Becoming a Better Manager

GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE, AUGUST 2015

PAGE 2 GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE, AUGUST 2015

A MANAGER’S GUIDEN obody wants to be a bad manager. Too often,

however, people are promoted into manage-ment or leadership positions for which they

are ill-prepared. The impressive analytical skills and technical expertise that can propel a career to new levels won’t necessarily help much when

it comes to managing people with their individual strengths and weaknesses and personality quirks.

In the pages that follow, Government Executive contributors—all notable experts in the art and science of management—offer managers a guide to getting the most from your employees, as well as yourself.

Contents

REMOVE THE BARRIERS TO PROGRESS | PG 3

MAKE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION COUNT | PG 5

MAKE EVERYONE A LEADER | PG 7

RESIST UNETHICAL PERSUASION | PG 9

LEARN TO LEAD FROM NEED | PG 11

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REMOVE THE BARRIERS TO PROGRESSMANAGERS TOO OFTEN OVERLOOK THE VERY THING THAT MATTERS MOST TO EMPLOYEES.

BY JOHN KAMENSKY

W hat is one thing managers can do to increase the creativity, productivity and commitment of their employees?

A recent study by two psychologists, Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, concludes: “If you focus on sup-porting the daily progress of people working in your organization, you will not only foster the success of the organization but also enrich the everyday lives of your employees.”

This simple, powerful insight isn’t obvious to managers. They surveyed managers, asking what they thought were the most important factors in influ-

encing motivation and emotions at work. Manag-ers ranked “recognition, incentives, interpersonal support, and clear goals” as top. “Support for making progress” was ranked as dead last as a motivator. So managers had it wrong.

How did Amabile and Kramer come to their con-clusion? They conducted research focused on the inner work lives of employees (not managers) by in-viting 238 people in seven companies to keep a daily diary of their perceptions, emotions and motivations each day—yielding 12,000 diary entries that they then analyzed.

Amabile and Kramer say: “Inner work life matters for companies because, no matter how brilliant a company’s strategy might be, the strategy’s execu-

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tion depends on great performance by people inside the organization.” They were surprised when they found that the particularly most powerful force sup-porting inner work life is the ability to make progress in meaningful work.

But “meaningful” doesn’t necessarily require work-ing on things that have a profound importance to so-ciety. The authors say: “What matters is whether you perceive your work as contributing value to something or someone who matters (even your team, yourself, or your family).”

I was struck by this same insight a few years ago when I talked with someone trying to fix a dysfunc-tional state government bureau that dealt with rescinding driver’s licenses for drunk drivers. The employees were notorious for taking months to respond to court orders. But my friend invited a state trooper to speak to an all-hands staff meeting of the bureau. He emotionally told them about the death of a little girl by a drunk driver whose license had not been suspended in time—and how important their work is to him in keeping such drivers off the street. He helped them understand why their seemingly mind-numbing paper-processing was important to the community. Shortly after, the processing sped up dramatically. The employees had the meaningfulness of their work clarified.

As psychologists, Amabile and Kramer understand that: “Most people have strong intrinsic motivation to do their work . . . as long as the work is meaningful, managers do not have to spend time coming up with ways to motivate people to do the work. They are much better served by removing barriers to progress, helping people experience the intrinsic satisfaction that derives from accomplishment.”

So, they conclude: “Any manager’s job description should start with facilitating subordinates’ progress every day.” This may be obvious to front-line work-ers, but not so obvious to managers.

So, if you are a manager, commit to removing at least one barrier before you leave the office today.

As long as the work is meaningful, managers do not have to spend time coming up with ways to motivate people.TERESA AMABILE AND STEVEN KRAMER

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MAKE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION COUNTIT’S CRITICAL TO DEFINE YOUR PURPOSE FROM THE OUTSET.

BY SCOTT EBLIN

I f you’re a leader in your organization, there will be multiple times in your career when you have to get a new team off to a strong start. One of the

critical steps in that process is when you bring the team members together for the first time. That’s a rare opportunity to define the purpose, build trust, establish the ground rules and set the priorities. Like they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Make the most of it by giving some thought to that first team meeting and taking some time to prepare for it.

One of my executive coaching clients recently

faced this exact situation. He’s leading a startup team and has been in heavy recruiting mode filling the key positions on the team. After months of hard work, he’s gotten everyone hired for his leadership team. In talking through what he wanted to accom-plish in his first leadership team meeting and how he wanted to approach the meeting, we came up with a simple four-part agenda that would work for almost any first meeting of a team.

It’s built on four one-word questions. Feel free to use it the next time you need to get a new team off to a strong start. Here’s the agenda:

Why? Open the meeting with a discussion of why this team even exists. What’s your purpose? How does fulfilling that purpose contribute to the IS

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larger organization, your customers and other stake-holders? The goal here is to articulate and connect with why the work of this team matters.

Who? This is the part of the agenda where you lay the foundation of connection and trust among the team members. Have everyone introduce themselves but go beyond the conventional script of who you are and what you do. I like to use a technique I learned from Pat Lencioni in his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Ask everyone to take a couple of minutes to speak to three questions: Where did you grow up? How many kids were in your childhood family? What was the biggest challenge of your childhood? I’ve used these questions dozens of times over the

years and have found that they do an amazing job of connecting people quickly. In even the most diverse group of people, there’s always one thing everyone has in common—they were all kids once. Get them connected by talking about that common experience.

How? As the team leader, come to the meeting with clear ideas about how you want the team to work together. You may have some nonnegotiable ground rules and you may have some that are nice to do but not essential. Either way, put them on the table. To get your team to buy into them, ask for their ideas on how they’ll know the ground rules are working. What will the behavioral evidence be that everyone is playing by the rules? The more they can articulate that, the more they’ll know how to hold themselves and each other accountable.

What? This is part of the agenda where you answer the classic question, “What does success look like?” Make that tangible and actionable for everyone by defining success at a point in the future (two years from now, for instance) and then working your way back from that to success markers on the way to that end state. Land on what success looks like over the next 30 to 90 days. That specific picture of what success looks like in the very near term should estab-lish momentum and set you up nicely for your next check-in together.

Get your team connected by talking about the common experience of childhood.

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MAKE EVERYONE A LEADERSUPERVISORS SHOULD FUNCTION AS COACHES, HELPING TEAM MEMBERS BE THEIR BEST SELVES.

BY STEWART LIFF

It is generally accepted that higher morale leads to better productivity. And with all of the pressure on the federal government to improve perfor-

mance, it makes sense to identify new ways to not just improve morale, but also employee productivity.

Government managers have two basic options in trying to make a difference: Better manage within the existing work design, or change the design.

According to the 2014 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, a majority of employees do not believe that:

��In their work unit, steps are taken to deal with a poor performer who cannot or will not improve.

��Pay raises depend on how well employees perform their jobs.

��In their work unit, differences in performance are recognized in a meaningful way.

The underlying reason for the low ratings on the survey relates to something respondents’ supervisors did or did not do. The approach most organizations take to address such issues is to try to do a better job of training their supervisors. Yet year after year, the federal government has taken this approach only to see scores continue to decline.

Perhaps more than supervisory training is needed. Maybe it is time to take a different, more progres-sive approach.

WHY THE CURRENT DESIGN DOESN’T WORKAlmost all government organizations use a tra-ditional top-down approach to management, meaning each entity has a supervisor who manages a designated group of employees. The design is referred to as a Stage 1 Team in the book A Team of Leaders, which I co-authored with Paul Gustavson. The flaw with this work structure is its linear nature.

The supervisor’s perspective: He/she is under an enormous amount of pressure for the team to perform. Frequent demands are made by superiors, IS

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and he/she must also handle common issues such as problem employees and union requirements, while making all of the key decisions for the team. It is no wonder supervisors often feel that the weight of the world rests on their shoulders.

The employees’ point of view: Employees believe they, too, face stringent performance demands. Moreover, they often feel like Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times, trying to do their part along the gov-ernment “assembly line” while doing what they are told with little autonomy, authority, or room to grow and be creative. Employee morale is often a function of less-than-effective supervisors who are frustrated by the very same structure.

Fortunately, there is a better way forward that in-volves a different design and a far more effective and liberating work structure—one in which everyone has the training and the skills required to be a leader within their team. Under this approach, the super-visor ultimately becomes a coach who serves as an adviser to the team, thus freeing up his/her skills for higher-level activities, such as strategic planning and benchmarking. The team is taught and empowered to handle the planning, performance management and accountability requirements, as well as deal with poor performers.

Under this framework, everyone is involved in all aspects of the team’s management, which leads to team members who are more engaged, involved, and motivated.

By implementing this design, many of the prob-lems and complaints outlined in the FEVS could be eliminated, dramatically improving organizational operations. Be aware however, that it is not an easy thing to do because it requires time, energy and sup-port, as well as significant redesign and training, and commitment from higher-ups.

Many organizations in a variety of sectors have already adopted this approach and are flourishing. Perhaps it is time for to consider changing your ap-proach as well.

The team is taught and empowered to handle the planning, performance management and accountability requirements.

Stage 5 TeamAll team members are stepping up another level in shared leadership

TEAM LEADER

TEAM MEMBERS

LEADERSHIP

MAKE EVERYONE A LEADER

TEAM LEADER

TEAM MEMBERS

Stage 1 TeamPrimarily one-on-one interaction between the leader and each team member

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RESIST UNETHICAL PERSUASIONDON’T BE SUCKERED INTO DOING THINGS FOR THE WRONG REASONS.

BY ROBERT CIALDINI

H ave you ever agreed to do or buy something you really didn’t want or need, and later wondered, “Why did I say yes?” You’re not

alone. Whether you ended up doing a colleague’s job, buying nutritional supplements you had little use for, or donating time and/or money to a cause you weren’t passionate about, chances are you said yes due to some finely honed persuasion.

Of course, only some of these people had dishonor-able motives. The others—representatives of certain charitable agencies, for instance—had the best of intentions, even if you didn’t really want to give in, but

did so anyway. Regardless, you may often find yourself in possession of unwanted goods or doing tasks you dislike simply because you feel compelled to say yes.

It doesn’t have to be that way. If you ever find yourself the recipient of an unwanted or unethical persuasion attempt, there are steps you can take to recognize and disarm it so you have the confidence to walk away un-scathed. Here are some suggestions.

You don’t always have to reciprocate. When someone gives you something or does something for you, it’s natural to want to repay the favor, even if you didn’t request the original favor. This refers to the principle of reciprocity. Whether it’s a salesperson offering you a free sample or a colleague volunteering to help you with a task, once you take the offer, human

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nature compels you to feel indebted to the person. This is a positive response when reciprocity is used correctly, because it helps keep us in groups and en-hances relationships.

The best defense against the use of unethical reci-procity is not systematic rejection of everything people offer you (after all, if you never accept the initial favor there’s nothing to repay, right?). Rather, accept initial favors or concessions in good faith. If you find they are not given in good faith or are given only to initiate reciprocity, be ready to ignore the pull.

It’s OK to change your mind. Psychologists have long recognized that people have a desire to be and look consistent within their prior words, beliefs, attitudes and deeds. So if you’ve agreed to something once, you’ll most likely act consistent with your prior words, beliefs, attitudes and deeds again and again. This demonstrates the principle of consistency.

The best defense against the unethical use of con-sistency is to listen to your gut. If you feel that you are being pushed by consistency pressures and continued purchases or involvement no longer make sense, stop what you’re doing. Explain to the requester that the situation has changed and you can no longer engage, buy, or help.

Know yourself. People often decide what to do based on what others think or have done. This refers to the principle of social proof. Social proof is employed through things like testimonials, tip jars salted with cash and long lists of others in your neighborhood who have displayed similar behaviors.

The best defense against the unethical use of social proof is to ask yourself, “Is this information real/honest?” “Are these people in a similar situation?” and “Are these people most like me?” Base your decisions on the offer, not the requester.

People prefer to comply with requests from people they know and like. That’s why charities have people canvass friends and neighbors, and why colleges get alumni to raise money from classmates. You’re more apt to like, and consequently say yes to someone who is similar to you. This comes from the principle of liking.

The best defense against the unethical use of the liking principle is to take a step back from the interac-tion, mentally separate the requester from his or her

offer, and make any decision based solely on the merits of the offer.

You don’t always have to follow authority fig-ures. People often defer to an authority for their de-cisions. If a doctor, plumber, mechanic, or investment expert makes a recommendation based on in-depth knowledge, we should take advantage of that authority in that area. While this principle of authority can be good for keeping order, automatic obedience can leave people vulnerable to exploitation, particularly if the person is manufacturing his or her own experience, background, or credentials.

The best defense against the unethical use of authority is to ask yourself two questions: “Is this authority truly an expert?” and “How knowledgeable can I expect this expert to be?” The first question di-rects your attention away from symbols and toward evidence for authority status. The second advises you to consider the expert’s background, credentials and expertise.

What is really finite? Have you ever noticed that products and opportunities seem more valuable as they become less available? That’s why persuad-ers often emphasize that “supplies are limited” and why offers are available for a short time. The princi-ple of scarcity often overrides your attention to the threat of loss rather than the desire of the product or service.

The best defense against the unethical use of scarcity is to be alert to what is truly dwindling in availability. If you feel a sudden rush to act on something quickly, take steps to slow yourself down. Determine whether the information is true and assess the merits of the opportunity in terms of why you want it. If you’re not ready to commit, remember that there will be other opportunities for the same or similar products.

Decide wisely. Not all persuasion attempts are unethical. In fact, when done correctly, they can result in a win-win situation for both parties. The successes of business professionals are measured by their ability to accomplish goals. Those goals are met—more often than not—by reasoning, persuading and inspiring others to share a vision and to pursue a common purpose.

If you feel that you are being pushed or involvement no longer makes sense, stop what you’re doing.

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LEARN TO LEAD FROM NEEDFOUR WAYS TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES.

BY ASCANIO PIGNATELLI

H is CEO performance review is in, and Scott is clearly alarmed. Unless next quarter’s KPI goals are met the governance committee

will ask for his resignation. He grabs his phone and calls Jarin, his gregarious college roommate and the person who transformed Silicon Beach’s most dysfunctional company into one of its most electric.

“Jarin, I need your help. My staff is not producing like they once were. They are lethargic, apathetic, unmotivated, dis…”

“Disengaged,” interjects Jarin. “So how are you keeping your people engaged?”

Scott: “We’ve been investing heavily in employee engagement programs, but they’re not really work-ing. We keep pouring money into recruiting and retaining the best. We even keep increasing salaries, benefits and perks, basically giving them everything IS

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they want, but nothing’s working.”Jarin: “The problem is you’re giving them what

they think they want, but not what they really need. Your employees are emotionally detached; their real needs aren’t being met. Fat salaries and perks are great, but what they really want is to be inspired, connected and living a life of purpose. They need to feel valued. As their leader you need to lead from need. Once our basic survival needs have been met, we all aspire to satisfy the four deeper needs: con-nection, contribution, freedom and growth.”

Jarin is right. He’s part of a new wave of leaders who know that to get the best out of someone you need to coach and empower them. As a leader in your organization you want to ensure that your employ-ees feel they are:

��Connected: building relationships with others

��Contributing: doing something meaningful

��Free: have a sense of choice and autonomy

��Growing: developing personally and professionally

CONNECTIONOrganizations with employees who have strong personal ties to each other have far higher engage-ment rates than those that don’t. To connect with your employees, create greater trust and loyalty by being more authentic. Great leaders don’t fret over public opinion and neither should you. Let go of who you think you should be, and just be yourself. You will gain their trust and respect in the process. Be vulnerable. Show them the real you. We all have the same fears of not being good enough, smart enough or worthy enough, so why pretend we are the exception? The best managers connect deeply with their employees by paying attention to what’s important to them. Carve out some time each week to grab lunch or a coffee with your key team

members. Find out what they enjoy doing outside of work and get to know them personally. Finally, let them know that you and the organization care for them. As their need to belong is met, they will give more of themselves, which, in turn, fuels their next need: their need to contribute.

CONTRIBUTIONStudies show employees are happiest when they know they are making a difference and helping others. Often their contribution goes unnoticed. Metrics for measuring an employee’s contribution should shift from measuring their individual per-formance to measuring their team’s performance. How are your staff members influencing those around them? A staff member with excellent soft skills who constantly uplifts his fellow employees is an incredible asset to your team, yet this won’t show up in any assessment. To help your workers feel they are contributing something meaningful you can try recognizing and publicly celebrating their accomplishments as often as possible or sharing a client story that shows your employee the difference they are making in someone’s life.

FREEDOMSelf-direction is the key to performance, creativ-ity and engagement. The real you only shows up when you feel free. Employees are far more loyal and productive in workplace environments that respect their freedom and encourage their self- expression. To ensure your staff feels a sense of autonomy remind them that everything they do is a choice. Choice is power, and when your employees believe they have a choice they will become more engaged in the process. Align their choices with their values, not their fears. When we choose from fear, our actions lack power. When we choose from our values our actions have more power, more meaning and more energy. Give your employees more flexibility to accommodate their schedules. What long-held beliefs might be blocking new win-win opportunities? Decentralize whatever authori-

Fat salaries and perks are great, but what they really want is to be inspired, connected and living a life of purpose.

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ty you can to give your workers more decision- making power. This will empower them and make your organization much more efficient.

GROWTHIf your staff feels they are not making progress in their own personal development they will soon become disconnected and seek opportunities else-where. Ensure that each employee is constantly challenged so that they can grow. The greater a person’s belief in their own power to influence an outcome, the more likely they are to succeed with a new challenge. To help your employees grow, try building confidence. Challenge any belief they might have that is limiting their performance. For example, if an employee thinks they aren’t experienced enough to manage a project you can remind them of their unique strengths and capabilities.

Another way to promote growth is modeling. Have inexperienced em-ployees watch other colleagues with

similar skills perform more advanced tasks. Seeing others with similar abilities succeed at a task will help them develop positive, “can-do” beliefs. Recognition and positive feedback are key to helping your em-ployees feel more competent, motivated and open to growth. Negative feedback can devastate those with low self-esteem. Finally, optimize the environment. Create a vibrant, energetic, stress-free workplace that encourages your employees to get the food, exercise,

rest and water their bodies need so they can perform at their best.

The most successful chief executives unleash the energy and creative power of their employees by honoring those four needs: connection, contribution, freedom and growth. They know that what really motivates people—once their basic financial needs have been met—is their desire to grow and de-velop as human beings, connect and collaborate with others, and contribute something to a worthy cause. Like Jarin, you can inspire your employees to reach their full potential by making your orga-nization a place where those four needs will be met.

Self-direction is the key to performance, creativity and engagement.

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JOHN KAMENSKY

John Kamensky is a senior research fellow for the IBM Center for the Business of Government. He previously served as deputy director of Vice President Al Gore’s National Partnership for Reinventing Govern-ment, a special assistant at the Office of Manage-ment and Budget, and as an assistant director at the Government Accountability Office.

SCOTT EBLIN

Scott Eblin is a former government executive, a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is the author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success.

STEWART LIFF

Stewart Liff is a fellow with the Performance Institute, specializing in human resources man-agement, visual per-formance management and team development. He is the author of mul-tiple books, including Managing Government Employees and A Team of Leaders.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

ROBERT CIALDINI

Robert Cialdini, Ph.D., is founder of the organiza-tional consulting firm Influence at Work and the author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

ASCANIO PIGNATELLI

Ascanio Pignatelli is a speaker, coach and author of the forth-coming book Lead from Need. He is the founder of ApexCEO, an ex-ecutive coaching and leadership development group.