2012 March | Bovo-Tighe

20
Mar

The Cure for Bad Meetings: Pay Attention and Contribute!

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If you find meetings boring and “a waste of time,” there is a simple remedy that solves that problem constructively, rather than destructively:

Banish boredom by paying attention and participating!!!

This advice pops into our mind because our marketing guru received this diatribe from the market research publisher Quirks. It captured very nicely the horrifying impact smartphones and iPad-like devices have had on workplace meetings. The experience the writer described is way too common in business today, and must be eradicated if we are to maintain productivity.

You can banish boredom all by yourself and it is easier than you think. Simply engage fully in the content being presented. Don’t distract yourself with e-mail management or other off-task activities. Choose to pay close attention, and actively participate in discussions.

Assume you will hear something new and useful every time, even if you have heard the presentation before. Volunteer to take notes, if that keeps you fully engaged.
Turn off your electronic equipment every time. If you are “on deadline” or “on call,” don’t come to the meeting. Being physically present is useless without being mentally present. It is OK to ask beforehand if you really need to be there.
Challenge yourself to keep an open mind, and “check your assumptions and preconceived notions at the door.”
Make constructive comments. Never snipe, or use the poor presenter to score points in front of your boss.
Challenge assumptions in a substantial way. Never disparage any well-intentioned contributions to the conversation.
Never hijack a meeting from the presenter. Let that person retain control while offering your input.
Give ground when reasonable arguments are presented in opposition to your view. This is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of character and an ability to adapt and grow.

Any meeting can be turned into a useful event if a constructive conversation breaks out that is forward-thinking (what should we do from here?) and action-oriented (how best to do those things?). You can instigate these constructive conversations!

Solve your boredom by engaging fully in the content. Be the person on your team that magically turns meetings from dead zones to constructive events! Our twenty-five years of experience tells us that if you do take this “high road” others will see the results and start to adopt your behavior.

Comic source credit: We found the comic above at http://blog.somepixels.net/2012/03/meetings/

15
Mar

Caring for Your Employees Unlocks Great Productivity

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We find inspiration in unexpected places. I rediscovered a great quote about why “caring” is a fundamental need for building good working relationships in an odd place: A discussion about how political leaders need to prepare themselves for handling the public when a disaster hits. (See the article here.)

“They need to know you care, before they care what you know.”

Put another way:

“Are you really here to help us, or are you just going through the motions and don’t really care what happens to us?”

It reminds me that this does not just apply to a public official in front of a microphone during a disaster. It is what each of us needs to do every day when building productive professional relationships with your fellow employees, be they bosses, peers or subordinates.

All people need to know we value them and their contributions before they can maximize their productivity. Few of us run entirely on internal measures of satisfaction. We need regular feedback and confirmation that what we do each day is contributing to shared goals, and is appreciated.

Human Development Consultants (including us) tell clients constantly: Recognition is not expensive. A heartfelt “thank you” that is truly meant and energetically delivered is all many people need to keep their own energy and contribution level up.

To use an analogy that isn’t perfect, but makes the point: Parents care deeply about their children’s well-being, and work hard to raise good citizens able to navigate society successfully as adults. How do they show this deep caring? Good parents set standards and demand performance, while simultaneously providing advice and encouragement. Parents also provide a safe place to make mistakes and learn tough lessons without fear that failure carries dire consequences. Unconstructive behavior has bad consequences, but constructive effort that fails does not. Innovation is prized and encouraged, too.

So it is with the workplace. The adults you pay to work for you are people, and they all have a need to be valued and encouraged. They also need standards that guide their behavior and define their success. It is your job as a leader to provide that environment in a constructive, collaborative way. That starts with truly caring about the development and success of each member of your team (and anyone else with whom you work!)

Focus on uncovering the passions of your employees.
Spend time asking what system of rewards strikes them as reasonable.
Validate to them that these passions and recognition needs are reasonable.
If what you uncover is tangential to the needs of the team, explore how to redirect the employee’s energy more productively.
Let the employee lead that discussion, with your active participation to keep it headed in the right direction.
Make sure ‘the right direction’ really is the direction that builds organizational productivity. Work with your own bosses on that.
Make this the foundational part of your job, not just a check-off box on your to-do list. If you say you care, you must really care. (If you don’t care, get a job where you can care!)

Bosses in the past have said to subordinates (I have heard this myself): Your job is to make me look good. That sounds self-centered, but has a foundation of truth. If we work to make each other highly productive, we will all look good to senior executives. That leads to organizational rewards, whatever those may be!

Article Links:
Capitol Ideas

9
Mar

Why don’t more people quit?

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image courtesy Carreesma blog

Most disgruntled employees don’t quit. Dissatisfied as they may seem to be, they keep showing up for work and don’t seem to edging for the exit to find another job.

This is a tremendous boon to companies that make a commitment to employee engagement, because the people in charge of “creating engagement” have time to get it done properly, and will therefore reap the benefits in greater productivity and retention.

A recent article in the Harvard Business Review by Daniel Gulati brought this back to the top of our mind. At Bovo-Tighe our operating assumption, based on over 25 years of nurturing talent and unlocking hidden reservoirs of energy, is that an overwhelming majority of people are capable of performing at a high level, but are misdirected, under-motivated or mis-matched with their responsibilities. Indeed, most people — 80% according to Deloitte’s Shift Index survey, among other research – are dissatisfied with their jobs.

Why don’t more people actively seek greener pastures?

Sometimes the money is too good – Witness the thousands of people who slave away in businesses like investment banking, working 80-100 hours a week for a nice base salary and the promise of a big bonus. Money may not buy happiness, but it does buy a comfortable lifestyle that seduces the employee to stay. Continue reading →