Training Blog...

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but I will admit there is one show I’ve begun to watch this month that is quickly becoming a secret addiction of mine. On CBS there is a new series called UNDERCOVER BOSS and on Sunday evenings you can usually find me glued to the tube for the week’s episode.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with this particular piece of popular programming I’ll briefly explain. Executives from large corporations such as Waste Management, White Castle, and 7- Eleven appear on the show allowing television crews to follow them as they go “undercover” and find both the good and the bad of their corporation’s inner workings. Through the week both employer and employee learn from each other, and create a new perspective on how to make  better teams in their organization.

The premise may sound a bit cheesy (let’s face it most media saturated reality shows are), but I can’t help but smile at the end of each episode. I love seeing the upside- down model of leadership and its impact on those leading. Sometimes life’s most important lessons can be learned at the bottom, rather then the top, which can be humbling for each of us.

Personally I have begun taking this mindset into the office. Are we truly taking time to learn and grow from those who are “doing” it, or do we dictate rules and regulations without the opportunity to be taught ourselves? It’s a hard question to ask ourselves, and one that I don’t immediately know the answer to.  However it is something that I will continue to ponder… next Sunday in front of my television.

Think back to grade school gym class….back to the days of dodge ball.  The object of the game: players try to hit each other with large red rubber balls while trying to avoid being hit themselves. The gym teacher would pick the team captains.  The rest of the class would wait…some with much excitement that they would quickly be chosen while others would hide in the shadows dreading the whole process.  In my gym class the order of picking usually went something like this:

1.  Best friend(s)
2.  Kids that were pretty good athletes
3.  Kids that your best friend would tell you to pick
4.  Divide the last couple of kids that didn’t really want to play the game anyway

Then the game began.  The balls started to fly.  If you were able to avoid injury or knocking someone’s glasses off, you were golden.  Before you knew it the game was over.  If your team lost, the kids that were in category #4 usually let this roll off of them.  The other kids usually did one of two things.  Either they would blame the kids in category #4 for losing the game or they would blame someone on the other team for doing something to someone in category #4 that caused their team’s loss.  The one thing that they didn’t do is look at how their own performance contributed to the game.

The business world can be a giant game of dodge ball.  We are all part of diverse teams with expectations to win every time.  There may be a lot of pressure and pushback from your teammates.  You will have the team captains who organize the project, you may have peers on your team, teammates that have certain skills needed to get the project done, and there will be the ones that don’t care and don’t contribute.  How do you all work together and deliver? 

Define clear goals and objectives.
Clear communication is essential in order for team members to know what is expected of them.

Discuss and agree on individual responsibilities.
This step will help keep individuals on task and it promotes personal accountability. 

The leader must lead by example.
A strong leader must create a high trust environment so the team will participate in discussions, ask questions, and address conflict. The leader must also have an action plan for conflict that may arise.  With all of this in place, the team will make the most of the time that they have together.

Regularly evaluate and discuss the team’s performance and progress.
A reminder of what is expected and reviewing the goals and objectives throughout the project will keep the project defined.

By implementing these simple steps, you will understand your role in helping your team win every time and you will not get caught up in the grade school blame game.

New year, new goals, new attitudes…….right?  Not always.  Has this ever happened to you?

It’s Monday morning; the sun is bright and you have an extra spring in your step.  You grab your coffee, get into your car and find that traffic is surprisingly lighter then normal.  You plan your day in your head.  You are going to tackle your “To Do” list one item at a time.  Staff meeting, conference call and your department training needs to be done this week.  Then your brain just stops.  The dreaded training.  You ask yourself, “How in the world am I going to get Howard to do the training?  I can’t get Howard to anything without complaining and bringing the whole team down.”

Ok, maybe it hasn’t happened like that exactly or in that order, but many managers struggle with a “Howard” on their team.  It doesn’t matter how you approach them or how exciting you try to make things, they are always going to find something to complain about.  The glass is always half empty.

If you Google the topic of “dealing with difficult people”, you will find many articles, tips, and training programs attached to people and companies that claim to have all the answers.  In the many years that I have been in Customer Service, I can tell you one thing….no one program or one article is going to give you all the answers.  This is an ongoing issue that managers of companies deal with every day.  Here are some small things that I have heard work from some of the people that I talk to throughout the day:

• Be aware of their personality style.  Communication with anyone goes a lot smoother if you are aware of the way the different personalities respond and react.
• Ask for their input or assistance in the areas that they have skills.  This will build trust and respect between both parties.
• Give them victories where you can.
• Involve them in a leadership role when possible.  For example, training, ask them to either lead the session or the discussion on the topic at hand.  This may open the minds of the others in the group as well as engage your “Howard” in the training that they really need.

If you try any or all of these will it always work?  I wish!  My hope would be that if you are aware and stay consistent you may start to see some small successes.  Your “Negative Nellie” may just turn into a “Happy Howard”!