http://www.skillstation.com/modules/CommonTasks by sivat kumar

Workplace Playbook II Connect

CONNECT is a system in how to think when communicating in the workplace. It programs you to gain the respect of peers, superiors, and subordinates.

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Common Tasks

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Common Tasks

THE SCOREBOARD CONNECT

Pre Game Breakdowns Minimizing The Process Tool Box Managing Conflict Walking On Eggs Common Tasks Playing the Game End Game

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Common Tasks

INTRODUCTION Common day-to-day tasks were introduced at the outset of the CONNECT Playbook. Now that the process and tools have been introduced they can be applied to handling many common tasks. Shown below are six common tasks that should cover the majority of things faced in the workplace.

COMMON DAY TO DAY TASKS Practicing rituals and past times Communicating goals, strategies and tactics Periodic reviews of progress Resolving day to day internal issues Resolving day to day external issues Personal counseling

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Common Tasks

PRACTICING RITUALS / PAST TIMES An important part of developing “good chemistry” is in paying attention to others whether business or otherwise. Rituals and past times represent forms of warming up conversation. Rituals are things like “hello, how are you?” “how’s the family”, and so on. Past Times represent more warming up discussion about safe and socially comfortable issues, such as, sports, weather, current events, talking about the environment, etc. Work related activities conjure up competition, whereas rituals & pastimes are non-threatening. This makes them very important for establishing trust and “good chemistry”. They prepare the atmosphere for developing more intimate relationships. When people say “Good morning” and then discuss the weather, family activities, sporting events, the church outing, and so on, they strengthen trust and relationships. When workers exercise or play on a team, they are partnering in social competition and working toward developing “good chemistry”. It’s a naturally occurring social force. Without trust, close relationships won’t develop. Without solid relationships, people won’t take risks together. Without taking risks, getting things done in a big way won’t happen. To have a close relationship means being able to argue and still walk away friends.

"You can easily judge the character of people by how they treat those who can do nothing for them." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe German Novelist (1749 1832)

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When someone is working hard at developing a close relationship with a superior, it is frequently referred to as “brown nosing”. This label walks a fine line. If its purpose is to advance ones relationship at the exclusion of others then it may temporarily improve one relationship and damage others. If the relationship with a superior is excellent and no different than with others, then it is genuine and probably would be read that way. If this is the case, it can enhance all of the relationships. During the seventies the Pittsburgh Steelers won the NFL Super Bowl four times, a remarkable feat. The owner was Art Rooney who owned the team from its beginnings in the 30s. Art Rooney was an owner who never interfered with the team or coach yet supported them in every way. He helped players countless times with personal problems without fanfare. He was the nurturing father figure who always had a good word for everyone. He was an inspiration to players, coaches and fans. Art Rooney and his team won the Super Bowl four times and everyone connected with the league respected and loved him for his humanity. The combination of the Steelers’ four Super Bowls and Art Rooney was no accident.

A lack of friends is another form of poverty. —Paul Charles—

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In general what governs relationships in the workplace should be performance as dictated by the expectations. Some people not only are good performers but also have the knack of having good chemistry with superiors and people at all levels. Usually this kind of person will also have good relations with his/her peers. If a person is not a good performer and uses the relationships to protect his/her job it is pure politics and can easily cause problems with the team. One of the things that frequently occur is people will view others above them as unapproachable, and the higher they are the more unapproachable they may seem to be. This is an unfortunate problem to deal with and usually a lack of self-esteem is at the heart of it. However, a good leader will always be sensitive to the nature of his/her people and communicate with them frequently enough so that this kind of distancing is avoided. If a leader pays attention to those who communicate well and not pay sufficient attention to others, then chemistry problems can develop and if it does it is the fault lies in the hands of the leader for not paying attention to all members of a team. When the subject of good chemistry has been discussed, we have been talking about everyone. Though it can be difficult, you need to look on everyone in any hierarchy as equal, regardless of their titles. Titles can get in the way of developing good chemistry because the titles appear to be boundaries that canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be passed. Change your view. Titles merely describe different jobs. Actually those at the highest levels like having people around them that treat them as peers regardless of their titles; that includes the President of the United States and the Queen of England. If they do have a problem with that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s their problem. Those who command respect are authority figures. Those who earn respect are leaders.

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OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES Planning is common to every job and requires good communications to ensure harmony and motivation. Ideally the leader and team members should plan objectives and related processes. In keeping with this concept the leader needs to let team members paint the picture of what they view as an effective plan. This is consistent with the idea that people work harder at attaining objectives they help set. Here is a rough procedure for communicating plans: 1. Team members individually develop objectives, processes, resources, incentives, etc. Then meet as a team to reconcile and compile a single plan. 2. Hold a meeting with management to present the plan--year, quarter, month, and so on. 3. Next compare the plan with managementâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s views. If it falls short they need to work to find ways to reconcile with management. 4. Continue the process until there is agreement. NOTE: If circumstances demand it, a leader can always say no. People often oppose something merely because they have had no part in planning it, or because it may have been planned by those whom they dislike. -- Alexander Hamilton -(1755-1804)

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PERIODIC REVIEWS (Feedback) It’s not uncommon for leaders to tell people what is expected, and then fail to review progress frequently. Then later, if they are not performing adequately they are released. In accordance with the rule of feedback, if they get it frequently chances of attaining their objectives are improved significantly. If not, the opposite will occur. Here is an example of how painting the picture can be used in feedback. Assuming the objectives are known, employees are told they will be responsible for managing their own performance review meetings. They are given the following procedure: 1. Maintain a record of the objectives for purposes of periodic review. 2. Examine the results prior to every review meeting. 3. Prepare a report for the review meeting. It could include: * Progress for the period and year to date * Deficiencies * Action plan for the next period. * Forecast for next period 4. At the meeting, present each of the agenda items and listen for feedback. When management gives feedback it should be given in question form so the individual(s) can respond (paint). For example, “What would be the result if you produced three more a day?” or “What would it take to produce three more items a day?” 5. If the results equal or exceed the objectives, congratulations are in order. If not, the leader(s) can ask questions to encourage the employee(s) to think through solutions.

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RESOLVING DAY-TO-DAY ISSUES Internal issues involve everything we do throughout a typical and untypical day at work (as well as away from work). This might be walking into the managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office to discuss a problem or vice versa. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a conversation in midst of completing a project and any discussion small or large that is work related. Or it might involve the conversations that take place after work at the little league game or the local golf club. All the rules and tools we have learned apply such as painting the picture, asking questions, listening, testing, blocking, tackling and so on. As a reminder, the objective of effective communications is to develop respect from everyone, which produces cooperation and improved results from everyone touched. As a further reminder of getting people to paint the picture so that you are able to listen and reflect, another example is on the next page.

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IN THE SPACES PROVIDED KEEP THE PERSON PAINTING. S/he:

Hey I don’t mean to interrupt but we need to talk.

You:

____________________________________________

S/he:

We’re unable to get the production we agreed to.

You:

_____________________________________________

S/he:

The equipment we’re using is ancient and keeps breaking.

You:

_____________________________________________

S/he:

Well, it slows down production, increasing costs.

You:

_____________________________________________

S/he:

Let’s check the feasibility of new packaging systems.

You:

_____________________________________________

S/he:

They have warning detectors when there are problems.

You:

_____________________________________________

S/he:

We can keep the system running and that means lower costs.

You:

____________________________________________

S/he:

We need to budget about $1,000,000 and it will be spread over its life of ten years. How does that sound?

You:

____________________________________________

S/he:

I think about 60 days.

You:

____________________________________________

S/he:

That’s reasonable. What do we need to do next?

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DID YOUR RESPONSES LOOK SOMEWHAT LIKE THESE? S/he:

Hey I don’t mean to interrupt but we need to talk.

You:

What’s happening?

S/he:

We’re unable to get the production we agreed to.

You:

Why’s that?

S/he:

The equipment we’re using is ancient and keeps breaking.

You:

What’s it doing to us?

S/he:

Well, it slows down production, increasing costs.

You:

Hummm, what do you think we should be doing?

S/he:

Let’s check the feasibility of new packaging systems.

You:

What will that give us?

S/he:

They have warning detectors when there are problems.

You:

How will that help?

S/he:

We can keep the system running and that means lower costs.

You:

How will our budget handle it?

S/he:

We need to budget about $1,000,000 and it will be spread over its life of ten years. How does that sound?

You:

Sounds okay. How long will it take to get it running?

S/he:

I think about 60 days.

You:

That’s reasonable. What do we need to do next?

NOTE: Always remember, if the circumstances demand it, you can always disagree or say no.

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RESOLVING EXTERNAL ISSUES External issues are working with customers, vendors, and anyone outside of the organization. The conversations are actually very much alike with all the same skills that take place in any other conversation. Here is an example. In this case, it’s a customer talking with the representative of a company. s/p:

Hello John. How’s everything going?

cus:

We’re doing okay, but I’m not so sure about your production people.

s/p:

How’s that?

cus:

I’ve been finding some pages where your people didn’t pick up printing errors.

s/p:

Oh no…

cus:

Oh yes…

s/p:

Let me look at what you’ve got.

cus:

Sure, check that pile over there.

s/p:

Humm, this is too many. What can I do to help with this?

cus:

You better do something.

s/p:

How about if I do a rerun and get it to you overnight?

cus:

Now you’re talking.

NOTE: Always remember, if the circumstances demand it, you can always disagree or say no.

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PERSONAL COUNSELING Frequently a person with good chemistry will find themselves helping a colleague, subordinate, or a superior with personal matters. Though there may be exceptions, a reasonable measure of good chemistry might be: The more often you are approached about personal matters, chances are, the higher your good chemistry rating. Depending on how a personal discussion is handled, it can have a positive or negative effect on a relationship. Counseling can involve: * * * * *

Problems at home Career concerns Problems with a colleague, superior, or subordinate Compensation concerns Other issues of a personal nature

In the Motivation section from the Workplace Playbook, handling an unhappy worker was discussed which falls into the realm of personal counseling. The bottom line, no matter what, help the person out of their dilemma, no matter what it may be. By doing so everybody wins. If you want understanding, try giving some. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Malcolm Forbesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;

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A DISCUSSION COULD SOUND LIKE THIS: BILL:

Hi Bob. Got a minute? I need to talk with you.

YOU:

Sure. What’s happening?

BILL:

I’m having a problem with Jack. It seems like no matter what I do, he’s never satisfied.

YOU:

Humm, what for example?

BILL

I went in to see him after finding a new prospect. I told him who it was and what I did. What do you think he said?

YOU

What?

BILL

He says, “Yeah, we’ve worked on them for a couple of years.” Regardless how I got it, wouldn’t you think he would say something like, “Good work”?

YOU

I understand how you feel. Try not to let it bother you. He doesn’t mean anything bad. What’s important is you did it, which is terrific. So, tell me, how did you get that appointment?

BILL

Well, actually what happened was I called XXXXX XXXXX XX.

The conversation ends with you letting the person talk about his/her accomplishments. You produced the motivation for the person to get on with things. If you were a colleague of the person you were counseling, and you also became a leader.

“So long as we love, we serve; So long as we are loved by others, We are indispensable.” —Robert Louis Stevenson—

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Common Tasks

THE SCOREBOARD CONNECT

Pre Game Breakdowns Minimizing The Process Tool Box Managing Conflict Walking On Eggs Common Tasks Playing the Game End Game

"You can measure a leader by the problem he tackles. He always looks for ones his own size." - John Foster Dulles -

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Common Tasks

End of the Common Tasks

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