The Missing Piece

I just finished reading a homework assignment focused on an employee whose lifestyle balance between home and work is skewed toward home. "It seems she is so happy to leave work to go home that she rushes through her work and takes no joy in doing her job." While the actual work effort is adequate, this employee has little actual interest in her work and has less than adequate working relationships with her co-workers.

In addressing the issues, the supervisor had a very comprehensive plan for coaching, counseling and corrective actions. It would begin with the supervisor reciting her impressions and concerns, moving from there to a statement of impact of the negative behaviors, and from there moving to specific corrective action steps. All in all, a very good job by the supervisor, but it lacked one important piece.

The supervisor needs to know how the employee sees things. What is the employee's perspective on her job? What does she like? Doesn't like? What is the employee's perception of her co-workers? Department goals, standards and requirements? What are the employee's interests? What are her concerns? What is her motivation for working? What would make her work more interesting to her? And so forth.

Without these pieces of information, the supervisor's plan may well fail to address issues that are key to the employee.

About me: Dan Pelley is an educator specializing in management training and development programs for supervisors and other first-line managers in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI). The issue recited above came from a participant in one of his supervisory management development programs.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Communicating Effectively

Today's post was written by Carrie Norris, Supervisor-in-training at Staples Distribution Center in Wauregan, CT. She lives in Dayville and attends our Certificate Programs in Supervisory Management at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson. Her post deals with communicating effectively and in a timely fashion and is reprinted with permission.

"I have always taken pride in being an effective and efficient communicator. In my current position as a Supervisor in Training, communication is critical. Since the first day of the program, I have been responsible for many projects which have created opportunities for me to work with people within all levels of the company.

"I worked on a stack rack project (a racking system intended to maximize storage space within our facility) with a woman from corporate and a supervisor representative from our other 3 Distribution Centers. I had to respond quickly and clearly for many different aspects of the project including project meetings, e-mails and conference calls. This trait was especially important for this particular project as I was the only non-salaried employee included in the project (which is rare).

"Communicating effectively and in a timely fashion during this project enabled me to keep the project on schedule, ensured successful project completion and also allowed me to get my name out there as someone who is responsible and can be counted on to get the job done.

"Being an effective communicator also lets people know that I believe their concerns, projects and success are important. I believe that this trait is crucial in order to be successful in all other aspects of leadership skills. I have been on many projects since I began this program and felt that this was my best example."

Subsequent to writing this article, Carrie continues to be chosen as a member of company special project teams. Congratulation Carrie. And thanks for your contribution to our blog.

About Pelleyblog: We are striving to be a communication device for managers where many people can share their thoughts, ideas, opinions, perspectives and points-of-view. We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us both as readers and participants.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Don't Compare Your Employees to You

"My employees don't work as fast as I do." "My employees aren't as interested in their jobs as I am." "My employees just don't have the same eye for quality as I do." "My employees don't have my strong work ethic." "I don't delegate because I can do the work faster and better than my employees." "I don't have confidence in my employees because they don't work like I do." "I don't trust my employees to do the job the same way I would." "I won't be happy until my employees give it 110% like I do." "I can't understand why my employees don't have the same enthusiasm for the work as I do." "I know how to get the fastest performance, the best quality, and on-time delivery; that's what I expect my employees to do."

I frequently hear these and other similar comments from supervisors talking about trusting employees. Or delegation. Or motivation. Or attitudes. Or performance appraisals. Or you-name-it. And frankly its the wrong perspective and point-of-view.

Outstanding workers are often promoted into first-line supervisory management positions because they do a very good job. But not every employee is as capable, and qualified, and interested in doing the work of the department as the supervisor was and is. Yes, it would be great if everyone could do the job to the standards of performance modeled by the supervisor. But that is simply not realistic. When it comes to evaluating individual employees, how they compare to their supervisor's abilities and performance is not a meaningful measure.

The performance requirement for each employee must take into account their knowledge, skills, capabilities and training. Is each employee working to her or his full potential? If they are, and performance is average or greater, that's good. Does the employee have untapped potential? That's good too if we can motivate and coach them to use those additional talents. Is the employee's full potential below average, but within acceptable parameters? Then we'll probably keep them. Is the employee's full potential below average and not within acceptable parameters? Then we'll probably need to transfer them to a different job or let them go.

What if the employee is operating below full potential? The question becomes "Can we motivate and coach them to change?" If so, that's good. If we can't coach them to a higher level of performance but their present (below full potential) performance is average or above average, then sadly we will probably have to accept that. But they will have to accept the corresponding lower evaluations and pay adjustments, lower than they could receive if they worked to their full potential. If the employee is operating below full potential to an unacceptable degree and doesn't want to change, then we'll probably need to let them go.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Occasionally we include topics of general interest, topics about Dan Pelley's background and experiences, and a rare occasional rant. We welcome your comments on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

A Career Hazard

Yesterday's post focused on staying current with trends in your industry, trends in your vocation, and trends in science and technology. Our emphasis was on enhancing creative skills. Since most readers of this blog are first-line managers, today I will recast the list with a different focus.

Being creative is one thing. Keeping your job is another. Times change. The world changes. Technology changes. If you don't stay current with the new technologies, methodologies, and best practices being applied to your industry and vocational area now, you will soon become technically obsolete. And that can be hazardous to anyone's career, manager or not.

Managers at all levels must also understand that management practices evolve and change as well. Of course some practices are tried, true, rock solid and everlasting (at least for the time being). But others are not. Especially in the "soft skills" of management including human relations, motivation, leadership and communications. If you are a manager and you don't stay current with management best practices, you will soon become managerially obsolete. And that can be hazardous to your management career.

About me: Dan Pelley frequently updates his programs to include recent trends and current best practices. You can learn more about his programs by clicking here to visit his website.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Give Creativity a Boost

Some people are always coming up with new things to do and new ways to do them. Their inquisitiveness is refreshing and their ability to see things in a different light can be astounding. Do they have a natural tendency to be creative? Perhaps so. Do they cultivate that creativity by seeking innovation? Probably so. Just as I am fairly sure that people who are naturally creative are quite receptive to expanding their knowledge base, so all of us can expand our creative efforts by seeking creative resources.

I don't view myself as a creative person, but I am quite innovative because I seek resources that can help. I'm fascinated by new ideas implemented by others. What they did and how they did it. The nature of the results. And my fascination is not limited by industry or area of interest. If it's something new I want to know about it. Whether I myself can use the idea doesn't matter. I add the new idea to my knowledge base. Perhaps I'll meet someone who could use the idea. Or maybe something will pop-up and I can use it. Who knows?

In addition to always being open to hearing about new ideas, I also cultivate more formal resources such as trade associations; books, articles and other published materials; and on-line resources such as websites and blogs. You should too. If you want to enhance your creative efforts, you need to identify resources that can give you helpful information regarding emerging trends on three fronts. (1) Trends regarding products and services offered by your industry; products and services being developed for your industry; and products and services in other industries that can be adapted to yours. (2) Trends regarding best practices in your area of work, skill, expertise, vocation, discipline, craft, trade or profession. (3) Trends emerging in world of science and technology that can be adopted and/or adapted to your needs now or possibly in the future.

Be inquisitive. Develop information resources, especially regarding new ideas and emerging trends. Expanding your knowledge base may stimulate your own creative ideas and innovations. Look at it this way. You may not be the inventor, but you'll get almost as much credit for finding, adopting, adapting and/or implementing a useful idea as you would get if you had invented it yourself.

About me: Dan Pelley illustrates advances in science and technology and their implication for managers as part of his "Proactive Leadership" program, one of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. 137 companies in Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT). Massachusetts (MA) and New York (NY) have one or more people who earned this certificate.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

On Being Creative

Here's an article written by a participant in our "Certificate in Supervisory Management" programs. The article is reprinted with permission, but the author has asked to remain anonymous. Here, then is some food for thought.

"One factor that helps make a significant contribution to my job is my creativity. This manifests itself in a number of ways, for example:

"Having experience in numerous different industries has allowed me to leverage that experience in this industry. For example, from a past experience in a different industry I am familiar with a certain solution used in spray painting to test the surface tension of the surface to be painted, with surface tension also indicating the cleanliness of that surface. This methodology is totally alien to our industry. I am currently evaluating this method for quantifying the cleanliness of stamped parts where surface oils and oxidation (while a standard part of the metal stamping process) are considered defects by the customer. The main issue is associated with being able to quantify cleanliness - "how clean is clean?" The use of this new (to our process) solution is a potential quantitative method.

"One of the biggest barriers to problem solving is people 'afraid to ask the stupid questions'. I am an 'out-of-the-box thinker' (or creative thinker), and as such sometimes test the theory that there are no 'stupid questions'. This becomes a benefit to me and the company because I like to challenge convention, the way that we've always done things, by drawing on my past experiences. This also helps to get the other team members to think out of the box - when they see a manager, say what may appear to be (and sometimes are) outlandish suggestions, they tend to take the risk and say what they're thinking.

"I also tend to challenge 'Standard Practices'; particularly in my areas of responsibility. As with the problem solving, being creative when dealing with everyday issues can have a positive effect on my colleagues - it tends to rub off on to them in the development of inspection practices and inspection fixturing.

"All of the above benefit my personal and departmental performance because (when they work out), we have a better method and/or process in place; a more robust method/process leads to less issues; less issues lead to less nonconforming product. Less quality issues equate to better performance."

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, both new managers seeking to learn new skills and more experienced managers seeking to update their skills. We also encourage everyone to participate in the blog by commenting on any post, or by submitting your own article for posting. If you would like to know more about submitting articles or topics for consideration, click here to send me an e-mail.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

A Tweeting Intern

Millennials are the workforce of the future and I've been blogging this week on the new ways millennials communicate. Texting, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. My focus was on issues that may arise when employees use these mechanisms and how to deal with them. In short, companies need to be aware of these issues, decide what is appropriate and what is not in their workplace, and then develop policies, procedures and guidelines for these issues. Just as companies have done in the past to address issues faced by other generations of employees.

In addition to being the workforce of the future, millennials will also be the customers of the future. And companies need to be thinking now of how to communicate with those customers. People selling products that appeal to the younger generation are already into this. But companies selling to "middle aged consumers" need to get started as the millenials are coming. Of course if you are selling on a business to business basis instead of directly to consumers, you need to be aware that more and more millennials are occupying roles where they make buying decisions for businesses, and even more of them will be occupying those roles in the future. How will we communicate with them? What will be the appropriate media? What will be the best targeted message?

I recently read of a company hiring an intern for the summer to create a presence for the company on Twitter. The company didn't know a lot about Twitter, but the intern did. So they've put their heads together - the seasoned veterans of the company and its present ways of doing business with the new millennial with no preconceived notions and many fresh ideas on how to communicate with her peer group.

What a great way to go. I've always been a supporter of internships. The intern gains solid experience while earning a paycheck while the company gets fresh perspectives and fresh ideas at a very reasonable cost. Perhaps this is something you should be doing. Exploring Twitter and Facebook and MySpace and texting and what-have-you. And what better way to find out what the younger generation thinks than by having a young person as an intern.

Yes, the summer is half over. But internships are not limited to the summer either. And the seasons are very short in the world of emerging technologies. Wait too long to get into these new ways of communicating and you may find they've already become "old school thinking."

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Occasionally we include topics of general interest, topics about Dan Pelley's background and experiences, and a rare occasional rant. We welcome your comments on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Dealing With Negative Tweets

Today's post continues our look at "millennial employee issues," the subject matter of the last two days. You may want to read those posts first.

Should an employee use personal communications devices to perform personal tasks at work? We dealt with that on Monday. What if one employee texts a derogatory remark to another employee? We dealt with that yesterday. What if an employee makes negative comments about the company, co-workers, customers, their boss, etc. on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc.?

Of course that's not good. But what exactly can you do about things employee's do on their personal time outside of work that reflect poorly on the company. Especially an employee who does all the right things at work (Dr. Jekyll) and is just the opposite outside (Mr. Hyde).

If you have a well-written legally correct policy covering social networking, then you should be able to deal with violations of the policy as a disciplinary issue. Understand though, that because of "employee rights to privacy" and "freedom of speech" issues, a policy covering social networking using company time and equipment must be carefully written. And while it's possible to write a social networking policy covering employee activities outside of work, those must be even more carefully written. Such a policy should also be thoroughly reviewed by an attorney specializing in employment law prior to being issued. None-the-less, as with so many other issues we deal with as managers, written policies, procedures and guidelines can definitely help with social networking issues. Click here to read an article on this topic written by the Baird Holm law firm for the Nebraska Bankers Association.

But what if you don't have a written policy. Then your task of dealing with the issue becomes far more difficult. But not necessarily impossible if you have a good rapport with your employees. Along with good leadership skills. And if you are skilled at a counseling technique called moral suasion. What's that? It's the subject of our February 24, 2009 post titled "Do Me a Favor - Discipline." Click here to go directly to that post.

About me: Before becoming a full time educator, my career experiences included being vice president of a consulting firm, vice president - finance of a publishing company, vice president - sales support services for a manufacturing company and vice president - operations for a distribution company. As a full time educator working principally in Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT) and Massachusetts (MA). I am pleased to share my experiences and business philosophies with managers at all levels.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

They Called You a What?

Yesterday's post looked at some of the issues associated with the ways millennials communicate. Texting. Twitter. Facebook. You may want to read that post first.

As part of the source conversation for yesterday's post, someone mentioned that the nature of fast-paced texting could result in people making caustic or derogatory remarks to others, statements that they probably wouldn't make face to face or on the telephone. Interesting comment. But wasn't the same thing said about e-mail? Too impersonal. Encouraged sharp words. Caustic remarks. Things we wouldn't normally say in person or over the telephone.

I don't see this as a "millennial" issue. I see this as a policy issue regarding standards of proper conduct at work. If one employee were to make an offensive verbal remark to another employee and the employee complained about it, we would expect the supervisor to deal with the issue. Indeed, if the supervisor heard the offensive verbal remark we would expect the supervisor to deal with it even if the recipient didn't complain about it.

In a similar fashion, if one employee sends an offensive memo or e-mail to another employee (whether or not the recipient complains about it), if the supervisor is aware of it and it violates the company policies, standards or norms regarding workplace behavior we expect the supervisor to deal with it.

Is texting any different? "Oh yes," I was told, "the company has no record of the offensive comment because it's on the employee's personal communication device." Well that may be. But if the recipient is truly offended, then the recipient should be willing to show the message to her or his supervisor. And if the recipient wasn't offended enough to report the offensive text message, then I wonder if we really have an issue in the first place.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Topics include handling difficult employees, leadership, counseling, coaching, discipline, problem solving, lean thinking, motivation and time management. We welcome your comments on this post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Millennial Policy

Had another interesting conversation regarding millennial employees. One of the issues the company mentioned were the new ways that millennials communicate. Texting. Twitter. Facebook. Should employees be allowed to text at work? Should the company get involved with Twitter? What happens when an employee makes derogatory comments about their company on Facebook?

It seems to me that these are policy issues to be addressed. Just as companies had to address personal use of photocopiers and toll-free lines at work for one generation. Cell phones and internet access for another. These were the new technologies of previous generations. Companies addressed them. And very often the way companies addressed those issues changed as times changed.

As with previous issues that led to workplace policies, companies need to address the appropriateness of each millennial issue as it applies to the company and the clientele it serves. Is it okay for people to use their personal cell phones at work? That's a policy issue. In my book, if the usage of personal cellphones is for a business reason, that seems to be okay. As long as there are no safety or other issues involved; i.e., should a driver be talking on a cell phone (business related call) while driving? Not in my book. I thoroughly agree with those who say that driving while talking on a cellphone is quite hazardous. And to my way of thinking, that ban on use of cellphones while driving applies to lift truck operators in the warehouse just as much to over-the-road drivers on the highway.

What about customer service representatives? Can they use their personal cell phones to talk with a customer? Or to check with an internal department to determine an order status? From my perspective, why should they? We should have sufficient communication devices such that CSRs don't have to use their personal ones.

But what if a millennial CSR finds it more convenient to text another millennial employee for information. Both employees are happy using their personal texting devices. Is there anything wrong with that? For work-related issues, I don't have a problem with it per se. But if texting is more efficient, perhaps we should incorporate it into our company equipment so people don't have to use their personal ones. And as more millennials enter the workplace and become customers, we may have to look into texting as one of our "normal" ways of communicating.

"Hey Dan," some of you are thinking. "What if those personal cellphones and other texting devices are being used for personal things at work?" Then that's a policy issue. The same type of issue we've had with people making personal calls on company time using a pay phone (remember those). The same type of issue we've had with people using their company phone to make those calls. The same type of issue we have now with people accessing the internet for personal reasons.

"Yes, Dan", some are thinking, "but we can put monitoring devices on our company telephones and computer systems. Personal cellphones and other communication devices are a whole different story. We don't know if their use at work is indeed work related." No we don't. And that's a policy issue. We could make a policy to ban them if we wish. We could make a policy that their recent call records are subject to scrutiny by our managers if people choose to use them at work (just as some companies routinely check briefcases, lunch boxes and purses). On the other hand, if we have good performance measures on what people accomplish at work, then perhaps our policy will be to simply allow personal communication devices.

Oh, and one more point today (with more on this tomorrow). It seems to me that the better we measure and keep track of the tangible output of each employee, the less we need to worry about how a person goes about their day. If they get their work done on a timely basis with high quality, good productivity and do not violate safety or other rules, then who cares that they checked twitter from time to time or even posted a tweet?

About Pelleyblog: Pelleyblog focuses on management topics for supervisors and other first-line managers. We are an extension of Dan Pelley Educational Services which conducts management development programs primarily in Connecticut (CT), Massachusetts (MA) and Rhode Island (RI), although we also serve the other New England states. Pelleyblog welcomes and looks forward to new readers from any geographic location.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

It Works, But It Shouldn't

Uncle Mel was a skilled machinist and a master mechanic. One of those people who could build or fix most anything. The kind of person who, in his prime, experienced a rear axle failure in his rear wheel drive car on a country road. He hitched a ride to town, got the parts he needed and a ride back to his car. By the side of the road he jacked it up, replaced the axle and continued on his way.

Throughout his life, Mel was always tinkering with something. Even more so after his retirement, although his now advanced age has caused him to slow down - but just a little bit.

Each time I visited Mel he had some new project, or series of projects to show me. Everything from a simple part he manufactured himself rather than chasing around trying to buy one, to the miniature working single cylinder gasoline engine he designed and built totally from scratch. Mel approached his projects with enthusiasm, and the less he knew about something the more curious he became as he thought it through to figure out how it worked. He's a classic example of the person who faces a problem positively; truly believing every problem can be solved.

One day Mel needed a 6 volt automobile battery. Since virtually all automobiles had gone to 12 volt batteries decades before, Mel only had some old (but serviceable) 12 volt ones. No problem. Mel figured if he cut the 12 volt in half, he'd have a 6 volt battery. Simple to think about, but far more difficult to do. Used batteries tend to be messy. Battery acid is dangerous. So are the lead plates and posts. And then there's the technical issues where final result needs to have the specified working voltage and amperage while maintaing proper polarity as well. But not a problem for Mel. Of course he did it. Of course it worked. Of course he showed it to me with great enthusiasm and pride as it supplied 6 volt power to an actual motor.

Mel watched the battery supply the power. His face was its usual mix of happiness, wonderment, curiosity and amusement with which he watched things work. Then he looked up at me and said: "It works. But I don't know how. I can't figure it out. Based on everything I know about electricity and what I did, that battery shouldn't work! Isn't that just the darndest thing?"

Oh that we could all approach problems and challenges with the enthusiasm of Mel. A man undaunted in his quest to invent, to fix, to know how things work, and to adopt and adapt ideas and concepts that other people might say are impossible. A man who part way through a job thinks "why not try it? I don't think this is going to work. But I've gone this far; I can't think of any other way of doing it; so what do I have to lose except a little more time?"

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Topics include handling difficult employees, leadership, counseling, coaching, problem solving, lean thinking, motivation and time management. We welcome your comments on this post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Robotic Customer Service

What an awful experience. My refrigerator has a recall - seems some of them have a tendency to catch on fire. After checking my model number and serial number to confirm that my unit was in the recall group, I called the toll-free number to schedule a service appointment to have the manufacturer correct the problem. My call was answered by a pleasant-voiced automated system that was totally cold and aloof. The voice spoke slowly and enunciated carefully which I think is a necessary part of the process when machines talk to people. The process was very structured with never an opportunity to talk with a live person about any concerns I might have with a device that has already caused several home fires. No, the call was structured to maximize the manufacturer's efficiency while wasting my time slowly walking through a process.

We started with model number (say it slowly so the computer can understand you). Then the serial number (slowly now). Now confirming that my unit was an offender, I was strongly urged to allow a no-charge service call to repair it. Okay so far. Home telephone number was next (slowly) recited to the computer. Then responding to prompts to confirm the recited number, and my name, and my address. (Note this is a company that already sent two recall notices to that very same name and street address). Next I held on while the next available service date was determined. (The system actually put me on a brief hold for that). Then I was prompted to accept or declined the offered 4-hour time slot on the next available date. I accepted. Now, I think, I'm good to go.

But wait, there's more. Now I'm told someone over 18 has to be home while the repair person is there. Not a problem for me, but why bring it up after the appointment is made. What if that was a problem for me? Finally came the clincher from the robot: "The service person will call you before coming to confirm you are home."

Now isn't that just dandy. I planned to work in the yard while I kill my morning waiting for their person to come fix their fire hazard product. But since my home phone is a land line, that's not going to work. So I guess I'll find things to do, so I'll be sure to get their call, so I won't inconvenience their service person and end up having to rebook this fire prevention appointment.

That ended the call. I didn't time the process, but I do estimate I could have completed the transaction with a real person in about half the time. Assuming of course I didn't have any other issues or questions. After all, they got what they needed. Who cares if I wanted to know if I should be watching for things (like smoke or flames) or listening for things (such as a whine in the compressor motor or perhaps the interesting sound of Engine 1 coming down the street).

I hung up thinking how coldly efficient, distant and aloof this manufacturer is about an inconvenience imposed on its customers by its defective product. That feeling was reinforced by the fact that no one programmed their computer to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. To tell people how concerned they were about the problem. To let people know how much they value their customers. No apology. No empathy. No care. Not once during the call.

About me: Before becoming a full time educator, my career experiences included being vice president of a consulting firm, vice president - finance of a publishing company, vice president - sales support services for a manufacturing company and vice president - operations for a distribution company. As a full time educator working principally in Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT) and Massachusetts (MA). I am pleased to share my experiences and business philosophies with managers at all levels, and I encourage Pelleyblog readers to share their experiences, philosophies and general thoughts as well.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Discipline - A Lesson to be Learned

The purpose of discipline to resolve an issue, correct a problem and/or to turn a bad situation around. If done properly it should be a positive experience, done in such a way that the employee understands that we want them to be successful and we have confidence in their ability to benefit from a lesson to be learned. That's the essence of today's blog post written by L'deniece Whitfield, HR Assistant Manager at Sheffield Labs in New London, CT. L'deniece lives in Stonington and attends our supervision series at Quinebaug Valley Community College in Danielson. Her article is reprinted with permission.

"I work with individuals from all walks of life; i.e., cultural and racial differences. Our Filling department is made up of immigrants (legal of course), low income families, individuals who are trying to lead a better life, etc. A lot of them have low self esteem and feel it's all they can do and no better. When faced with disciplinary action, I take the time out to explain the whys. Depending on the nature of defiance, I will go over company policy, the SOP or even an explanation of mere principle. It is very important for me to convey to the employee that this is not a death sentence; and will go away on its anniversary date; as some of the employees take disciplinary action very hard and become emotional and even sometimes irate.

"Step by step, I ensure them that the action is a warning and a lesson to be learned; I explain how important it is to be mindful of the little things when assigned to a task; explaining that the action is a mere bump in the road and that the warning is a way to make them more aware and conscientious. Furthermore, I also take the time to listen to them explain what happened and usually why they feel they should not be reprimanded. I then encourage them to explain in writing what their motives were and why they feel they should not incur this warning to be placed in their file. These suggestions have always been helpful; as it makes the employee feel that they matter and that they are not just another 'body.'

"I go on to share with the employee how much they matter and how well they are doing. I focus on their positive and not so much on what it is I want them to change or how non compliant they are. I tell them to keep up the good work, to find the time to re-test so that they can be considered for a higher paying position, etc. I will also make sure that the employee understands the reason for the warning and/or suspension prior to their departure from my office. The positive benefit by this trait is that the employee leaves my office with confidence and understanding and on two separate occasions the employee apologized to their supervisors. I was happy about that!"

Thanks very much for the insights L'deniece.

About Pelleyblog: We are striving to be a communication device for managers where many people can share their thoughts, ideas, opinions, perspectives and points-of-view. We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us both as readers and participants.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Cut the Baloney

Yesterday's post dealt with a difficult employee who was an uncooperative insubordinate poor performer. It's amazing to me how I continue to hear such stories in this dismal economy with its severe unemployment. I have difficulty understanding why any company accepts such behavior. Especially since so many good people wish they had a job.

Now is the time to cut the baloney. Weed out the poor performers. The attitude problems. The people who do the minimum to get by. The people who are here just for the paycheck. People who are uncooperative. Insubordinate. Who just don't care. There's simply no logical reason to tolerate such behavior in this labor market.

Oh I know. You have to have cause. And you have to follow the counseling and disciplinary procedures in your company. You have to make your case and make it stick. But if you have truly difficult people who can't be turned around, salvaged and saved then you should already be working the process and making your case. If you've procrastinated and haven't started yet, then shame on you.

About me: Before becoming a full time educator, my career experiences included being vice president of a consulting firm, vice president - finance of a publishing company, vice president - sales support services for a manufacturing company and vice president - operations for a distribution company. As a full time educator working principally in Rhode Island (RI), Connecticut (CT) and Massachusetts (MA). I am pleased to share my experiences and business philosophies with managers at all levels.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Not Acceptable

A supervisor told me of a customer service representative trainee who appears to be a lost cause. She has a cold personality and comes across to customers as being uncaring, distant and aloof. She views her job as a means to a paycheck and nothing more. Her attitude toward helping other CSRs is "what's in it for me?" The supervisor recites that her training is not going well as she refuses to seek answers to customer questions. Instead, she refers them (passes them off to) more experienced CSRs. The supervisor also notes that her personality tends to scare people away. The supervisor then went on to tell me that the company may be reluctant to let her go as "she would be the type to file a lawsuit against the company."

Assuming the facts are as the facts were recited to me, my reaction is pure and simple. Her behavior is not acceptable. Period. A CSR must have a warm, caring and professional relationship with customers of all types. A CSR must have the ability to "own the customer's problem" and see it through to resolution. An employee who doesn't want to help other employees is not a team player. An employee who refuses to do anything that is legitimately requested of them is insubordinate. An employee who views their job as a means to a paycheck has no place in a company that strives for excellence.

If in fact a company fears terminating a poorly performing individual, then that poorly performing individual wins. The customers lose. The co-workers lose. The supervisors lose. The company loses. Of course a terminated employee can always sue. But a well documented case of dismissal for non-performance of duties, lack of cooperation and insubordination should survive a legal challenge.

About me: Dan Pelley teaches Managing People, a 16-hour program concerned with the topics of motivating people, developing positive attitudes, being more effective in getting the best out of each unique employee, and handling people problems. The program is offered to companies as an on-site program, and it is also offered on an open enrollment basis in Danielson, CT and Lincoln, RI.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Unhappy at Home

Sometimes an employee's personal life follows them to work, creating a negative influence on job performance. While these outside factors have many different forms which lead to a wide variety of on-the-job issues, today's post deals with an employee who is unhappy at home. Essentially, at this point in her life, the employee's home life is just not what she hoped it would be, and her unhappiness causes her to come to work feeling blue and depressed. Because of this she tends to keep to herself, it severely limits her interaction with co-workers and it diminishes her ability to take an active role in the department team. On the other hand, her boss believes that if she could just leave the outside influences at home, she could be a great team player.

I liked her boss's comment. But how to do it? Since the influences come from the home life, the boss probably can't do much about eliminating them. Except of course to offer empathy, compassion and understanding and to "point her in the right direction" of available help and resources should she seek the boss's advice and counsel.

What the boss can do, with a reasonable possibility of success, is to make the employee's work experience so interesting to her that it motivates her to want to "put her all" into her job, which in turn will help her forget her outside troubles, at least while she's at work. In essence the boss should work toward giving her a sense of social interaction (becoming a member of the team), a feeling of accomplishment (by achieving higher levels of performance), an enhanced ego state (through increased self-esteem and the camaraderie and appreciation of other team members) and a sense of self-fulfillment (by developing new skills and exercising new talents).

Is it easy to do? Not necessarily. But it shouldn't be overly hard either. The boss recognizes her potential. He realizes the source of the trouble and the impact on the department. The department is team-based. What the boss needs to do now is to take the time to guide and coach her in a direction that will combine her interests with those of the team and move her toward becoming an integral and interested member of the department team. And the boss also needs to get some of the stronger team members to extend a hand in helping her become a better team player.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Occasionally we include topics of general interest, topics about Dan Pelley's background and experiences, and a rare occasional rant. We welcome your comments on this or any other post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Blah Blah Blah

I went to the post office yesterday to mail a package. Thankfully there was no line although each of the clerks on duty were serving a customer when I arrived. As I waited I couldn't help noticing that one clerk was busy weighing, labeling and otherwise attending to his customer, while the other was obviously gossiping away with a customer she knew. And gossiping. And gossiping.

Finally the other clerk said "next customer please" as he completed his customer's transaction. My transaction involved an overseas shipment with insurance and a customs declaration. It took about five to seven minutes to process all the paper. Meanwhile the other clerk was gossiping away while first one, then another, and then a third customer waited in line.

With my transaction complete, my clerk wished me a "good day" and then said "next customer please." I walked past the people waiting in line as the other clerk continued to process her friend's transaction as a pace far slower than her mouth was moving as she gossipped away.

"What dismal service," I thought; "In the private sector it would be unacceptable. But then again, why should it be tolerated in a quasi-government agency? I wondered how the other clerk felt as he was busy serving customers while she obviously had little regard for her work. And most of all, where was the supervisor of that operation? Who was in charge of making sure customers are served in the best possible manner? Especially in an organization that is experiencing severe competition for its products and services."

About Pelleyblog: We are striving to be a communication device for managers where many people can share their thoughts, ideas, opinions, perspectives and points-of-view. We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us both as readers and participants.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Goal Check

How are you doing on your annual goals? We've just crossed the halfway mark for the year and hopefully you've taken a good look at your progress to date. Are you ahead? Good job! On target? Congratulations. A bit behind? Not a problem as you still have six months to go. Way behind? Well that does happen - but it shouldn't.

Although most managers have a set of annual goals, the trouble with those goals is their 12 month time horizon. And that often leads to procrastination. After all, we've got 12 months to achieve the goal. So if other priorities cause us to lose focus for the first two months of the year, we've still got ten months to catch up. If shifting customer demands result in no real progress in the next two months, we've still got eight months to go. A special project from our boss and/or a temporary loss of key resources may find us way behind at mid-year. Now we need to double our focus if we are going to accomplish that goal.

Managers who are proficient at meeting annual goals know the key to success is to break the annual goal down into sub-goals. Annual goals are broken into quarterly goals, which in turn can be broken into monthly goals, which can be further broken down into weekly and sometimes daily goals. If you break down your annual goals into the shortest reasonable sub-goals, and if you commit to accomplishing those sub-goals on time, you'll find your annual goals need not become the last minute crisis that often leads to failure. Indeed, if you are already aware of this technique and have been diligent at working your sub-goals this year you are probably reading this post with a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. It's mid-year, and your annual goals are at least half done.

About me: Dan Pelley teaches goal setting as part of his "Managing for Results" program, one of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. Other topics include an overview of the management process, creating action plans to organize resources, scheduling, contingency planning, and time management.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

On Building Trust

Today's post was written by Lindsey Bousquet who lives in Putnam and works in Pomfret, CT. This article was part of a homework assignment in out "Leadership Skills" program where Lindsey focused on a leadership strength. Her work is reprinted here with permission.

"I feel that my best strength is that I build trusting relationships with people at all levels. This is very important for many reasons. One is that you cannot lead someone if they do not trust you. They want to know where they are going, how they will get there and why they are going there to begin with. I would never follow someone who I did not trust and I know neither would anybody else. My crew people asked me for advice and how to do certain things long before I was their manager. It was because they trusted that I would know the right answers and the correct way things had to be done. In a 'crisis' situation they would always come to me trusting that I could help.

"Another reason trusting relationships are important, is employees need to feel like they can talk to you. If a person has a problem or just needs to vent they need to trust that you will handle things properly. Nobody wants to talk to someone who is just going to ignore you or worse, inform people who do not need to know what your problem is. I feel very good in saying that all my crew people trust me enough to come to me with all their problems. They know I will handle them correctly and privately. Only the parties involved and my store manager need to know.

"The final reason is building trust increases your sphere of influence with your employees. This means that you can be more effective in how you manage your store. My crew people see how I act and what I do and are influenced by this behavior. They trust it is the correct, if not only way to work in our company. By having them act as I would act and do as I would do the store runs smoothly and effectively without me I having to do it all myself. "

About me: Dan Pelley offers a series of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. The five programs are "Managing People, "Leadership Skills," "Managing For Results," "Proactive Leadership," and "Participative Management." Lindsey Bousquet recently completed "Leadership Skills" in Danielson, CT. Click here to learn more about our programs for supervisors.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
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Are You Taking Vacation?

These first two weeks of July are among the most popular vacation weeks. Indeed, some industries and many individual companies are now shut down for well deserved vacations. Other companies are encouraging people to take their vacations now since business is so very slow. Much to the chagrin of some employees, some companies that previously allowed employees to keep working and swap their vacation time for cash are telling employees to take the vacation; it's that or a temporary layoff.

While I sympathize with those who need the cash and depend on cashing in vacation time to get that cash, the fact is that companies should be encouraging people to take their vacations and holidays too. Simply stated, we all need a break from work from time to time. To take a breather. Clear our heads. Refresh ourselves so we can go back to work with renewed energy and enthusiasm. At the extreme, a person who constantly works is very prone to "burn out," a condition that, while detrimental to our companies, is even more devastating to our own mental health.

So do what you can to make sure you take a vacation. Do what you can to avoid working every holiday. Indeed, take your lunch and other breaks as well. Oh I know some of you will tell me how busy you are and how much you have to do. But working through breaks and lunch, taking work home at night and on the weekend, working holidays, racking up lots of overtime and not taking vacations is a recipe for personal disaster. And, it often signals to others that you are a manager who is harried, out of control and unable to plan, delegate, utilize resources and effective time management.

And a final note for those of who have an employee reporting to you who demonstrates some of the workaholic behaviors described above. Your job as their supervisor is to make sure they take their breaks, have their lunches, limit their "take home" work, and be sure they take a reasonable number of holidays and a reasonable amount of vacation as well.

About Pelleyblog. This blog covers topics of interest to managers, particularly those at the first-line supervisor level. Topics include handling difficult employees, leadership, counseling, coaching, problem solving, lean thinking, motivation and time management. We welcome your comments on this post.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

When You Can't Get a Volunteer Recorder

We've been looking at the role of the team recorder in the last two days. You may want to read those posts first.

Today we'll look at a technique and a ground rule for getting a recorder when no one wants to volunteer. When I'm leading a meeting, I first ask if someone will volunteer to be our recorder. If no one volunteers I then look someone in the eye and ask them directly: "'Sam', would you be good enough to record for us? I sure would appreciate it." In my experience it is a rare situation when the person says "no," even though it is quite common that the person asked does show a bit of reluctance. But I have a ground rule that tends to make the assigned recorder much more comfortable in their role.

As soon as the assigned recorder accepts their role, I turn to the rest of the team and say: "Thanks 'Sam'. Now here's the ground rule for the rest of you. If anyone criticizes Sam's handwriting, spelling. or any other aspect of his recording, 'Sam' gets to turn over his recorder job to them."

That usually gets everyone's attention, cooperation, and appreciation for "Sam;" and generally eliminates any laughter, comments or poking fun at "Sam."

One other thought. If the meeting goes on for awhile and "Sam" is publicly recording (on a flip chart or white board for example), I will ask for another recorder at some point. If I don't get a volunteer then, I will look someone else directly in the eye and ask them to take over for "Sam."

About Pelleyblog: We focus on topics of interest to supervisors, group leaders, foremen, department managers, project managers, team leaders, assistant managers, associate managers, office managers, nurse managers, crew leaders, unit managers, and other first-line managers. But managers at all levels, and people interested in management topics are welcome and are encouraged to join us.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

Thank the Volunteer Recorder

Being a team recorder can be quite the chore, so it's no surprise that many team members try to avoid it. However, some people don't mind doing it, are good at it, and will either offer to do it or accept the role if asked. If your team is lucky enough to have a volunteer recorder, please remember to thank them profusely and frequently for their efforts. And it wouldn't hurt to get them a coffee, soda or other treat from time to time. A volunteer recorder who does a good job is a strong asset to any team effort.

On a slightly different note, some team facilitators needing a recorder will attempt to get an outspoken team member, one who tends to monopolize much of the conversation, to do volunteer. If the outspoken team member accepts, becomes the recorder and does the job well, the team should see a reduction in conversation domination time. If the team leader who uses this approach has any luck, the monopolizer will be less outspoken thus leaving room for others to participate in the conversation. And, of course, the team gains a volunteer recorder who in turn should be thanked profusely (see above paragraph).

About me: Dan Pelley teaches Participative Management, a 16-hour program concerned with the idea of encouraging all employees of a company to share their ideas, opinions, knowledge and skills in a process of continuous improvement. Topics include the levels of a participative environment, team formats and structures, leadership skills designed to empower employees at an appropriate controlled pace, how to conduct productive team meetings, and coaching and facilitation skills that support team member integration and positive team dynamics. The program is offered to companies as an on-site program, and it is also offered on an open enrollment basis in Danielson, CT and Lincoln, RI. Click here to see program learning objectives.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.

The Job of the Team Recorder

The job of the recorder is to keep accurate records of team activities at the level of documentation that the team requires. Some teams want written documentation of all team discussions. Other teams only want to record and document points of agreement and/or action items. Some teams want details. Others want summaries.

When it comes to documentation, the team can generally decide how much documentation it needs. But it would be a mistake for a team to have no documentation of its activities, or documentation that is so minimal it becomes practically useless. At minimum, the recorder should maintain documentation that clearly states points of agreement and decisions, provides detailed lists of action items to be carried out including the name of the responsible team member and a target completion date, and contains sufficient information so absent team members can be brought up to date.

About me: Dan Pelley discusses the roles and responsibilities of team members as part of his "Participative Management (Building High Performance Teams)" program, one of five programs leading to a Certificate in Supervisory Management. 139 companies in Connecticut (CT), Rhode Island (RI), Massachusetts (MA) and New York have one or more people who earned this certificate.

Copyright © 2009 Daniel W. Pelley
All rights reserved.