Please ask; don’t issue staff your commands
Please ask; don’t issue staff your commands
Ensure employees understand you the first time
Do you ever get the feeling you’re talking but you’re not actually being heard? If you’re the parent of a teenager, the feeling should be a familiar one, but in the workplace, you expect it to be a different story. Situations are seldom that simple as any home care agency administrator or manager knows. You think you’ve given a clear picture of what needs to be done, by whom and by when, but you still find yourself having to repeat yourself later, and even with your efforts, you find that the job just isn’t getting done the way you had hoped. Should you give up and do it yourself because, after all, you know what you want and how it should be done, or should you consider a new approach?
Regis Smolko, an instructor with the Fred Pryor Seminars, says that rule No. 1 in giving instructions is, "You ask; you don’t command." He says that too many people shy away from making a request of their employees for fear of coming across as weak or lacking in leadership.
The opposite is true, in fact, and that by asking, you encourage employees to view the task as working toward a common goal. "People make 98% of their decisions based on emotions and in the first 11 seconds will decide whether they will work with your or test you and work against you. If you come across in a way that they like, they are more likely to cooperate with you," Smolko explains.
Taking Employees to a Task |
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When giving instructions, it’s best to: | |
• | Tell employees what you need them to do. |
• | Show them what needs to be done. |
• | Have them tell you what they understood you to have said. |
• | Have them show you what needs to be done. |
• | Have them write it down. |
• | Schedule periodic status meetings. |
Source: Fred Pryor Seminars, |
A second guideline to follow is to take a positive approach. By that, Smolko means giving your request a positive spin, emphasizing what employees should do rather than what they shouldn’t, he adds. The exception to this rule, he says, is in instances where the potential for making a mistake is high or where you really want to emphasize potential pitfalls. Then, too, he says, employees should have a clear-cut idea from their boss as to why a given task or project is important and how it relates to the big picture. "Sometimes explaining why something needs to be done is the most beneficial thing you can do," Smolko points out.
Follow up with your employees
Lastly, requests should leave room for employees to apply their personal work style. You don’t need to give them a project and a step-by-step plan for getting it accomplished, he says. "You want to delegate results, not methods," Smolko explains. Everyone works a little differently so you need to allow for that and resist the urge to comment, he notes. Even if you’ve followed these rules, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to follow up with employees to chart their progress and to learn if they have any questions or have encountered any problems. "To make sure your instructions took," he says, "you need to get feedback as quickly as possible."
While this may appear obvious, too many supervisors fail to do so. There are several reasons, for this, says Smolko. Today’s managers are under a great deal of pressure and frequently just don’t have — or don’t think they have — time to revisit a subject. "You’re in a hurry to get something done, and you don’t want to take time out to get your employees’ feedback on what you discussed," he says.
A second reason many supervisors fail to follow through is because of complacency. "We just don’t do it, for a number of reasons," he notes. Perhaps one of the greatest reasons for a lack of follow-though, he says, is that people like to think they did a good job explaining the task at hand. "We assume the person got it," he says, "and are reluctant to revisit the subject for fear of appearing condescending." Managers, he notes, should keep in mind that people interpret different words in different ways. "Soon" as a deadline could mean the next day to you and next week to your employee. Further, he says, don’t assume your employee has the same frame of reference as you do.
"When we think of things, we think of them from our perspective not the other person’s. To make headway with people, you need to change your attitude and behavior to match them," he says. "But to make big leaps with people, you need to change your frame of reference." Use words they might use so that you can talk with your employees more effectively, he suggests.
Getting the feedback you need
Even the best-laid plans can go wrong, he points out, and one of the most common reasons behind this is stereotyping. "You think you know, for example, how something should be done, but in not being open to new ideas, you are limiting yourself," Smolko says. He encourages managers to solicit ideas from their employees on how a task could best be accomplished. Another problem that can lead to communication breakdown is when managers view the process as a one-way street. "If you don’t share with people, they won’t follow you," he says.
If you really want to get feedback, he says, you need to be aware of nonverbal cues. Seven percent of a message is carried by words, he explains. Thirty-eight percent has to do with your tone, and 55% comes across through body language. "We can’t always interpret nonverbal cues," he says, "but you can use them to encourage us toward a given direction. Whenever you ask a question, there will be body responses. Let people’s body language speak to you." Try as people may, it’s very difficult to hide nonverbal signs, he says, especially those that indicate doubt.
When giving instructions or, equally as important, when negotiating on important matters, it’s important to be seated, he says. "You want to assume and mirror that person’s body language if you want to get the greatest compliance. After a time, change positions and see if they mirror you, and when they do, that’s the time to ask for their input."
Ask open-ended questions
Another way to encourage staff feedback is through open-ended questions such as "What do you think of all of this?" or "How did that come across?" At all costs, he says, avoid such close-ended questions as, "Is that clear?" Employees, Smolko says, don’t want to be the ones to say they didn’t understand. It’s also important to encourage questions from your staff as you go along, and although it sounds obvious, never put down a question, no matter what it is or what you think of it. Questions show employees are listening.
Lastly, Smolko says, it’s important for managers to take responsibility for poor communication. It’s always a good idea to preface your closing with something like, "I know I’m not always the clearest, so could you run it back by me so that I can be sure I explained myself properly?" As a manager, he notes, you bear ultimate responsibility, so make sure everyone understands where you are coming from.
[For more information, contact: Regis Smolko, Instructor, Fred Pryor Seminars, 9757 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS 66212. Telephone: (800) 905-8442.]
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