People crave meaningful connection at work, with their bosses and their peers, but few are satisfied with the quantity or quality of the connection at work despite all of the communication technologies companies have at their disposal. Blanchard research indicates that the typical workplace seems to be “dysfunctionally connected” with people having the tools necessary to stay in touch, but not having the communication skills or common language needed to get the most out of those technologies.
Even the most basic types of performance related conversations that managers traditionally conduct with direct reports—goal setting, goal review, and performance feedback, are not happening at anywhere near the levels that employees wish they were with 25 to 35 point differences between what people want from their managers and what they are experiencing.
Carman Nemecek, a Senior Consulting Partner with The Ken Blanchard Companies believes that one of the ways that organizations can begin to reduce the communication gap is by teaching leaders and direct reports how to have more focused conversations. This provides direct reports with an easy way to ask for the direction and support they need in a quick, efficient manner. It also provides a leader with the context they need to provide an appropriate leadership style in response.
As Nemecek explains, “Imagine a situation where you are the leader and you have someone reporting to you who is working on several different projects. On the first project, the person is doing really well. On the second project he or she is just getting started. And on the third project, that individual is struggling and not meeting the deadlines.
“That’s not an uncommon situation for today’s managers—and when compounded over a staff of 7 to 10 direct reports, it can quickly turn into a complicated managerial undertaking.”
Nemecek asserts that when you have a shared understanding—a common language—a direct report who is doing well on a project could come into your office and say, “On this particular thing that I am working on, I would like to provide you with an update. I feel very confident about what I’m doing. I feel very secure in my ability to get it done and I want to keep you in the loop. Does that work for you?”
Nemecek explains that, “As a leader, you know from that conversation it’s going to be pretty focused—you are going to get an update. And if you’ve had the conversations that you should have had prior to that, you’d be very comfortable with the situation.”
“Then the same person says, ‘On this next task, I’m struggling a little bit. I don’t think I’m as skilled as I need to be, my confidence is a little shaky, and I don’t feel good about where this project is heading. What would really be helpful is for you to give me a few things to do and remind me why this is important, and I’ll move forward and get it done.’
“For this task, explains Nemecek, “a shared language lets us speak openly so we don’t have to wonder or guess where people are with their tasks. Because we
are speaking the same language, we can share very succinctly how we as leaders can best help them situationally. We can have conversations that help us uncover the things they need and respond in a way that sets people up for success. And we can do it in a very efficient and timely way.”
Leadership as a partnership
In consulting with clients around the world on the key concepts of Blanchard’s Situational Leadership II model, Nemecek often shares that leadership, when approached correctly, is a partnership where both the manager and team member have a hand in the handshake. Many times, though, what happens is that leaders may not do the kinds of things they need to do up front so that the other person wants to extend a hand.
In Nemecek’s experience, there are two types of conversations that leaders need to conduct and promote if they want to create the type of environment where people feel aligned and supported in achieving their goals.
The first is alignment conversations
“These are the conversations managers have with their people to make sure clear agreements about expectations are in place. The purpose of this conversation is to become aligned on the level of skill that people are bringing to that particular goal or task, as well as the levels of interest, commitment, enthusiasm, and motivation. Until we have an understanding of these essential elements, it isn’t clear what we need to do as leaders to provide what is needed at the time it is needed.”
Once alignment is in place, the relationship turns toward the direct report. Now their hand comes into the handshake as the person who is being led. This is accomplished through one-on-one conversations.
“One-on-one conversations are the way a direct report keeps his or her leader informed when situations are changing or when he or she might need a little bit more of something, or a little bit less. Because we have a shared language, it becomes an easy, nonthreatening conversation so that we can stay in alignment throughout the whole course of the project.”
What gets in the way of people having effective conversations?
Considering all of the benefits of developing a shared language, it’s surprising that so many people report that their managers do not take the time to have effective conversations. In Nemecek’s experience, there are always good intentions about adopting and becoming a situational leader, but not always corresponding action.
As she explains, “When you talk about a shared language—mutual accountability and partnership—that’s really hard for anybody to argue with. But what will sometimes get in the way are old habits. We all have different ways that we have learned to interact with people and we probably don’t take the time to assess honestly whether they work or not. We just keep going to that automatic mode of responding to situations.
“Another issue that gets in the way is that leaders often believe that it is their job to always have the answer,” says Nemecek. “What they don’t consider is that sometimes it’s just as important to ask the right questions.
“Will that person that I am serving be better as a result of me telling them what to do or by me asking the question to draw from them the things that they probably already know? If we immediately think that the response must be, ‘I have to solve this problem and provide the answer,’ then we miss out on the opportunity to help people develop their own skills.”
Take time up front to save time down the road
No one is completely skilled for long at everything required in today’s busy and ever-changing work environment. And very few people are completely unskilled at all of the tasks they are asked to address in their roles. As leaders, it is important to work with people at the goal or task level and meet them where they are.
While it may seem time consuming in a work environment where we barely have time to catch our breath, the reality is that taking the time to set up a common language that clarifies goals, creates alignment, and provides direction and support actually saves time in the long run.
Managers have been dealing with the pressures of doing more with less for a number of years now. For the most part, they have focused on applying more personal time and effort. But the new normal we are all facing requires a new approach and a new language. A situational approach to leadership brings a shared language, accountability, and responsibility for performance and engagement.
As Nemecek reminds us, “In a world where we never have enough time, it’s a way to have different conversations that build a higher quality of relationship and give us back precious moments of time—both for the leader and team member alike.”
Source: Ken Blanchard Companies, Ignite News, September 2013
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