Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2012 - (Page 13)

LEADERSHIP 2.0 | KEN BLANCHARD AND SCOTT BLANCHARD INSTEAD OF AVOIDING FEELINGS, MANAGERS SHOULD BE EMBRACING THEM DON’T BE AFRAID OF FEELINGS IN THE WORKPLACE “D on’t get emotional — this is strictly business.” How many times has that phrase been uttered by managers and leaders over the years? And while managers often ask employees to take a detached view of the work environment, the reality is that feelings play a large role in performance. In fact, our research has shown that employees’ sense of well-being is a key predictor of their subsequent intentions to perform at a high level, invest in their careers with an employer and work together in win-win relationships. Instead of avoiding feelings, managers should be embracing them. They are a key driver of performance. To create a passionate work environment, leaders need to address 12 factors in three key areas. Employee perceptions in these three areas will lead to positive or negative feelings and performance intentions. The following questions will help you begin to explore how well your organization is meeting employee needs — and your own — in each of these critical areas. Job Factors: • Do employees see the importance of their work? • Are people empowered to make decisions about their work and tasks? • Are workloads reasonably proportioned for the time people have to accomplish them? Organizational Factors: • Is the organization committed to growth? • Have clear goals been set? • Are decisions about resources being made fairly? Relationship Factors: • Do people feel connected? • Do employees have a supportive professional relationship with their leader? • Are leaders checking in and providing feedback regarding employee performance? Without proactive strategies in place, employees naturally drift toward a “quit and stay” mentality rather than the five positive intentions we see in high performing organizations. These positive intentions include: • Actively endorsing the organization as a good place to work • Performing above and beyond the basic requirements of the job • Thinking beyond themselves and striving for win/win solutions • Going the extra mile when it is necessary to get the job done • Intending to stay with the organization long term Getting started As leaders working with a new generation of employees, we have to stop trying to create sterile organizations where people are expected to check their feelings at the door. Instead, we need to view feelings as a positive force that can take performance to a higher level. Here are three ways to get started. 1. Set clear goals for each of your employees. People need something to serve that is bigger than themselves. Clear goals address the need for meaningful work, collaboration and performance expectations. They also set the stage for discussions about autonomy and necessary resources. 2. Once goals are in place, set up regular meetings to see how things are going. Praise progress and provide support or redirection as necessary. Regular meetings address the need for feedback and connectedness. 3. Finally, make sure there are no surprises at performance review time. Performance reviews, when done right, are less about feedback and redirection than they are about celebrating accomplishments and planning for the future. Leadership makes a diﬀerence Today’s work environment is different than the one that the baby boomers or even the Gen Xers experienced when they first entered the workforce. Emotional management is a core skill that contributes to a high performing organization. Leadership sets the tone of the workplace culture. It affects people’s emotional state as well as their willingness to perform at high levels. When strong, positive leadership creates a culture where people are passionate and engaged, they are more productive and more loyal. It’s a win-win for both the individual and the organization. Scott Blanchard is the executive vice president of client solutions for The Ken Blanchard Companies. Ken Blanchard is the best-selling co-author of The One Minute Manager and 50 other books on leadership. You can follow Ken Blanchard on Twitter @KenBlanchard or @LeaderChat and also via the HowWeLead and LeaderChat blogs. Email Scott and Ken. 13 Training Industry Quarterly, Winter 2012 / A Training Industry, Inc. ezine / www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ http://www.twitter.com/kenblanchard http://www.howwelead.org http://www.leaderchat.org http://www.twitter.com/leaderchat http://www.trainingindustry.com/TIQ

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2012

Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2012
From Where I Sit: The Age of Personal Learning
Table of Contents
Ad Index
The Discipline of Instructive Coversation
Real' Learning: The Role of Context
Context, Connectivity and Community
Don't Be Afraid of Feelings in the Workplace
Peer-to-Peer: The Future of Learning
User-Generated Content
It's All About the Social. Or is it?
Informal Learning: The Dawn of a Profitable New Era
Harvesting Creativity through Social Media
Connect, Learn, Share, Innovate: How to Begin Your Social Media Journey
Casebook: Marriott: Accommodating IT Training
How Long Does it Take to Get Fully Productive?
Tweet Suite
Company News
Closing Arguments: The Social Network

Training Industry Quarterly - Winter 2012