Decision making

Same problems, different response?

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It’s still the first month of 2014 and already you’re getting information that the same problems continue to rear their ugly heads.  What do you do?

Like an earlier post asked, are you going to adopt the ostrich response or be the leader?  If you keep using the ostrich response, hoping for a different outcome – well, we won’t repeat the definition of insanity here.  I have watched the problems at a well-known Internet corporation continue into the new year and wonder when their leadership will realize that poor communication from the top is at the heart of their issues.

Back to your situation and here’s a hint – you’re being paid to be the leader.  If everything you’ve tried hasn’t resolved the problems your new response should be to call in a professional problem solver.  In the long run you’re going to save money, improve morale, job performance, job satisfaction and the bottom line of your organization.  That last one should be enough to mollify your stockholders and even Aunt Nell.

Professional problem solvers can provide objective information as to the real issues underlying the problems you’re seeing.  We engage in active and responsible listening to all the parties involved, not just to management’s side of the issue, nor just the staff’s side of the issue.  The problem solver is skilled in both critical and creative thinking and isn’t afraid to use either or both skill sets in helping your organization address the problems.

So your problems from the previous year are starting to set a bad tone for your new year.  Your different response will be to call on a professional problem solver and start on that path toward a positive resolution.  There’s still time to make 2014 the best year yet for improved employee job satisfaction and performance.  Go ahead. Make the call.  We’ll be there for you.

A New Year – A New Opportunity

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It’s a new year and we’ve all had a little time to adjust to writing “2014” on those important documents.  With the new year comes the opportunity to take a fresh look at how we are responding to the problems and issues that occur within our organizations.

This is not an encouragement to make a New Year’s Resolution – most of those only last the first week.  Rather, this is encouragement to take a fresh look at how you identify and resolve problems.  If in the last year you realized that your usual approach wasn’t working, now is a great time to assess your problem solving skills, emphasize the ones that are working and seek out help to improve those that were less productive than you wanted or knew.  Why not also make the decision to call in individuals who have experience with problem solving to help?  Such a decision is not an admission of failure.  It is a testament to your willingness to learn and to grow in your position and a testament to your commitment to seeing your staff and your organization succeed.  Let’s chat!

A surprising finding

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(Thought I would share a recent posting to our Facebook page  – Check us out on Facebook under Problem Solving Consultants.)

I was recently asked to serve as a subject matter expert in the development of a course on critical and creative thinking in criminal justice.  At first I had a doubt about whether I could complete my end of the bargain on time.  I’m finding a couple of things – the most important is that I’m working with two very gifted and professional curriculum developers (I don’t think that’s their real title but it does describe what they do) who work very nicely with me as my mind takes some strange turns, especially when it comes to the creative thinking!  The second is a bit of a surprise – I’m actually enjoying the pressure of a quick deadline.  Why is that?  I think it’s because it’s pressure of my own choosing.  I could have turned down the request, citing time management issues involving the course I was teaching and various projects I have going on right now.  But I chose not to and I’m having a really good time with this.  Best of all – I’m refreshing some learning and gaining new insights and information on topics I’ve known for quite some time.

The purpose of sharing this is to open your thinking to the concept that not all pressure is bad and stretching yourself by not staying in a professional rut can be enlightening and refreshing.  Is it time for you to get out of your office and take on a new project that challenges your thinking, your skills and your creativity?

Calm in the Storm

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Does it seem like every day brings with it new uncertainty and chaos to business rules and regulations? How can any leader feel like they have total control over what the future brings for their organization? I can well imagine how the confusion coming out of Washington these days is adding to the anxiety and concern. How do you stay calm in the midst of all this chaos? Do you get the feeling that you’re a very small rowboat in an unsettled ocean and the storm clouds continue to build?
One way to try to stay calm is literally take a deep breath or a short walk. Then take the time to sit with your senior staff and go over all the new things that you are or will be required to handle. Divide them into two categories – the things over which you have control, and the things over which you have no control and which are mandatory. Making that move starts the calming process because it helps define what you can do. If you have absolutely no control over whether a form is submitted or not, why waste time and effort fighting the requirement?
An area of concern lately is how organizations have been changing their employment practices due to the new regulations. Most of the attention has been on the large national and international organizations. But what if you’re a small “mom and pop” organization in a small community? Obviously some very difficult decisions lie ahead for you. The same thing also applies to the larger corporations. It may seem like an impersonal approach but decisions affecting human beings are never easy. In this climate, effective leaders will insure that they communicate honestly and fairly with the entire staff. Even bad news is accepted a little easier when the communication channels are used effectively. Hopefully your organization has effective lines of communication in place and ready to go. It doesn’t make the decision making any easier but it does ease the anxiety just a bit.

Anxiety

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A few weeks ago I monitored a test in my class and was intrigued by the anxiety level exhibited as time approached for the test to start. It wasn’t just one student, either. I knew this was a class of folks who took their studies seriously and worked hard both in class and on their assignments. Why am I bringing this up in a blog that for the most part talks about leadership and management issues? I bring it up for the simple reason that anxiety is not limited to classroom settings.
Any time there is a performance measure anxiety may be present to some extent. Psychologists have noted that anxiety at some level heightens awareness and can lead to enhanced performance. However, too much anxiety may have the opposite effect. It may detract from performance. Psychologists have identified and studied the phenomenon of test anxiety in classroom settings. Within your organization do your workers have “classroom” settings which might evoke so much anxiety that their work is affected? Is this really any concern to you? It might be if precision and accuracy are of paramount importance. Simply put, if anxiety levels are so high that work suffers, how can you expect to fill your customers’ orders or complete the contract on time?
How high does your anxiety level go when you hear Aunt Nell is on the phone or on her way to your office? Is that a good time to measure your performance as a leader? Wouldn’t the same consideration apply to your staff?

RIP Common Sense

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The debacle taking place in Washington DC, considered by some to be business as usual, should give us all pause as we mourn the apparent passing of common sense (and perhaps decency) in some quarters.   Washington insists on doing what it wants when it wants – and the heck with common sense.  How long do you think you’ll stay employed if you reject common sense and decide that treating employees badly is perfectly acceptable?  When employees disagree with a new policy or procedure – is your reaction to marginalize them?  By doing so how much support do you think the new policy or process will really have?  Your staff will observe how well you handle disagreement and questions about decisions you are considering or implementing.  Taking actions which are unrealistic and responding to critics  with demeaning or disparaging comments does nothing to advocate effective communication.  Maybe the people actually doing the work just might have a better idea.   Perhaps this is the opportunity to resurrect common sense and enjoy the benefits which comes from taking such a stance.    Aunt Nell can’t be too upset if more effective and efficient work processes are implemented because common sense rules.

Oh, my!

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Have you been watching or reading the news coming out of DC?  Talk about problems!  How would you go about solving problems of similar importance in your organization?

One approach could be to circle the wagons, surround yourself with loyal staff and pretend nothing is wrong.  The loyal staff will support each and every one of your decisions.  I can hear the comments from here – “and the problem with that is what?”  There’s no real problem with this approach so long as you’re able to develop and implement objective and fair decisions.  But “group think” can result in ill-advised decisions.  History is replete with such situations, none of them solved satisfactorily.  Apparently this is the approach being used yet again by the folks in DC.  Now that should be interesting to watch.

The better approach to consider is to bite the bullet and hire a professional problem solver.  That person can help maintain the necessary objectivity while empowering and motivating staff to provide well reasoned and well developed options for your team to consider.  Here’s something else to think about.  You don’t have all the answers and you don’t always make the best choices.  You’re human and occasional opportunities for improvement will be encountered.  Hiring a professional problem solver is the first step toward developing and implementing lasting solutions to your problems.  Too bad the folks in charge in DC don’t use the same common sense you do.

Some thoughts

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I was fortunate to spend time at Walt Disney World recently and I was struck by the change in people as they stood in line for rides, food, etc.  The Disney corporation has certainly created a happy place for millions of visitors.   Another thought also struck me.  Disney could not successfully create such a place if it were a truly horrible corporation in which to work as some media stories over the years have tried to portray.

If you’re going to be an effective leader you need to understand that happy employees make far more significant and positive contributions to the success of your organization.  Those contributions tend to improve the bottom line as well.  Making sure your employees are “happy” doesn’t mean bending over backwards and kowtowing to every demand.  It does mean that you lead effectively.  That means you educate yourself on the importance of group dynamics, especially in your organization, and use those dynamics in a positive way to achieve your organizational goals.  It means being fair and consistent in your dealings with people.  Customer service is important especially when extended to employees.  Set goals that both challenge and fulfill your staff.  Work should never be toxic but hard work never hurt anyone.  Have the courage and persistence to look at the way work gets done and see if new ways might be more effective and profitable.  Don’t settle for mediocre either in yourself or your staff.  Knowledge and proper use of group dynamics can lead to a workplace where everyone dares to be extraordinary.  How bad can that be?

Ostrich or Effective Leader?

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How have your conversations with Aunt Nell been going?  Are you giving her honest answers?  Or are you simply trying to buy yourself some time?  We both know the last approach will only work in the short term.  So what are you going to do to solve these nagging and seemingly endless problems?

One thing to recognize is that you will probably make some mistakes but make them because you’re trying, not because you refuse to take affirmative steps to solve the problems.  A positive affirmative step you can take even as you read this is to acknowledge that group dynamics play an important role in the effectiveness of any organization, including yours.  A deeper understanding of how groups function may give you some insight into how a professional problem solver will work to identify the problem and then work with all the parties to develop and implement long term effective solutions.  The groups will exist whether you like it or not.  Why not learn how to use those groups and their communication channels to your advantage and in the best interests of the people in your organization?  It has to be better than burying your head in the sand as you try to avoid yet another conversation with Aunt Nell.

Giving up the ostrich response

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How was that last conversation with Aunt Nell?   As I suggested earlier you may not appreciate the importance of group dynamics.  Just recently there’s been a real life example in the news and I’d like to share some of my observations with you.

Marissa Mayer, the new CEO at Yahoo!,  recently issued a memo to her entire staff, stating that telecommuting was ending and all staff members are expected to report daily to the office  beginning in June.  I have no inside information but I can hazard a guess that Ms. Mayer may have a legitimate concern that the lack of daily office contact with about 500 staffers had caused that group to be perceived as disconnected and remote from the remaining 12,ooo or so other employees.  There is some legitimacy to that perception if we think about it.  Having a coffee break in the employee break room provides a valuable communication channel among the employees.

In my assessment Ms. Mayer may not have fully appreciated the impact of the major paradigm shift she has ordered.  Obviously she appreciates the importance of having the employees interact with one another through means other than impersonal emails and text messages.  Getting all her employees together physically gets everyone on the same page and focused on the same organizational goals.  It improves the quality and frequency of communication and I think it gets employees more personally invested in the success of the organization.   But implementing such a significant change requires, in my view, a stick and carrot approach.  The stick would be having folks  physically in the office.  From the news reports I’ve read the change has been received with the understandable negative response.  However, I think Ms. Mayer can mitigate that negativity by offering a carrot.  It would be a reconsideration at some defined future point of reinstating the work from home option.  What standards she would use would have to be clearly defined and objectively measured.  But it can be done.  In my view, Ms. Mayer has already shown that she’s not afraid to make the hard decisions.  Making an adjustment to her earlier decision would not diminish her in any way but would show how she is willing to listen, evaluate and implement changes as appropriate.  Are you able to say the same thing about your performance?