Get the right results every time

How do I get people to do what I want? This is a universal question from supervisors. My answer is simple:

1) Ask for the outcomes you want.
2) Define clearly what the outcome looks like and why it is important
3) When you see people doing what you want, reinforce it. If they are not doing what you want, correct it immediately.

While this sounds so common sense, it is amazing how many people work with very general instructions from their supervisors. Most people know how to do a job if they have been trained properly, but they rarely know why they do it or what the expected outcome is. Alternatively, many people are told the outcome, but not the process of how to get there.

Being a supervisor today means responsibility for more people than you can truly take care of. I find it typical for people to supervise 30+ people. Under these circumstances, it is even more important that each communication be useful to both parties. That means knowing which information the person needs—process or outcome, or both.

Communicating your expectations clearly takes more time at the beginning, but it saves more time along the way and achieves more positive results. When assigning a job to an employee, use your time efficiently by clearly stating the outcome you desire. The more complex the task, the more important this becomes. However, even simple tasks are often assigned with vague instructions such as, “Get me a copy of the XYZ report when you have time.” The employee doesn’t know whether that means drop everything and do it now, do it by the end of the day, or do it in the next couple days. People generally want to please their supervisors. Give them information to do that.

If you want to achieve consistent results from employees, you must be consistent in your reinforcement. This is the element that takes more time, but has such a big payoff.

When you see people taking actions you want, tell them so. This doesn’t have to be a flowery speech. It can be a simple, “You’re on the right track,” or “Thanks for getting on that project so quickly,” or “Looks like you’ve made that correction we talked about yesterday.” You can also leave a post-it note or send an email.

When people go off-track, get them back on the right path quickly by clarifying your instructions and the outcomes you stated earlier. Make sure they have the resources to get the job done—that means people, knowledge, and tools. Let them know the impact their error has on the product or process so they know why you are correcting them. Give them useful information that will help them succeed, such as “When you don’t get that part sanded smooth enough the first time, it means the next person has to stop and fix it before they can do their part of the process. This causes delays and extra work for others. Please make sure you sand the parts smoothly enough that the next person can fit their part on easily.”

Like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz who had the power all along to go home if she chose, supervisors do not realize the power they hold in achieving the results they want. The majority of employees want to succeed, but they don’t know what the supervisor is looking for, so they try different things to get attention—sometimes the wrong things. You get consistently right behavior when you ask for what you want, define the details as necessary, and reinforce it when you see it.

 

Resilience

Resilience needs to be the word of the day. With so much change going on these days, you have to be like a palm tree and be able to flex in the wind without breaking. Keeping a positive outlook helps you focus on what you can do, not on what you can’t do.

People who have resilience build support systems around them to be able to handle difficult situations. They are willing to ask for help and have friends to call on in time of need. They develop relationships with others not for commiseration, but for support and ideas.

People who have resilience are flexible. In today’s world there are a lot more grays than black-and-whites. The more you see situations as “either/or” you become more frustrated and are less likely to be able to bounce back when things change. There are many ways to get things done. That means flexibility is a valuable trait for employees who have to maintain productivity in times of change.

Resilience may be one of the best survival skills of all to ensure you will be around for tomorrow.

 

Are you evolving?

I attended a professional conference today for training professionals and conducted one of the breakout sessions. On the way home I was listening to the monthly audio magazine put out by the National Speakers Association and they were talking about the importance of learning and growing, thus evolving. I started reflecting on my day’s learning. I always find it invigorating and it challenges me to try something I haven’t done before even if it is tiring sometimes.

Evolution is about learning and growing to not only meet the needs of today but ensure you will be around tomorrow. It is sometimes difficult to take time to learn something new, but it’s what professionals do. If I want to consider myself a professional, I have to take ownership of my learning. No one will care as much about my survival as me. If you are waiting for someone to develop you, I wonder what you have done to take the first step for yourself. Leaders lead the way. If you want your employees to be interested in learning something new, you have to also be a lifelong learner.

The other piece of learning is sharing what you know. Find a way to magnify your value by teaching it to someone else. You not only grow yourself by learning it deeper, you help someone else move along in their evolution.

 

Why do we think we are best?

I attended a webinar today by Steven Smith, author of “Egonomics.” In it he was talking about the need for a balance between fierce resolve to accomplish goals and the need for personal humility. We often think the two are mutually exclusive. The problem comes into view when we are over-comparative with each other, according to Mr. Smith.

I was interested to hear the statistics that compare what we think of ourselves vs. what we think of others. Mr. Smith cited a study where 83% of people surveyed said they had confidence in themselves, while only 27% had confidence in others they work with. I found that interesting because in another assessment I have done with several clients the question asks something similar with similar results. It detracts from teamwork if you think you work with people who do not care as much as you or are not as competent as you.

So, why is it that we think we are better than the others we work with? It has been consistent in surveys I have run that people will generally rate themselves higher in competence or commitment than others. What’s funny is that WE are the OTHERS to other people. If we think they aren’t as good as us and they think we aren’t as good as them, how can we expect people to work together collaboratively in confidence? As a leader, I think we need to be on the lookout for such behavior in the workplace and acknowledge contributions of everyone to raise the level of confidence in the teams. If there is a question of competence, that should be addressed.

Humility doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of self-esteem or competence, it does mean a lack of arrogance. If you think about it, the people we most often admire are those who are confident in themselves enough to lift others up. It’s all about making the pie bigger instead of making someone else’s piece smaller.

 

Is it possible to learn?

Do you ever think of something you “should” learn but you never really get around to doing it? Isn’t it easy to think things are impossible when it’s really just uncomfortable?

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard in the last few months that someone would like to know more about social networking because they just don’t understand it. Is that you? It’s me! Well, I have tried to stick my toes into the water little by little with the help of my daughter and a few friends, but I’m not convinced I do it very well. So, I have attended a couple webinars recently and I signed up for a comprehensive, hands-on social networking course offered by the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce. Hopefully, I might find I’m doing some things right as well as learning what else I should do.

It is so hard to keep up with the latest as the world is changing so fast. Therefore, it’s important to use the tools we have efficiently. I don’t have time to do everything, so I have to figure out what will give me the most results for the least effort.

Whatever it is you need to learn, get started right away. You don’t want to be one of those “old people” who don’t understand what this world is coming to. Be part of the change now and it will be easier down the road.

 

Respectful culture

An organizational culture is very important because it determines how you will do business, how you will treat your customers, and how you will treat your employees. This is a three-legged stool built with respect. The Key Principles for Toyota include Respect for Others. This means everyone.

Your employees will only treat their customers as well as they are treated. If someone does not feel respected, they are not likely to respect others. It will be easier to be judgmental and arbitrary toward others. For all the bad treatment we receive at the hands of others, it boils down to a lack of respect. If you respected the other person, you would not use a sarcastic tone of voice to them. You would not get mad at the slightest variance from your expectations. You would want to be helpful because you respect that their intentions are good.

How hard it is for employees today to feel that their management respects them when they are considered so disposable. So many employees feel they have no choice but to shut up and do as asked–even if they disagree or know it is wrong. How hard it is for managers today to feel that their employees respect them when they have to monitor their every movement for fear they will be not working or not doing what they are supposed to do without prodding.

How poorly served are customers today who have to deal with vendors who don’t seem to care about serving them. It is easy to get mad at the apathy or disrespect shown when seeking help. How does this translate into your business’s bottom line? Organizations that encourage respect bring repeat business from their customers, who tell more customers.

Respect cannot be legislated. You cannot command that someone respect you. You have to earn it and I think you have to give it in order to get it. If you want a respectful environment for your employees and customers, it is important to stop allowing disrespectful behavior. As leaders, set the tone by the way you treat others. Talk about the importance of the show of respect toward one another. Everyone can give you examples of what disrespect looks like, but there may be varying answers to what respect looks like. Start the dialog today and get people involved in setting the standards at your organization. It can start with you.

 

How much is enough?

With the reconstruction of our economy, I think an important question to ask is, “How much do we want or need?” This is in contrast to the question of “how extravagantly do we want to live?”

We have been through an era of bigger is better, but is that always the case? Some people have started small businesses after being laid off and are finding themselves happier. Many people have also downsized their homes, lifestyle, and cars in response to loss of income or retirement savings. While this has been painful, I have heard several people recently talking about making the changes permanent. Some business people have decided to keep their businesses smaller and easier to manage. Families are eating in more and finding ways to entertain at home. I heard a news story this morning about a lady who had started shopping at Walmart out of necessity, but has found that she likes shopping there because of the bargains. She said she didn’t think she would go back to the big brand stores.

It seems we might see more of a moderate approach to lifestyle yet I don’t think people are going to give up their upscale desires. I just think they will act on them less often. What are you seeing?

 

Time Travel

On recommendation from a friend, I have started to read “The Outlander” by Diana Gabaldon, which is a story about a nurse after WWII in Scotland who gets caught in a time warp and goes back in time. This is the first of a series of books about this character.

I have always found the thought of time travel very interesting. Wouldn’t it be great to have “do overs” or to really experience another time and place? I am definitely a modern woman and like this woman who finds herself in the eighteenth century suddenly, I would probably expect more equality than she is finding.

It makes me think about how far we have come in human rights and yet how far we have to go. As a baby boomer, I remember when I was in college and my chemistry lab teacher told me he didn’t know why I wasn’t getting married and having children instead of going to college. That scenario must seem far fetched to many young people today.

On the other hand, there are stories of discrimination and abuse every day in the news, so we definitely haven’t overcome these issues yet. It would be interesting to see how far in the future I would have to go to find a world of peace and harmony where people are valued individually and collectively. Maybe that is just another idealistic thought leftover from the 70’s. I hope not.

 

Support is everything

Last week I attended an all-school high school reunion in my home town. It was a great idea not only to see old friends in my class, but in other classes as well. My family took the opportunity to make it a family reunion so four of our five siblings attended and enjoyed each other while sharing time with each of our friends. There was a small parade of homecoming kings and queens of years ago and teachers to remember. Our old high school has been converted into a senior living center with classrooms made into apartments. What a wonderful way to allow people to appreciate its historic charm while keeping it useful today. It was wonderful to tour the facility and see the residents continuing to enjoy it.

The weekend reminded me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. I discussed with a few friends how easy it is to transport yourself back to that high school geek, football hero, class clown, insecure teen personality. We are who we expect ourselves to be and yet the others just want to see us and be there in the moment. As we all had changed, we were still the midwestern small town people with good solid values who had lived our lives by raising our children and working at whatever needed to be done.

In changing times as these, I think support is everything. When life seems tough, you especially need support–people who will be there for you no matter what to help you, cajole you, love you, and kick you in the pants if needed. No matter what age or income bracket you are in, it seems the measure of your comfort is the depth of your support. However, they say you have to give in order to get, so who are you supporting with friendship, mentoring, and encouragement? By focusing on supporting others, we end up with a greater support for ourselves.

 

Alignment

Alignment of strategy and focus of effort is important to deliver success, especially today when wasted effort may be the difference between staying in business and going bankrupt. Most organizations do some sort of strategic planning, but many fail to actually follow any plan throughout the organization to ensure that they get any of it done.

Alignment at the senior team level on what is most important is sometimes the problem, while other times it is a lack of follow through and accountability. According to Jon Katzenbach in Teams at the Top, the senior members of a team often have divided loyalties. They are on the senior team running the organization, but they are also heads of their divisions or departments. Because of this, hidden agendas may keep senior teams from functioning as solidly as they might.

However, when a senior team is aligned on a single direction for the organization and each team member ensures that each supporting department is in alignment with its focus of attention, there is a greater chance of success. People will know why they are doing what they are doing and feel they are truly contributing to something worthwhile.