Perspectives Dallas Chapter of ASTD Membership Newsletter - August 2007 << Table of Contents <<

People Skills and Relationships are Key to Business Results

by Barbara Ashbaugh

Think with me for a minute about the first day of a new job. Perhaps some jitters accompanied by quiet excitement and anticipation. You are focused on a new opportunity for professional growth. You’re feeling proud of yourself and determined to be a success. On your first day you are invited to lunch with a group from your department and the banter around the lunch table makes you have buyers remorse. Your peers are focused on your new abrasive supervisor and the scuttlebutt is that his behavior is tolerated because he delivers results. They call him the “Teflon Man.” He is slippery and seems to deflect senior management’s scrutiny. Why? Because senior management believes the supervisor is competent. He produces results for his boss, and isn’t that what really matters? He leaves dead bodies in his wake but he gets the job done. That’s the business of business. Right? Suddenly you realize that you have filled the shoes of one his casualties. Now your thoughts immediately turn to, “What have I done? How will I survive?”

Has the drive to reduce business into processes that can be automated and computerized – or re-engineered provided an all-too-convenient excuse to forget that business effectiveness and efficiency depends on people? The abrasive supervisor may meet management’s goals in the short term, but what is the long-term result of his behavior? Higher turnover? Lower Productivity? Diminished customer satisfaction? Research proves that the price of turnover is very costly. It has been estimated that approximately 80% of an employee’s annual salary is the cost of filling a position. Classified advertising, interviewing, training, downtime, etc. all play a role in this figure.

What is the cost of the poor supervisory relationship to the organization? When employees have bad attitudes towards management if affects their productivity - and bad attitudes are transparent enough to ultimately impact customer satisfaction. People with bad attitudes toward their work are not likely to go out of their way to truly serve the customer. They are not focused on doing the best they can; they are focused on resentment and survival. The price we pay for unsatisfactory supervisory relationships is staggering, both in terms of bottom-line results and loss of creativity, innovation, and human capital.

Now think again with me for a minute. What if your company was filled with employees who willingly made and kept commitments, who had outstanding work habits, who had positive attitudes, who were willing to persist until they succeeded who recognized and appreciated others, who managed their emotions and who could be serious but also laugh at themselves and who loved their supervisors? Wow! That would be a great place to work! How do we make that happen?

Teach your managers, supervisors and team leaders people skills. Move away from the directive style of management to the non-directive style of management. The question arises, “Well if the manager is non-directive how does one get results? “ Here’s how.

A directive style manager uses authority as the primary motivational technique. The manager gives a directive by telling employees what to do. This style of manager generally does not seek feedback. They make decisions and informing the employees of their tasks in an impersonal manner. Sometimes supervisors try to get results with fear-based motivation. When employees are made to feel I have to, they either comply or rebel. When an employee feels as if they have to comply with a good deal of frequency, they begin to resent. When the resentment becomes too stressful to deal with employees will opt for revenge. Someone needs to be a victim when there is revenge. A victim or target can be a co-worker, or a superior, or simply malicious compliance. What a vicious cycle! Soon the culture becomes dysfunctional and the company’s reputation is at stake. When employees perceive authority controls them they have a master/slave mentality. This directive management style attracts the type of employee who doesn’t care if they have latitude to think for themselves, who lack innovation, and who generally don’t accept responsibility for their own performance; they simply do as they are told. What a miserable place to work.

On the other hand, the non-directive manager attracts employees who accept responsibility for their own performance, have a positive outlook, and who don’t allow problems or setbacks to deter them from achieving their goals. They are more innovative, and they will work toward continually improving personal and team performance. Soon the reputation of the company is known for the trusting management/employee culture. The company becomes an employer of choice. They have huge applicant pools of talent to draw from when there is a job opening. People want to work for this organization!

What are the characteristics of the non-directive management style? The manager believes the employee has responsibility for his/her own performance so the manager is supporting, enabling and empowering. Non-directive managers highly involve their employees in decision-making and they create an open environment, inspiring team spirit and creativity. This management style attracts employees who are responsible, self-motivated, innovative and risk-takers.

How does an organization become an employer of choice? First by understanding and that people don’t leave companies; they leave supervisors. So they make investments in their human capital. They design a management development process which places an emphasis on managing the environment, not the people.

A Dozen Tips for Success

Design a screening and selection process that hires for attitude not just technical skills. You can teach a person with a good attitude to have better technical skills but it is too late if you have to teach your technical experts to have a good attitude.
Make the vision/mission/values of the organization crystal clear from the get go and make sure the new hire understands how their role supports the vision/mission/values.
Develop a methodology for supervisors/managers to receive feedback on their managerial effectiveness minimally twice a year. Use this feedback for personal development planning. Do not tie the feedback process directly to remuneration.
Establish baseline management standards, which can be measured in the feedback process. Provide the manager with a benchmark for performance.
Design a management training and development process that emphasizes the importance of understanding how the supervisor/manager’s personal style will impact the motivation of his/her team.
Teach stress management techniques and create mechanisms in the workplace for stress reduction.
Place a high premium on emotional intelligence and the communication/ listening/feedback process. Maintain managerial focus on these skills through on-going reinforcement.
Teach managers how to explore and address employee work expectations.
Help managers understand the impact of change and how to manage the psychological transition that change requires.
Performance management techniques should be stressed and supervisor/managers learn the basics like how to improve employee work habits, using positive discipline, developing performance standards, coaching for improved performance, delegating effectively, dealing with complaints and conflicts.
Get the entire management team involved in the management development process. Never exclude senior managers. The biggest mistake companies make is to require first line supervisors/managers attend training but not require senior management’s participation. Senior managers should participate in the process they so know what to reinforce with their direct reports and how to model the behaviors they expect. Anything short is a waste of time, resources and capital. Start at the top!
Recognize that a worthwhile management development process is not a single training event. Acquiring the insights and skills that create profound, lasting change requires an on-going learning process, organizational commitment, and patience.

Let’s return to that first day of work on the new job again. Rewind the tape. Your new boss has people skills. You can’t help notice how upbeat your new co-workers are and how well they speak of their interactions with your new boss. Then, your new boss invites you to lunch. You observe how he interacts with others and how others respond to him. He seems relaxed and sincere; you are his focus of attention. He puts you at ease by explaining his open door policy and his non-directive style becomes evident. He is actually treating you like he would treat a guest in his home. His hospitality makes you immediately feel welcomed. You begin to engage. Reflecting on your day, you know you have made the right choice and you feel grateful to be the employee of choice and to have a supervisor/manager with people skills.

About the Author: Barb Ashbaugh is the President of Trade Secrets, a performance management and training company headquartered in Texas. Working with clients over the past 16 years, Trade Secrets has developed a formula for improving retention and productivity up to 40%. To contact Barb go to http://www.Tradesecrets-training.com.