Work Babble

My Two Cents: McChrystal, Leadership, and the tie to Employee Engagement

By Tony Deblauwe

Watching the coverage on the meeting between General McChrystal and Obama over his statements in a Rolling Stone magazine offers an interesting perspective on employee engagement concerns based on differences with leadership.

A very useful book that I have referred to in the past is Leigh Brahnam’s book, “The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave.” In it Leigh describes these levels as:

   1. The job or workplace was not as expected

   2. Mismatch between job and the person

   3. Too little coaching and feedback

   4. Too few growth and advancement opportunities

   5. Feeling devalued and unrecognized

   6. Stress from overwork and work-life imbalance

   7. Loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders

 

In relation to McChrystal, I can see where #1, #3, #5, #6, and #7 may have played a role in prompting a decorated General to proceed as he did and air his concerns over the approach in Afghanistan.

Even though we are talking about life and death (and politics) the situation is really not that different from corporate scenarios. When Vice Presidents disagree with the direction a CEO is taking a company, challenges in ideology can emerge. It’s not uncommon for executives to boil over and make inflammatory comments, inappropriate or insubordinate, and create a stir in the leadership chain. As a leader dealing with publicly aired disapprovals, the choices are straightforward – either you fire the person outright, or you reflect on why this reaction and behavior is occurring and seek to understand the root cause.

Obama is facing that choice. He has to reconcile with an employee who has become disengaged based on decisions made from the top and the philosophy that followed. While the comments themselves were not as bad as they could have been, given the circumstances and worldwide visibility and impact, the comments should not have been shared outside the inner circle – let alone a reporter for a pop culture magazine.

What should Obama do? Should he take a hard line and not tolerate any insubordination or weakness in policy by firing McChrystal or from an employee engagement perspective should he make a first stance about is expectations of the role and rebuild trust so that McChrystal can go back in the field re-energized and productive?

In my opinion McChrystal shouldn’t be fired because I think it will create repercussions down to the folks in the trenches which can only result in more casualties. McChrystal may resign on his own accord amidst the differences, but I’m not sure what that would serve either. Obama has a chance to show real leadership and address dissension in his ranks. I hope that an understanding can be made and everyone can re-engage and drive to solve the issues in Afghanistan and bring troops home.

Video updates here: Yahoo Video

Organization Re-Alignment: A Chat with Scott Span of Tolero Solutions Organizational Development & Change Consulting

By Tony Deblauwe

An increasing amount of attention is being placed on how organizations perform business and deliver results.  Though there are still plenty of uncertainties, as organizations transition from pure survival mode to competitive growth, many have begun evaluating their current state and how connected and engaged their people are to the organization. After some time, organizations have begun re-evaluating their business structures and strategies, and re-aligning their people to adapt to renewed growth in the economy.  

As President of Tolero Solutions - Organizational Development & Change Consulting, Scott Span, MSOD has plenty of experience navigating leaders and organizations through change in turbulent times to a place of long term sustainability. The term “tolero” means to endure and sustain, and this philosophy lies at the heart of Tolero’s strategy. With all the change and buzz about the importance of employee engagement in the air, Span points to several areas where companies need to communicate what their doing to employees (and communicate it fast). Span offers three ways organizations can re-connect and re-engage their workforce:

Communicate  & Align Strategic Direction. According to Span, companies’ have the wait-and-see mode of operation that has plagued many businesses over the last year, and it’s time to snap out of it. Specifically they have to become more competitive and prepared for new opportunities. The trick is – you can’t do that until you’ve defined your strategic direction and reconnected with your people. If your people have lost touch with what you’re trying to accomplish, you won’t go very far toward remaining competitive. Span suggests leaders and managers review what has happened, what’s changed and why, and connect their people to any new changes, new visions and tactics which arise as a result. This communication and involvement during any transition will help remind people what the core needs of the organization are and where they fit in, putting temporary setbacks in perspective.

Don’t Neglect Individuals: Tied directly into communicating, a renewed strategic direction is how leaders and managers reach out and drive a resurgence in team spirit and employee engagement. In particular, Span notes that if people have kept their heads down just to get by, they may have started to feel like a cog in the machine – not being noticed for say - doing the job of the three people who were let go or couldn’t be hired because budgets were tight. Public recognition for a job well done and non monetary benefits or spot financial bonuses as revenues increase are useful ways to show appreciation. Simple recognition is often a quick and easy way to increase engagement and retention.

Training and Development: Often in tough times training and education budgets are slashed. Span believes with increased engagement comes a need to reinvigorate training and development opportunities and up-level skills. Where possible, offering employees targeted and strategic decisions on training and education opportunities is vital to sustainability. Providing employees room to grow competencies either through classroom training or attending industry leading trend seminars is key to successful realignment.

Span also sees a heightened interest in organizational assessments. As many organizations are just beginning to reinvigorate and realign, organizational assessments are a fairly quick and easy way to provide data on current and future state. This is right in line with the concept of engagement and realigning priorities and people. Determine where you are before you decide where you want to be. Span also sees executive coaching increasing. Leaders and managers are realizing that they may need to change style and approach to attract, engage, and retain current and new talent. Span also sees an interesting shift occurring now, as workface demographics are changing, is an increased focus on generational diversity programs.

 

Companies realize that Gen Y employees have different needs than Baby Boomer employees, and Gen Y represents a key part of their recruitment strategy and future bench strength. Companies want to understand the view points and communication styles of the various generations so that employees can have a basis of understanding and flex to each other’s unique point of view and approach.

Span sees slowed continued growth for the months to come. He believes that organizations that realign and refocus on people now will remain competitive and sustainable; and be able to survive the inevitable bumps in the road that will continue to occur until relative long term stability returns.  

For more information about Scott Span, MSOD, - President of Tolero Solutions, an Organizational Development and Change Management consultancy. Tolero Solutions specializes in developing people and organizations to be more responsive, focused and effective to facilitate sustainable growth. Scott successfully delivers organizational improvement solutions to staff teams, individuals and organizations in multiple areas including change management, culture change, leadership development, engagement, retention, performance and sustainability. He is an author on various topics of organizational development including cross generational communication, generational alignment, and Gen Y in the workplace and the creator of the Gen Y Recruitment and Retention Lifecycle ™. His results have not only helped achieve desired goals, but have also increased personal growth and development, leading to a more efficient and effective work environment.  He may be reached at scott.span@tolerosolutions.com.

Thoughtful Leadership: The Key to Surviving in a World of Rapid Change and Intense Competition

Guest post by Jane Wesman, President of Wesman Public Relations

During the past year of economic turmoil, all business owners have been tested to the extreme.  As entrepreneurs, we’ve tackled a wide range of problems with thoughtfulness and courage – from cash flow and customer service issues to marketing and sales growth.  We’ve learned valuable lessons about how to survive and, hopefully, thrive despite a down economy.  But once the economy recovers, what are the most important lessons we have gained from our experiences?  What will it take to succeed long into the future, in a world of rapid change and intense competition?

For me, the greatest lessons involve leadership.  What is the best way to lead a small business?  Why is leadership so important?  I have found that there are six keys to exceptional entrepreneurial leadership.  These six keys make up a concept that I call Thoughtful Leadership.

When I speak about Thoughtful Leadership, I’m referring to something bigger than simply treating your employees well or motivating them to get the job done. It’s about making a complete change in how you regard your company.  Once you view your business through the lens of Thoughtful Leadership, you will see that the burden of running your business does not fall on you alone.  It’s an extremely uplifting and positive framework for entrepreneurship.

Being a Thoughtful Leader means looking both inward and outward for answers, whether you’re trying to solve a large, general problem like surviving the recession or a smaller, specific one like collecting a debt.  To be a Thoughtful Leader, you need to have a deep understanding of yourself and what drives you, while at the same time viewing your work as being part of a bigger whole, as a mixture of synergies that involves many other people.  You may be the creative force behind your company, but you need other people to make it a success.  That’s where Thoughtful Leadership fits in.

Here’s what it takes to be a Thoughtful Leader.

1. Know Yourself – a Thoughtful Leader knows who she is and what is meaningful to her.  She has purpose in life and work.  She knows why she started her business and why she leads it.  She understands how her business fits into her industry and her community.
2. Have A Vision And Be Able to Articulate It – a Thoughtful Leader must have a vision of what her business is all about:  what it does, how it serves its stakeholders, and where it is going.  The vision cannot be vague.  A Thoughtful Leader must be able to articulate this vision, so that others are inspired and will join her to work together for a common goal.
3. Develop Employees And Help Them Grow – a Thoughtful Leader is committed to her workforce.  She helps her employees develop their own talents and skills.  Employees make a commitment to you, when you make a commitment to them.  A Thoughtful Leader also knows that it’s essential to help employees grow, so that the business can flourish into the future. 
4. Listen Carefully – a Thoughtful Leader always listens to employees, clients, mentors, and others.  She makes decisions based not only on her own understanding of the facts and situations, but also based on what she is hearing.  Therefore she not only creates a productive workplace, but she provides clients and customers with the products and services they need and demand.
5. Implement New Ideas – a Thoughtful Leader is willing to innovate and take risks – in good times and bad.  The business climate is always changing. Being flexible and finding opportunities to launch a new initiative, a new strategy, a new product or service is key to business success.
6. Take Good Care Of Yourself And Stay Curious – a Thoughtful Leader takes time for herself and for being with family and friends.  She relishes vacations, hobbies, and interests outside of work.  A Thoughtful Leader needs time for contemplation – to be able to see her business through a different lens.  But most importantly, she stays curious.  A Thoughtful Leader is always interested in what is going on in the world and NEVER STOPS LEARNING.

Once you apply these techniques to running your business, to problem solving and decision-making, you will find that you have created a whole new paradigm for growth and accomplishment.  Being a Thoughtful Leader is a powerful way to succeed in today’s world of rapid change and intense competition.

         ______________________________________________________________________   

Jane Wesman is president of Jane Wesman Public Relations, Inc. (www.wesmanpr.com), an innovative public relations firm known for its high impact book publicity campaigns, and author of the highly acclaimed book, DIVE RIGHT IN – THE SHARKS WON’T BITE:  The Entrepreneurial Woman’s Guide To Success.  She is Vice President, Programs, of NAWBO-NYC (National Association of Women Business Owners), where she moderates a monthly panel series, Entrepreneurs Roundtable; and is currently at work on a new book about women and entrepreneurial leadership.

Getting Your Arms Around Engagement: Some Q&A with Marnie Green of Management Education Group

By Tony Deblauwe

1.                  1. What trends are you seeing emerge between current job market conditions and current employee engagement levels?

The social contract between employee and employer has certainly shifted.  In today’s market employees do not expect as much from employers as we might have seen 20 or 30 years ago.  Because of the volatile market conditions, employees, in general, have lower levels of trust in their employers and thus are quicker to look for something new if their needs are not being met. The current dynamic is leading employers to recognize that high levels of employee engagement are something that require cultivation.

2.               2. How are you coaching your clients who are worried about retention?

I believe it is still about the individual relationship between the employee and their manager.  Employees will be engaged when they are offered a clear, compelling vision that makes sense to them.  Organizational leaders must provide hope, challenge, and encouragement by talking with employees about the future of the organization and by describing how the employee’s efforts contribute to that future.

3.               3. What are three things leaders can do to engage their people?

Leaders must:

·        Clearly define and communicate a vision for the future of the organization.

·        Share the vision simply, enthusiastically and often.

·        Talk with employees about their individual goals/needs and then link the employee’s goals to the future of the organization.  Employees need to know how they fit into the big picture.

4.               4. What are some effective ways leaders can use technology to leverage employee engagement?

One of the best approaches to using technology to engage employees is to let the employees tell you how to leverage it.  The worst thing I’m seeing leaders do today is to restrict the use of certain technologies because they believe can’t control how employees use them.  One organization I worked with prohibited the use of Instant Messaging, even though the younger workers were using it to communicate about work-related issues. 

Another organization implemented extensive filters which made it so that many Internet sites were inaccessible. Employees read these measures as a lack of trust.  To engage employees, ask them to identify the ways technology can be leveraged, rather than limited, for the benefit of the organization. And then, of course, use their ideas.

5.              5. Where can people find out more about you and the products/services you offer?

Visit my website at www.ManagementEducationGroup.com for a full description of services, clients, and team members.  The website includes management-related articles and an archive of my monthly e-tip that offers practical, timely suggestions for managers. You can sign up for the monthly tip at my website.

You can also find me on Twitter @Marnie_Green or email me at mgreen@managementeducationgroup.com. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author Panel: Social Media at Work: How Networking Tools Propel Organizational Performance

By Tony Deblauwe

In this episode of the Work Babble Author Panel, the authors of the new book, Social Media at Work, describe their experience defining how best to use social media to drive organizational effectiveness.

As many companies slowly thaw from the cold grip of economic uncertainty and stunted growth, the need to innovate and share knowledge rapidly is more and more critical. The workplace has gone through significant change as well and creating points of collaboration and connection between individuals and teams is much harder. Fortunately many software tools have emerged that offer solutions to effectively leverage the skills and competencies of employees no matter where they do business.

The problem is, many organizations do not know how to effectively harness social media tools internally and derive the benefits. In their new book, Social Media at Work, co-authors Arthur Jue, Jackie Alcalde Marr, and Mary Ellen Kassotakis offer their insight on how companies can use social media tools to their advantage. Their research with companies such as Nokia, IBM, Starbucks, and Cisco, draw out methods and examples of how teams use these tools to lead change and foster more engaged cultures and ways of working.

For more information about this book visit:

Wiley Publisher Website

Offer your opinion, insight or ask questions at the Social Media at Work blog.

Available in bookstores and Amazon
Retail: $29.95
ISBN: 978-0-470-40543-7