Write your Congressperson!

Anne-Marie Slaughter's article in the Atlantic back in August called for some policy changes to help women in the workplace.  Though the article initially caused a stir, I haven't heard much since.  One change I fully support that would benefit all working parents of both sexes is in the school schedule and before and after school care.   Why do those in elementary school start school so late and those in high school start so early -- not only is it against natural sleep rhythms for their ages, it wreaks havoc on parents' work schedules.  Parents have to find care often on both ends of the day since showing up at work at 9:30 after the youngest catches the bus or leaving work at 3:00 aren't really options.  Schools could offer an extended day option to cover before and after school, where kids could have choices to do homework, art projects, read, etc.  The cost for this should at the very least be subsidized by the government since not everyone can afford it.

We have to complain loudly to local and national officials that the current system isn't working for us and propose some good alternatives!

Women, Work and the Will to Lead

I just had this conversation today about women's choices in their careers when shown some data about women lagging in promotions and senior ranks.    Women should be confident and share their talents.  There are many women who are more effective in jobs even in a 40-hour a week or part-time role than some people in a more than full-time role.    We need to change the culture since it's not about the time you're at work that counts but the work that you accomplish. Don't opt out, opt in.... See Sheryl Sandberg's talk on TED http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html or get ready to purchase: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead In 2010, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg gave an electrifying TED Talk in which she described how women unintentionally hold themselves back in their careers. Viewed more than two million times on the web, the talk encouraged women to ''sit at the table,'' seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto. In this new book, she digs deeper into those ideas. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice calls it ''a superb, witty, candid, and meaningful read for women (and men) of all generations.'' Available 3/11/2013 List Price $24.95 Online Price: $14.11 NOOK Book: $12.99

Pre-Order Now >

Happiness Survey - Improving Organizational Productivity

We all know that happy, engaged employees are more productive at work.  How can we measure employee happiness and engagement?

Gallup has done a significant body of research and produced a 12-question survey:

1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?

2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?

3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?

4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?

5. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?

6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?

 

8. Does the mission/purpose of mycompany make me feel my job is important?

9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?

10. Do I have a best friend at work?

11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?

12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow    

Check out the books below regarding Gallup's research.


You many want to ask yourself and those who work for you these questions and then do something about the ones where there are gaps--either in perception or reality.

 

 

Recognizing Employees - low/no cost!

When times are tight, we need to think of ways to recognize people that don't cost money.  According to the Corporate Leadership Council, companies with effective reward and recognition experienced increased employee performance and retention and achieve higher bottomline results relative to their peers. 

I posted a blog at work about no cost ways to reward employees and the number one comment that employees said they'd like their bosses to do was to say a simple "Thank you!"

Other suggestions:

Give them visibility -  let them brief the next level up, take the lead on a project, give them a challenging assignment

Give them autonomy - let them spend a certain amount of time a week working on something they are passionate about and innovating

Give them a party -  celebrate successes as a group, have a pig-in or go out to lunch together

Give them a voice - set up a suggestion box (anonymous, of course)

Give them development opportunities -  set them up with a mentor or coach

Give them a trophy -- create a wacky trophy to recognize an employee's great work and you could then have them pass it on within a month to someone else who's deserving in an informal ceremony of sorts.

Other ideas:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/firstgentleman/50_242400_7.pdf




Have any you'd like to share?

Drawing to Solve Problems: Encouraging Innovation

In a previous post I put Dan Roam's book The Back of the Napkin among my favorites.  It's about how we can solve problems with simple pictures.  According to Dan, 55-60 percent of our brain's neurons process vision.  Research also shows that those who best describe the problem are most likely to solve the problem.  His premise is that we're all experiencing information overload and the use of simple visuals can bring clarity to communication and problem-solving.  Visual thinkers Arnheim (1969) and Tufte (1983) have also done pioneering work on this topic.

I attended his presentation and he had us all drawing on napkins.  My drawing looked something like the picture below:



There are six ways of seeing a problem.

Start with three paths in parallel -- who/what, how much and where and then when and how

For who/what, use a qualitative visual like a portrait
For how much, use a bar chart where comparisons can be easily seen
For where, use a structural visual like a map
For when, use a timeline or show the passage of time
For how, use a cause and effect visual like a flow chart

Check out the White House Whiteboard

www.whitehouse.gov/whiteboard

www.slideshare.net for sharing presentations "the youtube for presentations"  Check out Dan Roam's presentation on American Health care, a 4 napkin presentation.

Also check out RSA Animate videos on YouTube

 Tufte visualization

 

Accountability: having difficult confrontations

I took a course based on the book Crucial Confrontations, and it changed the way I think about difficult conversations.  It's so important to have honest communication, and this framework can help leaders think about their approach.

It's all about holding people accountable when they break a promise, don't meet expectations, or are just behaving badly.  This needs to be done face to face whenever possible.

Before the confrontation, you need to identify the problem and decide if and how you're going to deal with it in an unemotional way. 

Consider CPR to assess the problem:
Is it Content in a first-time offense where the action or result is the problem?
Is there a Pattern of behavior?
Is it the Relationship that is being hurt and is there a trust or respect issue?

Turn the problem into a single, clear sentence.

Decide whether or not you need to speak up:
Don't if it's a small problem or won't happen again and you know the other person probably already feels bad about it.

Manage your emotions.  Think about the possible scenarios.  David Foster Wallace gave this great commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178211966454607.html
 about how we need to have some control over how and what we think and choose consciously what we pay attention to and how we gain meaning from experience.  Bottom line, there could be some very good reasons for seemingly erratic or bad behavior. Ask, "what would cause a reasonable, rational and decent person to act like this?"

When you act in an unprofessional, humiliating, or controlling way, then people will shut down or look to sabotage. You want to set the example for good behavior.  On the other hand, silence lowers expectations.

During the confrontation you need to set the right tone in the way you describe the problem. Share good intentions and seek common ground.   Ask a question like what happened, what would it take to fix it?  Try to determine whether it's due to the person's lack of motivation, ability or both.  Pop the question "are you unwilling or unable?" Often times, conversations get sidetracked (you may be accused of being the problem).  You need to deal with these issues and stay on point.

When considering whether the person you're confronting is motivated, you can ask if it makes them happy to act this way, what role do others play in the behavior, and are there rewards for the behavior? 

When thinking about whether the person is able, ask whether or not he or she has the knowledge and skills?  Are others supporting this person?  Is there some physical space issue or other structural issue impacting the behavior?

Following the confrontation you need to assess whether the issue has really been resolved.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4f-74WbnsU