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The Advisor’s Corner – How do I deal with those who support me in public and sabotage me in private?

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How do I deal with those who support me in public and sabotage me in private?Question:

What can I do about people who tell me they support my vision but I’ve heard through the grapevine that they are sabotaging me?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

These people are most likely, what I call ‘Termites.’ The term fits them well because they manage to smile and slide their way into the accepted norms and culture, and then wreck havoc just underneath the surface. Highly skilled Termites can be hard to spot until they’ve done so much damage the ‘walls’ begin to shake or fall down. The damage is often not discovered right after a Termite has moved on to fresh territory. So… what can you do?

Prevention

The best way to prevent Termite damage is to have a very strong set of organizational values that include integrity or truth or a similar concept around honesty. When these are firmly in place AND people are measured objectively and regularly against those values, Termites find fewer and fewer places to hide.

Cultural and operational values function exactly like a strong foundation for your ‘house,’ and are made even stronger when there are supports in the walls. That means values with accountability. Checks and balances also need to be in place, so that no single person has unfettered power and influence within their workgroup. If they have too much power, Termites will use it to disguise their damage and isolate their people from others to create a protective cover for and big lies about their dirty deeds.

Detection

You should suspect Termite activity in your midst by noticing things that don’t quite add up for feel “fishy” to you. Watching, observe carefully how people behave, and walk around your workplace frequently. Termites can’t fool everyone all the time. Pick up on conversations, patterns, and become a deep listener, truly hearing ALL of what people are trying to tell you.

Eradication

Assume nothing. Once you’ve discovered a Termite in your midst, ask a lot of questions and require good answers. Get multiple sources to verify and provide you clean data about what you need to know. Another support for your ‘house’ is having a true ‘safety net’ within your organization where people can go to express their concerns without fear, and with anonymity. Look for repetition and for patterns of the Termite’s behavior. If you get anonymous pain mail under your door – I call them POW notes – don’t ignore them. They are usually ‘smoke signals’ sending you a message you need to hear.

Trust your instincts. Trust what you see and hear with all the subtle and not so subtle body language people are telegraphing to you. Finally, pay attention to ‘those who protest too much!’

There are Termites and then there are people who exaggerate, even might gossip a bit, or use hyperbole. The latter are not Termites. These people can usually be guided down a better path with good coaching.

You can’t ‘fix’ a Termite. Once a workplace liar, always a liar – it’s just the size of the lies and the target that will vary. You cannot coach a liar into honesty. Lying is okay for them; it’s part of their value system and their end does justify their means.

The only solution to a workplace Termite is to call in pest control and rid yourself of the pain and damage as soon as you can.

About the Author

Roxi HewertsonLeadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – How do I deal with so much on my plate?

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How do I deal with so much on my plate?Question:

There is SO much on my plate – how do I sort out priorities, recognize the blocks, and keep an open mind for possibilities?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

You might find that you are so focused on the ‘tasks’ at hand that the most important work is getting the short end of the stick. Let’s identify some ‘buckets’ to help you navigate your way to success.

Perhaps you have just been given a challenge to solve by your leader. Your job is to identify the relevant factors, create priorities, and then execute on your own or with others on your team. My advice: start by identifying which items fall into each of four buckets: Fat Rabbits, Quick Wins, Rocks, and Who Cares.

You know what a Fat Rabbit looks like, and it probably makes you smile! These are those parts of the challenge that are foundational, have the highest/fattest impact, and must be in place to succeed at executing your assignment. These are the big fat chunks of your challenge that need to be addressed or nothing else will work matter.

Quick Wins are those parts of your challenge that require minimal effort with maximum payoff. They demonstrate tangible, visible progress. Getting them done and making them known to the appropriate stakeholders, significantly boosts momentum. Too many people think they have to get the Fat Rabbits well underway or completed before going for any Quick Wins. Ignoring Quick Wins often results in Slow Wins or No Wins.

Then there are the Rocks. These are tough blocks in the road to completion of a successful challenge. These Rocks need to be identified without denial or wishful thinking. Pretending they aren’t there won’t make them go away. Sometimes Rocks are pebble like, and sometimes they are more like Mt. Rushmore. Solutions may not be known immediately, and that’s ok. You won’t move forward without moving the Rocks out of the way one way or another, or finding a way around them. If the Rocks are too formidable, reconsider the challenge – is it the right challenge at the right time? Moving Rocks requires a lot of effort and energy, so you need it to pay off.

Finally, we have the Who Cares bucket. These might be interesting, but they are a distraction. Identify the Who Cares items so your valuable time and energy are not waste and that no one really cares about.

Let’s take one challenge, Succession Planning and dip into the four buckets for a look. This sample is by no means complete, but it will give you the idea to apply to your own work.

Fat Rabbits

  • Define the workforce realities with indisputable facts, and create the ‘burning platform’ of urgency
  • Identify current competencies and compare with necessary next generation competencies
  • Align all HR/OD functions: to meet forecasted job content and design

Quick Wins

  • Learn why people come to work at ABC Company, why they stay, and why they leave
  • Identify key positions and key people to target for succession planning
  • Analyze internal/external labor demographics/pipelines

Rocks

  • Decentralization reality vs. having one ABC Company strategy, are in conflict
  • IT Systems, as they are today, and aggregate data reporting are insufficient to collect enough accurate data

Who Cares

  • Offices need to be rennovated when people leave, thus impacting the budget (lots of things impact the budget – it’s off topic or very low priority)

When you focus on the things that really matter, you make progress. When you don’t, you don’t make progress. Make sure your Rocks are not show stoppers, then go for a few visible and happy Quick Wins as you work on your Fat Rabbits!

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – Is there a right way to FIRE an employee?

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Is there a right way to FIRE an employee?Question:

Is there a right way to FIRE an employee?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

Unfortunately, on average, we still have a 50 percent or more failure rate in hiring. This means we are as likely as not going to find ourselves in this unpleasant situation.

Aside from legal, union, or other contractual considerations that you must take into account, there are 5 KEY ACTIONS that will help keep you out of a heap of trouble:

  • Be Truthful – Employees should know exactly why they are being released from their job. Tell the truth. Most good employers have due process procedures and policies that need to be honored and communicated. Don’t leave the person to make assumptions, create more resentment than is necessary, or increase the odds of creating bad will. Remember, poor performance is poor performance, gross misconduct is gross misconduct, and a layoff is a layoff. So what is it and why?
  • Be Fair – This is a baseline rule. Fairness is a fundamental human expectation, at least in this country. It’s also a major factor in how the employee and others on your team feel when he or she exits the organization. Was the employee treated fairly? If you did everything you should have done to help this person be successful, and they didn’t cut it, then sleep easy. If you have been compassionate in your layoff package, then sleep easy. If not, then you have more work to do before you go to sleep.
  • Be Clear – Whenever possible, employees should have had a discussion with you in which they either hear 1) their job is on the line due to performance and exactly why, or 2) if it’s downsizing, be clear about that. If the termination is due to gross misconduct like stealing, tell it like it is. Get to the point, then stand up, offer your hand, wish them well, and walk them to the door. If the employee becomes despondent and is crying or is in a difficult emotional state, give them time to get themselves together; don’t fill this time with conversation about the decision. Just be kind, be human.
  • Be Respectful – Being fair is essential, as we’ve already noted. You can be fair and not be respectful. Being respectful is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to do. Regardless of the circumstances leading to the termination, be professional and courteous. This is not a time to say that you told them so, or how much better things will be without them. Nor is it the time to make yourself feel better about your decision by belittling them or minimizing their contributions. Have your meeting at a time during which the employee will have little or no exposure to their colleagues and avoid having them led out of the building during business hours. Being terminated is a terrible experience, even when it is fair, done respectfully, and deserved. Always take the high road.
  • Be Smart – There are emotional aspects of the termination discussion and there are other factors to consider. Might this employee become volatile? Do you need security precautions? Should HR be present in the room? Do you have your exit checklist – e.g. keys, access, passwords, equipment, credit cards, etcetera? Your organization needs a solid termination process to follow to keep everyone out of legal and any other kind of trouble.

At the end of the day, it’s the emotions that wear you down. You should not fire someone on your own. Enlist HR, a lawyer, or other team members to help you stay clear and focused. It is important to feel what you feel and acknowledge those feelings. We’re all human. It is just as important to make sure you do not let your feelings about one person or the anticipated pain of the firing conversation get in the way of doing what is right for everyone else.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – Can I Afford a Bad Hire?

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Can I Afford a Bad Hire?Question:

Can I Afford a Bad Hire?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

Fact 1: No one can afford a bad hire!
Fact 2: Nationally, about 50 percent of hires, fail. Of those that succeed only about 20 percent are top performers.
Fact 3: 90 percent of failures are UNRELATED to brains and technical skills.
Fact 4: The cost of a bad hire is up to 2x the person’s annual salary and benefits… until you fire them or they leave. How much you lose depends on how awful they are and how much time, money, and productivity is flushed away in the meantime. Then… add another 2x to 2.5x their salary costs to replace them.
Fact 5: Turnover in any position costs you real money. Turnover of good people leaving because they don’t want to work with your bad hires, costs you even more.

Do I have your attention? This is not theory – it is fact. And yet… we hire most people and positions based on shiny new degrees and/or technical skills along with perceived or tested IQ. We now KNOW, for a fact, that EQ (Emotional Quotient/Intelligence) is far more important for success in most jobs, and definitely within leadership roles.

Still, we continue to hire and promote people, including leaders, largely for IQ and technical skill sets. “The best salesperson will surely be the best leader of other salespersons,” right? WRONG!

It just gets dumber and dumber. We keep getting the same lousy results and yet we have not substantively changed the hiring practices in most organizations. It is mind-boggling! I believe Albert Einstein had something clever to say about this phenomenon being related to insanity.

Whatever methods (legal and ethical of course) you use, you need to discover at least these SIX key things about your candidates BEFORE you hire.

A. Attitude: Is theirs one of abundance and can do, or scarcity and focused on obstacles?

B. Brains: Can they do the job or learn quickly how to do the job?

C. Character: What are their core personal values?

D. Drive: Are they self-motivated to achieve their goals and yours?

E. Experience: What have they done in the past that prepares them or makes them ready for what you want them to do now?

F. FIT: Will they truly FIT into your culture, your organizational values, help you accomplish your mission, and advance your vision?

If you said “NO” or “I Can’t Tell,” to even ONE of these questions about the candidate, do not hire that person. Seriously – don’t do it!

Trust the answers to your ABCDEF questions and trust your GUT. If the person doesn’t feel right to you or others, he/she probably isn’t right. In any case, it’s rarely, if ever, worth the risk to you and your team.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].

The Advisor’s Corner – How do I ask for a raise or promotion?

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How do I ask for a raise or promotion?Question:

How do I ask for a raise or promotion?

StrategyDriven Response: (by Roxi Hewertson, StrategyDriven Principal Contributor)

Think about it this way – you lose nothing by advocating for the pay and position you deserve. If the answer you receive is ‘no,’ then you’ll be right where you are now except you will know a lot more about whether or not you should stay.

Reframe your thinking. While you certainly have everything to do with the way the job is being done, there is more. When you take the emotion out of it, you will be talking to your boss about the business value of the job you are doing. This can help the conversation to be data driven vs. personal.

5 TIPS to Help You Self-advocate

1. Know yourself. Make sure you are 100% sure the job you are doing IS actually a great job. Ask for feedback about what you are doing well and what you can do better from your boss, peers, customers, and if you have them, direct reports. Write down what they say and keep a log. Another part of knowing yourself is knowing what you are and are not willing to do for that promotion. Are the hours longer, is there travel, do you have to manage others? All of these factors will impact your life. So consider what matters most to you.

2. Know your stuff. Make sure your work is truly adding value to your company/organization and be prepared to prove it. Speak to your results – behavioral and business. Your behaviors are critical to your success. Do you ‘play well with others?’ What about your business results? Answering the questions about your behavior and business results will help you think clearly about what data you need to collect.

3. Know your people. Make sure you know how your boss needs to hear and see things. Does he/she like just the facts, conceptual framework, objectivity, ideas? If you don’t know, you’re missing the train. HOW you ask is as important as WHAT you ask. This includes timing. Don’t have this conversation in the midst of a crisis, on Friday afternoon, or just before you or your boss go on vacation. Have it when you are prepared, he/she has a heads up (bosses don’t like surprises) that you’d like to discuss changes/new expectations/results in your role.

4. Know your system. Make sure you know how and when your organization allows for raises. Is there a new job description needed? Is there a pay scale system that can back you up? Are raises only given once a year or are there bonuses, etcetera? Talk to your HR people to learn what is possible in your system.

5. Know your options. Make sure you are aware of your and your job’s value in the market place. Search Salary.com, Glassdoor.com and job sites like Monster.com, Snagajob.com for a similar job to yours or the job you want to be doing. Identify the education/experience/competencies needed to be qualified, and then do some ‘mining’ of the data that’s out there on the internet. You now have even more objective data to include if it supports your request.

Finally, if you feeling undervalued, ask yourself why you feel this way. Is it your relationship with your boss or is it the job or is it the pay or some combination? Sometimes we confuse these. Getting objective will help. When you know the answers and have collected your data, you are ready to change what needs to change – your pay, your title, your boss, your job, your company, or… yourself.

About the Author

Leadership authority Roxana (Roxi) Hewertson is a no-nonsense business veteran revered for her nuts-and-bolts, tell-it-like-it-is approach and practical, out-of-the-box insights that help both emerging and expert managers, executives and owners boost quantifiable job performance in various mission critical facets of business. Through AskRoxi.com, Roxi — “the Dear Abby of Leadership” — imparts invaluable free advice to managers and leaders at all levels, from the bullpen to the boardroom, to help them solve problems, become more effective and realize a higher measure of business and career success.

The StrategyDriven website was created to provide members of our community with insights to the actions that help create the shared vision, focus, and commitment needed to improve organizational alignment and accountability for the achievement of superior results. We look forward to answering your strategic planning and tactical business execution questions. Please email your questions to [email protected].