Another notice went to United Healthcare’s plan participants this week. The summary? “We’re still negotiating with the hospital, but if we can’t come to agreement then you’ll soon be ‘out of network’ if your favorite hospital is Medical Center of Central Georgia.”

After some digging, we find that this is not an isolated incident at all.

In fact, back in January members that United Healthcare insures in New York got similar notices relating to the services they might wish to procure from the Continuum Health Partners, a consortium of five well known New York hospitals. The standoff ended in March and no New Yorkers had to find new medical facilities after all. United Healthcare was quick to point out in a statement that, “Not a single person will lose healthcare coverage because of the Continuum contract termination, although some people will have to change hospitals or physicians.” Right now, Tenet is in similar negotiations with Blue Cross and thousands of insured employees could be affected if they can’t work it out.

But they’ll probably work it out so there’s no need to worry. Right?

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This is the question your employees ask every time they sense the threat of change.

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Change Threat Kicks Off Coping Cycle

If you aren’t yet familiar with the Coping Cycle, now would be a great time to take your team through a training class on the subject. Coping is a sequential process, starting with something called a “cognitive disturbance” in which the person recognizes that something is out of balance. When employees learn they may have to change physicians or hospitals, it’s a cognitive disturbance. Off everyone goes on personal coping journeys, moving through the steps in the cycle.

If you don’t understanding the effect of coping skills on motivation and productivity, how can you possibly manage your people effectively? Though you are not licensed therapists, your managers should be able to recognize when employee behaviors are being motivated by problems in coping. Targeted interventions can be planned to help move employees through the coping cycle successfully, though some employees may eventually need a referral to outside assistance.

Minimize the Uncertainty with Information

You probably don’t have a direct influence on how the insurer/provider negotiations work out and you may not influence the outcomes of other change threats your teams face. However, one of the things you can do next time your team notices the threat of change is to provide as much information as possible as often as possible. During times of change, your messages will not be understood the first time. Send a memo with details and then follow that with an e-mail, a webinar and a voice mail.

Consider the varying needs of your stakeholders – customers, employees, suppliers, investors – and craft change communications documents to address those specific questions. Above all, try to reduce the uncertainty for your organization as much as possible but stop short of promising that nothing will change. Instead, express your confidence in the coping skills of those you work with; tell them that you know they will be able to manage the change successfully.

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You may find it interesting to tune in to negotiations between health care providers and insurers. Those situations may eventually affect all of us.  Whatever you do, recognize the impact that “change threats” deposit into the lives of your employees. Take positive actions to help your employee population cope.

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Jean Houston Shore works with organizations that want their people to work together better. She can be reached at 770-643-9724, by email at jean@thinkbusiness.com or through her website at www.working-together-better.com. Ask for your free copy of her book Working Together Better.

Copyright © 2010, Jean Houston Shore, Business Resource Group. All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used without prior written permission.

You’ve hopefully read my digest of Top Ten Mistakes Young People Make at Work – Part 1. Here we continue with mistakes 6 – 10. See what you think.

Any Foot Forward

The mistake is in not consciously stepping out with your best self every time. No one works for long without making some bad choices. The thing that matters most is that you approach each situation trying to do your best. Younger workers sometimes engage other workers in a haphazard, unpredictable way. This wastes a huge reputation building opportunity. When people don’t know you well they are forming their opinions based on whatever they see or hear. So make it a practice to stop, center yourself and then step into the interaction with professionalism and maturity.

Clustering

The mistake is developing professional friendships only with those in your immediate department or at your level. Obviously it is most comfortable not to stray outside your age or proximity comfort zone. After all, why hang with someone who is so different than you? Career mobility, that’s why. You never know who – or how – or when another person might be the key to your next move. Or – and this is just as likely – you’ll be the key to theirs. It’s all about give and take as you shape your career. Don’t put all your eggs in the “just like me” basket.

Change? Forget It!

The mistake is being unwilling to change. Business situations are like little islands of culture, complete with accepted and unaccepted practices. It won’t take long for you to observe how things work on your company island and, even if people won’t tell you so directly, a person who says, “That’s just the way I am. Everyone else can just get used to it!” will be limited to permanent outsider. This is not to say that employees can’t be unique; it just means that if you stray too far from standard behaviors, you’re likely to be booted off the island.

But You Owe Me

The mistake is thinking that your company owes you more than you owe the company. All of us have worked long hours, gone above and beyond the call of duty and felt – not that secretly – that the company “owed us one.” While that might be true for the moment, companies have notoriously bad memories and it’s very likely that a year from now, no one will remember what you did. Instead they will ask, “What have you done for me lately?” That may seem unfair but older workers will tell you that it is true. Remember, you work for a “company” and companies aren’t your family. So, keep doing a great job but do not get obsessed with keeping mental reciprocity records. That will just turn you into a bitter old guy no one wants to be around. (I know. You’ve already met that guy.)

“NOW” – Think

The mistake is in making decisions that might be good in the short-term but are the wrong decisions for your long-term career and future marketability. As a young person myself, I once decided between two job offers because one of them paid $200 more than the other. Two hundred dollars. Per year. (Yikes.) For your career to reward you as it should, you’ve got to be oriented toward the long-term potential as you make career choices. And long-term is probably longer than most young people think. It’s five years away, then ten years away, then retirement age. You cannot predict the future but you can seek out industries, technologies and locations that have not good but great future potential. Keep up with the changes and make your moves earlier rather than later. Use a logical method for choosing between your alternatives. (For a video about a tool I highly recommend, the Decision Making Matrix, see www.working-together-better.com.)

That’s It

That wraps up my summary of the top Ten Mistakes Young People Make at Work and How to Avoid Them. I hope this short investment of your time has given you some things to think about but more importantly some things to do differently. (If you have employees that should hear this information, we have an on-site training program based on this material. Ask for our catalog.)

Until next time, let’s keep on Working Together Better.

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Jean Houston Shore works with organizations that want their people to work together better. She can be reached at 770-643-9724, by email at jean@thinkbusiness.com or through her website at www.working-together-better.com. Ask for your free copy of her book Working Together Better.

Copyright © 2010, Jean Houston Shore, Business Resource Group. All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used without prior written permission.

Transmissions, pistons, and filters rarely get top billing on car commercials but everyone knows that a failure in one of these can quickly require a tow truck. Service departments organize their maintenance of your complicated vehicle by inspecting each of the important systems regularly. Just like your car’s systems work together, your work group harnesses individual skills, motivation and effort to a create results that are greater than the sum of its parts. Here are ten things to check to evaluate your group’s collaboration competence:

1. Proximity: Members of your team must have ready access to one another live, via phone and via email. While synchronous (real-time) team communication is best, even asynchronous can work as long as team members check and respond to messages promptly. (more…)

While the term custodian often refers to the person who cleans and maintains a building, custodian can also mean one who safeguards and protects any company asset. For example, a custodian bank holds equities and bonds in safekeeping, all the while collecting and disseminating information about the condition of those assets to interested others. For years companies have trumpeted that “our employees are our most valuable asset.” If that is true, what should you be doing as a manager (or custodian) of that asset? (more…)

Dominic’s Day is an fabulous example of how problem-focused coping behaviors sometimes spread to create a greater good. My colleague, Bill Kovach, connected me with this website, pointing out that it explained a “worthy cause.” Only later did I connect the dots and realize that Bill is little Dominic’s grandfather.

As I’ve written before, when there is a cognitive disturbance (when something alters our environment in ways we interpret as negative) we humans work tirelessly to try to restore equilibrium. In the case of the Dominic and his family, a pediatrician’s diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), placing the infant in the 97th percentile of severity, was quite a disturbance. (For Dominic, the ventricular septum of his heart muscle was already three times larger than it should have been. Though he might be expected to live up to five years with this heart, the only treatment for Dominic’s HCM is a heart transplant.)

The Dominic’s Day website chronicles how family members and friends rallied over the next weeks and months, all convinced that they just had to “do something.” Indeed, the site, which has been equipped to accept donations from the public into the 501(c)3 foundation that has been formed in Dominic’s name, explains, “We will NOT stand idly by, waiting for something to happen . . . WE ARE MAKING IT HAPPEN.”

This is exactly how problem-focused coping works. The reason it works is that taking action focused on the problem gives us back something the disturbance stole from us – our belief that we are in control. The very worst thing about experiencing a crisis is the possibility that we may not be able to control the outcome of the situation. Nothing takes away our motivation faster than thinking our actions may not make a difference.

But, if we can believe something we can do might make things better, we become energized and creative. So far, enthusiastic supporters of Dominic’s Day have raised more than $13,000 through various fundraising efforts. And they are just getting started.

If your organization is facing some sort of disturbance, you can help your people cope by leading the way to problem-focused coping behaviors. Here are some suggestions:

• Ask employees to list the pros and cons of the situation or to make schedules to show what might happen when.
• Set an example of problem focus by verbalizing the things you can do rather than those you can’t.
• Rally the troops by sharing the load. Pull together a team to focus on particular parts of solving the problem at hand. Being involved in crafting a response to the disturbance helps each person who contributes.
• Discuss the “bigger picture” impacts of the situation you face. Lead people to think about what happens in the longer-term and make plans to impact the future in the most positive way possible.
• Leave room for emotion-focused coping, too. Though this article describes the positive result of problem-focused coping skills, your people will eventually need to talk about their feelings too.

Former President Harry Truman is credited with saying, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” In the case of Dominic’s Day, as in your situation, making the vision larger than just one person’s crisis situation is the key to lasting impact. As you lead and as you cope, miss no opportunity to enlarge the vision and express your confidence in those who are contributing. Only then you will make your cause theirs.

“I don’t think I’ve got anything else left to give. I know I can play, but I don’t want to.” This was quarterback Brett Favre’s tearful admission days ago as he announced his retirement from the Green Bay Packers. Though Favre’s timing may have been a surprise to some, the move from top performer to retirement-ready employee is something most managers have seen before.

We know that people seldom perform well when they “don’t want to.” But how can you re-motivate employees who’ve lost their zing? First, do some digging to find out what feelings your employees are experiencing. Are they disheartened because a team project is encountering insurmountable obstacles? Did a change in team makeup cause responsibilities to be shuffled in a way that seems unfair? Was someone promised a plum assignment but it never materialized? Once you figure out how they see the situation you’ll have a better idea how to reignite their motivation.

After you get a grip on the feelings and underlying situations, determine what you have to offer that may make the situation right. Here are some ideas you can try:

• Confront: Talk with the employees individually, speaking directly to them about the level of motivation they feel. Ask them what they would like to see changed and see what you can do to make progress toward that goal.
• Question Confidence: Use your best questioning skills to uncover any problems with the employees’ confidence levels. If they are not sure they have what it takes to get the job done, they may be reluctant to tell you. If self-confidence issues are present, work diligently to build the employees up – and as quickly as you can.
• Isolate Trust Problems: Unresolved trust issues cause motivation to evaporate but rebuilding broken trust can take a while. If there is a history of broken promises (or even a perception of broken promises) you must own up to your part in the situation and begin to make amends. Understand that it will take multiple iterations of promises fulfilled to balance out just one broken commitment.

While most of your employees will not have the wherewithal to retire at Brett Favre’s age, some certainly may have lost the desire to keep playing on your team. By probing for feelings first then addressing confidence and trust issues, you can give the members of your team a chance to stay together and keep winning.

One of the most pervasive productivity-sapping workplace habits I see is something I call “truth reluctance.” Lots of people know something should be said, but no one is willing to step up and get the issue out in the open.

Here’s an example:

Susie’s job was “reorganized” in a merging of two departments three years ago. But still, after all this time, Susie gripes to coworkers about how unfair the restructuring was. Everyone around her wishes she would just move on and get to the business at hand. But no one, including Susie’s new manager, has the guts to tell Susie the truth. As a result, Susie’s coworkers scatter when they see her coming. She is in danger of being marginalized by her own poor behavior and she doesn’t even know it.

In this situation, two things are missing. First, workplace participants don’t realize how much they are hurting themselves by being truth reluctant. They somehow feel that cushioning Susie’s feelings is a noble choice. Second, they aren’t sure speaking honestly with Susie would do any good, even if they were willing to do it. While the first concern is simply invalid, the second has some merit, because if Susie doesn’t receive the feedback well, you may have taken an unwise chance by speaking up.

Here are three parts of the situation you can monitor to give your feedback to Susie a fighting chance:

Trust: For your feedback to make a difference, it should rest on a foundation of mutual trust between you and Susie – a situation where you trust her and she trusts you. To develop a mutually beneficial working relationship requires “deposits” of actions, services or products the other person values. Professors Allan Cohen and David Bradford, in their book Influence Without Authority, call these deposits “currency.” Steven Covey referred to a similar idea in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as keeping track of an “Emotional Bank Account.” Whatever you call it, careful giving and receiving within a trusting relationship can help build even more trust.

Timing: Feedback should always be given privately and at a time when distracting workplace stress is minimized. If the person to whom you wish to give feedback needs to temporarily opt-out because the timing isn’t right, allow that. Choose to catch up with Susie at a later, more agreeable time.

Tone: The words you choose to use when delivering a piece of feedback to a colleague are of vital importance. A good way to start could be, “Susie, because I care about you and your work here, I want you to hear this feedback from me.” After beginning in this reassuring way, be sure your feedback session includes the following segments:

• Your desire that Susie listen to and thoughtfully consider the feedback you will give.
• The specific behavior that needs to change and when you have observed it.
• The impact or effect that the behavior is currently having on: the workplace, you (the feedback giver), customers, and/or Susie’s reputation and career potential.

Whether or not you currently have a Susie situation in your workplace, you will someday be tempted to be “truth reluctant.” But if you consider trust, timing and tone, you can be the person courageous enough to say what everyone else was thinking. That’s the only way to make things better, for Susie and for everyone.

It’s true that during crises people become real. Some corporate managers, recognizing this, have habitually practiced “crisis creation” during staff meetings, hoping to improve performance.

Here’s how it typically goes. At the weekly staff meeting, a worried-looking leader flings a management report across the table before stating in strained tones the team’s lack of progress toward a certain measure. Explaining that if the team members don’t buckle down to get the numbers up (or the deadline met) she’s not sure what could happen, the manager telegraphs her worries, real or imagined, to the bigger group. As the meeting concludes, staff members whisper about the revelation and all focus on their tasks and work harder – temporarily.

But it’s a cheap trick – and one that eventually backfires.

Fear as a motivation technique is short-lived at best. If a leader’s crisis management technique is simply to let unfiltered pressure pass onto her employees, her style could be getting in the team’s way. If your workplace is characterized by weekly discussions of the “crisis du jour,” your employees will quickly become numb to it. And numb employees aren’t motivated. An important part of the manager’s role is to create an environment where the team members can work successfully. You are supposed to get them the resources, time, space and breathing room they need to do their jobs.

So, next time you are tempted to simply pass down the latest in corporate hand-wringing, consider whether a different approach to the situation would serve your team members’ health, safety and effectiveness better. You don’t have to tell everything you know and sometimes you shouldn’t.

Remember, it’s your job to give them room to do theirs.

In over twenty years of working with clients in various industries, I’ve seen some of the same problems pop up over and over. This blog will allow me to share some of those problems (and their potential solutions) with a wider audience. Feel free to comment here, whether you agree or disagree with my conclusions.Some of the topics I expect to cover are:

• Leadership (When Leaders Fail to Lead)
• Coping Skills (How Those Who Fail To Cope Affect All of Us)
• Feedback (The Magic of Making Teams Work)
• Performance Measures (Why Measuring the Right Things May Not Be Easy)
• Motivation (How to Engage Employees So They Are Productive and Happy)
• Reward and Recognition (How Handling These Things Poorly Wastes Everyone’s Time)

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