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Honesty and openness are the cornerstones for creating success within and for the company. (Originally published in Administrative Management magazine, Management Solutions magazine, and others.) Ever wonder why nothing changes after a performance review? The individual continues to produce below standard. Work output is low and the quality of the work is poor. Sometimes the problem is not a matter of attitude or training. Rather, it is just a matter of poor communication. Neither employee nor supervisor knows what the other truly wants, for neither has shared that information with the other. Our tale begins... I have found that frequently to be the case--and no more so than in the case of John B., the general manager of a manufacturing division of a Fortune 500 company. My experience with him and one of his managers clearly points out the importance for both subordinate and supervisor to share their expectations of one another for the performance appraisal process to truly work. As chief consultant for a California firm, I signed a contract with him to implement a new performance review system in his company. My assignment was to train his top 60 managers in our system within three months. What he didn't know (or more likely forgot) was that as general manager he would do his review process first. Over the next several weeks, John missed all the group sessions to learn our review system. It became apparent that I would have to schedule a special one-on-one session to teach him the basics and to prepare him for the first review. When we did meet, John used numbers and a check-off system for the first two steps of the review process, just as his 60 managers had. I then acted as his partner for step three, which I call the "funnel process." I asked the first required question of the process: "What is the number one thing you want from Paul (one of John's managers) to make your job better?" The problem with Paul John immediately expressed his frustration with Paul, and complained about various aspects of Paul's work. "He has no equal," John said indignantly. "He doesn't keep deadlines. He has no prototype. He doesn't direct people. Last week he didn't even acknowledge a due date. One time he even...." I have heard this indignant tone before. It indicates to me that the funnel process is on track. My job is to help the manager move beyond indignation. Then he or she can finally clarify to others what she or he wants done. For 15 minutes John complained. Then, I backed into the second funnel question. "John, this is all a description of what you don't want. Now tell me: What do you want from Paul? In other words, if you sent Paul to training camp and he came back to work, what would he do differently than he does now?" John got a sparkle in his eye and became direct as he made the miraculous shift from complaint to possibility. "Paul would take a stand that productivity will increase," he said. He went on with enthusiasm: "He would set up a prototype in 30 days of vehicle assembly. He'd complete the prototype and show the employees. Then he'd write a plan and stick to it." We went on, bursting with all the knowledge and expectations he'd kept stored up in his own mind. He was quite unaware that he had never shared them with Paul--or anyone else. John was now ready for the third question in the funnel process. "What would be different if Paul did all of this?" I asked. "If he took a stand on higher productivity," John said, "and did the prototype and make a plan he'd reduce labor by 10%, and material by 5%." I knew these were goals John had prepared four months earlier for every department. But no one was achieving them, so far. To end our meeting and to complete this part of the review process, John signed and dated the form. Meanwhile, Paul was preparing for his performance review using the same process. I was not present, but I did know the one thing Paul wanted from John--input on company goals. Getting them together John and Paul were now prepared to meet face to face. John resisted. He was busy. He promised to get together with Paul in a few days. Two weeks went by. I sent him a note reminding him to meet with Paul. "I will. I will," he said when I later phoned. "This review process is great." Still he procrastinated. I kept calling, but he still didn't meet with Paul to do the review. I knew John had brilliant insights to share with Paul. I couldn't stand to see them left unsaid. For the first time in 10 years of consulting I decided to sit in on a review, just to ensure it would happen. John kept me waiting in an outer office while his final resistance crumbled. He knew I'd traveled a thousand miles that day just to sit in on this session. Finally face to face, John and Paul compared steps one and two without difficulty. The conversation was job-related and peaceful. In step three John was to ask Paul directly, "What is the number on thing you want from me to make your job better?" He went rigid. He couldn't speak. I had to ask for him. "Input on goals," Paul replied clearly and with certainty. "What!" declared John, ready to defend himself. "I have to get things done by certain dates given to me by corporate." "John," I said firmly. "Our purpose here is to listen to Paul. Maybe he has earlier deadlines. Maybe he can't possibly meet one of yours. If he tells you that, you can both work on another solution. Our goal here is the truth." Open-mindedness What John did at that moment is probably the toughest thing a person can do -- he purposefully gave up a long-held position, and opened himself up to receive some new information. For 40 years--since graduation from West Point--he had been a leader issuing orders. He was not used to listening to followers, but he decided to listen to Paul. When he had heard all Paul had to say, he even made a commitment to let Paul have input on goals. John grumbled about participative management and complained about new ideas, but still he wrote down his commitment to Paul and signed it. Next, John told Paul what he wanted from him. As a newly appointed vice president, Paul had very little experience in a leadership position. John told Paul he wanted him to take a stand that productivity would increase. Paul smiled. (I saw the same smile John experienced when he first identified the same need.) Paul reacted as though permission to succeed had been granted to him. Until now, he had acted as a "Mr. Nice Guy." He now had permission to be an SOB, if a situation warranted it. Such behavior was acceptable, if it helped to meet production goals. The two men agreed on their goals, thanked each other for a productive conversation, and parted. In a week, I called John to see how he was doing with his commitment. He seemed irritated at my reminder, but said he'd call back to report in a month. Thirty days later he was in China. Sixty days later, I called Paul. "I'm calling," I said to Paul, "to check if John kept his commitment about allowing your input on goals." "Yes," said Paul. He seemed pleasantly surprised. "As a matter of fact, he has called me in twice to help set goals. But sometimes he goes back to his old dictator ways." I was thrilled to hear that a hard-core, ex-military general manager could stretch even two times! "Did you keep your commitment to John to take a stand that production goals would be met?" I asked. "I think so," said Paul. "At least I've tried." John and other company sources told me that Paul had blossomed into a very good manager during those three months. I called two weeks later to congratulate him. After listening quietly to my praise, he told me John had been killed in an auto accident the night before. I eventually reviewed John's file again. He had made the same request of each of his managers: take a stand so that productivity will increase. As a person, John embodied a stand for leadership and production. He wanted his team to hear his permission to be leaders, too. Lessons to be learned In John's struggle for communication, there are lessons for all of us. First, the thing we do best is often so natural that we often don't know how to describe it to others. John was a natural leader who had a long history of taking a stand. A reservoir full of know-how lay behind the indignation aroused when his managers didn't appear to be leaders. John didn't realize that his own gift of leadership may not be natural to all those around him. Second, we all need permission to act. For the most part, people don't assume they have permission. As a new manager, Paul was typical. Formerly an engineer, he was waiting for permission before he took command. Third, it's just as hard for a non-listener to learn to listen, as it is for a non-swimmer to jump into a deep lake. It's tough to listen ... and it takes courage. Guidelines for
Meaningful Conversations During your
conversations, whether at work or at home, try the
same tactics John and Paul used to communicate.
Shift from complaints to requests. As Henry Ford
said, "Don't complain and don't explain." Instead,
try requests and permission. Here are some
guidelines to a well-charted
conversation. 1. Agree to
confront an issue. 2. If you have
any complaints, "funnel" them by yourself before
you meet with another. 3. Shift your
complaint to a possibility. 4. Write down
what you want, what you think is possible and what
would be different in this new setting. Put a date
on your notes. 5. Arrange
your meeting for a specified time. Listen to the
other person. 6. Write down
what your agreement is with the other party.
Sign. 7. Have the
others write down their agreement with you.
Sign. 8. Keep your
word. 9. Check back
from time to time to let the other person know how
he/she is doing. 10. Don't miss
a single step! (NOTE: Allies Consulting offers a performance management and enhancemen process developed and refined by Dr. Riley and other Allies Consultants, called the High Performance Management System. This program is the process defined in the article above. It delivers profound improvements in individual and organizational performance, like all the programs Allies Consulting offers: increased productivity, profits, retention, morale, quality, communication, teamwork, and more. Our menu of programs will meet or exceed your expectations: they are designed to deliver real results. They can help you become masterful at your performance skills, or your staff to do so. They also leverage our other programs, magnifying your ROI!)
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