One Week Back At Work

Like so many others, 2021 began with me working from home. I relished the experience and would jump at the opportunity to do it again – not that I want a 3rd wave pandemic to be the cause – but I thrived in that environment. Not only was I able to connect with and guide those I worked in partnership on their career journey’s, I voluntarily gave my employer more hours of service than I was compensated for. Good for the employer, good for people working with me, good for everyone all around.

However, as was always to be the case, the inevitable return to the office came about and for me it was Monday of this week. So, having been back for a week now, I feel the time is right to share a little of the experience being back, hoping that a recounting and sharing might be helpful for readers who have a looming return to their workplace.

I must say, an odd feeling came over me once a specific date was announced as a return to the office. I mean, working with and on behalf of people my entire life,  service to others is what I’m all about. Yet, there I was, not entirely comfortable with the idea of meeting and interacting in person with people I’d come to know as co-workers and the general public. That alien feeling was present, though not to a degree that it had me contemplating any kind of fight to remain working at home. Seeing the bigger picture, a return to in-person service was always the plan, and I knew it was the intent of my employer to return to this as a normal way of practice.

My thoughts ranged from how to handle initial encounters with colleagues. Hands would I hoped, not be extended to shake, and hugs I trusted, would be completely discouraged. Not that I’m against either practice in, ‘normal’ times, but we are after all, still not completely out of the woods and back to everything as it once was. I started thinking of my physical workspace, being as it is located in a common room with no walls except the one behind me, and open to people on three sides, used by the public and colleagues alike.

My concerns were and remain legitimate and real. Being 62 and a type 2 diabetic, I have additional cause to keep myself protected as much as possible, not only safeguarding myself but also for family, friends etc. I wondered about and hoped that colleagues were taking necessary precautions and being as vigilant as I was to protect not only themselves, but me in the process.

So there I was on Monday, back in the office along with the entire organization, standing in our Resource Centre, welcomed back by our Executive Director. It’s got to be satisfying at that level to see all your staff back in one place, healthy and safe, and taking the next step to normal business operations. The public still can’t walk in for service – not yet – but they will in time and this staged re-opening allows everyone to ease into the environment and familiarize themselves with not only known colleagues, but also the half dozen or so hired during the closure of the office whom we’ve only met online.

Now 5 days in, I’m happy to report that colleagues are still taking the proper precautions; physically distancing themselves, using hand sanitizer frequently, wearing masks properly and having their temperatures taken upon arriving at work.  People knocking on our doors are being either politely informed we aren’t open to the public, or if they do have a scheduled appointment, they are duly screened at the door.

All of the above has me feeling safe and secure, and that translates to allowing me to focus on the work I’m here to do. Much better than feeling anxious, cautious, and only focusing 60% or so on work while looking furtively around, suspicious of everyone and feeling a need to look out for myself because no one else cares to. That would not be a positive experience.

Now to you.

I’ve no idea how you feel about an impending return to your workplace; be it office, warehouse, store etc. My hope for you is that you come to have the same level of high confidence in the leadership there as I have where I work. It’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that we’re all safe. Sure employers have a larger responsibility, but as my Executive Director said to us all on Monday, “if you see someone not wearing their mask properly, just say, “mask up please”.

Health and Safety Committees abound in many organizations, and in addition to checking on hazards in the workplace, one of their roles is also going to be checking in and responding to concerns staff may have directly related to protocols around Covid-19 pandemic safeguards. If we all take safeguards seriously and do our part as directed by our Health Units, we maximize our chances of working safely and preventing illnesses, or a return to some further closures in another wave.

May we all feel safe, protected and come to feel comfortable in our return to workplaces be they new to us or old familiar haunts.

Find The Right Fit And You Win

Of all the people you know, who’s the one person who knows you best? You. Oh sure you might be inclined to say it’s your partner and yes, I’ll admit my wife knows me exceedingly well given our 37 plus years of marriage. Yet, there are many times in a day when I’m in the company of me, myself and I. At work, in the garden, reading a book, playing the guitar or hey, writing this piece, it’s only me and my thoughts are mine alone.

So you know yourself; your likes and dislikes, the things that inspire, confuse, excite, demoralize, stress and stimulate you. Some people know some of these things about you no doubt, but the only one who knows all of these things about you is you.

I’ve said many times that a terrific thing to undertake is to do an inventory of your strengths, areas to improve, skills, values, morals, motivations, fears, personal characteristics and qualities. If you feel you just, ‘intrinsically know’ all these things, I won’t argue the point. However, if you can’t verbalize your workplace values, define success and measure where you are in relation to it, name 20 of your top skills and provide if asked, demonstrated proof of those skills, you might want to consider getting around to formally documenting these things. But that’s not my point I wish to share here.

What I do want to talk about is not just figuring out what role(s) you want in this life you’re living, but with whom do you want to share your gifts? So if you know you want to be an Electrician, that’s wonderful! However, how much thought do you put into the organization you want to be employed by? If you’re simply going online and applying to a job because the job title matches what you want, that’s not the best way to maximize the odds of being happy in the job should you land there. And despite all the great advice from many Job Coaches and Employment Counsellor’s, many still research the job but not the employer.

That’s kind of like saying, “I want to be married” without putting a great deal of thought into the person you’re going to be with. Come to think of it, I may have inadvertantlly and unintentionally just stumbled on to why we have such high divorce rates. Could be too many people who want to get married rush into things without taking the time to, ‘research’ and get to know their potential life partner. Of course, there are people who figure marriage is a two to three year commitment and then move on just like some people do with jobs.

3 things are needed to be ultimately happy career-wise; a job you love, having the skills and expertise to do it well and thirdly, the pay that makes the job one you can afford to work at as it fulfills your financial needs. That first one though – a job you love – isn’t only the role but includes the organization with whom you partner.

Some people make the mistake of believing they have the right job, then finding out that it’s not what they thought it was all about, they change careers and choose something new. Sadly, I’ve often found that the peson knew themselves well enough to pick the right job or career, but they make the mistake of believing that one bad experience with one employer was representative of all other simililar job titles with other employers.

You may find for example that one company instructs all their Electricians to get in and get out asap when on a job in order to maximize the number of jobs they bill for in a day. This might leave you the front-line employee and Electrician running from job to job feeling very little satisfaction. On the other hand, another company might want their employees to complete work while encouraging their Electricians to interact with customers and explain what they are doing, how to avoid future overloads and promote electrical safety in the home or workplace. Both strategies could make the company the same funds. One billing for 8 jobs but less time with each customer and the other billing for 5 jobs but for more time with each.

As the Electrician, you might find yourself with a preference for one environment or what we call workplace culture. It’s not that the job or career was wrong, it’s possibly the job or career was a good fit but the employer wasn’t. Two different ways of operating and two different types of people will fit. One is task-focused employee and the other a mixture of task and desire to educate using their people skills.

Okay so what about you? Are you in the right job but perhaps working in the wrong environment? Considering the length of years you have left to work, you’ve got to calculate the cost of remaining a round peg in a square hole, or finding a round hole that fits what you’re after. Again, get the job you’re great at, that pays well, and that you love, and you win! You’re happiness hangs in the balance.

Heading Back And Moving Forward

When the Covid-19 pandemic first starting gaining traction and gaining world-wide awareness, I recall resolving to abstain from blogging about it. First and foremost, I felt it was so prominent in the news, that this coupled with social media adding to the information already out there could potentially create fatigue in readers saturated with too much on the receiving end.

Now however, as many organizations recall or prepare to transition their staff back to workplaces, I feel the climate might be right for a read. While many have talked about a return to what once was deemed, ‘normal’, I personally rather feel that our, “getting back to work” might look very different. I’m just not sure in all cases if what becomes our new, ‘normal’ will be recognizable as what we’ve experienced and how we’ve gone about work in the past. 

It is clear that some businesses were forced to adapt how they moved their services and products into the hands of their customers. For many, this meant creating webpages, learning how to conduct transactions online, discovering anew how to market themselves and yes, go find their customers who in the past were the ones finding them. For many, I gather this was not such a bad thing whatsoever. In fact, some business owners have said they knew the need was there to explore online marketing or sales, and the pandemic gave them the push needed to adapt rather than fold.

Employees who were fortunate to keep their jobs during the worst days of the pandemic had in many respects, the greatest adjustments to make. For those who worked in the community in face-to-face contact with the public, their customers or clients and guests, this meant using personal protective equipment. Where that used to conjure up images of someone in a nuclear power plant or working in a lab, it meant ordinary folks were donning masks, face shields, using hand sanitizer frequently, refraining from getting within 6 feet of others, and sneezing into crooked elbows and all the while refraining from touching their faces. Did you notice just how often we reflexively touch our faces?

For the employees who suddenly found themselves working from home, there too was adjustments. There were Zoom, Teams, Skype and Ring Central Meetings to learn about. There were webinars and online team meetings to attend, renovations to be made so space became private and business appropriate. There were children passing in and out of camera views, tails of cats suddenly walking by online and dogs heard barking off screen who needed to be taken out and let back in. A knock on the door became a true event of curiosity and excitement; after all, we were in the belly of a pandemic and people just weren’t supposed to be out and about.

Some business thrived though. Courier vehicles delivering packages started making more than the odd appearance – dare I say daily as I observed. Amazon and Wayfair simply buzzed with activity and many chose to avoid going in supermarkets altogether and simply ordered their food in advance and waited in their vehicles for personal shoppers to bring out their purchases. That $3 or $5 fee for the service might have initially seemed an extravagance, but compare that to the many dollars saved when not buying impulse items. Personal Shoppers and Covid Checkers outside businesses were jobs that came about only because of the pandemic.

And now, we contemplate or have already begun the business of returning to work. How are you feeling about that transition? I remember John, Paul, George and Ringo first singing all those years ago, “Get back! Get back! Get back to where you once belonged.”  Odd how we might feel trepidation or anxiety the first few times we get back. The problem is that some people will immediately revert to handshakes and hugs while others will be cautious and adhere to social distancing. What do you do when someone shouts your name and walks over briskly with their arms open wide? What do you do if you’re the one looking for a hug and a previous hugger suddenly holds up a hand and says, “Whoa! What are you thinking?” 

And this is where Management teams have to assert themselves and both educate their workers as well as set the standards themselves. If and when people ignore the health standards and requirements, just like any other health and safety offence, a conversation and/or discipline has to follow. 

Maybe that’s the understanding we all have to have; right now, shaking hands, hugging, choosing not to wear your mask properly – these are similar to not wearing your steel-toed boots or tying off your safety harness. The only difference being you get in a nail in your own foot or you fall and kill yourself. When you don’t wear your mask or don’t respect distancing, you potentially harm not only yourself, you potentially harm co-workers, their families and anyone they come into contact with. 

People’s feelings are to be respected and are valid, no question. When one’s beliefs don’t align with others, in this instance you turn to science and experts; not the kind you find in a random online search, but subject matter professionals. 

When back in the workplace, my hope for us all is that we feel safe, secure and respected; whatever our new normal becomes.

When The Going Gets Tough

You’ve likely heard that familiar phrase, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” It is a compliment to those who bear down and work hard when the conditions are equally hard. With hard work, what’s viewed as tough is overcome.

There’san addition to that phrase you might be less familiar with. “When the going gets tough, the tough get going. The smart left a long time ago.” This is a nod for those who saw the tough times ahead and actively took steps to avoid the tough going to come.

I suppose it’s an accurate assessment to say that not only do we see ourselves as generally favouring one or the other, but we’re likely to do either one depending on the situation. We definitely might roll up our sleeves and tackle tough situations; why we might even draw inspiration from the challenge of whatever threatens our productivity or success! At the same time, we might also see something upleasant and tough ahead and determine that we’re in posiiton to avoid it altogether and the effort isn’t worth it. For example, I’ve known people who have been close enough to retirement that they decide to leave early rather than learn what they see as a complicated and new piece of technology.

It’s not that one saying is right and one is categorically wrong. It’s more that we as individuals size up the challenge ahead of us and make a decision to get going or we don’t. Yes, in some situations we’re smart to protect our physical or mental health by removing ourselves from the situation if we perceive it as dangerous or not in our best interests. Take when forest fires or floods are approaching a community and while the smart leave when instructed, dig in until the water or fire is upon them and only then do they get going, often needing rescuing.

The issue that causes divisions amongst us can come about when others we work with and/or care for greatly, don’t have the same views as we do. While we’ve taken a position that we’re comfortable with, so have they, and it can strain a relationship if the decisions aren’t united. In the case of a coworker retiring, while we might want them to stick around and face the tough sledding together, it’s likely that we understand and even appreciate their decision as wise and in their own best interests. We may be happy for them.

However, when the situation is closer to home, we might feel and react very differently. Suppose for example we see our son or daughter considering dropping a course they find extremely tough, or worse yet, dropping school altogether because in their view, it’s just too tough and not worth the grief. It’s probable that now that this involves our own children, we are less likely to appreciate their decision and be happy for them. Perhaps we’d try to convince them to struggle on, get a tutor, and/or talk to school officials because the reward of overcoming the challenge far outweighs the consequence of dropping out. And what we might also worry over is that this could set a future pattern of avoiding tough times more and more and failing to learn from working through them, gaining that feeling of accomplishment and self-satisfaction.

At work, we might extend an offer of help to a coworker in tough. Be they a teammate or someone on another team, we want this person we work with daily to be in a positive frame of mind, be able to do their work with confidence and gain the skills required to continue to perform the work they’ve done previously. The thing is however, this is a person who we feel is entirely entitled to make their own call; to do what’s right for them. We might choose differently were we in their situation, but we respect their decision.

When it’s us that makes a decision to avoid something tough, we generally hope it’s the kind of situation that won’t come back to haunt us. Putting something off we find hard doesn’t typically make this tough thing go away. It can sometimes just leave us with less time and fewer resources to tackle it. When we eventually face it head on, such as cramming for an exam the night before, we might thrive on the increased pressure and higher demands, or we might falter badly and resort to asking other people to throw us a lifeline.

Facing up to tough situations immediately isn’t always the best strategy either. No, sometimes it’s best to let others with more time, expertise, experience and ingenuity lead first and work out some of the difficulties, then when things are clearer for us, return to walk us through. This can lead to higher success with less worry, anxiety and lower failure rates.

The point is to accurately determine when facing something tough is a good idea and when removing ourselves from a looming bad situation is the right thing to do. It’s all about using good judgement, knowing when and where to find support when the going gets tough, and respecting the choices others make, especially when they differ from what we believe we’d do in their situation.

 

Feeling Stretched?

Many well-meaning people encourage us to push and achieve more. Hit a sales target for the boss and you may find the bar gets raised for next month. Bring a project in under budget and you may find one consequence of your success is their belief you’ll repeat this with future projects; perhaps to the point of being given less resources yet expected to achieve the same results.

Higher expectations in the workplace are nothing new. It seems everyone wants us to be more efficient with our resources, employers want us to cross-train at work; not only being excellent at the work we do, but also learning how to do the work of others, which in turn makes us a higher valued asset. While we know we are entitled to our full lunch or dinner and our 15 minute breaks, often we might find pressure to work through them in practice, even though we’re told to take them.

And it doesn’t stop in the workplace. You might find that at home you’re expected to not just prepare supper, but ensure it’s something that will be a hit with everyone at the table. There’s demands on your time to help with homework, read a story, cuddle on the couch, have everyone’s clothes clean and ready, have lunches ready to go for tomorrow, spend time with the pets and then suprise, squeeze in some additional request for your help with something completely unexpected.

Stretched. It’s perhaps the best and simplest explanation of what you’re experiencing. Pulled by well-meaning people both in the workplace and at home. Of all the people in your life, you’re the only one who really gets the impact of having all these requests and demands made of you. Even when you share with those at home what’s going on at work, they can only understand on an intellectual level rather than having a real appreciation for what it’s like to live your experience. Pehaps while their listening empathetically, they even suggest you make yourself a tea or coffee to calm your nerves, rather than getting up to make it for you. Well-meaning sure, but yet one more tiny thing to do.

The thing is that no matter how much you’re able to stretch yourself and be there for everyone who needs you, you’ve got your limits. Pull beyond what you’re capable of doing and you’ll snap. Then people will look at you with puzzlement and disappointment and question your effort, your commitment, your capabilities!

You have to forgive people who do this though. I mean, we’re all different from everyone else; there isn’t a blueprint that says we can all be stretched to the same limits. Some of us can take on heavy loads and appear to thrive on them. Others work best when the loads are lighter, just not being designed to work at our best when we’re overloaded. But those well-meaning people are sizing us up based on the other people they know and their own best guesses as to what they believe we should be able to take on.

At work, the boss can hardly keep laying more and more responsibility on some members of the team while keeping the workload light for others. This could be read as favourtism. If it went on for any length of time, it could breed discontent, resistence and conflict among the members of the team who feel taken advantage of and overworked – especially if they all receive the same wages.

The other reason I think people should be forgiven for failing to understand what we’re capable of is that as individuals, our own capcacity to carry our loads fluctuates and changes based on all the things we juggle at any one time. What we were able to handle last month might be more or less than what we can handle this month. Why? Well maybe we’ve got 4 birthdays to plan for this month, there’s been a death of a close friend in our personal life, while at work someone’s confided in us that they are looking to leave and all we can see is more work coming our way.

While we can forgive others for unintentionally adding to our stress, we have to give ourselves permission to plateau if need be; send our Superhero cape out for cleaning, and just be normal. It’s not only okay to do this, it’s healthy for our minds and bodies. Pushing ourselves for too long beyond what we’re able to do risks both our physical and mental health. If we should stretch to the point of breaking, well, we’re not only unable to help others, we’ll end up feeling guilty, incapable and disappointed in ourselves. This can mean lower self-worth, anxiety and sadness.

This is not to say we shouldn’t push ourselves or fail to be pushed by others to find what we’re capable of. This is a good thing and sometimes we wouldn’t have the success we’ve had if we didn’t stretch to see what we might achieve. But the difficulty is knowing where that line is between stretching and breaking.

From time to time, what we’re giving is all we’ve got. This doesn’t make us a bad person, nor weak, nor unachieving. It makes us human. And when you feel ready, don your Superhero cape and go get ’em!

The Best Of Teamwork

Look at a lot of job postings and you’ll see amongst the skills and job requirements, a great number indicate the employer is looking to hire a team player. Many job applicants are smart enough to know that it’s in their own interests to make sure that they then put the words, ‘team player’, on their resume. This makes it difficult for employers to tell the difference between true team players and those who either prefer to work alone, or work with others grudingly, or only when they know the boss is watching.

Far too many organizations share a common problem in managing the talent they have. Managers in some businesses group their workers in teams on an organizational flow chart and expect the magic to happen. They hold meetings for the people in those teams, and wonder sometimes why people who work well alone, don’t excel when working together. Putting people in groups and calling them a team doesn’t of its own accord accomplish this however.

Great teams are composed of ordinary people who understand that all members have skills, experiences and personal qualities that when shared, benefit each member of the team. Great teams evolve when each member willingly contributes their talents, are supported by their teammates, and in turn support them. Without a willingness to appreciate the talents of each member, a team is doomed from the start to simply be a collection of people on paper, working under a person of higher rank. They will either be mediocre at best or poor performers at the worst; failing to achieve the greatness the teams potential has.

Management and workers both have responsibilities when it comes to making great teams. Managers assemble the talent, going out and finding desirable experience, skills, and above all, personal characteristics in the people they hire who truly embrace working together to achieve the best results. Employees have a responsibility to appreciate that the sum of their collective talents will take them farther as a group than any one of them working alone.

The problem for Managers and those that hire is that during an interview, most people will indicate they work well in teams and will cite previous experience of having been on one. Managers are challenged to assemble talent that will fill organizational needs, and complement the talents of their existing workforce. The question then becomes, “Who can I bring onboard whose style, attitude, work ethic, daily practices and willingness to work collaboratively and cooperatively blend with or spur a change in the team where I’m attempting to fill a need?” You have to appreciate their predicament because in job interviews, people are on their best behaviour and we all know that many people will say what they believe is what they feel will get them hired, even if it’s not entirely true. Tell an employer you work best alone when they want a team player and you may get passed over.

Collaboration is one key requirement to success when it comes to team performance. This means sharing ideas with your team, but respecting the responsibility to listen to the ideas of your fellow teammates – without formulating in your mind what your response will be while you’re listening. Why? Because when you’re getting ready to launch your response, you’re not truly listening wth the goal to understanding what you’re hearing, nor are you processing the merit behind others’ thoughts.

Good team players recognize the value in the experience of their teammates. While you might all be sitting around a table here and now, HOW you all got to this point is unique to each member, and all the failures and successes each member has had, have shaped them into the people they are now. There’s a lot of rich history each member brings to the table; a lot of skill to be mined, shared and tapped into to improve the performance of this group as a whole.

I once gave a co-worker a stick drawing of two people, with one figure holding a line representing the back of the other which was missing. I wrote the caption, “I’ve got your back” on it. That simple drawing I was surprised to find affixed to their cubicle wall for as long as I worked with her. It was reassurance that one of her co-workers would support her if whenever needed. I tell you this; the feeling was mutual. In her actions as well as words, she showed support, checking in with me periodically to ask how I was doing and meaning what she said. In small and large actions, we gelled because we both got it – backing each other up, lending a hand, bothering to care and wanting us each to succeed. In short, we respected each other and respected ourselves enough to be great team players, and we were.

If you really want to work on a great team YOU have to make an investment in your teammates. Coming together just in team meetings and then working in cliches or isolation at other times limits a teams success. And it’s only when an organization has every team working together that you have a truly phenomenal group both in name and performance.

What’s been your own experience? Have you had the pleasure of working as a valued member of an awesome team? What did that look like?

When Change Is Here

Throughout your professional and personal life, you’ll often experience change. Whether or not you adapt, and the rate of speed at which you do, goes a long way to determining your successful transition from what was to what is.

Just like any other skill, the ability to deal with change is something some of us are better prepared and able to deal with than others. While one person might embrace change immediately, another might take longer, needing time to process new information; work through in their mind what they are being asked to do, consider the ramifications and eventually get on board. Still others will hold on with everything they’ve got to what they’ve known out of their personal need for security and familiarity; especially if they’ve liked doing things a certain way.

Not all people who resist change are similar, although to casual observer they may appear to be so. While there may indeed be people so resistent they actively go out of their way to thrawt change, others just need time to process new information. This is particularly the case if the size and rate of change is large and quick.

Back in 2019, a lot of businesses and employees worked in ways which were very familiar to them. 2019 looked a lot like 2018, 2017 etc. But then, a world-wide pandemic arrived and for many individuals and businesses, the unexpected pandemicvirus forced people to change and adapt or risk business and job loss. Transforming how business would be done meant many people had to suddenly learn new skills, merge home and work environments, affecting their personal and professional lives.

One key determinent to how quickly we commit to change is whether it’s us that’s envisioned the change or we are having to react and adapt to change envisioned by others. When we initiate change, we are involved with the entire process; having a spark of an idea, mulling it over, considering pros and cons, weighing ramifications of when to change and the rate at which we do so and then finally introducing change when we feel confident and committed to it. When someone else brings about change, it depends at what point we are introduced to the process and its impact on us personally when it comes to how quickly we’re able to move from what was to some new way of working.

When change is large, such as working remotely from home rather than going to a workplace, one thing which makes this easier is a pack mentality. Everyone is in the same situation during the pandemic and this common, external threat unifies staff and gets people supporting each other; everyone starting from a common point of having to learn new skills.

When major change is initiated by some in the organization and there isn’t a shared belief that change is required, resistance can be predicted and expected. Consider a new delivery model of the services you provide, a new set of policies and procedures, a realignment of departments and personnel. When these kinds of changes are brought about, you may be asked to trust senior management is making changes for the betterment of the company and is making decisions based on information they have, which you at your level do not.

While you will be expected to get onboard with implemented changes, I submit that ‘getting onboard’ isn’t enough. In navigating an organization through some new uncharted waters, some onboard might choose not to paddle – at least not while being observed; the result being they don’t help move the rest forward. While they don’t actively impede progress, forward movement isn’t as unified and quick as it would be if they pulled in the same direction. Everyone moves faster when given the tools required and uses their oar to pull. Things progress best not only when everyone works together, but also matches the effort of those who move with enthusiasm and energy.

Good advice if you generally don’t do well with change is to give yourself time to receive and process information before digging in and coming across as opposed. Sometimes 24 hours and a good sleep is all that’s needed to process information and see things differently. It’s also helpful in some circumstances to ask questions that help you better understand the reasons behind change. What is it these changes are a reaction to? How will they better posiiton your company, department or you personally to better deliver your products and services? What’s at risk if you keep the status quo?

Of course there are times when you’ll be expected to embrace change without access to all this information because the distance between your posiiton and the people envisioning change is great.

If change is severe, you might find it healthier to look for work elsewhere or retire. You might also find that seeking out a Counsellor to talk through your fears, concerns and anxiety helpful too. Not everyone deals well with change but change happens nonetheless.

I personally have improved my adaptability to change and it’s now a strength. For me, the faster I change my mindset, (which I control), the better I am to embrace change itself, over which I often have little control.

Resistence to change is often how it might look to others when actually you just need time to learn new methods.

Deliver On The Expectations You Set

One of the biggest goals for any business is delivering on the promise of getting their goods and services to their consumers which fulfill their expectations.

One of the biggest frustrations for any customer is when a business fails to deliver on getting their goods and services to the consumer which fails to align with the customers expectations.

Businesses are famous for establishing expectations of quality, service and delivery. Those of you old enough to remember the Timothy Eaton company may recall their motto, “Goods satisfactory or money refunded.” The Ford Motor company promoted, “Quality is job one.”  Goodyear says, “The best tires in the world have Goodyear written all over them.”

The thing about a motto or slogan is that customers who buy into it (literally and figuratively), will hold you to account at some point and expect you to live up to it. So here’s a question…how well do the employees on the front-lines who deal with customers know the slogan they’re asked to uphold? Some pizza companies promise 30 minutes or it’s free and when it takes 31 minutes or more, you not only expect it free, you expect the delivery driver to smile as he hands it over with a, “no charge”. What you don’t expect is having to argue about it while it cools down in their one hand while they phone the store with the other to ask for clarification.

What about where you work? Does your organization have a motto, slogan or widely-known policy? If you’re not sure or you’ve forgotten what it is, you would be wise to ask about it now rather than waiting until you’re in an awkward situation of being called on it by one of your customers.

And what of you as an individual? Do you come with a promise of performance? What claims did you make during your interview which played a big part in the hiring decision to bring you on board? Are you living up to whatever you promised? Maybe it was a certain, measurable level of service; being able to process a given number of phone calls in a day or claims of physical strength. Perhaps you laid title to a keyboarding speed, knowledge of a software application, the ability to lead effectively or being available to work all shifts as scheduled with a positive outlook. How are you doing in living up to your performance promise?

Suddenly you might be just a little less comfortable. Yes, it’s easier being on the other side when we’re holding other people or organizations accountable. The Pizza is one minute overdue and late is late after all. Is that one minute worth a free pizza, the gas money, the driver’s time and the possibility of a tip? Some will say yes and others will still gladly pay for what they receive a minute later than promised.

But when it’s us – myself included here – it can be a little less comfortable as I say. Some people will make all kinds of claims in an interview just to get hired. I recall one person telling me years ago that they told an employer they knew the software the company used at an expert level. If they got the job, only then would they figure it out by asking their co-workers to show them when the boss wasn’t around. There’s several presumptions here; no testing at the interview stage, employers who are easily duped and co-workers who will have more allegiance to a brand new co-worker rather than the employer who provides their pay. I don’t like those odds.

The truth is that many people forget the claims and promises they make. Have you ever had an experience as a customer where you feel a company representative is selling you a line; saying anything just to keep you from demanding your money back? You know, they promise to fix your problem in short order but then you don’t hear back from them until you rev yourself up for round two of a bout? Some companies actually predict and allow for a certain percentage of their customers who will not complain and simply go away. If you get a wrong order at a drive-thru and only discover it once you’re home, would you actually get back in the car, drive back and complain? Exactly.

As an individual, you can improve your reputation and your credibility if you live up to the promises you made and continue to make; deliver on what you say you’ll do to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Even amongst co-workers, if you say you’ll get some information right over to a colleague, live up to that expectation you just made. You may hope they’ll forget it, but it’s more likely they are now counting on you and the clock is ticking.

One thing likely common to us all is the expectation we’ll be at work and ready to go every day by a certain time. If you’re punctual, you’re living up to the expectation of the company and one you accepted upon hire. If you’re consistently late, you’re not delivering on the expectation of punctuality and reliability.

As an experiment, listen for and think about the expectations you set for yourself when you interact with others today. Only promise what you will deliver.

Investing In The Relationship

The best relationships are the ones in which both partners not only make initial investments in each other, but do so on an ongoing basis. The initial investments come easily to most people; going out of your way to show through your actions that this person means a lot to you. In the early stages of a relationship, there’s a lot to discover about this other person you’re drawn to. You’re on the lookout for the things that please your partner, you put effort into the relationship and you do little things that pay off with a smile brought to their face.

Strong relationships stand the test of time when partners continue to invest in each other. It’s important to realize that as the relationship evolves, so too do the two individuals which make up this partnership. Sometimes couples come to realize that their individual priorities have changed, along with their interests and needs. While each individual person may very well be a good person at heart, this evolution of the individuals involved can divide a relationship to the point where each person moves on in separate directions apart from on another. There’s no issue of blame, no wronged partner; just a parting of the ways, each with a healthy view of the other.

The relationship which exists between employers and employees works much the same. In the beginning, an applicant does their best to get to know a potential employer by doing their research. Then the applicant makes an approach, does their best to capture the employer’s attention and present themselves as a good match. The employer is also doing their best to present themselves as a good partner; dangling benefits, wages, work environment, culture and future growth to woo the applicant.

Once the two come together in an agreement, both employer and employee begin in the honeymoon phase where each invest in the partnership; the employee grateful for the opportunity is on their best behaviour. Employers are doing their best to welcome the new hire into the fold, making introductions all round, providing training opportunities and protecting the new hire from a full workload in the first early days. Both employee and employer check in with each other to see how the relationship is progressing and both want this partnership to be productive and lasting.

Now there’s no specific timeframe for the transition to the post-honeymoon period. A sign of the transition however, is when the newness has rubbed off, the routine of daily tasks is known, the employee has settled in and the employer stops checking in to see how the newbie is doing as a regular thing. Protecting the new hire from a full workload is over and expectations of full performance begin. This doesn’t mean the relationship has soured, it just means the 2nd phase has begun.

Employers show their continued investment in their employees by providing ongoing training, making sure staff have opportunities to develop professionally and acknowledge achievements employees make which enhance the end-user experience. They provide feedback on how they see the relationship, talk about where they as an entity are headed and why, hoping by this transparency, to avoid surprising their staff by moving in any direction that would catch their employees off guard and unawares. In short, the best relationships between employers and employees is where employers demonstrate great care for the staff they employ.

Employees too have a responsibility in this relationship. For the the partnership to continue to be a good one, employees need to pull in the same direction; work with each of their colleagues in order to be collaborative and productive. This can mean learning new procedures, taking on additional training with enthusiasm and continuing to develop as individuals so their skills remain competitive.

Frequently, as employees and employers evolve, the time comes when one of the two realizes that things just aren’t working as well as they once did or could, and a parting of the ways is in each partners best interests. It does not mean that either partner is necessarily to blame or at fault, but rather that they have grown and evolved in different ways, have different needs and their futures will continue to evolve down different paths. In parting, each actually does the other a favour. Only poor employees or poor employers belittle and demean the other – sometimes done from a place of hurt or feeling wronged. Smart employers and employees part on the best of terms which leaves reconciliation a possibility and intersecting in the future in different roles something to look forward to, such as moving to another organization in the same field.

When either partner ceases to invest in the relationship, things stagnate and what can set in is complacency. Employees stop stretching themselves and developing their skills, employers expect to stay competitive in their industry but fail to invest in ongoing training of their greatest assets – the people they employ.

If you apply yourself and do your best, you increase the odds of finding a great partner to build a relationship with. It takes effort, investment in each other and understanding that if you take care of your partner’s needs, you often find they take of yours.

Whatever your role where you work, may you be in a great partnership and get as much as you give.

 

 

Communicating Effectively

It was back in 1980 on Erindale Campus of the University of Toronto that I was first told in a Sociology lecture that effective communication was sending a message from one person to another and having it received and understood in the way it was intended. If the person receiving the message interprets it in any way that differs from the intent of the sender, you have miscommunication.

With such a straightforward explanation of the communication process, why then is it so hard for people to communicate effectively? To answer this question, we have to look at some of the many things that accompany the message when it’s being transmitted to the person receiving the communication. Tone of voice, body language, physical proximity, the method of communication, past histories of the two individuals, context, and the list goes on. There’s a lot packed into how we communicate with others!

You might think that removing all the above would make communicating so much easier and increase clarity, but not so. How many times have you read an email for example and been unsure of the meaning behind the words you’ve just read?

In the workplace, communicating effectively is of great importance to employers. This is evidenced in the number of job postings which include, ‘strong written and verbal communication skills’ as part of the qualifications for the job. For whether it’s with customers, clients, co-workers, Managers or the general public, being able to communicate effectively is critical to increased productivity, company image and your own individual success.

How effectively you communicate begins the moment you come into contact with anyone who works in an organization you’re interested in joining. Whether it’s a phone call to gather information, a cover letter accompanying your resume, or the job interview itself, your communication skills are on display and you’ll be assessed at each one of these stages by company personnel as being a weak or strong fit based on how you send and receive information.

Everyone with something to communicate begins with an idea that they wish to share. People who communicate effectively then do many things simultaneously in just a few seconds. They think of their audience; the person or people who will receive the message. They consider their own relationship with these people and how best to pack the message so it not only gets delivered, but stands the best chance of being unpacked by those receiving the message in the way the sender intends. Should it be a text, an email, in person, over the phone, a group meeting, posted as an announcement on a bulletin board, etc.

But that’s just the method of communication. The words themselves have to be well thought out, to avoid any chance of being misunderstood. Even then, it’s not enough to guarantee success. The tone of voice we use is critical. For example if you shared some exciting news with a co-worker that you’ve just received a promotion, you might be confused if they say, “Gee that’s great”, while at the same time they yawn and roll their eyes. Even though they say the news is great, their tone and body language isn’t consistent with what you heard. In fact, you’re likely to believe the body language and tone over the actual words you hear and be left feeling disappointed they aren’t as excited as you.

Now imagine that same situation happening not just with a co-worker, but rather your boss. The boss tells you to have something done by 1:00 p.m. and you smile, wink an eye and say, “Yeah, I’ll get right on that!”, and chuckle. Your boss is probably left wondering if you are really going to get to it right away or you think they are kidding and have no intention of doing what they just asked. It’s likely they’ll say, “No, I’m serious; 1:00 p.m.” This second communication is also going to be delivered clearer, with little room for miscommunication. In fact, even if you got the message right the first time, your tone, facial expression and body language sent conflicting signals with the words you used. This inconsistency may actually be so confusing to an employer that it could limit your role in a company, causing you to be passed over for promotions because there’s a lack of faith in your communication skills.

Suppose you want to get to know the people you work with and figure having lunch with them one-on-one will give you both sufficient time to get to know one another. You say to someone, “I’d like to have lunch with you one day this week to get to know each other better.” They might be confused, especially if there is little history between you for them to understand the context for your request. Is this just lunch? Are you personally interested in them? Why them? So they might ask you for clarification by simply saying, “Why?” Although your motives are clear to you, what you have to understand is your motives aren’t clear yet to them.

Miscommunication can lead to awkwardness, jobs failing to get done, puzzlement, confusion and conflict just to name a few negative outcomes. Good advice is to consider your audience, how you’ll deliver your message, and checking for understanding once the message is received by asking for feedback.