The Communication Problem Solver 28

The Communication Problem Solver 28. Managers need top-flight communication skills to keep their staffs productive and collaborative. But often, those who manage lack the ability to get things back on track once miscommunication occurs. This book helps readers analyze their communication skills and challenges and explains how they can use simple problem-solving techniques to resolve the people issues that derail productivity at work. Easily accessible and filled with real world management examples. This no-nonsense guide is packed with practical tools to help any manager be immediately effective, as well as a handy list of common communication problems and corresponding solutions....
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The Communication Problem Solver 28 C ONCLUSION : B E A G OLD M EDAL C OMMUNICATOR !Fire Your Boss?’’ by Bryant Ott and Emily Kilham that ‘‘Nearly one quar-ter of U.S. employees—and 51% of actively disengaged workers—wouldsack their managers if given the chance. . . . Engaged employees, how-ever, are far more charitable to their supervisors.’’ Make sure upper management sees that you are a manager sup-ported by your staff—staff that are engaged in their jobs. When youremployees are allied to you, it reinforces your stature as a leader. It alsoimpacts how well you can assist employees in aligning their personalprofessional goals with organizational objectives. Position work assign-ments in terms of importance and benefit to employee skill developmentto acquire their committed involvement. Employees also want to work in an environment that is congenialand cooperative. It is the manager’s job to lead by example and facilitatecommunication in a way that creates a harmonious atmosphere free ofunnecessary stress. This means taking the time to build and maintainfriendly relationships that encourage people to do their very best work.Tip 3. Help Staff Have a Good Day—Every DayThe environment you shape for your team makes the difference in howthey feel about their work, the organization, you, and their coworkers.When you lower the stress and create a comfortable workplace, youmake it easy for employees to focus on their jobs so they can be highlyproductive. You can achieve this through communicating, motivating,and inspiring every day. Bernie Haas, a former meeting coordinator at the San Francisco Cen-ter of the American Management Association (AMA), and I recentlylunched to celebrate his retirement. In discussing his more than twentyyears with AMA, I was stunned when Bernie told me, ‘‘I have never hada bad day at AMA. A major factor has been the attitude of the managersand the working atmosphere they created.’’ No one had ever said that to me before. The more I thought aboutit, the more I thought it would really help managers to hear his com-252— C ONCLUSION : B E A G OLD M EDAL C OMMUNICATOR !ment. After all, this is the reason I began writing this book in the firstplace—to help managers create a work environment where everyone hasgood days. When I went back to the afternoon part of the seminar I wasleading that day, I told the class what Bernie had said. They were takenaback when I told them Bernie said he had never had a bad day at AMAand that he attributed it to the management. Jaws dropped. Eyes popped.People sat back speechless in their chairs. Then we began a discussionon how the participants could use what they were learning in the classto provide that kind of environment for their own staffs. The next week, when I e-mailed Bernie to see if I could quote him inthis book, he wrote: ‘‘My days with AMA were all good ones, no questionabout it. At my retirement lunch, I thanked my AMA manager, GordonSilvera, for ‘creating an atmosphere in which I could work.’ I think thatif more people found something that they really like to do in an atmo-sphere in which they really like to work, there would be fewer folks tryingto retire at forty-five. Finding such a situation is easier said than done. Ithink it’s a matter of knowing oneself and finding a place where one canuse one’s talents and work comfortably. A good thing for managers toremember is not to make mountains out of molehills. When managersdon’t make mountains out of molehills, employees have a better day anddo better work.’’ People need work they like and that makes them feel successful. Butthe atmosphere the manager creates may be even more significant. Themanager makes the environment conducive to productivity through ablend of clear expectations, process, and relationship.Tip 4. Be NiceThe secret to being viewed as a collaborative professional is a simpleone: be nice. Persuasion and kindness are more effective than confronta-tion. When others feel they are well treated, they are more willing togrease the wheels and get things done. Observe what happens when peo-ple feel they are being condescended to or are expected to jump through —253 C ONCLUSION : B E A G OLD M EDAL C OMMUNICATOR !hoops. They sometimes find ways to take control of the situation by notdelivering. It can become an unnecessary power struggle that is so easilyprevented when managers are just plain nice. Why did the Chamber of Commerce of the resort town of Montauk,Long Island, recognize Marilyn Bogdan, owner of the clothing storeSummer Stock? Marilyn started this retail business thirty-two years ago,and through tough and good economic times, her business has suc-ceeded. She attributes the success to being nice. And recognition fromthe Chamber proves that being nice works. When I asked Marilyn how she motivates her staff, she said, ‘‘It worksbest when they can feel you really care about them. They want to pleaseyou and work hard for you. When they see you working hard, they putin extra effort.’’ Some of Marilyn’s employees have been with her fortwenty-five years. They stay because they know Marilyn appreciatesthem and cares about them. ‘‘We do get involved with their families,’’ Marilyn says. ‘‘If there is anemergency, we are there for them. If they are ill, we make life as easy aspossible. And financially we take good care of them. I constantly tellthem about the great job they do. I give them little handwritten notesthat say, ‘I couldn’t have done (specific situation) without you.’ I consis-tently let them know how valuable they are.’’ Marilyn continues, ‘‘I try to be nice. I care and they know it. Theretail business is all about people. The customers come in because weare all ni ...