback, and doing their very best to meet the expectations of them, and keeping their manager informed. Employee:

Thank you for both meeting with me and for having the confidence in my ability to handle the reports. I'm thrilled to accept the challenge. I assure you that you, I, and the customer will be very satisfied with my reporting.

Giving positive reinforcement and commitment also are important when the manager refuses to give additional responsibility as requested. Employee:

Thank you for meeting with me. While I'm a little disappointed in not having my territory split now, I can assure you that I will follow your suggestion of increasing my sales throughout the territory. I am sure that it will only be a matter of time until I'll be cold calling in my smaller territory.

SUMMARY Asking for more responsibility can be a ticklish matter, but nine steps will help employees get the additional responsibility they seek.

How to Ask for and Get More Responsibility 1. Decide specifically what is wanted. •

Identify specific responsibilities.

•

Determine authority needed.


2. Identify the manager's possible objections. 3. Identify the benefits of getting more responsibility. •

Identify general benefits to the manager and employee.

•

Identify specific benefits to the manager and employee.

4. Identify qualifications for more responsibility. •

Identify qualifications needed.

•

Identify qualifications possessed.

5. Prepare to meet with the manager. •

Decide how to overcome objections.

•

Identify benefits to all concerned.

•

Prepare the presentation.

6. Ask for more responsibility. •

State the purpose of the meeting.

•

State the general benefits of more responsibility.

•

Make the specific responsibility request.

•

State the specific benefits of more responsibility.

•


•

Respond by answering questions, overcoming objections, and negotiating, if necessary.

7. Get approval and commitment. •

Restate approval and commitment.

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•

If approval is not given, find out why and determine what has to be done to get more responsibility in the future.

8. Agree on the next steps. •

Get the manager's suggestions.

•

Agree on next steps.

•

Summarize next steps.

9. Conclude meeting with thanks and commitment.

22 Asking Not to be Bypassed Many employees who also are managers (to be called the employee/manager here) work for managers who bypass them and go directly to their subordinates with instructions, directions, and even assignments. This is a problem particularly when managers interact with the subordinates of an employee/manager without asking or keeping the employee/manager informed, and is even more problematic when managers give contradictory instructions, directions, and assignments to the subordinates of the employee/manager. This can be a troublesome and frustrating situation, especially if it happens frequently. Fortunately there is something the employee/manager can do to stop the bypassing. Asking is the best way. PREPARE TO ASK Employee/managers must get prepared to ask their manager to stop the bypassing. The preparation begins by objectively describing the bypassing t h a t is taking place. Employee:

(to self) Periodically my manager will tell my subordinates to do something without asking or telling me that he is doing so.

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I know that in his mind he thinks that this will not cause a problem. He's concentrating on what needs to be done and not on what some of the consequences might be when I'm not aware that he has spoken to them. Employee/managers will need to identify problems the bypassing is causing for their subordinates, themselves, and their manager. It causes subordinates to be confused about whose orders to follow when there is a conflict between what the employee/manager and the manager tells them to do. This confusion and uncertainty is unsettling and frustrating to subordinates. Conflicting orders guarantee t h a t subordinates get in trouble. If they do what the manager says, they get in trouble with their employee/manager for not following prior orders. On the other hand, if subordinates do what the employee/manager says, they're in hot water with the manager for not doing what the manager says. It's a no-win situation for subordinates. No matter who they obey, they always lose; they're going to be in trouble. This is frustrating to them. Additionally it causes conflict among them as they argue about whose orders to follow. It's just a mess. Bypassing causes problems for employee/managers as well as subordinates. When the manager bypasses employee/managers it undermines their authority with their subordinates and causes them to lose control of them. It also has a negative impact on subordinate performance and the department suffers. The end result is t h a t employee/managers have to deal with additional subordinate problems, ones which need not be problems. Employee /Manager:

(to self) Every time he does that it makes my life more difficult. I lose authority with my subordinates, and their production and that of the department slips. The end result is that I have more problems and less production.

Employee/managers also will want to determine how the bypassing is causing problems for their manager. It is common for the manager to become frustrated from having to do something the employee/manager should be doing, to use time t h a t should be devoted to other things, and see individual and departmental performance suffer. Employee/Manager:

(still to self) I'm sure that he gets frustrated having to take time from other pressing things to do my work. I'm also sure he has noticed that overall performance is not what it should be.


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Gathering information on specific bypassing problems t h a t have occurred is p a r t of the preparation, too. Get specific dates, names, who said and did what, and the results. Employee /Manager: (to self) A few weeks ago he asked my subordinates to stop doing what they were working on and to get the department cleaned up because the big manager was coming from the home office. They did a great job getting it spotless, but in doing so they were unable to complete the Kline order, I had faithfully promised Jim that his order would be shipped on Tuesday no matter what and that he could count on it. He had my word. When we missed the shipment, I was furious and got very angry with my crew. Last week he switched John's and Emily's scheduled vacations without consulting or informing me. Monday when Emily didn't show up or call in I was told that she was on vacation. Now today I just found out that he has asked Sally to help out in Payroll because they're shorthanded. I went to discuss a customer complaint with her only to learn that she's not even working for me today. I'm furious. I could eat nails. The next step is for employee/managers to determine probable reasons their manager is bypassing them. The bypassing could be for one or more of the following reasons: the manager has lost confidence in the employee/manager's ability to do the job; the manager thinks it's her job to fix every problem she sees when she sees it; it's the manager's way of showing his authority, power, and control; the manager likes people, likes interacting with them, and enjoys helping people; the manager is just a meddling old fool; the subordinates have lost confidence in their employee/manager and go to the manager asking her what to do; the subordinates think the manager expects them to t u r n to him, so they do so whenever the occasion arises; the subordinates need more direction t h a n the employee/manager is giving them and they look for it from whomever is around; the manager doesn't realize she is causing a problem; the manager is getting back at the employee/manager for something; or the manager is deliberately trying to make the employee/manager look bad so he'll have justification for a termination. Employee/Manager:

(to self) I'm sure he's not doing it on purpose. He just sees something that has to be done and jumps in and does it without thinking about the consequences. He's a very shortsighted person and only

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thinks in terms of the immediate situation. Longrun implications are overshadowed by the urgency of the present. Employee/managers next need to decide how to overcome any objections to discontinuing this bypassing behavior. For each of the possible reasons the manager may have for bypassing, it is important to decide what to say to overcome those reasons. Employee /Manager: (to self) He'll surely say that he just sees something that needs to be done and does it. No big deal. I'll need to counter that by explaining that from his viewpoint that makes a lot of sense, but from the subordinate's point of view it is seen as having one manager telling them one thing and the other manager telling them something else. For me it becomes harder for them to understand that I'm in charge and that they need to do as I say because they are getting used to my manager superseding my direction. Employee/managers are encouraged to identify the benefits to everyone if there is no bypassing. The benefits to the manager could be things like dealing with fewer people (only the employee/manager rather t h a n the subordinates of the employee/manager as well), fewer problems (freeing up the manager's time and reducing frustration), or helping the employee/manager develop into more of the kind of manager she is capable of becoming. The benefits to employee/managers might be more authority and control over their unit, better performance of subordinates and the unit, growth and development for themselves, increased motivation and willingness to work harder and longer with greater responsibility for the results. For subordinates there are also some benefits such as knowing who their manager is, no conflicting orders, less frustration, less conflict among themselves, less conflict with two managers, getting in less trouble, performing better, and getting more positive reinforcement. Employee/Manager: Employee:/Manager:

(to self) My manager would not have to spend as much time dealing with my subordinates thus freeing him to do more of the things that he should be doing. I in turn would have more authority and control over my people and they would have only one manager to please rather than conflicting obligations. My subordinates will feel less stress and be happier with only one boss.


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The final step in the preparation is for employee/managers to identify a workable solution, one t h a t eliminates the reasons the manager is bypassing them, and one the manager will accept. If the manager does not accept it, it will not be workable. The only solution is for the manager never to tell the employee/manager's subordinates what to do except in very unusual circumstances. The employee/manager must be prepared to explain the following guidelines, and encourage their manager to use them, to avoid bypassing problems. If a subordinate asks the manager something, the manager should always say "check with your manager." The manager should bypass the employee/manager only when bypassing is absolutely necessary and only in very unusual circumstances, like when something very harmful is about to happen to subordinates, clients, equipment, cost, or profit, and there is no time to find the employee/manager to deal with it. In this rare situation, the manager should tell the subordinates what to do and protect everyone regarding the bypassing. This is accomplished with the manager indicating t h a t the bypassing is only because of the urgency of the situation. The manager must tell them t h a t he is going to find their manager as soon as possible to explain what happened. The manager should also tell them t h a t since their manager is responsible for the situation, they should do whatever their manager says when he or she gets there. The manager also should tell the subordinates t h a t if the employee/manager arrives without knowledge of the bypassing, they should instruct him to go immediately to the manager for an explanation of the situation. The manager's last duty is to immediately find the employee/manager and explain the situation. The motto to follow throughout this process is one of "no surprises" from subordinates. Employee/managers should never be surprised about what transpired in their absence. When employee/managers have finished preparing to ask, they have done the hard part. They are ready to meet with their manager to get the situation resolved. They are well prepared and should be confident about their chances of success. PRESENT A STRONG CASE Employee/managers should be encouraged to quickly establish the need to change when they meet with their manager. This can be done by describing the situation and indicating t h a t it is causing some problems. Employee/Manager: I've noticed lately that at times you will ask my workers to do something without telling me or asking them to tell me. I know the way we get

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rushed around here that you're just trying to expedite things. But this can cause some additional problems. With this foundation established, the next step is to indicate the consequences of not changing. Employee:/Manager: Employee:/Manager: Employee/Manager: When you tell my employees to do something, they're naturally going to do what you say because you're the big manager. Then when I, not knowing that you've told them to do something, ask them to do something, they feel that they should do what I ask. It wouldn't be so bad if they'd tell me at this stage, but they frequently say nothing and then try to figure it out on their own. Oftentimes they can't get both done. That's when they get in trouble, either with you or with me, for not doing what they were told. They in turn become frustrated and frequently argue among themselves, which further erodes the situation. This also causes problems for me. When you bypass me I feel that my authority has been undermined and that I'm losing control of my employees. Not only is their performance and that of the department suffering, but I'm having to deal with more employee problems.

The next step is for employee/managers to make their sales pitch. This means indicating why the bypassing seems to be happening. This can be done in a way to answer many of the objections the manager may have before he has a chance to voice them. Then it is time to recommend what to do. It also is very effective to make recommendations in a way t h a t the manager's objections will be overcome. Employee:/Manager: Employee/Manager:

The only solution I see is to limit this to extraordinarily rare circumstances. If my employees ask you something, just tell them they need to check with me. In that rare situation where you must bypass me, tell my employees what they need to know and inform them that the urgency of the situation dictated your telling them and that you are going to find me to tell me what happened as soon as possible. It also would be good if you would inform them that because I'm responsible for the situation they should do whatever I say when I get there, and if I do get there before you have a chance to talk to me, they are to inform me that you want to see me immediately to explain what has transpired.


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This is best followed by clearly indicating the benefits of changing, from the point of view of all parties involved, but stressing the benefits to the manager. Employee /Manager:

The benefits to handhng it in this manner are many. You will not be burdened with having to worry about my people which in turn will free you to do the many things that you need to accomplish. You will be developing my capabilities in ways that both you and I want to see me move. I will have greater authority and control over my people which will motivate them and me to do a better job. My employees will be free of the worry of pleasing two managers and will perform better.

ASK FOR NO MORE BYPASSING An important step is for employee/managers to look their manager in the eye and ask not to be bypassed. Employee/Manager:

Do you agree that we should try this and see if we can make it work? (Or, can we give this a try? Or, are you willing to do this?)

The next step is for employee/managers to do nothing. They should wait for an answer. If the answer is not immediately forthcoming, simply waiting longer is appropriate. The silence can be used to encourage the manager to make a commitment. Employee/Manager:

Can we give this a try? (silence) (more silence)

Manager:

Yes, I think it is a reasonable request.

Some tidying up is called for now in the form of employee/managers answering any questions the manager might have, responding to any objections, and negotiating for the right to control their own people. The next step is get a commitment from the manager to stop the bypassing for without it things could go right back where they started. Employee/managers then will want to take the lead and agree on the next steps to take, determine specifically who is to do what, and summarize the manager's commitment to stop the bypassing and what will happen to make this possible.

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Employee /Manager:

Do you have any questions?

Manager:

Not really. I guess maybe I do have one. What about John? He frequently comes to me for direction. It would be hard to not share some thoughts with him.

Employee /Manager:

I'm sure it will be hard, especially for John. But to make this work to both your and my satisfaction, even John must come to me and not you.

Manager:

You're right.

Employee /Manager:

I think the next step would be for you to call a meeting or write a memo reminding everyone that they each must report through me. By so doing they will have a much smoother working relationship and will not have two managers to report to. I think this is great. With your commitment that everything will go through me, both myself and the department will be much more productive.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR AGREEING TO STOP BYPASSING Employee/managers should be encouraged to praise their manager for meeting with them, hstening, understanding, being open minded, and being willing to work with them. Employee /Manager:

Thanks for meeting with me and helping work through this situation. Having a manager who is willing to listen, understand, and work with me is so important. I feel as though you really care about me. Thanks again.

FOLLOW UP If bypassing occurs again after this discussion, it is important for employee/managers to discuss it with their manager. This means describing what seems to have happened, asking for the manager's side of the story, indicating t h a t this is different t h a n agreed upon, and asking what can be done so it does not keep happening. The same approach used previously can be used to persuade the manager not to continue the bypassing. If bypassing is done under unusual circumstances and is done properly, it is important for the employee/manager to give the manager immediate positive reinforcement. If it is not done properly, it is equally

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important to discuss it with the manager, giving positive reinforcement for what was done right and discussing how certain parts could have been done differently, if appropriate. If there is no bypassing, the manager deserves reinforcement. Employee/Manager:

Two months have gone by since we had our talk about my employees having two managers. During that time not once have you given them something to do. Each time you've given it to me to handle. I just wanted to tell you how well it is working and how much it means to me to have complete control over my employees. Thanks a million. You've made my job a lot easier and the department's production is higher. Thanks.

SUMMARY A manager who bypasses employee/managers and goes directly to their subordinates causes problems for everyone. Organizations become more effective when employee/managers take steps to get their managers to stop bypassing them. It simply means learning how to use the following steps.

Asking Not to be Bypassed 1. Prepare to ask. •

Objectively describe the bypassing t h a t is taking place.

•

Indicate problems the bypassing causes to all concerned.

•

Gather information on specific bypassing situations.

•

Determine probable reasons for the bypassing.

•

Decide how to overcome any objections to discontinue the bypassing.

•

Identify benefits to manager to stop bypassing.

•

Come up with a workable solution that the manager will accept.

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2. Present a strong case. Establish the need to change. Indicate the consequences of not changing. Make the sales pitch for no bypassing. Indicate the benefits, especially for the manager. 3. Ask for no more bypassing. Ask not to be bypassed. Wait for an answer. Answer questions, overcome objections, and negotiate, if necessary. Get a commitment to stop the bypassing. Agree on steps to take. Summarize key points. 4. Give positive reinforcement for agreeing to stop bypassing. 5. Follow up. •

When bypassing stops, give positive reinforcement.

•

If bypassing occurs again, meet with the manager to get things back on track.

23 Asking to be Managed Differently Many employees are not pleased with the way their manager handles and deals with them. This often means employees are not being utilized to their maximum ability. They have more to offer the company and their manager. Consequently, many employees need to take action to improve and enhance the way their manager manages them. This can be accomplished by showing employees how to follow a few simple, but important steps. GET THE RIGHT FOCUS The first step is for employees to make sure they have a proper focus. This means focusing on changes t h a t are possible. Management style, the approach managers use to manage employees, is defined as the manager's concern for production and concern for people. It is not realistic for employees to think they can merely ask their manager to make a change in management style and expect the concern for production and/or people to automatically or easily change. Each of these two concerns has been developed by managers over a long period of time and changes typically do not come easily.

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Management style manifests itself in behaviors managers use to show their level of concern for production and people. While it is not likely t h a t employees can cause a rapid change in their manager's style, it is possible for employees to get their manager to change certain stylerelated behaviors. Changing selected behaviors of the manager is what is important to employees anyway, because that is what really affects them. The behaviors of the manager t h a t are easiest to change are those t h a t do not directly reflect the concern for production and people the manager wants to show. Sometimes a manager's behavior accurately reflects the intended concern for production and people, and sometimes not. For example, a manager may come across as having less concern for people t h a n is felt and intended if the manager has a habit of opening mail, or straightening up the desk while someone is talking. These behaviors do not show a high degree of concern for people, though the manager may feel it. The best bet for getting a manager to change is for employees to focus on behaviors t h a t are inconsistent with the management style the manager wants to display. LOOK AT THE MANAGEMENT STYLE THE MANAGER INTENDS TO SHOW Employees will find greater success when asking the manager to change a behavior t h a t is based on helping the manager do what the manager wants to do—namely, show a certain management style—rather t h a n asking the manager to do something t h a t is, or could appear to be, inconsistent with the style the manager prefers. To get the manager to want to change a behavior, employees must convince the manager t h a t changing the behavior will allow her to better show the concern for production or people t h a t she wants to show. Managers will not be receptive to changing until employees help them see the need to change. GET READY TO ASK Employees who want to be managed differently can begin getting ready to ask by identifying undesirable manager behaviors, the ones t h a t bother employees. Four examples illustrate typical behaviors t h a t employees might want their managers to change. Employee 1: (to self) When I talk to my manager in her office, she often works on something at the same time hke signing letters, looking at phone messaged, opening mail, or organizing her desk.


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Employee 2: (to self) Sometimes my manager explains assignments too quickly and poorly regarding what to do, how to do it, requirements, constraints, and deadhnes. Employee 3: (to self) My manager tries to make everybody happy all the time. He never says anything when people come in late or leave early, he makes big changes in plans to satisfy minor worker preferences, and he grants special privileges any time for anything. Employee 4: (to self) My manager frequently checks with everybody on the quality of everything they are doing. The next step is for employees to classify each behavior by level of concern for production and concern for people. This is what it looks like for the previous example. Employee 1: (to self) She continues working when someone is talking. This shows too little concern for people. Employee 2: (to self) He doesn't explain assignments well. This shows too little concern for production. Employee 3: (to self) He tries too hard to make employees happy. This shows too little concern for production. Employee 4: (to self) She constantly checks the quality of all work but ignores the impact she has on everyone. This shows little concern for people. At this point, employees should identify how each behavior is inconsistent with the management style the manager intends to show. Employee 1: (to self) My manager is actually more concerned for her workers than she communicates when she's not giving them her full attention. Employee 2: (to self) My manager is more concerned for production than his hastily made assignments show. Employee 3: (to self) My manager shows so much concern for workers that they don't think he is very concerned about production. Employee 4: (to self) My manager shows so much concern for production quality that employees thinks she doesn't care about them. The next step is for employees to identify desirable manager behaviors, the ones they want their manager to show. Employee 1: (to self) Give me her full attention when I am talking to her.

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Employee 2: (to self) Be thorough when giving me assignments. Employee 3: (to self) Don't try to make everybody happy all of the time. Employee 4: (to self) Check less frequently and be more sensitive to the people. Continuing to get prepared to ask their manager to change selected management behaviors, employees need to determine how their manager will be better off by changing the undesirable behaviors. Employee 1: (to self) Showing concern for workers (not just being concerned) will improve relationships with employees, increase employee motivation, and improve performance. Employee 2: (to self) Being more thorough when making assignments will improve motivation and performance. Employee 3: (to self) Employees will be just as happy, maybe more so, with a newfound respect for the manager, and more emphasis on getting the work out. Employee 4: (to self) Checking less frequently on people will make people feel better about themselves and about her and will result in greater motivation and performance. In every case presented here, the manager will end up showing behaviors more consistent with the intended management style. Employees need to take another step: namely, identify possible objections and how to handle them. With the approach used above, managers can object to only two things: t h a t the employee incorrectly assessed the management style (i.e., their concern for production or their concern for people) the manager intends to use, or t h a t the behaviors the employee wants the manager to show are not consistent with the management style the manager intends to use. With the first objection, employees must hear the manager and get an accurate understanding of the manager's intent. After all, the manager does know the management style she intends to be using. Employees can take issue with whether or not the intended style is the most appropriate for the situation, and should do so if they disagree. With the second objection, employees must be prepared to argue their case that the manager's behavior does not match the management style he intends to be using. INDICATE THE NEED FOR CHANGE With the preparation behind them, employees are ready to meet


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with their manager and indicate the management style they think the manager intends to show. It is necessary for employees to get conformation from the manager on this and if not to get clarification. Employees next should describe the current behaviors of the manager that do not match the intended style and explain how employees interpret those behaviors in terms of concern for production and people. Employees will want to be sure the manager can see that the concern for production and people is not being conveyed as intended with those behaviors. Employee 1: At times when I come into your office to see you about something, you continue opening your mail, shuffling papers, sorting phone messages, or working on whatever is on your desk. I interpret this to mean that my issues are not important enough for you to stop whatever you're doing. I know that you have a high concern for people, yet at times you seem to almost display a lack of concern. Employee 2: I know you are very concerned about production, but when you explain assignments quickly and don't have time to answer my questions, it makes me feel like production and performance don't matter much to you. Employee 3: You really go out of your way to accommodate everybody but putting so much emphasis on keeping everybody happy makes it seem like you are not very concerned about production, although I know you are. Employee 4: You are a very compassionate and caring person, but you are stressing quality so much it looks like you don't care about us. SUGGEST THE DESIRED BEHAVIOR Employees now are ready to suggest the specific desired behavior they prefer the manager to show. It is important to indicate how the behavior will be more consistent with the manager's intended management style. Citing the benefits to the manager also is helpful here. Employee:

It would mean a tremendous amount to me if when I come to see you, you would stop whatever you are doing and give me your total attention. That way I'd feel you really think I am important and have something important to discuss. I know you value having a good working relationship with your people and this would more fully convey that desire. This in turn

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication would make me want to do a good job for you and we would all benefit.

ASK FOR THE CHANGE H a v i n g e s t a b l i s h e d a solid b a s e , it is t i m e for e m p l o y e e s to a s k t h e i r m a n a g e r to c h a n g e t h e s e b e h a v i o r s , t h e n w a i t for a n a n s w e r . Employee: Would you be willing to change this? Manager: I certainly didn't mean to convey that I wasn't interested in what you had to say. Sure, I'm willing to stop doing other things when we are talking.

AGREE ON THE CHANGE

Employees will need to answer any questions the manager might have, respond to any objections, negotiate the changes that are necessary to reach an agreement, identify the next steps, and summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee: Great! Anything else? Manager: Not really, but there is one thing that is a bit perplexing. I don't feel t h a t I'm not paying proper attention to you when I'm listening to what you have to say while at the same time I'm straightening my desk or opening the mail. Those are just minor things t h a t I can do while I'm listening. This is the way I save time by doing a "two for one." Employee: I understand your point of view, but I interpret your doing other things as saying to me t h a t having a clean desk is more important t h a n what I have to say. Each person would like to believe t h a t he is the most important thing in your life when he is talking to you. But when you're opening the mail, I hear you saying "even junk mail is more important t h a n anything you could say." Even if that's not the case, the perception t h a t I get regarding how busy you are will cause me to not want to come into your office to discuss matters with you because I feel like I'm intruding. Manager: Well I certainly wouldn't want you to feel that way. I'm glad we've had this chance to talk. I'll promise you t h a t any time you want to talk, you'll have my undivided attention.


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GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT As always, employees should give positive reinforcement to the manager for listening, being open, receptive, understanding, and willing to change. Employee:

I'm really pleased with our meeting and I'd like to thank you for listening, being open, receptive, understanding, and willing to change. Your consideration makes me want to try all the harder to do a good job. I really feel motivated. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Getting a manager to change the way he manages is a task of large magnitude. However, changes can be accomphshed when employees apply the following steps.

Asking to be Managed Differently 1.

Get the right focus. •

Focus on changes t h a t are possible.

•

Focus on changing manager behaviors rather t h a n management style.

•

Focus on changing behaviors t h a t are inconsistent with the management style the manager wants to show.

2. Look at the management style the manager intends to show. 3. Get ready to ask. •

Identify undesirable manager behaviors.

•

Classify each by level of concern for production and concern for people.

•

Identify how the behavior is inconsistent with the management style the manager intends to use.

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•

Identify desirable manager behaviors.

•

Determine how the manager will be better off by changing the undesirable behavior.

•

Identify possible objections and how to handle them.

4. Indicate the need for change.

5.

•

Meet with the manager.

•

Indicate the management style t h a t it is believed the manager intends to show.

•

Get conformation or clarification of this belief.

•

Describe behaviors t h a t do not match the manager's intended style.

Suggest the desired behavior. •

Suggest the behavior.

•

Indicate how this is more consistent with the manager's intended management style.

•

Cite the benefits to the manager.

6. Ask for the change. 7. Agree on the change. •

Answer questions.

•

Respond to objections.

•

Negotiate as necessary.

•

Identify next steps.

•

Summarize.

8. Give positive reinforcement.

24 Asking for Positive Reinforcement Employees complain t h a t when they do not perform well, they hear about it, but when they do a good job, the manager does not say anything. The message in these complaints is t h a t many employees long for the positive reinforcement they feel they deserve after doing something well, but too often it is not forthcoming. To many employees, this not only is the case in their present job, it seems to be a way of life for them. It is not unusual for this to have begun in childhood as parents punished their children when they misbehaved and ignored their good behavior. Parent:

You don't get any ice cream because you didn't eat all of the food on your plate.

Parent:

You're on restriction for three days for not changing into your play clothes after school. When are you ever going to learn to take care of your things? Do you think nice clothes grow on trees?

Parent:

You're restricted to your room every day after school for not hanging up your school clothes.

Parent:

Your room is a mess. You're not playing with your friends for two days and perhaps then you'll learn to clean your room.

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Parent: Parent:

(Says nothing when the child eats everything on her plate.)

Parent: Parent:

(Says nothing after she changes into play clothes and hangs up her school clothes.)

Parent: Parent:

(Says nothing after he cleans his room.)

Teachers continued the cycle of punishing the bad and ignoring the good. Teacher: Teacher:

You have one hour of detention hall for talking in class.

Teacher: Teacher:

You have an F for not completing all of the assignments.

Teacher: Teacher:

You will report to the principal's office for fighting on the playground.

Teacher: Teacher:

(Starts ignoring unruly student when he starts behaving.)

Teacher: Teacher:

(Says nothing when handing back a paper with an A on the top and no written comments.)

And the familiar p a t t e r n continues at work. Manager: Manager:

This report is filled with mistakes. Can't you ever learn to do a report correctly?

Manager: Manager:

Shannon Wholesale Distributors has rejected the entire order. When, if ever, are you going to learn to monitor your machine?

Manager: Manager:

You're fifteen minutes late. row.

Manager: Manager:

(Says nothing when a customer complaint is turned into a loyal customer.)

Manager: Manager:

(Says nothing when a frequently tardy employee arrives on time for twenty consecutive days.)

This is the third morning in a

This pattern of punishment when employees do something wrong and no positive reinforcement when they do something right seems to have become a way of life. Just as the lives of many employees have been filled with models that illustrate the use of punishment and ignore opportunities for positive reinforcement, managers typically have experienced the same environment. It is no wonder that managers do not use positive reinforcement. Fortunately, there is something that employees can do about it if they are willing to take a few simple steps.


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UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Employees find it helpful when they are encouraged to identify the kinds of positive reinforcement they want, paying particular attention to the timing of when they feel they deserve the positive reinforcement. It also is helpful if they go beyond simply making a hst of the kinds of positive reinforcement they want and think about the appropriateness and timing of it from the manager's perspective as well as their own. This helps employees to realistically understand their situation. Here are some examples of various kinds of positive reinforcement employees may prefer and when they feel they deserved it. Employee 1: (to self) I like verbal praise when I've performed well. Employee 2: (to self) I like praise in the presence of my co-workers when I've done something really special. Employee 3: (to self) I want more desirable work assignments when I've repeatedly proven my willingness and abihty to perform well on less desirable assignments. Employee 4: (to self) I want more involvement in decisions when prior participation shows I repeatedly make a meaningful contribution. Employee 5: (to self) I like more authority and responsibility when I have repeatedly demonstrated my ability by wisely and effectively using the authority I have previously been given. Employee 6: (to self) When I do a job well, I'd like the manager to tell me. Employee 7: (to self) When I've done something special, I'd hke my fellow workers to hear my manager praise me. Employee 8: (to self) As a reward for all the good work I've done, I'd like some praise and some additional responsibility. Employees can understand their situation better if they can identify why they need positive reinforcement. Why is it important to them? Why do they want positive reinforcement? It is insightful for employees to identify the possible reasons why they want and need positive reinforcement. Here are some common employee responses. Employee 1: (to self) I'm hurt that others are getting positive reinforcement and I'm not. Employee 2: (to self) Positive reinforcement shows approval and acceptance by my manager which is important to me.

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Employee 3: (to self) Positive reinforcement given for good performance is important to my feelings of self-worth and to my self-image. Employee 4: (to self) Receiving positive reinforcement is an important way I compete with my co-workers. Employees need to determine how much impact getting and not getting positive reinforcement has on them personally. They can do this by asking themselves two questions: How does getting positive reinforcement affect me? How does not getting positive reinforcement affect me? One way for employees to answer these questions is to think of a few situations where they deserved and received positive reinforcement, and how it affected them, and also think of a few situations when they deserved, but did not receive positive reinforcement, and how t h a t affected them. Employee 1: (to self) At a department meeting last month my manager singled me out and thanked me for the extraordinary work I did on the goals and mission for the department. That made me feel important and sort of above the others in the department because no one else was singled out for special praise for any work they had been doing. Employee 2: (to self) Last week my manager walked out of her office, and in front of my fellow workers thanked me for getting my report in ahead of the scheduled deadline. It felt good to hear her thank me, especially in front of my fellow workers. Employee 3: (to self) Last May during the annual raise period I received an $800 raise. That was the lowest raise that I had received since joining the company and I felt as though I was not performing up to my manager's expectations. I really had a sense of dejection until I discovered that the total raise pot for the department was only $6,100 for all seventeen of us. When I discovered that my piddling $800 was the second highest in the department, it took on a completely different meaning. Before I was thinking in terms of what a small sum wouldn't buy and how it was about as good as not getting any raise. I found myself to be one of the highest preferred members of the department. I realized that it was not the dollars that was involved, but rather the opinion of my worth as compared to the other members of our department. I discovered that for me money was only worth what it measured, my ranking, and was not an end in itself. Employee 4: (to self) Last week I got an appointment with the largest account in our territory. For three years our salespeople have been attempting to crack this account. No one has even gotten as far as an appointment. I thought my manager would be overjoyed. Not a word. I really needed his congratulations


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and encouragement. When it wasn't forthcoming, I really felt let down. It destroyed a lot of the fire in me. I'm approaching next Thursday with mixed feelings. Oh, I know it's the bottom line that counts, but a httle recognition would go a long way in keeping the fires burning. At times I feel alone in the work world.

PREPARE TO ASK FOR POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Employees should be coached to determine why they are not getting the positive reinforcement they deserve from their manager. There are many reasons. Here are some of them. The manager does not realize the need to give positive reinforcement, does not know when employees deserve positive reinforcement (not always aware of employee performance), has it in for employees and gives no positive reinforcement as a way of getting back at them, is incompetent and stupid and wants to keep employees from getting a big head, and is sensitive about certain employees complaining about favoritism toward other employees. With these reasons in mind, employees can move ahead to identify the reasons that seem to apply to their manager and their specific situation. Employee:

(to self) I think my manager didn't say anything about next Thursday's appointment because he is so used to us being unable to crack the big account that he just no longer sees it in the realm of possibility. He has no way of knowing how hard and long I've worked on getting that appointment because no one, me included, has told him. He probably thinks I just sort of lucked into it. Or perhaps he doesn't realize the impact that some positive reinforcement and words of encouragement would do in psyching me up.

Employees need to identify the benefits for their manager to give more positive reinforcement. This reminds employees what is import a n t to their manager, so it in t u r n helps them to know where to really focus. Managers receive many benefits when they give positive reinforcement. It lets employees know when they are meeting expectations and t h a t helps them do their work the way the manager likes it done. Positive reinforcement makes employees feel good about themselves and their work, and makes them want to do their utmost for the manager. In essence, positive reinforcement motivates employees. Positive reinforcement is not just something employees want, but something they have to have to be happy with their work, something t h a t keeps them coming back to work enthusiastically each day as opposed to giving a half-hearted effort or quitting and working somewhere else.

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Employee:

(to self) If he would encourage me with some positive reinforcement, I would be ready to set the world on fire next Thursday. This could mean the difference between selling them and not selling them. Cracking that account would mean so much to me, but it would mean almost more to my manager. This would culminate a three-year effort of many different salespeople.

Employees will be better prepared to ask for positive reinforcement if they identify any possible objections their manager may have for giving them more positive reinforcement. Having identified possible objections, employees must determine what to say to overcome them. If they think t h a t the manager might say t h a t their performance has not deserved more positive reinforcement, employees should resist the temptation to disagree and argue. Instead employees can agree that the manager may be right, but then restate their need for positive reinforcement, indicating t h a t they expect it only when they deserve it. Employees can ask if the manager is willing to give more if they do better work. Employees can expect a yes here, though sometimes the manager may have some reservations about whether the employee will change performance enough to deserve more. Employees can merely assure the manager they will do their best to improve. If the manager says, "I thought I was giving you a lot of positive reinforcement," again employees should resist any temptation to disagree, instead agreeing t h a t a lot (or some) has been given, but indicating t h a t more is needed. It is helpful for employees to give an example or two, but not in an accusing manner, of where positive reinforcement was deserved and wanted but not given. Employees will want to be careful not to offend their manager. One way employees can do this is to give the example to illustrate their big need for positive reinforcement, not the manager's deficiency in giving it. If the manager says, "I just don't have time," employees should sympathize and agree and reiterate how important positive reinforcement is to them, indicating t h a t the importance to them should cause the manager to give more. If the manager says, "I don't know what you want in the way of positive reinforcement," employees must be prepared to indicate exactly what they prefer.

ASK FOR POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Employees may want to start the discussion by giving positive reinforcement to the manager for meeting to discuss a problem they are having.


Employee:

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Thanks for meeting with me to discuss a problem I'm having. It makes me feel good that you think my needs are important.

Employees can then get to the heart of the matter and indicate t h a t not getting enough positive reinforcement is a problem. It is fine to come right out and say it. Employee:

One of the things that is really important to me is knowing how you feel about my work, and I'm never sure (or sometimes not sure) and I wanted to talk to you about this. One of the things that is very important to me is getting recognized for doing a good job, and I'd hke to talk with you about that.

Employees can be direct and indicate t h a t they want and need more positive reinforcement. One good way to do this is to give examples of when the manager gave positive reinforcement t h a t was satisfying, citing specifically what they did t h a t deserved positive reinforcement and what the manager did or said. It helps the manager when employees indicate how it affected them positively and how it made them feelt h a t is, good, happy, satisfied, confident, worthwhile, or glad to be working here. It is very persuasive when employees cite specific behavioral changes t h a t have resulted from positive reinforcement from the manager; changes the manager would view favorably, such as being motivated to work longer, harder, and better; or to say good things about the manager to co-workers; or to volunteer for things the manager needed, like working overtime when nobody else wanted to. For best results, employees can give the manager positive reinforcement for the positive reinforcement given them on those occasions. Employee:

When I do something well, I'd like you to give me more recognition than you do at present. I'd like some additional recognition, praise, and positive reinforcement. You remember at last month's department meeting when you singled me out for a special thanks for the work I did on the department goals and mission?

Manager:

Yes, I remember. You did a fine job.

Employee:

Well, that recognition in front of the other department members meant a lot to me. It made me feel good and made me want to work even harder. Thanks a lot.

Employees should point out how giving more positive reinforcement benefits the manager also, and then ask for the manager's reaction.


216 Employee: Employee:

While I would like, in fact I need, you to do that more often on occasions when I deserve it, this is not just a benefit for me because anything I accomplish by being more motivated is an accomplishment for you as well. What do you think?

If the manager agrees, the employee merely continues on, but if the manager disagrees by raising objections, the employee is ready to deal with the objections based on the earlier planning. Manager: Manager:

I'm glad you like the comments that I gave you in the department meeting, but I guess I don't quite understand. I feel like I do give you positive reinforcement, like the example you just gave.

Employee: Employee:

You have given me some positive reinforcement, but maybe I'm just greedy. I feel like I still need more. Let me give you an example. You remember me telling you about getting the appointment next Thursday with the Schultz Co. I was so excited and I wanted a pat on the back from you with a few good words indicating what a fine job I was doing. When I didn't get it I felt like not even keeping the appointment. I'll confess that the thought crossed my mind to just blow it off and just not go. Maybe I'm being silly or too sensitive, but I thrive on praise.

Manager: Manager:

I thought of saying something, but I didn't want to get your hopes too high and then if you didn't make a sale, the fall would be too far. I thought I'd congratulate you afterward, even if all you ended up with was the opportunity to make a presentation. Even that would be further than we've ever been able to get in the past and should open the doors for additional presentations.

It is important for e m p l o y e e s to indicate the kinds of positive reinforcement t h e y w a n t a n d w h e n they think it would be deserved. E m ployees should not be bashful about negotiating w h a t they w a n t and w h e n , if necessary. The focus here usually is more on clarifying t h a n negotiating. Employee: I guess I need more of a boost and more often. I would appreEmployee: ciate it if you would tell me when you feel like I'm doing a good job. The last thing I'd want is for this to be something that you do just because you know I want it. I'd most certainly want to deserve it and I'd want you to offer it genuinely. Manager: Manager:

I think that can be handled easily. You are a superb employee and I'd be remiss in my duties not to be sure that you know it.


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This is important. Employees should conclude the discussion by giving positive reinforcement to the manager for hstening, for being understanding, and for being willing to help. Employee: Wow, thanks a lot. Just hearing you say that makes me feel great. Thanks also for listening, understanding, and being willing to help. You're going to see an even greater effort from me in the future. Thanks again.

FOLLOW UP TO GET POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT Here is a key to success. Employees want to be sure their manager is aware of their performance when it deserves positive reinforcement. This can be done by sending a written report or giving a briefing t h a t summarizes performance, special accomplishments, or anything else the manager needs to know. This does not have to be boastful, but simply reporting objectively the success the employee has had, like any good employee should do. Employees must give their manager ample opportunity to give positive reinforcement, then ask for it if necessary. This is best accomphshed when the employee is silent immediately after the briefing, followed by a "What do you think?" or equivalent comment to prompt verbal praise. Employees need to be encouraged to be patient and wait several days, or longer, for the kinds of positive reinforcement t h a t take some time to give, like recognition in front of co-workers, or more authority and responsibility. After enough time has transpired, it is fine for employees to ask for the kind of positive reinforcement they deserve in view of their accomplishments. Employee:

I just wanted to let you know that I met with the Schultz Co. and they have decided to give us a tiny order to try us out. I'm elated. It's a foot in a big door.

Manager:

Super! You must be very proud. I know I'm proud of you. You've accomplished what no one else has been able to do in three years. This is the big opportunity we've been dreaming about. Why don't you call Sandy and I'll call Joyce and we'll celebrate with dinner at the Ritz.

There is a cardinal rule for employees to live by when it comes to positive reinforcement: give positive reinforcement for positive reinforcement. When the manager gives positive reinforcement, give the manager positive reinforcement for giving it. This is a must. And it works miracles, because managers seldom get positive reinforcement for what they do. In fact, employees may be their manager's main

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source of positive reinforcement. Giving positive reinforcement for positive reinforcement guarantees more positive reinforcement. Employee:

Thanks for sharing those comments with me. It makes me want to try even harder when I know it means something to someone else. I'll call Sandy. The thought of dinner at the Ritz is making me hungrier by the minute.

SUMMARY Asking the manager for positive reinforcement is hard for many employees to do. It almost seems like begging. Yet if the manager does not know the employee's needs, the positive reinforcement will not be forthcoming. Following a few basic steps can give employees the positive reinforcement they want and deserve.

Asking for Positive Reinforcement 1. Understand the need for positive reinforcement. •

Identify the kinds of positive reinforcement wanted.

•

Understand why positive reinforcement is needed.

•

Determine the personal impact of getting and not getting positive reinforcement.

2. Prepare to ask for positive reinforcement. •

Determine why positive reinforcement is not given when deserved.

•

Identify benefits for the manager to give more positive reinforcement.

•

Identify objections the manager may have to giving more positive reinforcement and ways to overcome them.

3. Ask for positive reinforcement.

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•

Give positive reinforcement to the manager for the meeting.

•

Indicate t h a t not getting enough positive reinforcement is a problem.

•

State t h a t more positive reinforcement is wanted and needed.

•

Point out the benefits to the manager.

•


•

Overcome any objections.

•

Indicate kind of positive reinforcement wanted when.

•

Conclude by giving positive reinforcement.

and

4. Follow up to get positive reinforcement. •

Be sure the manager is aware of performance that deserves positive reinforcement.

•

Give positive reinforcement for positive reinforcement to guarantee more positive reinforcement.

25 Developing a Mentoring Relationship Getting through life is a challenging and difficult process. One of the ways employees can get assistance in the process of making work life more meaningful and tolerable is to have the guidance of a mentor. A mentor is someone who systematically develops an employee's abilities through intensive tutoring, coaching, and guidance.1 Mentors can make an important difference to employees.2 Some would say that having a mentor is one of the smartest career moves an employee can make. 3 Research shows that employees with mentors have higher satisfaction, get greater recognition, and have more promotion opportunities than employees without mentors. 4 Other benefits reported include earlier career promotions and greater satisfaction with career choices.5 Given the benefits which can accrue to employees, developing such a mentoring relationship is a worthwhile endeavor every employee should be encouraged to consider. There are four steps employees should follow to establish a meaningful mentoring relationship.

UNDERSTAND THE MENTORING PROCESS Employees need to understand that a mentoring relationship can


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occur between the manager and the employee or with a manager in a different department. The emphasis here will deal with the relationship between the manager and employee, although each of the points made could just as easily apply to a relationship across department lines. Mentoring relationships with the manager get started in different ways. The manager can initiate it, employees can initiate it, or it just happens. Regardless of how they begin, mentoring relationships tend to evolve. One person initiates it, usually without the knowledge of the other person, to test and see if a long-term mentoring relationship should be developed. Next there is a trial period. Either the manager does some mentoring to see how it goes, to determine if the employee is receptive, and to determine if it is enjoyable, or the employee seeks some mentoring on specific matters to see how it goes and to determine if the manager is receptive and good at it. The purpose of the trial period is to determine if a long-term mentoring relationship is possible and desirable. Whether it lasts over the long term hinges primarily on the extent to which it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Both parties must benefit for it to work. Either person may reject the continuation of the relationship beyond the trial period. The decision to terminate the relationship is usually executed without discussion. When the trial period ends, the relationship may be severed if either the manager or the employee shows signs of not being receptive to continuing the relationship. However, if the trial period is successful, a decision to continue the mentoring relationship normally happens in one of three ways. One, the relationship developed during the trial period simply continues and intensifies without discussion and formal agreement to establish an ongoing relationship. Both parties are aware of what is happening, but a formal relationship is never established. Two, the manager suggests making it an ongoing relationship. Three, the employee asks for it to become an ongoing relationship. INITIATE MENTORING OPPORTUNITY If the manager initiates mentoring opportunities, employees should feel fortunate and t h a t is great. But with most managers, employees will have to initiate mentoring opportunities. Employees should be coached to take their time and make a wise choice regarding the person they want to be their mentor. Employees must trust, respect, and like their mentor. 6 And, of course, the mentor

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must be someone who can and will provide the coaching and guidance the employee needs. The employee's initial goal should be to establish a meeting time to discuss the mentoring possibility rather t h a n coming right out and asking the manager to work and prepare to be a mentor. Employees will want to choose a good time to go to the manager because timing is everything here. Employees need to meet with the manager when she not only can give the amount of time needed, but also the kind of time needed, time where complete attention can be given and distractions are far out of reach. Knowing t h a t the manager is a morning person, for example, helps indicate when the meeting should be scheduled. Employee:

(to secretary) June, I need to meet with Eslie next week. What does his calendar look like for Tuesday morning?

June:

It's pretty clear up to 11:30 when he has to leave for a luncheon with the Committee of 100 at the Chamber of Commerce.

Employees want to choose mentoring that the manager can and wants to do. It should be a mentoring opportunity t h a t their manager is qualified to handle, something the manager knows, something he can do on the spot without having to prepare. Employees also should pick a mentoring opportunity of interest to their manager, something the manager would want to do mentoring on. The bottom line is t h a t employees should ask their manager to mentor them on something t h a t would cause her to conclude it is an appropriate mentoring situation for herself as well as the employee. It is a good idea for employees to ask for mentoring on something specific. Also, asking the manager for mentoring in the right way is important. To begin, employees should briefly introduce what mentoring is wanted and indicate why this is needed. Employees will want to state the benefits to the manager so the investment of time will result in a payoff for the manager as well as the employee. Then employees should describe exactly what they want. Employee:

The reason I wanted to meet with you this morning is to ask you to be my mentor. Specifically I'd like to attend the morning meetings with you and the other managers. I've given this a lot of thought before asking you. I feel that attending these meetings would help me understand the workings of the department, which in turn would make me more effective in my job. For you it would mean that you would be able to delegate more of the routine things to me, thus freeing you up for the more important projects. If you were ever unable to attend one of the meetings I'd be able to fill in for you. In the long run, I hope that this would help prepare me for


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advancement. I know that such a mentoring relationship begins with a trial period and I'd be thrilled if you would agree to a trial mentor relationship. Manager:

Wow! Just the other day, in fact it was at our morning briefing, Stefan was mentioning that some of us might consider mentoring one of our subordinates. I thought that I'd be willing to do that. In thinking about our staff, I thought you would be my first choice. I guess you call it mental telepathy or maybe you've got an inside track with Stefan that I don't know about.

Employee:

No, it's purely coincidental.

Manager:

Yes, I'd be willing to try it. I'm not so sure that taking you to the staff meetings would be the place to start. Why don't you and I meet for about a half an hour after each staff meeting and I can fill you in on what we discussed that would be applicable to our department. We can see how that works out and we can take it from there.

Employee:

Sounds great to me. I'm excited.

MAKE THE MOST OF MENTORING SITUATIONS Once mentoring begins, even if it does not continue past the trial period, employees should be encouraged to make the most of each mentoring situation. Some pointers for employees to follow are to be receptive, show interest, show respect, ask questions, listen and learn, let the manager know what has been learned, and indicate steps t h a t will be taken as a result of the mentoring. 7 Employee:

Having these informal meetings with you after your staff meetings has been a great help to me. Knowing what possible changes might be coming up enables me to better prepare for the actual change when it is announced. I do have a question. What is the likelihood that our company could take on a retail division rather than confine our efforts to selling only to the wholesale market?

Manager:

That's an interesting insight.

Employees need to make sure they give positive reinforcement to show their appreciation. Managers should be thanked for their time, effort, and help. The insight given should also be commented on by employees. Managers should also be kept informed about the results of the mentoring with employees sharing their successes, failures, and anything else t h a t could help in their future.

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Employee:

I want to thank you for initiating this trial mentoring program. I feel that I'm learning much more while at the same time contributing to the company. There are a couple of things that you might want to know. The first is that we have achieved 100% sign up for the stock option program in our department that you asked me to head up. But in putting forth a great deal of effort on it I underestimated how much of my time it would take, especially to convince the last two sticklers to join, and as a result I'm going to be three days late with the monthly report.

Manager:

First of all congratulations. But I don't like the news about the monthly report. How about some overtime tonight and tomorrow to cut it to two days?

Employee:

I've already counted on overtime the next three nights to cut it down to three days.

Manager:

I guess there's not a whole lot we can do. Let's make sure that we're not late again.

Employee:

You can count on it.

Employees should be coached to continue initiating mentoring opportunities and making the most of them until they decide the time is right to formalize the relationship of to terminate it. FORMALIZE THE MENTORING RELATIONSHIP There are two ways to formalize the mentoring relationship, the indirect way and the direct way. When it is obvious t h a t both the employee and the manager are enjoying and benefiting from the mentoring relationship, little needs to be done except for employees to give positive reinforcement to let the manager know t h a t they like the relationship and t h a t it is an important one. There may be a need to formalize the mentoring relationship in a more direct way. Perhaps the employee thinks it will result in a greater commitment by the manager, or maybe the security of knowing it is an acknowledged formal relationship is wanted by the employee. When asking to formalize the relationship, employees should identify the benefits to themselves. For example, it helps the employee perform better, it is an important reward and motivator to have such a relationship, interacting with the manager is personally very satisfying, or it is a unique opportunity for growth and development. Employee:

Having a mentor has made all the difference in the world. I'm really motivated. I'm interacting with you more and learning something new every day.


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The next step for employees is to point out how the manager benefits. For instance, the employee is more valuable to the manager, more trustworthy, and can do certain things for the manager like offering advice and a different perspective on things. Employee:

You seem to be able to get more projects initiated and the department is even looking better.

Before formalizing the relationship, employees may want to suggest changes to make in the mentoring as well as identify any ground rules that should be established for the mentoring to work more effectively, such as being prepared for mentoring meetings, and constraints such as limiting the amount of time devoted to mentoring. It may be a good idea for employees to be the first to mention any possible objections the manager might have to making the relationship more formal. For example, a formal relationship takes more time, the manager may not enjoy it, or may be leaving for a new position, or believes it could possibly create problems with other employees. Employees should then show how the possible objections are not really an issue. Employee:

The only change I would like to make is to move our mentoring relationship from that of a trail basis to a formalized program. I know you may be concerned that doing so will take too much of your time, but I will continue to be sensitive to all of the demands on your time and keep our involvement to the minimum while still doing what we need to do together. You can count on me to be guarded in my time with you.

Another step t h a t employees should take is to establish the need for a formal relationship. Employees should indicate t h a t they have had an informal mentoring relationship for awhile now and go on to describe the consequences of formalizing versus not formalizing the relationship. Employees know t h a t they will have to make the sales pitch sometime and now is the time. They should state specifically what they want: namely, to formalize the mentoring relationship. Employees then need to reiterate why. Here are a few examples: it is just something the employee needs; the employee could plan and prepare better for the mentoring and would be less reluctant to come to the manager when there is a need to; or perhaps the manager would initiate more mentoring opportunities. Whatever the reason, the bottom line has to be that the relationship would work better and the benefits would be greater by formally acknowledging the relationship. Finally, it is best for employees to summarize the benefits to themselves and their managers.

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Employee:

I'd like to move from a trial basis to a formal mentoring program. I see two distinct advantages. First, I just feel that I need it and it would be a reward for me. Second, I hope it would encourage you to delegate some more to me. I feel that I'm ready to tackle more.

Of course, employees must reahze t h a t they have to ask to formalize the relationship, just like salespeople have to ask the customer to buy in order to close the sale. Employee:

What do you think? Is this something we can do?

At this point, manager and employee should reach an agreement. Both of them may want to suggest other changes in how the mentoring occurs, or place other requirements or constraints on it. To find out, the employee should ask the manager about possible suggestions on the way the relationship should work in the future. Employee:

What do you think? Do you think this would be a step in the right direction?

Manager:

Yes, I'd be willing to formalize it and I think that now would be a good time to give you another assignment which should benefit your career. I'm going to suggest to the president that he appoint you to head up the company United Fund drive. At first you might think that it's a thankless task, but I'd caution you regarding that type of thinking. Here's a chance to demonstrate that you can head up a project while at the same time giving you a chance to get to know each of the major managers in the entire corporation. This is your opportunity to showcase your talents across the company. Your name constantly will be in memos they will be receiving.

Employee:

You're right. My first thought was, "Thanks for nothing." But on second thought, this could be a fine opportunity.

Last, positive reinforcement should be given by the employee regarding the agreement. It is important to thank the manager for past mentoring and for being willing to continue the relationship, and, also, point out again the benefits gained from the relationship. Employee:

Thank you for being my mentor in the past and for agreeing to make the mentoring relationship a formal one. I feel that you have confidence in my ability to take this step and I assure you that I will prove your confidence to be true. This formal arrangement will benefit you by allowing you to give me more to do thus freeing you to accomplish more. Between the two of


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us, we should see a significant difference in what we can accomplish. Again, thanks a lot. SUMMARY By now, employees should know t h a t by initiating mentoring opportunities and making the most of them, they can develop a mentoring relationship t h a t will serve them well. The following outhne summarizes the process of establishing such a relationship.

Developing a Mentoring Relationship 1.

2.

3.

Understand the mentoring process. •

Be aware t h a t mentoring in different ways.

•

Expect a trial period.

relationships get

started

Initiate mentoring opportunity. •

Choose the right person.

•

Choose the right time to ask.

•

Choose mentoring the manager can and wants to do.

•

Ask for mentoring on something specific.

•

Indicate what mentoring is wanted and why ]Lt is needed.

•

State the benefits to the manager.

•

Describe exactly what is wanted.

Make the most of mentoring situations. •

Be receptive.

•

Show interest.

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4.

•

Show respect.

•

Ask questions.

•

Listen and learn.

•

Let the manager know what is being learned.

•

Let manager know steps taken as a result of the mentoring.

•


•

Keep manager informed of successes resulting from the mentoring.

and failures

Formalize the mentoring relationship. Identify benefits to the manager and employee. Identify any changes wanted. Identify and overcome potential objections. Establish the need. Make sales pitch. Ask to formalize the relationship. Reach agreement. Give positive reinforcement.

NOTES 1. Jack L. Mendleson, A. Keith Barnes, and Gregory Horn, "The Guiding Light to Corporate Culture," Personnel Administrator, 34 (July 1989), pp. 7072; Peter Kizilos, "Take My Mentor, Please!" Training, 27 (April 1990), pp. 4955; Rick Rubow and Suzanne Jansen, "A Corporate Survival Guide for the Baby


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Bust," Management Review, 79 (July 1990), pp. 50-52; and Paula Grace and Carrie Straub, "Managers as Training Assets," Training and Development Journal, 45 (June 1991), pp. 49-54. 2. Robert Kreitner, Management, 6th ed. (Boston: Hough ton MifQin Company, 1995), p. 482. 3. Stephen P. Robbins and Mary Coulter, Management (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1996), p. 393. 4. Ellen A. Fagenson, "The Mentor Advantage: Perceived Career/Job Experience of Proteges Versus Non-Proteges," Journal of Organizational Behavior, 10 (October 1989), pp. 309-320. 5. Robbins and Coulter, Management, p. 393. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid.

26 When More Resources Are Needed Sometimes those additional resources t h a t employees need are only a request away. There are two common reasons employees often do not get them. One, they do not ask. Two, they do not ask in the right way. Properly asking can mean t h a t additional resources are only a few steps away.

DETERMINE THE RESOURCES NEEDED AND THE COST The first step is for employees to determine the kind and amount of resources t h a t are needed and the cost. Employee:

(to self) I sure could use a laptop computer to write up what the subject is doing while I'm sitting surveillance. It would cost less than $2,000.

REVIEW WHAT HAS LED TO THE NEED Employees then will want to think about what has led to the point of needing the resources. This means determining how long the re-


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sources have been needed, identifying the consequences to date of not having them, and indicating why the request is just now being made. Employee:

(to self) I've really needed a laptop computer for the last year. If I'd had one, I wouldn't have left out a couple of crucial things in some of my reports that slipped my mind two or three days later when I finally wrote the reports. The missing information really hurt some of our clients which hurt us, too. Until now we haven't had enough cases to justify buying one.

IDENTIFY THE REASONS RESOURCES ARE NEEDED It is important for employees to itemize the reasons why the resources are needed, from all points of view—the organization, the unit, the manager, the employee, the customers, and any others. It also is helpful to determine the consequences if the resources are not approved and identify the benefits to all of the above if they are. Employee:

(to self) With a computer I could record what the subjects are doing while or shortly after they are active. This would allow me to record each detail and the exact time, which would mean greater accuracy on my reports. More than that, I could proof them and correct any mistakes or make any additions to the report when the subject was not active. When I pull off the case, the report would be done. This is far superior to waiting until I've sat surveillance on a number of cases and then spending a whole day trying to remember what day and time I was where. More than that, it would keep me busy during the times when the subject is inactive and I get bored. If I don't get a computer the company will lose billing time, my reports will be less accurate, and we may start losing clients. Having a computer benefits me and our chents and as a result the company wins, too.

DOCUMENT AND JUSTIFY THE NEED Managers need to hear a strong case for providing additional resources. This means employees must get backup data to support the need. This data could take the form of reports, statistics, precedents, personal testimony of creditable persons, and so forth. Employees should think of all the reasons why the manager might t u r n the request down and, for each of the reasons, determine ways to overcome them. Employee:

(to self) Tom at Able Investigators has been using one for the last six months and he swears by it.


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I know my manager's reaction will be, "If one of you gets a laptop computer, all nine investigators will want one." If one investigator can have more accurate reports and spend more days sitting surveillance and thus be turning in more billable hours, why shouldn't all nine investigators be making more money for the company? Employees may find it useful to prepare a one-page request t h a t includes a summary of all the key points. If appropriate, place the data and a signature line at the bottom of the request for authorization, then make an appointment at a convenient time for the manager to request the needed resources. MAKE THE REQUEST When meeting with the manager, the employee will want to do several things: namely, summarize the consequences so far, project the consequences of continuing without the needed resources, indicate what has been done to deal with the problem, show that everything possible has been done, and demonstrate t h a t the requested resources are the only solution. In addition, employees should indicate exactly what resources are needed, state how the resources would be used, summarize the benefits to the organization, the unit, the manager, the employee, customers, and others, focus on the bottom line, indicate the cost of the requested resources, and then ask for the needed resources. Employee:

Mark, I'm glad we've got some time to talk about the number of cases we've been getting and the accuracy of my investigations. I have a problem. After sitting surveillance for four or five days, I spend a whole day writing my reports, trying to remember what I did each day and how long I was on each case. This means setting up the video and watching all the tapes of the last week. This is very time consuming and takes a whole day which would be better spent sitting on another case and putting in some billable hours. On top of that I'm bored when the subject is inactive. There's only so many times I feel like beating myself at solitaire. I know you're going to say that I should write up my reports each evening or late afternoon when I get home. I've tried that and it's just not me. There's always something that comes up that has to be done right then and I put it off. All of a sudden there are seven cases unfinished and you are screaming at me to get my reports done so you can bill the client.


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The solution to all this would be a portable laptop computer. Then I could write my reports while sitting surveillance, which would mean greater accuracy in my reports and no lost days when I spend the whole day doing nothing but reports. The bottom line would be more profit to the company through more billable hours. The cost for a computer would be less than $2,000. I say that you should purchase one today and I start using it next week. ASK FOR APPROVAL After making the request, the employee should get the manager's reaction, give arguments to overcome any objections, answer any questions, summarize the benefits of getting the resources and the cost of not getting them, and ask specifically for approval. Employee:

What do you think?

Manager:

I hear what you're saying, but if you would just force yourself to write your reports each evening you wouldn't have to take a whole day to catch up. Hector does that and it works just fine.

Employee:

I know Hector does that and I've tried to do it, but that's just not me. All eight of the other investigators do it the same way I do.

Manager:

If I bought one for you, all eight of the others would want one too. That would be $20,000. That's true, but I calculated that in ten weeks a laptop computer would save ten report writing days and would pay for itself in ten more billable days. If you bought each of us a computer, you'd be billing nine more days a week which would be a lot of extra revenue each month. I've heard you mention that we're going to have to hire another investigator. With these computers you would save thirty-six days a month (9 investigators x 4 days). That's more than another investigator. Okay, I'll purchase one and you try it. If it works like we think it will, then we can get eight more for the rest of the investigators.

Employee:

Manager:

At this point employees will need to find out what steps must be taken to finalize the authorization and obtain the resources, and determine who has to do what for the resources to be available when they are needed.

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DO POST SELLING To conclude the meeting, employees will find it helpful to thank the manager for approving the resources, make a commitment to use the resources wisely, and summarize the benefits, especially to the manager. Reiterate the next steps to be taken, and end the meeting with a commitment to keep the manager informed. Employee:

Thank you for approving the laptop computer. You can be assured that this is going to make a big difference in the timeliness and accuracy of my reports. I'm excited. We're going to take a big jump in the profitability of our work. You'll purchase it this week and I'll be able to start using it next week. I can't wait. I'll keep you posted as to the success I'm having with it. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Asking for more resources can be an easy solution for employees to make both their job and fife better. All they need to do is follow seven steps.

When More Resources Are Needed i

1. Determine the resources needed and the cost. 2.

3.

Review what has led to the need. •

Determine how long the resources have been needed.

•

Identify the consequences to date of not having them.

•

Indicate why the request is just now being made.

Identify the reasons resources are needed. •

List the reasons from the employee, manager, and organizational perspectives.

•

Determine the consequences if resources are not approved.


•

Identify the benefits if resources are approved.

4. Document and justify the need. Get backup data. Identify manager objections. Decide how to overcome objections. Prepare a one-page request. 5.

Make the request. Summarize consequences so far. Project consequences without needed resources. Indicate what has been done to deal with the problem. Show t h a t everything possible has been done. Demonstrate t h a t the requested resources are the only solution. Indicate exactly what resources are needed. State how the resources would be used. Summarize the benefits to all. Indicate the cost. Ask for the needed resources.

6. Ask for approval. Get the manager's reaction. Overcome any objections. Answer all questions.

235

236


•

Summarize the benefits.

•

Summarize the cost of not getting the resources.

•

Ask specifically for approval.

•

Find out what steps must be taken to obtain the resources.

•

Determine who has to do what.

7. Do post selling.

27 How to Get Feedback Employees who value feedback should realize they are not alone. One study asked employees what they expected from their managers; 64 percent marked "good communication and feedback" number one. 1 Employees generally want feedback because no knowledge about how they are doing tends to cause them to become tentative, uncertain, and anxious about their job. 2 How good are managers when it comes to giving feedback? One study found t h a t only 32.8 percent of employees said their managers were "good to excellent" about giving them regular feedback. 3 Most managers do not enjoy communicating bad news to employees, so when it comes to negative feedback they tend to avoid, delay, or substantially distort it. 4 Managers frequently are reluctant to give the feedback employees want and deserve. Many times employees interpret this to mean that the manager does not care, is not interested in them or their work, or thinks t h a t they and their work are not important. This may not be the case at all. The manager may be very busy or does not realize how much employees want and need feedback. Many times the manager simply does not realize t h a t giving feedback is important. Perhaps the manager is actually shy and finds it hard to initiate a conversation, or has some other reason. Whatever the reason, if employees want feed-

238


back, they can get it. It is simple. They need to be trained to follow a few simple steps. LIST THE REASONS FEEDBACK IS DESIRED Employees should carefully think of the reasons they want feedback, reasons t h a t they can mention to the manager. Feedback often helps employees improve their motivation, grow and develop, better understand the manager's expectations, understand the job better, know where they stand regarding their performance, learn ways to perform better, or avoid making the same mistake twice. It also is good for employees to become more personal in this analysis and think of reasons they may not want to share with their manager. These could be to get to know the manager better, be able to influence the manager more, have more opportunities to politick with the manager, get closer to the manager to get inside information, get on the manager's good side, or impress the manager. LIST THE BENEFITS TO THE MANAGER It is very important for employees to think of the benefits from the manager's point of view. Some typical ways managers gain value from giving feedback is t h a t employees can meet their expectations better, can perform better, will take less of the manager's time with problems, questions, or decisions, and will be more satisfied and more motivated. The key here is to list the reasons from the manager's perspective. Employees increase their chances of getting feedback when managers clearly see how they benefit from giving it. Employees need to plan their approach to requesting feedback with this in mind. IDENTIFY OBJECTIONS AND WAYS TO OVERCOME THEM Employees should be encouraged to plan for any objections the manager may have to giving more feedback. Managers may object if they do not know much about the employee's performance and would either get embarrassed by not knowing or would have to spend too much time and effort finding out how the employee is performing to be able to give feedback. Some managers object because they believe it would take too much time actually giving the feedback. Others may object because they think t h a t giving feedback would force them to make a commitment about the quality of the employee's work, about what the employee is doing, about how to do it, about potential per-

How to Get Feedback

239

formance appraisals and raise potential. Or perhaps the manager might think t h a t giving one employee feedback would make it necessary to give other employees regular feedback as well. Whatever the manager's objections, employees must prepare to overcome them.

SELECT A FEEDBACK PROCESS TO PROPOSE One option for getting feedback t h a t employees are encouraged to consider is an informal discussion. This would provide a nonthreatening forum for the manager to ask questions and make comments about what the employee has done, how it was done, and how well it was done. This approach addresses the four objections mentioned earlier. The informal nature means the manager does not have to know much in advance about the employee's performance, since it is possible to find out by asking during the feedback session. The informal nature of the feedback can be as short as the manager wants it to be. The informahty removes much of the fear of making a commitment in t h a t nothing appears on paper. Since it is informal, it does not seem like a big deal for which other employees would be scrambling. Another option is for the employee to begin the informal discussion with a performance briefing as the starting point for feedback, covering end results expected, what was done, how it was accomphshed, and the extent to which the end results were achieved. This option does a better job of informing the manager about the employee's performance, but, more important, it allows the employee to control the information provided and where emphasis is placed on the various elements of the performance. It also allows the employee to control the direction of the forthcoming feedback in a way t h a t makes it possible for the employee to look good in the manager's eyes. MEET WITH THE MANAGER TO GET FEEDBACK Employees are ready to set a meeting with the manager for the amount of time they think is needed for the feedback. It is good for employees to begin the meeting by indicating how long the meeting should take and pointing out t h a t they will watch the time to prevent taking more time t h a n planned. Employee:

Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. This meeting should not take any longer than a half an hour and I will watch the time to be sure we don't go any longer.

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Employees should state t h a t the purpose of the meeting is to get feedback, indicating the areas where feedback is desired, give the reasons why feedback is wanted, and indicate the benefits to the manager for giving the feedback. Employee:

The purpose of the meeting is to get feedback on how I'm doing so I can understand and meet your expectations better. This will help me do the kind of job you're looking for. There will be fewer problems, and I won't take up as much of your time.

It is appropriate now for the employee to give a short performance briefing on the areas where feedback is desired, the end results expected, what was done and how, and the results achieved. Employee:

As you know, a part of my job is to make out the reports for the sales department. My goal has been to give them summary sales figures for each territory and the entire company so they can determine their contribution to the overall effort. I provide them with last month's figures, year-to-date figures, last month's figures a year ago, and last year's year-to-date figures. I continually worry about the content of the reports. Do I send enough information? Too much? Is it in the proper format? How could it be improved? What would make the reports better or more useful to the sales reps?

The next step is to allow the manager to give feedback. To do this, employees should first pause and see if it is forthcoming. If the manager does not volunteer it, it is appropriate for employees to ask for it. Upon receiving the feedback, employees should restate the key points the manager makes. Employees by all means should accept rather t h a n resist the feedback and avoid the temptation to defend, blame, or give reasons and excuses. 5 Employees must remember t h a t the goal in getting feedback is to understand what the manager is thinking. The fact t h a t the manager sees or believes things t h a t are false is not important at this point. What is important is t h a t employees recognize, understand, and accept the manager's viewpoint. Defending, blaming, or giving reasons or excuses can blow all the progress employees have made up to this point. Employees will do well merely restating what the manager has said. Employee:

Is it in the proper format? How could it be improved? What would make them better or more useful to the sales reps?

How to Get Feedback

241

Manager:

(nothing)

Employee:

What is your opinion of what I'm providing?

Manager:

I think that what you are giving them is perfect and in an appropriate format. However, I feel that at times you see some additional information that would be helpful, but you do not include it. Perhaps some editorial comments or insights would be beneficial.

Employee:

That makes me feel great. If I understand what you're saying, you feel that my method of reporting is fine but at times I could go further and provide some additional information and insight.

Employees should feel free to ask questions to get specifics. 6 For instance, "What could I have done differently and better? What do you think about the way I handled . . . ? What do you think about the end results?" Employee:

I'm sort of confused as to what insight I might have that would be helpful to them.

Manager:

At times you can see some trends that are developing in the sales rep's territories. Or you may know of some industry happenings with other manufacturers or with our competitor's salespeople. These are the kinds of things you could share with the reps that would be useful to them.

Employee:

Okay, I got you. I understand what you want.

Employees can offer any clarification to help the manager have a more accurate perception of their performance. Rather t h a n defending, denying, or offering reasons or excuses for their behavior, employees will do well to clarify by objectively providing additional information. If employees must say something, this is the appropriate time to say it. In most cases the urgency for saying anything has faded away. At this stage it is good for employees to summarize the key points of the feedback, trying to state them in the employee's own words and understand rather t h a n repeat the manager's words verbatim. Employee:

Let me summarize what you've said to make sure I've got it right. You indicated that you were very pleased with the basic portions of the sales rep reports, but you sense that at times I could present additional data or ideas which I believe is relevant to their work. This might take the form of insight into how a particular rep has improved his territory or sales, or what the industry or competitors are doing. Basically I

242


should include any related material which would help the reps better sell and service their customers. Manager:

That's right. That's what I'm saying.

THANK THE MANAGER Thank the manager for the time, the feedback (both good and bad), and for the benefit received from it. Employee:

Thank you for providing me the feedback on the sales rep's reports. I appreciate both your time and your input. Including additional insights and information will be interesting for me and beneficial to the reps.

GET COMMITMENT FOR FEEDBACK IN THE FUTURE Employees will want to get the manager to agree to allow them to initiate feedback in the future. This can be accomphshed by saying something hke, "Can I come to you again when I feel like I need feedback on something?" Also employees can encourage the manager to initiate the feedback process by saying something like, "I hope you will come to me anytime you feel a need to give me feedback, or anytime you feel hke I need it." It never h u r t s to t h a n k the manager again. Employee:

It has been very helpful for me to get your perspective. I trust that in the future I can come to you again when I feel that I need some feedback. I also hope you will give me your feedback anytime you feel that it would benefit me.

Manager:

You can contact me any time and I in turn will share any thoughts I have with you.

Employee:

Gee, we've talked for forty minutes, and I promised you that this would only take thirty minutes. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Oftentimes managers do not sense the need employees have for feedback. Employees would do well to take the initiative to get feedback when they need it. This can be successfully accomplished by following a few basic steps.

How to Get Feedback

243

How to Get Feedback 1. List the reasons feedback is desired. •

List reasons to share with the manager.

•

List the more personal reasons not to be shared.

2.

List the benefits to the manager.

3.

Identify objections and ways to overcome them.

4.

Select a feedback process to propose.

5.

6.

•

Consider an informal discussion.

•

Consider a performance briefing followed by informal discussion.

Meet with the manager to get feedback. •

State the purpose of the meeting.

•

Give a performance briefing.

•

Allow the manager to give feedback.

•

Accept rather t h a n resist the feedback.

•

Ask questions to get specifics.

•

Clarify the manager's perception of performance, if necessary.

•

Summarize the key points of the feedback.

Thank the manager.

7. Get a commitment for feedback in the future.

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NOTES

1. Fernando Bartolome and Andre Laurent, "The Manager: Master and Servant of Power," Harvard Business Review, 64 (November-December 1986), pp. 77-81. 2. "Workers Empowered, Feedback Scares," Personnel: HR Focus (December 1990), p. 14. 3. Victor J. Callan, "Subordinate-Manager Communication in Different Sex Dyads: Consequences for Job Satisfaction," Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 66 (1993), pp. 13-27. 4. Cynthia Fisher, "Transmission of Positive and Negative Feedback to Subordinates: A Laboratory Investigation," Journal of Applied Psychology (October 1979), pp. 533-540. 5. Daniel Ilgen, Cynthia D. Fisher, and M. Susan Taylor, "Consequences of Individual Feedback on Behavior in Organizations," Journal of Applied Psychology (August 1979), pp. 349-371. 6. Cyril R. Mill, "Feedback: The Art of Giving and Receiving Help," in Larry Porter and Cyril R. Mill, eds., The Reading Book for Human Relations Training (Bethel, Me.: NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, 1976), pp. 18-19.

28 Asking Not to be Overworked Being overworked is a common situation for many employees today. It seems as though they are always at work, often taking work home with them at night and on weekends. They have little time for family and life just seems out of balance. At first employees are willing to put forth the effort to show t h a t they are team players, but after a while being overworked begins to get to them. Instead of grumbling, getting a bad attitude, and getting stressed out, there are some steps t h a t employees can take to make their situation better. ANALYZE THE OVERWORKED SITUATION The starting point is for employees to determine the nature of their being overworked. Is it too much overtime, too many demands, impossible deadlines (it was due yesterday), constant last-minute rushes, a mentally demanding type of work, stress associated with the work, or what? This sets the stage for employees to compare their compensation and the way they are treated relative to the others vis-a-vis the hours they put in. Employees may want to gather information about the permanence of the situation. Is it temporary due to a short-term project or a last-minute push, or is it a long-term situation? How widespread is

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the situation? Are just a few employees involved, is everyone in the department overworked, or is virtually everyone throughout the organization? If everyone is being overworked, employees may be able to get support to make things better. If it is only one employee who is being overworked in comparison to the others, then it is only t h a t employee who can do something about it. Many employees find it insightful to keep a journal citing specifics, recording daily the hours worked, the nature and type of work performed, deadlines missed, and so forth. It also is helpful to identify the reasons for being overworked. Perhaps the manager is overloaded and is passing some of the work along, is giving the employee a lot of work to do because performance is always good, does not realize t h a t the employee is overworked, is doing it as a form of punishment, is trying to get the employee to quit, or has orders from higher up to push everybody. This analysis should continue with employees objectively identifying the consequences of being overworked, looking at it from all points of view, including themselves, the manager, the unit, the organization, customers, clients, and suppliers. It helps to itemize the negative consequences such as lower quality of work because of fatigue or having to work too fast, missing deadhnes which affects others (co-workers, the manager, and customers), too much costly overtime, and job dissatisfaction to the point of not being able to take it much longer and thinking of quitting. Positive consequences should be considered as well, including more output, temporarily pleasing the higher ups, or reduced cost per unit. Employees should look forward as well and identify the benefits of not being overworked such as better quality work, lower cost considering defects and rejects, reduced overtime costs, customer satisfaction, fewer missed deadlines, job satisfaction, motivation, morale, and better balance in their life. ORGANIZE A PRESENTATION This analysis puts employees in a good position to organize a presentation to the manager and be convincing about being overworked and t h a t it is not in anyone's best interest, especially the manager's. Hard, specific evidence can be obtained from the journal t h a t has been kept depicting specifically how the employees has been overworked. Employees should prepare to tell the manager all of the negative consequences of being overworked, especially those t h a t adversely affect the manager, including those already incurred plus those to be expected if being overworked continues, and also prepare to explain the benefits


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that will result from changing the situation so that continuously being overworked becomes a thing of the past. Employees know that merely complaining about an existing situation is never as effective as helping to solve the problem, yet most employees do little more than complain to the manager. Very few take the next step of recommending a solution, one the manager can accept. Those few who do take this step stand out above the others. It is very important then for employees to identify several options. The key here is for employees to think of as many options as possible without evaluating any of them. The goal initially is to make the hst as long as possible. To place any evaluation on the solutions at this stage will only stifle creativity. The idea is to determine as many ways as possible to work more efficiently, get more done, plan better, and set better priorities. Two ideas to consider are to assign some of the work to others, or get some temporary help. Having identified as many solutions as possible, without any evaluation, the next step is to evaluate them in terms of what will work and be acceptable to the employee, and what the manager will find acceptable and be willing to do. Now it is time for the employees to decide which option(s) to recommend to the manager and prepare to tell the manager the benefits of all the options, especially the one to be recommended. It is essential to identify the likely objections of the manager and decide how to overcome each of them. The next step is to arrange a meeting with the manager. Employee:

Michelle, I'd like to meet with you tomorrow to discuss the progress on some of the projects.

Manager:

Fine. Let's meet at 10 a.m. in the conference room.

PRESENT EVERYTHING TO THE MANAGER

Employees should first present hard, specific evidence of being overworked. This is important. Facts are better than feelings in this situation. Employee:

The reason I wanted to meet with you is to discuss the extra time I've been putting in. I've been working a lot of hours to get the orders out. I've kept a log of the time I've spent. During the last seven months I've averaged twenty-three hours a week overtime. That includes coming in early, staying late, coming in on weekends, and doesn't take into account the work I do at home in the evenings. Here is a daily list of

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the extra hours. Six hundred ninety-three hours is a lot if time. Manager:

You've been putting in a lot of time and don't think for a minute that I don't appreciate it.

Next employees should present the benefits and the negative consequences t h a t have arisen from the amount of overtime they have been working. Employee:

I've been able to keep up with the orders and maintain our delivery schedule but I don't know how much longer I can continue to do it. Lately I've noticed that we've been having more orders returned. The last two months our late deliveries have increased 18 percent and 23 percent. Also I seem to be yelling at my employees more and absenteeism has risen from 3 percent to 7 percent over the last three months. On top of that I find that I'm not liking my job hke I used to. I used to look forward to coming in here. Now I dread it. I've even thought of leaving.

At this point it is appropriate for employees to present the benefits t h a t would occur if they were not overworked. Employee:

If I could get my hours down to a reasonable amount, I think that we would see some definite benefits. I'm convinced that both the late deliveries and the returns would be reduced and that I would be in a better frame of mind. I wouldn't be so stressed out and yell at the employees.

Now it is time for employees to show the manager the options for solving the problem, including the one the employee feels will work the best and the benefits t h a t will occur from the recommended solution. Employee:

Over the last week I've listed all the ways I thought we could solve this problem. Here is a list of all the ideas I had. It appears that the best solution would be to take about a third of my workload and a portion of Alice's and Jeremy's and combine it into a new manager's job. Stacy has been doing a fine job and is ready for a promotion. She would make an excellent manager. This would pick up the spirits of the employees when they see that there are opportunities for promotion. It would also ^lieve both Alice and Jeremy as they are headed in the same


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direction I've been. Of course, it would relieve me of the huge overload I've been carrying. Before giving the manager opportunity to react, employees are more successful if they anticipate the manager's objections and overcome them before they can be voiced. Employee:

I know you're going to say that we can't afford this. I made some calculations on what our volume was a year ago. We were handling an average of 870 units a month and making a decent profit. Our production for the last two months has been 1,337 and 1,281 units. So you can clearly see the need for adding a fourth manager. With the reduction of returns and fewer lost customers due to quality problems and missed delivery dates, I feel that our profit will rise even more while absorbing an additional manager's salary.

REACH AGREEMENT ON A SOLUTION With the presentation completed, employees need to do several things like get the manager's reaction to the proposed solution, answer any questions, overcome any objections to the recommended solution, negotiate the solution if necessary, agree on the final action to take, and summarize the solution agreed upon. Employee:

What are your ideas?

Manager:

First of all, I have to agree that you have been putting in some extraordinary hours and I certainly appreciate all that you have done. I'm not so certain that if we did decide to make this change that Stacy is ready for the position.

Employee:

Two times last year, when I went to the four-day meeting in New York and when I went on a two-week vacation, Stacy was acting manager and she performed quite well. The couple of problems she had were learning experiences for her and she's stronger for them. I have no doubt in my mind that she can handle a department of her own.

Manager:

Okay. As long as you're sure she can handle it.

Employee:

I know you'll be pleased with the decision you have made. (Note that giving the manager credit for the decision is very important to solidify the decision.)

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Employees should now agree on the steps to implement the solution, including who is to do what and by when, and summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee:

So we've agreed on splitting Alice's, Jeremy's, and my duties. We'll promote Stacy to manager and give her our accounts. How are we going to divide the accounts?

Manager:

You've been giving this quite a bit of thought. Why don't you take first crack at equitably splitting them. I would suggest that you get input from the other two. When the three of you have your input, let me take a look at it.

CONCLUDE THE MEETING To conclude the discussion it is good to give a brief summary of the solution, implementation steps, and benefits. Employee:

Let me make sure I've got everything. After I determine how I think our accounts should be split, you will make the final decision. Once that decision is made you will announce Stacy's promotion. This is going to make a big difference in the output around here. You will consider this to be one of your better decisions. I guarantee it.

It always is appropriate for employees to thank the manager for listening, being understanding, accepting input, agreeing to take action, and share with the manager how it feels to have a good, productive discussion. Employee:

Thanks a lot for letting me blow off some steam and for helping solve this problem. I can assure you that I'm greatly relieved and will return to my job with more energy than ever. Having a manager who will listen and understand means a lot to me. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Asking not to be overworked is an important obligation of every employee. An effective way to accomphsh this to is follow a few basic steps.


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Asking Not to be Overworked 1. Analyze the overworked situation. •

Keep a journal and evaluate the nature overworked.

•

Look at the consequences of being overworked.

•

Identify the benefits of not being overworked.

of being

2. Organize a presentation. •

Prepare to explain the negative consequences of being overworked, especially those t h a t affect the manager.

•

Prepare to explain the benefits, particularly to the manager, of not being overworked.

•

Come up with a solution the manager can accept.

•

Anticipate the manager's objections and ways to overcome them.

3. Present everything to the manager. •

Present the facts, not feelings.

•

Present the benefits of being overworked.

•

Present the negative consequences.

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Present the benefits of not being overworked.

•

Present options and corresponding benefits.

•

Anticipate and overcome objections.

4. Reach agreement on a solution. 5. Conclude the meeting.

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•

Give brief summary.

•


•

Get the managers reaction.

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Answer any questions.

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Overcome any objections.

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Negotiate the solution if necessary.

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Agree on the final action to take.

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Summarize the agreement.

PartV HELPING MANAGERS


29 Helping Managers Make Better Decisions Employees find their jobs much rougher when they go to their manager for a decision and the manager decides without the proper input or without carefully thinking through the situation. Employees can have more control t h a n they think when their manager is making decisions t h a t affect them. One of the responsibilities of all employees is to help their manager succeed. 1 This means helping the manager avoid mistakes. 2 One good way for employees to do this is through communication, because upward communication is necessary for sound decision making. 3 There is a series of steps t h a t employees can take that will help their manager make better decisions. DO DECISION-MAKING HOMEWORK Employees must decide how they can help their manager make good decisions. Essentially, employees often can make the decision for their manager by doing all the background work. This consists of identifying the key factors to consider in the decision, determining the im-

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portance of the decision, and anticipating the questions that the manager likely will ask. After completing the decision-making homework, employees should schedule a meeting with their manager at a time when the manager is most receptive. Different people have their peak thinking at different times of the day and week. Watching and knowing the manager's peak thinking time is essential when helping to make good decisions. Employee:

Vince, I'd like to schedule a meeting with you next Wednesday to discuss hiring an additional salesperson.

Manager:

Sounds fine. I'll see you on Wednesday at 2:00 in the conference room.

DESCRIBE THE DECISION SITUATION TO THE MANAGER In the meeting, employees should be coached to start out by indicating what has to be decided and why the decision must be made. Then they must go on to show why it is an important decision to the organization, employees, customers, clients, and especially to the manager. It is a good idea for employees to lay out all the benefits t h a t will be derived by each party when a good decision is made and point out the decision deadline, stressing that plenty of time is available since this is a big decision. Employee:

As I mentioned last Monday, we need to take a hard look at our staffing situation and determine if we need to hire an additional salesperson. Betty's and Tom's morale is declining. The late evening entertaining and the Saturday and Sunday sales report writing on top of everything else is starting to get to them. This decision is important to them because it will impact each of their sales territories. It's also important to our customers that we serve them to the best of our ability. And, of course, it will impact you in terms of our net sales, expenses, and total profit. If the right decision can be made, all of us can benefit through increased sales and fewer working hours for our present staff. This is a big decision and needs to be made by August 1. That gives us seven weeks which should be ample time.

LAY OUT THE INFORMATION RELEVANT TO THE DECISION The next step for employees is to present all of the information relevant to the decision. It is helpful to start by summarizing the goals of the decision. Also, it is wise to itemize any constraints t h a t might im-


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pact reaching a good decision. Now, managers are ready to hear the options and an evaluation of them. Care must be taken by employees to quickly get the options on the table and not allow the manager to pick the first one t h a t sounds good and hastily go with it. Employee:

Our goal in making this decision is to satisfy the customer. The biggest constraint will be Betty and Tom not wanting to give up any of their customers and their customers not desiring a new salesperson. It appears that we have two options: to continue having Betty and Tom work a lot of overtime and not quite service the customer as well as we'd like, or to hire an additional salesperson and not see a return on our investment for about six months. The first option would buy us six months to a year if we're lucky, but we would run the risk of losing some sales, maybe losing a major customer because we were not servicing them adequately enough, and Betty and Tom both will eventually burnout if we aren't careful. The second option would leave Betty and Tom making less in commissions in the short run. You know the kinds of problems that could cause! However, we would be able to more than adequately service our customers. This is kind of a catch 22 situation.

GET INPUT FROM THE MANAGER Now is a good time for employees to find out if their manager agrees with their analysis of the situation. Also, managers might have additional information t h a t will help make a better decision. At this point, employees need to determine what else their manager needs to make a good decision. Employee:

I've been doing all the talking. What do you think?

Manager:

I think you've got a handle on it. It's not an easy decision. If we decide to hire a third person, Tom and Betty will be better off by not being so overworked and worse off by making less money for a while. Maybe we can figure out a transition that would make them happy. Another option might be to give Tom and Betty some sales support for administrative things and free up more of their time for direct selling activities.

Employee:

That's a good thought. What else do you need in order to make a decision?

Manager:

Nothing I can think of. You've been very helpful.

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SUMMARIZE THE STATUS OF THE DECISION MAKING Employees should be encouraged to summarize the main things t h a t have been discussed. This means reviewing what needs to be done before a decision can be made. Employees also need to determine when their manager will make the decision. Employee:

Manager:

We've decided that the current sales staffing needs to be reviewed and that consideration needs to be given to three main factors; first, what impact it will have on our customers; second, how a move would affect Betty's and Tom's territories and commission checks; and third, what impact this would have on our overall profitability. I think we came up with three options: one, to continue with two salespeople working a bunch of overtime and run the risk of perhaps losing some sales; two, hiring an additional salesperson and make three territories out of the two current ones; or three, finding someone to give Betty and Tom some sales support. That pretty well sums it up. I'd need to see Betty's and Tom's time sheets and their sales reports for the last year.

Employee:

No problem. You'll have them on your desk this afternoon. When do you think you will make your decision?

Manager:

I should make it by next Thursday.

OFFER SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGEMENT Employees should be coached to offer support to their manager and help in any way possible. By offering support, employees solidify the fact t h a t the manager needs to make a good decision. Also, by giving managers encouragement to arrive at a good decision, employees will boost confidence in their decision-making ability. Employee:

If there is any way I can be of help to you in making this decision please let me know. I know that you will give it some hard thought and will arrive at a good decision by next Thursday. Good luck.

Manager:

Thanks.

SUMMARY Helping managers make better decisions is a delicate task. Care must be taken to push them to the decision while at the same time as-


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sisting them to make a good one. Employees should be encouraged to remember and use the following steps to successfully accomphsh the goal of helping managers make better decisions.

Helping Managers Make Better Decisions 1. Do decision-making homework. •

Identify the key factors to consider in the discussion.

•

Determine the importance of the decision.

•

Anticipate the questions the manager likely will ask.

2. Describe the decision situation to the manager. •

Indicate what has to be decided and why.

•

Show why the decision is important.

•

Describe the benefits expected.

•

Indicate the decision deadhne.

3. Lay out the information relevant to the decision. •

Summarize the goals.

•

Itemize any constraints.

•

Present decision options.

4. Get input from the manager. •

Find out if the manager agrees.

•

Get any additional information from the manager.

•

Determine anything else the manager needs to make good decision.

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5.


Summarize that status of the decision making. •

Indicate what needs to be done before the decision can be made.

•

Determine when the decision will be made.

6. Offer support and encouragement.

NOTES 1. Andrew Dubrin, Winning Office Politics (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990), p. 58. 2. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 109. 3. James H. Donnelly, Jr., James L. Gibson, and John M. Ivancevich, Fundamentals of Management, 9th ed. (Chicago: Irwin, 1995), p. 422.

30 Getting Faster Decisions Employees get frustrated when their managers are slow to make decisions, especially when the slowness has a direct and negative impact on the employee. Slow decisions can cause performance to suffer, can impact the manager-employee relationship, and can create customer satisfaction problems. Employees sometimes need help to reahze they can gently push their manager to make faster decisions, and that when done effectively can be welcomed by the manager. Employees can be taught to nudge their managers toward faster decisions by applying a few basic steps. PREPARE TO HELP THE MANAGER

When preparing to help, employees should think about why their manager does not make faster decisions. For many managers, it is the fear of being wrong and appearing in the eyes of others to be anything less than competent. This fear can petrify them into inactivity. One way never to make a wrong decision and look bad is simply never to make a decision. For others it is the overriding desire for everything they do to be perfect. Still other reasons might be that the manager does not think

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the decision is important, always needs more information, or is too busy to decide. Whether employees are dealing with a procrastinator, perfectionist, or a simply poor decision maker, the goal is to get the manager to make faster decisions. The next step for employees is to set the goal of getting a timely decision from the manager. This can be accomplished by developing a plan which will provide all the information the manager will need to make the decision. This may mean gathering all (not almost all) of the needed information. The key for some managers is to assure them t h a t every bit of information they need is in their hands. Forgetting one piece, no matter how minute, may give some managers a reason to delay making the decision. Armed with the necessary information, employees need to spend some time contemplating the possible objections the manager might have for making a timely decision. Employees should be reminded t h a t objections do not have to be normal or rational by any standards. However silly or ridiculous the objections might appear, they are still the stumbling blocks preventing employees from getting faster decisions. Employees must devise a scheme or plan to overcome each possible objection. Care must be taken to handle each objection separately. To treat these objections lightly, lump them together, or think they will go away on their own accord is an open avenue to indecision by the manager. Employee:

(to self) Why does Dave put off making decisions? He seems to have a fear of making a wrong decision and possibly appearing incompetent. He probably remembers last year when he was hired just two months before the customer golf tournament and saw the tournament director get fired for making a series of poor decisions. It's only natural that he might be overly conscious about making correct decisions. Dave also appears to have a large ego that wants to make sure he receives all the credit for a successful tournament. My current goal is to get Dave to make a decision on ordering the golf shirts to be worn by the tournament volunteers. To do that he will have to make five separate decisions: the style of shirt, the color, whether plain or striped, the size of the logo to be printed, and which bid to accept. I have all the choices for him to choose from. What objections might he have? He might want to delay ordering them until we know exactly how many volunteers we will have and what sizes they each wear. We can't afford that luxury as we won't know that until one week before the tournament and we would be running the risk of not having any uniforms at all for the volunteers. Let's see, we had 121 volunteers last year.


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Dave will also feel that it is four months before the tournament and we have plenty of time to order them. That's true but we have other more pressing things that have to be handled closer to tournament time. Having thoroughly prepared for any possible objections, the next step is to schedule a meeting with the manager. Employees must be cautioned to take care to select a time which is most conducive to arriving at a fast decision. Employees might ask themselves, "When, during the day or week, is my manager free of other distractions t h a t might inhibit arriving at a quick decision?" Employee:

(to self) I'm going to call Dave's secretary and schedule a meeting with him for early tomorrow afternoon. He's at his best after lunch, but a safe distance from leaving for the day.

TELL THE MANAGER THE NATURE OF THE DECISION TO BE MADE Employees are encouraged to be open with their manager by stating what the decision is and indicate why it has to be made. Decisions have to be made to cut cost, increase profit, repair equipment, satisfy customers, handle a problem employee, purchase supplies when needed, or do something in a particular manner. Then employees must indicate when the decision should be made and why. Employees should give strong reasons why it has to be made by a certain time and include reasons t h a t focus on benefits to the manager if the decision is made in a timely way and what suffering might occur if the decision is postponed. Employee:

Dave, we need to make some decisions regarding the volunteer shirts and get them ordered now so that when we get closer to the tournament that will be one less decision we have to make. You are so busy the month before the tournament that any decision that can be made earlier will free up the time that desperately is needed in that last month. Also, by ordering them now, we will avoid any problem of them being delivered late.

GIVE THE MANAGER THE INFORMATION NEEDED TO MAKE THE DECISION In the meeting, employees should state the goal of the decision and indicate any constraints on making the decision. The next step is to list the options available and summarize the pros and cons of each option. Employees will want to stress the benefits to the manager for a pre-

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ferred option and show how the benefits outweigh any disadvantages. Getting the manager's reaction to the options and any suggestions on additional options is a good idea. Last, employees may want to recommend how they feel the decision should be made. Employee:

Manager:

Employee:

We need to make a decision today regarding ordering the shirts. The only constraints we have in preventing us from making that decision is that we do not know the exact number of volunteers and of course we don't know their sizes. Based on the fact that we had 121 volunteers last year, I think we should order 150 and rely on our supplier to decide how many of each of the three sizes we should order. Any extras we have can be used for special gifts or sold to those volunteers who would like another shirt. That leaves you with five decisions to make: style, color, striped or plain, how large of a logo to print, and which bid to accept. Because we made a profit last year and because this is a high-quality tournament, I feel that we should choose the higher quality shirt. I also suggest that you go with the green and white striped shirt as it stands out more than a solid colored shirt. I'd choose green for all the trees and grass involved in the sport and white because of the color of the ball. I would suggest that you go with the smaller logo because it is less obtrusive and because there will be so many of the shirts being worn, no one will have a problem identifying the volunteers. The last decision is easy. Our lowest bid is from the same suppher that we used last year. Because we were pleased with last year's shirts and because he has the best reputation of the three bidders, I think you will want to choose him again. What do you think? I guess I don't share the same sense of urgency in getting the shirts ordered that you do, especially regarding the decision as to whether we go with the striped shirt or stay with the plain ones. I'd like to think about it for a few days. I think by comparing the samples we have here, we could arrive at a decision and have one less thing that needs to be acted on when time gets to be so crucial.

ASK THE MANAGER FOR A DECISION At this point, employees should summarize the reasons previously given for making the decision now and ask the manager for a decision. There are many different ways of doing this: "What's your decision?" "What should we do?" "What will it be?" "Should I go ahead with option one?" or "If it's okay with you, I'll go ahead with option one."


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Employee:

In order to have as much time as possible at tournament time, I was wondering if you want to decide on the shirts now. If it's okay with you, I'll order 150 of the higher quahty, green and white striped shirts with the smaller logo from Unique Shirts.

Manager:

Wait. Wait. Wait. I've really got to give some thought to this. I just can't decide now.

If the manager does not make a decision, the employee will want to point out the danger of waiting and ask again for a decision. Employee:

If we put off making this decision it's just going to crowd us at tournament time. What do you say? Let's decide and put this one to rest.

Manager:

I . . . I just can't do it that fast.

If the manager refuses to make the decision now, the employee must determine what p a r t of the decision is causing the delay and determine t h a t everything else is satisfactory. Once the manager decides on a portion of the decision, employees should isolate only t h a t part of the decision t h a t is causing the trouble and go for a decision on just t h a t minor part. By narrowing it down to just a small decision, employees increase the likelihood t h a t the manager will be able to reach a decision. Employee:

I sense that you are comfortable with a part of the decision, but something is keeping you from deciding.

Manager:

You're right. It's those striped shirts. I'm worried about them being too gaudy.

Employee:

So everything else you're comfortable with, it's just the striped or plain issue. Is that right?

Manager:

Yes, I guess so.

Employee:

Great! Let's decide that one issue and we'll be done.

Manager:

I can't. I just need some time to mull it over.

If the manager still cannot decide, agreeing on a time when the manager will make the decision is a good step for employees to take. Making a note on a calendar is a good reminder for employees to followup. If t h a t date comes and goes and the decision is not made, the employees must give the manager another reminder. If the manager still is unable to make a decision, employees will have to repeat the above steps, starting with the reasons the manager needs to make the deci-

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sion. Once the decision is made, summarizing the agreement is the last step for employees to take. Employee:

When will you have a decision?

Manager:

I've got to have at least a week to think about it.

Employee:

So, next Friday?

Manager:

Okay, next Friday. (next Friday)

Employee:

Hey Dave, what's your decision on the shirts?

Manager:

Oh gosh! You've got the memory of an elephant. Don't you ever forget anything? Go ahead and order them, but I can't go with the striped shirt. Let's order solid green shirts with white logos.

Employee:

Okay, I'll order 150 of the high quahty green shirts with the small white logo from Unique Shirts. That's great.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR THE DECISION Once the manager has made the decision, employees should definitely give positive reinforcement. A lot of positive reinforcement should be given for an immediate decision. For making a decision after a period of time, even though it took the manager an indeterminate amount of time to make the decision, employees should still reward the manager with positive reinforcement for making the decision. Employee:

Thanks a lot for making this decision. That's one less decision we will have to make during that last month.

SUMMARY Getting decisions faster and more timely can bring out an employee's persistent personality. The key here is to persist subtly but relentlessly, yet not seem too pushy. Having a scheme to follow will make the job easier. The following steps can put employees on the p a t h for getting faster and more timely decisions.


Getting Faster Decisions i

1. Prepare to help the manger. •

Determine why the manager does not make faster decisions.

•

Set a goal to get a timely decision.

•

Gather all information the manager needs to decide.

•

Identify objections the manager may have.

•

Decide how to overcome each objection.

•

Schedule a meeting with the manager.

2. Tell the manager the nature of the decision to be made. • Indicate what the decision is and why it has to be made. • State when it has to be made and why. 3.

;

Give the manager the information needed to make the decision. •

State the goal of the decision and any constraints in making it.

•

Present the options and the pros and cons of each.

•

Stress the benefits of the preferred option.

•


•

Recommend how the decision should be made.

4. Ask the manager for a decision. •

Summarize the reasons for making the decision now.

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•

Ask for a decision now.

•

If no decision, point out the danger of waiting.

•

Ask again for the decision.

•

If no decision, identify what part of the decision is causing a delay and go for a decision on that part.

•

If no decision, agree on a time the decision will be made.

•

Follow up to be sure the decision is made.

5. Give positive reinforcement for the decision.

31 Dealing with Managers Who Decide too Fast Employees sometimes work for managers who make decisions too fast. This often results in poor decisions t h a t everyone must live with, or the manager later decides to reverse the decision in an attempt to correct it. Either way, employees suffer the brunt of the impact. This is frustrating to the employees, but it need not be because there is something they can do about it. And it all begins with preparing to prevent it.

GET READY TO HELP THE MANAGER Changing a manager's decision-making habits is difficult. Understanding why the manager is impulsive when it comes to making a decision might be impossible. However, helping the manager change is possible. Before managers can change, employees need to identify the reasons why a decision should be made more slowly. Employees should be instructed to think through everything t h a t must be done to reach a good decision, and then plan a sales pitch for the manager not to make a hasty decision. With the plan in mind, employees will want to arrange a meeting with their manager at a time when the manager is most easily influenced. Employees must remember t h a t knowing the

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manager's personal calendar (or most influential time) is essential in successfully getting what is wanted. Employee:

(to self) If the assignments to the staff are made only once instead of hastily deciding who is to do what and then changing them a dozen times, the staff will not get so upset and the overall morale will be greatly enhanced. Also, laying out a logical flow of assignments will improve our efficiency and cut down on wasted travel from job to job. Not only will this make us more efficient but will save on travel expenses.

Employee:

Susan, I'd like to meet with you on Tuesday morning regarding our scheduling assignments.

Manager:

That would be fine. How about the conference room at 10?

Employee:

I'll see you at 10.

GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE DECISION At the beginning of the meeting, employees need to state the nature of the decision. Perhaps it is to make a decision on the budget, or to decide on the work assignments for the day. The next step for employees is to indicate why the decision must be made. Perhaps it is to reduce the cost, improve the quality, regain market share, or improve motivation and performance. Employee:

Susan, I'd like to talk to you about a scheduling problem. Frequently our schedules get changed many times before we go to a job. This is beginning to get to me and my co-workers. Not knowing from one job to the next where we will be going next makes it very difficult to plan our weekly work schedule. It also is beginning to affect morale. It would be beneficial to us if you would not tell us we are going on a job until you are sure. This would not have us thinking about a certain job only to get switched to another. I know that sometimes this is unavoidable, but what I'm talking about is the 80 percent of the switches that are avoidable if the job assignments were not made so hastily.

STRESS THE NEED FOR CAREFULLY MAKING THE DECISION Managers pay particular attention to the importance of the decision in terms of cost and profit. Dollar signs draw instant attention. Other points of importance such as risk, far-reaching consequences, widespread impact, or long-term influence also need to be emphasized by


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employees. The direct impact of a good decision versus a bad decision on the department can clearly show managers how it affects them personally. Employees should also present decision issues t h a t require careful and thorough analysis. It is most important to show managers t h a t much of the information needed to make the decision is not available at present and, therefore, care must be taken to secure it before rushing into a hasty decision. Employee:

If everyone knows that when they are assigned a job it is unlikely that they will be switched to another one, they will feel like they are in control and therefore will have a tendency to work harder. However, if they are constantly switched to another job their attitude tends to change to "who cares." By waiting until you are sure that the job is the one you want the employee to work on, you will get better performance and a happier group of employees. By making the assignments later you will be aware of the current pressures at hand and will be able to decide which job is more urgent.

DEVELOP A PLAN FOR REACHING A FINAL DECISION The main element of the plan is for employees to identify the needed information in order for the manager to make a good decision. Next, employees must determine how, when, and where to get the information. Once the information has been obtained, a decision on how it is to be processed and analyzed must be made. Last, the employee and manager must agree on a timetable for everything to happen. Employee:

Oftentimes you get last-minute calls from our clients wanting our services immediately. I think that too often you are unduly influenced by the client. By always being able to handle their every demand we appear to have nothing to do but wait their call. If you could tell them that we can't handle it today because we're all scheduled for the next three days, they would be impressed by the demand for our services by others and frequently would be willing to wait. Waiting to schedule the staff would allow you to handle some of the last-minute emergencies while not having to switch the staff from some other job.

AGREE ON THE EARLIEST/LATEST DATES FOR MAKING THE DECISION To ensure that a manager does not make a hasty decision, employees must give reasons for not making the decision sooner t h a n a certain

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date. Emphasizing this point is important because it is the key to slowing down the manager's natural tendency to jump to the decision prematurely, even when all the needed information is not available. Also, employees need to give the reasons for not making the decision later t h a n a certain date. Some managers may have a tendency to want to set the date earher. Then both parties must reach an agreement on the earliest/latest date to make the decision and get a commitment to adhere to this timetable. Employee:

This is not a situation where we can agree on the exact date something is going to be done, but if you could delay the job assignment until you were reasonably sure of the job, then it would be helpful to our employees. How does this sound to you?

Manager:

It's not always feasible to make job assignments with 100 percent certainty, but I could improve on what has been done in the past. Our employees need to realize that sometimes things come up necessitating a last minute switch.

Employee:

We understand that.

SUMMARIZE WHAT IS TO HAPPEN Summarizing everything t h a t is to take place before a decision is to be made will go a long way in cementing the fact t h a t this decision will be made with the proper amount of facts and at the right time. Therefore, the last step for employees to take is to summarize what information is needed; how, when, and where it is to be obtained; and who is responsible for getting it. It may be wise to remind managers of the timetable for everything and the earliestAatest date at which the final decision will take place. Employee:

Let me summarize what we have agreed upon. You are going to delay assignments to avoid having to frequently switch us to other jobs and we are going to be tolerant of those times you do have to switch us.

Manager:

You got it.

Employee:

Thanks for letting me ventilate. It's great working for a manager you can talk to. I know you can and will do a good job on this.


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GIVE ENCOURAGMENT FOR WHAT IS TO HAPPEN

Employees should end the meeting with encouragement and a statement of confidence in the manager's ability to make another good decision. SUMMARY

Getting the manager to make slower decisions takes a skillful approach. The following steps are essential for employees to aid their manager in making more informed and slower decisions.

Dealing with Managers Who Decide too Fast 1. Get ready to help the manager. •

Identify the reasons why the decision should be made more slowly.

•

Think through everything that must be done for a good decision.

•

Plan a sales pitch for the manager not to make a hasty decision.

•

Set a meeting with the manager.

2. Give an overview of the decision. •

State the nature of the decision.

•

Indicate why the decision must be made.

3. Stress the need for carefully making the decision. •

Indicate the importance relative to cost and profit and other relevant factors.

•

Indicate additional information that must be obtained.

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4. Develop a plan for reaching a final decision. •

Identify the needed information.

•

Decide how, when, and where to get needed information.

•

Decide how the information will be possessed and analyzed.

•

Agree on a timetable.

5. Agree on earliest/latest dates for making the decision. •

Give reasons for not making the decision sooner than a certain date, or later.

6. Summarize what is to happen. 7. Give encouragement for what is to happen.

32 Communicating Successes Managers want to know what is going on. 1 And they like to know about the successes of their employees. 2 However, managers are limited in their ability to always know what is going on because they are very busy and can neither observe nor track everything t h a t is happening with all of their employees. Employees are the best source of information for managers, particularly when it comes to communicating successes, and t h a t is why many managers rely on their employees to keep them informed. Employees should communicate their achievements upward to their manager. 3 This is a responsibility t h a t employees should not take lightly. Employees sometimes need to be reminded t h a t their successes may well go unnoticed if they are not willing to report them. The question is this: What is a good and acceptable way to communicate successes?

INTRODUCE THE SITUATION Employees should start by simply telling their manager what they want to talk about and indicate why they want to discuss it. While there are a number of possible reasons for communicating a success to the manager, an acceptable one is simply to keep the manager informed

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and up to date. This gives employees a legitimate reason to inform the manager of a success without appearing to be unduly bragging. Employee:

Jim, I wanted to bring you up to date on the feasibility of expanding the company into the retail market to widen our base from strictly a manufacturing company. The reason I wanted to discuss this with you is that I told you that I'd keep you informed and I wanted you to be the first to know how I'm progressing. If anyone else asks you about the project, I know you'd want to know where things stand. I also know that you don't like any surprises.

GIVE BACKGROUND INFORMATION Managers find it helpful to know any relevant background information. Employees should trace events up to the present. This could include how things got started and the reasons for working on it. Tracing the key events t h a t have led to success thus far will help the manager see the full picture. Then it is important to indicate the targeted outcomes t h a t hopefully will be achieved. Employee:

I initially thought of the possibility of expanding into the retail market when I became aware of the poor job the retailers were doing in representing our product. This was a little over a year ago. After a rough preliminary and cursory look at what was being done, I asked your permission to conduct an in-depth study which you granted a little over four and a half months ago. Initially, I had hoped the results would be positive, but I never imagined that they would look as good as they do.

TELL ABOUT THE SUCCESS To avoid coming across as tooting their own horns, employees should simply state the accomplishments to date, sticking strictly to the facts. Then, they should go on to talk about how the manager really make it all possible. Of course, employees need to give credit to others who have helped and factually state what they have been able to accomphsh. Employee:

Well, I'm happy to report that things are looking good. The early figures indicate that there is definitely room for us to move into the retail market and there appears to be an excellent opportunity for us to make a sizable profit. This all came about because of your insight, but I'll talk more about that in


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a minute. Janet deserves special credit for obtaining a great amount of the competition's sales and profit data. Without her work, we would not be so sure that this market is as good as it looks. My initial figures indicate that in the first year one store would lose $110,000. In the second year, that loss should be reduced to $17,000, and in year three we should make a profit of $53,000. In year four, we should clear $150,000 and from the fifth year on we should make $250,000 plus. DISCUSS ANY NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SUCCESS Oftentimes every aspect of what employees are doing is not as perfect as they would hke it to be. When t h a t is the case, the manager needs to know. Simply state the negative aspects and indicate the implications. Then the best policy is for employees to prepare for what they feel is the best way to handle the negatives. Next, the employee should ask for the manager's opinion and then jointly agree on the solution and the plan of action. Employee:

Manager:

Employee:

There is one hitch in the progress to date. Our primary location on Fifth Avenue is completely leased. I guess there is a good side to this in that it appears that our research was in a good market as there are a lot of other businesses that think this is an ideal location. I take complete responsibility for not realizing that the center might fill as rapidly as it did. The other centers did not fill that fast and I never thought that this one would fill so rapidly. While our study isn't as complete as I would like it to be, I think we should take an option on our secondary location on Tenth Avenue. With Fifth Avenue completely leased, there is a strong possibility that the Tenth Avenue location will go fast. What do you think? I would tend to think that we ought not panic and rush into the Tenth Avenue before the study is entirely complete. Something might still come up that could change our minds, or the Fifth Avenue location might reopen and we'd be stuck on Tenth Avenue when there was a better choice. Okay. I agree. I'll push on to wrap up the remaining parts of the study while keeping an eye on the Fifth Avenue location.

ITEMIZE THE POSITIVE RESULTS OF THE SUCCESS Employees should summarize the positive results from the success in terms of what it means to the organization, the department, and par-

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ticularly the manager. After stating these results, the manager's reaction needs to be obtained. Employee:

The opportunity to enter the retail market and be making a profit in just the third year is phenomenal. It should provide the basis for us to expand to many retail outlets and in a short time become a retail leader much like we are at present in manufacturing. This should expand our department greatly and lead to your being promoted to vice president. I see that as a real possibihty and a deserved promotion for you. I hope that I will be able to play a significant role in this new endeavor. What is your reaction to the initial figures?

GIVE CREDIT FOR THE SUCCESS TO THE MANAGER Many employees fear that if they give credit to someone, the credit is gone and, therefore, they will not receive any credit, when in fact the opposite is true. This is one of those situations where employees can give the credit to their manager and at the same time receive the credit they deserve. The manager still knows that the employee is the one who accomphshed the task. Credit can be given to the manager for insight, advice, information, and contacts. By giving credit for any portion of help that is given, the employee is reinforcing the manager's helping behavior and increasing the likelihood that help will be given again. Employee:

The real credit for the profit belongs to you for allowing me to proceed with it. Without your initial approval and your insight and advice along the way it would not have been possible. The contacts you provided, especially Joe Hanson, proved invaluable.

THANK THE MANAGER FOR MAKING THE SUCCESS POSSIBLE Thanking the manager serves two purposes. It demonstrates appreciation and it acts as a reinforcer to motivate the manager to repeat this or a similar behavior in the future. There are many aspects of the task for which to thank managers. A few examples are assignment of tasks, giving authority, providing resources, having confidence in the employee, helping, supporting, encouraging, and giving the employee the opportunity to perform. An effective means of thanking involves three steps: clearly state the behavior deserving the praise, share feelings, and give the verbal praise. The middle step is especially important, as it lets managers know just how much it means to the employee.


Employee:

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Thanks for asking me to handle the feasibihty of expanding our product into the retail market. Your confidence and support make me feel that you trust my judgment and abihty. This encourages me and makes me feel good as one of my goals is to move up in the company to more responsible positions. Doing a project hke this both expands my experience base and lets me demonstrate my desire and ability. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Employees must have a special abihty to let the manager know how well they are doing without actually bragging. That abihty is enhanced by following a series of practical steps.

Communicating Successes 1.

2.

3.

4.

Introduce the situation. •

Indicate what is to be discussed.

•

Indicate why it is to be discussed. (A good reason is to keep the manager up to date.)

Give background information. •

Trace events to the present.

•

Indicate targeted outcomes.

Tell about the success. •

Objectively state accomphshments.

•

Give credit to the manager.

•

Give credit to others also, if appropriate.

Discuss any negative consequences of the success. •

State the negatives.

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5.


•

Indicate the imphcations.

•

Propose a way to deal with the negatives.

•

Get the manager's opinion.

•

Agree on a solution. Itemize the positive results of the success. •

Summarize the positive results, particularly in terms of the manager.

•


6.

Give credit for the success to the manager.

7.

Thank the manager for making the success possible. •

State the behavior deserving praise.

•

Share feelings.

•

Give verbal praise.

NOTES 1. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 57. 2. Andrew Dubrin, Winning Office Politics (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990), p. 63. 3. Leshe W. Rue and Lloyd L. Byars, Management Skills and Application, 7th ed. (Chicago: Irwin, 1995), p. 90.

33 Communicating Failures When it comes to communicating upward, employees need to prepare themselves for the unwelcome task of meeting with their manager after something has gone wrong with an assignment. One of the most difficult but essential skills employees need to learn is how to communicate a failure, error, or mistake to their manager. Employees dread those times when they really mess up, when they have misjudged a client and lost the sale, made a poor decision, gave someone the wrong information unintentionally, or got distracted and missed an essential step in a process. Familiar expressions are heard, such as, "Oh, I can't beheve I was t h a t stupid!" or "Just when I thought I had it all figured out!" or "Wait till my manager hears about this!" or "I wonder how I can keep my supervisor from finding out what I did." Employees will acknowledge t h a t when they make a big mistake, often their first reaction is to run and hide, cover it up, deny it, minimize it, blame someone else, avoid the manager, or try to figure out a way of keeping the manager from knowing about it.1 However, managers want to know what is going on, 2 and they particularly need to know about failures and unresolved problems. 3 This is especially important because every manager gets inquiries from above about the status of problems and failures. Managers often feel they have to have all the answers, 4 especially when deahng with those above

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them. This is one of the main reasons upward communication by employees is very important to managers. Most managers know that their employees will sooner or later make a poor call, miss an essential step, forget an important meeting, cut a corner at the wrong time, misjudge the facts, or fail to collect all the important details before making a decision. The best approach for employees to take is to communicate the failure immediately to their manager. Needless to say, doing this in the right way is important, very important. Imagine the following situation that happened in a manufacturing plant near the final stage of the process where the products were being packaged and wrapped in cellophane. The wrapper plate on the packaging machine had developed a crack. Completing the Kogler job on time was important, so Jerry made the decision to drill two holes in the wrapper plate on either side of the crack and secure it to the frame with two half-inch bolts. After the bolts were tightened, Jerry remembers saying to himself, "Those bolts should hold the plate until we finish the Kogler job. Then we can pull the plate and send it down to the machine shop and have them either weld it or make a new plate." One hour later, with the Kogler job half done, the machine had to be shut off because the wrapper plate had broken in two and the largest piece of the plate unfortunately had fallen down into the machine (instead of harmlessly to the floor) and stripped a number of cogs off the main gear drive, seriously damaging it. Jerry's next "joy" for the day was to inform his supervisor what had happened. Although Jerry wished the day had never begun, hoped that it was all just a bad dream, and wanted to keep knowledge of his mistake from his supervisor, he realized none of these were rational possibilities. The reality was quite different. Here is the principle that should guide any employee who has made a mistake or caused a problem at work: report failures quickly. Since managers learn about failures sooner or later in one way or another, employees benefit when they take the initiative to make sure their manager hears about failures first from them. This way employees can give their version of what happened and give it in the way they would like their manager to understand the situation, rather than letting the manager hear it first from someone else with their version of what happened and why. This principle can be successfully carried out by using the following step-by-step approach. INTRODUCE THE PROBLEM Employees should bring up the problem immediately upon meeting


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with the manager, without any buildup or dancing around the subject. Employees should be encouraged to communicate their failures to the manager directly, indicating what it is they want to talk about and why they want to discuss it. To introduce a problem, here are a few samples of what employees can say when they are reporting a problem. •

"Things haven't worked out like I had hoped."

•

"I thought you needed to know about this problem."

•

"You asked me to report back to you as soon as possible if things didn't go well."

•

"I wanted you to be the first to know."

•

"I wanted you to know what happened as soon as possible."

It is good to state the problem from the manager's point of view. The manager needs to see the problem in terms of the impact on the manager's area and the goals for which the manager is responsible. Here are a few sample ways to state the problem for the manager. •

"We are not going to make the shipping date on the Kogler job."

•

"We packaged half of the Kogler job and the packaging machine is broken."

•

"Half of the Kogler job is done, but because of breakdowns we can't finish the job here for at least two weeks."

Here is the way Jerry might introduce the problem to his manager: Employee:

Things haven't worked out like I had hoped and I thought you needed to know that we are not going to make the shipping date on the Kogler job.

GIVE BACKGROUND INFORMATION Employees should be reminded that giving background information does not mean telling about the failure, it means telling what led up to the failure, such as when the situation began, when the employee first noticed a problem, how the employee thought about resolving it, what steps were taken, and what the employee expected would result from this intervention.

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We started setting up for the Kogler job yesterday and actually started the production run this morning. A little past noon, Tom indicated that the wrapping machine was vibrating more than normal. When we stopped the machine to look, we found that the wrapper plate had a crack in it. Knowing how important it was to get the Kogler job shipped on time, we decided that we could drill two half-inch holes in the wrapper plate and bolt it to the frame. We thought that would secure the plate and allow us to complete the run. After the run, we planned to remove the cracked plate and send it down to the machine shop so they could weld it or else make a new plate.

TELL ABOUT THE FAILURE In describing the actual failure, employees should be reminded how important it is to speak simply and honestly, sticking to the facts. In telling about the failure, employees should state specific outcomes, point out key events leading to the failure, succinctly describe the actual failure, identify the impact of the failure, and get the manager's reaction. Employee:

Our whole decision revolved around shipping the Kogler job out on time. About one hour after we had the machine back up and running, the wrapper plate broke in two. If that wasn't enough, one half of it fell into the main drive gear, stripping off three or four cogs and ruining the gear. As it stands now, the shipment will not go out on time. (Then silently wait for the manager's reaction.)

Manager:

We surely didn't need that to happen, especially on the Kogler job. When will we be able to resume production?

DISCUSS RESOLVING THE FAILURE At this point in the discussion, it is important for employees to indicate what they have done to minimize the impact of the mistake and indicate what else they plan to do. This is very important and smart employees bring solutions, not problems, to their manager. 5 Next employees will want to get the manager's reaction to their ideas, ask for any suggestions the manager may have, add other suggestions of their own, jointly agree on what further actions will be taken, and summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee:

Let me tell you what I know so far. I've checked with the machine shop and they've looked at the wrapper plate. They say


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it can't be welded and ground down, but has to be remade. They say they could have a new plate back on the machine in two days. They also said the main gear is destroyed beyond repair and we'll have to purchase a new one. I found out it will have to be ordered from Chicago, and they are talking about a two-week delivery date. I'm going to check into the possibly of air freighting another gear to minimize the delay. I also plan to notify Kogler with the date we would be able to ship as soon as I have all the details worked out. What do you think our next steps should be? The manager will usually bring a different perspective to the problem and be aware of possible alternatives the employee does not know about or has not thought of. Manager:

Air freighting the main gear won't do us any good. You need to call each of our competitors in the area and determine which one can subcontract this order in the shortest possible time. If one of them can do it immediately, I would disregard what they charge us for the job, since servicing Kogler and keeping their good will is more important than the extra dollars it will cost us. Then, call Kogler and tell them when we can ship.

From the new perspective brought in by the manager, the employee might add an idea or insight to the picture. Employee:

How about telling Kogler we can send them slightly over half their order on time and then shipping out what we've already packaged? Maybe that will carry them and allow us to get the remainder to them in the near future without causing them any problems or real delay.

Manager:

Sounds good. Go ahead. See if Kogler will agree to that.

At this point it is wise for employees to summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee:

Okay. Let me make sure I understand this. I'm going to scrap the idea of air freighting the main drive gear. I'm going to contact our competitors in the area and determine which one of them can complete the job for us in the shortest possible time, disregarding cost. Then I will notify Kogler, explain to them our problem, tell them we are shipping over half their order, and indicate when we can ship the remaining part of the order.

Manager:

That sums it up. Good luck.

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Employee:

Thanks. I'll need it.

After this most employees would breathe a sigh of rehef and leave. However, they need to learn not to r u n away, but to stay with the manager and carry out a few more essential steps in the process of communicating failure. ACKNOWLEDGE RESPONSIBILITY Oftentimes employees are tempted to look outside themselves for a locus of blame, but frequently the origin of responsibility for the failure lies close to home. Blaming the mistake on something or someone else is a temptation which is resisted by successful people. Instead, employees should acknowledge responsibility for the failure, point out what was done right, acknowledge what was done wrong, state what was learned from the process, and say what will be done differently to prevent problems from happening in the future. The latter point is import a n t because managers want to have employees who help prevent mistakes. 6 Employee:

I have been saying "we" throughout this discussion, referring to Tom and myself, but I want you to know that the decision to bolt the plate to the frame was mine, and I accept full responsibility for the disastrous results. While hindsight proves differently, I feel I was right in trying to temporarily keep the machine running to get the Kogler job out. Where I feel I made the biggest blunder was to wait so long to start the job. If we had started it last week, I probably wouldn't have needed to bolt the plate, but rather I could have stopped production and had it fixed correctly so we could have produced the order entirely ourselves and shipped it on time. I guess I have learned that I should have worked the crew some overtime the last two weeks to stay ahead of last-minute production runs, and then I wouldn't have found myself in such a predicament. From now on, I'm going to pay closer attention to the entire production schedule and give myself leeway for breakdowns like this.

NOTE POSITIVE RESULTS OF FAILURE Fortunately, there is no mistake so bad t h a t nothing positive comes from it. Managers appreciate it when employees show t h a t they can find a silver lining in a dark cloud. Challenging employees to find posi-


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tive results in the problem-solving process forces them to think rationally and positively on behalf of the organization, their department, their manager and themselves. After noting any positive results, employees may want to end by asking the manager for a response to what they have said. Employee:

I guess that if there is a positive side to this situation it would be that we got started on the Kogler job and were able to get slightly over half the job completed before the machine broke down. At least we were able to prove to them that we had every intention of completing it on time. We also will be able to demonstrate to them our desire to provide them with the best service possible by making two shipments so they won't be inconvenienced, even though it puts a hardship on us. What do you think? Is there anything else we can or should do?

Manager:

Jerry, I think you have covered it. The main thing we want to be sure to convey to Kogler is that this is our mistake and that we are willing to do anything not to inconvenience them.

SUMMARIZE KEY POINTS A complete summary of key points is needed at this point and employees will want to briefly review essential steps to be taken, reiterate responsibility for the failure, and indicate how things will be handled differently in the future. Employee:

Let me go over this one more time to make sure I've got everything. First, I'm going to call our competitors to determine which of them can complete the production run for us in the shortest amount of time, ignoring for the most part the cost to us. Of course, I won't take a ridiculous bid, but the emphasis will be on delivery date more than price. I'll strive to keep the cost as low as I can here. With this information in hand, I'll call Kogler and inform them of our mishap and indicate that we're shipping a httle over half of their order today and the balance will be delivered to them by the date I determine from my phone calls. Throughout my conversation with Kogler, I will stress my concern for any inconvenience we may have caused them. I will order the main drive gear from Chicago and have it shipped by truck. When it and the new wrapper plates are here, I'll see that they get installed. My goal in the future will be to take a more global view of the production scheduling. Instead of looking at this process

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as a project-by-project sequence, I'm going to view it as a continuous flow of production, with different parts of the flow being sent to different customers. This will cause me to develop a broader perspective and to do a better job coordinating the production schedule in the future.

THANK THE MANAGER Gratitude is always a good way to close a meeting, especially when the meeting has been about communicating a failure. Employees are encouraged to understand that it always helps to end a meeting by thanking their manager for a variety of things, such as for discussing the failure in an understanding way, for helping solve the problem, for giving them responsibility even when it means that occasionally they might fail, for allowing them to learn from their failure, and for helping them become a more effective employee in the future. It is always good pohcy to tell managers how important their support and encouragement is. Here is how Jerry might bring closure to the meeting with his manager. Employee:

Thanks a lot for discussing this with me. I feel much better than when I first came in here. Also thanks for letting me fail and learn from my mistakes. I can assure you that the production schedule will show a vast improvement from now on. Your understanding, support, encouragement, and help are very much appreciated.

Manager:

You're welcome. I think we all learned a lot from this experience.

SUMMARY Communicating failures to the manager is a necessary evil that occasionally raises its ugly head, but it need not be a bad experience if it is carried out rationally and with proper skill. It is important for employees to learn to communicate failures to their manager in the best possible hght. Such a skill is very useful to any employee and is an essential part of successful upward communication. Showing employees how to follow this eight-step procedure will ensure that failures are communicated properly.


Communicating Failures 1. Introduce the problem.

2.

3.

4.

•

Indicate what is to be discussed and why.

•

State the problem from the manager's point of view.

Give background information. •

Indicate when the situation started.

•

Indicate when the problem was first noticed.

•

Indicate initial thoughts for solving it.

•

Indicate steps taken to solve it.

•

Indicate expected results.

Tell about the failure. •

State specific outcomes.

•

Point out key events leading to the failure.

•

Succinctly describe the actual failure.

•

Identify the impact of the failure.

•


Discuss resolving the failure. •

Indicate what has been done to minimize the impact.

•

Indicate other steps to be taken.

•


•

Ask the manager for suggestions.

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•

Add other ideas.

•

Jointly agree on what else to do.

•

Summarize action agreed upon.

5. Acknowledge responsibility. •

Acknowledge responsibility for the failure.

•

Point out what was done right.

•

Acknowledge what was done wrong.

•

State what was learned from the process.

•

Say what will be done differently to prevent problems from happening in the future.

6. Note positive results of the failure. 7. Summarize key points. 8. Thank the manager.

NOTES 1. Michael Glauser, "Upward Information Flow in Organizations: Review and Conceptual Analysis," Human Relations (August 1984), pp. 613-644. 2. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 57. 3. Leshe W. Rue and Lloyd L. Byars, Management Skills and Application, 7th ed. (Chicago: Irwin, 1995), p. 90. 4. Hegarty, How To Manage Your Boss, p. 57. 5. Robert M. Hochh Eiser, How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987), p. 138. 6. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 98.

34 Responding to Change Organizations are filled with examples of how employees resist change. It is human nature to resist change,1 to fearfully avoid the unknown and cling to the familiar even when the change is something desired. But being alive and working means experiencing change.2 However, employees often take the position that it is better to stay with something that is not as good as they would hke than to launch into the unknown even when it promises to improve things. While organizations are changing rapidly now and will change even faster in the future, many employees simply are reluctant to prepare for it and instead resist it. While there are many reasons why employees resist change,3 and even though managers have many ways to overcome resistance to change,4 ultimately it is the responsibility of each employee to respond to change in a suitable way. Managers want people who can adapt to changing situations. 5 Employees need to be encouraged not to run from change,6 but to prepare for it and respond appropriately. There are a few critical steps employees may want to get a handle on so they will know how to respond to change.

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PREPARE MENTALLY FOR THE CHANGE When change is forthcoming, employees have a choice of either responding positively to the change or fighting it. In making this choice employees will find it helpful to understand the consequences of resisting change. When it comes to change, employees need to be reminded that causing trouble is asking for trouble, and in many instances employees get hurt. Acting up may cause the manager to give the good assignment intended for one employee to someone else. Or perhaps trouble-causing employees will be put on the downsizing list where initially their names did not appear. Alternatively, employees should be encouraged to think about the benefits of responding positively to change. Being positive seldom in and of itself hurts. It will not cause employees to get a worse deal. In fact, it may help. Being positive usually does. It helps employees keep a good situation that may already be planned for them and may be instrumental in getting them a better deal than originally planned. Employees should at least approach change with a wait-and-see attitude. Instead of jumping to negative conclusions, they need to wait and see what transpires rather than making up their mind as to what is going to happen and then behaving in a manner that is either conducive to or actually causes the self-fulfilling prophecy to occur. It is best to approach change with a positive attitude. Employees would do well to believe the following when faced with change: (1) change is not necessarily bad, (2) it is better to join them than to fight them, (3) it is possible to convert adversity into an advantage, (4) a lot of people benefit from change, and (5) change is what people make it. GATHER ACCURATE INFORMATION

Here is a rule for employees to live by: listen to rumors, but do not believe them. Employees who handle change best seek out informed people and listen carefully regarding what they know rather than turning to those who start or pass on rumors. For accurate information, employees should wait for official announcements. Listening carefully to what is said, the way it is said, and what is not said is very important when gathering information. Another way for employees to obtain accurate information is to ask questions of informed officials. However, believing everything said may be a mistake. Even officials who should be in the know will have incorrect or incomplete information at times. Employees must remember to take a wait-and-see attitude and resist the temptation to draw conclusions too soon.


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INTERPRET THE CHANGE OBJECTIVELY Employees should objectively state the change that is taking place. To do this, it is important for employees to interpret information in an objective manner. This means employees should put all the pieces together using information from all sources, rely more on credible sources and less on what they want to believe or on the way they feel things should be. Employee 1: (to self) The company is beginning to have financial trouble. Employee 2: (to self) There is a push for more computer utilization. Employee 3: (to self) A new salesperson is being added. Employees should also be encouraged to objectively state what the change does not mean. This helps employees get a more objective view while at the same time disposes of negative thoughts. This is accomplished by simply indicating what the change does not mean in a manner t h a t adds a finality to it. Employee 1: (to self) Having financial trouble does not mean everybody will get laid off. Employee 2: (to self) More computer utilization doesn't mean everything about my job will change. It also doesn't mean that I won't be able to do my job effectively. Employee 3: (to self) Adding a new salesperson doesn't mean I've done a poor job in my sales territory, nor does it mean that this person is being hired to replace me. Finally, employees should objectively state what the change does mean. This is a very important step. The key to successfully making this step work is to keep it simple and merely state matter-of-factly what will transpire. Employee 1: (to self) Having financial trouble does means that some people may lose their jobs. Employee 2: (to self) More computer utilization does mean that the parts of my job that can be computerized will change. Employee 3: (to self) Adding a new salesperson simply means that I may have to give up a part of my territory.

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GET READY TO CHANGE

The next step in responding to change is for employees to decide what they want and where they want to be when the dust settles and start making it happen. For example, employees may need to decide the kinds of additional work assignments that would be in their best interest during the change. Also, they may find it helpful to identify new skills they will need during and after the change and start developing them. They may even want to do a lot of voluntary overtime work when necessary. PARTICIPATE IN THE CHANGE Employees should participate in the change by figuring out ways they can help with the change, like determining the things they can do to assist with the change. Little things that will help with the change are, for example, stopping rumors, helping reduce fear of change in others, encouraging others to be optimistic and positive, being supportive of the change, encouraging others not to jump to conclusions. Employees also will want to determine those things that they can do that would have a major impact on implementing the change, such as getting involved in planning the change, participating in decisions, doing studies, and coming up with ideas, suggestions, and recommendations. This means that employees must meet with their manager and offer to help with the change. Again, they should think of ways they can help and reach an agreement with their manager on what they will do. Employee 1: Jill, I'd like to be involved in the decisions affecting our forthcoming layoff. I thought I could work on gathering some statistics and putting together a report. Manager:

I could sure use some help, especially with all the fears and the jockeying for positions that appear to be going on.

Employee 2: George, I'm excited about the parts of my job that potentially can be computerized. I'd like to play a role in making the decisions as to what actually will be computerized, and how this can make us all more effective. Manager:

It's a joy to see a healthy attitude about the greater involvement with the computer. So many of your peers are spending their efforts fighting the computer rather than seeing how it will work for them. It's a relief to have some of you to work with.

Employee 3: With your permission I'd like to develop a list of accounts that I feel would be good to split off and give to the new salesper-

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son. I've thought of a couple of criteria that I could use in selecting some suitable accounts. First would be to choose those that would be geographically close to one another to reduce travel time. With a couple of my accounts I've not been able to develop the volume that I'd like. Perhaps a fresh approach or a new personality would allow us to sell them more. Manager:

That sounds great but I wouldn't want you just to dump your weak accounts on the new salesperson so you would be rid of your bad accounts and spend time on your good accounts. This would not be fair to the new person.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TO THE MANAGER As always, employees will find it beneficial to give positive reinforcement to their manager for letting them participate in the change, listening to their input, accepting their work, giving them encouragement and support, and for being understanding. Employee:

Thanks a lot for allowing me to participate in the change. It makes me feel accepted and a valuable part of the organization when I can be involved and some of my suggestions are implemented. And that in turn makes me want to try even harder. Thanks a million.

SUMMARY Change is constant and is something all employees have to contend with numerous times in their work lives. To make change work for rather t h a n against employees, they merely need to follow the steps presented here.

Responding to Change 1. Prepare mentally for the change. •

Understand the consequences of resisting change.

•

Recognize the benefits of responding to change positively.

•

Approach change with a wait-and-see attitude.

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•

2. Gather accurate information. •

Seek out informed people.

•

Wait for official announcements.

•

Ask questions of informed officials.

•

Resist the temptation to draw conclusions too soon.

3. Interpret the change objectively. •

Objectively state the change t h a t is taking place.

•

Objectively state what the change does not mean.

•

Objectively state what the change does mean.

4. Get ready to change. •

Decide what is wanted, where to be.

•

Develop skills to get there.

5. Participate in the change. •

Figure out ways to help with the change.

•

Determine how to have a major impact.

•

Offer to help.

•

Agree on ways to help.


NOTES 1. Anne B. Fisher, "Making Change Stick," Fortune (April 17, 1995), pp. 121-130.


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2. Ichak Adizes, Mastering Change: The Power of Mutual Trust and Respect in Personal Life, Family Life, Business and Society (Santa Monica, Calif.: Adizes Institute, 1991), p. 6. 3. John P. Kotter and Leonard A. Schlessinger, "Choosing Strategies for Change," Harvard Business Review (March-April 1979), pp. 106-116; George S. Odiorne, "The Change Resisters," Personnel Administrator, 26 (January 1981), pp. 57-62; Jeffery Goldstein, "A Far-from-Equahbrium Systems Approach to Resistance to Change," Organizational Dynamics, 16 (Autumn 1988), pp. 16-26; and Larry E. Greiner, "Resistance to Change During Restructuring," Journal of Management Inquiry, 1 (March 1992), pp. 61-65. 4. H. B. Karp, "A Positive Approach to Resistance," in J. William Pfeiffer, ed., The 1988 Annual: Developing Human Resources (San Diego: University Associates, 1988), pp. 143-146. 5. David Lamb, "Class of 1993 Faces up to a New Corporate America," Los Angeles Times (June 1, 1993), p. A13. 6. Roger Fritz, How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994), p. 154.

35 How to Receive Feedback It is the responsibility of every manager to give employees feedback and the responsibihty of every employee to receive it. Constructive feedback spells out what employees can do to improve themselves, 1 while positive feedback indicates acceptable behavior t h a t employees should continue. Most employees do not have difficulty receiving positive feedback, but receiving feedback t h a t is negative can be problematic. 2 Employees should be reminded t h a t the way they react to feedback influences how much feedback they will receive in the future. 3 Because feedback can be quite valuable to employees, receiving it the right way is important. Regardless of the value of feedback from the manager, employees often anticipate the worst and dread those occasions when feedback is forthcoming. The h e a r t beats a httle faster, the blood runs through the veins quicker, and the body, under stress, reacts for a potential upcoming battle. Manager:

Can I talk with you for a minute about the printing press breaking down yesterday.

Employee:

(to self) Oh No! I knew this was coming. I've dreaded those exact words. I've played them over and over in my head a hundred times since the press broke down late yesterday. I'm


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going to catch it now. I wonder what kind of a reason or excuse he'll accept to get me out of this jam. Employees need to realize receiving feedback does not have to be a stressful interaction with the manager. One responsibility managers have is to see t h a t output is maintained, that operations function smoothly, and t h a t customers are satisfied. Yet another, and equally important, responsibility is to develop employees and the other staff to improve in the future. One important way of doing this is by giving feedback. To gain the full advantage of feedback, employees must know how to receive it.

PREPARE TO RECEIVE THE FEEDBACK Employees need to be encouraged to realize that receiving feedback is part of their job. It is the employee's duty to receive and act upon the direction and advice given in the feedback provided by the manager. Employees need to understand t h a t feedback can be given in two forms. The first of these is constructive feedback, a form designed not to chastise and berate employees but to provide insightful information so their performance can be improved. Looking at constructive feedback as a device by which employees can improve future performance, rather t h a n punishment for past bad practices, is the key to a healthy setting within which to receive valuable feedback from the manager. This form of feedback is designed to encourage employees to change certain behaviors in the future t h a t will both improve their situation and please the manager. What better communication could employees hope for, and yet there is a universal dread in receiving constructive feedback from the manager. The second form of feedback is positive reinforcement, which is designed to encourage employees to continue certain good behaviors exhibited in the past. This often catches employees off guard in a surprisingly pleasant way. Here is an example of a manager using positive reinforcement to encourage the employee to continue to behave in a responsible manner. Manager:

I wanted to tell you how pleased I was with your handling of the breakdown of the printing press yesterday. I'm pleased with how you tried to keep the press running to get that job to Smith Corporation by Friday. You had no way of knowing that trying to get another hour of productive time out of the press would cause the damage that it did. You didn't have the privilege of hindsight. It's good to know that I can count on you when the chips are down. It gives me confidence and

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makes me feel good to know that you're on top of each job. Thanks a million! That leaves us with two decisions: what to do about the Smith job and how to get the press repaired as fast as possible. Another important step employees will want to take in preparing for feedback is to decide to maintain control. This means staying cool, keeping anger under wraps, withholding harsh words, and not reacting in an irrational way. Employees also find it helpful to decide to be receptive and open minded, rather t h a n becoming defensive. Frequently when receiving constructive feedback, there is a tendency for employees to react to it in a defensive manner in an attempt to justify their behavior. Being receptive sets a healthy climate for receiving feedback as opposed to fighting the manager and trying to justify past behavior. Eliminating turf-guarding and defensive behavior designed to protect one's position is a must to successfully receive feedback. This openmindedness is essential to the skill of receiving feedback. Employees should view feedback as an opportunity to improve. In reality, feedback offers employees an invaluable way to learn, to grow, to develop, to become better at doing the job, and prepare for advancement to a higher position in the company. UNDERSTAND THE FEEDBACK Understanding feedback requires listening to get a full and accurate understanding of the core message as well as the specific details conveyed by the manager. This means employees must actively hsten without interrupting their manager. If employees do not understand any part of the feedback, they should ask clarifying questions to assure they have gotten the message, especially the specifics. When receiving feedback, employees need to strive to hear not only what is being said, but be attuned to understanding the between-thelines feedback. Employees also will find it helpful to identify any feelings and emotions the manager may have about the situation. Frequently, feelings are easily identified simply by being alert for them. Oftentimes, the manager will say "I feel" one way or another as in the following example. Manager:

This is the third time in a row that you have been late with the monthly report to the home office. Sometimes I feel frustrated thinking you don't care about meeting deadhnes or that you have other things on your mind.


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Here the manager has told the employee that he has some feelings. Other times the word "feel," or a feehng word like "frustrated," "upset," or "pleased," might not be used yet the feehng is still evident. Manager:

This is the third time in a row that you have been late with the monthly report to the home office. Sometimes I get the impression that you don't care about meeting deadlines or that you have other things on your mind.

It is important to pick up these feelings as well as the main points of the feedback. Feelings and emotions often are readily depicted by nonverbal behavior. Noticing the manager's nonverbal communication is important to employees. Frequently, the manager's body language will convey a message t h a t is in conflict with what the mouth is saying. When the mouth is out of sync with the body, the body typically is telhng the truth. So employees must be attuned first to the messages the body is sending and second they must hsten to what the manager is saying. Employees can get any clarification they need by merely mentioning what they have observed. Employee:

You say you're pleased with the report, but the frown on your face tells me there is some aspect about it that bothers you.

Here the employee receiving the feedback has held up a mirror and reflected back verbally what was heard and observed. A judgment was not made by the employees and no new material was added. Also, it is important for employees to identify any messages t h a t the manager may have intended but did not say. An example would be when the manager was discussing the need for the monthly report to be sent to the home office on time. Not mentioned, but clearly understood, is the necessity for the employee to keep up with regular duties, while making sure t h a t the monthly report is sent in on time. For employees, the last step in understanding the feedback is to summarize what was received, including any feelings, emotions, or messages intended but not verbalized. Employees should state their understanding of the feedback in their own words rather t h a n trying to repeat verbatim what the manager has said. Using the situation mentioned earlier, an employee could say the following. Employee:

What you're saying is that you are pleased that I used my head to keep the press running in an effort to get Smith Corporation their printing job, but that you are disappointed that I've missed getting the monthly report to the home office for the third straight month.

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CONTRIBUTE NEW INFORMATION The next step employees are encouraged to take is to add new information-that is, state any relevant, factual information not yet mentioned, then discuss it with the manager, and decide if it changes anything already discussed. Employee:

I feel uncomfortable sending the monthly reports without getting your input and approval.

Manager:

Okay. How do you suggest we do that?

Employee:

With the monthly report due on the fifteenth of the month, perhaps I could give it to you to look over before the fifteenth.

Manager:

That sounds fine. Why don't you submit it to me by the fifth. That way I'll have time to remind you if you have hit a particular snag that month.

Employee:

Okay. You can look for it on your desk by the fifth. I assure you that you won't have to remind me. I'm going to make it my top priority.

ANALYZE THE FEEDBACK In analyzing the feedback, employees should first identify the behaviors t h a t the manager wants them to continue and/or change. Next, they need to consider the consequences of any changed behaviors to their customers, their fellow employees, themselves, and their performance, and decide if the changed behaviors are appropriate from all viewpoints. AGREE ON THE NEXT STEPS Now employees need to think out what must happen for them to bring about the needed changes and then develop a plan to carry out the changes. To accomplish this, they will want to get the manager's input for specific steps they need to take. Employees should be encouraged to give their input regarding those steps, negotiating any differences they have with their managers. Then both parties must reach a joint agreement on what has to happen to carry out the agreed upon steps. Otherwise, the manager might decide upon a plan without asking for the employee's input and suggestions.


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SUMMARIZE THE DISCUSSION The next step is to summarize the feedback received from the manager. Employees will find it wise to follow this with a summary of the action to be taken, in other words a summary of who is to do what and by when. Employee:

As I understand it, you would hke me to do two things: continue to use my initiative in getting jobs out and make sure the monthly report is turned in to the home office by the fifteenth of the month. To get the report to you by the fifth, I'll have to be working on it at the end of the month, which is also when the time sheets need to be turned in. Because I have trouble getting the time sheets done on time, I think the best thing to do is to reserve the entire last Thursday morning of each month for these two reports. I'll block out that time and not allow any meetings, phone calls, or visitors to interrupt me until I've completed them. That should take care of it.

Manager:

Sounds good to me.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT The last step for employees to take in receiving feedback is to thank the manager for giving the feedback, state why getting feedback is important, and request t h a t feedback be continued in the future. Employee:

Thank you for giving me feedback on your reaction to the printing press incident. Frankly, I thought you'd be mad and I'd be in for a good chewing out. I feel great that you realized that I was doing my best to get the Smith job out on time. Like you, I am terribly sorry for the damage to the press. I'd like to also thank you for staying on my back regarding getting the monthly report in on time. I sometimes need a kick in the seat when it comes to doing something I don't hke. I appreciate any future feedback that you have for me.

SUMMARY Feedback is a two-way proposition. Managers must give feedback and employees have an obhgation to receive it effectively. Employees will find several steps helpful.

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How to Receive Feedback 1. Prepare to receive the feedback.

2.

3.

•

Realize receiving feedback is part of the job.

•

Understand the two forms of feedback.

•

Decide to maintain control.

•

Decide to be receptive and open-minded, not defensive.

•

View feedback as an opportunity to improve.

Understand the feedback. •

Listen.

•

Clarify.

•

Read between the lines.

•

Pick up on feelings.

•

Notice nonverbals.

•

Be aware of what is not said.

•

Summarize the feedback received.

Contribute new information. •

Add new information.

•

Discuss it.

•

Decide if it changes anything.

4. Analyze the feedback. •

Identify behaviors to continue or change.


•

Consider the consequences of any changed behaviors.

•

Decide if the changed behaviors are appropriate.

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5. Agree on the next steps.

6.

7.

•

Decide what must happen to bring about the needed changes.

•

Develop a plan for the changes.

•

Get the manager's input.

•


•

Reach agreement.

Summarize the discussion. •

Summarize the feedback received.

•

Summarize the action to be taken.


NOTES 1. Robert E. Kaplan, Wilfred H. Drath, and Joan R. Kofodimos, "Power and Getting Criticism," Center for Creative Leadership Issues and Observations (August 1984), pp. 1-8. 2. Kathryn M. Bartol and David C. Martin, Management, 2nd ed. (New York: McGraw Hill, Inc., 1994), p. 453. 3. Kaplan, Drath, and Kofodimos, "Power and Getting Criticism," pp. 1-8.

36 Handling Criticism Screwing up is bad enough, but managers who are going to nail employees for every httle flaw are hard to take. First thoughts are wishful thinking, like "Maybe he won't catch it," then reahty sets in with "No way. Old hawkeye never misses a thing. I will hear about it." Employee:

(to self) Yesterday I came in early to work on the monthly report in order to get it to the home office on time. Shortly before noon it was in the mail and a copy of it was on the manager's desk. How proud and relieved I felt. At least that was one thing I wouldn't get criticized for, I can remember thinking. Then this morning, for some unknown reason I picked up a copy of the report and three typos jumped off the first page and slapped me in the face. Where did those come from? Surely my secretary caught them and they are only on my copy but not on the copy that went to the home office and my manager's desk. Racing to my secretary, I inquired, only to confirm my worst fears. I could feel the blood rushing to my head. My face was feehng flushed. Crazy thoughts raced through my mind. Maybe he hasn't read it yet. No, he always reads what is on his desk before leaving for the night. Maybe he won't catch it. Who am I kidding? Maybe he won't say anything. Wrong again. I know my manager is going to criticize me.

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Realizing that the manager is going to be critical is a move in the right direction toward handhng the forthcoming event. Employees also need to reahze that receiving criticism is difficult,1 but criticism can help employees improve themselves.2 It can be invaluable to employees. Because of this, employees must realize that the way they react to criticism influences how much they will receive in the future.3 Responding negatively to the manager's criticism may decrease the likelihood of more criticism, but it also may mean not receiving feedback that could be essential for growth and development, advancement opportunities, and other benefits of great value to employees. Employees should be encouraged to handle criticism effectively and they can do so by following a series of steps that most employees find easy to use. PREPARE MENTALLY FOR THE CRITICISM

Understanding why the manager is being critical helps employees to get a handle on accepting it and making the criticism an ally instead of an obstacle. Perhaps the manager is stressed out for personal or business reasons, just critical by nature, does not trust the employee, does not think the employee can do anything right, does not like the employee, or feels the employee wants criticism as a way to improve. The manager's reasons may not be logical or correct from the employees frame of reference, but employees will want to reahze that they make sense to the manager. Employee:

(to self) Why is he so critical? He's always been critical of me and, as a matter of fact, of all the others in the department. He's even critical of himself. I never thought of that before. He's more critical of himself than he is the rest of us. He's such a perfectionist in everything he does. That's it, he tries to make us live up to the tough standards he sets for himself. When we fail to measure up, it's critical city. That doesn't mean he's right and I'm wrong. It simply means that he has a critical nature.

While not liking the act of criticism, employees find it helpful to realize it does have some benefits. Criticism can help employees grow and develop and gain a better insight and understanding of themselves. Learning to accept criticism can help employees avoid making the same mistakes again and experiencing the unnecessary failures, pain, loss, disappointment, cost, and suffering that accompany those mistakes. Criticism can help employees learn things that they would not otherwise learn. It helps build better relationships and enhances the chances for success.

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Understanding the reasons they are reluctant to accept criticism can be valuable when employees are learning how to handle it. Perhaps some employees have a few basic insecurities t h a t criticism brings to light by rubbing salt in an open wound. Or perhaps some have a poor image of themselves and their self-worth. Maybe some employees have a great deal of pride and think t h a t they are usually right. Whatever the reason, understanding the reluctance to accept criticism can play an important role in turning it into a beneficial element. Employee:

(to self) Why is it that criticism bothers me? When someone even suggests that there might be a better way, I take it as a personal assault and try very hard to defend why I did what I did. At times during my defense I can become quite argumentative. My parents always had high expectations of me and they were genuinely pleased with my accomphshments to the point of pushing me to excel in sports and organizations at school. My favorite coach was a motivator and always pushed us to do our best. I guess that's why we won the conference championship two out of three years.

To reiterate, employees need to realize why they do not like criticism and understand the underlying reasons for their dishke of it in order to edge their way toward making criticism work for them. It is healthy for employees to view criticism as an opportunity to benefit, and show themselves and the world t h a t they are the kind of person who can face criticism and make it work for them. After all, employees have a choice. They can let criticism h u r t them; make them feel bad; ruin their day, week, career, or life; or they can choose to t u r n it around and make it work for them. The choice is up to the employee. To make criticism work and to reap the benefits, employees sometimes need a nudge to actively take steps to handle the criticism they receive. ACCEPT THE CRITICISM Employees find it helpful to recognize t h a t the criticism is based on the manager's interpretation of what happened. Whether t h a t interpretation is right or wrong, employees can accept the criticism as the manager's view. Employees do not have to agree. Even if they know the manager is wrong, they can still accept it as the manager's view of things. Furthermore, if the manager sees things this way, others may see it the same way too. There usually is some t r u t h in any criticism. Right or wrong is not the issue. Employees should accept the criticism and search for any merit to be found in it.

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Employees will find it best to accept the responsibihty for what has happened. This means employees will want to avoid being defensive, 4 resist placing blame, skip the explanations, and bypass making examples; all of this irritates managers and ends up making things worse. Most employees can remember t h a t their parents punished longer and harder when they got defensive, blamed somebody else, tried to explain, and made excuses. Admitting guilt and accepting responsibihty was the way to get off easier. The same holds true with managers. Employees should thank managers for the criticism, for sharing their feehngs. After all, employees should be grateful t h a t managers share this face-to-face as opposed to holding it inside or talking about it to others secretly. Employees can see t h a t it is better when managers openly share their feehngs. Manager:

I was looking over a copy of your monthly report and was astounded to find three errors on the first page and two more in the body. That's entirely too many. I can't understand why a college graduate can't write eight pages without an error, let alone five of them. That reflects very poorly on our department and is personally totally unacceptable.

Employee:

I accept total responsibihty for those errors and I thank you for sharing your feelings regarding them and how they reflect on us.

Being receptive to criticism disarms the critical manager. Most managers are prepared for resistance, and when it is not forthcoming it puts them at an unexpected disadvantage. Thanking the manager gives the employee the upper hand. This also allows employees to think positively. It helps them see this as an opportunity to control how their manager views them and to improve themselves. UNDERSTAND THE CRITICISM It is important for employees to determine where their manager is coming from. They may ask themselves questions like, "Is he always critical? Or is he under special pressure? Perhaps he's actually trying to h u r t me. Or is he trying in his own way to help me? Or blame me?" Employee:

(to self) He seems to be trying to protect his own image. He has been under a lot of pressure lately from the home office.

To better understand the criticism, employees can restate it 5 and try to restate it in the manager's exact words. This will tend to cause

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the manager to continue with the explanation as to exactly what the problem is and allows the employee to gain a greater insight into the manager's view. Employee:

You feel that I should not have any errors in my monthly report and that we should all be concerned with the image we create for the department.

Manager:

Of course I think that your reports should all be error free. All of us are hoping to be promoted one day, so it behooves us to maintain a professional image.

Employee:

(to self) So the manager is bucking for a promotion.

Employees may feel the need to ask questions to get clarification 6 and help them fully understand the criticism. Questions such as, "Is there anything else? Can you be more specific? and What should I have done?" can be used. Employee: Manager:

Is there anything else that you feel I should be doing to improve the monthly reports? There are a couple of additional areas. I think you could be more explicit rather than just reporting the basic requirements. You tend to just give the factual and required information. While that meets the fundamental requirements, you don't volunteer any explanations for why a particular figure is higher or lower than usual. You have a perfect opportunity to expound and explain some of the unusual findings. This would provide you with an ideal chance to demonstrate your ability to look beyond the required duties of your job and could even demonstrate your promotability to someone in the home office. You know that this monthly report is read by many influential people in New York. In addition you should write more in the active voice rather than consistently staying with the passive voice. This variety would improve your readability.

Then employees should summarize their understanding of the criticism. Here employees can state it more in their terms, adding their interpretation of what they think the manager is really saying. Employee:

The point you're making is that the reports should be written from a different perspective. I'd never thought of the monthly report in terms of what it could do for my career. I always viewed it more as a necessary evil which should be dispensed with in the most expedient manner.

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Now t h a t the criticism has been accepted without being defensive, placing blame, trying to explain, or making excuses, employees should have a thorough understanding of the criticism. With this understanding, it is time for employees to determine if the criticism is justified or not and how to react to it. If it is not justified, more clarification may be needed. If it is justified, the best thing for employees to do is apologize and move ahead to reach an agreement on how to change.

REACH AGREEMENT ON HOW TO CHANGE If specifics have not yet been given, employees will need to ask their manager for concrete suggestions for changing certain behaviors. It is very important to get specifics and asking direct questions can help. Here are a few example questions t h a t could be used. How should I have handled it this time? What should I do next time? Could you show me exactly how you want me to do it? Next, employees can add their own suggestions and discuss with the manager exactly how all of the suggestions will be implemented. An agreement must be reached on how the employee will change. Employees will find it helpful to summarize what has been agreed upon. Employee:

Your suggestions are well taken. I will expound more and write in the active voice. And I'll check and double check to be sure I eliminate all of the errors!! I'll approach the whole thing from a broader perspective. Suppose I do all these things and start giving you the reports a week earher? This would allow time to make any additions or changes and still get it to New York on time.

Manager:

That sounds fine to me. Better make it ten days to allow for any unexpected delays.

Employee:

Okay. Let me see if I can summarize what we have agreed upon. I will expound more; write in the active voice whenever possible; eliminate all errors; be aware of the side agenda of making the department, but especially you and me, look better in terms of promotability; and get it to you ten days before the end of the month for your review.

Manager:

You've got it.

GIVE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT TO THE MANAGER It is always smart for employees to t h a n k their manager for being interested in them and for being willing to point out their shortcomings. Also, they need to express their appreciation for the manager's willing-

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ness to help them and for giving them the opportunity to change, grow, and develop. Employee

Thank you for your interest and your willingness to help me improve. I appreciate your help. I am especially appreciative of your desire to make me marketable to other departments in terms of possible promotions. The opportunity to learn, improve, and advance with the company is important to me. Thanks again.

SUMMARY Sometimes it is hard for employees not to take criticism personally, but responding as outlined here works better than coming across as hurt and offended. Handhng criticism effectively helps employees get ahead. Five steps will assure employees of getting the maximum gain from a manager who offers criticism.

Handling Criticism 1.

2.

Prepare mentally for the criticism. •

Understand why the manager is critical.

•

Reahze that criticism has benefits.

•

Understand the reluctance to accept criticism.

Accept the criticism. •

Reahze that criticism is based on the manager's view of what happened.

•

Accept responsibihty for what happened.

•

Avoid being defensive.

•

Resist placing blame.

•

Skip the explanation.

Handling Criticism

•

Bypass making excuses.

•

Thank the manager for the criticism.

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3. Understand the criticism. •

Determine where the manager is coming from.

•

Restate the criticism.

•

Ask questions to get clarification.

•

Summarize the criticism.

•

Determine if the criticism is justified or not.

•

Get more clarification, or apologize, as appropriate.

4. Reach agreement on how to change. •

Ask the manager for specific suggestions.

•

Add suggestions.

•

Discuss how to implement all suggestions.

•

Reach agreement.

•

Summarize the agreement.


NOTES 1. Kathryn M. Bartol and David C. Martin, Management, 2nd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994), p. 453. 2. Robert E. Kaplan, Wilfred H. Drath, and Joan R. Kofodimos, "Power and Getting Criticism," Center for Creative Leadership Issues and Observations (August 1984), pp. 1-8. 3. Ibid. 4. "Essentials of Feedback," A Seven-Day Leadership Development Course (Greensboro, N.C.: Center for Creative Leadership, 1976), pp. 77-78, as cited in

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Philhp V. Lewis, Organizational Communication: The Essence of Effective Management, 2nd ed. (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1980), pp. 157158. 5. Ibid. 6. F. Luthans and M. J. Martinko, The Practice of Supervision and Management (New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1979), p. 183.

37 Being Late for Work Being late to work can be a serious problem for employees even when it is unavoidable. Employees typically became fearful and this stifles their creativity and causes them to miss the opportunity to effectively deal with the problem. This keeps employees from turning a bad situation into something positive. It does not have to be this way. There is an effective way employees can be coached to handle things when they are late for work. DESCRIBE THE SITUATION

The first thing for employees to do is get to the manager quickly when they are late for work. Employees should say they have a problem, stressing that it is their problem. This sets the stage for both the ownership and the solution that will be reached. Without going into excessive detail, employees need to tell factually what happened, including appropriate background information. The key here is for employees to stick with the facts and accept full responsibility for their tardiness.

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Employee:

I have a problem and I need to talk to you about it. I was fifteen minutes late for work today. The reason is that I've had to move Shannon and Eslie to another day care center. The day care center that they had been attending for the past two years switched hands and the new owner is not the kind of person I want influencing my children. On a number of occasions I've observed her being very negative with other children. She calls them dumb and stupid. While I've not seen her talk that way to Shannon and Eshe, I know that if she does it to the others she will treat them likewise when I'm not there, and the kids have indicated that she does. There are other reasons but we need not go into them. I've searched the entire area around our house and have been fortunate enough to get them accepted in a center that seldom has any openings because it is so good. The problem lies in the fact that they do not open until 7:00 in the morning. The kids and I were there this morning by 6:55. As soon as it opened I raced to work as fast as I could, but try as I might it took me over thirty minutes to drive to work. By the time I parked and walked in, I was fifteen minutes late. Having the children well cared for in a center that is both close to our house and good is very important to me. Being a single parent, I fully understand that this is my responsibihty and I accept that, but I don't want to jeopardize or take advantage of my job. The problem is that with the new day care center, I will be ten or fifteen minutes late every day.

INDICATE THE PROBLEMS BEING LATE CAUSES Employees need to itemize the problems their tardiness causes such as getting behind in their work, missing deadlines, or causing a problem for others. They must then indicate to their manager t h a t they want to prevent these problems while being fair for all concerned. Employee:

I know that this means that each day I start out behind and that others might feel that they're entitled to wander in at whatever time they feel hke starting to work. I want to resolve this in a manner that is fair to everyone.

DISCUSS SOLUTIONS First, employees will want to describe what they have already done

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to solve or at l e a s t alleviate the situation. Suggesting other things they p l a n to do is the n e x t step. Employee: What I'd like to do is skip my coffee breaks or cut my lunch Employee: hour short to make sure that I put in a full eight hours. But this bothers me as I'm not sure that you would think this fair. The other thing I thought that I could do is to work fifteen minutes later each day and that would give me forty hours a week. I thought if I either work through my breaks and/or lunch, or I work late each day, it would help if you would kind of officially approve or at least announce to the staff that you agree and approve of this. After this explanation, employees should ask for the manager's reaction and suggestions. Employee: Employee:

What do you think of these ideas and what suggestions do you have?

Manager: Manager:

Well, those are some interesting thoughts, but I frankly don't like to see you or anyone else working through your breaks and lunch. With all the pressure and stress that we have around here, each of us needs to get away for that mental break. Working later has some possibilities. I had a couple of other ideas I'd like you to consider. Having a day care center close to home may not offer as many advantages as it seems at first. If one of your children needs you, it takes forty-five minutes for you to get there. In most cases, regardless of whether your child needs to go home or not, by the time you take care of the situation it's too late for you to return to the office. I understand that there are a couple of top-rate day care centers downtown and if you could enroll your children in one of those and they needed you, you'd be right here and could run over in an emergency and then if it weren't too serious you could return to work. This would give the kids some security knowing Mom was close by. An additional benefit would be that you could spend an additional hour with them riding to and from work and that would provide you with some quality time with them that you don't now have while riding by yourself. The other thought I had would be to change your hours to 8:00 to 5:00. This would benefit us both by giving you the time you need and help us by having an extra person in the office from 4:30 to 5:00. This would allow us to provide more service by having one more of our staff on hand late in the day.

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REACH AGREEMENT ON A SOLUTION

The next step is for employees to reach an agreement on the action t h a t will be taken by both parties. Employee:

Looking into a downtown day care center is a great idea, one which I had not considered. The extra time with the kids would be super. I'd hke to see if I could find one. In the meantime I could work an extra half hour each day as you suggested.

Manager:

Fine.

WRAP UP THE MEETING The first step is for employees to summarize what they and their manager have agreed to do. This summarizes and fixes in the minds of both parties exactly what is to take place. Employee:

As I understand it, I'll look for a center downtown that is convenient to work and that you will announce that for the next couple of weeks I'll be working from 8:00 to 5:00. At the end of the couple of weeks we might want to evaluate the possibility of continuing to have me work till 5:00.

Manager:

I agree.

Employees next need to indicate the impact they think the solution will have on the problem. Employees should point out any conditions which might alter their forecast and indicate what they will do if the problem is not solved. Employee:

I anticipate that for the next two weeks I'll still get here between 7:45 and 7:50, only now I'll be early instead of late. If anything comes up, I'll notify you. When I get the children settled into a new day care center, we can discuss and decide whether my hours will stay 8:00 to 5:00 or go back to 7:30 to 4:30.

As always, employees will want to t h a n k their manager for helping them work things out and being understanding. Thanking the manager shows the employee's appreciation for what has been done and gives positive reinforcement for working together. This in t u r n increases the likelihood t h a t the manager will be willing to work with the employee in another situation at another time.

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Being Late for Work

Employee:

Thanks a lot for helping solve my problem of being late to work. It makes me feel wanted and accepted when you value both my work and my family. Both of these are important to me and I appreciate your consideration. Thanks again.

Manager:

No problem.

SUMMARY Solving the problem of being late is effectively done when employees follow a series of logical steps.

Being Late for Work 1. Describe the situation.

2.

3.

4.

•

Get to the manager quickly.

•

Say there is a problem.

•

Accept responsibihty for being late.

•

Tell factually what happened.

Indicate the problems being late causes. •

Itemize the problems caused.

•

Express desire to prevent the problems in a way that is fair to everyone.

Discuss solutions. •

State any action already in progress.

•

Indicate other steps planned.

•

Get the manager's reaction and suggestions.

Reach agreement on a solution.

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5. Wrap up the meeting. •

Summarize the solution.

•

Indicate the impact of the solution on the problem.

•

Thank the manager.

38 Being a Better Team Player Team success depends on the effectiveness of each team member. Individuals are evaluated on the extent to which they take their role as a team player seriously and perform it effectively. Being a better team player calls for each team member to apply a few commonsense principles. Those who are willing to learn and apply several basic steps will become, and be seen as, valuable team members.

DETERMINE THE EXPECTATIONS OF THE TEAM Every team, whether a project team, standing committee, or the everyday work group, has a function to perform. Determining the expectations of the team is the first priority for becoming a better team member. What is the team expected to accomphsh? Is it to recommend a site to build the new plant, decide which new equipment to purchase, develop a plan for hiring 100 new employees to expand production, prepare a budget for the next fiscal year, or revise the corporate strategy? At this stage, team members should visuahze what the final outcome will look like when the team has successfully fulfilled it's mission.

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Breaking the Barrier to Upward Communication Team Member:

Could you review the specific things we're expected to accomplish? That is, when we've finished our work, what are the end results supposed to be?

Team Leader:

Yes. By the end of this project we are to recommend to engineering any major changes to the prototype before production begins actual construction of the model.

DISCOVER THE TEAM'S ROLE IN THE BIGGER SCHEME OF THINGS Employees need to determine where the team fits into the big picture. Knowing how it is expected to contribute is essential in order to get the overall perspective. How will the output of the team's effort be used? How will the team contribute to organizational goals and what is the importance of the team's work to the overall goals? How does the work of the team relate to other activities and groups and does the team play a vital role or merely a minor assistance role? Team Member:

How does the work of the team fit into the bigger picture?

IDENTIFY SPECIFIC EXPECTATIONS AS A TEAM MEMBER Team members find it especially important to ask the leader what is expected of them and what their responsibilities are. They should even ask other team members to be sure where they fit in and what is expected of them. Asking others outside the team can provide helpful advice to the employees. After getting input from many different sources, it may be helpful for employees to summarize their understanding of the expectations to the team leader for clarification. Team Member:

Exactly what do you expect from me as a member of this team?

DETERMINE HOW INDIVIDUAL EXPECTATIONS CONTRIBUTE TO THE TEAM EFFORT Here are some questions team members may want to ask themselves. "Am I counted on to play a major role or am I expected to play a supportive role for other more influential team members?" "When times are difficult, will the leader and other members t u r n to me for advice or will they make the decisions without consulting me?" "Am I a supplier of information, a decision maker on input supphed by others,


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or both?" "Will the final decision reflect more of my view or t h a t of others?" Employee:

How do you see my role and contribution compared to other team members?

CLARIFY THE ROLE OF EACH TEAM MEMBER As a p a r t of the team, team members should get to know other team members. They need to find out where the others came from and what specific kinds of training and experience they have. Knowing this will help them understand where others are coming from when they take a stand on an issue. Each team member is a product of his or her environment and will tend to favor his or her background and experience. The next step is for team members to find out each member's role on the team. It is helpful to know how team members relate to each other. It also is wise for team members to understand how the work of each member relates to others.

BE SUPPORTIVE Team members should support team goals. If a team member does not agree with the direction in which the team is heading, the time to speak up is in the goal-setting stage. To do this, team members should make sure they are contributing members of the goal-setting team. Once the goals are determined and agreed upon by the team members, it is each team member's duty and obligation to be supportive of the goals. Team members should support the team leader. To show support, team members can talk positively about the leader and encourage others to be supportive. It also is important to help whenever and wherever possible and say supporting and encouraging things to the team leader, especially in front of other team members. Team Member:

We are pleased that you got the budget accepted by top management. That will give us the incentive to push harder.

Team members should support the team concept. When talking about the team's efforts, it is good for team members to use "we" in addition to simply thinking of their output as a unit effort contributing to a larger total effort.

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Team Member:

We have a problem. If we haven't received the replacement parts by Tuesday afternoon we're going to miss our promised shipping date. Mac will look bad and we don't want that. I have an idea. We could . . .

Team members should support other team members. This means encouraging other members in their efforts, giving positive reinforcement when they do something well, and offering encouragement when things are not going well. Team members should have an open ear and listen when others are discouraged. Some members might have to remind other team members of the benefits of being supportive of each other and pulling together as a team and to encourage others to work as a team and show their appreciation to others. Team Member:

It's time like these when we all feel down. I know this isn't one of our favorite days. But just remember, we tried our best and there's nothing more anybody can ask. Better days are ahead and we'll all stick together. Let's keep slugging. We'll make it.

HELP THE TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL TEAM MEMBERS All team members should make suggestions, contribute ideas to the team effort, and, of course, help solve problems, giving their best thought to every issue. Team members should be encouraged to resist the temptation to merely complain about a problem. Team Member:

As I see it, the problem is one of not being able to get past his secretary when you arrive. The way to get to him is to never let her have the upper hand where she can make the decision as to whether you can see him or not. My suggestion is to never let her know why you need to see him. No matter how many times she asks "May I tell him what your meeting is about?" reply "It's personal." That way she is unable to screen you from seeing him. If she indicates that he can not see you, ask when he will see you. The question is not whether, but when. Persistence and keeping the upper hand will get you past the secretary. This works for me every time.

Team members must be willing to help others when they need a hand, which might mean helping them do their work when they are in a jam, even if it is an inconvenience. Also, they must answer questions and when the answer is not known, other team members can seek out the answer and get back to them as soon as possible. Everyone's ideas


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should be treated with enthusiasm and interest. Nothing is more contagious t h a n enthusiasm. Team Member 1:

Here, let me give you a hand.

Team Member 2:

Thanks for offering to help me, but you're behind on your production schedule. I can handle this.

Team Member 1:

That's okay. I'll stay late tonight and come in early tomorrow. That way we'll both be caught up. The old man will be happy and we'll look good.

ACCEPT HELP Team members must be wilhng to accept help from others. This means remembering to hsten to the ideas and suggestions of other team members and the team leader, responding positively to their feedback, correcting any mistakes others point out, and accepting their assistance with thanks. Team Member: Thanks for your suggestions. I'd have to agree. Because of the stress on the frame, it will not hold up in the long run unless we do something. But I disagree with needing to redesign it. Why can't we reinforce it with a piece of 3/8" steel? If you agree, I'll have it done in no time at all. Team Leader:

It sounds like that will work fine.

Team Member: Thanks for your help. I was stumped on this until you started talking about it with me. If you have any other ideas, let me know.

SEEK HELP Team members should not be afraid to ask for help with something they can not handle themselves as well as ask for advice, information, suggestions, and ideas. It is important for a team member to get the reaction of other team members to ideas and plans and ask for their feedback and t h a n k them when it is given. Many people think t h a t it is a sign of weakness to ask for help. Yet, just the contrary is true. It is only the wise who can determine what they are capable of doing themselves and when they need help. Other members view this person as much wiser t h a n team members who attempt to do everything themselves.

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Team Member:

I've drawn up a rough outline for the proposal and would like to get your input as to what you think. You're the most experienced person on the team. I know you could give me some good suggestions.

PROMOTE GOOD RELATIONSHIPS Team members will find it rewarding to give credit to others who deserve it. Bragging about others makes them willing to strive harder and they in t u r n will r e t u r n the kindness. Everybody gains. And remember what someone once said, "What goes around, comes around." Giving thanks, showing respect for others, being appreciated and cooperating all contribute to the functioning of a healthy, fun, and productive chmate. Team Member:

Janet and Danny came up with this idea. They deserve the credit. They're always coming up with good ideas.

SUMMARY Being a good team player is a highly sought after skill by organizations. Few organizational members truly have acquired the skills. Team members can stand out among their fellow workers by demonstrating t h a t they are a good team member. The way to do this is simple. All it takes is following a few guidelines.

Being a Better Team Player i

1. Determine the expectations of the team. •

Know w h a t the team is expected to accomphsh.

•

Understand what the final results should look like.

2. Discover the team's role in the bigger scheme of things. 3. Identify specific individual expectations as a team member. •

Ask the team leader.


•

Ask team members.

•

Ask people outside the team.

4. Determine how individual expectations contribute to the team effort. 5. Clarify the role of each team member. •

Get to know other team members.

•

Find out each team member's role on the team.

•

Determine how team members relate to each other.

•

Determine how the work of each team member relates to the work of others.

6. Be supportive. Support team goals. Support the leader. Support the team concept. Support other team members. 7. Help the team and individual team members. Make suggestions. Contribute ideas. Help solve problems. Resist the temptation to complain. Help team members do their work when they're in a jam. Get and give answers to team member questions.

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• Treat the ideas of others with enthusiasm and interest. 8. Accept help. 9. Seek help. 10. Promote good relations. • Give others credit. • Remember, "What goes around comes around."

39 Showing Loyalty Every manager values loyalty. Some value it even more than performance. But many managers are disheartened because they are seeing less and less loyalty these days. Managers often are heard saying, "You just can't find good, loyal employees anymore. It sure isn't like it used to be." Herein lies a golden opportunity for serious employees to make their mark, to stand out from all the rest. How? By showing loyalty to their manager. It is simple to do. Just follow a few basic steps.

PREPARE TO RECOGNIZE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHOW LOYALTY Employees must prepare themselves to recognize situations where they can show loyalty to their manager. This can be done by being aware of the various kinds of situations where loyalty can be shown. Such situations fall into three major categories: when others are working against the manager; when situations are working against the manager; and when managers are working against themselves. Some examples of others working against the manager, whether deliberately or not, include: trying to make the manager look bad; performing poorly or failing to perform; opposing the manager's plans, ideas, and decisions; being ineffective when implementing plans; or

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causing disgruntlement by talking behind the manager's back. Still other examples are when employees demonstrate negative behaviors such as: loafing on the job; doing poor-quality work; deliberately slowing down work to get the manager back; showing their opposition to no raises, lack of rewards, or poor treatment by trying to get rid of the manager, either by getting the manager fired or making the manager want to quit; or trying to get the manager's job via politics or some other means. Sometimes the situation itself seems to be working against the manager. This can occur when old, worn-out equipment continually breaks down at the most inconvenient time; shipments of poor-quality materials are received; new production methods fail to work; or when competitors hire away key employees, undercut prices with selected customers, or use underhanded strategies to steal customers. Sometimes managers just seem to be working against themselves, like making poor hiring decisions or making a bad decision and then comphcating it by sticking to it rather than admitting a mistake and abandoning it. Other times managers will try to save time by using incomplete or inaccurate information. Still other managers work against themselves by being downright stubborn. Sometimes they seem to lose sight of the goals or don't supervise closely enough. In these and other ways, managers work against themselves. SELECT A SPECIFIC SITUATION TO SHOW LOYALTY These are but some of the many situations that arise that provide an opportunity for demonstrating one's loyalty. Spotting one of these situations is the first step in demonstrating loyalty. Employee:

(to self) Right now the new production methods aren't working like they should be and several employees have started loafing on the job, turning out poorer quahty work than they need to, deliberately slowing down work, and talking behind the manager's back.

DECIDE WHETHER TO SHOW LOYALTY The next step for employees is to decide whether or not to show loyalty to their manager in a particular situation. This is a crucial decision that must be made very carefully so things will work out well for both employees and manager. The decision process begins by looking at the consequences of showing loyalty. This decision is a three-step process. Employees need to identify the consequences to their manager of

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showing loyalty in this situation. They must ask themselves questions to determine the consequences. For instance, is there time for the manager to do something about the situation? Will the something be enough to save the manager's neck? Will doing something make things better or worse for the manager? Even more important, employees must look at the consequences to themselves. What are the likely consequences related to the manager? Will the manager be glad the employee showed loyalty? Will the manager want more loyalty shown in a way t h a t will be a problem for the employee? Employees also will want to consider the consequences regarding co-workers. Will the loyalty be exposed in a way t h a t will hurt the employee with co-workers, like being criticized, being shut out of work groups, working against the employee, holding the employee back, or making the employee look bad? It is wise for employees to look at the consequences regarding other managers, too. Will it cause other managers to work against the employee? For example, if an employee chooses to be loyal to a manager considered by other managers to be a loser, the employee runs the risk of being labeled a loser by association. That could keep the employee from getting help, cooperation, or promotions. Finally, employees should consider the consequences of the loyalty to relevant others such as customers, supphers, or associates in other firms. Employee:

(to self) The manager would definitely be glad that I showed loyalty to him in this situation and I think I can make a difference in a way that would help him. I don't think the other employees would be so ahenated that they would sabotage me and treat me like they are now treating the manager. If I showed loyalty in this situation, they'd be happy if any improvements are made in the new production methods.

After the consequences are identified, employees must evaluate them. Part of the bottom line is whether the manager will be better off or not. However, the real bottom line is whether employees will be better off because of the decision to show loyalty. Employee:

(to self) Not only will the manager benefit, but I can come off looking good.

The last step is to make the decision. The answer must be a yes or no, not a wishy-washy maybe. If the employee's decision is to not be loyal in this situation, then all eyes and ears must be kept open for another opportunity to show loyalty. If the answer is yes, then employees can move ahead to get ready to show their loyalty. Employee:

(to self) Yes, I want to show my loyalty, but how?

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PREPARE TO SHOW LOYALTY

When preparing to show loyalty, employees must decide what they will say to make their manager aware of the situation. There are several questions they may want to ask themselves. What has happened so far? What are the consequences so far? What are the expected future consequences? Which names should be mentioned? Which ones should not be mentioned? Employees should make a list of ways they can help the manager in this situation. Then it is a good idea for them to think about things their manager might ask them to do and decide which ones they are willing to do versus those they will not do, and then they must prepare how to say no in an appropriate way to those things they are unwilling to do. Employee:

(to self) I'll meet with the manager and tell him in a factual manner what I see happening and how it's hurting the company. I'll make him aware that some of the employees are deliberately reducing their production and that they resent having changes forced down their throats without any input. I'll suggest that he call a meeting for the purpose of changing the attitude of the workers toward meeting our production goals. I know that he will want to know names. There's no way I'm going to put myself in the position of "ratting" on my fellow workers.

SHOW LOYALTY The next step is for employees to meet with their manager and make the situation known. Employees will need to find out what their manager wants them to do. At this point, employees should negotiate what they will do if the manager wants them to do things t h a t are not in their best interest and then they reach an agreement about what they will do. Employee:

I wanted to meet with you to discuss a problem we seem to be having. The new production methods are not working like you intended. Production has slowed down. Some of the employees seem to resent the new methods and are sort of dragging their feet. Along with the slower production, quahty appears to have gone down even in the areas where the methods were not changed. Also the employees are doing a lot of grumbling about the way things are handled.

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Showing Loyalty

Manager: Who's slowing down the work and turning our poor quality work? Employee: I feel uncomfortable mentioning names, but I'm willing to work with you on getting our production problem resolved. Manager: I can understand. What do you think we should do? Employee:

I think you should call a meeting of the whole department for the purpose of discussing how the new system is working. At this time you should present the production figures and conduct a joint problem-solving session regarding how we might resolve the situation.

Manager:

They'll view this as me calling it a problem-solving session and telling them what to do. We'll be right back where we are now.

Employee:

I don't think so because I would be willing to raise the issue that we feel these production methods were kind of forced upon us without getting any of our input. If you would sort of agree that perhaps you should have gotten more of our thoughts, I think we can turn it around by asking them what they feel should be done now. At this point, my role would be to be quiet and let them come up with their suggestions. By breaking the ice, I'm sure they will open up. If they don't say anything I will be prepared to offer a few suggestions. I just know that I won't have to offer any. Once we get them offering suggestions, the problem is solved. You merely function as the leader by asking what other ideas they have until they come up with what they think will work. Once they are committed, their attitude will change and they will make the suggestions work because they were involved in suggesting them and they will work to show you that their ideas have merit.

Manager:

Okay, let's go with it. I'll call a meeting for next Thursday at 10 a.m.

E m p l o y e e s will w a n t to be sure to do everything they agreed to do but resist doing a n y t h i n g not agreed to as this m i g h t be v i e w e d as interfering w i t h s o m e t h i n g the m a n a g e r m a y be planning. It is important for e m p l o y e e s to keep their m a n a g e r informed of a n y t h i n g relevant to the p l a n a n d the i m p l e m e n t a t i o n of it.

ACCEPT THANKS FROM THE MANAGER M a n a g e r s u s u a l l y t h a n k employees for their show of loyalty. W h e n this h a p p e n s , it is b e s t for employees to accept t h a n k s w i t h humility and without m a k i n g a big deal of it. E m p l o y e e s should not make it ap-

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pear t h a t they expect a favor in return or in any way appear to suggest t h a t the manager is lucky to have someone so loyal. They should simply accept the thanks by saying something like, "That's part of my job," or "Glad I could help," or "I like to see things go well." Employees will gain much more by accepting thanks and putting emphasis on the job as opposed to emphasizing themselves. Manager:

Thanks a million for your help and concern. I think we will get this mess straightened out. I appreciate your making me aware of the problem.

Employee:

That's part of my job.

SUMMARY Showing loyalty is one of the basic unwritten expectations of every employee, yet many employees today fail to show it. By showing loyalty, employees have a good chance of standing out in the eyes of their manager, and all it takes is following six basic steps.

Showing Loyalty 1. Prepare to recognize opportunities to show loyalty. •

Recognize where others are working manager.

•

Recognize when situations are working against the manager.

•

Recognize when themselves.

managers

are

2.

Select a specific situation to show loyalty.

3.

Decide whether to show loyalty. •

against the

working

against

Look at the consequences of loyalty to the manager, to self, co-workers, and relevant others.

Showing Loyalty

4.

5.

•

Evaluate the consequences.

•

Make the decision.

Prepare to show loyalty. •

Decide what to say to make the manager aware of the situation.

•

List ways to help the manager.

•

Anticipate action the manager may request.

•

Decide which requests are reasonable.

•

Decide how to say no to certain requests.

Show loyalty. •

Make the situation known to the manager.

•

Find out what the manager wants done.

•


•

Reach agreement on what to do.

•

Do everything agreed upon, but nothing else.

•

Keep the manager informed.

6. Accept t h a n k s from the manager.

335

40 Accepting Authority and Responsibility Employees are asked virtually every day to accept authority and responsibihty. Managers do this to reduce their own workload, free up their time, and to train and develop employees.1 Few employees, however, know how to accept authority and responsibihty in a manner that is in their best interest as well as that of their manager and the organization. Because accepting it is so basic to everyone's job, most employees do not pay much attention to it. However, mastering the skill of accepting authority and responsibihty can pay big dividends for employees and set them apart from their peers. Training in a few steps that are basic to the skill can go a long way. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE DELEGATION Authority and responsibihty come to employees in the form of delegation from their manager. Listening carefully to the delegation is the essential first step for employees to effectively accept authority and responsibility. Managers should, but do not always, clearly explain the tasks and expected results the employee is responsible for and what


337

authority is being given to successfully meet the responsibilities, so employees must hsten carefully for all of this. Employees must hsten for the tasks. What specifically is the employee to do or not to do? How is the employee to do it, or not to do it? What discretion does the employee have in the what and how? Are there any problems to watch for and how should they be handled? Employees must hsten for the expected results. This is the manager's anticipated picture of the job when it is finished, the end results for which the manager is looking. It is important for employees to hsten carefully for the goals and objectives and other expectations which the manager has for the completed work. Employees must hsten for expected results in terms of quantity, quahty, and deadhnes. Examples of quantity would be to produce seventy-five units, finish all sales reports, complete two surveys, hire three new salespeople, or run forty middle managers through the performance improvement training program. Along with the quantity, a well-delegated task will indicate the level of quality expected. The quahty dimension in the above examples would be to produce seventy-five units with no defects, finish all sales reports and have them proofed and free of errors, complete the two surveys and have them printed on top-quahty paper and ready for distribution, hire three new salespeople with enough experience to be closing sales in two weeks, or run 90 percent of the forty middle managers through the performance improvement training program. The last dimension of a well-delegated task is the date by which the task should be completed. Merely stating such a date will estabhsh a deadhne. For example, produce seventy-five units with no defects by October 1. It is imperative for employees to hsten carefully for the quantity, quality, and deadhnes for each of the tasks delegated. Employees must hsten for the authority delegated and the authority not given. There are many kinds of authority, such as to hire, fire, purchase, direct other employees, use equipment/supplies, contact clients for information, change existing systems, rearrange office assignments, or consolidate sales territories. Employees will want to hsten not only for the kind of authority they are being delegated, but for the amount as well. The amount may be to purchase up to $25,000 in equipment and supplies, hire three people with the combined annual salaries not to exceed $100,000, completely revise the office filing system, or convert the meeting room into four offices and assign employees to them. Finally, employees will need to listen for how the authority will be legitimized with relevant others. Will it be announced in a group, in individual meetings, will a memo be circulated, or what? It is very important for employees to listen to be sure the authority delegated is sufficient to get the job done. When employees accept re-

338


sponsibihty without getting the necessary authority, they will find themselves stuck in the middle. 2 Employees should be trained to avoid accepting assignments without the authority they will need to carry them out. 3 CLARIFY THE DELEGATION Managers appreciate employees asking questions to get all of the information needed and discussing the importance of the delegation to the organization, the manager, and themselves. Then to be sure they understand the delegation, employees should learn to restate and summarize what the manager said regarding the tasks, expected results, and authority. Manager:

I'd like you to hire three people with a combined salary not to exceed $100,000, to convert the meeting room into four offices with a budget not to exceed $35,000, and to assign the new employees to the offices. You have complete authority on both who you hire and how you remodel the meeting room. We need to have all this completed four months from today.

Employee:

Are these the three positions we discussed in the last staff meeting?

Manager:

Yes, I've worked up the job requirements on each position. Get a copy from my secretary. It's pretty clear. If you have any questions let me know.

Employee:

I appreciate your confidence in me. By remodehng you mean to secure some of the half-wall dividers and assure that there is adequate electricity?

Manager:

Yes, and you will want to have phone service installed for each office through the main switchboard.

Employee:

Are the office furnishings to come out of the $35,000?

Manager:

No, we have enough things in the warehouse to furnish the offices.

Employee:

Let me see if I understand correctly. You want me to be completely in charge of advertising for and hiring three new people with a combined salary of $100,000. They are to be assigned three of the four offices in the remodeled meeting room, which I am in charge of remodeling with a budget not to exceed $35,000. The remodeling will consist of half-wall dividers, adequate electricity, and phone service. I have four months to do all of this.


339

DECIDE WHETHER TO ACCEPT THE DELEGATION AS PRESENTED Given all of the circumstances and the way everything is presented by the manager, employees should decide if it is possible for them to do what they are being asked to do. Is it possible to do the job? If not, why? Employees should think of reasons like "I don't know how, I don't have time, there's not enough authority, or others would work against me." Employees must determine exactly what else is needed for them to be able to complete the delegated assignment, like a bigger budget, more staffing, more time, putting a hold on another project, or more authority. Given this analysis, employees are in a position to decide if they are willing to accept the authority and responsibihty, and if not, clearly determine the reasons why. Perhaps it is not ethical, they hate t h a t kind of work, they are not willing to work with the people involved, they are certain they would fail, or they don't believe in the end results. Employees should determine exactly what has to change in order for them to be wilhng to do it. Possibly they could change the way t h a t it's to be done so t h a t it's ethical, let someone else do the parts of the job they hate, not let certain people be part of the project, change circumstances t h a t would cause failure, or change some of the end results expected. Employees should be ready now to make a decision to accept the authority and responsibihty or not. If they choose not to accept it in its present form or not at all, they will need to discuss the decision with their manager. In making this decision employees may need to be reminded t h a t saying no to the manager can raise their esteem in the manager's eyes. 4 This is a factor many employees overlook. DISCUSS NOT ACCEPTING THE DELEGATION, IF APPROPRIATE Employees may need to be persuaded t h a t sometimes they should diplomatically say no to the delegation as it stands, making it clear t h a t they are only saying no to the situation as it stands now and t h a t they would accept it if the situation were different. This means indicating t h a t they would like to negotiate a few things. This is a diplomatic way of saying no, instead indicating t h a t they could not commit to doing this, at least not the way the manager is thinking now. Managers do not have a problem hearing no when employees indicate why they cannot accept the delegation. Employee:

I don't think I can do the remodehng of the training room. I've never done anything like that before. I've not worked with subcontractors and wouldn't know where to begin.

340


Employees next will want to get their manager's reaction. This means listening for where and how much the manager is wilhng to give and negotiate. It also means listening for suggested changes in the delegation and then restating or summarizing what the manager says. Employees can offer suggestions, too. It helps to be specific and give a sales pitch for each suggestion, being sure especially to explain why everyone is better off, particularly the manager, and watch the manager's nonverbal reaction to their suggestions as well as get a verbal reaction. Employees are encouraged to negotiate any differences. Finally, employees should summarize the delegation as it stands after negotiating, pointing out any unresolved differences. Manager:

It's not that difficult. All you need to do is contact three companies that handle the half-room dividers and three electrical contractors and get their bids. I know a couple of companies and an electrical contractor.

Employee:

Yes, but I'd be lost as to where to find the others. I just know we'd all be better off if we had someone doing this who knew exactly what to do.

Manager:

(smiling and shaking his head no) That's no problem. Accounting just finished remodeling their area. I'm sure they know where to get additional bids.

Employee:

Even if I got the bids I wouldn't know if they were fair. Could I bring them to you and go over them together and decide if they are fair and which one to select?

Manager:

Sure. As long as all the companies are highly recommended, we merely select the lowest bidder. We just need to be sure that they are going to complete the job in a reasonable amount of time.

Employee:

See, that's another thing. I haven't the faintest idea what a reasonable amount of time would be.

Manager:

By looking at the other bids you could easily determine that.

Employee:

You're awful convincing. I still have some doubts.

Manager:

I don't. I know that you can handle it just fine.

Employee:

Well, okay. Let's make sure I've got this clear. I'm to get three bids from companies who supply the half-room dividers and three from electrical contractors. Between the ones you know and those that Accounting would recommend, I would have enough. After I get the bids I will select the lowest bidder, making sure they are going to complete the job in a reasonable length of time. If I have any problems along the way, I can come to you and you will assist me.

Manager:

Sounds like it is already done (patting him on the shoulder).


341

MAKE A FINAL DECISION ABOUT ACCEPTING THE DELEGATION At this point in the discussion, when everything seems to be clarified, employees may feel a real uneasiness about accepting the delegation. While most people are reluctant to listen to their uneasy feelings and act on them, employees should not be. It could save them a lot of pain and anguish, could prevent a very stressful situation, and could even save their job. So, even at this point, employees should remember that they can still say no or at least negotiate for better conditions before accepting the delegation. Employees need to identify the consequences, both positive and negative, of accepting and not accepting the delegation, weigh everything, and decide to accept or not to accept. Is it in the employee's best interest or not? Is it best for the manager or not?

DECLINE TO ACCEPT THE DELEGATION, IF APPROPRIATE If employees still feel t h a t they cannot accept the delegation, they should make it clear t h a t they are saying no, and explain why, indicating t h a t they understand the potential consequences, and name some of them. It is appropriate to request the manager's understanding of the position being taken. In addition, employees will want to suggest a solution to the delegation problem. It is essential t h a t employees never leave the problem with the manager without a solution. Employee:

Even with more confidence that I could handle this task, I still feel that it is impossible and I'm going to have to decline. The reason I'm having to say no is that I'm just too overloaded to even consider one more thing. I'm at present working every night until seven or eight, coming in all day Saturday, and working at home on Sunday. One more task would put me in the nut house. I'm going to have to ask you to reconsider asking me to take on this task. Jim has some free time on his hands and would be excellent at handling this. He also is familiar with remodeling.

Manager:

You are pretty busy. Given the circumstances, I guess I could ask Jim.

Employee:

You have no idea how much I'd like that. So I'll continue working on the Schultz job and you're going to have Jim handle the hiring of the three new employees and the remodehng of the training room.

Manager:

Given the situation, that seems to be the best solution.

342


ACCEPT THE DELEGATION, IF APPROPRIATE If employees decide to accept the delegation, they should clearly say t h a t they accept it, summarize what they are accepting, and indicate t h a t they will do their best and t h a t they will keep the manager informed of their progress, problems, and anything the manager needs to know. Employee:

Okay, I can handle it. I'm going to advertise for and hire three new employees at the same time I'm getting three bids to remodel the meeting room into four offices. Once the offices are complete I will assign three of them to the new employees. I will do my best and of course will keep you informed as to my progress, problems, or anything else you need to know. Naturally, the forth office will be my new auxiliary office.

Manager:

Nice try.

THANK THE MANAGER If the delegation is accepted, employees will want to thank the manager for the delegation, for having confidence in them, and for giving them a chance. Employee:

Thank you for asking me to tackle this task. I appreciate the challenge and the fact that you have the confidence in me. It makes me feel good that you asked me. Thanks again.

If the delegation is declined, employees should still t h a n k the manager for thinking of them, for having confidence in their abihty to do the job, and for being understanding and allowing them to dechne. Employee:

Even though I have to decline, I would like to thank you for thinking of me. I feel gratified that you would choose me and it makes me feel good that you have the confidence in me to consider me for the task. I surely appreciate your understanding in realizing my overloaded situation. Once I get out from under this monster, I will welcome some additional challenges.

SUMMARY Wisely accepting, or declining to accept, authority and responsibility t h a t is delegated by a manger requires skillful handhng and can be effectively accomplished by following a few basic steps.


Accepting Authority and Responsibility 1. Listen carefully to the delegation.

|

•

Listen for tasks to be completed.

•

Listen for expected results.

•

Listen for the authority delegated and authority not given.

•

Listen for the kind and amount of authority delegated.

•

Listen for how the authority will be legitimized.

•

Listen to be sure the authority delegated is enough to get the job done.

2. Clarify the delegation. •

Ask questions.

•

Restate and summarize.

3. Decide whether to accept the delegation as presented. •

Decide if the job is possible to do.

•

Decide what else is needed to be able to do it.

•

Make a decision to accept or not.

•

If the decision is no, clearly identify the reasons why.

4. Discuss not accepting the delegation, if appropriate. •

Diplomatically say no to the delegation.

•


•

Offer suggestions.

343

344


5.

6.

•

Negotiate changes that would make the delegation acceptable.

•

Summarize.

Make a final decision about accepting the delegation. •

Remember it is still okay to say no.

•

Identify the positive and negative consequences of accepting and not accepting the delegation.

•

Weigh everything.

•

Decide to accept or not.

Decline to accept the delegation, if appropriate. •

Make it clear the decision is to dechne the delegation.

•

Explain why.

•

Show understanding of the consequences of not accepting.

•

Ask for understanding.

•

Support a solution.

7. Accept the delegation, if appropriate.

8.

•

Clearly indicate acceptance.

•

Summarize what is being accepted.

Thank the manager. •

Indicate that a best effort will be given.

•

Indicate the intent to keep the manager informed.


345

NOTES

1. Robert Kreitner, Management, 6th ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995), p. 317. 2. Christopher Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985), p. 118. 3. Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman, What to Say to Get What You Want (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Pubhshing Company, 1992), p. 179. 4. Hegarty, How to Manage Your Boss, p. 155.

41 If Everything Fails Employees can see that using the skills presented in this book will resolve many issues and enable employees to get along better with their managers, yet a nagging feehng remains. Every issue will not be resolved. Every issue can not be resolved regardless of what employees do. Solutions to interpersonal problems typically require the cooperation of all parties involved and even though employees may be ready, willing, and able to shoulder their share of the responsibihty, problems will remain if the manager is unwilling, or unable, to do the same. What can employees do when this is the case, when every effort has failed and it looks like nothing will work? Several steps will help. FACE REALITY The first step is that employees simply may want to get a grip on reality and accept the fact that managers, like everyone else, do not always change because someone wants them to. In fact, they may not change no matter what. Everyone may want them to change. Everyone may see a need for them to change. Changing may improve their per-

If Everything Fails

formance. Changing may enhance their careers. matter what, managers will not change.

347 But sometimes no

ACCEPT UNWILLINGNESS TO CHANGE Managers often are unwilling to change even though they are as sharp as a tack and the benefits of changing seem crystal clear. They have their reasons for not changing, for holding on to old ways, and those reasons make sense to them. They may or may not rush forward to share their thinking and when they do their reasoning may sound clumsy, out of kilter, and not sensible at all. However, employees may want to realize and accept the fact t h a t as long as the reasons make sense to the manager, their unwilhngness to change will remain. ACCEPT INABILITY TO CHANGE Sometimes managers are unable to change. They don't know how. Some managers are perfectionists and even though they may see a need to change and may want to change, many of them simply cannot do it. Other managers lose their temper over seemingly trivial things, they hate themselves for doing it, they don't want to do it, but they do not know how to stop. There are some managers who find it easy to criticize and hard to give praise, they would like to reverse the two, but behaving differently is not their nature and they cannot change no matter how much they try. Employees may want to show acceptance of managers who have the inability to change rather t h a n have false expectations and the frustration and disappointment t h a t follow when others do not meet their expectations. ACCEPT THAT NOTHING WORKS ALL THE TIME When managers are unable to change, when they simply cannot change, even the smoothest application of the skills presented in this book will not work. Nothing works all the time. Nothing is perfect. Employees may just want to accept this. It doesn't make sense to hold onto the notion t h a t something should always work. While we say that the structure outlined chapter by chapter for each of the skills has been tried, tested, and proven, we clearly do not mean to say that it has proven to work for every employee with every manager in every circumstance, but we do often hear from others and believe ourselves that the structure works in most situations.

348


TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT

One piece of advice that we often talk about is this: "If what you're doing isn't working, try something different." So when one of the skills in this book isn't working, it doesn't make sense to hang in there with it. Why keep trying to make it work when there is evidence it isn't working? Give up on it. If it isn't working, try something different. Be smart. Move on to something else. However, take care not to throw in the towel and give up too soon. USE JUDGMENT AND INTUITION

Employees are encouraged not to rigidly follow the step-by-step structure because in doing so they can end up with a touchy situation on their hands. Here's why. When structure is created for a skill, it is impossible to envision every eventuality employees may face. By its very nature the structure provides the basic format, a general guide for employees to follow. The structure is not a like a recipe in a cookbook that scientifically prescribes each and every step and guarantees a perfect end result. Such a guarantee is possible only because the cook can control all of the relevant variables. This is not the case for the step-bystep structure designed to guide the flow of human interactions. Some of the variables are within the control of employees, but not all of them. Employees should be able to plainly see that the structure for any skill will become more effective when it is coupled with judgment and intuition. Using judgment means employees should apply their abihty to perceive and discern, their good sense, and their wisdom to modify and tailor the structure to fit their own style, the personality of the manager, and the circumstances surrounding the situation. Using intuition means that employees should call on and listen to their faculty of knowing without the use of rational processes, their ability to guess accurately, and their capacity to know something without knowing why they know. Just as judgment and intuition alone are not enough for employees to truly grasp success, structure alone is not enough to get a firm hold on it either. Employees would do well to pull structure into the way they operate and at the same time integrate their judgment and intuition into the way they use the structure. This gives employees a focus and flow for what they say and do that will lead to getting along better with management.

If Everything Fails

349

MAKE THE STAY OR GO DECISION Even so, there will be times when employees will not be able to see a way to get a handle on things and make them work out the way they want. In other words, employees sometimes get a loud and clear message t h a t nothing is working and t h a t nothing else is going to work either. They find themselves in the rough situation of not knowing what to do or where to turn. What should employees do when everything fails? Now is the time for employees to make the ultimate decision. Should they stay in the job or should they go? This is the question pressing for an answer. KNOW THAT SKILLS MAKE THINGS BETTER Regardless of the decision employees come to, one fact remains: Skills make things better. When employees have the skills they need to work with their manager, performance is better and life at work is easier. The step-by-step structure provided in this book gives a solid foundation and sound guidelines for employees to follow. When this is combined with their own judgment and intuition, employees will find t h a t their skill level will serve them well in their search to communicate more effectively with those above them and get along better with management. GO AHEAD AND DECIDE Getting along better with management is within every employee's grasp, close enough to see, touch, and feel. It is there for the taking. Employees may want to make up their mind and decide to do it. Decide to learn new skills. Decide to use them. J u s t go ahead and decide. And find t h a t it is possible to get along better with management. SUMMARY Employees will want to prepare in advance and have a clear picture of what to do if everything fails. Following a few basic steps can make the difference.

350


If Everything Fails 1. Face reality. 2. Accept unwillingness to change. 3. Accept inabihty to change. 4. Accept that nothing works all the time. 5. Try something different. 6. Use judgment and intuition. 7. Make the stay or go decision. 8. Know that skills make things better. 9. Go ahead and decide.

Selected Bibliography Deep, Sam, and Sussman, Lyle. What to Say to Get What You Want (Reading, Mass.: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1992). Eiser, Robert M. Hochh. How to Work for a Jerk (New York: Vintage Books, 1987). Fritz, Roger. How to Manage Your Boss, 2nd ed. (Hawthorne, N.J.: Career Press, 1994). Green, Thad, and Barkley, Bill. Manage to the Individual: If You Want to Know How, Ask! (Atlanta: The Behef System Institute, 1995). Green, Thad, and Hayes, Merwyn. The Belief System: The Secret to Motivation and Improved Performance (Winston-Salem, N.C.: Beechwood Press, 1993). Green, Thad. Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today's Workforce: A Guide To Expectancy Theory Applications (Westport, Conn.: Quorum Books, 1992). Hegarty, Christopher. How To Manage Your Boss (New York: Ballantine Books, 1985). Marston, William Moulton. Emotions of Normal People (Minneapolis: Persona Press, Inc., 1979). Solomon, Muriel. Working with Difficult People (Engelwood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1990). Weiss, Donald H. How to Deal with Difficult People (New York: American Management Association, 1987).

Index Asking, the business of, 156-62; approach to asking, 158-59; asking, 159-61; decision to ask, 156-58; objections, 157; understanding, 155-56 Authority and responsibility, accepting, 336-45; clarifying, 338; deciding whether to accept, 339; expected results, 337; listening, 336-38; not accepting, 339-41; thanking the manager, 342 Behavior style, 44-52; framework to read, 42-43; primary, 48-49; secondary, 48-49 Behavioral tendencies, 44-47 Bypassed, asking not to be, 191200; asking, 197-98; benefits, 194; consequences, 196; follow up, 198-99; objections, 194; positive reinforcement, 198; preparing, 192-95; reasons for bypassing, 193-95; sales pitch, 196-97 Change: inabihty to, 347; unwillingness to, 347

Change, responding to, 291-97; gathering information, 292; getting ready, 294; interpreting change objectively, 293; participating in change, 294-95; positive reinforcement, 295; preparing mentally, 292 Communicating failures, 282-90; acknowledging mistakes, 282; background, 283-84; failure, 284; resolving, 284-86; responsibihty, 286; positive results, 286-87; problem, 283; thanking the manager, 288 Communicating successes, 275-80; background, 276; crediting the manager, 276; negative consequences, 277; positive results, 277-78; situation, 275-76; success, 276-77; thanking the manager, 278-79 Conforming behavior style: responding to, 51-52; tendencies of, 47-48 Criticism, accepting, 308-9

353

Index

Criticism, handhng, 306-14; accepting criticism, 308-9; agreement, 311; positive reinforcement, 311-12; preparing mentally, 307-8; understanding the criticism, 309-11 Decision making, 256-60; 261-68; 269-74 Decisions, dealing with managers who decide too fast, 269-74; agreement on decision timeframe, 271-72; decision overview, 270; developing a plan, 271; getting ready, 269-70; need for careful decision making, 270-71 Decisions, getting faster, 261-68; asking, 264-66; dangers of waiting, 265; giving information, 26364; nature of decision, 263; objections, 263; positive reinforcement, 266; preparing, 261-63 Decisions, helping managers make better, 256-60; decision-making homework, 256-57; decision situation, 256; getting input, 257; relevant information, 25657; status of decision, 258; support, 258 Dominant behavior style: responding to, 50; tendencies of, 44-45 Expectations: clarifying, 109-12; kinds, 108-9 Feedback, how to get, 237-43; benefits, 238; commitment, 242; meet with manager, 239-41; objections, 238-39; process, 239; reasons for, 238; reluctance, 237-38 Feedback, how to receive, 299-305; agreement, 302; analysis, 302; feelings and emotions, 301; new information, 302; positive reinforcement, 302; preparing, 299300; understanding, 300-1 Follow up, 85, 198-99, 217-18

Imperfect manager, deahng with, 57-65; acceptance of, 57; changing the manager, 60-63; changing self, 59-60; complaining, 58; getting rid of manager, 58-59; living with the manager, 59; waiting it out, 59 Incompetent managers, surviving, 123-32; impact, 125-26; incompetence-based learning, 126; selftalk, 127-28; strategies, 127; understanding, 124-25 Influencing behavior style: responding to, 50-51; tendencies of, 45 Information-hoarding managers, 80-87; benefits of minimizing hoarding, 83; positive reinforcement, 84-85; problem, 81-82; reasons for hoarding, 80-81 Insecure managers, deahng with, 115-22; accepting insecurity, 116-17; anticipating insecurity, 117-18; planing for, 118-19; prevention, 119-20; recognizing insecurity, 116 Intimidating managers, overcoming, 133-42; analyzing, 134-35; planning, 136-40; understanding, 133-34 Intuition, 348 Judgment, 348 Late for work, 315-20; agreement, 318; problem, 316; situation, 315-16; solution, 316-17 Loyalty, showing, 329-35; accepting thanks, 333-34; consequences, 331; deciding, 330-31; opportunities, 329-30; preparing, 332; selecting situations, 330 Management style, 27-33; accepting, 31-32; analyzing fit, 29-30; dealing with, 31-32; determining, 28-29; need to know, 27-28

354

Index

Managers who won't change, 14352; deciding to run or stay, 14546; run strategy, 146-47; stay strategy, 147-51 Mentoring, developing a relationship, 220-29; agreement, 226; benefits, 220; formahzing, 22427; initiating mentoring, 221-23; making the most of it, 223-24; need to formahze, 225; objections, 225; positive reinforcement, 226-27; understanding mentoring process, 221 Motivation, basics of, 17-18 Motivation of managers, determining the, 17-25; asking the manager, 18-19; asking others, 19-20; educated guesses, 22-23; listening to the manager, 21-22; observing the manager, 20-21

Positive reinforcement, 70-71, 7778, 84-85, 100, 102-7, 178-79, 198, 207, 209-19, 226-27, 266, 295, 302, 311-12 Positive reinforcement, asking manager for it, 209-19; asking, 214-17; foUow up, 217-18; impact, 212-13; preparing to ask, 213-14; understanding the need, 211-13 Positive reinforcement, giving it to managers, 102-7; creating opportunity for desired behavior, 1045; giving praise, 105-6; identifying desired behaviors, 103-4; identifying undesired behaviors, 103; purpose, 102-3 Positive self-talk, 127-28 Primary behavior style, 48-49 Progress, tracking, 71

Negative self-talk, 127-28

Resources, when more are needed, 230-36; approval, 233; asking, 232-33; cost, 230; documenting needs, 231-32; needs, 230; post selling, 234; reasons for needs, 231 Responsibihty, asking for more, 182-90; agreement, 187-88; approval, 186; asking, 184-86; benefits, 183; commitment, 186, 188; giving thanks, 188; objections, 182; qualifications, 183

Overworked, asking not to be, 24552; agreement, 249-50; analysis, 245-46; benefits, 248; making presentation, 247-49; objections, 249; organizing presentation, 246-47 Pay raise, asking for, 163-71; agreement, 169-70; asking, 16869; amount to ask for, 165-66; objections, 166; positive reinforcement, 170; preparing, 16367; presenting a case, 167-168; proof of performance, 164-65; proof of worth, 165 Perfectionist managers, working with, 89-95; commitment, 91; expectations, 89; negotiating expectations, 89-91 Performance appraisals, unfair, 6673; preparing, 67-68; dealing with, 68-73; positive reinforcement, 70-71 Pet peeves of managers, 34-39; developing strategy for, 38; identifying, 35-38; need to know, 3435

Secondary behavior style, 48-49 Self-talk, 127-28; negative selftalk, 127-28; positive self-talk, 127-28 Steady behavior style: responding to, 51; tendencies of, 46 Team player, being a better, 32127; accepting help, 325; expectations, 321-22; helping, 324-25; promoting good relations, 326; seeking help, 325-26; support, 323-24; team role, 322 Two managers, problems with, 96101; best way to approach, 97-98;

Index

guidelines for, 96; positive reinforcement, 100; problem, 98-99; solving, 98; understanding, 97 Upward communication: battle employees face, 5-6; choosing, 914; determining what, 11; deciding how, 12; employee benefits, 5, 10; employee definition of, 4; getting started, 10; goal, 10; importance of, 3; need for concreteness, 4; shift in responsibility for, 3; skills, 6-7; taking action, 12-13; taking the initiative, 9; winning the battle of, 6 Work, asking for more interesting, 172-80; agreement, 177-78; asking, 175-77; consequences, 174; objections, 174-75; positive reinforcement, 178-79; preparing to ask, 173-75; thinking through it, 172-73

About the Authors THAD B. GREEN is a consultant, former college professor, and author of 10 previous books and more than 100 journal articles and research papers. Three of his books have been published by Quorum: Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today's Workforce (1992), Developing and Leading the Sales Organization (1998), and Motivation, Beliefs, and Organizational Transformation (1999, with Raymond T. Butkus). Considered by many the foremost authority on motivation and performance in the United States, he lists among his many clients such companies as AT&T, Lucent Technologies, Delta Air Lines, and Metropolitan Life Insurance. He is the founder and principal of The Belief System Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, specializing in employee motivation strategies and ways to enhance performance. JAYT. KNIPPEN is Professor of Management, College of Business Administration, University of South Florida, Tampa. Author of more than 80 articles on managing effectively, he has conducted management training programs for more than 30,000 managers, supervisors, and employees.

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