http://www.skillstation.com/modules/PreGame 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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The Pre Game

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The Pre Game

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

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The Pre Game

GOOD CHEMISTRY The great majority of people who complete their education will work for some large organization. Though executing their daily job tasks are critical to success, a major barrier to being effective lies in their ability to work with others whether subordinates, superiors, or peers. No matter how well you may know your job tasks if you can’t communicate in a manner that encourages cooperation, all the knowledge in the world may not get you far if you can’t get respect, which is the path to getting things done. The THINK model demonstrated how Communication is one of the vital tools for creating incentive in others, whether they are superiors, subordinates or peers. Being a good communicator is also referred to as having “good chemistry”…with everyone. Having good chemistry is vital in every part of life including team sports where it’s crucial to maintain harmony and teamwork. Without it, positive relationships are at risk, which produces dissension, which produces diminished performance, which results in losing.

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LEADERSHIP The term “leader” was introduced In the Workplace Playbook as having little to do with having a title such as senior executive, middle manager, general, corporal, worker, butcher, baker, or candlestick maker. Being a leader is more about behaving as a leader. That’s because regardless of rank, “Sometimes we lead and sometimes we follow” (source unknown). There are also types of leaders who succeed in different ways. People with varying personalities can be great leaders from introverts to extroverts. There are those who can get away with saying certain things, whereas others will fail miserably. There is almost no end to the types. However, as a general rule, genuine leadership can come down to this simple rule:

Those who command respect are authority figures. Those who earn respect are leaders.

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Here is an article paraphrased from the January/February 2006 issue of Business 2.0 magazine.

WHY EMPLOYEES SHOULD LEAD THEMSELVES Distributed management sounds impractical, but it might help a company play a more innovative tune. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is known principally for the musical accomplishments of its 28 members. Based in New York City, the Grammy Award-winning ensemble performs Mozart and Stravinsky to rave reviews around the world. But the group is also famous for a novel approach to management: Unlike most orchestras its size, Orpheus has no conductor. Orpheus is not a captain-less ship. It has a managing director, Ronnie Bauch, who recently spoke to MBA students at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Bauch explained that Orpheus members share responsibility for many functions such as keeping time, raising funds, staffing, and educational outreach that most organizations assign to individual leaders. It's a distributed approach to management that at first seems impractical but turns out to have many advantages. Let me explain. Bauch highlights two problems arising under strong leaders conductors or CEOs. First, valuable insights are sometimes lost because team members quell their own voices under a dominant baton. Second, subordinates learn to focus solely on their roles, ignoring opportunities to develop new skills. In orchestras, that means musicians shy away from interpreting the music they play and shun participation in vital activities such as public relations and hiring. In business, employees dismiss chances to grow, using the catchphrase "not my job." After all, why get involved in governance if the leader is going to decide things anyway? Bauch contends that this is why most people bring only about 20 percent of their potential talent and energy to their jobs.

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The Orpheus model has drawbacks too. The orchestra spends more time rehearsing, because without a conductor, musicians decide among themselves how to play a piece. Auditioning new members takes extra time, since candidates are evaluated on their fit with the group's culture and musical prowess. In a world that expects hierarchy, there's always pressure for Bauch and his colleagues to justify their structure. But a lot is gained. Because people pay attention to one another instead of a leader, they become more involved. Taking on broader responsibilities, they develop real leadership skills. The result is a sense of ownership that delivers the biggest benefit of all: a collective mind and spirit that comes through in the music. As the Boston Globe's Richard Dyer has written, there is a "liberating intensity with which these musicians listen to one another." You might be skeptical that such a system can work in a company. But with the Internet linking employees together, distributed corporate management structures are already showing up. At Google, for instance, rather than assigning all responsibility for new products to one person, the company allows any employee to post ideas on an internal website. Colleagues then vote for the ideas they like, so popular projects rise to the top and get attention. As research by University of Southern California management professor Morgan McCall and others shows, the best way to foster leadership is to treat people like leaders. And how better to do that than by building organizations like Orpheus, where everyone feels in charge? It seems counterintuitive, but by not appointing one leader for every new initiative, you might actually be helping people make beautiful music together.

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PLAYING THE GAME A WAKE UP CALL Here is a story about an experience that taught me something about working with others. This occurred when working for a business equipment company and given the job of organizing the company’s first company wide sales and management education center. On my first day I walked off the elevator onto the empty upper floor of a field-office, which was to become the beginnings of a formal training operation for this company. Across from the elevator were offices for administrative people and instructors. A hallway connecting a number of classrooms encircled the top floor. I walked down the empty hall to get a feel for the place. There was a lounge at the end of the hall and more classrooms, one of which was occupied. I had no idea anyone would be around so I peeked in and saw a class getting ready to start. The Instructor noticed me and came over and introduced himself as the Product Manager for Collating equipment. These products collate paper into paginated sets. The product manager said, “Did you know you are helping me?” I was surprised, but took it in stride. He continued, “You take the morning and I’ll do the afternoon, okay? The class starts in 30 minutes. Here, review this guide.” I went into an empty room and reviewed the guide, which was a 2” binder filled cover to cover with information. I discovered the morning topic to be graphic arts, not the machines. I was more familiar with the equipment, which was in the afternoon. Since the equipment is used in printing, it’s important to know graphic arts, such as printing methods, inks, paper, etc. I was somewhat familiar with the subject but far from expert. The sales force sold a wide variety of products and it was difficult to be expert in all. As an instructor, I was expected to know. This meant I had a lot of learning to do in a short time, and further, it was the first time I would be teaching anything. So with no advanced notice I was expected to teach a subject I was not thoroughly familiar with…ugh.

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I walked into the class with little idea of what to do. There were 12 people waiting for my words of wisdom. I found myself sitting on the desk in front of the class thinking about what to do. I wrote my name on the flipchart and introduced myself. I said, “I believe you were already told today’s objective. This morning we’re going to discuss printing because if we want to sell collators, we need to know printing. This afternoon we’ll work with the equipment. So, let’s get started.” The guide said to discuss four methods of printing but with no details. I was concerned about how to get through this. Then it just happened. I said, “To start there are four methods of printing. Who can describe one of the four?” It felt like a lifetime waiting for a response. Finally a participant said, “I can”. I felt a bit of relief. “Great!” And the trainee responded, “Letterpress”. I said, “Terrific. Okay now, what’s another?” Another person volunteered and said, “Offset Lithography.” I was relieved again. I continued in the same manner until all four methods were mentioned. This was the easy part. Now I needed to discuss how each method works. So, I went back to the group. “Okay, let’s figure out how they work. Who has worked in a print shop and knows letterpress?” Again, as luck would have it, a response came from the letterpress guy. “I’ve worked in a print shop and know a little about it.” “That’s great. Come up and explain. Take this felt pen and use the flipchart. If the rest of you don’t understand something, just ask.” He went on to explain letterpress while I sat in his seat and listened…and took notes. The discussion was exciting. People asked questions and he answered nicely. I kept the dialogue moving with “That’s interesting, anyone have a thought?” The process continued until they were talked out. When the trainee finished, we all applauded. I introduced the next subject.

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Though relieved, there were three to go. “Now we need an offset lithography guy” Sure enough someone popped up with, “I am.” He came up and went through a similar explanation. It was a stroke of luck. It worked well and I continued to the next subject. I was able to get through the four methods and then moved on to “ink”. The morning could not have been better. When the subject of paper came up, I was knowledgeable, however, I continued with the process because it worked so well. After all, why stop what works. As a result of this session, it became clear that letting everyone participate created a sense of ownership exceeded anything I could hope for. The session was a blessing and I took a (lucky) giant step forward in learning about and working with groups. It gave me a taste of success and the good feelings that come with it. It’s clear I was also very lucky. This treatment only worked because there were a couple of people who had some general industry related knowledge. If the topics dealt with the workings of the equipment models there would have been a very remote chance of anyone having the related knowledge. In that case it would be necessary for the instructor to demonstrate the system features and operations. It would need to be delivered verbally or by some other media. The point is this experience provided an important lesson; that is, it demonstrated it’s vital to encourage participation and not be too controlling. Creating honest, open participation produces an environment of free expression, enthusiasm, cooperation, respect, and improved performance.

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To be able to work with others using unorthodox ideas also means having the courage to be open and not be afraid of the outcome, no matter what may turn out. Here are some rules for succeeding in working with others, which will be dealt with in the modules that follow.

TEN RULES FOR EARNING RESPECT 1.

Asking and listening produces respect, incentive, and cooperation.

“Telling” rather than “asking” causes resistance.

Encouraging free expression and confidence in a team’s ability.

Earning respect, vs. commanding respect.

Communicating honestly with good or bad news and expecting the same

Using “we” when sharing information, “you” when giving credit, and “I” when accepting responsibility.

Talking no more than 1/3 of the time when in conversation.

Being genuine - with superiors, subordinates, peers, customers.

Communicating warmth and sincerity.

10.

Helping others by listening and offering constructive ideas vs. criticism.

"President means Chief Servant." - Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948)

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The Pre Game

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

Think like a wise man, but communicate in the language of the people. —William Butler Yeats— (1865-1939)

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The Pre Game

End of the Pre Game

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