The Communication Problem Solver 29

The Communication Problem Solver 29. 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 29 C ONCLUSION : B E A G OLD M EDAL C OMMUNICATOR !manager to exert extraordinary efforts to clarify expectations and followup on progress in a collegial, collaborative way. There have always been regulatory changes, and a manager can ex-pect them to differ from year to year based on new federal and statelaws. Managers need to be knowledgeable of current regulations and anyimpact on their goals and their teams. Other changes, such as those to ergonomics, safety and security, eth-ics, and a loss of productivity due to learning curves, all require thatmanagers have the ability to describe expectations and action itemsclearly, listen, deal with resistance, keep morale high, and collaborate.Communication methods such as e-mail, handheld devices, and cellphones require continual adaptation. Many feel that managers are nowheld to higher standards. They must justify their existence with tighterfinancial and other metrics than ever before. Many managers must man-age risk in the business.Tip 9. Influence and PersuadeToday there is a much greater emphasis on a manager’s ability to per-suade and influence others at all levels of the organization, includingdirect reports. Being directive is important at certain times and is ad-dressed in Chapter 9 on coaching. However, being directive is no longerthe only skill a manager must have to be successful. Nor is it the mostadvanced or complex. Communicating with people now requires influ-ence and persuasion skills. The higher level the manager, the greater the wings of influence needto spread. To persuade, a manager hones his skills in educating otherson the benefits and logic of a project or an approach. To be convinced,people are interested in learning the reasoning and value of what thepersuader has to say before they make up their own minds. This putsthe onus of being very clear about the whys and wherefores directly onthe shoulders of the manager. It also requires relationship building andknowing how to partner with people. This in-depth knowledge and abil-262— C ONCLUSION : B E A G OLD M EDAL C OMMUNICATOR !ity to communicate is a far cry from telling employees to ‘‘just get itdone.’’ Partnering with direct reports requires a high degree of persuasionskills to include the other person, instead of just ordering him about. Bybeing included, the employee’s commitment to his manager, the organi-zation, and the work itself expands. This leads to ownership, which in-duces employees to produce optimal results. Influence and persuasion skills are significant communication skillsthat proficient managers use to collaborate in delegating, monitoringprogress, giving feedback, and coaching.SummaryI know that you will want to refer to this book again and again as youmaster one of the communication tips and want to learn another. Whenyou prepare to hold a feedback, coaching, or delegating conversationyou can freshen up your approach with ideas from this book. When youface new people problems or you want to strategize to prevent them,return to a chapter. When you manage a new group or get promotedand face different communication challenges, revisit the pages and theprocesses. Have fun in your communication journey. As a continualcommunication learner, you will open many professional and personaldoors of opportunity. This book provides all the tips and techniques you need to rampup your interpersonal communication to ‘‘gold medal status.’’ Happymanaging, and cheerful communicating! —263This page intentionally left blank APPENDIX A Basic Job ExpectationsGoals, Job Descriptions, and Performance StandardsThis appendix defines three formal tools that are used to communicatebasic job expectations: goals, job descriptions, and performance stan-dards. Two examples show how these three communication tools arelinked together.GoalsMost employees need to understand not only what to do but also howeach responsibility fits with the larger view of the group, department,division, and the company. This moves us to goals. Goals are formal, measurable, written expectations. They are plannedend results or outcomes that guide individuals and groups in their re-sponsibility to achieve their part of the corporate direction. Goals trans-form hope and wishes into strategic direction. Peter Drucker, renowned management consultant, introduced Man-agement by Objectives (MBO) in 1954 in his classic book, The Practice ofManagement. MBO has morphed into other ways to set goals. But theconcept of goals has withstood the test of time. They are still necessary.Currently, many organizations use SMART goals. This acronym helpspeople remember the key components of an effective goal. The writtengoal must be: —265 A PPENDIX A: B ASIC J OB E XPECTATIONS Specific (has a desired outcome) Measurable (through evaluation criteria—often expressed by percent, number, or dollar amount) Attainable (achievable, reachable even if it is a stretch goal) Relevant (aligns with corporate objectives) Time bound (has a target completion date) Examples of SMART goals are: 1. Distribute news releases to three new TV news stations and three new Internet sites by 9/30/20XX. S–Distribute news releases (desired outcome) M–Three new TV news stations and three new Internet sites (both the number three and the adjective new are measure- ments) A–(manager and employee agree that they are attainable given the employee’s entire workload and the marketplace reali- ties) ...