Saturday, March 27, 2010
Leadership - Appreciating the Difficult
The following was published in The Ballston Journal, March 25th.
In my February 4th article, “Business – It’s Complicated (and Personal)”, I wrote about appreciation and personal relationships both inside and outside your business.
Writing and reflecting on that article started me thinking about the difficult situations we encounter in business and in life. Can we really appreciate the difficult? And if we can, how do we do it?
It may be helpful to look at some examples – in this case, all business-related. Let's start by first looking at the difficult employee.
The first step in appreciating the difficult employee is to separate yourself from the emotion of the moment and take the existing moment in context with other prior moments. Evaluate how these moments connect and what they have in common. You may see a pattern emerging that really indicates the employee is having difficulty grasping the task at hand or the process or procedure for performing what is expected. This gives a good indication the employee may need additional training or additional skill sets. In this way, you're truly appreciating the employee's perspective and difficulty that they have in performing the particular duties or tasks, which you expect.
On the other hand, if connecting those moments yields the feeling that the employee just doesn't care or isn't trying or doesn't want to make the effort, then you have a different situation. In this case, to appreciate the difficult employee, you have to help the employee see that you are not doing anything to them; rather, they are doing it to themselves. Their actions and behaviors are not yielding the desired performance or results; instead, their actions and behaviors say they are working to give their job back to you. As a conscientious and fair manager or leader, you have an obligation to take that job back and give it to someone who wants it.
I realize this sounds a bit simpler than it really is. Human relationships are complicated, and to truly appreciate the difficult as well as the non-difficult, you really do have to appreciate people for who they really are. And of course, you cannot change people, particularly if they do not want to change themselves. In appreciating the difficult employee, it is always best to start by focusing on the positive aspects they bring to the workplace. From that perspective, you can then evaluate and appreciate what you find difficult about their actions and interactions. Also make sure you have built a positive workplace, by making sure that employees are supported and appreciated, provided with training and education, and supported by processes and procedures. Knowing that, even in the most positive workplace, you may still have difficult employees..
In the book First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, the authors describe the catalyst role for managers as what great managers do, not how they do it. They detail four steps or core activities of a catalyst role:
• When selecting employees, select for talent - not simply experience, intelligence, or determination.
• When setting expectations, define the right outcomes - not the right steps.
• When motivating, focus on strengths - not on weaknesses.
• When developing someone, find the right fit - not simply the next rung on the ladder.
The authors also point out that great managers and great leaders treat employees fairly, but not necessarily equally. I believe this point supports truly appreciating employees, both the great and the difficult. Take an appreciative approach, and realize as managers and leaders our primary role is to support and enable employees to get just what they're working for. If they're working to excel, you need to do everything you can to help them excel as fast as possible. If they are working to give their jobs back to you, you don't have a choice; you have an obligation as a leader/manager to take it and give it to someone who wants it.
A similar perspective can be applied to the difficult customer. How do you appreciate the difficult customer? If you focus first on the positive aspects of what the difficult customer brings to your business, you may find they are bringing us rich and valuable information about your business. Perhaps you are not serving them well. Perhaps you are not providing them a great product or a great service. By appreciating their real message, you can find some keys to improving your products and service, and thus your business. Your difficult customers may in fact to be the key to taking you from good to great for all of your customers. If you truly appreciate your difficult customers, and realize, just like you might with your employees, that they are working to move their business elsewhere, then you can also help them achieve what they are working for. Said another way, the best approach in this situation is to help the difficult customer find someone else or some other company that can serve their needs better than you can. In many cases, this just might be the best way to manage these “moments of truth or difficulty” with your difficult customers.
So, the question remains. Can we truly appreciate the difficult? I believe we can. I believe you can, and it starts by truly appreciating the perspective and the situation that the employee or customer is presenting to you and your business. Appreciation starts from a position of attitude. In order to truly appreciate both the positive as well as the difficult, you need to be in a position of positive attitude and looking for the best possible outcome. From that position and perspective you can help everyone achieve exactly what they're working for.
In my February 4th article, “Business – It’s Complicated (and Personal)”, I wrote about appreciation and personal relationships both inside and outside your business.
Writing and reflecting on that article started me thinking about the difficult situations we encounter in business and in life. Can we really appreciate the difficult? And if we can, how do we do it?
It may be helpful to look at some examples – in this case, all business-related. Let's start by first looking at the difficult employee.
The first step in appreciating the difficult employee is to separate yourself from the emotion of the moment and take the existing moment in context with other prior moments. Evaluate how these moments connect and what they have in common. You may see a pattern emerging that really indicates the employee is having difficulty grasping the task at hand or the process or procedure for performing what is expected. This gives a good indication the employee may need additional training or additional skill sets. In this way, you're truly appreciating the employee's perspective and difficulty that they have in performing the particular duties or tasks, which you expect.
On the other hand, if connecting those moments yields the feeling that the employee just doesn't care or isn't trying or doesn't want to make the effort, then you have a different situation. In this case, to appreciate the difficult employee, you have to help the employee see that you are not doing anything to them; rather, they are doing it to themselves. Their actions and behaviors are not yielding the desired performance or results; instead, their actions and behaviors say they are working to give their job back to you. As a conscientious and fair manager or leader, you have an obligation to take that job back and give it to someone who wants it.
I realize this sounds a bit simpler than it really is. Human relationships are complicated, and to truly appreciate the difficult as well as the non-difficult, you really do have to appreciate people for who they really are. And of course, you cannot change people, particularly if they do not want to change themselves. In appreciating the difficult employee, it is always best to start by focusing on the positive aspects they bring to the workplace. From that perspective, you can then evaluate and appreciate what you find difficult about their actions and interactions. Also make sure you have built a positive workplace, by making sure that employees are supported and appreciated, provided with training and education, and supported by processes and procedures. Knowing that, even in the most positive workplace, you may still have difficult employees..
In the book First Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, the authors describe the catalyst role for managers as what great managers do, not how they do it. They detail four steps or core activities of a catalyst role:
• When selecting employees, select for talent - not simply experience, intelligence, or determination.
• When setting expectations, define the right outcomes - not the right steps.
• When motivating, focus on strengths - not on weaknesses.
• When developing someone, find the right fit - not simply the next rung on the ladder.
The authors also point out that great managers and great leaders treat employees fairly, but not necessarily equally. I believe this point supports truly appreciating employees, both the great and the difficult. Take an appreciative approach, and realize as managers and leaders our primary role is to support and enable employees to get just what they're working for. If they're working to excel, you need to do everything you can to help them excel as fast as possible. If they are working to give their jobs back to you, you don't have a choice; you have an obligation as a leader/manager to take it and give it to someone who wants it.
A similar perspective can be applied to the difficult customer. How do you appreciate the difficult customer? If you focus first on the positive aspects of what the difficult customer brings to your business, you may find they are bringing us rich and valuable information about your business. Perhaps you are not serving them well. Perhaps you are not providing them a great product or a great service. By appreciating their real message, you can find some keys to improving your products and service, and thus your business. Your difficult customers may in fact to be the key to taking you from good to great for all of your customers. If you truly appreciate your difficult customers, and realize, just like you might with your employees, that they are working to move their business elsewhere, then you can also help them achieve what they are working for. Said another way, the best approach in this situation is to help the difficult customer find someone else or some other company that can serve their needs better than you can. In many cases, this just might be the best way to manage these “moments of truth or difficulty” with your difficult customers.
So, the question remains. Can we truly appreciate the difficult? I believe we can. I believe you can, and it starts by truly appreciating the perspective and the situation that the employee or customer is presenting to you and your business. Appreciation starts from a position of attitude. In order to truly appreciate both the positive as well as the difficult, you need to be in a position of positive attitude and looking for the best possible outcome. From that position and perspective you can help everyone achieve exactly what they're working for.
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