Have you ever watched a 400-meter relay team work?
On a good team, their hand-offs are impeccable.

In fact, given two teams of equal quality runners, the team with the more efficient
hand-offs always wins. The same holds true in the work place.

Like many organizations, you probably have good people, products, and services. The differentiator, though, between you and your competitors, is often the hand-offs between teams - like Sales, Engineering, and Operations (or whatever departmental silos exist in your organization).

There’s another interesting thing about the 400-meter relay. According to Wikipedia, the world record is 37.10 seconds. The world record for the individual 400-meter race is 43.18 seconds. That’s over a six second difference!

Given the same quality of runners, a team that works well together is
always better than a “John Wayne” who works alone.

The challenge in many organizations is that individuals and departments get so focused on their own egos, agendas, and goals, and they lose sight of the larger organizational goals and put them second to their own priorities. As a result, individuals, departments, and business units end of hoarding resources without regard for the bigger picture.

So, given two organizations with equal capabilities, the competitive advantage is in the hand-offs.

What are the three keys to stop dropping the baton?

1. Get clear on the common purpose. At the end of the day, whether you work in Engineering, Sales, or Operations, you should all be working toward the same goals, and those goals supercede individual egos, agendas, and priorites.  Get clear on your common purpose and make sure it is over-communicated between departments. The common purpose is the glue that links the hand-offs together.

2. Get clear on roles and responsibilities. According to Wikipedia, transferring of the baton in the 400-meter relay is typically blind. The outgoing runner does not look backwards, and it is the responsibility of the incoming runner to thrust the baton into the outstretched hand, and not let go until the outgoing runner takes hold of it.

In the workplace, too often the baton is dropped because there are gaps in what people think they should be doing and what others think they should be doing. Close those gaps by clarifying (a) key task responsibility, (b) decision making authority, and (c) expectations between departments.

3. Get clear on team member strengths. Some people excel at project start-up while others thrive in project execution. Learn more about where the talents of your team members lie and share responsibilities accordingly.

In the 400-meter relay, perfect hand-offs often compensate for slower runners. In the workplace, perfect hand-offs result in better product quality, faster delivery times, reduced engineering defects, and ultimately higher levels of customer engagement and retention.

The People-first Bottom Line: If you want to gain a competitive advantage, don’t forget the people side of the equation - smooth out the hand-offs in your organization.

Effective communication is intentional. A simple tool for speaking assertively and authentically is using the “I” statement. Here is an exerpt from John W. Jacobs.

At the heart of better communication is the self-statement. A self-statement puts the responsibility for your emotional experience squarely on your shoulders. It is one single, easy-to-learn skill that can most dramatically improve the communication.

Self-statements always begin by using the subject “I” to discuss a problem. They exist in opposition to their nemesis, “you” statements. A “you” statement puts the responsibility for your emotional discomfort on your partner, never on yourself. “You” statements are communications of criticism, blame, and anger. In “you” statements, your emotional experiences and negative behaviors are always presented as being an appropriate response to the irresponsible or hurtful action of someone else. “I” statements decrease the emotional reactivity of the system. “You” statements increase the emotional reactivity and interpersonal tention.

That’s a very wordy way to say this - OWN your opinions. OWN your emotions. Use of the “I” statement. It will help you communicate more effectively.

In many of my past articles, I have written about the importance of management’s influence on retention, productivity, morale, and employee satisfaction. You have heard me rant and rave about how “employees don’t leave organizations, they leave their managers.”

Well, there is a flip side to that coin too.

Every team member has a responsibility to effectively communicate with his or her manager. Let me say that a little bit stronger. You are primarily responsible for making sure communication with your manager is working.

And by the way, there is a lot in it for you. You’ll have clearer expectations; you’ll be given more responsibility and visibility; you’ll earn your manager’s trust and confidence; and, you’ll help recession-proof your job.

This feature article today is less of an article and more of an opportunity for you to improve how you communicate with your manager.  Here’s how:

1. Below is a short profile to help you assess how you are communicating with your manager. Print two copies of this profile - one for you and one for your manager.
2. Complete the profile, and also have your manager complete the profile.
3. Meet with your manager and compare answers. Complete the action plan on the second page of the profile.

I think you will enjoy this exercise and improve your relationship with your manager at the same time.

Click on the PDF image to download your profile

I recently conducted an investigation for a client who had received information that a senior executive was not providing the level of leadership that warranted her position. As I interviewed people that worked with this person directly, there was a common theme that came through loud and clear. This executive made harsh and sometimes inappropriate workplace comments that massively impacted her people. Many of her comments were subtle. Others were more clearly inappropriate. But, every team member remembered them – up to 4 years later!

Even with all of this person’s incredible accomplishments over the years, her comments impacted the perceptions that others had of her more than any anything else.

This is not a hard concept to get! What you say matters. People remember!

We all perceive the world according to our own reality. The experiences we have had in the past and the experiences we have today all create the perceptions that we hold about other people. Those perceptions influence our biases (and we all have biases), which in turn influence our behaviors.

Sometimes our biases are so ingrained that we don’t even know they exist.

To be successful leaders and successful team members we have to become aware of our biases and how they influence our interactions with others in the workplace.

The video below is interesting and entertaining. It’s a quick download and then takes a minute or two to open up in Windows Media Player. But, i think you will enjoy it. Sometimes we get so focused on our own reality, we don’t see what is happening around us.You’ll know what I mean after you watch it.

Let me know what you think!

“I am who I am.”

I can still remember sitting in front of the TV after school watching my favorite spinach-eating character flexing his “musKles” and saving the day.

But, my perspective of Popeye’s quote, “I am who I am” recently changed when I heard a client use the phrase to describe people who had no interest in adapting and no interest in working with others who were different from them. “I am who I am, and if you don’t like me - who cares.”

Is that an effective way to lead?  Is that an effective way to collaborate with team members? Is that an effective philosophy in your personal relationships - with your significant other, family members, or friends?

My answer is a resounding….Nein!  Non!  Nyet!…. NO!

In a time when doing more with less is the norm, just working on the right things is not good enough. We have to be working on the right things…together. And, being responsive to people who are different from you is a characteristic that is critical to your success in the workplace.

So, how do you overcome the Popeye syndrome?

Here are 5 keys to interpersonal success in the workplace:

• Get in tune with your strengths. What do you do well? How does that help you be successful in the work place? Build on those strengths and learn how to further develop them.
• Understand your limitations when your strengths are overused. For example, if you have a style that is demanding and results oriented, you are probably good at tackling challenges head on, keeping people focused on deliverables, and driving projects forward. But, overusing that strength can result in a perceived lack of patience and consideration for others (see my previous blog post on Mattering versus Marginalizing). Go back to your strengths, and think about which strengths are creating your greatest limitations.
• Learn about others’ styles. We all have different preferences and priorities. Consider learning more about your personality style and the personality styles of others. From there you can begin to adapt how you communicate, direct, delegate, recognize, and motivate others. At 5.12 Solutions we use two tools to help clients through this process – DiSC and MBTI. Consider joining us for our upcoming DiSC webinar.
• Consider how others are different from you. Gender and ethnicity generally are the first things that come to mind when considering diversity in the workplace. But there are a number of other ways in which people are different – age, religion, ability, physique, marital status, job function, etc. How do those differences impact how you work with people? How do they impact how you communicate? Simply gathering more information and developing a deeper understanding of those who are different from you can greatly impact how well you work with and lead others.
• Examine your perceptions. We all have biases and prejudices. We all carry around stereotypes. Sometimes the perceptions that we hold of others are so deeply rooted, that we don’t even know they exist — and they impact our decisions and actions. For example, if you are a supervisor trying to fill a new position and believe that people over the age of 50 are “slow to change”, that perception may impact who you select for the job. Challenge your perceptions; examine your own stereotypes.

The skeptics in the audience may be saying, “you are telling me who to be” or “I can’t change my personality” or “that’s manipulative” or “I won’t be sincere if I adapt to others.” Believe me, I have heard all of these and more in my workshops.

Be careful, you may be getting tangled in the web of the Popeye syndrome.

The most effective people in the world have a strong sense of self-awareness on how they communicate, how others respond to them, and how they respond to others. They have also learned to value peoples’ differences and how to adapt their own style to those differences.

How do you challenge the Popeye syndrome within yourself and with others?

I recently learned a new concept from a colleague Amy Tolbert at ECCO International. Actually, it wasn’t a new concept but it was just framed in a way that really resonated with me. It is called Mattering or Marginalizing.

Imagine a continuum, with the far left labeled side “Mattering” and the far right side labeled “Marginalizing”. Now think about a colleague, and imagine how you interact with this person. We all make choices on how we treat others, and those choices fit somewhere along the continuum of Mattering or Marginalizing.

When I ask people in workshops what it feels like when they “Matter” in the workplace, they generally respond with comments like, “I feel part of the team,” or “I feel included,” or “I know that my opinion counts.”

When asked how they feel when they are “Marginalized” in the workplace, common responses are of being excluded, not sharing in common goals, and contributions that go unnoticed.

So, what’s the impact of feeling like you Matter or feeling Marginalized?

Research shows, and so does common sense, that when people feel like they matter, they are committed, they put in the extra hours, they make the extra effort, and they are more productive and more effective at work. When people feel marginalized they check-out as early as possible, they do just enough to get by, and they say things like “that isn’t part of my job description.”

In a time when doing more with less is the norm, will people surrounding you be more productive when they feel like they matter or when they feel marginalized?

Regardless of whether you are the CEO, vice president, middle manager, frontline supervisor, or team member - think about how you choose to work with others.

Will you choose to make them matter?

There is no shortage of technical skills in today’s workplace, but finding people who can effectively communicate, collaborate, and cooperate is a different story. One of the most sought after requests I hear from my clients, prospects, and girlfriend is the need for better communication.

Communication is a two-way process that involves a sender and a receiver. Effective communication happens when the receiver receives and understands exactly what the sender is transmitting. Communicating effectively is a choice, so the first step in improving communication skills is to start with yourself.

So, where do you start? My response is to start with your APE! Attitude, preconceptions, and emotional state. These are all potential barriers to effective communication.

Attitude

Attitude plays a big role in how others perceive you and accept your message. Any number of things may affect your attitude (e.g., your role on a project, your background, whether you had your first cup of morning coffee). When you project a negative attitude, it is unlikely your receiver will accept and understand your message. Check your attitude before meeting with someone, because when resentment develops, acceptance is unlikely.

Preconceptions

People tend to hear what they want or expect to hear versus listening to what the sender is truly saying. We all do it - we are human. Try to keep an open mind with your sender. Listen fully to what they have to say, and do not plan your response before they have finished talking as you are likely to miss important information. Check your preconceptions to avoid misconceptions.

Emotional State

We have all had bad days, gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, had a late night, or are feeling the pressure from the boss. Whatever the case, your emotional state effects how you communicate with others. If a co-worker comes to you seeking advice and you shut them down, how do you think they will react? They may be reluctant to seek your input in the future. Be aware of your emotional state. Sometimes it is better to table a conversation than to create the wrong impression.

Remember, communication is a choice. Start with yourself and inspire your team.

f you had to guess what percentage your words, tone of voice, and body language contributes to how a person understands your message, what would you say? Most people respond with the notion that words are the most important aspect of communication. However, research* indicates that your words only impact 7% of how a message is understood. Your tonality contributes to 37% of what is understood and your body language 55%. So what does this mean to you? Communication should be intentional.

Your Words

Ok, so studies show that your words do not impact a message as much as you thought, but nevertheless they are important. Effective communication happens when people not only share information and ideas with others, but when everyone’s messages are understood.

Communication is a two-way process where feedback is the basis for understanding. Compare the following two statements.

(1) “Susan, you need to get your act together. You did not turn in those monthly reports on time. What is happening? I thought you were committed to this project.”

(2) “Susan, do you have a minute? I noticed that your reports were late this month. It really impacted our ability to provide an accurate status to our customers. Your work is usually on time. Did something happen differently?”

The first statement immediately places blame on the individual and is likely to create tension in the workplace and barriers to future communication. The second statement focuses on the person’s behavior and not the individual. It starts with an “I” statement versus a “you” statement and is very specific.

Finally, try to be timely when providing feedback. Instead of waiting until a person’s annual performance appraisal, provide immediate feedback and informal feedback on a regular basis. Your words are your words. Choose them wisely and then look to your tonality.

Your Tonality

Who would have thought that tonality plays such an important role in communication? Well it does, and in this modern day of conference calls and other remote channels of communication, tonality bumps up to over 80% of how a person receives and decodes your message.

Here is an exercise you can try on your own. Practice giving feedback by talking into a recorder. Listen closely to how you sound and ask others for advice. Practice your tone when you are all alone so that you send the right message in person and on the phone.

Your Body Language

Body language and facial expressions play the largest role on how a message is received. My mother was a master at this. All she needed to do was raise her right eye brow (my brothers and I called it the evil eye) and we knew to stop doing what we were doing.

People use body language differently. It is often influenced by our culture, backgrounds, and personal experiences. There is no standard way to interpret how others express themselves, but the key is to be aware of your own body language and those with whom you are communicating. Here is a quick list of things to keep in mind.

Eye contact – indicates interest
Body position – indicates level of engagement
Facial expressions – indicates perception

Remember - communication should be intentional. Words, tonality, and body language all impact how your message is received. Take the time to observe yourself and others because your body may stray from what your words may say.

*Mehrabian, Albert (1971), “Silent messages,” Wadsworth, Belmont, California