As we said last time, in sports power is what moves the ball down the field or the player around the bases. In the workplace, power is what gets teams engaged and working to accomplish their goals. To be most effective in a leadership role, it’s important to recognize that there are different kinds of power. Each has its place and usually one is more applicable to a situation than another.
Position power is your potential to influence based on the position you hold in the organization. It could be based on the formal job title you have and your place in the organizational structure or it could result from the role you’re playing at that time, such as heading up a project team. Critical elements of this type of power include your authority based on your position, your control over resources and information, and your ability to remove obstacles that appear. Relying on this power alone is rarely an ideal approach in today’s workplace. It tends to result in compliance, rather than commitment, with people doing something because you told them to. It may be an ego rush for some leaders, but it does not last. Outside of the role, the leader has no influence over others. It’s the position, not the person, which has the power. There are occasions where there isn’t time to develop or demonstrate the other two kinds of power; in these situations, relying on your position power may be your best choice.
Expert power is your reliability as a source of guidance and instruction, based on your knowledge and experience. Experts grow their power by repeatedly demonstrating their expertise in a particular area. Degrees, licenses, and certification are an excellent foundation, but it’s the practice experience that really translates into power. You are more likely to be seen as an expert if you are confident and have a solid track record of demonstrated knowledge and skill. This is a valuable type of power to develop. It often has value across organizations and it resides with you, not your job.
The final type of power, interpersonal power, is your ability to influence based on how you interact with others. This kind of power is built through effectively communicating with others; showing understanding and trust; and displaying optimism, enthusiasm, determination, and self-confidence. People often admire and identify with people who possess high interpersonal power. Given the nature of this power type, it takes time to develop. Interpersonal power is increased when you are considerate and show concern for others’ needs and feelings and defend their interests; it is diminished by hostility, distrust, rejection, or indifference. Interpersonal power is well worth the effort to develop, as it is much more likely to foster commitment than position power is.
Combining interpersonal power with expert power is an extremely effective way to enhance your influence and effectiveness as a leader. Consider the most respected and beloved mentors, coaches, teachers and managers you have encountered, and you’ll most likely conclude that they had highly developed expert and interpersonal power.
Showing posts with label values. Show all posts
Showing posts with label values. Show all posts
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
The High Cost of Values
Much is written today about the need for values in the workplace. It sounds so fine and noble to call ourselves people of high values, but are we always aware of the high cost of such a commitment? I remember a situation years ago where my commitment came under fire.
I was a recruiter for a non-profit organization. We, like so many employers, had a new hire drug screening policy. I had an applicant for a finance department opening who had previous experience working for a major competitor. The head of finance really wanted to hire this person, even after he failed the drug test. Our organization had never hired anyone who failed, so I felt confident my decision not to hire would be supported by our CEO. It wasn’t. The CEO felt the financial information the new employee had from his past employer was too valuable to pass by, and legal counsel suggested that it was unlikely that our decision would be discovered and successfully challenged. It was never considered that the information this person had was confidential and sharing it with us would not only have been unethical, but would most likely have violated a confidentiality agreement he would have signed upon taking his job.
Not only did I lose that argument, I paid a greater price. Shortly after this incident, a position opened up at a sister facility in a location to which I wanted to relocate. A member of management at my facility said I would not receive a favorable recommendation for the position because I was seen as “inflexible” in my stance that we abide by our drug-free policy regardless of the candidate.
While that was demoralizing at the time, thankfully the story did not end there. The employee was hired, but soon developed an attendance problem and was ultimately fired. (There is a reason employers screen out drug users!) The financial situation of our facility did not improve dramatically as a result of this person being hired, and eventually the head of finance was also let go. The sister facility in my desired location closed within a year or two and I did relocate there on my own, having accepted a lateral position with a competitor.
It took a while for all of this to occur. It was a very difficult period in my professional life, yet I wouldn’t do it any differently. If you’ve been working a while, you’ve probably experienced similar things, and you may not have had the vindication I had. Still, without our values, what do we have that is lasting?
I was a recruiter for a non-profit organization. We, like so many employers, had a new hire drug screening policy. I had an applicant for a finance department opening who had previous experience working for a major competitor. The head of finance really wanted to hire this person, even after he failed the drug test. Our organization had never hired anyone who failed, so I felt confident my decision not to hire would be supported by our CEO. It wasn’t. The CEO felt the financial information the new employee had from his past employer was too valuable to pass by, and legal counsel suggested that it was unlikely that our decision would be discovered and successfully challenged. It was never considered that the information this person had was confidential and sharing it with us would not only have been unethical, but would most likely have violated a confidentiality agreement he would have signed upon taking his job.
Not only did I lose that argument, I paid a greater price. Shortly after this incident, a position opened up at a sister facility in a location to which I wanted to relocate. A member of management at my facility said I would not receive a favorable recommendation for the position because I was seen as “inflexible” in my stance that we abide by our drug-free policy regardless of the candidate.
While that was demoralizing at the time, thankfully the story did not end there. The employee was hired, but soon developed an attendance problem and was ultimately fired. (There is a reason employers screen out drug users!) The financial situation of our facility did not improve dramatically as a result of this person being hired, and eventually the head of finance was also let go. The sister facility in my desired location closed within a year or two and I did relocate there on my own, having accepted a lateral position with a competitor.
It took a while for all of this to occur. It was a very difficult period in my professional life, yet I wouldn’t do it any differently. If you’ve been working a while, you’ve probably experienced similar things, and you may not have had the vindication I had. Still, without our values, what do we have that is lasting?
Friday, May 21, 2010
The Value of Diversity
Diversity is a big buzz word today, as the world shrinks ever smaller with our expanding technology. There are three definitions of diversity, all of which organizations would do well to value:
1) a variety of something such as opinion, color, or style
2) ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution
3) discrepancy, or a difference from what is normal or expected (taken from the Encarta Dictionary)
The second definition is the one typically thought of when we refer to diversity in the workplace. Despite the good intentions expressed by most organizations today, the number of discrimination cases the EEOC handles continues to increase. Perhaps we would benefit by expanding our understanding of diversity to include the first and third definitions as well. How well do your managers encourage varying opinions from employees, particularly when it is in opposition to the managers’ views? As an HR Director, I frequently had employees at all levels of the organization, even some senior to me, voice their opposing views behind my closed door, because it was safe to do so. The common feeling was that their superiors were open only to hearing what they wanted to hear. I was the one who heard what needed to be said.
The third definition is also of value to us. How do we respond when confronted with a discrepancy or something that is not what we expected? I recall hearing an executive tell her boss about the executive’s visit to the hospital to see an ill subordinate. The executive commented about the Bible that was on the stand next to the employee’s bed, referring to the subordinate as “one of those.” Sadly, the boss (who was also my boss) did not pick up on the offensiveness of this remark until I called her attention to it.
Truly respecting diversity is not easy, and valuing it is even harder. Regular, at least annual, diversity training is a good place to start.
1) a variety of something such as opinion, color, or style
2) ethnic variety, as well as socioeconomic and gender variety, in a group, society, or institution
3) discrepancy, or a difference from what is normal or expected (taken from the Encarta Dictionary)
The second definition is the one typically thought of when we refer to diversity in the workplace. Despite the good intentions expressed by most organizations today, the number of discrimination cases the EEOC handles continues to increase. Perhaps we would benefit by expanding our understanding of diversity to include the first and third definitions as well. How well do your managers encourage varying opinions from employees, particularly when it is in opposition to the managers’ views? As an HR Director, I frequently had employees at all levels of the organization, even some senior to me, voice their opposing views behind my closed door, because it was safe to do so. The common feeling was that their superiors were open only to hearing what they wanted to hear. I was the one who heard what needed to be said.
The third definition is also of value to us. How do we respond when confronted with a discrepancy or something that is not what we expected? I recall hearing an executive tell her boss about the executive’s visit to the hospital to see an ill subordinate. The executive commented about the Bible that was on the stand next to the employee’s bed, referring to the subordinate as “one of those.” Sadly, the boss (who was also my boss) did not pick up on the offensiveness of this remark until I called her attention to it.
Truly respecting diversity is not easy, and valuing it is even harder. Regular, at least annual, diversity training is a good place to start.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Power of Alignment
We all know what it means to align our tires, but do you think about alignment at work? Workplace alignment happens when the organization’s actions are in sync with its stated objectives and values. Alignment doesn’t usually happen on its own; it takes a conscious effort to ensure that management’s actions and the programs it implements are aligned with the overall vision of the company.
For example, a company that says it values teamwork but promotes competition among employees is out of alignment. Do a football team’s players compete with each other or with the other team? If you want a culture of teamwork, cooperation, and collaboration, you need to look at your reward and assessment programs to ensure they promote these things. While performance appraisals and related rewards don’t need to be totally team-based, there should be a component that recognizes teamwork. The old adage, “behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated” still applies.
Another common misalignment occurs in retail settings where both customer service and high individual sales performance are promoted. Sometimes these goals conflict with each other. Years ago I worked in the linen department of a fine department store. Sales staff was given aggressive sales quotas to meet to avoid receiving a cut in base pay in the next quarter. We were also told to give the best possible customer service. It didn’t take long for me to observe a clash of these objectives as sales staff competed for customers and avoided helping each other since the credit for a sale could not be shared. Often the most aggressive sales rep would get to the customer first, rather than the employee with the best product knowledge to meet that customer’s needs. If the store had clearly stated that the primary goal was to provide the best service to the customer, the most knowledgeable sales rep could have been called upon. In addition, the sales reps could have developed their own areas of expertise based on their interests, and the group as a whole would have been more effective at addressing specific customer needs.
If you’re not seeing the kind of behavior you’d like to see in your workplace, take a good hard look at what you’re truly promoting and reinforcing. Focus on your actions, not your words, for we know which of these speaks the loudest.
For example, a company that says it values teamwork but promotes competition among employees is out of alignment. Do a football team’s players compete with each other or with the other team? If you want a culture of teamwork, cooperation, and collaboration, you need to look at your reward and assessment programs to ensure they promote these things. While performance appraisals and related rewards don’t need to be totally team-based, there should be a component that recognizes teamwork. The old adage, “behavior that gets rewarded gets repeated” still applies.
Another common misalignment occurs in retail settings where both customer service and high individual sales performance are promoted. Sometimes these goals conflict with each other. Years ago I worked in the linen department of a fine department store. Sales staff was given aggressive sales quotas to meet to avoid receiving a cut in base pay in the next quarter. We were also told to give the best possible customer service. It didn’t take long for me to observe a clash of these objectives as sales staff competed for customers and avoided helping each other since the credit for a sale could not be shared. Often the most aggressive sales rep would get to the customer first, rather than the employee with the best product knowledge to meet that customer’s needs. If the store had clearly stated that the primary goal was to provide the best service to the customer, the most knowledgeable sales rep could have been called upon. In addition, the sales reps could have developed their own areas of expertise based on their interests, and the group as a whole would have been more effective at addressing specific customer needs.
If you’re not seeing the kind of behavior you’d like to see in your workplace, take a good hard look at what you’re truly promoting and reinforcing. Focus on your actions, not your words, for we know which of these speaks the loudest.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
What Does Your Organization Stand For?
All forward-thinking companies today have either vision or mission statements (or both) and defined values. Typically these are posted at the entrance in the main lobby, discussed at new employee orientation, and included in the employee handbook. More sophisticated organizations incorporate the values into the employee and management performance appraisal process. But how well do people really understand the values and more importantly, how effectively do they live them?
In my career, I worked in manufacturing, state and federal government, insurance (both property/casualty and health), healthcare, and consulting. While everyone of these organizations had values statements (except perhaps government, but that was a long time ago), the best example of living the organization’s values came in Catholic healthcare. Not only did the hospital do all the things I mentioned above, it also had a senior level leader assigned as the mission director. She did annual training on the values which every employee was required to attend. The hospital held a yearly recognition program identifying employees who especially demonstrated one of the values in their daily performance.
The most powerful reinforcement of the hospital’s values came from the placement of triangular tent cards with the values printed on them that were placed on every conference room table. As various groups, departments, and committees met, the group members routinely referred to the values (which were right in front of them) when making decisions. Leaders in particular modeled this behavior and would often ask, “How well does this suggestion align with our values?” With the values as a guide, the organization’s decision-making was stronger and more consistent than it would have been without them. What a powerful message it sends to employees when management chooses to take a more challenging action that is in line with its stated values than an easier one.
In my career, I worked in manufacturing, state and federal government, insurance (both property/casualty and health), healthcare, and consulting. While everyone of these organizations had values statements (except perhaps government, but that was a long time ago), the best example of living the organization’s values came in Catholic healthcare. Not only did the hospital do all the things I mentioned above, it also had a senior level leader assigned as the mission director. She did annual training on the values which every employee was required to attend. The hospital held a yearly recognition program identifying employees who especially demonstrated one of the values in their daily performance.
The most powerful reinforcement of the hospital’s values came from the placement of triangular tent cards with the values printed on them that were placed on every conference room table. As various groups, departments, and committees met, the group members routinely referred to the values (which were right in front of them) when making decisions. Leaders in particular modeled this behavior and would often ask, “How well does this suggestion align with our values?” With the values as a guide, the organization’s decision-making was stronger and more consistent than it would have been without them. What a powerful message it sends to employees when management chooses to take a more challenging action that is in line with its stated values than an easier one.
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