Communication skills

You’re Fired! How to Fire an Employee

Before You Fire

Have you done everything reasonably possible to have the employee succeed?
Has the employee been warned that their poor behavior or performance will lead to termination if not corrected? Are these warnings in writing?
Consult with your legal council and HR to determine whether the termination is ‘with just cause’ or ‘without just cause’
In cases of ‘with cause’ have you completed an investigation and got the employees side of the story?
With the help of Legal or HR prepare the letter or ‘separation agreement’

Be Respectful

Have the conversation as soon as possible after making the decision to terminate
Select neutral territory, preferably where you can be as discreet as possible
Plan to allow the employee to depart with as much dignity as possible
Provide appropriate transitional support

Doing the Deed

Have someone with you to witness the conversation, preferably HR or another manager
Keep the discussion quick and to the point
Don’t defend or debate the decision

Is There Hope for Introverts?

Other than questioning someone’s parentage, is there a faster way to insult someone than calling him an introvert? Isn’t introversion something that we need to cure people of by sending them to the Dale Carnegie Course?

Many organizations have invested in some form of psychometric instrument that indicates whether people have a preference for introverted or extroverted behaviour, but that hasn’t stopped the vast majority of people from throwing around these terms without actually having a clue as to what they mean.

People hear “extrovert”, and they think: outgoing, friendly, social, capable, productive, normal.

People hear “introvert”, and they think: shy, withdrawn, anti-social, illusive, dysfunctional, wall-flower.

The problem with these descriptions is that neither is particularly accurate, and it infers that people are capable of only one set of behaviours exclusively. There is also a connotation that Extroverts will excel in business to a much higher degree than Introverts.

In Good to Great, Jim Collins reveals the qualities that his research has shown as effective in running great organizations. Interestingly, many of the qualities of “Level Five Leadership”, are found more naturally in people with Introverted preferences.

You might also be surprised who may be a closet-introvert: High-profile leaders, television personalities, sports stars, maybe even one of your friends, neighbours, or family are introverted. They’re everywhere, so beware – you never know when they’ll want to slink into the back corner of a meeting room, and silently wish everyone would stop talking at once. Or perhaps pray that someone will listen to them for 20 seconds before interrupting them. Worse yet, they may think about something before responding to a question creating that awkward few seconds silence.

So you may be wondering where I fit on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Grid.

As someone who spends a lot of time talking to groups of people, and a person who worked in television (for a short and spectacularly unsuccessful period of time), I am rarely accused of being an Introvert.

I prefer to label myself as a Recovering-Extrovert. We might need to create a new scale for measurement.

ABC’s of Performance Management

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People do what gets reinforced (this is both a good news and a bad news story)! Here’s how you can use consequences to manage performance.

The ABC’s of Performance Management

For more information, take a look at ‘Bringing Out the Best in People: How to Apply the Astonishing Power of Positive Reinforcement’, by Aubrey C. Daniels

Activator (or antecedent)

Something that comes before a behaviour or activity which sets the occasion for that behaviour
Most often over-used by managers
Have only short-term effects
Cause a behaviour to happen a limited number of times
Must be paired with a consequence to be effective

Behavior

What a person does
Performance
Action
Event
Decision

Consequences

The result of a behavior
A response to an action
What is said or done about someone’s work or an activity
An event that occurs after a given behavior
What happens to the performer as a result of the given behavior

Leaders often overuse activators and underuse consequences.

Types of Consequences

There are four types of consequences:

Positive reinforcement – Makes me feel good about something I’ve done
Negative reinforcement – I do something because it will allow me to avoid something negative
Punishment – Makes me feel bad about something I’ve done
Extinction – Being ignored for something I’ve done

Positive and negative reinforcement are consequences that will increase behavior, while punishment and extinction are consequences that will decrease behavior.

Consequences That Drive Performance

Consequences can be:

Positive OR Negative
Immediate OR Future
Certain OR Uncertain

The consequences that will drive performance are positive, immediate, and certain.

Giving Quality Feedback

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Why should you give feedback?

To confirm a course of action, performance or behavior
To correct specific behavior or performance
To have a behavior or performance carry on
Use as a performance management tool to enhance performance

There are 5 steps for giving quality feedback:

Step 1: Context Tell them what you’re going to tell them

Tell them what’s coming – don’t leave them guessing
Don’t just start talking, and leave them to figure it out on their own
“I’d like to offer some feedback on…”

Step 2: Clarify Describe in specific, measurable and observable terms and tell them why it’s important

Generalities don’t work
Have your facts straight
Describe observable behaviors
Use measures wherever possible
Tell them why this is important
What is the impact on you and on others?
How does it relate to high level goals and objectives

Step 3: Create Ask for feedback on the feedback and brainstorm actions to improve or do better

Ask lots of questions
Guide them through the feedback
Give an opportunity to respond
Brainstorm actions to improve or do better

Step 4: Confirm Agree on action steps forward, and determine exactly what will happen next

Make sure you agree on what will happen next, even if it is to maintain the status quo
Reinforce continued good performance
Describe what future outcomes you’d like to see

Step 5: Close Express confidence and support

Everyone should leave the meeting with a clear idea of what they need to do next
Reinforce your confidence in the recipients ability to be successful
Describe how you will support them in their efforts to improve

What Toyota can learn from OJ and Barack Obama

There hasn’t been a fall from grace like this since the OJ trial. Ok… maybe this recent Tiger Woods thing, or the fact that people set the expectations for Barack Obama way too high could be close seconds, but the fact that Toyota isn’t absolutely perfect seems to be disturbing a lot of people.

Toyota is a well run company – despite their recent setbacks. What separates well run organizations from those not so well run is the ability to respond to challenges, not the absence of any troubles.

I have no doubt the marketing people at Toyota are freaking out, but they do have some credibility they can spend on this issue. What they shouldn’t do, is announce to the world there isn’t really a problem, and carry on with business as usual. This is the corporate equivalent of OJ going out on his own to look for the “real” killer.

Toyota needs to step-up, acknowledge what went wrong, tell everyone how they intend to fix it, and then get back to completely dominating the global automobile industry. Too much spin, and they’ll lose even more credibility.

And while we’re talking about supposedly world class companies, can we have a reality check? I have studied and held up organizations like Southwest Airlines, General Electric, and Disney myself as examples for managers to look to. In many cases I would stand by this advice. However, we need to realize that even the best run entities are not going to do everything right all the time. In fact, it is probably closer to the truth that these companies really only do things right marginally more than every other organization out there.

Don’t get me wrong… much like I find President Obama to be an impressive guy, watching people’s unrealistic expectations of him be constantly deflated, people need to look to the Toyotas of the world in the proper context. They are not perfect, and they will make mistakes. They also can’t be all things to all people.

I bought Southwest Airlines stock about 8 years ago, because they were such an impressive company. So impressive, that I would lose my shirt if I sold those same stocks today. I also bought Southwest stock before ever flying with them. I have no doubt they serve their niche well – I’m just clearly not one of their target customers: “What do you mean you won’t assign me a seat?”

Leaders in big organizations and small should watch Toyota very carefully in the coming weeks and months. They will either come through this stronger than ever, or crash and burn horribly. Either way it will be instructive.

How do you think this will end? Will Toyota recover like Tylenol did after the poisonings, or will Mr. Toyota end up driving down an LA freeway with a gun to his head?

Dealing with Difficult Behavior

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For most managers, ‘people issues’ consume the largest portion of time and effort. No employee is more time consuming than one exhibiting difficult behaviour. For this reason, building skills to cope with difficult people has an immediate and measureable return.

Everyone displays difficult behaviour at one time or another. People often engage in difficult behavior because such action has worked for them in the past. There are very specific techniques that managers can use to address difficult behaviour. Some specific behaviours require certain responses, but for all difficult behaviours:

Focus on the specific behaviour, not the person or personalities
Identify the type of behaviour, and strategize a response before reacting
Attempt to understand the root cause of the behavior
Avoid public showdowns
Determine if the conversation can continue at that time, and postpone it if emotions are running high
Be aware of the impact of the behavior is having on you
Don’t make excuses for the person
Choose to do something about the behavior

Not all the Turtles make it to the Sea

In some cases a difficult person will not respond to reasonable attempts to assist them in correcting their behavior, and organizational health can be at stake. In such a case, high integrity leaders must make the unpleasant choice to part company with that person.

Get the Complete ‘Dealing with Difficult Employees’ Topic Bundle

The Dealing with Difficult Employees topic bundle includes:

Dealing with Difficult Employees Cheat Sheet (pdf)
Dealing with Difficult Employees Booklet (pdf) containing:
- In-Depth Topic Overview
- How to Deal with People Who Love to ARGUE
- How to Deal with People Who Feel Unreasonably ENTITLED
- How to Deal with People Who Think They KNOW IT ALL
- How to Deal with Chronic PESSIMISTS or BLAMERS
- How to Deal with People Who DON’T WANT TO WORK
- How to Deal with the UNMOTIVATED
- How to Deal with a BULLY
- How to Deal with People Who ALWAYS ARGUE and people Who Can NEVER MAKE A DECISION
- Recommended Resources – where to find out even more about Dealing with Difficult Employees

Dealing with Difficult Employees Podcast (mp3)
Dealing with Difficult Employees Podcast slides (Powerpoint)

How to Build a Communication Plan

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You should never hesitate to initiate a communication plan even if you are a lower-level manager. Think about it – if your organization is undergoing a significant change but has not communicated it well, you can still create a communication plan for your direct reports so that they have a better idea of what is going on.

The techniques of effective communication are not difficult, but require discipline to execute. A written communication plan will assist in establishing and maintaining the required discipline. In some cases, a communications plan can be written on one sheet of paper. In other circumstances, the plan may be significantly longer.

This topic bundle is intended to assist managers when they have a specific event or decision to communicate. Ongoing communication between organizations and employees is better covered in the Communicating for Results Cheat Sheet (coming soon).

Elements of a Good Communication Plan:

Guiding Principles – What are the parameters under which this communication will take place?
Context – What events or conditions staged the necessity for this communication? What definitions and terms of reference are there?
Purpose or Objectives – What is the communication intended to achieve?
Risk Analysis – What could go wrong with this communication? What happens if you don’t do it?
Stakeholders Analysis – Who are all concerned parties, and what is the importance of each of them?
Targeting – How will you most effectively reach each stakeholder?
Media – What is the most effective method of communication for each stakeholder?
Budget – What budgetary and other resources will be required to effectively roll out the message?
Assessment – How will you know if the communicationsplan has been successful?

Tips to build an effective communication plan:

Consider an effective communication campaign to be very similar to a marketing initiative.
Use electronic media such as email and website. These are usually inexpensive, and can be highly effective
Always target your audience properly, and remember that the same message can be communicated differently to different target groups
Only ask people for their opinions or feedback if you are prepared to consider their input
Prepare an ‘elevator speech’ for what you are communicating. Be prepared to condense your message into small, easy to understand segments
When soliciting feedback or two-way communication, ensure there is media available to support this. It is not enough to say, “We’d like to hear from you”; there must be infrastructure in place to gather opinions
Be very clear on exactly what action, or change in behaviors the communication is intended to address

Get the Complete ‘How to Build a Communication Plan’ Topic Bundle

The How to Build a Communication Plan topic bundle includes:

How to Build a Communication Plan Cheat Sheet (pdf)
How to Build a Communication Plan Booklet (pdf) containing:
- In-Depth Topic Overview
- When to Create a Communication Plan
- 9 Critical Elements of a Communication Plan
- Communication Plan Template
- Example of a Communication Plan for an Organizational Change
- Media Decision Worksheet
- Recommended Resources – where to find out even more about How to Build a Communication Plan

Easy-print versions of the tools contained in the How to Build a Communication Plan Booklet (pdf)
How to Build a Communication Plan Podcast (mp3)
How to Build a Communication Plan Podcast Slides (Powerpoint)

Improve Your Public Speaking and Presentation Skills

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The ability to deliver great presentations is a core business skill that very few people ever try to improve. By following a few simple guidelines, most people can significantly boost their presentation performance. There are four key things you can do to improve your presentations:

Prepare

Know your subject matter. If this element is missing, you are destined for failure
Organize your thoughts in advance. For some, this will mean writing a presentation or speech out long hand; for others it will be in point form
Try to keep the tone conversational
Recognize the difference between written and spoken language. The use of run-on sentences and contractions is not permitted in written language. It is commonplace in spoken language, so beware of writing a ‘script’ in proper written English.
Use visual language and images – a picture paints a thousand words
Contain your presentation to a few key concepts

Target your audience

Who will be in your audience, and what is their level of understanding of your subject?
How many people will be there?
Which media will be most effective. Is it Powerpoint? Is it audio-visual? Is it just you talking?
What is an appropriate presentation length for the audience? Just because you’ve been allocated an hour, doesn’t mean you have to use it!
What questions will the audience likely have? Anticipate and be prepared

Practise

Visualize: repeatedly imagine yourself giving an outstanding presentation.
Practice in front of a mirror. This is extremely uncomfortable for some people but if you can move past the discomfort, it can be very helpful. Rehearse language and actions
Some people attempt to memorize their presentation or speech. This usually doesn’t work, and makes the tone less conversational. However, you may want to memorize a few key concepts to which you will speak

Manage the room

Try to visit the room a day or two before your presentation so you know what to expect and can incorporate it into your visualization process
Ensure the all equipment and audio-visual aids are functioning in advance. Nothing ruins a presentation faster than asking 200 people to wait for a powerpoint presentation to load!
How to manage your nervousness:

Remember to breathe
Follow all of the steps above to minimize the unknowns
Remember that your audience wants you to succeed

Handling Emotional Behavior

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Nothing changes your day so quickly as unexpected emotional behaviour. It is primal in its delivery, and a manager’s response is also often primal. By identifying it for what it is, and developing coping strategies in advance, a leader is less likely to blindsided by emotional behavior, and can salvage the situation at hand.

When you are confronted by emotional behavior there are 3 things to manage simultaneously:

The behavior itself
The content or root cause of the behavior which may be a serious issue requiring attention
The impact the negative behavior is having on you

Different types of emotional behavior require different responses, but here are some universal rules to help cope with highly emotive situations:

Determine if the conversation can proceed in a constructive way. In cases where emotions are running extremely high, the very best course of action, may be to adjourn the conversation until cooler heads prevail.

Be aware of the impact the behavior is having on you. It is important to quickly analyze your own state of mind before reacting. If you find yourself extremely agitated or otherwise emotionally compromised, you need to quickly determine how that will impact the quality and outcome of the conversation.

Articulate to the other person how you are being affected by the behavior. Often people become angry or otherwise emotional, and do not realize the impact they are having upon others. Many times the situation can be partially diffused by describing the impact of the behavior. For example, “I have to be honest and let you know that this conversation is making me feel quite defensive, and I don’t like feeling that way.” Note that you should not say, “YOU are making me defensive”, but rather focus on the situation.

Ensure the other person knows s/he has been heard. It is not necessary to agree with the other person, but it is important to let them know that you have heard and understand their message. Again, just by acknowledging their viewpoint, the situation may be largely defused.

Propose a path to resolution. It is important to redirect the energy of the emotional behavior into some form of resolution. If the other person is just venting, then you need to decide to what degree you will indulge this before terminating the conversation. Otherwise, you should engage the other person in determining a path forward and moving towards resolution of their issue.

Dealing with emotional behavior is something every manager will face at one point or other. It is never easy, but by keeping in mind the things above, a tense situation can be made easier.

Difficult Conversations – You Smell and People Don’t Like You

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Unless you’ve been living alone in a cave most of your life, you will have had to conduct a difficult conversation with someone. If you’re a leader of people, tough talks are a job requirement. You can avoid them, but it will be at your own peril. Sooner or later you’ll need to address that difficult situation.

How to conduct a Difficult Conversation:

Step 1 – Prepare and Anticipate

Prepare in advance – anticipate responses. Make sure you are dealing with complete information
Explain but don’t defend
Make sure any issue you are dealing with does not have legal ramifications (termination, harassment, violence in the workplace etc.)
Don’t think it’s not going to be uncomfortable. Mentally prepare for the discomfort the situation may cause you.

Step 2 – Focus on Facts and Observable Behaviors

Focus on observable behaviors and facts, not the person. “People don’t like you”, is much different than “People don’t like it when talk loud on the phone.”
Focus on the issue at hand – don’t get dragged into irrelevant parallel issues.

Step 3 – Showtime: Manage the Confrontation

Get to the point – eliminate the small talk, and move to your point quickly. Often the best course of action is to make it clear in your first sentence what the other person should expect.
Do not engage in any tough talk if you are emotionally compromised at the moment. Adjourning the conversation is a legitimate course of action if either party is excessively emotional, but keep in mind that by deferring the conversation you are prolonging an unpleasant event.
Stick to your guns unless emergent facts cause you to want to reconsider. If the recipient is feeling badly, that does not count as an emergent fact.
If there are specific behaviors required of the other person, ensure those are well understood.

You’re Fired! How to Fire an Employee

Is There Hope for Introverts?

ABC’s of Performance Management

Giving Quality Feedback

What Toyota can learn from OJ and Barack Obama

Dealing with Difficult Behavior

Get the Complete ‘Dealing with Difficult Employees’ Topic Bundle

How to Build a Communication Plan

Get the Complete ‘How to Build a Communication Plan’ Topic Bundle

Improve Your Public Speaking and Presentation Skills

Handling Emotional Behavior

Difficult Conversations – You Smell and People Don’t Like You

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