One of the hardest things to do as a manager is to keep the peace between two workplace combatants who are determined to shout each other into submission. In many cases you are reduced to being a referee and ensuring that innocent bystanders are kept out of the line of fire. But there are a few things you can do to reduce the overall damage.
Set Clear Ground Rules
You already probably have some form of personnel manual, code of conduct, or harassment policy that you can and should make people aware of. Harassment, bullying, yelling, screaming, insulting behaviours are not acceptable and if they are happening they will no longer be tolerated.
Let People Know Where to Go
They can come to you but if they choose not to then they should be encouraged to go to Human Resources or an ombudsperson if your organization has one. If they come to you let them know that you will be getting all sides of the story before you take any action.
Be Fair
All of the employees who work under you need to know that they will get a fair hearing if they have a complaint and fairness is one key to breaking down interpersonal conflicts. If everyone understands the rules and you apply them fairly then you have at least a shot at success.
Be Open
Another important element in reducing the impact of interpersonal conflict is to create an open atmosphere where communication and feedback flows freely between employees and their manager. Bullying and harassment cannot survive the scrutiny of the light and the more a manager can create this light the more likely that this type of behaviour will be moderated if not stopped.
Be Flexible
If one path doesn’t lead to success then you can try another. And there are many options. Counselling, advice and guidance from a coach or professional of their choice, mediation or some form of thirty-party process could also be tried out. Sometimes a few days of cooling off might be enough to find a solution.
Make a Decision
If it comes down to it then don’t be afraid to make a decision. Someone, maybe both of them will not like you for it, but that is your job as manager. And don’t just transfer the problem out of your area. Deal with it to the best of your ability. Too many people before you have tried to transfer their problems to someone else. That’s part of what caused this situation in the first place. Break the cycle and you will at least have a chance to breaking the pattern of interpersonal conflict.
I find it strange that we still have to teach MBA students ethics before we send them out into the world. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing but if we didn’t teach them would they feel free to lie, cheat and steal?
And it’s not just MBA students or used car salesmen who need some ethics lessons. There is a trail of greed and slime that can easily be traced back to some of the biggest and most famous boardrooms in this country and around the world. One of the latest cases involves Canadian engineering giant SNC-Lavalin and some of their people who may have been involved with trying to help one of Gaddafi’s sons find refuge inMexico.
That is to say nothing about Canadian mining and oil and gas companies who have been working closely in not just Libya but Sudan, Uganda, Nigeria and dozens of other countries where indigenous peoples have been used, misused and abused by their partners in government. They might call it just doing business and they may not have blood directly on their hands but if they are paying bribes or kickbacks then they are also responsible.
Years ago there was little discussion about business ethics and what happened in Vegas or Nairobi orDarfur stayed there. Now with super-fast communications and the Internet we can see what is happening on the ground, even in remote villages and inside secret regimes like Syria. This has added a level of public accountability to businesses that operate internationally and is one of the major reasons why trans-national corporations have developed an interest in ethics. They want to protect themselves, their corporate image and ultimately their share price in the stock market.
But do companies that operate just in Canada need ethics as well? Absolutely. They need to protect themselves from liability if one of their employees goes off on the wrong track. But what the smarter companies have found is that it also makes good business sense.
Many organizations have found that the real value of their workplace ethics program is in solidifying customer and client relationships, improving overall employee morale and positive improvements in their bottom line. This comes from having happier and more productive employees and maintaining and increasing the customer base. All positive and healthy signs for any business or organization.
And in case anyone was wondering, it’s also the right thing to do.
Here’s the final installation of the 50 ways to solve a problem. And a bonus one at the end.
Strategies to help you determine which possible solution is best
34. Estimate the likely costs and benefits of possible solutions.
Calculate the risks and chances of success in certain options. Eliminate high risk and low success solutions.
35. Choose one or more options to implement.
Sometimes one route is best and at other times using a multi-prong approach may work. But make a choice to do something, anything.
36. Implement the best solution and collect information about the effects of it. Try your best possible solution and monitor its effects over a period of time.
Strategies to help you function optimally while problem solving
37. Think of options without immediately evaluating them.
Brainstorming is a good way to get lots of ideas on the table. Sometimes even a bad idea can lead to a good solution.
38. Set a goal with a purpose you value.
Setting a goal is an important step towards achieving it. It commits you to a solution and may provide impetus to get there.
39. Avoid distraction.
Distractions slow the problem solving process so you need to reduce or eliminate them to reach a solution.
40. Work in a new setting.
Get out of the office and go somewhere where you are not easily distracted and may come up with new thinking.
41. Adjust time limit to optimum.
Give the problem as much attention and time as you can afford. Like Goldilock’s porridge. Not too short, not too long. Just right.
42. Work with someone.
Two heads are better than one. Unless they are part of the problem.
43. Create a positive mood with an optimum arousal level.
Problem solving is easier when you have a positive attitude so find ways that get you out of your funk before you begin.
44. Think of the problem as a challenge or opportunity.
Reframe the situation or problem so that you can see solving it as a positive step. The problem may be serious but our mood in solving it doesn’t have to be.
45. Think confidently.
If you believe that you can solve the problem you probably will. Confidence will keep us going until we reach a solution.
46. Take a break.
After you’ve worked on the problem for a while and you feel tension or pressure, take a break. Go for a walk and clear your head to let new air and new ideas in.
47. Persist.
If you stay with it you will find a solution to your problem. It’s only a matter of time, and persistence.
Strategies to help you solve multiple problems
48. Adopt a problem solving orientation.
Don’t go looking for trouble, but seek to become a problem solver. You will learn new skills and techniques and become a valuable member of your work team. Remember, you don’t have to solve all the problems all the time.
49. Apply triage.
Decide which problem is most pressing and work on it first. Your triage may include deciding which problem is most important, has the greatest chance of success, or can be done the most quickly. That’s how the hospitals do it.
50. Solve one problem at a time.
Don’t give up if you have multiple problems to resolve. Focus on one and work on that until you find a solution. Then on to the next one.
Once again thank you to John Malouff from the University of New England, in Armidale, Australiaf or permission to use his research.
Bonus
51. Stop being a screw up and creating all these problems to solve.
Part 2 of 50 ways to solve a problem. Part 3 next week.
Strategies involving use of external aids to help you identify possible solutions
21. Ask someone, especially an expert.
If you have someone with particular expertise then ask for their advice and suggestions.
22. Seek the answer in written material.
There are no manuals for life but there are many how-to guides in the library or on the Internet.
23. Use a tool or technology.
Can a specific tool or technology help you diagnose or solve your problem? Maybe headphones could work.
24. Apply a theory.
If you find a theory that looks like it might work in your situation, why not put it into practice and see if it works. It worked for other people.
25. Apply the scientific method.
Collect data, test the data, and most importantly, be sceptical.
26. Use mathematics.
Using math and mathematical calculations may allow you to track how often a problem is occurring and whether it is getting better or worse.
27. Use a formula.
If you can find a formula that might work to help you resolve your problem, particularly if it has helped others, then try it out.
Strategies involving the use of logic to help you identify possible solutions
28. Reason by analogy, using what you have learned about similar problems.
If you’ve dealt with a difficult neighbour then the same analogy may work with your difficult person at work.
29. Use deductive reasoning.
Take a general rule and apply it to a specific situation.
30. Use inductive reasoning.
This involves taking specifics and developing a general rule to follow.
31. Question assumptions.
You will never find a solution if your assumptions are faulty. If your solution is working then check your assumptions. They may be wrong.
Strategies using a possible solution as the starting point to help you solve a problem
32. Guess, check, and adjust.
If you don’t know what to do, take your best guess. If that doesn’t work, make a better guess until you get it right.
33. Work backwards.
Start at the problem and its impact and work backwards to find the causes and solution.
Once again thank you to John Malouff from the University of New England, in Armidale, Australia for the inspiration and research.
There may be 50 ways to leave your lover but there are also at least 50 ways to solve a problem. Here’s Part 1. Watch this space for the rest.
Strategies to help you understand the problem
1. Clarify the problem.
It’s easier to solve a specific problem than a vague one. Ask questions, read information, be specific about the problem to find the right solution.
2. Identify key elements of the problem.
Ask the important questions. Who, what, when and where to help figure out why.
3. Visualize the problem.
Visualize the elements of the problem to help understand it.
4. Draw a picture or diagram of the problem or a relevant process or situation.
Take the picture out of your mind and put it on paper.
5. Create a model of the problem or a relevant process.
The model can identify technical aspects of the problem or a model of causes.
6. Imagine being the problem, a key process, or the solution.
This is another form of visualization that places you within the situation and not just watching it from the outside.
7. Simulate or act out a key element of the problem.
Acting out the problem may help you understand both the cause and effects and the solution may become clearer.
8. Consider a specific example.
Create a specific situation or find a similar example to research to find a solution.
9. Consider extreme cases.
Develop a worse case scenario to see how the problem evolves and it may show you the solution, or scare you enough to try harder.
10. Change perspective.
Look at the problem from another person’s point of view.
11. Consider levels and systems.
Look at the big picture and then see the role that structures and systems play in creating or resolving the problem.
Strategies to help you simplify the task
12. Simplify the problem.
Try and simplify the problem so that you can deal with pieces of it at a time.
13. Solve one part at a time.
Choose one aspect of the problem and solve that piece. Then choose another.
14. Redefine the problem.
If you can’t solve the current problem then redefine it into one that you can.
Strategies to help you determine the cause of the problem
15. Collect information about what happens before, during, and after the problem.
Have a look at the problem by collecting information about what happens before, during and, after a situation, not just considering the outcome.
16. Organize information into a table, chart, or list and look for patterns.
If you can develop a list it may be clearer to identify a pattern that can lead to both causes and solutions.
17. Try to make the problem worse.
This sounds crazy but sometimes it works. But watching the impact of making it worse may actually show you the cause of the problem.
18. Compare situations with and without the problem.
Imagine the situation with and without the problem and it will sometimes show you what causes the problem.
19. Consider multiple causes and interactions.
There may be more than one cause or variable at work in your situation. Investigate them all.
20. Consider non-linear effects.
Not all effects are bad in a problem situation so you need to consider all of the variables and their impact on the situation.
Thanks to John Malouff from the University of New England, in Armidale, Australia for the inspiration and research. And permission to use it.
One of the most important aspects of change management is to get the employees on board with the proposed change or reorganization. And if you can’t get everybody with you at the beginning then you need a critical mass of the staff with you or else instead of reorganization you will have rebellion.
To get to that point almost all of the energy of senior managers has to be harnessed and placed in the service of one goal: communication. There will always be resistance to change and this resistance can turn toxic for both the change and the organization. But a good communication plan can be the antidote to that lurking poison and put the employees and the organization back on track.
Tell them the Truth
Senior managers need to be out of the executive suite and into the cubicles and lunch rooms to listen to their employee’s concerns. People are likely to be anxious about the change and may be worried about their own jobs. If there are going to be cutbacks or layoffs or people moved then tell them exactly what you know. Managers should tell people the truth because it will come out anyway. And if you don’t tell them they will just make it up and then blame you for not telling them.
Tell them Why
Employees deserve an explanation and the communications plan should have speaking notes for senior managers and supervisors so that they can tell employees why this change is necessary and why it is being made. And so that they can answer the questions that employees will ask. This is not a one-way exchange of information and what the employees tell the managers or the questions they ask may be crucial to the success of the change process. Maybe the senior managers have missed something or made a miscalculation. All questions should be answered even if sometimes the answer is no.
Focus on the Upside
There’s always an upside. Even though there may be upset and dispersal and removal and chaos the organization has made a decision to change because it hopes that this change will make things better. This may mean just stopping the bleeding or it may mean new product lines or expansion but it will hopefully bring improvements that will make the company stronger for the future. After giving employees the bad news that some of them or their colleagues may be let go it is just as important to tell those who will remain that their jobs will be safer and their opportunities increased as a result of the change. Fear is a poor motivator. Hope is much better.
This article originally appeared on my blog at www.jobs.ca
Up to twenty percent of us are chronic procrastinators. Why do we delay, defer, postpone or schedule? Who knows? Who cares? If you are ready here are a few ways to help you get through the sometimes deadly habit of procrastination.
Admit you have a problem
Take a look at your work habits and determine why you are putting off doing some particular tasks. You might find that you are not deliberately avoiding you maybe don’t have the time to get it done. If that’s the case then you don’t have a procrastination problem you actually have a time management problem. That’s good news because it’s easy to fix by setting priorities and sticking with them.
Set priorities and stick with them
Start your day off with a “to do” list that prioritizes your most important tasks. Watch for some tell-tale signs of procrastination. These might include leaving something until the last minutes of the day when you run out of time to complete it. Or starting in on a job and then getting up for a cup of coffee or checking your e-mails before you get it done. Stay focused on the job at hand and don’t give in to distractions that can take you in another direction.
Deal with your time management problem
Get yourself a good time management book and start following some of the techniques they suggest. You may never be perfect at time management but you will be better and that will certainly help you deal with your procrastination.
Eat the elephant in small bites
Take large or particularly difficult tasks and break them down into smaller and more manageable pieces. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. This will get you moving and as you complete the smaller pieces you will feel good that you are accomplishing something and eventually you can cross that job off your list.
You may be perfect, but… Let it go
It’s also okay to give yourself permission to do the best job you can rather than always striving for perfection in everything you do at work. Sometimes perfectionism leads to procrastination and we put so much stress on ourselves that we can just give up on the job completely or leave it until another day. It’s okay to be human, make some mistakes and complete a task that is very good, even if it’s just shy of being perfect.
Put down the stick
Stop beating yourself up about making mistakes or your procrastination habit and don’t let others do it either. The last thing you need when trying to get over a difficult habit or pattern is negativity, from internal or external sources. Learn a little tenderness with yourself as you are growing out of both your perfectionism and procrastination.
Change your Thinking and Change your mind
Most procrastination is about our thinking. We put up mental blocks that get in the way of getting things done. Sometimes our thinking gets us so worked up that we start avoiding tasks that just have to get completed. The secret to avoiding procrastination is to change our mindset and reset our brains so that we can actually accomplish what we set out to do. Change your mind and your thinking and your body will follow.
A recent poll by Harris Decima for the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce found that 44 per cent of Canadians surveyed said that they are not financially ready for retirement. Even among those getting closer to what we consider a normal retirement, those aged 55 to 64, 31 per cent said they could not afford to retire. The question that this raises is when are people (including me) every going to be able to retire? Freedom 75, 85?
The answer to this problem is to start saving for retirement earlier. Duh!! But that is way too simplistic. When you are young you have to first pay off your student loans and then start saving for a house and by the time you have a down payment you likely have a partner and are ready to start a family. And good luck to anyone who has a new home and young children. Both go through money like… I won’t make the diaper joke here.
Maybe, just maybe when you are in your early 50’s your children are starting to move out and go to school on their own. You feel sorry for them so you try and help out with their tuition and school fees. You feel even sorrier for them when they can’t find a job and end up back living with you along with their new spouse and baby. Then of course you feel sorriest of all for yourself when you can’t retire because you have no company pension plan, $50,000 in an RRSP, and $485.25 in the new Tax Free Savings Account that you set up last year. That’s a fair distance from the $750,000 to $1 million that the “experts” tell you that you will need for retirement.
So you might as well face it, your dreams of playing golf every day and lying on the beach every February are not going to happen. Better re-think that strategy of telling your snotty young supervisor where to go. And unless you want to settle for that job with the blue apron greeting people you better think about going back to school as well. Because you are going to need new skills to compete with your son who will have probably three degrees on you.
So enjoy the sunshine of your life. It’s not like your retirement has been stolen from you. It’s just been postponed. Indefinitely. It will come. We’re just not sure when.
This article was originally posted on my blog at www.jobs.ca
I’m not usually a big fan of lists, of any kinds. Especially lists prepared by anyone but the Guinness Book of Records people, and even some of those are pretty iffy. Like for example the most t-shirts worn at one time. Record: 121 held by David Alexander from the United States.
Most lists when it comes to jobs or careers are usually so innocuous that they are meaningless or so subjective that they’re useless. In reality they are usually drummed up because someone has to write a column to fill in between a block of advertising. I can them sandwich lists. Not much meat and very easy on the facts.
Having said all that I am not completely opposed to lists. I make one for Santa every year (And every year I am disappointed). But sometimes they can be fun and at the very least can get a rise out of people, or at least prove they aren’t really sleeping. They’re just thinking with their eyes closed.
So let’s take a look at one of these lists. The most stressful jobs in Canada, according to MSN. Their list includes: Pilots, Taxi Drivers, Firefighters, Corporate Executives, Political Aides, and Real Estate Agents. As usual it’s pretty easy to agree with the inclusion of these jobs on a most stressed list.
The debate comes about why some others did not make it. Why for example are Air Traffic Controllers not here? I know the pilot is important but aren’t most flights on auto-pilot now? And what about Police Officers? Are they not on the list because they have guns? And I might agree with Taxi Drivers being here but how much difficulties and stress do they cause for themselves and everyone else? Have you seen how these guys drive?
Two no-brainers are Political Aides (Even when they’re right, they’re wrong if their boss needs a scapegoat to take the fall) and Real Estate Agents. Have you seen how picky people are on those House Hunter International programs? Pleeeze!!
At the risk of peeving off my big wig corporate bosses who pay my bills, I question the legitimacy of putting Corporate Executives on this list. I would put their secretaries and assistants on the list in a flash, but what are these people stressed out about? Not enough cream cheese on their bagels that are delivered every morning? Too many people to fire this week. Sorry, boss I’ll stop there.
So what’s my point? The point of lists is to spark a discussion and take people’s minds off the really stressful things that are happening in the workplace. Did it work? Drop me a line and let me know.
This post originally appeared on my blog at www.jobs.ca
One of the discussions most often heard when two or more managers get together is how to get their staff motivated, or how to get them to do what we want, faster and more efficiently. If you are having these discussions then the fact is that you have probably lost the attention of your employees. The real question is how do you get them back?
The answer lies in employee engagement and the good news is that it is never too late to make a good impression on your employees when it comes to communications. The real secret to employee engagement is in using your ears and their I’s. You need to use your ears because except for a brief period at the beginning of their career when they need information and direction, managers and supervisors should be listening to their employees. If you listen consistently and closely you will hear not only employee complaints which need to be addressed, but suggestions for improvements and ideas for innovation.
This listening can be done both formally and informally. Formally through things like suggestion boxes, regular staff meetings and an annual employee survey that lets you monitor your progress. But informally as well because you want to know very quickly when something is not working or a new product won’t sell, as long as you are paying attention.
In addition to listening employers also need to use their I’s, Information and Involvement. Information because employees crave information about their job, their company, and their future. Involvement because they want to feel part of something bigger at work, that their contribution makes a difference to the success or failure of the enterprise.
Employees see information as power and successful organizations and companies have learned that the more information employees have the better they will adapt to new situations, good or bad. If people do not have information they will just make it up so it’s better to put your information out there first before the water cooler chatter and misinformation begins. You also need a feedback system that allows employees to comment on the news. This is a bit of a risk because once you ask for feedback you might have to actually do something about any concerns that are raised. But that is still preferable to hearing about employee discontent weeks or months later. And the best result from sharing information is that your employees will trust that you will tell them the truth. Nothing inspires loyalty like honesty.
This leads into involvement, the second most important I. Information is great but if employees are not involved in decisions that directly affect them they will quickly tune out or change the motivation channel to ignore. This does not mean that you have to consult with employees on everyday decisions. That is and will always be a management right and responsibility. But don’t you want to hear what your employees, “the experts”, think about the new product line, or closing every second Saturday? It just makes sense to let them have a say. It helps them feel more comfortable and you to make better decisions. A side benefit to this approach is that involving employees in key changes or decisions shows them respect and leads to them respecting you in return.
A study by HR giant Towers Perrin a few years ago involving 90,000 workers worldwide found that what they called a significant “Engagement Gap” in the global workforce. Around the world employees felt that many senior managers were not doing enough to keep them informed or involved and this was undermining their motivation at work. The study also found however that companies with the highest levels of employee engagement achieved better financial results and are more successful in retaining their most valued employees than companies with lower levels of engagement. So the message is clear. Engage your employees by using your ears and their I’s.
Mike Martin is a Ottawa-based freelance writer and workplace wellness consultant specializing in workplace and communication issues. He blogs at mike54martin.com
This article first apeared in the Ottawa Business Journal.
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