May
6

Questioning techniques – the art of asking effective questions

 

We ask questions all of the time, in many different scenarios, but how well do we do it? Whether trying to assess someone’s suitability to do a job, explore how a project is progressing, establish reasons for a performance issue or delve into someone’s career aspirations….

Do the questions you ask get you the information you need effectively and efficiently?

Do you create more work for yourself by not really thinking about why you’re asking the question? Does this mean you then have to ask another question (or questions)?

You’ve heard the expression ‘fishing for information’, so when it comes to asking questions, do you Trawl as well as Fly fish?

 


 

In this month’s blog, I’m going to share some tips for asking questions which get the answers you’re looking for effectively and efficiently.

Before you start any discussion, with anybody, anywhere, at any time, I firmly believe that Steven Covey’s 2nd Habit, Begin With the End in Mind, holds true. Considering this first and foremost, before any planning, preparation or action, allows you to focus on the end point, i.e. ask yourself “What do I want to happen as a result of this conversation?” or “Where do I want to get to by the end of the discussion?” Knowing this will help you to formulate the questions you’ll need to get to your destination.

 

Focusing your questions

The Funnel technique is one way of focusing your questions to elicit the information you need effectively and efficiently. There are three aspects to the Funnel technique:  Open, Probing and Closed questions.

 

 

Start the questioning by asking general, Open, questions, e.g. “What do you know about the current business issues?”

Once you’ve got an answer, you can then decide what question to ask next. It may be another broad question or you may want to start to narrow down the topic area by asking a more focused, but still open, probing question to delve deeper in to a particular topic. For example, “How often do you meet with the management team to discuss the issues?”. 

As you gather the information you need, you begin to funnel down into the detail, gradually narrowing down the scope as you go. As you near the bottom of the funnel, you may want to ask a Closed question to check the facts, for example: “So, you review issues with your management peers on a monthly basis?”.  Asking Closed questions at this stage, which test your understanding, also shows that you have been listening!  

Before ending the conversation, it’s important to spend time summarising what’s been discussed; the choice about who summarises is up to you although I think it’s good practice to encourage the other person to summarise, as this allows you to check that their understanding is the same as yours! Summarising demonstrates listening, another key skill to have in your toolkit.

 

Open Questions and how to remember them!

You’ve probably heard the Rudyard Kipling poem which helps us remember the 6 Open questions that we can use:

            I had six honest serving men

            They taught me all I knew

            Their names were: Where and What and When

            And Why and How and Who!

 

Another take on this is a picture, that my colleague (Gill Bonello) introduced me to, which has really cemented, in my mind, the 6 ways to begin an Open question.

It’s called ‘5 Bums on a Rugby Post’.  (Maybe that’s also why I find it easy to remember!)  Imagine a rugby goal post which has the bottoms of 5 Rugby players sitting along the cross bar!

 

 

As you can see, the rugby post represents the H of How and the 5 bottoms represent Who, Where, What, Why and When (the order doesn’t matter).

To complete my personal toolkit of Open questions, I have three other phrases to help me get the information I need. These are:

“Tell Me About.…”

“Describe.…”

 and

“And what else….?”

Having these in my toolkit, and using them at the beginning of the conversation, allows the responder to give me full and expansive answers to my questions. Equally, if I feel that I haven’t got all the information I was looking for, I have these questions and phrases at my fingertips.

For example: “Tell me about your last meeting with John” or “Describe what happened in your last meeting with John” or “And what else do I need to know about your last meeting with John?”. In fact, just asking “And what else?” is often enough to give the responder an opportunity to tell you anything else that is relevant to that particular topic area.

 

Trawler Fishing and Fly Fishing

I said earlier, that the Funnel is about using Open, Probing and Closed questions. We all know the difference between these and when to use them, as much has been written about them. For me, using these questions is a bit like comparing Trawler fishing and Fly fishing! Both will get us some ‘fish’ but the decision about when to trawl and when to use a rod and fly to ‘fish for information’ will depend on your objective.

 

 

Do you want to ‘trawl’ and get as much information as possible about your topic, in which case ask an Open question? Do you want to target one particular spot to get a deeper insight, in which case ask a more specific Probing question? Do you want to check or clarify something, in which case ask a Closed question?

 

 

I think that you need to be both a Trawler and a Fly fisher! But one word of caution – when fly fishing,  it is very easy to ask Probing and/or Closed  questions too early, or when you think you know the answer, in which case you may make assumptions, prejudicing the response. Remember: get the big picture first, then probe down into the detail and avoid making assumptions.

For example, if your objective is to establish why a team is successful:

a Trawler question might be “What is it that the marketing team does that makes them successful?”

a Fly fishing question might be “Do you think the marketing team is successful because you all get on well together?”

The first question gives the responder the opportunity to consider the reasons why this may be the case whilst the second ‘Fly ’ question closes down the options by exploring only one avenue.

Do you Trawl as well as Fly fish? Do you use your ‘fishing resources’ at the right time to get the results you need?

 

What are your favourite questions? What traps, if any, do you fall in to when asking questions and what do you do to overcome these? We’d love to hear what you think so please leave a comment in the box below.

 

Look out for next month’s blog on The Elevator Pitch – how to get your point across succinctly and with impact.

 

Posted by Caroline Lewis

 

Posted in Coaching, People Management, Personal Effectiveness, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
Apr
2

What is a Business Partner?

 

Have you been told that you need to operate more like a Business Partner? Do you have the words ‘Business Partner’ in your job title? Are you wondering what on earth that means?

 

So, what is a Business Partner?

and

How is it different from other roles?

 

 

For me, a Business Partner is a specific mode of operating, in the same way as Expert and Advisor are modes of operating. You may be in a role that requires you to operate as an Expert on some occasions, an Advisor at other times and a Business Partner in other instances.  The key is to work out which ‘hat’ you need to wear in which situation.

 

In my experience, a Business Partner is someone who works alongside their clients (internal or external) to develop solutions which improve business performance, rather than working for them or offering advice and expertise. A Business Partner’s primary focus is on investing time, energy and effort into developing long term relationships with their clients, so that they are able to work with them rather than for them.

 

Now, that sounds like it could apply to other roles; so how can we further distinguish the role of a Business Partner? The answer lies in the way that the Business Partners work alongside their clients.

 

Let’s take the example of an ‘Expert’ – we’ve all got areas of expertise and hopefully we’re respected for our technical knowledge and capability, whether it’s in IT, Finance, Marketing, HR or another area.  When we’re operating in Expert mode, we tend to: 

 

 - have a narrow area of focus,  probably limited to our area of expertise

 - provide information and ‘know how’

 - give advice and guidance

 - tell others how to fix their problems

 - or even fix their problems for them!

 

 

A Business Partner, on the other hand, operates more strategically.  When we operate with our Business Partnering ‘hat’ on, we meet and talk with our clients regularly so that we develop a thorough and ongoing understanding of their bigger picture. This doesn’t simply mean, for example, understanding their IT set up, who uses the equipment and how they use it, but also understanding the wider context in which the client works.

 

So, when I work with my clients, I like to find out about their business, their strategy and goals and the climate in which they’re operating, as well as the external pressures they face and current operational challenges. I also find it helpful to know about the people working in their part of the business. Who are the stakeholders and what are the key relationships, both internally and externally, that are critical to business success? How well equipped are the staff to handle the current challenges? What’s morale like? What are customers saying about them and how does this influence their decision making?

 

All of this big picture information helps me to understand the context in which the client operates and therefore be in a better position to add value. Of course, the temptation is to simply share my wisdom (Expertise) but without that background information I could be suggesting solutions that just won’t work in their world. So, I’ve learnt to hold back on the Expert bit and help them explore the specific problems they’re facing, the implications these have and the outcomes they need to achieve.

 

Together, we’re then in a much better position to come up with appropriate, practical solutions that will fix the problem, achieve their outcomes and fit within their business context.

 

However tempting it is to work with my Expert ‘hat’ on, I’ve learnt that it doesn’t give me credibility in the eyes of the client. Just because I’ve done something similar somewhere else, doesn’t mean it will work for them. Only when I can ‘talk their talk’, demonstrate that I understand their world and can help them anticipate likely challenges along the way, will I be a credible Business Partner.

 

I know from my own experience that it’s much easier to work in Expert mode, because it’s safe, I know my stuff and have the confidence to share it with others. However, I also know that expertise alone doesn’t cut it with clients. They expect me to apply that expertise to their situation, their challenges, their people and their world.

 

Working in Business Partnering mode is much more challenging, and can be quite nerve racking because I have to step out of my comfort zone and talk about things that are not familiar to me and that don’t fit within my area of expertise.

 

It also involves time and investment in the ‘long game’, working at the relationship and working at understanding the complexities of my client’s business.  I also know that ‘getting it right’ is really rewarding. There’s that moment when you know that you’ve really helped someone to come up with the right solution for them and they’ve been involved in its creation.

 

I feel like I’ve been on a journey to become a Business Partner; I think I’m a long way down the road but haven’t yet reached the destination.

 

 

 

Although I did feel that I was really getting somewhere when a client said to me “You don’t always give me what I want but you always help me work out what I need.”

 

You’ve heard the phrase “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, well neither were most Business Partners!

 

So, what’s your mode of operation? Are you an Expert, Advisor, Business Partner or some other role?

 

Or, like many people, do you have a number of ‘hats’ and you have to make a conscious choice about which one is needed in each situation?

 

We’d love to hear your thoughts on what makes an effective Business Partner – just add them into the comments box below.

 

Also, take a look at our other blogs on Business Partnering:

 

Business Partnering – How to Develop Your Credibility

 

Business Partnering – How should you weigh up your Client?

 

Look out for next month's blog on The Effective Use of Questions.

 

Posted by Julie Turner


Posted in Business Partnering, Personal Effectiveness | Leave a comment
Mar
4

How to Chair Meetings – 7 Top Tips

 
Do you ever sit in meetings and wonder why the meeting is
       …so dull
…so long
                            …achieves so little
 
Do you ever wonder why the chairperson isn’t doing anything about it? Do you ever worry that people are sitting in your meetings thinking the same thoughts?
 
Do you want people to say good things about YOUR meetings?
If so, then this blog is for you. Chairing meetings involves more than setting an agenda and working through it. It takes pro-active management of some key elements. So, whether you’re about to chair your first meeting or you’ve chaired some already but want to improve your technique, this blog will give you seven tips to put into practice when you chair your next meeting.
 
In your role as chairperson you are responsible for managing not just WHAT is discussed but also HOW it’s discussed. As interested as you may be in the content of the meetings, you need to place as much, if not more emphasis on how the group interacts to achieve the meeting goals.  Here are 7 TIPS to help you manage the “how.”
 
1.  Identify the End Point
Everyone knows that having an agenda is good meeting practice but it’s not enough – you also need to clarify the point you want to reach by the time you finish discussing each agenda item, for example: “we need a prioritised list of amendments to the marketing strategy.”
2.  Map the Route
Something that we often forget to do is consider how we’re going to reach the end point of our agenda items. Think of it as a journey – when we have a destination to get to, we don’t just get in the car and start driving – we identify the route we’ll take to get there (or we’ll at least use a SatNav to do it for us!) Here are a few examples of “route options”: brainstorming, one minute per person round robin, summarising the pros and cons, Q&A.
 
3.  Decide on Roles
Rather than assuming all responsibility for the management of the meeting, delegate some parts of it to others to encourage engagement and make the best of your resources (then monitor them to check they’re doing their job.) Roles might be process manager, timekeeper, note taker, devil’s advocate, action summariser.
4.  Agree Time Control
Clarify how long you’ll spend on each agenda item to ensure you don’t overrun. There are several ways of doing this, for example: setting a fixed time for each stage of the discussion, establishing ground-rules such as “no digressions” and stopping people who talk for too long.
 
5.  Provide Direction
People like to know what to expect so you need to provide direction. Consider yourself the tour guide of your meeting – let people know what will be covered and how the meeting will be organised and managed. After each agenda item provide a summary of where you’ve got to and then tell them what will be coming next.
 
6.  Encourage Involvement
I’ve been in meetings and wondered why some of the people were there. It’s not worth having people in the meeting if they aren’t contributing in some way. Keep your eye on who needs to be brought into discussions, ask questions to specific individuals based on their area of expertise, give people specific roles and where necessary stop the more dominant people from taking all the air time at the expense of others being able to participate. 
 
 
7.  Ensure Clarity of Understanding
You need to be confident that when people leave your meetings they are clear about what was discussed and what actions are to be taken. Research suggests that in order to achieve this clarity, 10% of what we say in meetings needs to focus on clarifying what’s being discussed – this means asking questions that specifically test understanding and summarising regularly.
 
So when are you chairing your next meeting? What will you try out from these tips to improve your chairing skills and the effectiveness of your meetings? You’ve read this far so make it worth your while – take some action. Then drop us a comment afterwards to tell us about the differences it made.
 
If you’ve got any additional chairing techniques that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you – just add them into the comments box below.
 
Look out for next month's blog – another in our Business Partnering series.
 
Posted by Gill Bonello
GB
Posted in Meeting Tips | Leave a comment
Feb
4

Dealing with Difficult People – The Games People Play

 
Dealing with ‘difficult people’ is an energy sapper for everyone. Trouble is… we can sometime walk into an invitation to a dead end interaction without realising it. How do we get sucked in to these human black holes? Transactional Analysis Game Theory can offer some insight so read on….
 
Games (in this context) are repetitive, unsatisfying interactions where participants can take on one of three roles:
 
 
Persecutor
 
 
When someone is in this mode they tend to jump to blaming others for problems or difficulties. Examples of this might be losing your keys and shouting at your partner for having moved them, or believing that people who are complaining are weak or incapable. You know you are getting into persecutor mode when you feel a sense of pleasure when others make errors. It often comes with a feeling of irritation or exasperation with others. You can give someone critical feedback or hold someone to account without being a persecutor but when you make it personal then you have probably stepped over the line.
 
 
Rescuer
 
 
When people are in rescuer mode they step in and do things for people that they are capable of doing for themselves. It sounds and looks a lot nicer on the surface but shares a similar philosophy with the persecutor role. In both there is an assumption that the other person is somehow lacking in some way and the underlying message is the same…somehow these poor people are not up to it and they need ‘capable old me’ to be sympathetic and do things for them. Obviously caring for people and being helpful are very positive things but when we consistently do things we haven’t been asked to do based on an imagined belief of someone else’s inadequacy, it is very disempowering (but can be hard for them to refuse, without looking rude).
 
 
Victim
 
 
When we are in victim mode we are feeling really sorry for ourselves – perhaps believing that the world (or at least some people in it!) are really conspiring to make our lives difficult. We believe that we are at a disadvantage and that we can’t manage things (that we actually are quite capable of.) This Game role is different from being a genuine victim of crime, accident or misfortune and is all to do with what we believe about ourselves and the situation we are in.
 
We are most susceptible to playing a Game when we are stressed, tired or ill. Participants start in one position but during the game one person at least will switch position (and sometimes both). That sounds a bit convoluted but here’s how one Game can play out in real life.
 
 
Games in action: The ‘Why don’t you…Yes but’ Game
 
Gordon is having a weekly review with Stuart who works in an admin role. Stuart has said that he feels really useless and will be stuck in a boring job all his life at this rate.
 

Gordon jumps in and suggests attending a college course in the evenings to get a technical qualification…

Stuart looks sad, “Unfortunately I really can’t commit to regular evenings.”

Unperturbed, Gordon thinks again. “What about offering to be part of the new staff consultation forum, that would get you some useful experience?”  

Stuart smiles wryly “…yes, I can see that but they meet early on a Wednesday when I have a later start.”  

“OK,” says Gordon frowning with concentration “What about asking to shadow Lynne for a day? She is really experienced and could give you an insight into some of the more technical processes.”  

Stuart appears to consider this for a moment but then looks regretful “I just think that Lynne and I are very different people, I don’t think we would relate well…”

 
So what happens next? Does Gordon succumb to impulse and grab Stuart by the lapels? Does Gordon walk away feeling he has failed his team member? Does Stuart feel powerless and resentful towards the organisation because he is stuck in a role he is unhappy in?
 
Gordon and Stuart have just played a Game. Stuart starts in Victim (it’s all hopeless, nothing will work for me) then Gordon jumps into Rescuer mode (I am going to help you). It’s only a matter of time before either Gordon switches into Persecutor “Oh for goodness sake man, take responsibility for yourself” or into Victim himself “I knew I wasn’t very good at this staff development stuff…” Stuart meanwhile might make the shift to Persecutor “Don’t worry, I knew you wouldn’t be able to help.”
 
 
So, how do we avoid playing games?
 
Be aware when we might be 'discounting' our own (or someone else’s) capabilities. For an explanation of discounting see our blog on Getting Agreement that a Problem Exists. Aim for interventions that have mutual respect and a constructive attitude – treating both yourself and the other person as capable individuals.
 
So Gordon could start by asking Stuart which other role he thinks he would be capable of, what ideas he's had to equip himself for a different role, what help he would like to progress… That way he is likely to stay out of the game…even if Stuart is intent on playing victim.
 
Of course there is nothing wrong with making suggestions to help someone, but my rule of thumb is that if you have made 3 suggestions and the person has rejected all of them then STOP and do something else!
 
Of course this is only one possible sequence and there are many others. Look out for future blogs on other Games and how to deal with them. We play these roles unconsciously and usually only cotton on when the switch has happened and we feel bad. All of us can play all of the roles at different times but we probably have a favourite – what’s yours?
 
Look out for next month's blog on Chairing Meetings.
 
Posted by Shona Ward
SW
Posted in People Management, Personal Effectiveness | 2 Comments
Dec
3

Effectively Monitoring Performance – The 3Fs

 
 
As a manager, once you have delegated an objective do you sometimes wonder why…
 

                * you have no idea what progress is being made?

                * you find out that a deadline has been missed?

                * your team member seems to continually ask for help?

In this blog, I offer three tips  which will help answer these questions and I also share two of my own experiences to illustrate how these tips worked for me.
 
  
What is monitoring?
As a manager, once you have delegated a task or objective to someone, you need to be able to effectively monitor their progress and keep an appropriate eye on what they are doing. How effectively you do this will have a huge impact on someone’s motivation to do the task.
 
How do you determine an appropriate monitoring process?
Many managers use a one size fits all approach. For example, they have weekly or monthly 1-2-1s with each individual. But as we all know, people are different, so doesn’t it make sense to monitor each individual differently?
 
To determine an appropriate level of monitoring it is helpful to use the 3Fs as a guide.
 
 
Frequency 
 What frequency is appropriate? Monitoring could be hourly, daily, weekly, monthly or even quarterly depending upon the needs of the individual. For example, someone new to their role would need monitoring more frequently than someone who’s more established in their role.
 
 
 
 
 
Formality
What formality is appropriate? This ranges from informal to formal.  The level of formality required will depend upon the experience of the individual, generally less formal where the individual has higher skill and will. Another important consideration is the level of formality required by the organization. Sometimes a written report or a presentation may be demanded by the situation, for example, financial reporting or legal reporting.
 
 
 
Function
What is the function or purpose of the monitoring?  There are many possible functions, for example:
 

1. Checking they are on track and achieving their objectives

2. Reviewing a performance improvement plan

3. Offering guidance or support and building confidence

4. Keeping you updated on progress because for example the objective is business critical with senior management exposure.

 
 
 
 
So Frequency, Formality and Function should each be considered when designing an appropriate monitoring process. When considering the 3Fs, it is helpful to consider the Skill & Will of the individual. See our Skill/Will Blog.
 
 
To illustrate how the 3Fs have worked for me, let me share two personal examples:
 
I once had a very experienced and capable person in my team (High Skill) who did the minimum necessary (Low Will). I found that the best monitoring process was to drop by his desk a couple of times a day to let him know I was around and to ask a searching question. This had the effect of encouraging him to delve more deeply into the area of work.
 

          Frequency - twice a day

          Formality - drop by the desk

          Function - to check up and to motivate.

 
At another time in my career I managed a new starter (Low Skill, High Will). We agreed a very structured induction where I met her weekly, for an hour, on a Monday morning to plan for the week and to offer support/guidance where necessary.
 

          Frequency – weekly

          Formality - meeting in my office

          Function - planning and support.

 
How does Monitoring relate to Delegation?
Clearly explaining the monitoring process is an important part of the delegation process when expectations are set. See our Blog on Delegation for more on this.  There is nothing worse than setting an objective but not following up on it. Conversely, checking on someone too frequently can also have an adverse impact. When you delegate, be clear about the 3Fs and stick to your agreement.
 
So, next time you delegate an objective be sure to agree an appropriate monitoring process with the individual and then stick to it!  What process do you use for monitoring performance? Let us know what works for you and what you think of this blog.
 
Look out for next month’s blog on psychological 'games' people play at work.
 
Posted by Mark Procter
 
 
Posted in People Management | Leave a comment
Nov
5

Motivation – You can lead a horse to water……..

 
You’ve got a really interesting piece of work, perhaps a new, groundbreaking, project and you’re excited about sharing the news with your team. However, when you tell them about it, they don’t seem to see share your excitement; they’re not as motivated as you are! Has this ever happened to you? Have you been disappointed that people don’t seem to share your enthusiasm?
 
Do you want to understand why people may react differently to opportunities that excite and interest you?
 
If so, read on for two points that will help you uncover and understand what motivates others and enable you to ‘tick their boxes’.
 
 
 
1. One man’s meat is another man’s poison!
 
For me, when considering why people might react differently to opportunities that excite you,  it’s vital to remember that “people do things for their reasons and not yours”. So, how do you find out what their reasons are?
 
The simple answer is ask them!
 
However, simply asking the question “what motivates you?” may not elicit a helpful response as it’s not a question that can be easily answered!  A more helpful question maybe  is “ what do you like about your role?” or “what excites you about working here?” Conversely, you could also ask “what don’t you like?” or “what do you like least about working here?” (although I prefer to focus on the positive so would start with what people like!).
 
The answer to questions like these will give you a clearer picture of what people do and don’t like about their current role. So, for the things they say they like, you can provide further opportunities to do more of these and for those things they don’t like, you can look for alternative approaches.
 
Don’t be surprised when the things that people like are different to the things that you like about your role; embrace the difference and make sure you play to people’s strengths. For me, this is a win:win situation: people in your team are happy so they’re more effective at work and are contributing to a positive workplace environment!
 
2. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink!
 
 
In other words, you can’t make people be motivated but what you can do, as a manager, is to create an environment that will allow people to be motivated!
 
When I first realised that this was the case, it was a real ‘light bulb’ moment! I’d been working with my team for about 6 months and I’d done, what I thought, were all the right things; for example I held weekly team meetings where everyone was asked for their views and contributions, but some people still didn’t seem to be as motivated as I was! I was not sure what else to do so I did some research on motivational tools and spoke to a couple of more experienced colleagues and, having done that, I decided to try two things:
 
Firstly, I asked them how they’d like to be managed. At the time, it was a risky strategy for me as I hadn’t been managing very long and wasn’t sure that I would be able to cope with the answers. However, I took the bull by the horns and asked each person, individually:
 
“How do you like to be managed?”
“What can I do to help you do the best you can in your role?”
 
Having asked the questions, I listened to the answers and concluded that people wanted different things from me! I was also able to compare how I was currently managing to how they would like to be managed. For the most part, I was doing OK, which was heartening, but I got some really helpful feedback about what else I could do. Having had that feedback, I was able to do some things differently which, in turn, led to a feeling of openness and trust within the team where everyone felt able to share the highs and lows.
 
The second thing I did was to give them a PEAR! In other words, I did 4 things that have helped me ever since when working with others:
 
 
Purpose – create a sense of purpose where everyone is clear about why the team exists and the part they play in helping to achieve the team goals
 
Empower – ensure everyone has a personal, and collective, sense of power to achieve the goals
 
Appreciate and acknowledge – notice what people do and let them know that you’ve noticed. Thank them for jobs well done!
 
Resources – make sure they have the materials, equipment, knowledge and skills to get the job done to the best of their ability.
 
Using this check list will help you to determine what you might do to create the environment where people can be motivated.
 
Remember, as a manager, you are a facilitator, creating an environment that allow people to achieve their full potential and setting them up for success.
 
People managers achieve their potential by helping others to reach theirs!
 
What do you do to create an environment where people can reach their potential? What questions do you ask to really find out what excites and motivates people?
 
We’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas so please let us know what you, or others, do.
 
Look out for next month’s blog on The Three Fs!
 
Posted by Caroline Lewis
Posted in Leadership, People Management | Comments Off
Oct
1

How to Delegate – 7 steps

 

You’re snowed under; you have too many meetings to attend and not enough hours in the day to get the work done. Does that sound familiar?  You also have a team of pretty capable people and know that you should delegate more; in fact, you keep saying to yourself “I must delegate more” but never quite get around to it.

 

So, what’s stopping you?

 

 We’ve heard many reasons. Here’s just a few:

 

“It will be quicker if I do it myself”

“It's too big a risk”

“I don’t like losing control”

“It won’t get done the right way” (in other words your way!)

 

If you’d like to delegate more, then follow these 7 Steps to Successful Delegation.

 

Step 1 – What will you Delegate?

 

 

It may be tempting to use delegation as an opportunity to dump all the jobs you don’t like doing. Be careful though as your team are likely to see straight through this.

 

If you’re going to delegate a task to someone, make sure there’s something in it for them, for instance:

 

        

·         Will it raise their profile?

·         Is it a development opportunity?

·         Will it give them deserved recognition from others?

 

Once you’ve decided what to delegate you need to be clear on the outcome. What are your expectations? What does success look like?

 

Step 2 – Who will you Delegate to?

 

      

 I f you find  yourself considering “who can I give this job to most quickly?” or “who will be least resistant?” think again . . . .

 

  

 

If you  always delegate to the person you know can do the job, what happens? They get even busier and others don’t get an opportunity to learn and develop. When deciding who to delegate to, consider:


·         Who has the necessary skills and knowledge?

·         Who would benefit from the development opportunity this activity may provide?

·         Who has the motivation to do a good job?

  

 

 

Step 3 – What Level of Authority do they Need?

 

   

How empowered does the individual need to be so that they can complete the work independently and successfully? Do you need to delegate authority as well as responsibility? If so, to what level?

 

A helpful way to explain this to the person is to talk through the following:

   

 


GO

Go then

Let KNOW

Yes

Then GO

NO GO

 

 

GO – what can they simply get on with without the need to refer to you or even tell you about?

GO then let KNOW – what would you like to be kept informed about and how?

YES then GO – what do they need to check with you before taking action?

NO GO - what do you not want them to do?

 

Step 4 – What Coaching or Training will they Need?

 

If you’re delegating a task to someone as a development opportunity, what help will they need to complete it successfully? Will this involve training or coaching? And who would be the best person to provide this? Remember, it doesn’t necessarily need to be you. Is there someone else in the team who could help?

 

Step 5 – What Resources do they need and who else needs to know?

 

It’s all very well delegating a task to someone, but what if they don’t have the resources to do it well or access to the right people who can help them?

 

So that the individual has some independence in completing the task, you need to consider what they will need at the outset so that they don’t have to keep coming back to you every five minutes.  You may need to consider:


·         Will they need help from others and if so who?

·         Do they need access to systems, people or other resources?

·         Do they need a budget and if so how much? How will they access this budget?

·         Who else can support them, other than you? 

 

And do remember to tell others who you have delegated the task to. This might include your line manager, other team members or colleagues in other departments who may be used to being in contact with you in relation to this specific task.

 

Step 6 – What will be the Monitoring and Reviewing process?

 

Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve been delegated a task and then your manager either disappears for a couple of weeks or hovers over your shoulder the whole time?

 

If you want to avoid falling into this trap, it’s really helpful for the person to know, up front, what contact you would like with them throughout the completion of the task. How often do you want to review progress? What specifically do you want to review with them (just the completion of the task, how they’re going about completing it or what they’re learning along the way)?

 

And once the task has been completed successfully, it’s always worth spending time reviewing it. How did they get on? What challenges did they encounter? How did they overcome them? What did they learn? How would they do it differently next time?  This only needs to take a few minutes but will help to increase their confidence and set them up for success next time.

 

Step 7 – How and When will you Brief them?

 

You’ve got this far but there’s still time to mess it up if you don’t brief them properly.

 

When briefing the person, make sure you discuss:

 

·         The nature and scope of the task and how it fits in the bigger picture

·         Why you are delegating to them

·         The result to be achieved

·         The time they should spend on the task

·         The deadline for completion

·         The resources available and how to access them

·             The level of authority they have

·         The training, coaching and support available and from whom

·         How you would like to monitor and review progress.

 

That just leaves you with the final job of wishing them well and reassuring them of your trust, support and availability whilst they complete the delegated task.

 

 

 

And finally . . . . . . Above all, do not interfere – let them get on with it. You never know, they may even do a better job than you!

 

We’d welcome your thoughts… what do you think of these 7 steps? What techniques do you use to delegate tasks and ensure that your team feels motivated to complete them?

 

Look out for next month’s blog on Motivation.

 

Posted by Julie Turner

Posted in Leadership, People Management | 2 Comments
Sep
3

Managing Performance – Skill vs Will

 
Wouldn’t life as a manager be so much easier if everyone in your team was the same, so you could treat them all the same way?
 
Unfortunately, managing people doesn’t work like that. Participants often tell us that one of the hardest things about being a people manager is knowing WHAT APPROACH to take with each person.
 
Do YOU want a simple tool that can help you look at your team and work out the best intervention for each person?
 
If so, the Skill/Will Matrix can help. The Skill/Will Matrix “plots” a person’s SKILL level against their WILL level. The question to ask yourself for each person is: “how ABLE and how WILLING are they?” You can ask this question either in relation to their job as a whole, or for specific parts of their job.
 
So, what sort of people might you have in your team and what’s the best course of action for each one?
 
 
  High Skill + Low Willll
white space
This is our Grumpy Expert.  You know the type – they’re very capable and can do the job but their attitude leaves a lot to be desired. They might be capable but they’re definitely not willing. It always seems to be a battle to get this person to do what’s required – their attitude gets in the way. So, what do you need to do with a Grumpy Expert? Basically, find out what’s making them grumpy! Reiterating what you want from them is unlikely to get you anywhere. Instead, counsel them in order to uncover the cause of their low motivation and identify actions that both of you can take to raise their “WILL” level.       
                          
 
 Low Skill + Low Will 
white space
This person could be described as Can’t Cook, Won’t Cook! They’re not willing and they’re not capable and this is likely to cause you lots of problems! But, before you hand them their P45, consider why this person is in this position in the first place. Perhaps they haven’t been given the necessary training to do their job or maybe the job role has evolved and different skill sets are now required which the person hasn’t got and doesn’t want. Or perhaps it was simply a poor recruitment decision. Whatever the reason, you need to tackle it. If they’re a round peg in a square hole, is there a round hole you can encourage them towards? Ultimately, if you’ve given them the tools and resources to do the job but they’re just not up to it, you can’t keep carrying them. You must confront the issue. Get advice from HR on how to manage the situation fairly and professionally.
 
 

 

High Skill + High Will

Here’s someone at the other end of both scales: your Shining Star. They are highly capable and extremely willing. It’s great having someone like this in a team – they’re so easy to manage, you can just let them get on with it. But, that’s where you need to be careful. You might end up taking this person for granted and paying them little attention. If you want to keep their WILL level high, you need to keep them motivated. A shining star needs Mentoring. Help them identify how they want to progress, and support them by offering opportunities to enhance their skills even further. Shining Stars may not want to stay with you forever but, at least while they do, they’ll be doing a great job and can serve as a role model for other members of the team.
 
 

They are highly capable and extremely willing. It’s great having someone like this in a team – they’re so easy to manage, you can just let them get on with it. But, that’s where you need to be careful. You might end up taking this person for granted and paying them little attention. If you want to keep their WILL level high, you need to keep them motivated. A shining star needs Mentoring. Help them identify how they want to progress, and support them by offering opportunities to enhance their skills even further. Shining Stars may not want to stay with you forever but, at least while they do, they’ll be doing a great job and can serve as a role model for other members of the team.

Low Skill + Medium/High Will

This is your Eager Novice.   They’re pretty keen but not really contributing much at the moment. It could be that they’re new into the job or industry so they need time and support to get up to speed.  Before their WILL level dips to LOW, you need to grow their knowledge and skills so that they  are able to perform well in the role. Train them – on the job and off the job. Give them responsibility for getting themselves up to speed with WHAT they need to know.  Use your Shining Stars to role model HOW they should be doing it.  

 
 
Medium Skill + Medium/High Will
white space
This is your Steady Eddie.  These guys are pretty solid performers and you know they’ve got even more to give. They are keen and capable. They might sometimes make mistakes but they learn from them. What do you need to do with your Steady Eddies to keep them motivated and develop them further? You need to employ a coaching style. This means, when challenges come their way, encourage them to come up with the answers themselves rather than handing them the answers on a plate. Draw out their potential by stretching them and building their confidence.  
 
*******************
 
  So who’s your team made up of? Are you doing the right things to move each person on? Use the Skill/Will matrix to plot your team and consider what intervention you might need to make. Why not take a blank Skill/Will matrix to your next one to one meeting and get the individual to identify where they think they are. If it matches your perception, that’s great, you can work together to move the person to their next level of development. If their perception doesn’t match yours, at least you’ve set up the foundations for a longer conversation.
 
We’d welcome your thoughts… what techniques have you used to manage different levels of skill and will? How you could use this tool with your team? 
 
Look out for next month’s blog on Delegation. . 
 
Posted by Gill Bonello
 
  White  spac 
Posted in Coaching, People Management | Leave a comment
Aug
6

Getting Agreement that a Problem Exists

 
Say you have an issue that requires a change in behaviour from an employee – how do you know when they’ve really ‘got it’?
 
How many times have you discussed a necessary change with a team member, where they have looked you in the eye and said “Yes I will” …but hey presto… nothing happens. We all know how important it is to get personal commitment for change, so… what went wrong? You were certainly convinced, so what got ‘lost in translation’?
 
Why do people avoid solving problems and what can we do about it?
 
Human brains are remarkable problem solving machines. What is equally extraordinary is our capacity to duck an issue, and inside our heads we have very clever ways to avoid solving problems. Solving problems is an active process, and there are lots of ways we can passively avoid taking constructive action just by the way we define the situation to ourselves.
 
 

Imagine the scene: Four chimps each sit down on a chair that has an upturned drawing pin on the seat.
 
The first chimp says, “Owww, this hurts…. I’ve got a drawing pin in my backside… but I am far too squeamish to pull it out so I’d better just live with it.”
 
“Oww,” says the second, mournfully, “this really hurts, but once you have a pin in your butt, you’re stuck with it for life.”
 
“Yeah, I have a pin in my butt too, but hey; it could be worse!” The third one replies.
 
The fourth, stiff upper lip firmly in place, says “Drawing pin? What drawing pin?”
 
So what’s going on, and how do we humans do this too?
 
Drawing on Transactional Analysis theory we know our chimps are discounting - they're minimising or ignoring some aspect of themselves, others or the situation they are in. They are certainly not solving that old ‘tack in the butt’ problem.
 
 
 

 

We can discount at differing levels of seriousness, so starting with the most profound level…
 
1.    The most serious level is discounting the existence of the problem. “I haven’t noticed us starting late?”  “I don’t think we should worry about the stats”  “We don’t have any figures for retention rates” “I haven’t used insulting language to anyone.”
2.    We might acknowledge that there is a problem but block any further progress to solving it by diminishing the scale or significance of the problem “Yes staff are often late for meetings but it’s no big deal”  “ I’ve only forgotten to switch on the alarm once or twice”  “Yes I did call her a ***** but hey, it was only a joke.”
3.    We may acknowledge that there is a problem and that yes, it is having an negative impact, but we can still put the blockers on by discounting the solvability of the problem. “There’s no point complaining”  “Senior managers always ignore our requests”  “You’re never going to fix it”  “You’re always going to have people taking offence however careful you are.”
4.    Finally, as a last ditch attempt to duck the issue, we can acknowledge that we do have a serious problem. Yes, other people have been able to turn this kind of thing around, but we can still diminish our skills or personal ability to solve the problem.  “I’m hopeless at IT”  “I’m just not a people person”  “I’m too old to start learning a new system at this stage”  “It’s just the way I am, I’m not going to get all ‘PC’ at my age.”
So how do we tackle the situation when we think someone else is discounting? Or is it ‘just one of those things we have to live with’? (Just kidding!)
 
Let’s paint another picture which doesn’t involve any chimps, pins or butts… Mary is a very experienced member of the customer services team. Unfortunately, she has a habit of complaining persistently about some of the ‘givens’ of her role, which has fed a culture of dissatisfaction amongst the team. Newer team members soon pick up the common view that management demands are ‘unreasonable’ and, although there is lots of backroom gossip about how unhappy the team are, when the manager asks if there are any complaints, no one in the team deals with the issues directly.
 
When her manager tackles her about it, Mary says that she knows she does complain, but that letting off steam is good for the team because of the stress of the job. Mary then agrees with her manager that she will of course be more positive in future. 
 
 
 
How confident are you that this problem has been solved? It doesn’t sound like Mary is disputing that she complains, but is she acknowledging how big a problem it is? Or whether it is possible to create a team environment in customer services without regular grumbling? Or whether it is a habit she believes she can change herself? Until the conversation draws these issues out in a way Mary can relate to, she is not even on the starter’s blocks of truly turning this one around.
 
So when embarking on problem-solving with an employee have your mental checklist at the ready:
  
 
It is also worth considering that people are probably discounting at a more profound level than it might appear, so it is often worth double checking at a deeper level.
 
This blog links with the first two stages of ‘Difficult Conversations and how to handle them – CLICK HERE to find out about the other stages.
 
Oh, and by the way, when you find yourself sitting on one of life’s little tacks – do you spring to solve the problem or find yourself craving a banana?
  
Look out for next month’s blog which explores the dimensions of Skill and Will in relation to Performance Management.
 
Posted by Shona Ward
white space
Posted in People Management | Leave a comment
Jul
2

Non-Verbal Communication – Getting Your Message Across

 

As you know, it’s not just what you say, it’s the way that you say it!

With so much written about interpreting body language, how are you supposed to know what’s right?

Professor Albert Mehrabian's research provides the basis for the widely quoted and over-simplified statistic for the impact of spoken communication:

 - 7% is communicated in the words that are spoken

- 38% is communicated in the way that the words are said

- 55% is communicated in facial expression (this is often interpreted more widely to include body language generally, e.g. gestures, body position etc.)

The Mehrabian formula was established in situations that relate only to the communication of feelings and attitudes where there was incongruence between words and facial expression. In Mehrabian's research, people tended to believe the facial expression they saw, not the words spoken. For example, if someone asks another “How was your day darling?” and they reply “Fine!” through the tone of voice and facial expression we can determine that their day was anything but fine. 

The value of Mehrabian's theory relates to communication where emotional content is significant and this is often applicable in business, where motivation and attitude have an effect on outcomes.

I look at the impact of non-verbals, voice and facial expression, from two perspectives:

Having more impact when you are speaking

  Reading the non-verbal signs when others are speaking

 

1.                  Having more impact when you're speaking

The message of the Mehrabian study is that how you say something is more important than what you say. That’s not to say you can talk gibberish, but it is worth spending time ensuring that your message is enhanced by non-verbal messages. The aim is to be congruent: words, voice and facial expression should all be conveying the same message so that the audience is in no doubt of your commitment and belief. Whilst you can make deliberate attempts to manage your voice and facial expression, this is likely to result in incongruence. It’s better that you spend time connecting with the purpose and intention of your communication so that your voice and facial expression naturally follow. Often, middle managers are asked to convey, perhaps via team briefings, the intentions of senior management. Often, the problem is that they will convey these intentions without the personal belief and this leaks out through incongruence in their voice and facial expression.

The main message here is: take time to really understand what you are saying and build your own commitment to it. If necessary, question it until you really understand, and believe, the purpose of the communication.

 

2.                   Reading the non-verbal signs when others are speaking

There are many books written on the art of interpreting body language and Alan Pease’s is a classic. Reading these signs is a complex science and it’s helpful to work with some more fundamental guidelines, of which I believe there are two.

Firstly, you are looking for incongruence: when the voice and facial expression don’t match the words that are spoken. For example, when someone takes an action from a meeting and says “I’ll try to do that” with a weak voice, no eye contact and a pained expression on their face, you’re unlikely to be convinced that they will!

 

 

 

Secondly, you are looking for shifts, or changes, in voice and facial expression/body language rather than generalisations. As you gain someone’s interest and commitment, they will generally make more eye contact, open their body language and lean towards you. As you lose someone’s interest and commitment, they will generally make less eye contact, close their body language and move away from you. Noticing these shifts, or changes, is key to being able to respond appropriately and ensure interest and commitment are maintained.

Generalisations, on the other hand, can be unreliable. For example, I was once faced with a whole group who had their arms crossed and  stern expressions on their faces. Thinking they were being defensive (the traditional interpretation of arms crossed), I asked them what was wrong? They said “It’s cold, please would you turn the air conditioning down.”

The main message here is non-verbal communication is a big clue that may be evident long before you get a verbal  “yes” or “no” (which you may never get anyway as people are often polite or agreeable regardless of their intention). Noticing the incongruence and shifts is one thing, doing something about them is another!  If the other person is losing interest then, perhaps, ask them a question or challenge them in some way, but at least do something different! If the other person is demonstrating interest then this could be the time to gain their commitment.

 

********

 

So, to summarise, in business, paying attention to the non-verbals is helpful to:

1. Ensure we have more impact when we're speaking

2. Understand another person's level of interest and commitment to our ideas and act upon it

What do you notice about non-verbal communication? How does it help or hinder you when communicating in business? What other thoughts do you have on the use of non-verbals? We’d love to hear your comments as everyone seems to have a view on the Merhabian Myth, as it’s often called! Please feel free to leave your thoughts below.


Next month, look for ‘Getting Agreement that a Problem Exists’

 

Posted by Mark Procter               

Posted in Personal Effectiveness, Presentation Tips, Uncategorized | Leave a comment
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3