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Engaging Public Employees Without a Budget
April 13, 2010
Posted by Marnie E. Green

According to The Gallup Organization there are 22 million disengaged employees that cost the American economy up to $350 billion per year in lost productivity, including absence, illness, and other problems that result when workers feel unappreciated. Ninety percent of voluntary resignations are due in part or initiated because the employee feels under appreciated by their manager. I'm betting public sector employees are feeling more disengaged than ever, considering the current economic environment.

In these challenging economic times, we need to look for ways to let employees know that they are valued more than ever. Here are ten no-cost ideas to try:

  1. Invite an employee to join you. You can convey your value for a team member by inviting them to join you at important client meetings or higher level team meetings. By exposing them to a new group and new discussions, the employee gains a new perspective and you have a chance to show them off to others.
  2. Spend some time together. Good old fashioned dialogue can go a long way when the conversation is with a boss who is busy. Once a week take 15 minutes to chat with an employee you haven't spent much time with lately. Ask open ended questions and show your interest. Use their name. Your attention is worth gold.
  3. Start a Red Plate routine. Find a plate (or basket or bucket) and fill it with something yummy. This could be homemade cookies, candy, or healthier treats. At a staff meeting, give the plate to the one person who had a great week. Tell them publicly why you appreciate what they did. Tell them that their job is to watch their peers over the next week and be prepared to present the plate, refilled of course, to a teammate who excelled that week. The plate will continue to be passed from team member to team member and the recognition becomes the responsibility of the group and not just the responsibility of the manager. You can substitute the red plate for a stuffed animal, a fun trophy, or other item of interest. One group that I work with uses a very unattractive statue of John Wayne--but it means so much to win the little guy!
  4. Duh...say thanks. In a recent survey sixty-three percent of employees ranked "a pat on the back" as a meaningful incentive. Saying thank you and meaning it is easy to do and can earn extensive goodwill. Call the employee to your office and just say thanks for a specific thing they've done. Nothing else should be the topic of the conversation.
  5. Post a Note. Write a quick thank you on a Post-It or other informal piece of paper and leave it on the employee's chair or on their desk. Be sure to write it in your own handwriting and be specific about what the employee did to receive your recognition.
  6. It's in the Name. When an employee creates a new form, process, approach, or other creative idea, name it after them. At staff meetings, in emails, and casual discussion, refer to the innovation as "Steve's form," "Judy's process," or "Jenna's tool."
  7. You're a Lifesaver. When an employee does something that really makes a difference for you or for the team, give them a pack of LifeSavers candies. Make sure you combine the gesture with a note or comment about what the employee did to save your life and why it's important to you.
  8. Ring the Bell. When a team member does something of note or when a customer expresses thanks for someone's work, ring a bell for the whole team to hear. Follow the ring with a quick announcement to the team about the person's accomplishment.
  9. Ask Them. Meet with each employee individually and tell them that they are a valuable part of the team. Ask them what they would like to do in the course of their work that would be new, different, enriching, and/or exciting. Then, do what is possible to give the employee an opportunity to pursue this interest.
  10. Listen. We all need to know that what we have to say is important to someone. Each day, focus your attention on an employee conversation with the sole purpose of just listening to what they have to say. Enter the conversation with curiosity about how they view the world and how that viewpoint can enrich the team.

Recognition doesn't have to be costly and it can go a long way to establishing a culture that is supportive, innovative, and productive.

What are you doing to engage and motivate employees in these difficult times? I'd love to hear!

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Communication, employee, engagement, management, motivation, performance, public sector

Put Some Sideboards on It
November 19, 2009
Posted by Marnie E. Green

There is a natural tendency to avoid asking questions when you are uncertain as to what the answers will be. As a result, managers often avoid asking questions. Instead, they just tell the employees the answers they really want to hear. It may seem like you are giving up control when you ask an open-ended question that engages the employee. But, it doesn't have to be a scary proposition. One way to encourage dialogue while still guiding the direction of the conversation is to use sideboards to frame the question.

Frame the question with sideboards.

Sideboards are the parameters that frame an issue. They are the "givens." Sideboards are the assumptions you have already made that are non-negotiable. In most situations, there is background information that must be considered before a conversation can progress. Those are the sideboards. Usually there are limitations (time, money, resources, etc.) that must be noted when you are exploring options. Those are the sideboards.

The challenge is to state the sideboards clearly before asking a question that involves the employee in finding the solution. Here are some examples of sideboards in action:

Given our current budget situation...which of our projects is the highest priority?

Assuming we will meet our end of the year objectives, what additional tasks should we pursue?

Knowing that our relationship with this client is tenuous, what options do we have for satisfying this order?

Given the restrictions placed upon us in the regulations, what alternatives should be considered?

As a manager, you can establish parameters that will help employees find workable, effective, and successful solutions to issues and challenges. Considering the challenges public sector agencies are facing today, it is critical that we define the parameters of the issue before asking for input.  Think about the sideboards.

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challenges, coaching, Communication, employee conversations, employee development, employee engagement, feedback, input, leadership development, listening, management, supervision

Are You Open?
September 15, 2009
Posted by Marnie E. Green

I've been coaching a municipal executive who believes she is inclusive and respectful with employees.  The feedback we've gotten from her staff is that she is a micromanager.  They say she doesn't trust them and that she does not value their input.  Why the dicotomy?  These problems run deep and will be a challenge to overcome.  Still, there are some behaviors she exhibits that send a subtle message  that she really doesn't want to hear from her employees.  Here's the tip I'll share with her the next time we meet:

Make your questions open-ended.

This concept is a bit of a "duh." We all know that open-ended questions, those that require more than a yes/no answer, are more appropriate if you are trying to engage the other person in the conversation. Still, how conscious are you of the openness of your daily questions? Here are a few examples.

Example: "Do you like your work?" is not open-ended. You are likely to get a short, blunt answer to a question like this. An alternative way to ask the question which is open-ended is, "What about your work do you most enjoy?" The response is more likely to be robust enough to give you insights into the employee's motivations.

Example: "Are you going to make that mistake again?" is closed-ended and will likely put the employee on the defensive. It is parental in nature and does not allow the employee to participate in the problem-solving. An open ended alternative would be, "What are you going to do next time to make sure the outcome is more effective?"

Example: "Have you considered calling the vendor back?" is a question that is really a directive. You may have a clear picture of what the employee should do. In fact, you may have several suggestions for the employee. In time, you can offer your suggestions. However, if you want to engage the employee in solving the problem or if your goal is to coach them to higher levels of performance in the future, giving them the answer, even in the form of a closed question, is not the most effective approach. Instead, use an open-ended question like, "What solutions have you considered?"

My coachee has some work to do and it will start with being conscious of the questions she asks.

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coaching, employee conversations, feedback, leadership development, listening, management, micromanager, Performance Management, questions, supervision, trust

Performance Review via Facebook?
March 31, 2009
Posted by Marnie E. Green

We're all getting into the social networking thing these days. It's fun to use Facebook to reconnect with old friends. Twitter is allowing me to follow Lance Armstrong's attempt to reach the top of the cycling world once again. But can we use this hip new technology for something as mundane as performance reviews? Jena McGregor in this week's Business Week says it's being done.

According to McGregor, private firms, including Accenture, have developed a Facebook-like application which allows employees to post status updates and weekly goals. Managers can pose questions and comments related to employee performance. It's real-time feedback that today's employees crave and this technology provides the tools--supposedly. Accenture is hoping to sell its software to outside clients once its ready. They say the software is more about motivating employees than about evaluating them.

But could something like this work in the public sector? Most of the performance management systems I see are form-driven events that are more painful than developmental. Managers avoid giving feedback until they have to (if at all). Employees have learned that "no news is good news." Could a real-time review system using today's web-based tools be the answer to these long-standing problems with performance evaluations in the public sector?

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appraisals, Facebook, management, Performance Management, performance reviews, social networking, supervision, Twitter

You Have to Have Guts

March 27, 2009
Posted by Marnie E. Green

As a manager you've probably faced some tough employee situations. Many of those "tough" situations often involve an employee not doing what you expect them to do or not delivering on what they were hired to produce. These situations are tough because they require you to have a conversation to address the issue. And, in these tight economic times, you and your organization cannot afford poor performance. Yet, many managers would rather avoid the conversation, waiting to see if the issue will resolve itself. Are you one of those who avoid the tough conversations?

Lesson #1: Employee performance problems rarely, if ever, resolve themselves!

Let's face it. Having performance-related conversations comes with the job of being a leader. If you don't address issues that impact productivity and morale, who will? One of your many roles as a manager must be to have the "tough" conversations when necessary so that the work group and the organization can function effectively. The first step is to own this responsibility and stop putting off the hard work. Management takes courage. It takes guts.

This month you are probably setting goals for your work group, your employees and maybe for yourself. One of those personal goals might be to have the tough conversations that you've been putting off. Think about the impact you can have on individuals, as well as the team, if you just begin the conversation. In the months ahead, I'll offer more ideas for having those painless performance conversations. For now, have the guts to get started.

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employee conversations, management, performance conversations, Performance Management