Vicki Anderson

Today is the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. I remember clearly that morning as I stood in my client’s office in Oklahoma City. Suddenly we heard a loud noise and car alarms in the parking lot started going off. We didn’t know what was going on until one of their employees called in that he was on his way to work driving on I-35 near downtown when the explosion moved his car across the highway. He said to turn on the radio because he thought there had been an explosion. All day we listened to the radio about people going down to help until they told people not to come because they were getting in the way.

When I called home in the afternoon to say I was leaving, they were so glad to hear from me because they didn’t know where I was in Oklahoma City. It never occurred to me that they might have heard about it and worrried about me.

The shock of the event was so real to me even though I wasn’t downtown that I never could go down to look at the site until it was all torn down. It felt like I was being a voyeur to someone else’s pain. I have since been to the memorial several times but while it is so peaceful, it reminds me of the day that seemed so tragic and shook us up.

My loss was only a feeling and that is minimal compared to those who lost loved ones. However, I find that as in all cases we remember what is important to us or impacts us the most. We see things through our own lens every day. Therefore, how it seems to us will be different than how it seems to someone else.

As a leader we should remember this as it relates to our team members. What may seem obvious to us may not be obvious to someone else. What may be a big deal to us may not be a big deal to someone else. What you remember will be different from what someone else remembers. And that can be a good thing, sometimes.

Using consistent consequences takes a lot of effort on the part of a supervisor, but it pays big dividends in fewer disciplinary issues. People know their responsibility and what will happen if they decide not to live up to it. It is always advisable to set the stage correctly upfront by clearly communicating your expectations for their performance. Remember that not everyone has the same standards as you or the same priorities in the way they look at their work. If you want them to be on the same page as you, you have to tell them what your standards and priorities are. Here’s a sample approach to a common problem—employees leaving the breakroom a mess.

Have an employee meeting and ask for their help in keeping the breakroom clean. Impress to them that you are happy to provide this common space for their use, especially if you use it too. Since it is for the use of all, it is the responsibility of everyone to be good neighbors and help keep it clean. You expect people to throw away their trash and wipe up any messes they make. You will provide general cleaning service to help maintain the overall cleanliness. Let them know that if they choose not to be a good neighbor by leaving their food and trash lying around creating unsanitary conditions for others, you will remind them of their responsibility once. If you have to talk with them about it a second time, you will assume they have chosen not to live up to their responsibility for using the breakroom and are barred from using it again. Don’t make everyone suffer for the poor choices of a few. Ask people to help each other by politely encouraging each other to keep their area clean.

You may tell anyone who has been barred that they can be reinstated if they come to you and tell you what they will do to earn your trust again and use the facility appropriately. In other words, say that they are willing to take responsibility for their actions and understand the consequences.

Let’s be perfectly clear that threats are not appropriate when talking about consequences. I believe in giving people choices up front. When you tell people clearly what you expect from their performance, express your confidence in their ability to succeed and your willingness to provide resources to help them. Where it is appropriate, let them know what could happen if they don’t succeed. Consequences should start with follow up conversations to determine root causes for failures or lapses in judgment.

Supervisors play a key role in helping people make good choices in their behaviors, so use consequences wisely and consistently for consistent performance results.

A recent article by The Conference Board reported that only 45% of people were satisfied with their jobs vs. 61.1% in 1987. http://www.conference-board.org/utilities/pressDetail.cfm?press_ID=3820 They also reported that 22% of the people surveyed said that they didn’t expect to be in their current job in a year.

I don’t think this is very surprising given all the changes in employment and the economy in the last year. I also don’t think it is just that people are scared for their jobs. When major layoffs and economy downturns happen it is natural for people hunker down and look out for themselves. It is more difficult to think about what you contribute to the team and how you are making a difference wherever you are if you are only focused on yourself.

I think being a successful part of the world is considering what contribution you make. Job satisfaction is not only being paid what you think you are worth, but it is feeling like it matters whether you do your job or not. And that doesn’t mean whether you get in trouble for doing it or not. Take a look at any job from garbage pickup person to waiter to lab technician to manager to ceo. If that person does not see the importance in their job and is not surrounded by others who value what they do, they are less likely to take an interest and feel satisfied.

And who has the power to help people see their work as worthwhile? It is management, coworkers, and the employes themselves. If you don’t like what you are doing, ask yourself why it needs to be done and what would happen if you didn’t do it. If you have coworkers who serve you by getting you what you need to do your job, let them know you appreciate their effort and what difference it makes to you being able to do your job. If you are a manager, don’t be a recognition miser. Be generous with appreciation and discuss what value employees bring to you and your customers by the way they work. And don’t forget to let your boss know if he or she is doing a good job. They are often the least recognized and it flows downhill from there!

My favorite saying is “The grass is always greener where you water it.” What are you doing to help your grass grow greener?

I attended a webinar today by Steven Smith, author of “Egonomics.” In it he was talking about the need for a balance between fierce resolve to accomplish goals and the need for personal humility. We often think the two are mutually exclusive. The problem comes into view when we are over-comparative with each other, according to Mr. Smith.

I was interested to hear the statistics that compare what we think of ourselves vs. what we think of others. Mr. Smith cited a study where 83% of people surveyed said they had confidence in themselves, while only 27% had confidence in others they work with. I found that interesting because in another assessment I have done with several clients the question asks something similar with similar results. It detracts from teamwork if you think you work with people who do not care as much as you or are not as competent as you.

So, why is it that we think we are better than the others we work with? It has been consistent in surveys I have run that people will generally rate themselves higher in competence or commitment than others. What’s funny is that WE are the OTHERS to other people. If we think they aren’t as good as us and they think we aren’t as good as them, how can we expect people to work together collaboratively in confidence? As a leader, I think we need to be on the lookout for such behavior in the workplace and acknowledge contributions of everyone to raise the level of confidence in the teams. If there is a question of competence, that should be addressed.

Humility doesn’t necessarily mean a lack of self-esteem or competence, it does mean a lack of arrogance. If you think about it, the people we most often admire are those who are confident in themselves enough to lift others up. It’s all about making the pie bigger instead of making someone else’s piece smaller.

I have been doing training for the last sixteen years and I have encountered all kinds of participants. Trainers are always charged with making the training practical and helping the organization get a return on investment. However, I have seen sessions that worked for some people and didn’t work at all for others. I have seen people walk away from a session that I thought was weak, but they got a lot out of it.

I truly believe that in the business of learning, it’s what you do with it that counts. It doesn’t matter whether you have fancy handouts, multimedia slide shows, games or quizzes. What matters is whether the participants engage with the learning and decide to put it to use.

I have seen very bright people who glossed over the material and barely did any of the assignments at work. I have also seen people who seemed average at first, but really decided to put some effort into their practice and started to blossom over time.

Leadership, like any other skill can be taught and learned. Over my years of working with leaders I have seen many people grow in their leadership ability and I have seen others who think they are already there and have better things to do with their time. It’s been my experience that those who have put effort into consciously and continuously improving their leadership skills have reaped the benefits of having employees who respect them more and are eager to work for them to produce whatever it is they do.

I believe the old adage that it’s not what you’ve got that’s important, it’s what you do with it.