Leadership

Leadership and Ethics

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If you know what you’re doing is wrong but there’s no one to notice or learn of what you’re doing, is there an ethical issue? When it’s put that bluntly, what do you think? Remember the common sense definition of ethics. Ethics is what you do when no one’s watching. You as the supervisor, manager or leader have a moral obligation to your organization and to yourself to always try to do the right thing. If you don’t but you instruct your employees to do so, aren’t you really simply stating that they’re to do as you say, not as you do? Are you truly behaving as a leader?

Ethical conduct these days seems to be in short supply. We’ve all read the headlines and heard the talking heads pontificate about the waste and abuse by federal agencies, state agencies, and private sector organizations. Why does it keep happening? For one thing, what are the consequences? A few folks have resigned their positions or retired. And in “fifteen minutes,” figuratively speaking, no one will remember, the agencies involved will suffer no lasting consequences and the same old mind set continues.

Here’s the big “however.” If your organization relies upon its reputation for honor and integrity, any behavior by any employee which is contrary to those principles will undermine that reputation and ultimately end up hurting the organization. As a member of the leadership team you bear a great responsibility for protecting the good name of your organization and the reputation of each and every employee. With that in mind, how will you respond to the next ethical dilemma you face?

Back to Work

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How many of us have thought dark thoughts that first morning we’ve had to go back to the office after spending however long on a great vacation?  It can be overwhelming facing the tasks, the emails that need to be answered, the phone calls to be returned and the mail stacked at least 2 feet high on our desk.  This is especially true for leaders, managers and supervisors.  It’s almost enough to make us turn off the alarm, pull the covers back over our heads and call in sick.  But we don’t.

How best to ease back into the routine?  Here are a few suggestions.

Get in early.   If it’s possible, try to get in early on your first day back.  It can be tempting to stay in vacation mode but this is one day that you have to be on your game from the very start.  Why go in early?  Believe it or not, the peace and quiet of the early start gives you some valuable time in order to get back into work mode.

If you’re not alone in the office when you get in, resist the urge to start telling folks how great your vacation was.  That chat can wait for a coffee break or even lunch.  Phone calls welcoming you back need to be kept to a minimum.  Politely let the caller know that it’s your first day back and you’re swamped.  Try to set a time when the call and conversation will be convenient for both of you.

Set priorities.  Once back at the office you’ll need to establish what tasks need done right now and what can wait.  [Here’s a hint – the social networking emails can wait.  As a matter of fact, those emails need to be done on your time, not company time.]   What’s the most important task to get done the first day back?  How soon is it due?  Each task gets looked at to get the due date and what’s needed to accomplish the task.   If you need to assign work to the folks you supervise, make sure you’re aware of their schedules.

If problems arose while you were gone, take time to talk to the individual who handled the problem in your absence.  You’re going to need that person’s input before making any additional decisions on the matter.  Whatever you do, try not to critique their handling of the situation.  They’re not you – they’re not going to do things exactly the way you would.  If additional action is needed to address the problem fully, initiate that action as soon as possible.  Thank the individual for covering in your absence.  A little good will goes a long, long way.

Accept the fact that you’re going to be wishing you were still on vacation but expend the time and effort to stay on task.  It sets a good example for others and lets them know you’re back and in control.

Before you go on vacation, don’t schedule that performance appraisal with the difficult employee for the first day you’re back.  Give yourself a day or two to get back fully into work mode.  If it’s your practice to have unit meetings, staff meetings, group meetings, or whatever you call them, schedule that meeting for a day or two after your return.  Why?  It gives you some time to get a sense of what has happened in your absence and to be fully prepared for the meeting.

Just some thoughts and ideas that may make the return to work a bit easier.  Glad you’re back at work and here’s hoping the next vacation is just as much fun.

Problem solving and technology

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Is there any leader, manager, or supervisor who thinks that it would be lovely to get away from the emails, the computers, the smartphones for just a little while – or have we all become so dependent upon the technology that we can’t think of going even a day without checking the emails, voice messages, computers, etc.?  Can you imagine being the management team of a company or organization that inadvertently let an email out which notified everyone in the organization that they had been fired?  Do you really think another email is going to be the calming oils on troubled waters?

If you’re in a management position and problems develop don’t expect an email to adequately address the problem.  In many cases the problem has its root cause in a communication issue.  A direct, human to human contact will go a long way to keeping the fallout from the problem to a manageable level before resolution can be achieved.  An email might be timely and can provide a great deal of information.  Technology will help provide solutions and perhaps even provide better ways of accomplishing certain tasks.  However good our technology is though, it won’t every replace the importance of letting people know they matter.

How does the impersonal nature of the email convey the importance that people have to your organization?  Taking the time necessary to directly and personally attend to the issue(s) speaks volumes to onlookers as to how valued people are within your company or organization.  Is it always convenient?  Is it always comfortable to go into a meeting where you know people are begging for a confrontation?  No, no, and again no.  But the fact that you think enough of the people to take that time to listen and to try to work together to reach a consensus will be well worth it.  It can build a sense of good will and folks will remember the time and attention you paid to their issues.  When the chips are down and sacrifices in time, money or positions have to be made, folks are going to know that you’ve done everything possible to find a resolution that is to the benefit of all concerned.  When such a resolution isn’t possible, the folks are still going to know that people matter to you.  In the end, that’s really what business is all about – making sure the end consumer and the people providing that service know they have value and worth.


Leadership and Decision Making

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Here’s a question for managers and supervisors.

Does your leadership style contribute to or hinder decision making?  Does it contribute to the problem or the solution?

Research has found that the style of leadership used within a group will have a direct impact upon the workings of the members.    It involves the facilitation of the interactions of the individual members, monitoring and encouraging member participation and completing the assigned tasks.  Leadership within a group may either be earned or ascribed.  When a group first forms the leadership issue must be decided.  Until that happens the group cannot focus on the tasks.  The style of leadership may vary along a continuum of authoritarian to non-directive.

An authoritarian leader is in complete control of the group.  The leader will make the decisions and then announce them to the members.  Information may be solicited from the members but may not affect the final decision.  An authoritarian leader is concerned only with getting the job done and not with whether the members approve of the final decision.

An authoritarian-democratic leader will make a decision and then attempt to persuade the group members to support it.  Such a leader needs the cooperation of the group to insure the task is completed.  The leader will attempt to persuade the members to support any decisions which have been made, whether or not the group had any input into that decision.

A democratic leader will present ideas and ask for input.  Additional suggestions may be asked from the members during the course of the meeting.  Decisions from such a leadership style are usually the result of a majority vote.

When compared to one another, authoritarian leaders will produce faster decisions in part because they have encouraged centralized communication structures.  Nondirective leaders encourage the use of decentralized communication structures and while slower, they will produce higher quality decisions.

So which style of leadership do you have and how effective are you in resolving problems?  If problem solving remains an issue, consider looking at your leadership style and making changes in order to bring about the best solutions possible.

 

Performance Appraisals for Difficult Employees – Part I

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There may be nothing more a supervisor dreads that having to do a performance appraisal for a difficult employee. You can’t stick your head in the sand, that’s for sure.  But there are some key actions you may consider taking to prepare for the meeting.

The most important thing to remember in dealing with any employee, difficult or not, is that as the supervisor you must focus on the issue or the behavior. Be sure that you’ve taken notes during the review period to recall good job performances and problem issues. If meetings were held to discuss the issues, use your notes to discuss performance issues. Those notes should include the date and time of the meeting, who was present and what was discussed.  If memos were sent to the employee addressing a specific issue, have a copy of those memos available during the review meeting.

Call the meeting for a time that will allow both you and the employee to engage in conversation without distractions. If you can’t get away from the telephone or interruptions in your office, move the meeting to a neutral location such as a conference room. The key here is to insure that both you and the employee can devote full attention to the performance appraisal without having an audience.

Provide a copy of the written performance appraisal to the employee in time to allow the employee to review it before the meeting. Remember when writing the review that your focus must be on specific issues or behaviors. For example, if the employee’s job requires the production of reports within a specific time period, make sure you’ve checked the disclosure rate to determine whether the employee has met the standard. Check the submission dates and times and note the number which were on time and the number which were late.

Stay tuned for Part II – Holding the actual meeting.