The Misbehavior Conversation

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We have had great response to our online Leadership Program (target date – August 9, 2008). Only a few seats left. Get the details.
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My thanks to Larry and CSA for their responses to yesterday’s question about undermining authority.
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Here’s my take.

Undermining authority comes in many flavors. It could be naive behavior, thinking that it is helpful. It could be meddling behavior, a supervisor with nothing more interesting to do. It could be something to prove, disagreement with vision or disagreement with methods. It could be malicious, absolutely intentional as retribution for a past oversight from authority.

Your question leaves out detail, but your next move is the same no matter how unintentional or down-right mean and nasty the motive.

Your next move is a conversation and the sooner, the better. This is the Misbehavior Conversation.

If you want to fire the guy, you don’t need my help, so I assume you want the behavior to improve. You will need a quiet place. Here are the elements and the time frames for each step.

Observation. Describe specifically, without judgment, what you have observed. Be a reporter, no emotion, no opinion, just the facts. (10 seconds).

Impact. Describe the impact this is having on the team, the department, the company, the customer. (10 seconds).

Your contribution to the problem. (Yes, you have to assume some responsibility in this problem). As his manager, it is likely you were not clear when you created the roles and responsibilities. You likely have seen this behavior for some time, but you haven’t said anything, hoping that the behavior would go away. If you’ve kept quiet, then you have given permission. (10 seconds).

What’s at stake. There are many stakeholders who have some skin in this game. It is not just this supervisor and one or two people. Your customer is the biggest stakeholder. (10 seconds).

Consequences if no change. Do not forget this step. If there are no consequences, then I don’t know why you are having this conversation. (10 seconds).

Your wish to resolve. Tell this supervisor that your intention is for things to improve. (5 seconds).

Ask for a plan to correct the behavior. (5 seconds). Don’t fall for the trap of telling this supervisor what must be done. The plan for improvement must come from his lips. So shut up and listen. (10 minutes).

Agreement on follow-up. This is an appointment to check on progress. Get your calendar and set a specific time, within seven days of this conversation.

This is not a long conversation. You will notice that you only get to talk for one minute compared to ten minutes for the other person. Note the solution to the problem must come from the other person. The most important skill is listening and asking questions. -TF

Undermining Authority

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From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
What is the best way to explain undermining authority to a supervisor who is doing it to another supervisor? Also, can you give me examples I can use?

Response:
Before I offer direct advice (yes, I have some specific thoughts), I would like to extend the opportunity for feedback from fellow readers. If you have some advice, please post a comment. -TF

The Problem with Results

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Great response to the announcement about our Online Leadership program. Target start date is August 9. Details.
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“That’s the problem with our results based system,” Audrey explained. “As his manager, I have to sit around and wait for the results to come in. If they don’t, I am supposed to be quick and decisive. Chop phim off at the knees.”

“You sound like it doesn’t work out sometimes.”

“More than sometimes. There are almost always outside circumstances that impact results. I can have someone doing a great job, but some circumstance spoils the party. Even though they were doing a great job, they get a (2) on their performance appraisal.

“Or even worse,” Audrey continued. “I have a supervisor, who is really doing a lousy job, but they get lucky, the goal gets achieved, so they score a (5).”

“And?” I prodded.

“And, now my boss says we have to cut overhead, somebody has to go. I have to pick the lousy supervisor with the (5) and let go the good supervisor with a (2).”

Online Program

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Over the past 13 years, I have had many requests to deliver our classroom program in other parts of the country. Unfortunately, the logistics of this type of program are difficult. We can’t do the work that needs to be done in a one-shot seminar.

So, we have been working hard to create the same learning program in an online platform. We studied online learning for several years and spent the time creating a platform we are finally happy with.
If you have interest in participating or have someone on your team that you think would be interested, here is the heads up.

  • We will have about 20 participants in an online interactive group.
  • I will personally be the instructor.
  • There will be application assignments that have to be done at work (so to participate, you have to actually be working in a management capacity).
  • There will be outside reading in addition to the time spent online with interactive discussion assignments, about two per week.
  • This is not some zippy online course that you can wing your way through. Participants should plan to commit 2-3 hours per week for five weeks.

If you are interested, follow this link to the pre-registration. Pre-registration only commits your interest. Once we have a group together, we will confirm the start date and see who is ready to go.

The tuition for the program is $600, but if you pre-register, you will get a $50 credit toward the program. Looking forward to seeing you online. -TF

Do You Believe It?

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“When you evaluate his effectiveness, given his resources and his challenges, how does he stack up?” I asked.

Audrey was quick to reply. “No way. That’s the problem. We have a results based performance review system. He is obviously not getting the results we want, but there is always something, some circumstance that prevents him or his team from delivering the goal. And that something, that circumstance always seems to make sense.”

“You mean the excuse that gets him off the hook is the excuse that you believe.” -TF

The Problem is Not the Problem

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“We call him, Teflon,” Audrey said. “Nothing sticks. Things go wrong in his department all the time, but he always has an explanation why one thing or another caused the problem. Always something out of his control. Not his fault.”

“Has he ever taken responsibility for some performance measure in his area?” I asked.

“No, he has never had to. You would think there is a worldwide conspiracy out to get him and foil all his plans. Even when I don’t buy his excuse, he has a backup excuse to replace it. Do you think he is just unlucky?”

“Audrey, sometimes the explanation for the problem tells you more about the explainer than it does about the problem.” -TF

Not a River

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“So, life is NOT a river,” Ellen repeated.

“No,” I replied. “And I cannot teach you the things you need to know to become a better manager. You cannot read a book on management and suddenly be a better manager.”

Ellen looked disappointed.

“If you can’t teach me, then who?”

“Ellen, it is your journey. You are responsible for the preparation. You are responsible for taking the steps. You are responsible for learning along the way. What you choose to read and who you choose to listen to are important, but you are responsible for the learning.” -TF

The Journey

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“I know I need some help,” Ellen explained. “I am in a new role, I have to step up my game. I know you and I know that many people trust you to help them. I need you to teach me, so that I can become a better manager.”

“I am flattered,” I replied, “but I must tell you a story.”

There was a young woman searching for the meaning of life. She had heard of a wise man who lived at the top of a mountain, who, by all reports, could help in her quest. So she made preparations for the journey.

It was a long journey, traveling by foot. Many overnights before she arrived at the mountain. The mountain was not particularly dangerous to climb, but the path was another two days journey into a higher elevation.

Finally, she arrived, and sat with the wise man she had heard so much about. After explaining the reason for her travel, she asked the question. “Sir, what is the meaning of life?”

To which, the wise man quickly responded, “My child, Life is a River.”

The young woman was clearly taken aback. “I heard you were a wise man, so I traveled many days to arrive at your mountain, then traveled two more days into the clouds to speak with you about the meaning of life, and all you have to say is that Life is a River?”

The wise man looked directly at her, “You mean, it’s not a river?” -TF

Importance of the MOR Conversation

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July 16 kicks off our summer Leadership program here in Fort Lauderdale. For registration information, please visit www.workingleadership.com.
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“So, the relationship between the supervisor and the line worker or the manager and the supervisor is all about the work. And that relationship is an accountability relationship,” I explained.

Sylvia nodded, so I continued, “What is the appropriate relationship between the manager and the line worker? What is the nature of the relationship for the Manager Once Removed?”

“It can’t also be an accountability relationship, because the line worker would then have two bosses. That’s a little schizophrenic.” Sylvia’s head turned. “But the conversation I was having with Muriel, our line worker, wasn’t about the work. I was interested in how she was doing as a person. I was interested in how she was adjusting, how she was finding things with the company.”

It was my turn to nod. Sylvia continued.

“As the Manager Once Removed, I think it is important to have those kinds of conversations. Her supervisor will talk with her about the work, making sure the work gets done. My role, as a Manager, is to create the system, monitor the system. It’s important for me to find out the condition of the system.”

“Is it also your responsibility to be grooming your next wave of supervisors?” I asked.

“Yes, and my next supervisors are going to come from my best team leaders. As the Manager Once Removed, I need to be having conversations about career paths and opportunities within the company.”

“And, as a Manager, do you also have an accountability relationship with the supervisor who reports to you?”

“Yes, and I can find out a lot about Vince’s performance as a supervisor by having a Manager Once Removed conversation with Muriel.”

Nature of the Relationship

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Our summer Leadership program in Fort Lauderdale kicks off July 16. For registration information, visit www.workingleadership.com.
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“First of all, Sylvia, every company is a real company, even a company of three,” I replied. “As companies grow larger, the structure of how they work together becomes more complicated, for better or for worse.”

“Well, we have a good sized company,” Sylvia responded. “We have supervisors, managers, vice-presidents and a CEO. And we have an organizational chart.”

“So, let’s talk about those relationships and how they work best. A line worker reports to a supervisor or a supervisor reports to a manager. What is the nature of the relationship? What do they talk about?”

Sylvia struggled to describe this. Everyone knows, magically, how this reporting relationship works, but describing it is difficult.

“They talk about problems,” Sylvia started. “Problems with the work.”

“Or successes with the work,” I picked up. “But their relationship is around the work. It’s all about the work. This reporting relationship is an accountability relationship.”

Sylvia nodded.

“As a manager, when you have a conversation with a line worker, you are the Manager Once Removed. What is this conversation about? What is the nature of this relationship?”

“That’s what Vince objected to,” Sylvia quickly protested. “I felt that it was an appropriate conversation, but when Vince objected, I didn’t know what to say.”

“That’s because Vince was wrong. What is the nature of the relationship of the Manager Once Removed?” -TF