Formium Development

Category: management

  • How to overcome the 4 obstacles to giving quality feedback to your hybrid team

    How to overcome the 4 obstacles to giving quality feedback to your hybrid team

    Providing motivational and developmental feedback to enhance performance is one of the most important leadership and management skills.

    But for managers who lead hybrid teams – flexible in their working hours or location – there are four new challenges that you need to overcome, which are generated by one big difference:

    The key difference for a hybrid team is less consistent contact

    Where teams use a hybrid working model, or a form of flexible hours working such as compressed hours, the in-person contact between a manager and their team members is less frequent and less regular.

    I’ll explain how this impacts on the ability to give effective feedback, and suggest ways you can overcome this.

    1. Managers have less direct observation of people’s performance

    The traditional co-located team, working 9-5(ish), 5 days a week, gave managers a lot of chances to see and hear their team in action. Managers could gain knowledge passively, almost by osmosis – picking up on when team members were doing things right, or spotting where performance could be improved.

    However, hybrid working reduces these opportunities for happenstance observations – so managers will need to be more purposeful and tactical in how they identify issues requiring feedback, and how they deliver that feedback, using the methods below:

    • Observed practice. When I am training people to be coaches, one of the most impactful methods is observing them deliver a coaching session. The coach can easily record their session (with the client’s consent), so I gain huge amounts of information about their skills in practice and can provide rich motivational and developmental feedback. Recent AI developments make this even easier for managers – transcribing the audio, or even summarising the main points. Choose the right interaction to observe and see how your team members use their people skills.
    • Self-observation and upward reporting. Modern ways of working require greater autonomy, which you can foster by encouraging your team members to be reflective, to identify aspects of their practice they were proud of or unsure about, and to bring these issues to you so you can discuss, analyse, motivate and help them to develop.
    • Third-party observations. Without creating an atmosphere of spying, approach other managers – or team members if appropriate – to pass on their observations to you so you can craft appropriate feedback. It’s not a formal 360-degree assessment, just an opportunity for some different perspectives.
    • Embed reflection and feedback into the working practice. Make ‘lessons learned’ part of every project review, and analyse successes as well as problems. Following training, encourage people to identify what they learned and to commit to what they will do differently. Agree team ground rules and encourage everyone to give each other open and honest motivational and developmental feedback.
    • Feedforward, not feedback. I always champion Kluger and Nin’s Feedforward Interview approach – where managers spend time with their team members before undertaking a demanding task. They clarify expectations and – most importantly – tap into the team member’s past successes and experiences, which they can leverage to enhance their performance this time round. You can sum up the approach as “prepare, not repair”. It doesn’t stop you from providing quality feedback after the event – it just makes it more likely that you’ll be delivering a positive message.

    2. Managers find it harder to deliver feedback in a timely manner

    The best feedback is given shortly after the event – while everyone still remembers what happened. And traditionally, feedback was something that was given in person, face-to-face. But hybrid and flexible working means a lower chance of being able to do this.

    One way round this is to prioritise speed – using digital communication methods such as email, messaging and video conferencing to get the initial points over – and then follow up with a more considered feedback session at a later date, recording the details for future reference.

    Obviously, there is a danger if you are providing developmental feedback that a gap between raising it and resolving it fully might cause distress or confusion, so make sure you get the balance right.

    3. It is harder for managers to appreciate the context

    When working together more consistently, managers are more attuned to how their team are getting on – their levels of work pressure, non-work problems, etc. So if they see potentially problematic performance, they can take account of the immediate context and build that into their feedback.

    Without this knowledge, when managers and leaders provide developmental feedback they need to make space for a two-way conversation. Invite your team member to provide their perspective and context, ask them reflective questions to uncover their perceptions, and once you have established the context you can provide your considered feedback.

    4. Managers find it more difficult to support the team member afterwards

    Less consistent contact means it is harder for managers to monitor their team member’s progress on enacting developmental feedback.

    Again, the solution is to be more purposeful where you can no longer rely on happenstance:

    • Set up opportunities for the team member to practice their revised behaviour, with you or someone else observing.
    • Arrange creative learning interventions such as task-based shadowing.
    • Use Kluger and Nin’s Feedforward technique to help your team member prepare.
  • Are you ready for the workforce of the future?

    Are you ready for the workforce of the future?

    The future of work isn’t just about technology – it means a different workforce too.

    So often, articles about the future of work focus on the technology. That’s not surprising bearing in mind the transformative role that generative AI will have. But there’s an equally important transformation that will occur in the next few years – the end of the ‘single dimensional’ workforce.

    At the CIPD’s Festival of Work, I heard a great panel discussing the future workforce, so I’d like to share some of the key ideas raised by the participants: Dr Sarosh Khan of HSM Advisory, Simon Reichwald of Bright Futures Resourcing, Mel Forbes from APSCO, and Roger Clements from Matrix.

    Roger Clements presented his 3 key factors for the future of work:

    Fundamental demographic and social shifts in the workforce.A change in the model of work – the end of the ‘single dimensional workforce’ where people complete their education in their early twenties, work for 40 years and retire in their mid-60s.The rapid growth of AI and intelligent automation.

    The panel suggested the following tips for addressing the first two points:

    1. Think about the challenges of an older workforce

    With longer lives, it is accepted that we will need to work longer – into our 70s or even 80s.

    With such a long time in the workforce, it is highly unlikely that someone will remain I the same sector or type of role for their entire working life. We have already seen an erosion in the traditional model of long service for an organisation – this will no doubt continue to decline.

    Thus we will need to provide opportunities for people to reskill and to return to learning, in order to take on new roles and tasks.
    There also needs to be better accommodation of the needs for older workers. Very few employers are thinking about the needs and desires of a 60plus worker – such as their external interests and roles.

    2. Personalisation is king

    The idea of a personalised job role is essential for younger people as well. Indeed, we have seen the end of the old model of the employer as the custodian of the worker’s career and the rise of the autonomous worker, crafting their own jobs and careers. Using flexibility to maintain their interests and side projects. vs autonomy, flexibility.

    Interestingly, one panel member suggested we should be talking of ‘work-life balance’ anymore. Instead we need to consider ‘work-life integration‘.

    3. Adapt your workforce models for flexibility and efficiency

    Organisations can harness these changes in workforce desires and technology change to create a more efficient operating model. Companies in the pharmaceuticals and technology sectors are moving ahead with contingent workforces – bringing in people as you need them for specific tasks or project phases.

    4. Promote belonging and connection

    One of the side-effects of workers exercising their autonomy and flexibility may well be a loss of the belonging and connection that many people gain from their work. Indeed, we saw in the pandemic how important work was in terms of the social role, in providing purpose and identity.

    Can organisations respond by making sure that people who work for them – no matter how long – feel at home and part of the bigger picture?

    5. Make the most of your multigenerational workforce

    A multigenerational workforce can add value and create benefits – but it is often portrayed more as a challenge.

    Individual conversations are vital in understanding specific needs and desires, rather than making assumptions based on large-scale surveys.

    Have programmes focused on skills development, available to all, not just a graduate development programme.

    Use reverse mentoring or reciprocal mentoring to bridge the generational divide and ensure skills, knowledge, understanding and experience are shared.

    Photo credit: Olly on Pexels

  • “Being a leader is not about you.” How leaders can achieve performance success

    “Being a leader is not about you.” How leaders can achieve performance success

    You’re a leader with a great organisational business strategy, operational plan and team objectives. So now the big question is – how do you get your team to perform and deliver success?

    One approach I encounter is focused on command and control. Some industries, companies, leaders and team members seem to favour a directive model of leadership. While a preference for instruction over facilitation may be appropriate in some circumstances, there is a risk it leads to a vicious cycle of micro-management and disempowered staff.

    But there is another way.

    “Being a leader is not about you. It’s about the people that are on your team and how you can help them to be successful.”

    Susan Vobejda

    Everything we know about performance shows that the greatest success is achieved by those people who are empowered and trusted, who are given both the tools and the autonomy.

    For me the key element in Susan Vobejda’s excellent advice is “how you can help” – the leader’s role is not to provide ‘one size fits all’ support. The challenge is to find out what each person needs to deliver the performance the leader needs.

    How can leaders do this? When I’m working with leaders and managers I recommend they develop individualised support for their team members by asking the following questions:

    1. What are your motivations and aspirations?

    Purpose prompts performance. Where leaders select or align tasks with people’s aspirations, this energises and encourages people to deliver.

    2. What do you need from me to meet your targets?

    The model of Servant Leadership emphasises the value in the leader helping employees to develop and deliver. By asking them what they want, the leader avoids top-down assumptions and empowers team members to identify their own support needs.

    3. What are your unique strengths and how can you use them best?

    Performance is enhanced by identifying strengths and generating opportunities to leverage them through alignment, selection or re-framing. A strengths focus means doing more of what you are best at and which energises you.

     

    Providing leaders listen and enable, they can achieve business success by helping their team members be successful.

     

    Photo credit: Fauxels on Pexels
  • Get it right first time: setting up for success, not debriefing disappointment

    Get it right first time: setting up for success, not debriefing disappointment

    I think the traditional approach to setting objectives for team members is back to front. Most managers set out the what when of the task. They monitor progress and provide feedback at the end.

    But this doesn’t mean that the job will be done right, let alone right first time.

    So, rather than waiting to spend time afterwards debriefing what happened and exploring how to improve next time, surely it is better to spend time beforehand setting up the team member so they succeed?

    Managers who prepare, don’t need to repair.

    This doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. I’ve trained many managers to use a quick and effective technique, based on Kluger and Nir’s Feed Forward approach, that creates a win-win:

    • Team members gain confidence that they can achieve the objective set.
    • Team members know what to do to deliver right first time.
    • Managers can relax, as through the conversation they understand the colleague’s approach, can agree or improve it before the work starts.
    • Remote and hybrid-working teams benefit the most, as this structure enables high quality autonomous working.

    Follow these steps for effective task management in just 10 minutes

    Start with these questions and be prepared to ask some follow-up open, non-directive, questions to make sure the team member is thinking analytically.

    1. Could you think of the last time you did a similar task successfully?
    2. What were the conditions that made this possible? First think about what you did, your capabilities and strengths.
    3. What did other people do to help you?
    4. What was the organisational context that led to the success?
    5. What can you replicate from that past success so that you can deliver this time?

    Finally, offer to put in place the management and organisational success factors that the individual has just identified, where possible and appropriate.

     

     

    Picture Credit: Mart Production on Pexels
  • Use your doubt productively: a new approach

    Use your doubt productively: a new approach

    Conventional wisdom says we want our leaders to be decisive, confident and certain. Whether politician or business leader, we’re reassured by their communication of a clear vision and how it will be achieved.

    But our desire for certainty has drawbacks.

    “We mistake charisma and confidence for competence” says Tomas Chamorro-Premuzi in Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (And How to Fix It).

    I’m pretty sure you can think of someone whose popularity exceeds their performance, whose presentation outweighs their contribution, and whose over-optimistic confidence leaves no room for nuance and reason.

    So if the opposite of certainty is doubt, can we use it productively?

    This is an area explored by Nicola Reindorp in her blogposts and BBC Four Thought podcast. She argues that doubt has valuable place and should not be seen as the enemy:

    Doubt is at the heart of self-awareness

    Reflecting on how others might see your behaviour and questioning yourself on how can you be better is fundamental to emotional intelligence. This openness to change and other perspectives is driven by accepting self-doubt.

    Doubt is the bedrock of critical thinking

    Daniel Kahnemann’s book Thinking Fast and Slow exposed how the brain takes shortcuts, bamboozled by emotion and looking for easy answers. It takes doubt to question your thinking, to test the evidence and look for alternatives.

    Doubt drives a collaborative approach

    If you think you may not have all the answers, then you’re more likely to be collaborative. If you know your perspective is just one of many, then you’re opening the door to a more diverse and inclusive thinking process.

    Make doubt work for you

    Reindorp stresses that the key is to use a cycle of analysis to work through your doubts and not to get overwhelmed by them. Avoid the negative aspects of doubt by setting a limited time and space for rational exploration of the issues using thought exercises and models.

    This approach of focusing on rational processes can be seen in the following diagram, which I have adapted from The CEO Report – Embracing the paradoxes of leadership and the power of doubt from Said Business School. Avoid the negative factors – Hubris, Myopia, Angst and Paralysis – by focusing on four structured rational processes: Preparation, Challenge, Validation, and Awareness.

     

     

    “Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.” Voltaire

     

    Photo credit: Bruce Mars on Unsplash
  • Successfully manage hybrid team performance with 3 proven strategies

    Successfully manage hybrid team performance with 3 proven strategies

    It’s the big problem that everyone is talking about, according to surveys, research and my own conversations with managers. How do you ensure your team is performing now you no longer see them daily in the office?

    A common mistake is building over-complex top-down monitoring systems. The more you check on people, the less trusted they feel, and this impacts negatively on how they feel about you and their work.

    So how do you balance performance, trust and accountability?

    1. Clear targets so everyone knows what is expected

    It sounds pretty basic, but I’m still finding managers who struggle with doing this consistently and effectively. Get into a regular pattern (e.g. weekly 1-1 calls) where you agree the what, the why and the when.

    Using SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-limited) may be commonplace, and that’s because it works – but only if leaders put in the effort to define the sought outputs properly, enable high performance and define success criteria.

    2. Upward reporting to maintain accountability

    When it comes to monitoring the output, the key is for the team member to be given responsibility for telling you how they’ve done. This builds trust and accountability.

    You’ll need a simple structure so that you’re not bombarded with feedback from all your team members, and you can track performance consistently across the team.

    3. A coaching approach establishes and supports the culture

    A coaching approach is about people being more proactive, creative, engaged and empowered. Managers get great results from using non-directive conversations, focused on helping team members generate their own ideas and solutions.

    What have you found to be particularly effective in leading for high performance?

     

    Photo credit: Anna Shvets on Pexels
  • You can’t turn back the clock – you need to adapt to hybrid working

    You can’t turn back the clock – you need to adapt to hybrid working

    I am still hearing managers talking about when or how they will return to pre-pandemic ways of working.

    • “We need to get everyone back into the office – we need to manage performance.”
    • “There’s no point investing in our hybrid working approaches, it’s just a short-term blip”
    • “We are more creative when we all work together.”

    Maybe you’ve heard similar from your colleagues; maybe it’s you hoping to turn back the clock to how it was.

    But this is a short-sighted view.

    The changes we’ve seen – working from home, flexible working – have been coming for a long time. It’s just that the last few years have seen them taken out of a slow cooker and zapped in the microwave instead.

    Accept that change is here to stay

    Shifting mindset is easier if you focus on the practical. Try these three approaches:

    • Find the sticking plasters. Replace temporary fixes with sustainable, long-term solutions.
    • Test, learn, improve. Aim for iterative development not instant perfection.
    • Co-create. Working collaboratively with all staff helps generate a solution that is effective, empowering and actually enacted.

    “It is better to take change by the hand and lead it where you want it to go before it takes you by the throat and drags you in any direction.”

    As John Kotter graphically suggested, it is best to accept change and make it work for you.

    There are so many advantages to this new way of working, including more empowered staff, larger recruitment pools, a happier workforce and greater organisational resilience. It’s time to let go of the past and join the future.

    Picture credit: Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
  • The missing keystone of hybrid working?

    The missing keystone of hybrid working?

    When people talk about hybrid working, you usually hear the positives – better work/life balance, greater freedom. And if they do talk about the challenges, you’d be forgiven for thinking the main concerns are logistics: IT systems, satellite offices. Challenges around productivity are disputed as signs of an old-fashioned, controlling mindset.

    But what about the people factor?

    Recent research from LHH flagged up some major concerns for people managers. There were conflicting opinions on who decides which people can be hybrid workers. Collaborating in a hybrid environment was a struggle for 35% of the surveyed employees.

    And the biggest problem the survey identified – a lack of specific training for managers.

    Why do we expect that managers who haven’t experienced hybrid working before will automatically have the right skills and knowledge?

    Ensuring fairness, providing support, onboarding, building a team and maintaining performance in a hybrid working environment needs fresh skills and new thinking.

    “A new way of working needs a new way of leading.”

    In an ever more precarious financial environment, you need your managers to have the right tools. The foundations of future problems are being laid now and to tackle them managers need specific training, coaching, learning and development.

  • Reinventing the workforce – 6 themes from the Future of Work conference

    Reinventing the workforce – 6 themes from the Future of Work conference

    The recent Future of Work conference, Reinventing the Workforce, hosted by Management Today, featured great speakers and engaging ideas. I’ve pulled out some of the most interesting and important themes and ideas from the presentations that can help you with implementing hybrid working and creating workplaces and workforces that meet the demands of the future. Here’s the first three, and there’ll be some more next time….

     

    1. Your staff are humans first, employees second

    One of the key learning points from the pandemic has been managers’ increased understanding of the specific circumstances of their staff, and an appreciation of them as individuals, suggested several speakers. Empathy and awareness has grown, whether from a video call seeing the inside of your colleagues’ homes with their dog walking into shot, supporting them through bereavement, the need to make adjustments so they can balance work and home-schooling or appreciating the physical/resource limitations that affected many (especially younger) staff.

    “For a number of leaders [the pandemic] has reminded them of how ‘human’ their humans are”

    …said Travis Ousley, Head of People at Distributed, who went on to comment that managers are now more aware that “a company is a collection of human beings… they’re not widgets.”

    Engaging with their individual needs, ambitions and circumstances is essential, agreed Philip Eeles co-founder of Honest Burgers – “more businesses [should] see their humans as humans first rather than as employees.”

    “Humans aren’t resources” is how Eeles summed up this sentiment, aligning his company with the growing number of organisations moving away from ‘Human Resources’ as a departmental name – in favour of ‘People Teams’ and similar.

    There are scores of development interventions and working practices that rely on engaging deeply with the individual, their sense of purpose, their circumstances and desires. It appears reasonable to hope that the pre-existing shift to these more person-centric approaches may be boosted by managers’ increased empathy and understanding.

    Ask yourself:

    • Have you learned more about your team or your manager as individuals in the last year?
    • How can you use this understanding to improve the way you work?

     

    2. Be specific about how you ensure fairness

    Remote and hybrid working is going to lead to different circumstances for workers, suggested multiple speakers, and managers need to be very specific about how we ensure fairness, said Michiel Verhoeven, Managing Director of SAP UK & Ireland.

    Like several contributors he considered the example of the hybrid meeting, with some people in the same room and some connected on a video screen. It’s an interesting case study to consider, because so many people (including me) have pre-pandemic experience of virtual attendees being second-class participants, struggling to hear, to make their point heard and rarely being directly consulted.

    Verhoeven suggested solutions can be as simple as establishing clear ground rules at the start of meetings – consciously focusing on how all participants will include each other, whether in-office or virtually connected. He also floated the idea of continuing with virtual meetings, even if some people are in the same office and could meet in person, to maintain equality.

    Beyond this instance of the hybrid meeting, there will be numerous challenges as people begin to work increasingly in different ways and settings. As Lorna Helps, founder of Vibrant Thinking, urges – it is up to organisations to ensure that ‘different’ does not mean ‘unfair.’

    Challenge yourself:

    • How will you ensure fairness between those in the office and those working remotely – on a practical and day-to-day level?
    • What are the potential areas where individuals’ differing personal circumstances could lead to friction with their colleagues?

     

    3. Solve the right problem

    The challenges of a fair and effective return to the office are multi-dimensional and interconnected, and there is a danger, according to Stephen Scott, Divisional Growth Director at Capital People Solutions, that we develop solutions to the wrong problem.

    He gave the example of people wanting to be in the office because it increased their exposure to senior management, and thus chances of recognition, allocation and ultimately promotion. I think we can all recognise the proximity bias that comes from working in the head office, or on the same floor as senior managers. Stephen Scott pointed out that trying to design a complicated hybrid working system which ensured everyone had equal access to the office/manager wasn’t the right approach – instead the organisation should acknowledge and tackle the proximity bias itself.

    Similarly, Lorna Helps of Vibrant Thinking referred to organisations trying to solve the question of ‘how do we cope if everyone wants to turn up in the office at the same time?’ The problem, she stated, was that organisations were starting from the wrong end by focusing on fine detail issues.

    Instead, they should start with Who questions and learn about their staff, then move onto What in terms of their roles and objectives and use this rich information about their workforce to make more relevant and effective responses to the final How questions.

    An interesting point was raised by Katie Lloyd, Development Director at BBC News, in terms of how to get feedback to understand the important problems and issues. Her model of pulse surveys – short, 5 questions maximum, run frequently as a litmus test – sounded a lot more flexible, effective and suitable than a traditional big annual staff survey when looking to adapt and respond to internal or external change.

    Consider:

    • Are you tackling the problems not the symptoms? Try using root cause analysis tools such as 5 whys to get to the real heart of the problem
    • Are you focusing on How before Who? Have you got too involved in the detail without understanding the needs, constraints and circumstances of the people affected?
    • How do you hear staff opinions? Is there a place for short, sharp and high-frequency surveys?

     

    4. Purpose underpins performance and ability to adapt.

    In the face of the stresses and challenges of adapting to remote/hybrid working the message is to focus on an individual’s sense of purpose. Leena Nair, CHRO at Unilever, argued passionately that understanding and articulating an individual’s purpose was central to their autonomy and resilience – which supports their adaptation to new ways of working. If people can understand how change aligns with their purpose, she stated, then the change is no longer being ‘done to them.’

    It was fascinating to hear how such a large company, no doubt seen by many as hard-edged, has embraced the concept of purpose – putting it as one of the four pillars of their individual development plans (along with energy, skills and leadership) and encouraging people to be upfront about their sense of purpose and share it with colleagues and managers.

    The importance of intrinsic motivation and sense of purpose in driving meaningful success was foremost in Dr Cath Bishop’s presentation. The ‘meaningful’ is important here – an Olympic medalist herself, Dr Bishop shared the concept of ‘standing on the podium but feeling empty’ – and the difference between the short-term external rewards of ‘winning’ versus the success that gives fulfillment, lasting value and improves future performance. I’ve definitely added her book, The Long Win, to my reading list.

    Think:

    • How do you define success?
    • Can you articulate your sense of purpose? Have you ever shared it with anyone?
    • Could your team members articulate their purpose? – and if they can, do you know it?
    • Could ‘purpose’ play a more important role in the development of yourself and others?

     

    5. Let people find their own way

    Organisations should avoid over-engineering solutions for hybrid working problems, suggested Stephen Scott, Divisional Growth Director at Capital People Solutions. He pointed to those companies that have invested in solutions such as ‘digital water coolers’ as an attempt to recreate happenstance conversations for staff working remotely – and suggested that the company should take a step back, as people will always find their own way to communicate and socialise informally. Companies should be focusing on their fundamental strategy and purpose instead, he suggests as this is central to their relationship with their employees.

    Indeed, when developing hybrid working systems, make them as light-touch as possible, Lorna Helps of Vibrant Thinking argued, as it is the restrictions of over-complicated and inflexible frameworks that can lead to employees feeling not in control and experiencing stress.

    Consider:

    • How do you make sure that you’re sufficiently in control – but not too controlling?
    • Could you take a step back? Are there areas and activities where it would be better to let the staff generate bottom-up, organic solutions and feel more in control?

     

    6. Focus on your culture for long-lasting results

    Paul Drucker may have declared ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’ but in many organisations culture and values have been seen as less-important factors. However, that seems to be changing, stated Katie Lloyd, Development Director at BBC News, pointing to how the internal cultures of many organisations have been exposed for public comment and criticism. Issues such as discrimination, bias and toxic working conditions regularly appear in social and mainstream media alike, influencing consumers, stakeholders and potential employees. Katie Lloyd highlighted that organisations need meaningful engagement with their staff, including frequent highly-targeted surveys, to understand how their people really feel.

    And the emphasis on culture should not be just about avoiding the negative. For Leena Nair, CHRO at Unilever, the most exciting development is the ability to translate the effects of ‘culture’ into metrics and indicators. She identifies that the high-engagement and value-driven culture of Unilever is instrumental in higher-than-expected retention levels and that the business benefits can now be tracked and calculated – e.g. in terms of reduced recruitment costs, effort and time.

    The importance of identifying the organisational benefits of culture was echoed by Katie Lloyd, who proposed that the overall business objectives should be considered as the correct measure – ultimately culture impacts on everything the business does.

    As Leena Nair argued, those of us who focus on culture should be excited. Through metrics we can show that culture is as important as strategy when it comes to business success. And it is social capital – a manifestation of culture – that will support us in adapting to new ways of working.

    Challenge yourself:

    • How much do you really know about your team or organisational culture?
    • Is culture seen as important by senior management? By the staff?
    • What are the measures you could use to evidence the importance of culture?

     

    Reflection

    It’s apparent that the pandemic has accelerated numerous pre-existing trends yet also forced many organisations into thinking about entirely new workforce approaches. One thing is clear – and it was mentioned on numerous occasions – don’t expect to get this right first time.

    Everyone should be clear that implementing these new ways of working is an iterative process, and that compassion and understanding is needed as everyone needs to work together in the face of unprecedented change.

     

    Book a free call to explore this further

    If you want to talk through these ideas and challenges some more, then click here for a free 30 minute strategy call. I’ll help you decide what your next steps could be to support your team’s success.

     

     

    Photos by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash ; Sarah Stierch – CCBY2.0 – via Flickr ; Lex Photography on Pexels ; Florian Schmetz on Unsplash ; Alan Stanton – CC BY-SA 2.0 – via Flickr ; Fauxels on Pexels ; Nick Morrison on Unsplash

  • “I just wanted to say that was nicely done” – a 3 step approach to catch remote workers doing things right

    “I just wanted to say that was nicely done” – a 3 step approach to catch remote workers doing things right

    When I was developing the 5C model for best-practice remote working, I revisited Ken Blanchard’s book which introduced us to the concept of ‘catching people doing things right’ – placing as much attention and energy on identifying when people are doing their job well (and praising them for it) as we do looking for and addressing mistakes.

    It’s a performance management technique that I really recommend. It leverages lessons from positive psychology that emphasise how well people react to positive encouragement. A performance management approach that solely focuses on errors and problems can create a downward spiral, affecting team culture and morale. Furthermore, there’s research that suggests for staff to flourish they need 3-5 positive comments for each negative comment, as criticism lodges more easily, both emotionally and cognitively.

    If you’ve got access to KPIs, targets, numbers – or visible outputs such as reports, collateral or products – then spotting good performance can be straightforward. But this is only one aspect of performance – it won’t necessarily pick up all the attitudes, behaviours, skills and attributes your team needs for long-lasting success. There are very few organisations which only focus on the numbers and don’t value proactivity, excellent customer interactions, teamwork and good communication.

    When it comes to those behaviours, ‘catching it done right’ relies to a large extent on indirect communication – on overhearing conversations, seeing how people react, spotting when people are helping each other or proactively providing solutions. It’s a technique that’s ideal for an office-based team with high-frequency in-person contact. So now that most people are working remotely for some or all of the time, this is a lot tougher – and it’s even more difficult to do this fairly.

    So follow my three step process to focus on the positive side of performance management when remote/hybrid working:

    1. What did you do pre-pandemic?

    Reflect on how you used to catch people doing things right, and how you praised good performance. What were the mechanisms you used? Were they accidental or purposeful? Were they quantitative or qualitative? Did you rely on other people?

    Also consider whether it was a fair approach – did everyone have the same chance to be spotted? Was there bias related to proximity, or maybe the nature of their role, projects or tasks?

    2. What do you want to praise?

    You need to have clarity on what is doing ‘something right’ so that you are consistent and fair.

    While quantitative measures such as KPIs are easier to monitor, the real value of this approach is trying to identify ‘soft skills’ and positive attitudes and behaviours – such as taking initiative, going the extra mile, bringing solutions not problems, giving great customer service.

    • Organisational standards: Can you use existing frameworks such as Person Specifications, behavioural competencies, appraisal or talent development processes? What is in the JD/PS of the next role they want? If there is a formal Reward & Recognition programme what does it focus on?
    • Team expectations: What is the culture of the team? Is there a Team Charter or other agreement that sets out how people should act, support, challenge and help each other?
    • Hybrid working: Are there behaviours which are harder to deliver in a remote / hybrid environment and that you want to encourage? – for example, working across team/ department boundaries.

    3. How to spot the behaviour?

    There isn’t an easy one-size-fits-all approach to ‘catching people doing something right’. You’ll need to consider the first two steps and then see what will work in the specifics of your organisation and hybrid working model (e.g. frequency of contact). Quantitative measures such as KPIs and performance metrics are easy, so let’s look at the more difficult-to-spot behaviours:

    A network, not a wheel: Can you shape the team culture so that praise and acknowledgement from peers becomes normal? In this way it doesn’t just rely on the manager as the hub of everything. To encourage such a network of positive sharing, I’ve known meetings which included a formal ‘compliments’ section, and also managers who request praise for peers during 1-1 meetings. Now there are obviously issues of dynamics, bias and subjectivity to consider, but a high performing team should be communicating honestly – that means both criticism and praise.

    Agree informal approaches: Many managers provide informal feedback when they interact with someone from another team who is performing well. You could agree with relevant managers (e.g. same floor, office or department – or a key functional relationship) to provide positive feedback on each other’s team members. You can role model this behaviour by making sure that you pass on praise to your peers about their team members.

    Revamp formal organisational approaches: How do company-wide systems need to change to reflect the priorities and practicalities of remote and hybrid working? Effective approaches include adapting recognition schemes so they reward cross-silo nominations and creating an award for demonstrating resilience.

    Make it fair: When designing your system, make sure that everyone has an equal chance to be spotted, in terms of the tasks you allocate and your level of contact. Does the hybrid model mean you’re having more in-person contact with one employee than another? If there are differences, what do you need to put in place to provide an equal opportunity for recognition and praise (e.g. proactive liaison with others who might interact with the person more than you)

    Make success public: Make your recognition and appreciation of those who’ve being doing well part of 1-1 and team meetings. It’ll set standards and help build a positive team culture.

    Over to you

    It would be great to hear your thoughts on this – have you found it harder to praise your team for their work when remote working? Or has there been so much extra effort that it has not been such a problem yet?

    If you need further assistance with implementing these approaches, or other support for developing an effective hybrid-working model, then Formium Development can help with a range of bespoke solutions from consultancy support through to our online training Remote Leadership Mastery.

    Find out how we can help you

     

     

    Eszter Molnar Mills is a leadership, management and organisational development specialist, who helps organisations and individuals reach enhanced performance by reflecting on what works, and developing skills and strategies for improvement. Founder and director of Formium Development, Eszter’s particular interests involve the impact of positive psychology and strength-based approaches on individual and organisational development. She has recently supported managers with the transition to remote and hybrid working, and is researching the role of leadership for implementing Industry 4.0.

  • 3 ways to get your remote team performing well

    3 ways to get your remote team performing well

    “When we were in the office I could always sense how people were doing, if they were overloaded, taking too long on something, or were happy and motivated. It wasn’t any formal system, I just knew.”

    Does this sound familiar? One of the biggest challenges of remote working has been maintaining staff performance. In one study, a massive 43% of respondents stated their work was a lower standard than when office based.

    In the initial ‘crisis management’ phase there were a number of unique factors at play – it’s hard to work well when you’re using an ironing board as a desk, feeling isolated, home-schooling, or coping with sickness or bereavement.

    However, as full or partial remote working becomes ‘business as usual’ it is going to be essential for managers to understand how to sustainably keep remote workers’ performance levels up.

    Research into employee performance, both covid-specific and generally, highlights that as much as formal performance monitoring structures it is important to pay attention to levels of engagement and motivation. And this is difficult; without being in the same space frequently, how do managers assess levels of energy and enthusiasm?

    In our Remote Leadership Mastery programme we help leaders and managers understand the many problems of shifting to long-term remote and hybrid working, and provide solutions rooted in Positive Organisational Scholarship and strengths-based approaches. We’ve included three of these solutions here:

    1. Provide clarity on goals, tasks and expectations

    When working remotely there is a greater danger that people head off in the wrong direction, or spending longer on a task than its value warrants. In an office managers can provide ‘course correction’ through informal methods – e.g. ad hoc conversations, overheard conversations and observing behaviour. Indeed, ‘managing by wandering around’ is a well-recognised technique.

    When all or part of your team is working remotely, you need to be more purposeful in how you set tasks:

    • Are the expectations clear? What is the sought outcome and how will success be measured? It’s important that everyone involved understands the parameters of the task, e.g. whether you want a ‘Ford Fiesta’ or a ‘Rolls-Royce’ solution.
    • Is the priority clear? This isn’t just about timescales, it is about quality, effort, focus and managing resources.
    • What are the milestones? Not always suitable, but setting review points is a great way of making sure the task is staying on track. This could be a formal review of work completed to date, or just a catch-up conversation.

    2. Communicate the purpose

    Interestingly, a focus on the purpose and meaning of work was identified by Forbes as one of the 10 biggest business trends for 2021, up there with sustainability and the ‘usual suspects’ of big data, automation and virtual interfaces. When people are working remotely, it stands to reason that they feel more isolated from the company as a whole than when working in an office with colleagues. ‘Silo working’, already a major problem for many organisations pre-covid, is accentuated.

    But what does this have to do with performance? Well, studies show that staff perform best when they are engaged, when they see the big picture and understand how their work feeds into it. You’ve probably heard of the story that JFK asked a NASA cleaner “what do you do?” and received the reply “I’m helping put a man on the moon”. Whether true or not, it’s a great illustration of how a clear purpose can unify a workforce – and there are numerous accounts of how NASA’s performance was really enhanced by focusing on this single goal.

    Managers can highlight purpose and meaning by:

    • Talking about the big picture. In team or one-to-one meetings ensure that everyone knows where the organisation is heading and for whom it makes a difference (e.g. customers, clients, the environment, society as a whole) – and the team members know how their work helps make this happen.
    • Make the reason clear when setting tasks. If people understand the overarching purpose they can engage more fully, prioritise better, and are more likely to deliver work that achieves the right outcome.

    3. Allocate by strengths

    To maximise performance, you want to tap into your team members’ internal motivations. The best way is to identify and harness their strengths – the tasks which they enjoy doing, which they are great at and which they find energising and rewarding.

    Look at how you assign tasks:

    • Align. Can you align activities with an individual’s strengths?
    • Describe. Can you describe the work in such a way that the individual recognises that it will engage their strengths?
    • Balance. When setting up a project team (or delegating to multiple staff) do you have the balance of strengths that the work needs?

    Does this chime for you?

    I hope you find these ideas helpful. It would be great to know how you’ve got on with managing performance during remote working – have you noticed any differences? What has worked for you?

    And if you want to know more about successfully managing remote and hybrid teams, check out our Remote Leadership Mastery programme. As many organisations are adopting hybrid or remote working as a long-term strategy rather than as an interim measure, managers will be facing a new set of challenges and risks. Through a series of workshops and one-to-one coaching we’ll provide you with the tools and ideas so that you and your team can thrive in this next ‘new normal’.

  • How do you create a virtual coffee machine?

    How do you create a virtual coffee machine?

    Since the pandemic began, many organisations have flagged up their fear of losing the creativity and relationship-building that came from chance encounters. The happenstance conversations that came from making a coffee, waiting for a lift, or getting some water are seen as vital for forging connections within and between teams and sparking novel solutions. And think of all those times when you leave a meeting and then have a great conversation about the issues as you’re walking back to your desks?

    In a fascinating article from back in 2014 a senior Samsung executive states their new office “is really designed to spark not just collaboration but that innovation you see when people collide.”

    So what is happening without this collision? One of the big problems is that the absence may not be felt in the short-term; it is only as we move into the long-term of remote and hybrid working that this lack of connections will impact on creativity, relationships and performance. You’ll see it in greater friction and blame between teams when things go wrong, you’ll notice fewer cross-team solutions and you’ll see teams proposing new ideas that get quickly shot down by other teams.

    So how do you get round this? Our Remote Leadership Mastery course introduces managers to our Creating Collision 3-step process:

    1. Identify the mechanism

    We encourage managers to consider the mechanism that they’re trying to replace, as that will help them choose the right solution.

    Mechanisms that underpin the ‘collision is beneficial’ theory can include:

    • Social bond as a bridge between teams: “I know Alex a bit, so I’ll approach her first about what the sales team are doing on this problem…”
    • Opportunity to answer/raise questions: “…by the way, I’ve been meaning to ask your team about…”
    • Opportunity to gather/offer knowledge: “So what are you up to now…..? Oh, we tried something like that last year and learned….”
    • Opportunity to gain/offer differing perspectives: “But if you try that, it’ll cause problems for the Finance team’s workflow…”
    • Opportunity to suggest enhancements: “Well if you’re thinking of doing that, it would be really helpful for us if you could…?”

    2. Learn from others

    Many organisations have tried differing approaches to this problem, and we always encourage our course participants to share their knowledge and we all learn from each other.

    Some great ideas that we’ve come across include:

    • Virtual coffee machine: An always-open chat room that anyone in the company can enter. Employees are encouraged to take 10-15 minutes coffee breaks just chatting with whoever is there.
    • Chat partners: Employees are assigned a person at random to have a conversation with – using emails, video chat or telephone.
    • Communication champions: Each team member is assigned another team in the organisation and tasked to build up a link.
    • Cross-team projects & activities: Encouraging and actively designing projects, working parties and discussion groups to maximise engagement from across all teams. In the past we’ve seen Diversity working groups, fundraising groups and traditional ‘social committees’ all play a great role in forging connections.

    3. Share leadership

    A top-down solution probably isn’t the best approach. This is an area where you need your team, and all the other teams, to be driving this forward. Your role should be to think about how to get everyone to appreciate the issue, accept responsibility, and give them the freedom and resources to discover and try out some solutions. You’re going to need solutions that fit the organisational and team cultures – but most importantly with individuals.

    So it’s unlikely a single solution will address all the mechanisms that you’re trying to replace. In an office there are multiple opportunities for collision, and you need to replicate this variety when remote or hybrid working.

    Finding the solutions to the lack of collisions is actually a great example of using a project to create new collisions – get teams working together, forging new connections and promoting innovation and creativity!

    Get some help

    Unsurprisingly it is this final element of implementation that proves most difficult for managers and leaders. On Remote Leadership Mastery this is where we spend the most time, discussing in the interactive workshops how to identify the mechanisms you want to address, to assess your organisational and team cultures, to consider which approaches fit best and to develop a strategy for successful implementation.