25
nov

SPOILT FOR CHOICE!

Posted by Leadership, Virtual LearningNo Comments

By Sally Foley-Lewis

With so many online platforms available to meet, inform, share, collaborate, allocate, and chat … it can be daunting to know which ones to use for what purpose. The trick to making the best decision is to be guided by:

  • what your organization sanctions and pays to use as a whole of organization license.
    • Ensuring access to support services that would be included in the license.
  • what your team tends to find easy to use and actually use regularly.
    • Minimizing the time to learn a new platform
  • using free versions to trial until you can be clear about which platform/s will serve you best.

Remember that you may already have access to reliable and effective platforms for online communication, ask around your organization, IT department and team.

Technology is meant to help!

“Email was going to help the world go paperless!” Do you think that worked? Tech tools that help teams collaborate can help share the workload, engage the team and provide a way to help people learn and understand standards and expectations.

Email is never urgent!

Jane-Maree was incredibly frustrated that her time was almost fully consumed by sending emails asking team members to fix their work. She would spend many, many hours beyond a standard workday, including many weekends, editing, re-writing and proofing work. She was correcting homework like a teacher! Email after email with edits, corrections and changes.

She knows that her direct reports get just as annoyed as she does with the emails. Jane- Maree shared a few typical email examples and every one of them started with, “Just a few things to fix…” and every one of those emails was easily beyond 1500 words in length.

ISSUE NUMBER 1: Just is a contradiction to the rest of the email. Jane-Maree’s intention was to soften the email but the reality is all the emails were containing direction for significant work, not just a few things.

FIX NUMBER 1: Stop using indirect language.

ISSUE NUMBER 2: Only using email. A paper trail makes sense but it’s also not contributing to maintaining a positive relationship or actually ensuring learning. The team came to expect Jane-Maree to do all the proofing and fixing so why bother to try for perfection. They weren’t deliberately doing poor work but they certainly weren’t empowered to strive harder.

FIX NUMBER 2: Have a meeting to discuss the purpose of the piece of work. Use a shared screen to discuss and agree the purpose of the work and expected standards. Check to understand that team members know what’s expected. Encourage team members to aim for final draft quality and provide guidance on language style. With the team start creating, if one doesn’t already exist, a style guide. Refer the team to the style guide and be mindful of any essential variations for different regions.

ISSUE NUMBER 3: Productivity (time management) – using up personal time to do work that is keeping the manager from doing more role relevant (leadership) work.

FIX NUMBER 3: a) As Jane-Maree still has to sign off on the work, bring the deadline forward to allow extra time to read and sign-off. b) Schedule unavailable – do not disturb – time during your workday to proof the work, even 20 minutes of uninterrupted time earlier in the day gives more time later in the day for editing from the team.

LIGHTEN UP!

Taking a short break from the serious work to have some fun will help strengthen the team. It may look and feel like playing games, socializing, chatting and that’s because it is. Having a short segment of the regular online meeting allocated to something fun and social is no different to the odd morning tea, birthday cake celebration, work lunch that happens in workplaces quite regularly.

The opportunity to simply pop over to someone across the office or factory floor needs a remote or virtual equivalent. Allocating some fun or socializing while online will make reaching out online a little more receptive given time and distance.

A touch of creativity and a bit of willingness might be all that’s needed. Managers quite often think they need to have the answers, need to set the agenda, build trust and engagement over distance by inviting the team members to suggest ideas for socializing online.

Team Activities

“I Spy”

  • Cameras on
  • No virtual backgrounds
  • One person spots something in another person’s background. And just like in the original game, the person says, “I spy with my little eye something … [beginning with the letter… or something that is the color …]
  • The rest of the team have to guess. The winner takes a turn to spy the next item.

Two Truths and One Lie (2+1)

Everyone thinks of two things that are true but might seem unbelievable to others, and one lie. For a small team, there might be time for everyone to have a turn at sharing and everyone else guessing which are the truths and which is the lie. For bigger teams, consider using the breakout room functions or small group set up provided with some technologies. Alternatively, nominate/invite only a few people to offer their 2+1.

Online Collaboration

While it can be overwhelming to ask the team to learn new technology while also staying productive with their standard workload, there are some online tools that are simple to use and a fun way to collaborate on social ideas. IdeaBoardz is one simple tool you could use, it’s free and simple to set up. You can use it here: ideaboardz.com.

The following table was collated by Deloitte, the purpose was to demonstrate that a significant technology investment may not be necessary, it’s more about the strategy managers and teams implement to ensure the technology is fit for the purpose of the activity.

Attend the upcoming HRDQ-U webinar, Leadership via the Lens: Remote Leadership, on Wednesday, December 9 at 2pm EST/11am PST.

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19
nov

The Keys to Engaged Remote Workers (it’s not what you think)

Posted by Leadership, Virtual LearningNo Comments

By: Kevin Eikenberry

For several years, engagement has been a big topic among consultants and the business press. Organizations and leaders want to have more engaged team members, and so all manner of programs, tools, apps, processes, and surveys have been created to support and encourage employee engagement.

And the focus has only increased in the last few months as millions of more people have been working from home. The slippery issue of engagement seems to be even more, well, slippery.

Regardless of where people work there are two underlying starting point questions which must be acknowledged and answered first:

  • What is engagement?
  • Who owns engagement?

What is Engagement?

Too many efforts to improve engagement assume the goodness of the idea and further assume that because it is a good thing, that everyone knows what is being strived for. I agree that engagement is good – and that it is worth pursuing – but we must know where we are headed before we begin.  Here is a short section from our upcoming book the Long-Distance Teammate: Stay Engaged and Connected Anywhere that addresses this point:

Engagement is more than employee satisfaction. You can be satisfied, and your job’s fine. Nothing’s wrong, but it doesn’t mean that you’re engaged. Engaged is a level of caring beyond just “It’s okay.” How much discretionary effort are you putting in? How much of your heart, soul, and effort are you putting into your work? Are you satisfied with just the bare minimum, or are you doing your best most of the time?

Engagement then is about caring, believing, and being motivated by the work, your co-workers and the importance and purpose of the work’s output.  If you doubt the value of this, consider two people: one who is all those things and another for whom those things wouldn’t be true.  Who do you want on your team (to lead or work with)?

Who Owns Engagement?

Here is another brief snippet from our upcoming book:

Contrary to popular opinion, we believe your engagement largely belongs to you. How much you care, how hard you try, how much effort you put into your work, is in your control—all of these are your choices. Can those around you (including your boss) make those choices easier or harder? Sure—but the choices are still yours.

If engagement is about caring, believing, motivation and meaning, who has control of those things?

You do – the individual (perhaps remote) worker.

Engagement doesn’t belong to your boss, the HR Department, or the Engagement Project Team – it belongs to you.

The Organizational and Leadership Role

This doesn’t mean leadership should be given a pass or organizations shouldn’t think about creating greater engagement. There are many things that can support and encourage the decisions that individuals make regarding their level of engagement.  These ideas should be studied and considered – but only in the right context and with the proper goal.  Individual leaders should look for ways to support engagement, not be looking for some perfect solution to “get people to be engaged.”

I believe that everyone (you, the rest of your team, your leadership, and the organization as a whole) wins as individual team member engagement grows.  I hope this short article helps you see this situation differently. More importantly, I hope this article helps you think about your own engagement first.  Since engagement starts with us, work on your engagement first – it is a perfect example of role modeling the behavior you want to influence in others.

Join our upcoming HRDQ-U webinar, Creating Engaged, Productive Long-Distanced Teammates, on December 2, 2020 at 2pm ET/11am PT.

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10
nov

Tool Time: Giving Meaning to Measurement

Posted by Team Building ExercisesNo Comments

By: Debbie Ward

Who hasn’t heard some of the following team conversations?

It’s true that we get things done on our team, but we take no time to get to know each other as people.

I really don’t get the value of sitting around shooting the breeze when I have deadlines to meet.

Things would be a lot better if we were all on the same page.

For each of these expressed sentiments, there is likely another team member who would see things differently.  These differences can be embraced and utilized to team advantage.  OR these differences in how people see the world can lead to conflict, poor decisions, throttled back results and unhappy people.

Fortunately, most teams have a choice in how they want to work together.  By using a well-researched model and tool, a team can identify their current reality and see how that differs from the way they want to be.  This will allow them to create an intentional pathway to appreciating differences, achieving goals, and often a more enjoyable and satisfying team experience.

Most of us agree that there are lots of tools to choose from when embarking on a DYI project that requires some specialized equipment.  Similarly, when looking for a tool that is most appropriate for assessing individual or team patterns and behaviors, there are many options that are designed to measure different elements.  Some tools focus on interpersonal elements or dimensions of personality; some explore conflict style; others look at cognitive style, and still, others assess various aspects of teaming.

Regardless of what is being measured, most tools are based on a model which provides:

  • A bigger and more thorough picture of the current situation
  • Neutral language for describing the various dynamics
  • A way for each person to see him/her self in the picture as well as a way to see others in the same frame as themselves

Models can help a leader, a team member, and/or a facilitator of a group describe what she/he sees is happening in a team or in an interaction so that the folks involved can find common ground in the model itself and where they fit into the model.

What are some things to consider when selecting a model?

  • Be clear about the situation or dynamic you are seeking to describe and/or measure so it will provide relevant feedback or perspective: for example, teamwork, social styles, decision making, conflict, communication style.

And, what do we look for in a tool in order for them to be truly valuable for you and those with whom you are working?

  • Is it valid? Does it measure what it says it measures?  There’s nothing worse than having a dozen people in the room looking at their results from an assessment and having some or all of them question whether the results are accurate for them personally.
  • Is it reliable? Does the tool provide consistent results over time?  Are there situations in which results should change?  What are those situations?
  • Is it user-friendly? Is the administration and/or de-briefing process something that either a team member or external consultant can understand and execute with confidence and ease?

Once you’ve done some research you are ready to work with your team.  Here are some helpful guidelines:

  • Select a model that actually reflects the issue(s) you are focusing on and is evidence-based.
  • Read about the model. Think about how it relates to your group.
  • Practice describing the model and identify the questions or challenges that your group members might ask and prepare your responses.
  • Develop some open-ended questions to stimulate constructive conversation among your group, using the model.

If you decide to also use a tool related to the model, take these steps:

  • Learn about the tool. Consider validity and reliability.  (see above)
  • Take it yourself. Perform an objective assessment of the findings and the experience.
  • Perhaps ask a few colleagues to take it and let you review it with them while also seeking their feedback on the experience.
  • Obtain and review a facilitator guide or manual, which is typically available for small or no additional cost.
  • Get clear about the directions for administering the assessment and prepare to answer questions that might come from participants.
  • Decide whether you will debrief the results individually or in the group; whether you will ask individuals to share their results separately or whether you will share the results as an aggregate.
  • Design the 1-1 or group session so that there is a focus on what has been learned and how the data will inform future actions.

While the selection of a model or tool for use with a team is critically important, the thorough review and discussion of the findings are essential.  Consider some questions that will help give meaning to the measurement:

What surprised us about the findings?

What are elements of the data that suggest areas of strength?

Where are some opportunities for improvement?

What do we need to talk more about in light of what we learned?

Would you like to go further to find support for your team to strengthen itself?

On Nov 11, HRDQ is offering a webinar, Using the ETI: Enhancing Your Effectiveness with Teams, on how to use a particularly well-researched team model and tool: Extraordinary Team Inventory.

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22
oct

The Achilles Heel of Coaching

Posted by Coaching SkillsNo Comments

By: Ken Phillips

Have you ever had a situation where you or a colleague repeatedly talked with an employee about improving his or her performance — and nothing changed? Or, the changes made were only temporary? If so, you might be wondering: What went wrong? How come the employee doesn’t get it? The answer likely rests with the fact that you failed to get the employee to recognize and agree that he or she needs to improve and change — a critical yet often poorly executed step in the coaching process.

Coaching is a technique that can be used by people at all organizational levels, senior leaders through first-line supervisors, as well as team leaders. It also is just as applicable in traditionally managed organizations as it is in those structured around teams. However, much confusion exists over what coaching is and isn’t. I define coaching as an interpersonal process between a manager and an employee in which the manager helps the employee redirect his or her behavior or performance while maintaining mutual trust. Coaching differs from feedback, although feedback is part of the coaching process. Feedback is given by a manager in response to a specific event or situation; coaching focuses on a pattern of behavior. Examples include missing several deadlines in a short time period despite being reminded that meeting deadlines are important, continuing to arrive late for work after being told tardiness is not acceptable and continuing to interrupt others despite receiving feedback that such behavior isn’t appropriate.

Coaching is not chewing out, taking to task, or threatening employees to try to improve their performance. Those tactics can work, but the results often are worse than the original problem. Specifically, employees become outwardly submissive and inwardly rebellious and do nothing more or less than what’s asked.

In general, a coaching meeting should take place only after an employee clearly understands what is expected, and has received feedback at least once that his or her performance is not what it could or should be. However, in some cases, certain significant events may trigger a coaching meeting, before they develop into a pattern of behavior. For example, a manufacturer I worked with decided that any safety violation — no matter how minor — would be addressed in a coaching discussion and, if significant enough, could lead directly to formal discipline.

 

The Coaching Process

 

Coaching involves these elements:

 

• A two-way dialogue

• A series of interdependent steps or objectives

• Specific coaching skills

• Mutual satisfaction

 

The coaching process has two primary areas of focus: helping an employee recognize the need to improve his or her performance and developing an employee’s commitment to taking steps to improve performance permanently. Here are the main steps in the coaching process:

 

1. Build interpersonal trust.

2. Open the discussion.

3. Agree on the issue.

4. Consider possible solutions.

5. Agree on an action plan.

6. Manage excuses.

7. Close the meeting.

 

While all of these steps are important, the most critical one is getting an employee to recognize and agree that there’s a need to improve his or her performance (Step 3). Moreover, the step is equally important whether an employee has a specific performance problem or he or she is an average performer who could do even better. Without an agreement, there’s little likelihood that any improvement will occur, or that it will be permanent.

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