August 2015
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Managing the (dis)"Liked"
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Managing the (dis)"Liked"
I admit I have allowed bias to effect my decisions regarding those I’ve managed. (“Hi, I’m Michael...”) And when you think of the numerous situations and scenarios that exist throughout one’s sales life, there are literally a ton of instances when manager bias can adversely affect someone’s confidence and career development. As managers, we have a high calling – a calling to transcend emotions and “business debris” to provide substantive, quality guidance for those we manage. Management success is highly defined by the decisions we make about personnel; we need to be extra sensitive to how we make those kinds of decisions just as we want the decisions that affect us and our plight to be made with care.
As a refresher, the July issue outlined some methods you can pursue that helps slow down the decision making process so that a rational state can be reached – thus creating the best possible mind frame in which to proceed. Briefly, those tips are: 1. Take your time making tough decisions. Honor the process! 2. Develop a broad team of advisors to help…don’t rely on the same one or two persons. 3. Use data actively and wisely. 4. Write things down to help you think. 5. What would Superman do? (WWSD?) For you to push your thinking beyond how you regularly think, you have to actively put yourself in the shoes of those who are able to leap tall buildings. This month’s question is this: are you able to exhibit enough maturity and self-awareness so that you can effectively help and manage those whom you don’t personally like? To answer this tough question, let’s assess the “mirror theory” because we need to acknowledge it in order to be the best “decider” we can be: Those who display the same behaviors we do not like in ourselves are often those who get judged the harshest by us. Also, those who exhibit attitudes and behaviors we align with strongly and passionately often get an undue pass when it comes to our assessment of his/her shortcomings and development needs. When I find my emotions revving high and bias is creeping in because “he/she” is not a San Francisco Giants fan who loves Vizlas and plays golf, I slow down and consider the following five things: 1. Fundamentally, the person I’m working with has the same professional anxieties and goals as I do. 2. The person is trying his/her best and it is my job to see that and help him/her grow. 3. I have to think of the combination of what’s right for this person and the company; I consciously try to eliminate my interests from the formula. 4. Probing for common personal ground often results in finding something that nullifies my previous bias. There’s gotta be something, right? A shared love of HBO’s Treme and anything N’awlins; a passion for watching golf on TV (an acquired skill); a reverence and love for modern home architecture; any song by Wilco, etc. (THERE HAS TO BE SOMETHING! Go find it.) 5. I try hard to analyze the root of the bias and rationalize it away. It’s just not fair to the person if I operate in any other mindset. Bias exists in every thought we have when making personnel judgments. The long-term effectiveness of your management and leadership career depends on your ability to keep that bias in check and make strong, rationale decisions. Hopefully your manager is reading this too. |
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YOU are the culture.
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In late June, The NYT published a quiz designed to assess the level of toxicity that exists in your company compared against all surveyed companies. Core 6 Management Advisors is passionate about the need for companies of all sizes and stages to invest in building culture, and therefore asks the question: what role can you play to create positive culture inside your organization? In other words, how can each of us address toxicity issues inside our organizations to create a more enjoyable and productive environment.
In that light, here’s a very difficult two-question quiz for 'ya expanding on themes found in the NYT quiz: 1. “My manager is disrespectful”. Your line of action should be: a. Do nothing and continue to suspect your manager has no respect for you. b. Change jobs to find a manager who respects you, but beware that the problem is yours. (Are you doing the things that earn respect?) c. Call in sick on days you feel most disrespected, and watch Ellen. d. Personally address your manager and ask openly whether he/she has respect for you. Of course you will need to be prepared to offer your rationale behind your assumption, and present the argument for why you deserve respect. 1. When you get a so-called ‘uncivil’ email from a co-worker (which you will), you should: a. Do nothing and continue to expect to receive ‘uncivil’ emails. b. Change jobs to find a company with people who don’t write uncivil emails. (Good luck with that.) c. Call in sick on days when the emails dig at you most, and watch Judge Judy. d. Personally address the co-worker and ask openly what the motivations were behind his/her uncivil tone. Of course you will need to be prepared to effectively explain how the tone was received in an uncivil manner. Also, you’ll need to present the argument why communicating in a civil manner is the professional way to go. That’s the shortest quiz you’ll take this year, eh? But you get the picture. So what does any of this have to do with the alleged lack of strong management in our industry, or CEOs who don’t care squat about your professional development? Simple: the job of creating positivity and good culture inside the virtual and real walls of your business does not ride entirely on the shoulders of your manager and CEO. It’s not their job to fix every little problem that exists “on the floor”. Yes, they are the leadership stewards of all things work related – including culture – but you have a responsibility as well. Go have the hard conversation. Go talk to those with whom you are struggling. Go air-out differences with those who are sniping through email. Be human and listen. And certainly, if you’re NOT getting good management or CEO support with your professional development, go have that conversation too. |