Job Assignments and Morale

Pay and benefits generally get your workforce in the door but after that their effect on daily motivation and morale drops off sharply. The right job assignment, however, can make a world of difference every single day. Sometimes deciding what job to assign to which person can be a tough decision. People will try to help by telling you what they like to do and what they’re good at doing. My experience has taught me that most people aren’t all that in touch with reality.

Let me expand on that thought for a minute with a simple example. One of your sales clerks tells you she likes gift wrapping the best and that she’s really good at it. Truth is she really isn’t all that good at it. She may simply be afraid of the cash register and is eager to avoid using it. We all have things that seem quite simple shake us up and give us a phobia. If she’s actually good at sales and not so good at gift wrapping you have two choices. Find out why she doesn’t like working the floor so you can address the issue or train her better at gift wrapping. Because we want our team members to like their job, making the best decision can be difficult. We want to assign them the job that will provide them the greatest sense of satisfaction and enjoyment. We should consider what our team members tell us but ultimately the decision is ours and the reason “we get paid the big bucks.”

Mommy, mommy look what I can do!

A real morale booster is allowing people to do what they enjoy doing. The impression is that people don’t enjoy work and therefore we have to make them do what they don’t enjoy. Our experience has taught us again and again that people would “rather be fishing.” Here’s what I’ve learned: people enjoy doing what they’re good at doing, they take pride in it, and they get a tremendous amount of satisfaction in doing it. They may complain all day about having to do a particular task but, if they think they’re good at it, see how loud they yell when you take that job away from them or criticize their work. There are always some who like certain jobs strictly because they find them easier or less tedious...ignore them for now.

Boosting morale through work.

Assuming I’m right, that people like doing what they’re good at, let’s use this information to improve morale and stimulate motivation. It’s actually a three pronged approach which helps you apply it to all assignments and not just the glamorous or popular ones. The three considerations are assignments, training, and tools. These are all necessary parts because the odds are you have overlap in what people are good at doing and underlap in skills to cover all the duties assigned to your team.

the job assignment

The first prong is to assign people to tasks/jobs/functions based on their strengths. The sports team analogy is probably the easiest but least applicable in the subtleties of many workplace assignments but I can’t help myself. In football, my favorite team sport, you may have a guy that’s big and fast but can’t catch a football. Do you assign him at tight end or make him a pulling guard? Does he respond well to training so he could learn to catch or is he more prone to enjoy throwing a block? What are your team needs? Is your team weakness at the defensive tackle position? You’re in charge, you’ve got to make the decision. Oh, by the way, he wants to play quarterback.

Many supervisors make the mistake, or try to take the easy road, and let people choose the job they want. That has three pitfalls: they may not be good at it and the company suffers, they will blame themselves if they fail to actually enjoy it, and individuals who didn’t get the assignment they wanted will blame their teammates. Take the responsibility and don’t pass it off to the team. Input is fine but shoulder the responsibility of the final decision in such a way so blow back stops at your desk.

A popular belief is one of universal training which allows the boss to avoid responsibility for actual assignments. The rationalization for job rotation is that everyone stays current/qualified in all the job functions. I’m not a fan and have found, in most of the cases I’ve encountered, it was counterproductive. Skill sets were kept at a lower level across the board and the stress of constantly relearning skills made people grumpy.  For the circumstances I’ve been involved in, the occasional reassignment to cover for a vacation was refresher enough for most.

In many cases, personal qualities rather than skill sets will determine assignments. One easy example is the unit trainer. The most skilled or highest producer doesn’t necessarily have the patience and/or directive skills to be the most efficient trainer. A big part of leadership is learning how to identify the strengths and skills of your team members and then to match those strengths and skills with the proper job assignment. I realize that many job centers have what appears to be one type of job, like a call center, but a more careful look will show several variations and small additional duties that make this point relevant.

Let me interject here with a potentially helpful reference to a previous post, My Horse Barn Analogy. Often you have a cow pony or two on staff. They generally get the least favorite jobs because they’re good at doing good work regardless of the assignment. Be careful you don’t abuse them because they’re your real bread and butter. If you constantly reward their hard work with yet another crappy job, you can burn them out.

proper training

Lack of training is huge stressor in the workplace. Having a plan for training is the first big step in setting up your training program. Organizing and implementing are the others. The two biggest areas where training is lost during implementation is the poor/unprepared trainer, lack of written procedures, and the failure to set aside adequate time. In today’s business climate, people are hired to fill a particular duty assignment. My preference, however, is to fill at the bottom and elevate through attrition. With the appropriate mix of formal schooling, on-the-job training, and experience, you can prepare your own worker bee replacements. In any case, proper training helps a person become skilled at what they do allowing them to get enjoyment out of doing it. Real training boosts morale by removing the stress of trying to do something without feeling competent.

Too many managers and business owners put the onus on the new employee to learn the job. The employee will do the best they can and you hardly have to lift a finger. That’s not the point. I have met so many people who hate their job. The hatred started out as the extreme stress of being “thrown in the deep end and forced to learn how to swim” (I actually had a manager tell me this was his way of training and I was the trainee at the time). Even if you manage to somehow “train” your employees with this method, you may not teach them anything (except that you’re a total jerk). In any case, they will always feel insecure about their performance because they have no measure of what’s the proper way. The stress and insecurity make them hate their job.

...training the trainer

Pick the right person to conduct the training. Make sure they have all the proper skill sets to include the appropriate attitude and disposition. Once you’ve made the choice of trainer, make sure they are trained in the techniques involved in training. It’s not as simple as showing someone the ropes and it requires some schooling to know how to train someone efficiently.

...spell it out

Written procedures are a must. As I stated in the post Are You a Leader?, you must be able to give direction. Spread the wealth around and have various team members write down how they perform a task. Put each into a standardized format and have a different team member follow the procedure to perform the task. Scrub them until you have a complete and accurate procedure for each task. The trainer should then train to competency on each procedure as written. Unless you’re going to issue everyone a tablet to carry around, the procedures need to be printed for easy and mobile reference.

...time and opportunity

Setting aside time is probably the toughest bullet for most managers to bite. Personnel budgets are generally pretty tight and the position to be filled is probably already vacant so that chunk of work isn’t getting done. Filling positions by promoting from within helps to speed up the process in some regards because the scope of training usually narrows but you have to replace the promoted employee which adds some training back into the pile. No matter how the position is filled you need to have a plan in place that allows the proper amount of time to train as well as the right opportunities. Not all tasks necessarily come up during the training period and allowances must be made to cover those tasks as well.

the necessary tools

Assigning the right person to the right job with the right training will get you most of the way to providing the proper conditions for your team to enjoy their work. There is another step and that’s to furnish all the necessary tools. It is extremely frustrating to have a job to do but not have the proper tools to complete the task. Whether it’s a software program, a specialized wrench, or an isolated work environment that’s needed, you must provide. It’s easy to say that the budget won’t accommodate or the current tools are sufficient. Also, your team may not express how desperate they are for these tools. It doesn’t alter the fact that these items affect morale.

Not the best example.

I want to tie this all together with a bit of a lesson tossed in. When I started managing projects for a facilities department, they had no project management software. The IT department did but not me. I requested MS Project software and was told I could have it (Facilities manager didn’t like it but acquiesced). I remember jumping through a few hoops to get it but the software was finally loaded onto my PC. Within a short period of time I realized I needed some training to really use it effectively. Again, I requested the training and was sent to a two day course on the basics. Being a tad retentive by nature and pretty good at organizing and scheduling, the job was right down my alley. My overall learning curve was pretty steep but I am a quick learner and self motivated so everything came together pretty quickly. My morale was good. As time wore on, I got better at it and my morale improved even more. I enjoyed my work.

So there you go, I had a job assignment I was good at, sufficient training to keep from getting too frustrated, and the tools to do my job. Life should be rosey. The problem arose from the fact that the boss wouldn’t recognize any project plans written on MS Project. Timelines written out by the software weren’t allowed to be shared because the customer might expect it to be followed and get upset if it wasn’t. The demands for information from the boss, the facilities manager, consisted of arbitrary lists and disorganized vendor work schedules. This didn’t line up with my methodical approach. Also, cost constraints and deadlines seemed to fall randomly, seemingly driven by the favored, or unfavored, status of the particular customer at the moment. Change orders would fall out of the sky based on the whim of my boss upsetting my customer and the vendors performing the work. The frustration grew to the point of demoralization.

The point of my story is...once you provide the job, training, and tools, you have to leave your worker to do the job. The goal of providing your team with all the right stuff, to perform their job to the point of enjoyment, has to be for the independent exercise of those acquired talents. Not allowing them to use their talents has the reverse effect, it ruins morale.

Buying the team pizza on Friday should be a reward and not an effort to boost morale. Give them what they need to enjoy earning that reward and morale will rise on its own.

Lead By Example Part V, Communication

I firmly believe that the most important leadership tool, beyond knowing your destination and road map, is to set the example. This means complete and total emersion into the lifestyle you want your team members to live. Instead of reaching out for information to guide, motivate, train, manipulate, or trick your team into performing the way you think they should, internalize the information and live it. Others may not imitate your behavior but you can bet they’ll follow your example if you’re willing to set a good one.

Communicating is an skill that takes lots of practice (at least for us guys…)

Communication is a biggie that needs to be firmly established in your leadership toolbox as a regular, highly used tool. Learning: to communicate, how to communicate, when to communicate, and how to utilize the various media for communication are important to grasp before you’re in a leadership position. Mastering the communicative skills and the various media will allow you to set the example of their proper use for those around you.

Different media are good for different subjects and different situations. Disciplinary counseling is typically a face-to-face conversation rather than an email or over-the-phone type communication. A shotgun email, on the other hand, would serve to announce the upcoming dress down Friday. Learning how and when to use email, telephone, written memo, group meeting, etcetera, is something you need to pursue. You must learn to anticipate the reaction or response to what you’re communicating in order to choose the appropriate method.

Let me illustrate. When you attend higher level meetings where you’re briefed on bigger picture company news or policy changes, you need to communicate the knowledge you learned to your team. If it is fairly routine news you can send out an email to summarize the major points affecting your team. If a policy requires documented delineation, you may want to send out a memo to be initialed by all (possibly attached to a copy of the policy with changes highlighted).  For something more controversial, you may want to hold a meeting where you can answer questions and assess the mood of the group. It is even acceptable to include a brief explanation of the form chosen (i.e. “Very little news affecting us from today’s meeting so I’m sending this email with a summary.”).

Document, document, document…

Similar to my other mantras such as Integrity first and mission failure is not an option, documentation is an important part of “being in charge.” I don’t stress it as a CYA (cover your butt) function but as a good habit for many different reasons. Keeping notes helps you provide specific performance feedback while relying on memory doesn’t. Writing things down (soft copy or hard copy) allows you to keep track of what was said so you can align the initial instructions with the results. It helps you keep track of reality during the shifting expectations of an inconsistent boss or when the subordinate goes above and beyond. In either case, you have the original to compare to results and with a date stamp you have a timeframe reference.

Before you throw your hands up in exasperation because you don’t have time to write all these things down all the time, that’s not what I mean. Jotting down notes, simple reminders, doesn’t need to take more than a second or two. You’re not a court stenographer. You’re not recording history to cover you in a court case. This isn’t a way to cover your butt (though it can in certain instances). You just need a system to organize your notes similar to the way you organize your thoughts. Example (this is old school so you may need to creatively move it to something more up-to-date), when I was managing projects I used a 6-part folder. In one part I would have a sheet of paper with two columns, one for the date and a bigger one for notes. A second part would be for email printouts pertaining to the project. These two sections were easy to keep current and they were very helpful in meetings when decisions were discussed. Having previous conversations at my fingertips allowed me to share information with authority and not just seem like I was making stuff up. I had changes documented, a reference from whence they came, and a point of contact when handling those parts of my project. Communication was easy and to the point.

Sharing information.

Establish yourself as a person willing to share information. You don’t want to overfilter the information and you don’t want to drown everyone in nonapplicable information. One effective way is to provide the entire document, such as a changed company policy, with the change highlighted. That’s also a good way to pass around a trade publication, with the applicable information highlighted or pages marked in someway. Let them see what’s going on so they understand your actions and decisions better. People discuss transparency as though it means they aren’t hiding anything but it’s best to show people what’s happening. This also helps prepare them for a move up the ladder by keeping them abreast of company business, the bigger picture.  

One problem that crops up time and time again is lack of communication. It seems that people aren’t comfortable being in the dark and even though they may trust you, they still feel a strong desire to know. Often there may be very little to talk about but people still need to hear you say it. I have watched people fret over the fact that the boss doesn’t seem to want to talk to them but he’ll talk to others. Many times it’s not about work but about something like sports and the people he’s talking to are fans of the same sport or team (or at least pretending to be). I have stressed in previous posts that a leader has to know how to listen. A leader also has to know when to speak. It may be nothing more than a reassuring “all is well” but your team needs to hear it.

Not sharing...

A couple of reasons I have hesitated to communicate what I was up to dealt with the actions I was afraid would result if other people knew. One was that coworkers would try to subvert my idea by misrepresenting it to the boss before I was ready to make my pitch. The other was the threat of the boss saying no without actually considering my idea (easier to beg forgiveness than obtain permission). I found it rarely, if ever, mattered if I said anything ahead of time.

Reminds me of a story (though maybe not completely apropos)...as one of six forecasters at a base in Idaho, I was serving as the primary trainer of newly arriving forecasters in the weather station. All tasks had written Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed. They filled a 3” binder. Their format was anything but standard and nearly all were out-of-date and most no longer reflected current practice. It was policy that the SOPs were to be reviewed annually but we had procedures for using equipment that hadn’t been in the weather station for years. It made training difficult because they were hard to follow and you had to train around all the deviations of current practice. Previously suggested updates had gone into the Major’s office (better known as the black hole) and were never seen again.

The other forecaster and the space where it all happened...my desk on right

I enlisted the help of another forecaster and we set out to update the SOPs. We met after duty hours and on weekends for weeks. We spent many long hours writing, testing, and rewriting them into a functional, standard format. We got them all entered into the computer since many had been typed on a typewriter. When we were done we had a up-to-date, highly organized set of SOPs in a standard format that was easy to follow and they all fit into a 1” binder. We were pretty proud of ourselves and took them to the commander for approval. He rejected the entire set out of hand. We convinced him to at least try one so we could prove to him they worked. He picked one that walked through every keystroke involved in downloading one of our products. Without looking at or reading the SOP he started pushing buttons on the keyboard. He failed to download the product. He claimed all our SOPs were wrong and would hear no more about it. The 3” binder remained the “official” set of SOPs but we used the 1” binder to conduct our daily tasks. Most of the other forecasters just winged it (easier than following proper procedures). The success or failure of our idea/work didn’t hinge on anyone knowing or not knowing ahead of time. Its ultimate failure was wrought through pure stupidity and “You can’t fix stupid.”

What form do you use?

Too much fuss is made about everyday communications of a strictly business sort. Two rules I try to follow are proper etiquette/being polite and emotion free (but not humorless). As for your preference, I would recommend one that works for you and the individual with whom you’re attempting to communicate. Quick example from my recent past, I worked with a selectman (there are 3 of us) that didn’t do email and didn’t own a cell phone. I either had to phone him at home or work, meet him face-to-face, or send him a letter (he lives next door). Fortunately, he was easy to get ahold of and in a town of 800 people there’s not a lot of business requiring contact outside of the weekly meeting (and business itself can’t be conducted outside of a public meeting anyway). The other selectman only checked his email once a week and didn’t text. Options were limited for me, the guy who loves email.

The same polite formalities exist in personal conversation, phone conversation, and email conversation. A polite opening and closing is professional. I carry this to email as well. After the initial hello, as in all conversations, I will drop the hello and goodbye on subsequent replies.

My fondness for email has several key reasons. I have found email works to provide a written record of a conversation that can take place over a fairly long period of time. Answering an email can wait until you’re good and ready. I don’t have to ensure they’re in the office or available to take my call, I just send it. I hate phone tag, just send me a damn email. Attachments can be included in an email that don’t show very well over the phone.

The example to set in email is to practice good prose and prompt replies. People try to say email is unable to convey a message the same as talking because of the lack of vocal inflection or the body language in face-to-face conversations. I find the argument funny (as in laughable). Writers throughout the ages have written books, poems, love letters, and so forth that convey the message completely. You’re probably picking up a tone and attitude from me right now as you read this. As for the prompt reply, I don’t mean a full answer but a reply that clearly indicates you received and read the email. Don’t forget to print and file those emails containing valuable information you may need later.

Talking over the phone or face-to-face have their place in business communication. As I attested to above, some people refuse to do business any other way. Still many require a follow-up email. These follow-up emails provide the written documentation I feel is necessary for all business conversations. Again, you’re working on establishing a habit that will become an example for your subordinates.

Meetings, Bloody Meetings. (I watched the video)

Note taking at meetings is yet another way for you to practice being that example. When you keep track of what’s being said at a meeting you have to be alert and engaged. Jotting simple short points or notes on the agenda to “record” the meeting helps keep you focused. It also helps you recall what was discussed. It’s a trick I learned from sitting through boring lectures in college. If everyone at the meeting was following suit, chances are the meeting would take less time with fewer sidebars and random digressions. Believe it or not, information at meetings is communicated far more effectively if the group remains focused on the agenda (assuming there is one).

The scary part of meetings for some is to be on the other end, the presenter. I personally suffer from severe stage fright. It’s not a good phobia to have when it’s your job to brief the weather forecast to rooms full of people. I found two things worked for me in meetings, a thorough knowledge of the material to be covered and having a written agenda. Briefing skills are a necessary part of moving up and the sooner you conquer them, the more time you have to perfect them.

Respectful vs. Respecter

My final thoughts on being an example in how you communicate with others. Be respectful to all and never be a respecter of persons. It’s as phony as a lead nickel. You will be much more effective in your communication if you are respectful.

The Boss

I’m sorry but I have to digress this week with a rant, of sorts…

I have been reading way too much on LinkedIn. I’ve been focused on the posts that hail their subject as “leadership.” Most of it is banal and inane. They toss around meaningless phrases like “servant leadership,” “empowerment,” and “emotional intelligence.” Leadership isn’t some esoteric, nebulous, or complicated idea, it’s a practical day-to-day function. If I’m the right guard on the football team, I don’t have the perspective, nor typically the desire, to have a lot of say in play calling. I need the quarterback to lead the team, tell me the next play, and let me figure out how I’ll execute my blocking assignment. It’s not rocket science!

My annoyed face.

Servant or slave?

We need a boss for a great many day-to-day functions. Let’s take keeping discipline in the group, for example. Many people have a difficult time getting to work, getting to work on time, and staying a full 8 hours. It’s reality and someone has to be appointed to ride herd. That’s the boss’s job and it’s not fun. Maybe as a servant leader, I should just let them stay home and do their work for them (sarcasm for those who missed it). Yeah, I’m in a mood.

Emotional wreck.

Emotions aren’t part of the job, sorry. Objective, principled, perceptive, hardworking, fair, and professional are adjectives I want to use in describing a leader but emotional is not. Emotional intelligence is an oxymoron at best and an insipid form of manipulation at worse. Your emotions shouldn’t be involved with your work, unless you’re an artist. You don’t discipline out of anger, you discipline because there’s been a violation of standards. You don’t give someone high marks on their performance review because you like them (or are afraid of them), you do it because their performance merited the high marks. Your workers don’t care how you “feel,” they want to know what you think, objectively not emotionally. Emotional people are manipulative and easily manipulated.

Empower this...

Most organizations don’t over staff, so most workers have their hands full with their own workload. This means that they don’t have the time to do the boss’s job on top of their own. They want and need someone in the quarterback position to provide direction and make decisions. If you’re fair and objective you’ll get plenty of feedback on process improvement from your team. You won’t need to focus on empowering anybody, it is a naturally occurring function in human nature. Your team relies on you as boss to ensure everyone is holding up their end. They don’t have the time or resources to check on everyone else. Normally, people don’t want the job of cracking the whip because they don’t relish the idea of conflict. If they do like it, steer clear of putting them in charge of other humans.

You’re here to earn your pay.

There is a lot to know about leadership because it involves running a team. The personality variables that go into a group of people have to be handled. The common ground is the first place you begin and that’s always “Why are we all here?” People don’t need to be manipulated to make them work together and produce, they need guidance to understand their job. They need prodding when they don’t feel like working. They need the necessary resources to do their job. They don’t want to worry about the budget, staffing, or other managerial tedium. Once roles are defined and everyone is situated, then you can begin the process of tweaking your leadership practices.

It’s just a job, not knighthood

The boss function is a task like all the rest. The difference is how it has a greater impact on the individual team members. That also makes it a higher profile position for which, hopefully, comes higher pay. The greater impact means greater responsibility. Leadership training, knowledge, and application are necessary to handle this increased responsibility with greater efficiency. When the boss is a leader, a required piece of the team is filled properly. You don’t have a team with a boss appointed over them as though the position was outside the team somehow. That‘s not how teams function. As the boss, you are part of the team and have a role to play. A role that everyone in the team depends on you to play properly.

...and how is that implemented?

The incessant babble about charisma, change management, and leading from behind are all a lot of nonsense aimed at changing people’s conduct or perceptions without the principled base on which to establish good habits and practices. I can only imagine the frustration involved in trying these various “techniques” if they’re not part of your personality, training, and team dynamic. The whole workforce is not comprised of a group of highly trained, college educated, office professionals with nothing better to do than mind the boss’s business. Autocratic leadership may be necessary for your team. That being said, that doesn’t lessen the requirement to know and apply basic leadership principles to include objectivity, fairness, and professionalism (not the least part of which is ethics).

Soooooo, what’s my point?

I’m just annoyed really, that’s all. People have a thing about preaching some high sounding tripe and getting accolades for it. I get frustrated because the emperor looks naked to me. Every boss or leader I encounter, with rare exceptions, are the same old sixes and sevens in the trenches. People don’t respect you for the new and innovative approaches you use to get them to do their work. People respect you for being consistent, objective, fair...are you seeing a trend? Quit trying to come up with a plan to change the world before you’ve figured out how to succeed in its current orbit. As many a successful football coach can tell you, you gotta focus on the fundamentals.

Lead By Example Part IV, Responsibility

We all should strive to be responsible in our conduct, behavior, and work. It’s not about taking blame for something gone awry, it’s about functioning in a way that tells others we’re professional adults. The sort of person that can be relied on to get the job done and done right. Setting this example for others to follow is doing the responsible thing.

Being responsible (i.e. acting in a responsible way), having responsibilities, and taking responsibility are all part of living responsibly. The burden of responsibility, and it’s potential stress, can cause some to avoid it. They may enjoy the idea of power, prestige, or even parenthood but don’t relish the thought of absorbing any of the responsibilities associated with it. I prefer to look at responsibility as a mindset not a burden. If your mindset is simply to be and to act responsibly, it provides you with a fairly clear guide book for any endeavor. If your “position of power” is thought of in terms of responsibility, you can avoid many of the narcissistic pitfalls of so many leaders of today.

Mission orientation.

You begin this work life journey at ground zero, at the bottom rung of any organization. You start by owning, or internalizing, the mission of your group. You see the successful completion of the unit’s work as your responsibility. You pitch in to ensure that all work gets done as it’s suppose to and when it’s suppose to even if you’ve already done your assigned piece. You become mission oriented. You set an example for your peers and in many cases will see your peers follow your example. Not everybody will follow suit and most who do won’t give it as much effort but that’s their character flaw to worry about not yours (unless you’re their supervisor, of course). This mindset disallows the cry “that ain’t my job!”

When you first begin your climb up the ladder you rely on others higher up the chain to establish the “mission” sorta speak. You concentrate more on the day-to-day operations and work with your team to complete the tasks given. As I expressed in the post Are You A Leader? you need to see a bigger picture and with that view you need to see the mission. Set your sights on that mission, orient to it, and take responsibility for successfully attaining it. Remember, this is about leading by example and not about rallying the troops to take the hill. That’s a subject for another time.

Taking Initiative.

I’m speaking about: jumping in to help out when the need arises, jumping in to get something moving forward again, or identifying an issue holding back progress and fixing it. I’m not talking about always volunteering you or your team for every special project that comes your way. If you’re a mission oriented, responsible, hardworking team player, you’ll have plenty of work to keep you busy without volunteering for anything. Besides, if you’re that person (the mission oriented, responsible, hardworking team player), your boss will look you up if there’s a special project or assignment needing your attention.

One thing I made a practice of not doing was volunteering for extra work in the Air Force. I did on occasion but it was rare. Typically, I was handed assignments to areas of extreme neglect. Once they were brought up to snuff, they were handed off and I was given another area or two (or three, or four…) that sorely needed attention. The cycle never ended. My volunteering for more work would have meant the earth would need to slow in its spin so there would be more hours in the day.

Taking the initiative to get things done and done right is the example you want to set because that’s what you’ll need from your team. You don’t need volunteers for splashy, glamorous projects because you’ll assign those to the team member you think is best suited for it.

Taking the responsibility.

If you buy into my creed that mission failure is not an option and you “own” the process, then own up to the problems you encounter as well. I can practically feel my molars cracking as my jaw tightens when someone starts throwing excuses at me for why an assignment isn’t completed or why they can’t show me adequate progress on a project. Reasons exist for delays, I get that, but take responsibility for working through it. Excuses tell me the person doesn’t really own it because they’ve let someone or something interfere. Pointing fingers or throwing someone under the bus is never constructive and tells me you’re more interested in saving face than accomplishing the mission.

Running into roadblocks is normal, smooth sailing always stresses me because I figure a sand bar’s going to pop up any minute. The best you can do is to document, document, document. I don’t mean an elaborate system of note taking and bureaucratic sign off sheets. I’m talking about brief entries, on your medium of choice, that allow you to summarize an issue for your boss quickly so he can step in and help keep the process moving. You own it. It’s yours. Treat it as such.

Taking the easy road, DON’T.

Expediency is what I call “taking the easy road.” It’s rarely, if ever, the right way, or responsible way, to do anything. You do not want your team practicing expediency, you want them following policy, procedure, and protocol. You generally have at least two other choices before you get to expediency.

Let me demonstrate with a thing called field expedient coffee. Coffee can be brewed which is the best and right way to make coffee (Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are popular enough to prove my point). If you’re in the field and only have MREs you have to go with instant coffee. It was doable. I put two MRE heaters (still in their plastic bags) into a canteen cup of water. Once the water warmed, I dumped in the packet (or two, or three…) of coffee, creamer, and sugar. Stirred it a little with a multitool and presto, a cup of joe (see example picture below). OR you could drink a field expedient coffee. Open the packets of coffee, creamer, and sugar, dump them in your mouth, and wash it down with water from your canteen. I think my mouth appreciated my tendencies away from expediency. Of course, I was Air Force so we had a coffee pot in our air conditioned tent. Ours was kept next to the full sized refrigerator and opposite the side with the microwave oven.

Hot Coffee Tactical Style

There are other ways to be expedient in your work, especially when relying on others to do their piece. This is where “trust but verify” comes into play. It is easy to take someone’s word that their piece of the project/assignment/task is complete or at least on track to meet the deadline. You ask, they confirm, that’s that, enough said, moving right along. Not good enough. You can have all the trust in the world because this individual has the character and integrity of a saint. The problem is it may not sync with your piece, trust but verify. It takes more work but you’re going to have your name on it and you need to ensure it works.

This example may not fit exactly but I’ll use it none-the-less. While stationed at Ft Drum, NY, we experienced an equipment failure on our temperature/dewpoint readout in the weather station. We knew this because the LED display of the readings was flashing. The weather observer logged it as inoperable and maintenance was dispatched to fix it. Soon it stopped flashing and it was logged in. A short time later it began flashing again. The outage procedure was followed again with similar results. After a few of these incidents in short succession the maintenance crew informed us that the reading were good and not to bother logging it out. I could’ve avoided any further hassle and accepted their call and pressed ahead with business as usual. This is what my predecessor had done so why not. It took weeks and a lot of kicking and screaming from a lot of people before I prevailed. I even had to use a couple of rungs on the chain of command. Fact was the readings weren’t accurate and there was a serious problem with the equipment that needed attention. It would have been easy to just live with the flashing display and pretend the readings were accurate...who would have known, or cared for that matter? It would’ve been the expedient thing to do.

Temperature/Dewpoint Digital Readout (FMQ-8)

Another source of expediency is “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” Peer pressure to not rock the boat is typically at play. I have found written procedures dating back years and yet this is the reason I’m given. My first thought is usually, “so, you’re admitting to wrongdoing all this time?” I don’t normally say that but instead I’ll say “that may be true but from here on out you’ll follow the proper procedure.” Many times, I admit, I’ll work with them to update and possibly alter a procedure to be better aligned with reality but not because “that’s just the way it’s always been done.”

One personal recommendation for situations where you can’t enforce doing it right rather than expediently. Don’t just go ahead and do it for them because you want it done right. You probably have enough of your own work to do. Set the example by doing your tasks the right way, the responsible way, and press on. If you’re the team lead, that’s a different story.

Follow up on everything.

One of my most frustrating traits is my incessant follow up. It’s not a control thing and it’s not a micromanage thing. I allow others to do their job, I just want to be in the loop. I’m responsible for it and I “own” it so I want to keep track of it. I don’t believe in making others fill out forms, update tracking spreadsheets, or give me a list of what they did all day. Those are micromanager or lazy manager devices meant to burden the workers with the manager’s job. I want to know first hand that the work’s been done. I covered this ad nauseum in the Pay Attention! series.

Being responsible and doing your due diligence with follow up can be annoying to both the responsible party and those involved in the process. As the responsible party, I find it annoying because every time I don’t double check something falls straight through the cracks. It’s annoying to those involved in the process because they’re constantly having to be checked. It’s annoying to the irresponsible ones the most because it makes them accountable. If they don’t do it, they get caught.

This is not to say you have to be the strings on Uncle Billy’s fingers. You’re not the Outlook reminder function incarnate. It’s their job to make the deadline and complete the task properly. There should be pride on their faces when you show up to look things over. If you’re shocked (naturally you’d be feigning shock because you followed my advice and have been Paying Attention all along) by the lack of progress there needs to be consequences as well.

If you accept the mindset that your job and those under you are your responsibility, you are less likely to wield your power and authority irresponsibly. The example you set will earn you respect. You may even recognize that it’s not threatening to share with your team because all you’re essentially sharing is responsibility.

Be the cow pony who loves to stretch her legs and run sometimes (My Horse Barn Analogy).

Lead By Example Part III, Authority

As we continue down the road of setting a good example, I want to take a brief look into authority. In the post Is It Hammer Time? I used an analogy to explain my view on the use/exercise of authority. This time I’ll attempt to explain my beliefs on how to work within the authority structure appropriately and thereby set a good example. As I pointed out at the beginning of this series, in Part I, you are always setting an example. Whenever you are in a position of authority, the people below watch everything you do. Not everyone keeps track of everything but it will feel that way. If you’re doing what’s right, it’s nothing to fear or obsess about.

Let’s walk through where authority comes from because it’s not really ours. Authority is derived from the very top of the food chain. It is delegated down in smaller and smaller doses until it reaches our level. In a perfect world, our authority would be equal to our responsibility within the organization. This is to ensure we can meet the demand of fulfilling the function needed by our team. None of us here on earth live in a perfect world. We are never given enough authority to complete our team’s function by simply demanding it be done. We really only need enough to establish us in our position but those under our authority must have respect for that authority for it to be sufficient to get the job done.

Chain of command.

The delegation of authority from one echelon down to the next becomes our “chain of command.” Our piece of authority comes from our boss’ slightly bigger piece and our boss’ piece comes from his boss’ even bigger piece and so on. This means that our authority is derived from those up the chain of command. If we reject the authority of those over us, we reject our own authority because ours is just part of theirs. If we don’t respect the authority of those over us, we don’t respect our own authority again, because ours is just part of theirs. If we don’t respect or we reject this authority, our subordinates will follow suit. We have just led by example. Without authority or respect for our authority, you’ll be hard pressed to gain the appropriate amount of cooperation to complete your team’s area of responsibility. This will be especially true when things get tough and you have to make tough and unpopular decisions. Mutiny will occur at the slightest provocation.

Accepting and respecting the authority of those appointed over you in the chain of command is a necessary mindset. It will enable you to demonstrate it as an example to your team. It will also allow you to establish a standard of conduct for your team toward authority without being hypocritical (do as I say not as I do). The standard of conduct must include how you treat the person in authority. What I mean by this is that you have to be disciplined in your approach to those in authority. Many of us work for (or have worked for) a self-absorbed, unfair, idiot who couldn’t make a rational decision if his life depended on it. It takes a lot of discipline to treat him with the respect his position demands. You must remember your authority comes directly from him. In these cases, I find it helps me to mentally separate the person from the position and treat the person solely based on the position. Bad mouthing the person disrespects the position, is inappropriate, and sets an example to your team that will bite you in the butt, guaranteed.

Using the chain.

Using the chain of command properly is important. Many situations involve another department’s chain rather than your own. If you aren’t obtaining adequate cooperation from a support agency, it is sometimes necessary to bump things up the chain. I prefer to use my chain to do the bumping so my boss doesn’t get blindsided by a phone call from the “higher up” at the agency or department in question. Occasionally, we must take things up our own chain of command. Depending on the personalities involved, as well as the subject matter, this can be an endeavor fraught with danger. When stepping over your boss it is always best (unless it’s something like sexual harassment or other illegal activity) to let your boss know your intentions. It’s a trust issue as much as anything else. It is also the way in which you’d want your subordinates to treat you. Never, ever use going up the chain as a threat. You either need to or you don’t, make the decision and stick to it.

Abusing the chain.

Abusing the chain of command can be a lot easier than you might think. If you have a higher level boss who likes to show his face in your department or workcenter, candid conversations can develop. If things are going well, you typically give a glowing account of what’s happening. If you happen to be frustrated with what you perceive as an uncooperative boss or support agency, you have to be very careful. Spilling your guts to the CEO during a workcenter visit (or company picnic) IS jumping the chain and sets a poor example to those around you.

Using connections or friends in management positions to bypass the normal channels is also an abuse. Sometimes, in urgent situations, we will need to call on our connections to expedite a request. That’s why connections are good to have but normally you should use regular channels. Using the chain of command properly builds trust and allows people to do their job without threat or fear of having their boss constantly interfering on your behalf. I have found that support agency personnel, if I’ve built a trusting relationship with them, will take an expedited request up their own chain for approval.

Following orders.

Following orders...or “just” following orders. I like to split hairs here. We must set the example of following orders because we need our troops to follow suit with our orders. However, “just following orders” has a connotation of a bureaucrat and implies a blind obedience. That’s not what I want from my team. Direction, orders, requests, or whatever form it takes, the obedience must be from an internal acceptance. This internal drive stems from any number of self-defined principles: advancing the company’s goals, improving quality of life in the workplace, or maybe just plain old “because the boss said so.” In any case, you have evaluated the order and determined it to be the right thing to do. I didn’t say it was what you’d have done or the best way to do it. It’s the right thing to do because you must follow your boss’s direction...up to a point.

Illegal, immoral, or clearly unethical (I speak to this briefly in Lead By Example Part II, Ethics) orders are never the right thing to do. Also, in cases where you have a strong opinion contrary to the boss’s orders, you have an obligation to speak up. Don’t speak up in front of others unless the setting allows it (for example, a brainstorming session) and whatever the final outcome of your talk with the boss, that’s the position you own. In other words, no matter whether the boss sees it your way or not, you press ahead with the final decision: no back-biting, no soliciting support for your idea, and no doing it the way you wanted anyway. It sets a bad example and you don’t want your troops doing that to you. They will, at least on occasion, but you don’t want to have established that standard of conduct for them.

Let’s say at this point, a bad decision is made and you’ve failed to talk your boss out of it. You enact the order and the team grumbles. They plead their case to you to talk to the boss. You already went there and came back empty but they don’t know that. If the stakes are big enough, I would suggest you can use this as a learning opportunity for your team. Have them assemble their argument, work with them on content and presentation, and set up a time with your boss for them to present. Chances are the boss will bring up the fact that you already tried and this shows your team that while you don’t “kiss and tell,” you are sticking up for them.

Policy and procedure.

Many similarities exist between following direction from your boss and following policy and procedures. Well written policies speak to intent and will allow some flexibility in how you achieve compliance. Regardless of whether or not written guidance is flexible, it must be followed. So many examples exist but I want to only give a couple. Remember, we’re talking about setting an example. Wearing safety gear and wearing it properly. It’s bound to be both policy (must wear) and procedure (how to wear it properly). If you aren’t setting the perfect example and someone loses an eye because they did it like you did it...you know what they say, “it’s all fun and games til….”

Another example is less about an exact standard as much as exceeding minimum standards. Some policies set a minimum standard of conduct or performance. The simple standard of arriving to work on time can only be exceeded by a matter of minimal degrees. You can’t clock in until your shift starts and you can’t work until you’ve clocked in. Arriving to work early enough to enable you to start work the minute you clock in shouldn’t be but a few minutes difference. It’s meaningful but not a huge opportunity to set an distinctive example. The one that comes to my mind may be lost in translation to the civilian population. It involves how to  wear the uniform.

The military has a list of standards they require when it comes to how the uniform is worn. During my time in the Air Force and particularly after reaching the mid NCO ranks, I found uniform standards could be greatly influenced through example. I wasn’t the only one who noticed the change so I quit thinking it was just my imagination. The personnel in the weather station were allowed to wear any duty uniform as long as it met the minimum standards (spelled out in detail in Air Force regulations) of serviceability. When I arrived at a new duty station I would always notice the vast majority of the people would be wearing fatigues (BDUs or whatever they’re called now). Their boots would be black and the uniform wouldn’t be too wrinkled (fresh out of the dryer). If they hadn’t done laundry they would wear their blue uniform with the short sleeved shirt (no tie required on short sleeved shirt) and minimal accoutrements, nametag and weather badge. No pride in their uniform was obvious. It was almost as if there was a peer pressure to not look sharp in your uniform. My standard was spit and polish. Starched long sleeve blue shirt with tie and all the accoutrements: tie tack, name tag, badge, and ribbons. On Fridays I would wear fatigues: starched creases and spit-shined boots. Haircut was always shorter than regulation requirements.

After about six months there would be a noticeable change in uniform wear. It usually started with the more senior airmen who wanted to be proud of their uniform and appearance but felt intimidated by the higher ranking NCOs. Then it would spread from there. Before the end of my first year there were only a few holdouts. I never said anything to anyone about their uniform, unless I had to correct an actual problem. It wasn’t that everyone wore their uniform in the same combination I did, it’s that they started pressing their uniforms, wearing the blue uniforms regularly, and overall showing pride in their appearance. I didn’t set out to have this happen, I set out to show pride in my uniform and vocation. I set out to be an example.

When setting an example you must be consistent. Day in and day out, regardless of how you feel at the moment, you must do the right thing. Remember also, it takes time for the example you set to take hold. Don’t get discouraged, they will come around.

What if I don’t have any?

Unfortunately, there are “leaders” who fail to relinquish authority to people they assign to supervisory roles. In these cases, the example you set is all the authority you have. If you’ve been placed in this dubious position you should consider changing jobs. How do you know if you have responsibility without authority? There are actually two fairly obvious indicators. The first is obvious, you’re in charge of a group or team and they are not your direct reports. You have no authority. The second is a tad more subtle. You have direct reports but if any of them run whining to your boss and you are told to do what they want...no authority. Either scenario means your boss doesn’t trust you for whatever reason and it’s time to figure out how to escape.

Project management often has responsibility and no direct reports because it’s a different beast. I always found it best to tag the team member’s manager for the task and have him delegate. That isn’t always an option but making it standard policy to keep the managers in the communication loop should be. It helps keep the team members honest. It can also provide them with kudos or black marks as fodder for performance reviews, if the manager decides to use it. By acknowledging the actual authority in the process you set an honest example of recognizing authority.

Long and short of it.

In the end, it’s a matter of viewpoint. If you see authority as power you will use it to control. If you see authority as a responsibility, you will exercise it accordingly. You’ll never have enough power from authority to do the entire job and besides, it’s not the most efficient tool to use anyway. Setting the proper example, up the chain and down, is about as far as you want to go in it’s use. I’ve also outlined an example of the appropriate exercise of authority in my analogy Is It Hammer Time?