The Communication Problem Solver 30

A PPENDIX B: C OMMUNICATION I SSUES U NIQUE TO FIRST-TIME MANAGERS

contributor role working alongside their peers. They are also expected to

assume the role of manager of these current peers. In addition to time-

management challenges that arise, dual roles are difﬁcult to handle for

both the new manager and the direct reports because the roles are

blurred. It is unclear when the manager wears the peer hat and when

she wears the manager hat.

When you are given the new management duties, the ﬁrst thing to

do is to meet with your manager. Do you have a title and/or grade-level

change? How and when will your manager announce your new role to

the team? Get clarity on your manager’s expectations and your level of

authority for each of your responsibilities. What percent of your time

is to be spent on these new managerial responsibilities? What are your

manager’s suggestions for making the new arrangement work well for

the team? Who is responsible for evaluating performance of your team-

mates—you or your manager? Set a plan with your new manager. Be

sure you and your boss are clear on his expectations of you.

How to Strike a Balance Between Functioning as a Manager and as an Individual Contributor

1. Issues:

> Time management. > Deﬁning roles and expectations—confusion about separating

roles.

> Prioritization (individual versus team needs). > Friction with teammates and managing friends (see Chapter 7). > How to get teammates to do the work without micromanaging. > Deﬁning boundaries of delegation.

2. Action Steps:

> Clearly deﬁne goals and objectives and job responsibilities for self and for reports. Ask for clariﬁcation from your manager and com- municate that to your entire team. Ask your boss to make the formal announcement of your new role.

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A PPENDIX B: C OMMUNICATION I SSUES U NIQUE TO FIRST-TIME MANAGERS

> Identify all tasks for each role. Classify tasks based on individual,

team, and organizational needs. Prioritize each task.

> Evaluate all the work processes. Streamline processes and work-

ﬂow with input from peers.

> Acknowledge the new role to the team and ask for their input on how to make the new relationships and work assignments work for everyone. Redeﬁne roles if necessary.

> Adapt to the demands of each team members’ needs. > Schedule one-on-one meetings with peers to discuss how you will handle the dual role. Set expectations with your direct reports. > Assign equal or greater priority to new management role while continuing in individual role. Allow time as necessary to be acces- sible to your team.

> Discuss the change with peers. Understand and address your peers’ feelings. Accommodate their needs as much as possible. > Lead from the front—pull the team, rather than push them. Con- tribute as part of the team in the new managerial role—not aloof and not apart.

> Assign work and follow up to ensure it gets done. If workload is unrealistic, clarify what your team is able to accomplish. You may need to reset your boss’s expectations or request resources.

> Deﬁne the need to hire an individual contributor to ﬁll your old position, if necessary. Present detailed workload information to your boss and prioritize.

> Clearly deﬁne your new role and transition your former roles over to someone else or distribute them among several others. Learn to delegate and trust (deﬁne authority level for tasks). Train team members to pick up some of your previous tasks. Don’t take back the assignment once delegated.

> Know your direct reports’ strengths and work preferences. > Plan for the future.

How to Handle a Problem Managing a Peer with Greater Seniority and Experience

1. Issues:

> Peer doesn’t meet established deadlines. > Peer resets already established priorities.

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A PPENDIX B: C OMMUNICATION I SSUES U NIQUE TO FIRST-TIME MANAGERS

> Peer’s general performance level has decreased. The quality of her work is lower. For example, she deviated from the standard operating procedures and that led to poor software installation. The result was higher cost.

> Peer goes over the manager’s head to higher-level management.

2. Action Steps:

> Gain your manager’s support for the priorities and deadlines. Clarify that he agrees with your plan to meet with the nonper- forming direct report.

> Hold face-to-face meeting. Clarify goals and rules. Emphasize the priorities and deadlines and why they are important. Compare expectations to observed performance to recue the gap issues. > Discuss how to better capitalize on the peer’s experience. Does

she need more independence or more challenging tasks?

> Discuss what the peer will do from here on in to meet agreed expectations. What help does she need? State consequences of not meeting priorities and deadlines.

> Tell your manager your plan and ask him to send the peer back to you if she goes over your head again. Gain your manager’s sup- port for the priorities and deadlines.

Time Management (Balancing Time for Direct Reports and Managerial Work)

1. Issue: How to prevent people problems by organizing your time

to do both jobs.

2. Action Steps:

> Organize time for managerial work. • Plan and schedule your work. • Review your progress daily and plan the next day. • Close the door occasionally, or specify a ‘‘quiet hour.’’ • Set time in morning and afternoon for dialogue. • Manage your boss’s expectations.

> Organize time for direct reports.

• Have a weekly or biweekly pulse check one-on-one meeting

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A PPENDIX B: C OMMUNICATION I SSUES U NIQUE TO FIRST-TIME MANAGERS

with direct reports. Each person saves up nonurgent items for the meetings.

• When delegating, communicate performance standards, objec-

tives, timelines, and checkpoints.

• Ensure direct reports understand what to do. • Assign nonurgent work direct reports can do when they have

downtime.

• Expect that newer employees or lower-performing employees

will require more feedback and coaching time.

• Understand each person’s strengths, limitations, and talents.

Transition to Being a Manager

Transitioning to a management role is an exciting challenge. It offers

opportunities for growth and development of communication skills.

Your skills now need to be broader and deeper. There will be roles and

tasks you will need to let go of. What a ﬁrst-time manager lets go of when

ceasing to be an individual contributor depends on the situation. Be sure

to clarify your speciﬁc responsibilities and levels of authority (see Chap-

ter 2, ‘‘Setting Expectations with Turbocharged Clarity’’). It is important

to know precisely what your boss expects. Most managers also do indi-

vidual work, although at a higher level. If you are still expected to do

some detailed technical work, you need to clarify to what extent. In gen-

eral, here are some things to consider as you move forward.

Transitioning from an Individual Contributor to a Manager Role

1. Issue: Changing roles from doing the work to managing the indi-

vidual contributors.

2. Action Steps:

> Deﬁne new roles for yourself and your direct reports. Get buy-in from your manager. Find out your manager’s expectations and set expectations for your staff. Adapt and adjust.

> Clearly communicate your expectations to staff and ask them to

clarify their understanding.

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> Set up a transition plan for delegating work. Execute and monitor

the plan.

> Communicate continually with your manager and direct reports. Be approachable so staff feel comfortable approaching you (what is important is that they perceive an open door, not just that you tell them you have an open door). Be inclusive and understanding so direct reports are able to ask questions. Demonstrate your in- tention to preserve relationships and help them succeed on the job.

> Behave as you would have other staff behave. The manager is a mirror, so the behaviors you demonstrate are the behaviors you are likely to see in your staff (honesty, consistency, meeting dead- lines, keeping commitments, listening, not judging, not gossip- ing, and being positive).

> Act conﬁdent in your own abilities so the employees will be con-

ﬁdent in your ability to steer the group.

> Know your information before you explain to staff. Be consistent

in decisions.

> Continually develop expertise in your job. Grow skills and learn

as much as you can.

> Possibly let go of some aspects of your individual contributor role that you enjoyed. This is your decision, based on the needs of your new management role. Some managers ﬁnd they need to let go of their perception of self as a technical expert, certain friend- ships, detail work, projects and tasks, gossip, and avoiding people they didn’t like to work with. These depend on the situation and people involved.

How to Prove Capable in a New Role

1. Issue: Want to be capable and viewed by others as a capable man-

ager.

2. Action Steps:

> Continue learning the new job quickly. > Attend management training programs as soon as possible. > Read management books and articles ASAP. > Find a mentor inside or outside the organization.

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> Develop a plan with your boss to increase your skills. Ask for

coaching.

> Make new peer relationships with other managers. > Read everything you can ﬁnd on the subject of your new job to

be fully competent in the industry and functional areas.

> Demonstrate conﬁdence and knowledge. > Make decisions and trust yourself. If you make mistakes, ac-

knowledge them and try a new tactic.

> Manage the relationships with your direct reports, your manager,

and your new peers, and maintain previous relationships.

> Treat each person with respect, listen thoroughly, and communi-

cate well.

> Resist the temptation to make changes right away.

How to Get Comfortable Managing People

1. Issue: New management role is uncomfortable because of the

people aspects of the job.

2. Action Steps:

> Talk to your manager and get a comprehensive understanding of job requirements and level of authority for each. Get advice. Role- play feedback and coaching situations with your manager.

> Develop a thorough knowledge of direct reports’ responsibilities and levels of authority. Be completely familiar with their job de- scriptions.

> Get complete knowledge of all company policies, standard opera- ting procedures, workﬂow and processes, legalities, safety proce- dures, and HR requirements.

> Ask HR what support is available for new managers. Learn how delegation, feedback, coaching, performance evaluations, and counseling are done in your organization.

> Go to management classes. Read communication and manage-

ment books and periodicals.

> Set and meet goals for your group. Assign tasks and follow-

through decisively.

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A PPENDIX B: C OMMUNICATION I SSUES U NIQUE TO FIRST-TIME MANAGERS

> Take communication training courses to develop knowledge of

how to talk to direct reports, give feedback, and coach.

> Know your direct reports and their work backgrounds and full

range of expertise.

> Develop direct reports’ skills and knowledge through appropriate assignments. Give direct reports opportunities for visibility. Coach them to help them succeed.

> Give positive and redirective feedback regularly. > Hold team meetings to cross-fertilize the ideas, goals, and accom- plishments of the entire group. This also builds camaraderie and teamwork.

> Get a mentor and new peers who are managers. > Keep a professional journal of what works and what you need to

rethink and improve.

278—

Index

Carroll, Danielle, 67 change, 84–85, 141

absence, communicating with, 13–14 age differential of employees, 156–157 Amack, Craig, 14–15 American Association of Advertising Agencies, 53 feedback to gain, 185–186 employee acceptance of, 155–156 leading with communication, 260–262 in performance, 151 analysis of judging, 108–109 asking coaching, 209, 211–212 Clarifying Expectations worksheet, 35–40 clarity, 2 process, 214–216 when to use, 213–214 in expectations, 22–23 phrases for, 189–190 assumptions, 45 authority levels, 31–33 for delegated task, 234 availability, communicating with, 13–14 Clarity Coverdale Fury, 53–55 closed questions, 90–92 coaching, 23, 77–79

‘‘bad blood,’’ 133–134 Balboa Bay Club & Resort, 26–30, 178–180 behavioral questions, 92–94 blame, 105 body language, 241 judging with, 126–128

Bogdan, Marilyn, 254 boss

clarifying expectations of, 33–34, 40–41 direct reports going around you to get to, 146–148 asking type, 209, 211–212 asking type, when to use, 213–214 behaviors, 208–209 beneﬁts, 205–208 deﬁnition and purpose, 196–199 vs. feedback, 199–204 and generational differences, 204–205 for manager, 216–218 performance expectations and, 42–43 relationship to feedback, 199 telling type, 209–211 telling type, when to use, 212–213 collaboration, 258 employees’ relationships with, 251–252 meeting for communicating expecta- increasing when delegating, 222–223 tions, 40–41 collaborative conversation, 170, 184, 199–204

overdelegating by, 236–238 problems with relationship, 164–165 relationship with, 162–165 collaborative listening, 241–242 comments, restating, 242 communication

burnout, 238 business coaching, see coaching business strategy meetings, 76 buy-in, opportunity for, 48–49

—279

career plans, 55 Carroll, Chuck, 72–73 ﬁrst-time manager issues, 271–278 interdepartmental, 10 judging and, 105 leading change with, 260–262 meetings for optimizing, 76–77 practicing, 250–251

I NDEX

communication (continued ) desk barriers, 257–258 direct reports

process and, 70–72 removing barriers, 257–259 with status reports, 77 see also feedback communication problems, xi, 57–63

clarifying management priorities, 58–59 lack of clarity in information delivery, beneﬁts of delegating, 225 feedback from, 193–194 friends as, 138–140 going around you to boss, 146–148 lateness by good performers, 151–152 personal activities on work time, 58 149–151

lack of management follow-up, 61–62 management timing, 61 organization communication issues, 62–63

organizational obstacles, 59–61 surprises and, 10–12 complaining, as communication style, 258 problems with, 143–152 task completion issues, 148–149 see also coaching directive coaching, 210 discovery coaching, 210 diversity in workforce, 261 downsizing, 238 effects of, 134 conﬂict, 9, 108 DREAM process for delegating, 233–234 Drucker, Peter, 138, 265

e-mail between departments, 78 between employees, 160–162 interpersonal, see people problems negative judging and, 102–103 constructive feedback, 185 avoiding for feedback, 181, 192 for meeting agenda distribution, 163 to share expectations, 56–57 see also redirective feedback ‘‘employee milks assignment’’ example of judging, 123–124 context, providing for questions, 85 ‘‘controlling’’ example of judging, employees 119–121

corporate culture, and delegating, 232 corrective feedback, 185 coaching beneﬁts for, 207–208 conﬂict between, 160–162 decision options for task completion, see also redirective feedback 51–52

credibility of manager building, 172–173 questioning techniques and, 83 critical path diagram, 78 and delegating, 228 environment for, 252–253 gaining acceptance of change, 155–156 help for communication problems, 156–162 refusal of delegated assignment, decision-making process including others, 173 questions for, 96–98 229–231 delegating

relationships with boss, 251–252 task ownership, 50 treatment of, 183 see also direct reports; feedback

beneﬁts of, 223–225 challenges, 228–229 deciding on tasks for, 234–236 DREAM process, 233–234 employee refusal of assignment, end results, vs. process, 51–52 expectations, 2, 261 229–231

across organization, 57 of boss, 165 communication problems from unmet, 57–63

280—

excessive by boss, 236–238 hallway or process, 231–233 increasing collaboration when, 222–223 managers’ reluctance, 225–228 performance expectations and, 42–43 timing, 221–222 and trust, 221–222 what it is, 220–221 connecting to feedback, 178–180 for delegated task, 234 e-mailing, 56–57 and feedback, 176, 192–193 follow-up on, 41

I NDEX

word choice in, 125–126 see also positive reinforcement feed- back; redirective feedback how much to say, 52–56 impact of unclear, 23–26, 47–48 importance of, 63–64 linking with delegating, feedback and ﬁrst-time manager, communication is- sues, 271–278

follow-up by management, lack of, 61–62 friends, supervising, 136, 138–140 friendship, 4

Gallup Management Journal, 251–252 generational differences and coaching, 204–205 in communication, 156–157

globalization, 261 goals, 265–266

coaching, 42–43 listening and, 241 meeting with boss on, 40–41 model for setting, 26–30 purpose of clear, 22–23 for remote workers, 153 setting, 77–79 setting turborcharged for staff, 42 stating, and partnering, 55–56 stating for performance, 45–46, 49–51 of supervisor, clarifying, 33–34, 40–41 unmet, 105 unrealistic, and feedback absence, in coaching, 200 personal vs. organization, 7 shared with boss, 162 177–178 see also job expectations expectations communication, 20, 21–22 Goins, Cynthia, 26, 29, 31, 178–180 Goldberg, Irene, 257–258 groups, leftover problems with new, importance of, 44–45 154–155 experience, supervising someone with

more, 145–146 exploring coaching, 210 eye contact, 241

face-to-face communication, lack of, 152–153 facts Haas, Bernie, 252–253 hallway delegation, 231–233 Hiring Batting Average (HBA), 29 hiring practices, 27, 54 ‘‘hostile’’ example of judging, 121–122 hostile work environment, 161–162 Human Resources (HR) department, 163, 231 closed questions to learn, 90–92 examining, vs. judging, 106–107 gathering, 200, 202

familiarity, 130–131 favoritism, former peer management and, 141

favors, delegating and, 222–223 feedback, 23, 27, 77–79, 165 in-person contact, absence of, 131–132 inﬂuence, 262–263 information delivery, lack of clarity in, 58 interdepartmental communication, 10 interpersonal conﬂict absence, and unrealistic expectations, 177–178 negative judging and, 102–103 see also people problems intuition, 259–260

in delegating, 222 role of, 68

job descriptions, 21, 141, 266–268 job expectations goals, 265–266 performance standards, 268–270 judging

—281

with body language, 126–128 dislike of, 106–107 negative, 102–103 typical, 103–106 untangling, 108–109 beneﬁts, 192–193 vs. coaching, 199–204 collaborative conversation and, 171 deﬁnition of term, 175–176 expectations and, 178–180 from former peers, 141 guidelines, 181–182 impact of absence, 190–191 inviting and receiving, 193–194 noncollaborative, 191–192 performance expectations and, 42–43 relationship to coaching, 199 timing of, 176 trust and, 17

I NDEX

judging (continued ) what it is, 101–102 word choice in, 124–126 judgmental attitude, 18 ‘‘negative feedback,’’ 186 negative judging, 102–103 new employees, orientation, 27–28 new groups, leftover problems with, 154–155

kindness, 253–254 Koehler-Pentacoff, Elizabeth, 103 news TV channels, and judging, 107 Nielsen, Eric, 251 ‘‘nitpicky and insensitive boss’’ example labeling, 101 of judging, 114–116 see also judging noncollaborative feedback, 191–192

ofﬁce politics, 157–158 ‘‘old dog’’ example of judging, 112–114 one-way feedback, 191 open questions, 86–90

‘‘lame duck’’ example of judging, 116–118 language, use in communication, 247–249 lateness by good performers, 151–152 laughing moments, 14–16 Lawrence, Sharon, 259 ‘‘lazy’’ example of judging, 110–112 Leadership Performance Report Cards, 29 listening, 85 beneﬁts, 87–88 downside, 88 examples, 88–90 when to use, 87 organization

coaching beneﬁts for, 206–207 expectations across, 57 organizational obstacles, 59–61, 165–166

paraphrasing, 243 in coaching, 216 clarifying message when, 242–244 collaborative, 241–242 to feedback, 193–194 impact on relationships, 245–246 importance of, 244–245 process, 246–247 reasons for, 240–241 with your heart, 247–249 partnering, stating expectations and, 55–56

M&T Bank, 55–56 management timing, 61 management workﬂow processes, 75–77 managers partnership behaviors, 171–172 Paulin, Kenneth W., 55–56 peers with greater seniority and experience,

273–274 managing, 272 managing former, 136, 140–143 people problems

causes, 130–135 deﬁning, 129–130 preventing, 135 questioning to prevent and solve, 98–100

beneﬁts of delegating, 223–225 building credibility, 172–173 coaching beneﬁts for, 205–206 coaching for, 216–218 direction from, 24 lack of follow-up, 61–62 lack of training, 177 priorities, 58–59 reluctance to delegate, 225–228 team feedback to, 193–194 training of, 28–29 transition to, 275–278 see also boss solution process, 135–136 solution process, examples, 137–166 typical examples, 136–137 performance mathematics, 67–68 meeting with boss, for communicating absence of redirective feedback and, expectations, 40–41 meetings, 54

for optimizing communication, 76–77 scheduling with remote workers, 153

282—

190–191 change in, 151 coaching and, 198 employees’ self-assessment, 215 expectations, see expectations performance appraisals, 22, 269 milestone reporting, 234 miscommunication, preventing, 135 mistakes, manager’s response to, 177 surprises in, 190–191

I NDEX

performance standards, 268–270 personal activities on work time, 149–151 personal relationship quality, 237 quality time, 14 question types, 86–96

at work, 16 vs. work relationship, 4, 6

‘‘personality conﬂict,’’ 133–134, 159 personality types, 63 completing work while interacting with behavioral questions, 92–94 closed questions, 90–92 open questions, 86–90 situational questions, 94–96 questioning techniques, 81–100 different, 159–160

persuasion, 262–263 phone calls with remote workers, sched- uling, 153 in asking coaching, 211 barrage or communication, 85 beneﬁts, 83–84 to prevent and solve people problems, 98–100 for problem-solving and decision- phrases for clarity and direction, 189–190 politics in ofﬁce, 157–158 positive reinforcement feedback, 175, making processes, 96–98 180–183 ﬁve-step process, 183–185 purpose of, 81–82 when listening, 242–243 priorities, 135

Rankin, Rob, 53–55 redirective feedback, 175, 180–181, clarifying, 58–59 project management and, 75 185–186 problem-solving, questions for, 96–98 process

direct and clear phrases for, 189–190 ﬁve-step process, 186–189 impact of absence, 190–191 for asking coaching, 214–216 and collaborative conversation, relationships, 66 170–171

with boss, 162–165 building and preserving, 13–16 coaching and, 200 and collaborative conversation, 170 developing with someone you don’t like, 18 and communication, 70–72 for delegating, 231–233 for solving people problems, 135–136 standardized, 71 standardized for communication, 77–79 see also workﬂow process process for untangling judgments, 108–109 importance, 2, 6–9 listening and, 241, 245–246 with person who wanted your job, 143–144 ‘‘controlling’’ example, 119–121 ‘‘employee milks assignment’’ example, 123–124

personal at work, 16 and process, 67 questioning techniques and, 83 types, 4–6 working, 3–4 ‘‘hostile’’ example, 121–122 ‘‘lame duck’’ example, 116–118 ‘‘lazy’’ example, 110–112 ‘‘nitpicky and insensitive boss’’ exam- remote workers, 152–153 ple, 114–116 delegating to, 228 ‘‘old dog’’ example, 112–114 ‘‘weak link’’ example, 118–119 project management, 78–79

beneﬁts, 74–75 deﬁnition of term, 72 overview, 73–74

requests of other groups, 134 research, 84–85 resources for delegated task, 233 response, to someone you don’t like, 18 responsibilities, 360-degree view of, 31–33 Ritz, H. Pat, 10 roles of ﬁrst-time managers, 271–272 Rundle, Jane, 247–249

—283

project plan, 78 project strategy meetings, 76 projects, follow-up on progress, 61–62 public service, 257–259 pulling coaching, 210 pushing coaching, 210 sales process, 72–73 scheduling, 78

I NDEX

time management, by ﬁrst-time manag- ers, 274–275 Schielein, Henry, 27 scope deﬁnition, in project management, timing 78

of information ﬂow, 61 management, 61 togetherness

absence of, 131–132 problems from too much, 130–131

self-fulﬁlling prophesies, 104–105 shared vision, with boss, 162 silence, communicating with, 13–14 situational questions, 94–96 SMART goals, 265–266 social networking, on work time, 150 staff

Torchiana, William C., 256–257 Torok, Scott, 244 training, in meeting participation, 76 trust, 2, 62 collaborating with, 138 management treatment, 14

standardized process, 71 status reports, 165 to maximize communication, 77 stress building, 172–173 in coaching, 201 and delegating, 221–222, 225 and feedback, 17 power of, 30–31 feedback and, 176 and people problems, 134 subordinates, see direct reports; em- unclear expectations, impact of, 47–48 upper management, support from, 31–32 ployees

suggestions, vs. coaching, 210 surprises, and communication problems, 10–12

tasks

‘‘weak link’’ example of judging, 118–119 weekly status meetings, 76 word choice, in judging, 124–126 words, communicating with, 13–14 work assignments, to former peers, 143 work environment, 252–253 work hours, 151–152 work relationship, 66 employee ownership of, 50 problems completing, 148–149 when there is only one way to com- plete, 51 with someone not liked, 16–19 what it is, 3–4 team training meetings, behavioral ques- workﬂow management tions in, 93 teams getting work done, 69–70 process and communication, 70–72 workﬂow process, 66 impact of delegating, 224 strategic planning, 53 technical skills, retention vs. delegating task, 226

284—

deﬁnition of term, 72 example, 72–73 management, 75–77 working virtually, 152–153 workload levels, 237–238 worksheets, Clarifying Expectations, 35–40 telecommuting, 152–153 television, 107 telling coaching, 209–211 when to use, 212–213