Vicki Anderson

Do you have difficulty working with a coworker or your boss or even a customer? Have you ever put off talking to someone about a problem and hoped it would get better by itself? Well, unfortunately, there’s no fairy godmother and problems like this rarely rectify themselves.

The one tip I can give you is not to procrastinate saying something. It is much easier to talk about a problem when there is little emotion to it. Once you have worked yourself up about it and are really upset, it is very hard to talk in a calm voice and use words that will keep others from getting defensive. Besides, isn’t it embarrassing for someone to tell you that you have been doing something wrong for a while and they let you keep doing it because they didn’t know how to tell you? No wonder people get defensive. Say something as soon as you know about it.

I like to think of feedback as “useful information” so if someone has a problem with something I am doing, I would want “useful information” to change it. However, if you just have a different way of doing things, or you don’t like the color of my hair or the way I hold my pencil, then keep it to yourself. I would, of course, get defensive because that would be personal and it would be hard for me to see it as “useful information.”

If you will keep the conversation focused on what the other person is doing or saying that needs to change, it is much easier for them to see it as useful information. For example, “When you were helping that customer, I saw you roll your eyes when she was trying to show you what was wrong with the dress that she was returning. How do you think that made her feel?” You see, we are talking about something specific the person did that you saw. You can then discuss the importance of using good body language that communicates you care about the customer. And, the conversation should happen soon after the occurrence, not two weeks later.

An important part of a leader’s job is coaching, which means giving feedback to help people know what they are doing right and what they should improve. Never procrastinate the postive or the negative. Lack of either one limits growth.

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?

A concern I have in today’s economy is that we may put a lot of round pegs into square holes simply to get by or for longer. We all know that finding the right job fit is important to long-term job satisfaction as well as successful performance for the organization. However, since so many people are out of work many will be forced to take anything they can get just to survive. While this will work in the short term, it is sometimes difficult for people to know when to move on as the job market picks up again. It may encourage people to become employed or stay in jobs that are simply not suited for them. Even more difficult are the situations where people’s jobs have been eliminated and probably won’t ever come back. These people may need new training for new careers. I hope that there will be sufficient counseling to help people find the right path and I encourage employers to get involved, if they aren’t already, so they can help groom the right people they will need for their futures.