My advice when facing change is the same as for being caught in a rip at the beach.  It’s far better to swim with the current than against it.  

1. Build Positive Beliefs in your Abilities – self esteem plays an important role in coping with stress and recovering from difficult events.  Focus on your strengths and accomplishments.
2. Find a Sense of Purpose in your Life – in the face of crisis or tragedy, finding a sense of purpose can play an important role in recovery.
3. Develop a Strong Social Network – human beings are social animals.  Our survival depended on it and it is still important to have people you can confide in.
4. Embrace Change – flexibility is an essential part of resilience.  When struggling with change consider whether you’re really in control of it anyway?  Perhaps its better to swim with the current instead of against it.
5. Be Optimistic – staying positive during dark periods can be difficult, but maintaining a hopeful outlook is an important part of resiliency.  Check out Dr Seligman’s online self-assessments on optimism here.
6. Nurture Yourself – when you’re stressed it can be all too easy to neglect your own needs, especially when you need it the most.  Make time for activities that you enjoy and that boost your overall health.
7. Develop your Problem Solving Skills – Experiment with different strategies and focus on developing a logical way to work through common problems.  Practicing problem-solving regularly will better prepare you for the serious problems that may emerge.
8. Establish Goals – Crisis situations are daunting.  They may even seem insurmountable.   Resilient people are able to view these situations in a realistic way, and then set reasonable goals to deal with the problem.
9. Take Steps to Solve Problems – sounds intuitive right?  Many people fail to take action to solve a problem and simply ignore it.  Most things will only get worse with this approach.  Even small steps can bring about significant changes.  Do anything, just don’t sit passively.
10. Keep Working on your Skills – resilience may take time to build so do not become discouraged if you still struggle to cope with problematic events.

I have been refining my “Building Resilience” workshop over the past 12 months and have successfully delivered it in several organisations to great feedback.  You can find out more about this program here.

People are often confused about exactly what Organisational Change Management (OCM) practitioners do.  Part of the challenge is that any activity involving one group of people tends to be quite different from the same activity involving a different group of people.  The other challenge is that the ‘problem’ we’re addressed to solve varies quite widely.  The outcomes may be reasonably consistent, but the factors preventing their attainment vary significantly.  Then of course there is the variability in terms of approach of the practitioner themselves, based on education, experience, style, industry, personality and the context in which all of this is performed.

I like to think that the ‘How’ of what we do is our secret juju, but the ‘What’ part of OCM is a great starting point for creating shared understanding.  If you’re interested in the ‘what’ then we can drill into the ‘how’.

So.  What is it that we do?

I’m a member of a group of OCM practitioners and they recently convened a meeting overseas which I was unable to attend.  They did post a great summary of proceedings for those members who were distant  (good change support in action there).  In reviewing the outputs, I noticed that among others things the conversation found its way to “What is it that we do?”

One of the members posted a short video outlining his views on the question.  The resulting table, drawn from his slides, struck me as a great foundation to explain the key goals (or the what we do part) of OCM.

Good OCM practitioners will support the attainment of the above four goals.  It’s a given that you’re trying to move (change) an organisation from Point A to Point Somewhere Else.  In some cases the end state is clearly defined too.  For instance Point A to Point C.  What’s not a given is how this shift will/can be supported by the people.  I say regularly that people change organisations, not systems or processes.  Sure, they’re a part of it but a group of engaged, committed people will generally outperform state of the art systems and processes.  If the people using those tools are not engaged or committed then the former group will outperform the latter all day every day.  In order to get people engaged and committed they need some questions answered.

•  ”What’s in it for me?”
• “Why should I care?”
• “What should I do?”
• “How do I do that?”
• “Who does that?”
• “What will this come down to in practice?”

Oh.  And one more tip.  Ask them, don’t tell them.

Major gripes of traditional approaches included:

• Not conducted during working hours
• Managers not participating
• No clear purpose or intent behind the activity

 

In a recent Red Balloon corporate survey it was found that 82% of respondents would be keen to participate in some different activities.

If you take a look at the ‘Mud Army’ phenomenon that occurred in South East Qld this time last year it’s clear people like to help and are prepared to get their hands dirty to do so.

Perhaps the next Clean Up for Business Day could be a good opportunity to get your team out, make a difference and get to know one another in a different context.  Last year 337 businesses across Australia took part to help remove more than 16,000 tonnes of rubbish, this year the organisers are hoping for an even better turn out.

You can view the official website and register your organisation or your team here.

 

Jim Parker was CEO of Southwest Airlines during and after September 11^th.   Some of Southwest’s accomplishments during this very difficult time include:

• Only airline not to furlough employees after 9/11
• Only airline not to borrow money from the US Government’s guaranteed loan program
• Only airline to not cut employee salaries after 9/11
• Only airline to offer unconditional “no questions asked refunds” after 9/11
• Ultimately led Southwest to a market capitalization greater than the sum of the other airlines combined.

During Parker’s tenure as CEO, Southwest Airlines was named one of America’s three most admired companies, one of America’s 100 best corporate citizens, one of the world’s most socially responsible companies, and worldwide airline of the year.  This is an impressive list of accolades, especially given the challenges facing aviation.

Here is a video of some Southwest Airlines staff doing what they do.  Can you imagine a Qantas flight attendant receiving a round of applause after their pre-flight announcement?

Your ability to engage people and build commitment to your ideas and win support in competitive environments may well be critical to your career success, it’s certainly a key requirement for an effective manager or leader.  

Here are 10 Tips that help you to get engagement from all audiences on any topic and in doing so, stand out from the crowd.

1. One message.  As soon as you start sending mixed or multiple messages you risk confusing the audience and key points may be forgotten.  One message is clear, succinct and understandable.
2. Repetition of your One Message.  The more times people hear your message the clearer it becomes for them.  Try presenting it from different angles, use different ways to tell it such as examples, photos, videos etc.
3. Make it about people and use pictures to tell the story.  Research suggests that 80% of the population recalls information visually.
4. Only one idea per slide.
5. Break it down into baby steps.  You’re not being patronising.  It’s like the emergency lighting strip on an airplane.  It shows the way.
6. Test with someone independent.  Would your children understand your message?
7. Grab your audience’s attention.  Fast.  Show an unusual picture, tell an odd fact or statistic, share an inspiring story.
8. Show.  Tell.  Do.  Use these three elements when presenting your ideas.  Modulate your voice, use it as an instrument, speed up and slow down.  Vary your voice to master the telling of your message.  Include demonstrations.   Even videos, testimonials or pictures will suffice.
9. Change media.  Don’t rely solely on PowerPoint.  Use video.  Grab a marker and draw diagrams on the whiteboard, answers questions on the flipchart.  Stand out by being different and by using creative communication.
10. Include a Call to Action.  Make time for people to talk about action.  Set up small group discussions so people will personalise their plan of action.

Adapted from http://www.scribd.com/doc/15236476/10-Tips-To-Engage-Any-Audience

In a recent study it was found that organisations, and indeed their leaders, have less than 12 months to ensure the engagement of their new starters.  The global study, conducted by rogenSi found that employees with over a year of service were feeling unenthusiastic, under appreciated, uninspired and unmotivated by their leaders.  Given that replacement costs of staff are estimated to run as high as 150% of the positions annual salary there are strong business drivers to reduce turnover.  Disengaged staff are worrying on two fronts.  On one hand they leave, costing the organisation money.  On the other hand they stay, remain unengaged and stagnant potentially affecting not just their area of responsibility but infecting those around them and in their teams.  Much like cancer, disengagement spreads.  Among the findings of the study was the alarming discovery that only 1 in 11 employees thought their leaders created a motivational work environment.  If this study is representative of our workforce here in Australia it’s a monumental challenge for todays leaders.  This is not new, and it gives rise to the age old question “How do I motivate my people?”   My glib answer of  ”Find out what they want and help them to get it.”  is obviously simplified but it does underpin my approach in working with teams on motivation and engagement.   Clearly the organisations needs must be met in return or the relationship between employee and employer is no longer reciprocal and it will falter and cease to exist.  Dr Clark Perry, Managing Director of rogenSi advised  leaders to implement strategies which effectively communicate the company’s vision and ultimately help employees to understand their role in the organisation. “Ensure that the focus in on the ‘how’ and ‘why’ we will achieve results, so that employees have a sense of purpose and connection to the process required to achieve the results,” he said.

As a measure of economic buoyancy returns to the Australian market I’ve noticed many of my clients are beginning to recruit again.  Give this latest study, it appears that NOW is an ideal time to think about your on boarding and engagement strategies with existing teams and their new members.

Remember what your wise old Granny told you… An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  Don’t wait until its too late.  Get focused on your people now and they’ll in turn get focused on your results.

If experience is anything to go by, 2012 is going to whizz by even faster than last year.  I’m also pretty confident that you and your teams will be expected to produce and achieve more with less resources than you did in the previous year.  The global climate is still tumultuous, the Qld State Government is shaping up for elections and the Country is still recovering from a spate of natural disasters.  So in short, there still exists a high level of instability, a lack of predictability and increased vulnerability among our organisations and their workforce.  There’s not much you can do about these circumstances but there is plenty you can do to prepare for and equip your people to deal with these challenges and indeed succeed despite them.

Here are some suggestions based on my experience working with managers and their teams over the years and seeing patterns of common pitfalls emerge.

1. Give abundant feedback (always constructive and mostly positive).

2. Regularly seek feedback from your team (not just reassurance or validation).

3. Make time to review team and individual performance and plan for the future.  Once a quarter for half a day for team planning is usually sufficient.

4. Allow/encourage staff to come up with their own solutions to problems.  Get out of the way and ‘let go’ wherever possible.  The world won’t stop spinning if they get it wrong or do it differently… probably.

5. Take time out to celebrate wins, however small.  Set goals (make them up – things like fun at work, morale, resilience are all great concepts to embed in a team and benefit from regular discussion), monitor progress and celebrate achievements.

6. Set clear behavioural expectations with the team, revist regularly, model appropriately and reinforce through feedback.  It may seem trivial when a team suggests ‘We should say hello in the morning’ but it’s caused more conflict that you would imagine and can so easily be avoided.  Hot Tip….  setting expectations upfront makes it easier to hold people accountable to them.  Especially the behavioural stuff.

7. Delegate more.  And some more.  Not just the rubbish you don’t want, delegate developmental activities, don’t just delegate to the willing worker (or your favourite).  Consider what else is already on their plate and consider removing, or making it a lower priority.

8. Instil a focus on priorities, not individual tasks.  Consider the 80/20 rule.  Are you spending too much time on low value activities and missing the big stuff?

9. Build trust in the team – easier eroded than created.  Do what you say, say what you mean (respectfully).

10. Foster healthy conflict – good ideas can be improved through debate and bad ideas can be avoided.  Allow the group to set and agree the ground rules for conflict and ensure they’re upheld.

11. Be transparent in your decision making – people like being in on things and also like decisions to be equitable and consistent.

12. Allow and encourage (don’t force) teams to play – bring in some novelty toys for use in meetings, planning sessions or break out areas.

13. Acknowledge any ‘elephants in the room’, you know it, they know it and to deny or ignore it makes you look silly.

14. Get to know your team, don’t remain aloof, distant and unapproachable.  Regularly walking around the office can often head off issues before they escalate.

Now I know that these suggestions are not magic bullets and that human relationships are infinitely complex but I do know that the absence of these things has repeatedly caused problems in teams and I also know that the introduction of these ideas has allowed teams to work more cohesively and more productively.

One of the throw-away lines I use in talks about motivating and engaging people is “find out what they want and help them to get it”.   There’s a huge chunk of truth in that.  Try sitting down with your team and ask them what engages them, what they like, what bugs them and most importantly, what THEY think they can do about it.  You’re not their mother or father.  Don’t treat them like children and solve all their problems.  Empower them to do that for themselves.

Remember.  If you are a manager or leader, you’re not supposed to have all the answers but it helps if you’re asking the right questions of your people.

I’ve got a couple of examples.

1).  Team-Building.  A newish team (<6 months) of mature professionals.  I was asked to help facilitate improved relationships, clarify their team purpose and develop an action plan to help embed this.  When exploring an exercise in translating values into behaviours I was challenged rather strongly that “these behavioural indicators are pointless.  We’re covered by a code of conduct and this is all common sense…”  I can understand why one might think that.  The person making that comment is technically right.  And yet teams still fall into dysfunction, unhealthy conflict emerges and goals are missed.  Why?  Because common sense is not that common is my joke answer.  The real answer is that we all interpret things differently.  For instance, ‘Professionalism’ as a value will mean different things to different people and different things to the same people at different times.  So to have a team discuss what “professional” means to them specifically  is useful.  To do it proactively and in the absence of any dysfunction is just plain good management in my opinion.  It is easier and takes far less time to set expectations in advance rather than waiting till the wheels fall off and calling me in to fix it.  That’s far more difficult, expensive and requires more energy on everyones part.  And to be frank, is less likely to produce a great result.   So your choice.  Spend 30 minutes going over basic ‘common sense’ things in advance or risk your team falling into dysfunction and having it cost you productivity, engagement, moral, credibility, money, time and the list goes on.  And as for the code of conduct in question.  Who really reads them anyway and last time I looked they didn’t say things like “You must say good morning to your co-workers”, or “Don’t roll your eyes when team members contribute their ideas” or “Don’t use your speaker phone in a pod work environment”.  All of which are real examples of teams in significant dysfunction I’ve worked with over the years.

2).  Master the basics.  A 2 day Management training program focused on ‘below the line’ management techniques including relationship building.  We introduce several models including Ladder of Inference, Above and Below the Line, Perceptual Positioning.  Many experienced psychologists, coaches, HR practitioners and some Managers would argue these are basic models.  The problem is that it’s not the understanding of these models that’s the challenge.  It’s the application of them.  Consistently.  And when under pressure.  And when you’re stressed, frustrated, over-worked etc.  Once you can do that, feel free to explore more complex management models.  Until then, there’s plenty more mileage to be gained from these simple tools.  I play with them, write about them and teach them all the time and I still get caught out running up my ladder and making incorrect decisions based on limited data and incorrect assumptions and beliefs, or by not considering the second or third persons perspective.  Disturbingly, those participants who were least ‘impressed’ by the models were the very same ones that were sent by their manager to work on just those things.

Mastering the basics does not make you basic.  It makes you a master and provides a solid foundation on which to build.  Should you need to.  My guess is you probably won’t.