Posted by Laura Sheffield on Thu, Sep 02, 2010 @ 09:49 AM
I heard a story. The story goes like this: one very important man said to another important man, "If you ever feel awkward and out-of-place at a cocktail party, find a person in the room and say, 'Tell me about yourself.' It will cure the awkward and enliven your perspective."
It's a magic request, this "Tell me about yourself." You're inviting connection. You're inviting engagement.
Could this magic request change your relationship with your employees? Affect your organization's employee engagement? Could this one phrase trigger an employee engagement conversation?
Consider other magic requests: tell me about your job, tell me about what's working with the team, tell me about this project that you're working on, and tell me how I can help you.
Asking for open communication and greater understanding generates increased employee engagement. What works at a cocktail party has greater application with employee engagement.
So, tell me about yourself.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 @ 03:50 PM
The Harvard Business Review recently published an article by Amy Gallo: "Bouncing Back from a Negative 360-Degree Review." In the article, Gallo addresses five ways to effectively move forward in the face of a negative 360-degree feedback survey report:
Reflect before reacting
Don't do anything until you've let the results of your 360-degree feedback settle in your mind. Let time take the edge off the initial emotion that is inevitable after receiving negative feedback. Try to place the feedback into the context of your work environment and feedback you have received before.
Avoid a witch hunt
Never search out where the negative feedback may be coming from. Sometimes, you may find clues indentifying who said what. Try not to read into the clues. Let the survey be anonymous as it was intended to be and take the feedback as cohesive feedback rather than interpreting specific data points.
Decide what to respond to
Trying to process and change every piece of feedback from a 360 assessment can be overwhelming and also ineffective. Prioritize what is most affecting your leadership abilities and target those issues first.
Talk with your manager or team
Avoid trying to process the assessment in solitude. The feedback came from your work community. Use their further insights and suggestions in deciding how to proceed. Be open to their responses.
Commit to Change
The decision to change is the most important part of receiving a negative 360-degree review. Using the assessment as a catalyst for change essentially transforms the results from a negative distracter into a motivator and a positive development tool.
Read more: article in the Harvard Business Review.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Tue, Aug 24, 2010 @ 05:00 PM
Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University, defines two opposite mindsets that help define one's ability to adapt and change.
The first is a fixed mindset. People with fixed mindsets tend to believe that their skills, abilities, and talents are static. It's a limiting approach. Having a fixed mindset can be traced to the definitive praise we received as a child, which ultimately decided our strengths-- "You're smart!" "You are good at basketball!" The same fixed mindset will define our weaknesses as well: "I'm no good at public speaking." "I'm a terrible bowler." and "I can't draw."
Those with fixed mindsets tend to be wary of attempting to change and grow. Thus, someone with a fixed mindset not only believes that his or her talents are static, but ultimately creates a static set of talents and skills because they shrink from the opportunity to change.
A growth mindset is the opposite-- liberating, empowering, and motivating. Those with growth mindsets know that they are not limited to their current abilities and skills. They search for opportunities to improve because they see their talents as ever-morphing into a new set. Their weaknesses aren't permanent.
We've found that leadership coaching is not effective if the coachee feels that "they are who they are" and others just need to accept it. 360-degree feedback helps to foster a growth mindset because it acts as a catalyst to confront issues and challenge individuals to change.
One can't change unless they believe change is possible.
Do you tend towards a fixed or growth mindset? How does fostering a growth mindset change your perception of others and their abilities? Share an example when a growth mindset facilitated change for you, your organization, or someone you know.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Tue, Aug 17, 2010 @ 10:21 AM
A 2002 study conducted by Brian Wansink at Cornell University found that if you give people at the movies massive quantities of popcorn, more than one person can eat alone, a person with a larger inexhaustible bucket of popcorn will eat 53% more than a person given a smaller inexhaustible tub of popcorn.
Without considering the varied bucket sizes, it would be easy to assume that some people are just massive over-eaters while others are more reasonable. One could worry about the over-eaters-- their habits, health, and behavior. But looking more closely at the study, one realizes that the difference in quantities eaten is a proven result of the situation in which they were placed.
Those with larger popcorn buckets were transformed into "Popcorn-Gorging Gluttons" as a result of their circumstance. According to the Heath brothers, the co-authors of Switch, "What looks like a person problem is often a situation problem."
Lee Ross, a social psychologist, defined the tendency to over-value individual personality factors as explanations for the observed deficiencies of others as the "Fundamental Attribution Error." People are more inclined to attribute the behaviors of others to the person's tendencies, personality, and characteristics without acknowledging the situation in which they operate.
On the other hand, people tend to over-value the influence of situation on their own behavior. As we conduct 360-degree feedback surveys and coach leaders on their results, we see this happen all of the time. Leaders explain their own deficiencies with comments like, "It's because I have so much on my plate," or "If the process were simpler, I would have the report done on time," or "I can't focus with fluorescent lighting." People blame their own deficiencies on situation while blaming others' deficiencies on the character of the individual.
When observing others, we tend to be blinded to the other factors that could be contributing to the problem. Often, issues with an employee are a result of their circumstances and not necessarily their weaknesses (though both may contribute). When working with others, be careful of characterizing an individual and generalizing their deficiencies. Analyze the situation and see if circumstances are part of the problem.
Maybe they were just given a ginormous tub of popcorn.
Do you take the time to find out if situation is the main cause of someone's behavior? Do you justify your own behavior based on a situation as opposed to your personality preferences? Please share an example when you discovered that someone's behavior was largely driven by situation.
Posted by Paul Warner, PhD on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 @ 09:11 AM
There is some debate about whether some employees are intrinsically more engaged in their work than others. Obviously there are environmental factors that impact employee engagement. But how do you tell if the person you are hiring is naturally more engaged?
Here are a number of attributes that I would look for in a potential hire:
- Conscientiousness: This refers to detail orientation, problem-solving skills, and decision making. Ask the candidate questions which require thought and assess the level of engagement in the activity.
- Tolerance for Ambiguity: The most engaged employees maintain focus and energy even in situations that are unfamiliar.
- Internal Locus of Control: Is the power to make changes or progress in their hands or are they victims of their environment?
Also, some Red Flags:
- Over emphasis on pay and benefits
- Candidate has done little or no research on the job position or the company
- Poor appearance, timeliness, and conscientiousness during interview
- Difficulty engaging in last job (especially if last job had similar duties)
Do you hire for employee engagement? What types of questions do you ask to predict employee engagement? Do you believe that some employees are naturally more engaged than others?
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Fri, Aug 13, 2010 @ 09:53 AM
In the freezing cold temperatures of Antarctica, emperor penguins are huddled in a tight circle walking slowly to protect each other and the eggs incubating in a pouch on their feet against 200 mph winds that whip around them. We've all seen March of the Penguins. You remember the miracle. You remember the march-- a careful march to keep blood flowing.
The penguins on the outside of the circle rotate toward the middle where they are warmed before rotating back to the outside; each penguin follows this pattern and is given a chance to get warm in the center. By the time the egg hatches, the penguin will have fasted for around 115 days and lost more than half of its body weight.
The penguins have a common cause: keeping the eggs warm and themselves alive until the eggs are given the opportunity to hatch. All the penguins depend on each other and work together, rotating in a circle and supporting each other amidst freezing temperatures and sweeping winds to accomplish their purpose-- each taking turns to sacrifice in order to benefit the group.
Learn from the penguins.
Do your employees sense a common purpose? Do they work together to make it happen? Are they dependent on each other's skills, talents, and knowledge? How engaged are your employees? Can you improve your organization's employee engagement by centering your employees on a purpose? A goal? A mission?
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Wed, Aug 11, 2010 @ 12:39 PM
Zappos, the online shoe company that has become so much more than a shoe company, is everywhere known as the customer service company. They don't just serve customers, they try to dramatically stun them. And that, more than anything else, is the core of their business. At this point, it doesn't matter what Zappos sells.
The company could do anything and succeed. Their profits have jumped from $70 million five years ago to an estimated $1 billion this year. Zappos has created this explosive success by first cultivating employees that are fanatical about Zappos. You can't provide excellent service to customers without first having engaged employees.
How do they do it? A Harvard Business Review blog post examines one facet of Zappos culture that is part of creating an engaged workforce. It's "one small practice that offers big lessons for leaders who are serious about… filling their organization with people who are just as committed as they are."
Here's the one small practice: after a new hire’s first week of intensive work at Zappos, the new employee is offered full salary for that one week plus a $1,000 bonus to quit and walk away from the job.
The Zappos mentality? If the new employee takes the offer, good riddance. Zappos wants commitment, excitement about the job, and employees that want to work for Zappos more than they want an immediate $1,000.
If an employee will stay despite a monetary offer to quit, it's a good sign that they'll be engaged. Zappos has learned that engaged employees are better at serving customers. And when serving customers is the core of your business, it's a pretty good idea to have employees that are good at it.
Would your employees quit the job if you offered them $1000 to do it? What does that say about your company? About the design of their position? About the employee engagement level in your organization? How do you make sure your employees are committed to the business?
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Mon, Aug 09, 2010 @ 03:12 PM
Many employees experience fear, anxiety, and distrust when they hear that their company is about to conduct 360-degree feedback surveys. Participants worry about what people will say about them and how the results will be used. Those providing feedback fear that they might be identified by their comments and the person will react negatively towards them.
On both the organization and individual level, proper communication should be used before conducting 360-degree feedback surveys to ease anxiety and ensure valid results. Employees should be briefed on the reasons for the 360 survey, the survey process, and how the results will be used. They should also be given the opportunity to ask questions about the 360-degree feedback process. Employees are more likely to have a positive experience with the feedback process when they know more about it.
Most importantly, giving forewarning and clear communication prior to the administration of a 360 survey lessens opportunities for miscommunication and fosters trust between the company and the employees. With a clear understanding and increased trust, employees are more likely to participate and more likely to give honest feedback. Employees that are given communication prior to the 360-degree feedback process are also more inclined to change as a result of the feedback they receive.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 @ 02:00 PM
It's worthless to coach someone if they aren't going to change and improve. But how do you know if the person will change? How do you know if someone is coachable?
We've found that a person must progress through each of the following steps in order to make behavior changes. If the person being coached gets stuck on one of the steps, they must stay there until it is accomplished.
1. Reaction: The person responds positively to feedback. They express a willingness to be coached through both words and actions.
2. Self-Awareness: They demonstrate an awareness of the situation and recognize the gaps between the desired state and the current state. One of the best ways to create self-awareness is through a 360-degree feedback survey.
3. Behavioral Change: They make the change from the current state to the desired state. You, and others they work with, notice a change in specific behaviors.
4. Performance: In the end, the new behavior improves performance in a real and measurable way.
A coach is used to guide someone through this progression, but each step must be accomplished before attempting the next. When coaching individuals, watch for this progression to define the person's potential and progress.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Mon, Aug 02, 2010 @ 10:46 AM
In the classic movie comedy, "What About Bob?"—Bob's psychiatrist suggests that he take "baby steps" to get over his multiple phobias and attachments. "Baby steps" are a joke in the movie, but when working toward change, "baby steps" really work.
Massive tasks, like change, are made manageable by shrinking the big task into mini tasks. The completion of each small piece creates hope—hope and motivation. The small success fosters initiative to complete future tasks, leading to further successes, increased drive and motivation, and a circular process that inevitably tackles the massive task of change.
We often refer to the Heath brothers’ book, Switch. In the book, the Heath brothers explain the cyclical process that they refer to as shrinking the change: "Small targets lead to small victories, and small victories can often trigger a positive spiral of behavior."
The key is setting achievable goals. Conquering little goals will not only create confidence in the possibility of mastering the long-term goal, but also generate the motivation needed to get there.
As we provide leadership coaching to managers, we see that small behavior changes make a big impact on employee's perceptions and reinforce the change. The manager who learns to provide one compliment a day to her employees discovers that employee engagement increases and there is more cooperation. Over time, "big changes come from a succession of small changes" (Heath).
Move from point A to point B with baby steps in the right direction.