My daughter, Katy, had exactly one week left to finish her Junior year of high school. As you can well imagine, she was in a mad panic about how she was going to get everything done. She had 4 papers due that week, 6 tests, 2 group projects, teacher gifts, cheerleading obligations as the head cheerleader for next year, graduation gifts for her friends, and she promised to make cupcakes for her friend, Nick’s graduation party. For someone who is uber organized and always has a to-do list a mile long, this was still a ton of work to be done!
Completely overwhelmed with the amount of things to do, one night, she just completely lost it and started crying, worried that she wouldn’t get it all done in time. Once she got it out of her system, she rallied, and finished the work that she needed to get done.
So, what happens when this occurs to your staff at work? Here are some things that you can do to help your staff get through a stressful time of year, and/or a huge project that must be completed:
In the moment, remind your staff that this short term, and it won’t last forever.
Have very clear expectations about what needs to be accomplished.
Help your staff prioritize their duties, so that they know how to get the work done.
Make a plan to celebrate when this period is complete: have a party, give your people an extra day off or plan an outing of some kind.
Encourage exercise, breaks and healthy eating.
Have snacks. “We never meet unless we eat!” is a great mantra in general.
Take a group walk over the lunch hour.
And finally, show your gratitude for their dedication. Say thank you. Often.
Katy ended her school year with grace and style and outstanding grades. I couldn’t be more proud of her than I am right now. We all get overwhelmed. We can only hope to have as much grace as this beautiful teenager.
Have you ever seen a bunch of live crabs put into a bowl? They crawl on top of each other to get out, and the crab on top is pulled down by the others. Ultimately, there is so much fighting for the top position that the crabs just wear themselves out. What a crabby bunch. (Pun intended)
So what do you do when you have your own bunch of crabby employees?
Whatever you do, don’t be a crab back at them – it’s the equivalent of that crab bowl, with everyone stepping on everyone else. In other words, quit complaining! This is the moment when you need to be the leader and help elevate everyone’s mood and energy level.
Here are a few suggestions:
Bring Legos to a Staff Meeting: One reason that people get crabby is because they need a distraction. Instead of your ordinary Monday morning staff meeting, do something different to help your employees think outside the bowl. (Click HERE to read my blog on this subject.)
Encourage Volunteering: There have been many studies that prove getting out of the office improves productivity, creativity and morale. I have a client who has a volunteer policy: A different employee per month chooses their favorite charity and on the last Friday of the month the whole team goes to volunteer.
Re-Stating the End Goal: Many candidates talk about how unhappy they are at work; one common reason is because they have lost sight of the company goal and how they fit into that picture. Why are we doing what we are doing? What is my purpose here in this company? How are my efforts contributing to the big picture? The more articulate you as the leader can be about this, the more satisfied your staff will be.
Say Thank You: Thank you! I am continually surprised by how effective a simple “thank you” is. I received communication from several employees from my restaurant this weekend (we are planning a reunion!), and many of them have told me how my thanking them before they left every day had a huge impact on them as employees. Several have adopted that habit as leaders. (Click HERE to read my blog on this subject.)
One final tip: Remember that organizational attitude flows from the top down. If your crabby employees complain all the time, ask yourself if you are complaining all the time. If so, try these tips for yourself!
This week, I have had multiple conversations with several clients on the topic of leadership skills. The most commonly-held “deep dark secret” of those in a leadership role is that they feel to some degree unprepared or inadequate in the skills needed to lead others. As one client put it, “I’m not much of a leader, Beth – I feel like I am winging it all the time!”
Most people currently in a leadership role didn’t start in their industry with the intention of being the boss, they started in their industry in order to do the work that the industry does. Along the way, as they gained experience and were promoted, they found themselves directing and coordinating the efforts of others. Their role has changed, and they feel unprepared for the responsibilities… even after several years in the position! What’s more, they often feel that asking for assistance is a sign of weakness.
Nothing could be further from the truth. No one is skilled at everything, and no one is so good that they can’t benefit from improvement. In fact, a leader is in a unique position to establish a culture of improvement for their organization by honestly and gracefully accepting negative feedback.
I recently read a story of a true leader’s healthy response to such a situation:
“Bob stood up and read his evaluation out loud. It was not pretty. There were lots of problems and weaknesses that his team had identified. He had basically flunked. As the 100 top leaders sat there, listening to Bob read his report, the place was absolutely quiet.
Then Bob said, “I’m going to post this outside my office. Then I’ll be getting to work on following these recommendations and changing how I lead. In three months I’ll be asking my direct reports to evaluate me again, and I’ll also post those results, so you can see my progress.”
He continued, “In these times of change, the only way that this organization, and our jobs, have a chance of surviving, is that we need to make some big changes, quickly. You’ve just seen my personal plan for change. Now I look forward to seeing yours.”
Then Bob walked out of the room. No one said a word.”
Acknowledging shortcomings isn’t easy, but it is the only way to honestly address and improve upon them. Leading by example in this way demonstrates that change is necessary, possible and needed for every member of the organization.
Do you have the courage to fail? More importantly, do you have the courage to fail like Bob?
Many people may not be aware that before I became an interviewing specialist, I owned and managed a restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. When I owned the restaurant, I hired a manager who committed several crimes right under my nose. I really had no idea how bad it was until my 2 best managers at the time came to me to turn in their notice together. They sat us down and told us horror stories about what it was like to work at my place of business and ultimately mine and my family’s second home. We fired the manager effectively immediately. After the fired manager was gone, the complaints really started pouring in… My employees suddenly felt they could freely speak about this former employee. We had lost really good staff and continued to have turn over as a result of this incident. If it were not for the courage of our two managers, who at the time were ready to quit, I still would not have known.
I had heard complaints before from other staff members, but I didn’t really take them seriously. Looking back on it, I should have. So, why didn’t I? Because the complaints seemed so minor. “He didn’t do his side work right.” “He didn’t wipe down the counters.” “He makes me do his work for him, even though he pays me for it.” I simply thought people were just blowing off steam.
After we fired him, I asked my staff: ‘Why didn’t you tell me that he was stealing money/inventory/food?” And the answer was always the same: “Beth, I tried to talk to you about this.”
The biggest complaints that I hear from my clients is that they wish their employees would be more forthcoming about problems in the business/department. But, the employees say, “If you don’t take my small problems seriously, how am I supposed to talk to you about the big stuff?” In other words, those early, seemingly minor, complaints are opportunities for employees to see how you handle the little stuff. They are trying to figure out if you will hear them with the big stuff. They will talk to you about the tip of the iceberg as a way to begin the conversation about the bottom of the iceberg.
Your job as the boss is to take complaints very seriously, even the smallest of them. Usually, if you have an employee who is willing to come talk to you, the problem is bigger than they indicate. Use this opportunity to really look at the work environment that you are providing and make sure it is operating the way that you intend. Don’t ignore it, or you will be “the last to know”.
In my last newsletter, I shared with you the story of the fish that my daughter “fish napped” from a science experiment and nursed the fish, Harley, back to life. Here is the REST of the story…
Last week, Randy and I went to parent/teacher conferences and met with Katy’s science teacher. He began by asking if we had any questions that we specifically wanted to address, and I asked him if he was aware that Katy had stolen the fish from the science experiment. He laughed and said no. He thought that the fish had died and that someone had just thrown him away. I told him the story of Harley and how Katy had nursed him back to life, and I asked him if she was going to fail her experiment.
He said “Absolutely not! The goal is to learn how to collect data every day in a scientific experiment that the kids set up themselves.” Then, he smirked and said “That story is AWESOME.”
I am asked all the time by my clients about how to encourage their employees to be more creative and innovative, and you do that by letting your employees try new ways of doing things, even if the outcome isn’t what you wanted. Mr. Leary is a wonderful example of a teacher who allows innovation and creativity in his classroom. He is flexible enough to let outcomes unfold without micro managing the process. In fact, he is thrilled to encourage passionate displays.
Katy’s science teacher is the epitome of a great leader, and we can all learn something from him: innovation comes from trying new things, and sometimes, that means failing. We learn from both trying AND failing. And, in addition, Katy learned to stand up for something she believes in with the support of the adults around her. You can’t ASK for a greater experience than that.
Have you ever seen a bunch of live crabs put into a bowl? They crawl on top of each other to get out, and the crab on top is pulled down by the others. Ultimately, there is so much fighting for the top position that the crabs just wear themselves out. What a crabby bunch. (Pun intended)
Most people currently in a leadership role didn’t start in their industry with the intention of being the boss, they started in their industry in order to do the work that the industry does. Along the way, as they gained experience and were promoted, they found themselves directing and coordinating the efforts of others. Their role has changed, and they feel unprepared for the responsibilities… even after several years in the position! What’s more, they often feel that asking for assistance is a sign of weakness.
