The 5 Whys

I ran a great session on Change and Problem Solving with a fun bunch of professionals last week. Shout out to #WoltersKluwer #Nashville !!

One of the most popular take-aways was using the problem-solving model, “The 5 Whys”, as a way to have more effective feedback conversations with team members.

Here’s how it works.  When there is an issue, uncover the true problem by asking "why" no fewer than five times.  

Issue:  Bart is often late for work.

1.     Why are you late, Bart?  Traffic is bad.

2.     Why?  'Cause I have to get on the Always-Backed-up-Highway.

3.     Why?  'Cause I drop my daughter off at daycare across town.

4.     Why do you go to that daycare?  'Cause it’s closer to my wife’s office and she picks our daughter up at the end of the day.

5.     Why?  ‘Cause I don’t get out of work in time to do pick-up.

Spot any solutions yet?  

Now you can put your problem-solving hat on and work collaboratively with Bart to create focused solutions, rather than assuming a bad attitude, or tips on navigating traffic or buying alarm clocks!

Swiper No Swiping…

Ever been to a meeting that went off track?  A question that took the group down a rabbit hole?

The solution is to say let's “add it to the parking lot” or “take it offline.”  But both of those expressions feel tired and sometimes awkward.

New idea:  Create a safe word or phrase. 

My suggestion is to choose something that makes you smile, such as: “Swiper no Swiping.”

No swiping our time!

Let the team know that anyone can simply say “Swiper no swiping” to signal that the conversation is going off track.   

Check to see if the conversation aligns with the meeting agenda, then you can decide to follow the thread or get back on track.

Please share the words your team chooses.

Open Door Policy for Remote Managers

You know that expression “my door is always open?”  Is it really? 

And what does that look like for those who work remotely?

Out of sight can lead to negative assumptions about you not being available, approachable or helpful. 

Use technology to make it feel like you’re in the same office. 

 Ideas: 

- Send a quick text or ping when you ‘arrive’ in the morning.  “Hi, I’m here if you need me.”

- Send a check-in ping. “Good morning, how’d that big deal phone call go yesterday?  I’m here if you’d like to chat about it.”

-   Share your schedule with the team. “As you can see on the shared calendar, I’m in meetings most of the day but have a spot open at 1pm if anyone needs me.”

-   Let them know when you are free to chat.  “I’m taking a short coffee break at 10:30, anyone want to jump on a call and talk about Game of Thrones?”

 What do you do to build rapport and maintain your open door policy when you’re remote?

Managing Up

If I asked your boss to tell me about you, what would they say?

If I asked you about your employees, what would you say about them?

We tend to think our bosses would speak highly of us (‘cause we rock!) but don’t usually speak that highly of those who report to us.  

So, wait!  Does that mean maybe there’s a disconnect between your boss’s perception and your actual behavior?  Could be. 

Answering these questions can help align perception and reality:

1.     Do I understand my boss’s expectations for me?

2.    Does my boss know what I need to meet those expectations?

3.    What have I been saying I’ll do and doing?

4.    What have I been saying I’ll do and not doing?

5.    What have I done and not said that I’ve done?

6.    What have I not said and not done – am I missing opportunities to step up and offer assistance?

7.    When others talk about my boss, whose side do I take?

8.    What could I do to support my manager more effectively?

You spend a lot of time focusing on your team, which is critical.  Take a moment and think up.

Did someone say Picnic?

It’s that time of year when the boss gets to wear an apron and BBQ burgers for the team, right?  (If you’re not planning a summer event for you team, you should – nudge, nudge!)

Often we book those company outings looking at the corporate calendar vs people’s calendars.  Then we wonder why attendance is low.

This year, plan the dates before you plan the activity.  Use software like Doodle to get buy-in on the date and time, then plan away. 

Need ideas for fun outings?  Click here.

By the way, volunteering is a great way to build teamwork, make Gen Xs and Gen Ys happy and help the world.

Zen Breakfast

Most of us feel behind schedule even before we start our day.  We hurry through countless distractions and work hard at staying focused.  (Baskin and Robbins now serving ticket 65!)

One way to remain calm and centered is to think first, do second.  Yes, really think about what you are doing.   Focusing first helps aim our energy on that task, which improves efficiency and even enjoyment.

 •  Have you ever driven to work and then realized you don’t remember getting there?

•  Written an email, pressed send and then realized it was sent to the wrong person or you missed a piece of information?

•  How about answering the phone when your mind is somewhere else?

Practice this idea of focusing at the breakfast table (yes there is a place in your house to sit and eat breakfast - it doesn’t have to be in the car!).

Pause before you answer the phone.

Stop before you open that next account.

If this feels like hard work, then you really need it.

OOOMMMMMM……  

Don’t Take It Home With You

Idea of the month:  Leave Your Bad Day at Work!

Some days it seems like everything we do goes wrong.  If you’ve had one of those days and don’t want to take it home and allow it to turn into one of those nights… try this. 

Write it down.  Before you dash for the door – jot down some notes on what you need to look into tomorrow.

Clear your mind.  Take a few deep breaths. Visualize the things that matter to you outside of work or how nice it has been to see the sun. 

Get up and leave.   Once you've completed steps 1 and 2 – leave. Avoid the temptation to check your email once more or stop by someone's desk.  Just leave.

Tomorrow’s a whole new day!

Got Millennials on your team?  Looking for a way to work better together?  We can help.