“Don’t be a tattle tale Johnny…you don’t want to get a reputation for telling on others all the time, do you?” – said every parent to every child.

For many years we’ve been on the receiving end of well-intended programming from the adults in our lives telling us to not tell on others. Who wants to be known as a snitch anyway? Not me…not you…and certainly not our employees.

Oh…wait a second.

Comfort, HR, and The Truth

I’ve now spent years sending messages to employees that is is perfectly okay to tell on others. So have you. We want our employees to feel comfortable coming forward with their concerns and issues. We rely on the feedback from others who can tell us the real story of what has happened when things go wrong. All we are trying to do is better understand the various perspectives so we can get to the truth.

“Don’t be a tattle tale Johnny…”

HR’s Role

Despite the fact that as HR practitioners we are not supposed to drive everyone crazy with this mixed message about sharing the details of every situation, there is one key point that can not be missed in the discussion. Once employees do muster the courage to step forward and share what they know, they very often have to return to work next to the people they were just “telling on.” Think about that for a moment. The HR staff return to their safe and comfy HR offices; but the employees all get to stare each other in the face the very next day…and the next…and the next.

If only there was some sort of witness protection program for the brave employees who step forward to ensure justice is done. But alas…the only recourse is for them to be asked to step up yet again if they feel they are being retaliated against for coming forward in the first place!

Questions

What impact does this gauntlet have on individual performance? How about the department’s performance? Is morale high in these situations? Do employees feel engaged and supported; or, do they wish they could crawl under a rock?

Maybe you have the answer…because I sure don’t.

  photo credit

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Thank you for your continued readership over these past two years! We have more great content coming this year!

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There are employees that are expected to succeed and sometimes fall short because the expectations are set too high. There are others that may have a sense of entitlement, taking for granted the resources available to them and the process involved in becoming the best at what they do. But I love the ones that probably never should’ve made it due to the cards that were stacked against them. It helps me to keep things in perspective when I’m struggling with a case of the “I can’t's”.

Take Aria Ottmueller for example. This 17-year old pole vaulter just recently competed in the Division IV Arizona State Championship in track and field. While athletes train for and compete in these types of events all the time, no one trained quite like Aria. She is legally blind and has been since birth, and others on her team and those she’s competing against have been doing so on this level for years while Aria has only been at this pole vaulting thing for about 6 weeks. How she has done this inspires me and I equate this to success driven performance in our workplaces with 3 key things:

Dedication

It’s easy to quit when things don’t go our way. It’s easy to get discouraged when we get a PIP, or when our job sucks. What’s hard is deciding that you want something, while people are saying that you can’t or shouldn’t, especially when the circumstances are extreme and out of your control. Aria was told that her aspirations weren’t safe. Those that could help her doubted her. But because she had made up in her mind what success looked like and that she wanted it, she was persistent, ignored the doubters and put her all into achieving her goal.

Repetition

Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, made K. Anders Ericsson’s “10,000 Hour Rule” popular saying that becoming world-class in something requires 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. The theory behind this is that by doing something so much and so well, you can ultimately do it by habit, essentially with your eyes closed.

Imagine running at something full speed not being able to see it. Having to execute something with such precision that any misstep could could seriously injure or kill. Imagine doing this without being able to see. Through constant, meticulous practice and repetition, Aria learned exactly how many steps and strides were required to get to her precise plant location. Without being able to see the bar, she thrusts herself as high as possible to ensure that she gets over it. Are we setting the bar high enough for ourselves?

Support

No matter how good we think we are and no matter how determined, everyone needs someone in a certain capacity to help us achieve our goals. That person may not even know they’re doing it. Having someone that believes in our vision and our goals helps in finding work arounds and ways to jump over obstacles. A mentor to bounce ideas off of, a family member that stands with you and let’s you try things even when there is a possibility of getting hurt, or a coach or manager that recognizes something special in you. Something so special that they realize that traditional methods of training won’t work for you. Someone that recognizes that we cannot rely on generic training if we expect exceptional production.

We cannot fear success or the process necessary in which it takes to achieve it. As long as there is something you want to accomplish, there will be obstacles. Some immediately in front of you and some that you can’t see, yet. So when we’re thinking about what is yet to come and how we’ll handle them, think about Aria Ottmueller’s motto, “I can’t be afraid of what I can’t see.” All we can control to achieve in spite of is how we set our goals, how we prepare ourselves for achievement and the people that we surround ourselves with for support.

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Knowing this really disheartens me because it further reiterates the extent many organizations are at in regards to managing performance. Specifically, the increased utilization of performance improvement plans can indicate the performance being delivered from employees is not up to the organization’s expectations or it can be a demonstration of how an organization exits employees regardless of how performance fairs at the end of the PIP timeframe.

Despite the reason the organization issued the PIP, let’s first discuss your engagement with the organization before we dive into how you can beat it. Receiving a performance improvement plan can be scary, but before you react to the plan, you must first evaluate your engagement level in your role and with the organization. If you have gotten to the point you hate the place you work at then this is where you have to be honest with yourself. Do you want to continue working in your current role? Do you want to continue working at the organization? If you answered no to either of these questions, then it is necessary for you to dig a little deeper:

• Do you like the organization, but not your role?
  • If you answered yes, this may be where a conversation ensues between you and your manager about other possibilities
  • If you answer no, it may be time for your to seek other opportunities

Once you know what direction you want to move and I am going to make the assumption you want to beat the PIP, let’s discuss how you can move forward and knock the socks off that PIP.

Get Clarification

When you receive the PIP, make sure you have 100% clarification on each of the areas defined in the PIP. Therefore, do not be shy in asking questions about the performance which is expected to meet the requirements of the plan. This will require you to be completely engaged in the process with your manager.

Self Reflect

Once you have clarification on expected performance, evaluate where you current performance is to identify where the gaps are. When you have identified the gaps, reflect on what got you to this place or the root causes for the gap in performance. Was it a lack of knowledge? Were you not engaged? Are you capable of completing the task? Is more education or experience needed?

For the self-reflection to be most effective, this process requires you be 100% honest with yourself. Do not let your ego get in the way of an effective evaluation.

Identify Appropriate Interventions/Stakeholders

Based on your self-reflection and the reasons for the performance gaps, determine what interventions are needed to address each of the areas outlined in the PIP. For example, if education is needed, evaluate is the education on-the-job or is it outside of work. If the education is something that can be obtained on-the-job, determine the outlet to get this education. Is it within the organization university, a co-worker, manager, etc. ? Whatever it may be, don’t limit the intervention simply because of time, price, or place as this can be evaluated later with your manager.

Another factor to consider as you identify appropriate interventions is the stakeholders needed to assist with the implementation.  Define the roles these stakeholders will play and the timeframe each stakeholder will be needed.

Draft an Implementation Plan

Now that you have identified the performance gaps, the root causes for the performance gaps, and the potential interventions and stakeholders, draft an implementation plan that aligns with the duration of the PIP. As you define your implementation plan, outline realistic and specific timeframes for completion of tasks.

Review Your Plan

With your implementation plan in hand, setup some time with your manager to review the plan – identified gaps, interventions, stakeholders, and timeframes. This meeting should assist in:

• Determining if your plan is aligned with their focus to improve performance and beat the plan
• Defining specifics around identified interventions and if assistance is needed to implement the interventions
• Making sure the stakeholders identified are correct and if necessary, the manager can assist with introduction
• Demonstrating your engagement and dedication to improving performance

Implement

Once you and your manager have come to an agreement on your direction to move your performance forward, begin the implementation of your plan.

Seek Out Mentors

Some areas of your development and moving your performance forward may result in some constructive tension. Therefore, seek out mentors who can provide you feedback, suggestions, and guidance.

Have Fun

It is human behavior for us to get in a rut for a little while after someone has addressed our performance. It’s natural and frankly if it didn’t impact you, I would be concerned that you did not care to improve the performance. Focusing on the negative won’t get you anywhere. Utilize your outlined plan to focus on getting ahead and have fun doing it!

Embrace the Restart

So if you find yourself in a situation where you are issued a PIP, consider this as an opportunity to restart, get yourself back in the game, and hit a home run. Your life isn’t over just because you receive this document – it is only over if you allow it to be over.

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I’m not scared of you, I can tell you the truth with no fear. As a Consultant, I get to talk to and work with a lot of people and it’s awesome. I get to hear all the real crazy stuff that goes on in the workplace. And I can talk about it because there’s no retaliation for me. I’m going to be  honest, not to be confused with mean or messy, HONEST. And here’s some news for you – your workplace sucks. Of course your employees are not going to tell you the truth because they are afraid of you and what you will do to them if they voice their true opinions. Of course they think you can track any and everything they do – even on anonymous surveys, so they lie. And when the ones that just don’t give a damn tell you how they really feel, you will simply dismiss them as angry.

But why DOES your office place suck and what can you do about it – well here you go:

Denial

You are in denial my friend. You’re insulated and don’t hear the complaints from your employees. You assume that since it’s quiet, it’s okay. You’re also delusional, because you think your office is great therefore everyone else must think it’s great too. I’ve referenced the show “Undercover Boss” in the past on this website, because the situations are always so similar, the executive goes on the front-line and sees how really screwed up things are. They make adjustments of course, but what’s stopping you from seeing the real deal? Do you need a disguise and a camera crew to help you figure it out?

Avoidance

Worse than denial because you know it sucks but you just don’t care – you are trying to either retire before the shit hits the fan, or keep the dogs at bay long enough to secure another position. You flat out avoid any analytics such as exit interview information, employee survey data, retention reports, attrition reports and all things improvement. You don’t care what’s happening in your company. You just want bodies to move products. If the government would allow it, you would train service animals to work for you. You just don’t care. And forget about boosting moral and engagement – too much work. Stop ignoring your people, ask tough questions, listen don’t talk, don’t get defensive and DO NOT try to go after them for sharing their concerns.

Zero Accountability

Your place sucks because no one is willing to take responsibility for it and clean it up. No one wants to be in charge of engagement, process improvement and training (in all its forms). The complaining, the analyzing and strategic planning…it’s a lot. Organizational change and development is a lengthy process; changing the hearts and minds of incumbent employees is very difficult. Creating extrication strategies and succession plans can be painstaking work, but someone has to do it – so stop punking out. Stop being lazy- get involved, take on the tough tasks and become a champion not a chump.

Office Politics

The endless games that are played in corporate America are ridiculous. You don’t know who to trust, who to confide in, who to align with or who is trying to cut your throat. It’s a shame but it happens in every office in America.  And please, the ass grabbing that goes on, the posturing for position by engaging in inappropriate relationships – those are rampant. Office politics, favoritism and nepotism can be minimized by having transparent processes, open door policies and honest communication without fear of retaliation, maybe you should think about hiring an Ombudsman. And stop hiring your friends and family members IF they are not qualified! Stop protecting the underachievers, they are killing the morale, which kills engagement, which kills productivity and ultimately effects the bottom line.

There are so many people waiting for the job market to get stronger so they can jump ship. People who look happy and engaged – onboarded and content but really can’t stand working with/for you. Most people do not hate their job duties; they hate their bosses or co-workers. “So get another effing job” you say or they should be “happy to have a job” yeah, you can look at it that way OR you can try to make it a better place to work.

You can never ever please everyone in your organization and you will never achieve 0% attrition. Fact is, you want some movement – once you’ve addressed your work place issues and corrected them, you can manage out undesirable employees (even upper level employees) and this way everyone is happier and healthier.

Happy employees are more loyal and productive.

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Have a great week!

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Instead of trying to make leadership all neat and tidy, I think we benefit from looking at components and then seeing how those can fit our environments and cultures.  There are three components that I’d love to see more leaders adopt both in HR and business.  The 3 L’s !!

Listen, laugh and leap !!

Listen

This doesn’t mean “fix,” it means listen.  Great leaders stop and listen to those around them.  They intentionally spend time to just take in data, opinions, insights, disagreements, etc.  They don’t listen and then start offering solutions by the fourth word that comes out.  Listening allows for context and that alone will separate most people from the masses.  Taking the time to hear others is essential.  It also is a long-term behavior and not just a step in a method.

Laugh

It’s sad that you have to call this out, but most people don’t laugh enough during their day.  Most folks start the day negatively and rarely get above the constant pressure of being dragged down in some way, or by someone.  Recently, I spoke at an HR conference and we howled !!  I mean it.  People told me afterwards that they hadn’t laughed that hard in ages.  I asked them – Why not?  Seriously, laughter is a sign of joy.  Joy is a needed facet in everyone, but especially in leaders.  When people see leaders who laugh regularly (and at themselves) they will be more open to follow them.  Laughter is inviting.  Laughter lifts your spirits and gives you a positive perspective when approaching things.

Leap

This isn’t a call for wellness.  It is a call for leaders to take risks.  This is almost a curse word for most in HR.  However, leaders venture into spaces never seen before with the understanding that there may be failure, but there will more likely be wild success !!  How will people ever follow you if you just stand still?  Taking risks isn’t some planned thing that has to be lined out in the Strategic Plan.  It is another daily look at how you can tweak, shift and move the needle.  However, the jump has to happen first !!

I know there are many more great components to leadership.  The cool thing is that these three will work regardless of role, level, industry or title.  This week start listening on purpose.  Laugh constantly and every day that ends in “Y”. And, leap out into the vast unknown.  People will follow – and you will lead !!

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Sportscaster extraordinaire John Madden always made the case about how football games were won and lost on the line of scrimmage - in the trenches. This is where the most important part of the game is played, although the players here don’t get the fanfare and the notoriety that the big play guys get.

The play in the trenches is mean and rough. People that play here get hurt, and they are fine with that because they know that happens when you play hard and give every play all you got.  The accolades are few and the criticisms many. In the trenches of HR, work is hard most days.  If you are not practicing HR in a fortune 500 company and are out in the fray everyday, you know this.

For those of us in the trenches, many days are spent doing other people’s bidding, cleaning up their mess, trying to put the wheels back on the wagon (speaking metaphorically here of course). How often does anyone comment on an effective training program, compared to the number of times  something is said about a foolish injury which occurs to an employee who continues to disobey rules?  This is the same employee that you will have to most likely terminate someday because of their affinity for breaking rules.

I was in a conference session one day and the presenter asked, “How many people have ever had to lay off or terminate more than 50 people in a day?”  About half of the hands in the room went up.  This is not news to anyone in the trenches, but that is just a butt ugly day, no matter how insensitive you think you have become! So here is what I know. HR in the trenches is hard – and it ain’t for the faint of heart either!

If you are looking for a pat on the back, chances are you are in the wrong place. If you want to get the press like the quarterbacks, the running backs or the wide receivers, then I suggest you become a consultant, a speaker or a professor, because then you can just talk about the trenches without having to live in them everyday.

For those of us left behind in the trenches, we will continue to push on everyday; working on that handbook, holding the employee orientations, making sure the I9 is filled out properly and seeing that all of the appropriate training is getting done (even when their supervisors fights you on it). So we aren’t all that different than the people in this old commercial.

Here’s to all my friends in the HR Trenches – This Buds for You!

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So, what’s wrong with “feedback” anyway?

Let’s break down those silos, go after the low hanging fruit, get synergized and ensure we have a robust process. I digress.

As confident as you are, when someone has “feedback” for you, it usually means you will end up with work to do. The reaction to “I have some feedback for you” is a bit different for me now, than it was when I was first starting out. Although I had the wonderful opportunity to work with an HR leader I respected, I was taken aback slightly when I got “summoned” to my manager’s office to discuss some feedback he had for me. It wasn’t performance review time, I hadn’t received any calls or complaints from customers, what on Earth could this be about? I sat down in front of my manager and he proceeded to tell me I need to follow up with my customers. Essentially what he told me is I cannot simply meet with a team member or customer, agree on what needs to be done, walk away, do the work and move on. In addition to doing the work, I have to make sure that I am keeping others informed on the status of the work and when the task is complete.

Seems easy enough. What was I all worked up for? Well, usually when someone utters the word “feedback”, it means there is noise, followed by some extra work and or cleaning up of a mess.

So, how can we take the anxiety or panic out of our mental state every time someone has feedback for us?

Seek It Out

If you are serious about your work and your career, take the opportunity to get ahead of the feedback. Ask others for their input on your work, the actions you take on the job or your presentation skills, for example. Don’t wait until performance review time and rely on your manager to get 360 degree feedback. This is your career, not your manager’s. When you do ask your coworkers or customers for their observations, be specific with your request. Asking “How am I doing?” may not get you the information you need to continue on the path of success or shed light on how to get back on track.

Periodically, I schedule time with my customers and coworkers and ask them for their insight on my performance. I send the request ahead of the meeting to give them an opportunity to think about specific topics or projects.

Use It

Don’t be an information hoarder! When someone is kind enough to offer you information to help you improve your performance, put that knowledge to good use. Evaluate the work that you’ve done, consider the feedback and make adjustments to the work.

After my manager told me I needed to do a better job of following up with my customers, I thought about what it meant and how I could actually do it. I started managing my follow up through use of project plans, checklists and reminders in my calendar. These methods are not foolproof, but they certainly helped me make incremental improvements over time. Find what works for you and be consistent; stick with it!

Give it Back

Effective feedback requires give and take. As a recipient, you need to be open to hearing what your manager, customer or peer is sharing with you. As you provide feedback, you need to be clear and specific. Share what you have personally observed and focus on the actual work, not the individual’s style or personality.

Just as I seek input from others, I am available to share my feedback with them.

Next time someone asks if you have time for feedback – seize the window of opportunity to get on the same page! It will not only ensure you are in sync with your coworkers, but you will be able to raise the bar on your performance and get on the fast track to moving the needle!

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