Posted by Laura Sheffield on Fri, Sep 03, 2010 @ 03:24 PM
This cartoon is laughable because it is surprisingly close to reality.
Often, when organizations plan employee engagement surveys, they forget the most essential piece of the puzzle—trust. Trust requires transparency, honesty, and truly anonymous survey results. Sadly, we occasionally have to remind our clients that a deceitful survey process is counterproductive.
A trusting relationship fosters honest feedback from employees. A distrusting relationship leads employees to give insincere feedback out of a fear that if they were honest, what happened to Dilbert would happen to them.
In order for an employee engagement survey to be effective, a trusting relationship must be pre-established in the organization. The pre-existing trust comes from how management has administered employee surveys in the past, what real changes have been made as a result of previous feedback, how management treats the workforce, and the integrity of the individual executives.
This established trust should be maintained through the facilitation of the survey. True anonymity of survey participants is the key to maintaining trust. Surveys administered and processed directly by management can sometimes appear suspicious in that regard. Surveys run by an outside company, especially when the outside firm is committed to maintaining anonymity for employees, can nurture the trust required for surveying success. Having an outside firm handle the feedback demonstrates to employees that management is uninterested in individual results and is instead focused on receiving overall information on the state of the firm.
Dilbert will never be an engaged employee. His company has never established the trust (see other Dilbert cartoons).
What do you see as the relationship between trust and employee engagement? How do you establish trust in your organization? Does trust need to be managed?
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 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.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Fri, Jul 23, 2010 @ 10:32 AM
Unfortunately, some people aren’t nice. And unfortunately, one of those people might be your boss. In an article from Time magazine: “Worker abuse is a widespread problem - in a 2007 Zogby poll, 37% of American adults said they had been bullied at work…” (Yahoo! News)
Most often, bullying trickles down from management to the employees. Positions of superiority and power are conducive to malice and poor treatment of employees. In the past, bullied employees have just left the organization and the bullying for a new job; however, in the recent bad economy, walking out usually isn’t an option.
What do you do to rehabilitate a bully in your organization?
Bullies must be made aware of the effect of their behavior on others. A thorough assessment of the manager's behavioral performance with an instrument like a 360-degree feedback survey can provide the initiative to change.
A 360 evaluation of overall performance must include a derailers section. In the past, we’ve written about derailers and the importance of measuring these key negative behaviors. Derailers are behaviors that get in the way of progress. A derailer is not just a weakness. We all have weaknesses that we may never choose to fix or master. A derailer is a weakness that requires improvement.
Leadership coaching must be provided for a bully, either from the bully’s manager or an outside coach. The goal is to develop an action plan and provide follow-up support and accountability during the improvement process.
We have found that these types of managers—the mean, malice-filled managers—can and do change with proper support. However, the manager must want to change, understand exactly what needs to change, develop an action plan to make it happen, and receive on-going support and follow-through.
Posted by Paul Warner, PhD on Fri, Jul 16, 2010 @ 01:29 PM
Imagine an upcoming charity event where flowers are being sold for $5 to raise money for a worthy cause that is close to your heart. How many would you buy? 1...2...10? Now imagine your co-workers are asked to buy flowers at the same event. How many would they buy?
This same scenario was used in some experiments by Nick Epley and David Dunning at Cornell University. They found that:
1. Participants greatly overstated the amount of flowers they would buy.
2. They were very close in their estimates of how many flowers others would buy.
These findings support the idea that we overstate our own abilities, but are better able to rate the abilities of others because we are careful observers of others' overt behaviors.
During any given week, I coach leaders who share the common characteristic of seeing themselves through rose-colored glasses. Often I will present a 360 report which shows self scores that are significantly higher than those they work with. When asked for an explanation, the most common answer is "I know myself better than others." But if research in Clinical and Social Psychology teaches anything it is that self-perceptions are fraught with error and are clouded with the desperate need to maintain a positive self-image and defend the ego.
A sure-fire way to minimize these thinking errors is to be presented with data that incorporates the perspective of others. When many people that we work with are giving us feedback that we need to change (through 360 degree feedback or an employee engagement survey), it is difficult to maintain self-delusions. This is why organization and leadership assessments are so critical in creating a culture where people can grow and develop...after, of course, they buy 10 flowers for their favorite charity.
Posted by Charles Rogel, MBA on Mon, Jul 12, 2010 @ 10:56 AM
As we train HR professionals to coach leaders in their organizations, they frequently cite these three items as their toughest challenges as an internal coach:
1. Building Trust and Credibility: Leaders need to believe that you are a good coach and that they can discuss sensitive issues and feelings with you in confidence. You can build this type of reputation as you coach others who then become your champions and can vouch for your professionalism. Start with a friend or offer coaching as part of an internal leadership development program to gain your first supporters.
2. Addressing Tough Issues: How do you coach a leader who is volatile, a micromanager, or isn’t open to receiving feedback? Many times managers of these employees generally avoid these problems and ask HR to deal with it. The ability (and confidence) to coach others on these issues comes from training, experience, and support from the person’s manager. In some cases it is best to look to an outside coach who does not have to worry about navigating the political landscape of the organization.
3. Holding People Accountable: As an internal coach, it is hard to hold people accountable for results unless you have the support of their manager. The coach needs to set milestones with deadlines and provide regular follow-up over an extended period of time. Share the action plan and progress with the person’s manager but be careful not to share too much and break the trust you have established with the leader you are coaching.
Most effective coaches have good people skills and are confident in their abilities to help others. Formal coaching training is not a requirement, but it helps you to learn practical skills, gain experience from others, and grow your confidence to confront people on tough issues. We also recommend using a 360 degree feedback survey as a starting point to identify leadership strengths, derailers, and gaps in perception.
For more information on internal leadership coaching, join our complimentary webinar on July 22nd at 2pm ET. Internal Leadership Coaching Best Practices.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Fri, Jul 02, 2010 @ 03:08 PM
Feedback is designed to motivate change. Employee surveys, self-assessments, 360-degree feedback, and performance reviews are worthless if they don't inspire change and development. The hard part is making the leap from feedback to change results. The leap is often a big one, over a seemingly deep and dangerous canyon.
How do you motivate an employee receiving 360-degree feedback to make the leap? What will inspire management to jump after seeing the results of an organization-wide employee engagement survey?
In the Heath brothers' book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard, they assert that inspiring change requires channeling appropriate feeling and emotion.
Feedback (employee surveys, 360-degree feedback, etc.) can be seen as a slap in the face that creates negative responses that, in turn, motivate change. The Switch authors note: "We often hear that people change only when a crisis compels them to, which implies that we need to create a sense of fear or anxiety or doom." Is it true?
The Heath brothers refer to a "burning platform", a phrase that describes a horrific gas leak explosion in 1988 on an oil rig. Survivors of the accident had a choice: jump into the sea or burn to death on the platform of the oil rig. In that situation, fear elicited response. Survivors jumped and lived. Yes, negative emotion motivates change.
Are negative responses the best way to motivate a response after feedback? No doubt, it's one method. In fact, most people initially respond with negative emotion after receiving lower-than-expected 360-degree feedback or employee survey scores. But the Heath brothers argue that it's not the most effective.
Positive emotion is stronger and facilitates creative responses to feedback. Positive, hopeful emotion motivates broader change and unique (personally-adapted) solutions that are more effective. "We need to encourage open minds, creativity, and hope," assert the Heath brothers. How should this be done in conjunction with the fear and anger that seem to naturally arise after receiving low scores on feedback assessments?
- Put out the fire on the burning rig by helping people "engage fresh thinking and enthusiasm."
- Focus on positive results and elicit good feelings.
- Ask 'what if' questions.
- Set short term goals.
- Promote hope for improvement and success.
- Facilitate positive reactions by communicating the power of change and the success that's in reach, just on the other side of the canyon.
Feedback can be used as a negative slap in the face to motivate change, but positive responses to feedback are more powerful and longer lasting. Feedback used correctly creates positive emotion. Initial negative feelings can be turned into hopeful emotion and generate creative solutions through effective coaching.
In this way, feedback is turned into results.
Posted by Laura Sheffield on Tue, Jun 29, 2010 @ 03:22 PM
In most organizations, the mission statement hangs in a dusty frame on the wall. Written with good intentions, it has long been forgotten. The statement has become an ugly lobby decoration.
When employees and managers are disconnected from the company's mission statement, employee engagement suffers. Those leaders who have been most successful during this economy have been those that have been able to rally their troops around a common cause and refocus them on the core of the business. Those who are most successful use their mission statement.
Here are three ways to use your mission statement to impact company results:
1. Promote the mission statement internally. External communication and advertising about a company's mission statement has always been important. Often the mission statement is purely an outside publicity tool. But what we seem to forget is the importance of communicating and promoting the mission statement internally. The mission statement should be branded, used in company emails and communications, publicized in company meetings, and found ubiquitously in working spaces (not just the lobby).
2. Let the mission statement drive company priorities. Put your money where your mouth is. Business priorities should be derived from the mission statement. The mission statement should dictate where money is allocated, what projects are begun, who is hired and promoted, and what the executive team is focusing on. The mission statement should be used in every decision to ensure proper focus.
3. Evaluate employee alignment with the mission statement. In order to progress, organizations must be able to take a pulse of the current situation. Periodically, managers should be evaluated for their commitment and understanding of the mission statement using 360-degree feedback. To measure the trickle-down of the mission statement from managers to individual contributors, use employee surveys to measure company-wide alignment with the values of the mission statement.