No Bull Business Blog

6 communication work skills to live by

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Communication Skills for Managers

Practice these six communication skills in your work each day and, you’ll be much more effective.

1. Listen more than you talk: Possibly the most important communication skill of all is the ability to listen. Avoid letting your thoughts wander: Focus on what the other person is saying. Not sure what they mean? Say, “Let me make sure I have this right. Are you saying ...?”

2. Keep your promises: If you’ve been pushing your staff to raise their level of customer service, don’t contradict yourself by being rude to an employee. It’s the old “walk the walk, and talk the talk.” Lead by example and be sure to keep your promises. A golden mantra: Follow through.

3. Say it like it is: We’re not saying you have to get down and dirty, but too much sugar-coating often obscures the truth. Be honest and tell your employees when there are some kinks that need to be worked out in the organization. If you made a mistake, admit it. If the company made a wrong turn, be honest and discuss how you’re planning to get back on track.

4. Don’t react ... respond: Everyone has buttons that, when pushed, evoke a knee-jerk reaction. But reacting isn’t responding. Be mindful of situations and give them thought before taking action. Know your buttons and train yourself to respond rather than react when they’re pushed.

5. Make it personal: When was the last time you had a one-on-one conversation with some of your staff members? Create time in your schedule each week to meet individually with some employees – and not just key staffers. Your involvement and interest in each employee will boost workplace morale.

6. Give specifics: Managers give feedback throughout the day, often without even realizing it. But how specific are you being? The more you can fine-tune the feedback, the clearer the picture for the employee. Think about it: Is it more helpful if someone tells you, “You need to give better customer service” or if he or she says, “Make a point of smiling and making eye contact with our customers, instead of typing on your computer while talking to them”? If your feedback contains specific action steps, your employees will understand exactly what you want them to do.

DIGGER DEEPER
Most problems in the workplace are caused by poor communication. Even the most talented staff will falter if it doesn’t communicate well. How do  you improve it? Read the Executive Report: Communication Skills for Managers

Everyone must walk the talk

Excerpted from Executive Report: Dealing with Difficult Employees – Restoring Civility in the Workplace

Everyone must walk the talk. Even CEOs can't tell off-color jokes offensive to some people. Nobody is above the law or above company policies.

It is especially important for all people in the management ranks, from first-level supervisors to senior managers, to set the example. If any manager is allowed to get away with behavior that's supposed to be against company policies, like telling dirty jokes or engaging in other bawdy behavior, it will be impossible to credibly discipline employees for the same offenses.

The tone for the right behavior in any organization is set from the top. Executives determine the culture of a company both by what they do themselves and by demonstrating what will and won't be condoned.

A policy-on-paper-only, if not adhered to, actually does more harm than good. It gives plaintiffs' attorneys a chance to argue that the company knew better because it had a good policy on paper and deliberately chose to ignore it.

That kind of situation spurs juries to tack on multi-million-dollar punitive damage awards against employers.

Misbehavior by senior executives also allows plaintiff's' attorneys to introduce the dreaded "culture expert" at a trial who is then allowed to give expert testimony on how senior executives' misbehavior sets the tone for a fraternity-type old boys' network.

Such a culture expert was instrumental in obtaining a $250 million punitive damages award against the pharmaceutical giant Novartis in a class action suit known as Velez v. Novartis, which was brought by 5,500 female employees who were employed as drug reps. The company eventually had to consider itself lucky to be able to settle the case after an appeal for $152 million.

DIGGING DEEPER
Unacceptable behavior is growing in the workplace. And more and more, people are getting away with it. To help you nip it in the bud, read the Executive Report: Dealing with Difficult Employees – Restoring Civility in the Workplace

ManageElite: Great new tool for training managers

Most managers get little to no training. Yet they need it as much or more as anyone on the staff. Biggest problem? Getting the time to train. And it’s always expensive. Here's a new product that is extraordinarily affordable (only $37 a month for unlimited use) and fits every manager's schedule.

A new product called ManageElite just launched and it’s perfect for getting managers the training they need. It’s online and the training modules are short – only 10 to 20 minutes long. And it is interactive. Plus, it’s real practical stuff and many of the modules have real-life scenarios that require the manager to make choices.

And managers can do the training right at their desks – at any time. Even on weekends when they are at home.

There are also other interactive pieces and PDF handouts in many cases.

The modules cover everything from Handling Difficult Conversations to Interviewing job applicants to doing Performance Review. Plus, there are modules on those tricky compliance issues like Sexual Harassment, Workplace Bias and Retaliation.

But one of the best points, is that it really affordable. ManageElite's charter subscription is only $37 a month, though the cost will eventually go up. But charter subscribers will lock in at $37.

Check out the site at ManageEliteTraining.com

The "Dirty Dozen" of performance reviews

Excerpted from the Executive Report – Performance Reviews: Best – and Worst Ways to Do Them

Here are the 12 biggest mistakes supervisors habitually make in performance reviews:

1. They do not adequately prepare for the review, and they do not allow enough time for the process, rushing through it.
2. They regard the review as a waste of time. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy when they just go through the motions of giving all employees a "C" as a cop-out for not giving specific and pointed feedback.
3. They base the review on a score according to meaningless criteria. Does it really matter if someone scores 90% or 95% on attendance? Attendance problems can be dealt with separately through normal discipline.
4. They fear the employee's response. Many supervisors still avoid giving constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement because they fear a confrontation with the employee.
5. They lack training in how to give constructive feedback and have not sought it out on their own.
6. They are uncomfortable siting down one-on-one with employees to talk about performance and attitude.
7. They are plagued by anxiety over any possible area of disagreement with the employee being reviewed, instead of accepting it as a natural part of the process.
8. They let the review process reflect their own poor management skills.
9. They hide behind other supervisors - if other supervisors don't make a special effort on the performance evaluations of their personnel, why should they?
10. They use the performance review only to lay blame, instead of using it as an opportunity to point out the good and the bad. You want to praise good deeds so the employee will repeat them.
11. They don't want to say negative things. Everybody likes to play Santa Claus and give away raises and praises, but not everybody is comfortable sharing necessary bad news, and can do it in a way that is uplifting and points to a better future.
12. They save up some negative feedback to surprise the employee with it at performance review time since they believe they have to have something negative to say. Necessary criticism should be given out over events as they occur in real time, not "saved up" and stored for review time. The best reviews are the ones where there are no surprises on either side, the supervisor or the employee.

DIGGING DEEPER
Lawyers will tell you that if you aren’t going to do performance reviews the right way, then you’re better off not doing them at all. Find out the right way in this Executive Report – Performance Reviews: Best – and Worst Ways to Do Them

What their body language is saying

Excerpted from the Executive Report: 70 Ways to Hold Fewer, Shorter, But More Productive Meetings

One way to gauge the effectiveness of a meeting while it's taking place is by reading the body language of those around you. Here's what to look for:

• Open palms: Sincerity and openness.
• Leaning in toward the table: Interest, comfort.
• Leaning away from the table: Lack of interest or discomfort with what is being said.
• Nodding: For a man, this signals agreement. For a woman, it says, "I hear you; keep going." It's a woman's way of encouraging the speaker to continue.
• Crossed arms: Resistance, defensiveness.
• Gesturing with hands: Interest in the discussion.
• Hand to cheek: Thinking, evaluating.
• Clasped hands behind the back: Frustration.
• Clasped hands behind head: Superiority.
• Drumming the fingers: Restlessness.
• Holding fingers in steeple position: Forming a barrier between the individual and the rest of the group.
• Hand over mouth: Disapproval or withdrawal from the discussion.
• Tightly holding pen or pencil: Nervousness.

DIGGING DEEPER
One of the secrets of great managers is what they accomplish in meetings. Find out how to do a better job by reading the Executive Report: 70 Ways to Hold Fewer, Shorter, But More Productive Meetings

Employee discipline: Too little, too late

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Disciplining Employees - The Right Way to Do It

Managers tend to be focused on one thing: Productivity.

They don't want to deal with disciplinary problems any more than an employee wants to be disciplined.

It's easy to let small things slide because bringing up minor problems sometimes seems like more trouble than it's worth. You pick your battles.

And who wants to stir the pot, and maybe make an enemy, when it's already hard enough to meet monthly goals?

The last thing a manager wants is for a disciplinary action to create a wider staff morale problem.

It's an understandable rationale ... but it's flawed. Those small issues rarely go away by themselves - indeed, they almost always get worse.

And by not taking action, managers send employees the message that undesirable behavior will be accepted, or - even worse - hasn't even been noticed.

Delay has another adverse impact on the manager. As the problem worsens, it's common for managers to build up resentment against the employee - and that can warp the supervisor's perspective in a way that makes it difficult to eventually deal with the person in an objective and positive way.

DIGGING DEEPER
Poor performance and unacceptable behavior are inevitable. And too often the dread of disciplining employees stops managers from taking immediate action to resolve the issues. Find out what managers need to do by reading the Executive Report: Disciplining Employees - The Right Way to Do It.

Dealing with bullies in the workplace

Excerpted from the Executive Report The Manager's Guide to Handling Conflict at Work

Immediacy is important when handling workplace bullies. When people complain, or managers see or suspect bullying, they need to act fast. Some keys to a one-on-one conversation:

• Be direct, non-confrontational and specific. For instance, say, "You told someone to shut up," instead of, "You're not being nice." Another example: "You said you did all the work on this project, and I know Judith researched and created the charts," instead of, "You took all the credit, and you didn't deserve it."
  
• Bring emotions to life. Be prepared for some bullies to blame others and  some bullies to get angry in an attempt to shift the focus off of their actions. Keep them focused on their behavior by reminding them of how their actions affect other people's feelings. Examples: "Would you want your daughter to be treated that way?" or, "Would you want a co-worker talking to your husband like that?"
  
• Focus on behavior, not people. You can't ask people to change. Instead tell them that their behavior must stop.
  
• Document the situation and let bullies know the consequences (from reprimands to firing).
  
• Set a clear action plan. Demanding that a certain behavior stop may be enough of a plan if it's a first offense. If not, supervisors may need to set up counseling and get bullies involved in a behavior improvement plan.

DIGGING DEEPER
Conflict in the workplace can disrupt productivity and destroy morale. For more help, read the Executive Report The Manager's Guide to Handling Conflict at Work.

Hold employees to expectations

Excerpted from the Executive Report: 6 Dumb Ways to Kill Employee Morale - And What You Can Do to Fix It

Most people want to do well on the job, regardless of their intrinsic nature and their different behavioral traits. People rarely go into a job with ideas of failing and/or sabotaging the works. As long as they know clearly what's expected of them, they'll try hard to meet those expectations.

Setting clear expectations as to what's expected within a certain timeframe also helps a manager reach a decision quickly to fire when it's not working. One of the worst things an organization can do is to continue to write a paycheck to somebody who everybody else in the organization already knows should not be working there. Whatever managers can do to shorten that decision cycle will be a positive step, for the organization as a whole and for the morale and the productivity of all remaining employees.

Holding on to a bad hire too long is one of the most common dumb mistakes companies and their managers do to kill productivity and morale. It's almost always better to bite the bullet and get through a difficult transition period with the help of all concerned than to leave the underperformer in place until a replacement can be found. The greatest tool managers need to make those decisions quickly is the yardstick of clear expectations by defined time frames.

DIGGING DEEPER
The last thing a good employee wants to do is work next to a bad employee. Taking action early is good management. For help, read the Executive Report: 6 Dumb Ways to Kill Employee Morale - And What You Can Do to Fix It

13 ways to improve your writing

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Business Writing - 83 Tips to Keep You from Looking Dumb

Here are 13 ways to make your memos, e-mails and other business writing clearer and more powerful.  

1. Shorter verbs will add power to your writing. Instead of: terminate and secure Write: end and get  

2. Personalize your writing by putting people in it.

Instead of: Profits are up 12 percent.
Write: CFO Julie Smith reports profits are up 12 percent.  

3. Write in specific terms.

Instead of: He worked for a company in the South.
Write: He worked as a consultant for the XYZ Co. in Atlanta.  

4. Try to keep sentences short - between seven and 20 words.  

5. Spell out numbers from zero to nine. Use figures for 10 and higher.

Example: Work on the facility will begin in four days and last about 12 weeks.  

6. Express large numbers clearly.

Instead of: $7,000,000
Write: $7 million  

7. To give your writing a more personal tone, use contractions: it's, isn't, couldn't, here's, etc.  

8. Pronouns help draw in the reader: you, me, him, her, our, etc.  

9. Unless the reader will react negatively to your news, try to stick with the active voice.

Instead of: Two proposals were approved by the committee.
Write: The committee approved two proposals.  

10. Use questions to make your writing livelier.
Instead of: Let me know if the plan has merit.
Write: Do you think the plan has merit?  

11. Try not to proofread on your screen. You'll catch more mistakes if you print out a document.   

12. Do not rely on spell checker. It will not detect misused words.  

13. Avoid using formal, stuffy phrases.

Instead of: As of this date
Write: Today

Instead of: The committee was in agreement
Write: The committee agreed  

DIGGING DEEPER
One of the biggest problems in business is communicating clearly. How often have you had to scratch your head after trying to decipher someone's memo? For help, read the Executive Report: Business Writing: 83 Tips to Keep You from Looking Dumb

Time to fire? Don't wait

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear – What Employers Need to Know

Sometimes managers fear pulling the trigger on a termination out of fear that other employees might "think I'm a bad person." It's a common sentiment, and a misplaced one, too.

Remember: Good employees know who the bad ones are. Good people are looking to management to do something about it.

If an employee's not performing up to standards, his or her co-workers know it. They're probably wondering why the person's still around, and they're likely growing resentful that they're fulfilling their duties while the other worker isn't.

The longer managers wait before proceeding to the actual termination, the more respect they can lose in the eyes of their other workers.

Employees prefer to work for supervisors who enforce high standards evenly, uniformly and fairly.

DIGGING DEEPER
Firing an employee isn’t fun. But to keep a bad employee is a huge mistake. Need help? Read the Executive Report: Terminating Without Fear – What Employers Need to Know

No one ever changed the oil in a rented car

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Leadership Skills: the 7 Essential Steps to Delegating

You don't always have the power, authority or means to reward people the way you'd like or give them the growth they desire. Now what?

Realize that there's almost always something you can do to provide an incentive. It may not be a pay raise, but it might be:

• a small bonus
• more time off to spend with the family
• training and learning opportunities, or
• an incentive tied to the company's financial performance.

And you can modify and adjust incentives based on your knowledge of the employee involved.

Just as some people like opera while others like baseball, so can incentives be adjusted to target an employee's likes.

So, while your authority to award incentives is limited, your imagination is not.

Another incentive for successful delegation is to give the subordinate a sense of ownership of the task - a reason to be invested in its success. As the adage goes, "No one ever changed the oil in a rented car."

If you don't own a project, why would you care?

The sense of ownership ties in with other incentives - a bonus, a chance to move up, more independence. There's a difference, however:

While you might offer an incentive for taking on the delegated task, you might also offer an incentive for any successes that result from the person's taking it on.

Again, what you offer may be limited by your budget and authority. Still, almost all of us can come up with a reward for success.

DIGGING DEEPER
The ability to delegate is what turns good managers into great managers. Learn how to do it the right way by reading the Executive Report: Leadership Skills: the 7 Essential Steps to Delegating

Deciding when and what to delegate

Excerpted from read  Executive Report: The 7 Essential Steps to Delegating Successfully

Delegating can provide a manager with many advantages. That doesn't mean it's wise to delegate just anything anytime. When done randomly and without thinking it through, delegation can be a disaster.

So, first, be sure to determine when delegation is the best course of action. To do that, start by asking five key questions:

1. Is there someone else who I believe has what it takes - background, expertise, information, etc. - to do the job? Absent that, is there someone I can get up to speed quickly to take over the job?
2. Does the task provide an opportunity to grow and develop another person's skills, or am I just foisting off an unpleasant task on someone else?
3. Is this a task that that's likely to come up again, so that if I invest time in someone, I'll get multiple payoffs?
4. Do I have enough time to delegate the job effectively? If there's no time for training, feedback and, yes, an occasional redo, I may be asking for trouble.
5. Is this a task that I should delegate? Let your instincts decide which responsibilities must stay under your control.

Other factors to take into consideration:

• How crucial are deadlines? What are the consequences of not completing the job on time?
• Is "good" good enough? In other words, could you get by with slightly lower quality for the sake of delegation? If not, you'll have to have full confidence in the person to deliver at the highest level.
• What are the consequences of failure? Handing over the job could increase that possibility. No one accepts failure, but you have to accept the possibility and be prepared to deal with it.

DIGGING DEEPER

Delegating is key to becoming a great manager. To get more help, read the Executive Report: The 7 Essential Steps to Delegating Successfully

Turn negative employees into positive ones

Excerpted from the executive report Handling Difficult Conversations with Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know.

Conversations – especially those dealing with emotional issues – rarely follow a logical pattern or system. Every conversation is a little different.

You can’t shoe-horn a conversation into a pattern or system. What you can do, however, is develop a method for getting the other person’s feedback and moving toward a desired result. This five-part conversation method and system has worked for many managers when they’re seeking a change in behavior or performance. A step-by-step example of dealing with someone who’s always negative and critical of others’ ideas:

1. ‘When you ... I feel ...” You can use this to set up the problem: “When you say, ‘That’s a dumb idea,’ I feel as if you’re being disrespectful to the person who offered the idea, and you discourage others from speaking up.”

2. Wait for their input. This is one of those points when your silence can be golden and when you can put into practice one of the “don’ts” we described earlier – “Don’t feel as if you have to fill every silence.”

Let your “When you” sentence hang and wait for a response. And here’s where it gets a little tricky, because you can’t be certain of the response.

The person may deny it, in which case you’ll have to give examples: “I can describe at least three times in the last week ...” Or the person may say, sincerely, “I didn’t realize I was doing that.”

Sometimes, too, the person will offer an excuse – valid or invalid. For instance, the response may be, “I’ve been losing a lot of sleep because of migraine headaches, so that may account for some of it.”

If you believe the excuse is valid, take steps to help or accommodate the employee. That’s what supervisors are supposed to do. Even if you do that, you still can move on to the next step.

3. “I would like ...” Here’s where you describe, specifically, the change in behavior you’d like to see: “I would like you to come to the next meeting with at least three ideas of your own on how we can improve.”

That sets the standard and results in positive terms: “This is what I want you to do.” Instead of “This is what I want you to stop doing.”

Consider how that works in any number of conversations involving performance or behavior. For instance, the person who’s always
coming in late.

Negative: “I would like you to stop coming in late.”

Positive: “I would like you to be on time every day.”

4. “Because ...” In almost any situation, you have to provide a reason for requesting change (other than “because I said so”).

Again, try to stay positive: “Because I know you have a lot of good ideas, and I think we’d all benefit from hearing them.”

That beats the negative attack mode: “Because we’re tired of hearing your criticisms.”

5. “What do you think?” You’re asking straight-out for feedback here, and you’re doing so with more than one purpose:

• You don’t want the person to walk away with the feeling that he or she has been given some iron-fisted orders.
• You can move toward a commitment from the person to change.
• You’ll get a real feel about whether the conversation worked and you’re headed toward a desired goal.

Try this system the next time you’re in a difficult conversation, and see how it helps to get you where you want to go.

DIGGING DEEPER
Every manager has at least one negative personality on the staff. Who do you deal with those folks? For help, check out the executive report: Handling Difficult Conversations with Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know.

3 questions that will boost motivation - and business

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship

Involved employees are motivated employees. So how do you make sure they're involved? Ask employees these three questions and you can boost morale and business:

1. Can you tell me our top three goals for this year? (To analyze the level of engagement, people need to be on the same page.)
2. If you were competing against our company, what would you do? (Managers are often surprised to learn that employees know right where the weaknesses are.)
3. What is currently impossible to do that if it were possible would change everything? (This forces people to think is there something different we can do? What drives us crazy and how can we fix it?)

DIGGING DEEPER
Making sure your best people stay is key to boosting business. To get help doing that, read the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Keep Them

Are you stressing out your employees?

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Why Good People Burn Out – and How You Can Stop It

As much as you and your employees don't want to suffer from stress and burnout, you could be the "cause" of the stress. Here are some things to watch out for:

• Setting unrealistic goals. Imposing highly ambitious goals on employees will daunt and discourage, rather than motivate, them. If you have tough goals they must achieve, break them into smaller parts before presenting them.
• Looking at the dark side. If you always look at the downside or harp on what's wrong - and allow others to do it - you can bet employees will become de-motivated and stressed. Instead, mention the bright side of every tough circumstance you and your people face. Encourage employees to suggest changes for things they don't like.
• Us vs. them talk. Managers often don't want employees angry at them, so they unintentionally remove themselves from potential guilt. (For instance, "I fought for your pay raise, but you know HR makes the final decision.") Leaders need to stand behind decisions they've made or have been made regarding their employees.
• Allowing some people to slide. Managers who let poor performers get by or allow bad behavior to continue will derail good employees. Confront those issues until they're fixed or gone.
• Talking more than you listen. Whether you deliver bad news or offer an opposing opinion, your employees will want to vent about it. Let them, because that may be all they need to get over it.
• Jumping to conclusions. One person rarely knows how another person feels, so avoid telling employees how they should react or feel in any situation. Let them react and then talk about solutions.
• Poor listening. Nothing is more irritating than not being heard. Paraphrase, take notes or do anything to show employees you care.
• Reacting to anger or anxiety. This only adds fuel to the fire. Instead, keep an even tone and deal with similar situations uniformly.
• Bad habits. Ask a trusted colleague (or loved one), what habits you have that can get on people's nerves.

DIGGING DEEPER

So, are your employees stressed out? Find out what you can do by reading the Executive Report: Why Good People Burn Out – and How You Can Stop It.