5 keys to communicating with employees as (gasp) adults

Addressing false rumors, mining employees' ideas, and motivating productivity are all part of a manager's job.

Communication is not the most important part of a manager's job—it is the

manager's job. Here are five things managers should do to ensure effective

communication.

Let employees know what's going on in the organization.

Employees want to know what's happening in their organization. Where are we

now? Where are we headed? Are we growing? What problems are we trying to

address? What changes can we expect? If you keep people in the dark, you will

ensure they feel detached from the organization.

On the other hand, sharing information with employees on a routine basis helps

strengthen their commitment to the organization, even through the bad times.

Make it a habit to routinely let employees "in" on what's going on in the

organization.

Pay attention to rumors.

Rumors begin when employees "fill in the blanks" with whatever they think is the real story. Sometimes it is the real story. However, more often than not

the story is distorted and even untrue. Managers who ignore rumors can quickly lose control of the situation. They are also missing an important

opportunity to communicate openly with their employees.

If much of the information in your organization is spread by rumors amongst employees, it's a sign that something is wrong with your communication.

When you hear of a rumor, whether true or not, expose it in a constructive manner. Be honest with employees. Employees would rather hear bad news

than no news. Don't be afraid to say: "I know there's a rumor about X. Let me share with you the facts about X."

Tell employees why their job is important.

There are still some "old school" managers out there who say, "I don't have to make my employees feel important. Why should I? They're getting a

paycheck. That should be enough!" If you are one of those managers, you need to adjust your thinking. People need to understand how their job fits into

the organization's big picture. They need to know that what they do every day matters, that it helps the organization achieve goals.

Tell them why and how their job is essential and why they are a valuable part of the organization. If you can't explain these things to a person who works

for you, then why are you giving them a paycheck to begin with? Think about it!

Give feedback.

Some may want more than others, but almost everyone wants feedback on how they are doing. If you fail to provide feedback to your employees, you

are not doing your job. Period. Though it's unpleasant to give negative feedback to poorly performing employees, you are not doing them any favors by

withholding honesty.

Also, it is just as important to give feedback to the star employee as it is to the poor employee. Some managers won't do this, leaving the "star" to

wonder why his or her outstanding performance has not been noticed. Do not operate by the "if you don't hear anything bad from me, you're doing fine"

rule. It is important to give both good and bad feedback all the time.

Ask for feedback.

A story is told about a worker at a Ford Motors plant who came up with an idea for a manufacturing improvement that saved the company hundreds of

thousands of dollars. Henry Ford himself visited the worker, handed him a reward, and asked him when he came up with the idea. "Oh, it was years

ago!" the worker said. A shocked Ford asked the worker why he didn't say something earlier. "Nobody asked me before now!" the worker replied. *

How many times does this happen in companies? How often are employees' ideas, concerns, and suggestions overlooked simply because no one ever

asks them? When people aren't given proper channels to communicate their thoughts and concerns, the company loses out. A suggestion box next to

the time clock isn't enough.

Meet regularly with employees and ask them questions such as: "What are we doing well? What can we do better? How can we save money? How can

we better serve our customers?" You may be surprised at the valuable information you get by doing this. Don't ever assume that your employees have

nothing to say. They do. Ask them.

* S. Suzawa. "How the Japanese achieve excellence." Training & Development Journal, May 1985.

Kelly Mollica is a consultant at The Centre Group, where a version of this article first appeared.

The Practices of Successful Managers

by Jim Morris and Betsey Upchurch

As a manager, you have the opportunity to lead, supervise, mentor and motivate others - and your ability to do so effectively makes a huge difference to

your company's overall success. But, statistics show that 50% or more of middle managers fail to achieve the expectations of those who promote them.

Find out why and what you can do about it.

Person leading a group

Image source: BigStockPhoto.com

If you are a recently promoted manager, or if you define yourself as part of "middle management," this article is for you. If you manage managers, this

article is for you, too.

First, the good news: As a manager, you have the opportunity to lead, supervise, mentor and motivate others - and your ability to do so effectively

makes a huge difference to your company's overall success. In fact, the success of your company has as much if not more to do with your performance

as it does with the performance of the CEO and his or her senior team.

Now, the bad news: 50-80% of all middle managers fail to achieve the expectations of those who promote them. With over 5 million managers in this

group in the U.S. and Canada, that's a lot of missed expectations! Why is this so, and what can you do about it?

In spite of the plethora of technical training available for middle managers in most industries, this group has to "sink or swim" more on their own than just

about any other professional group in the corporate world. Why? Because the training programs geared for this group are either too generic or focus on

technical skills instead of people skills. Managing is about bringing out the best in people, not overwhelming subordinates with technical information.

Management isn't learned by memorizing seven simple steps or a catchy acronym like. (L) is for "Listen", (E) is for "Engage" , (A) is for "Authorize" and

(D) is for "Demonstrate." Learning to be a more effective manager is complex, not simple, and one technique definitely does not fit all managers

As you know, managers find themselves between the proverbial rock and a hard place. You are expected to increase or maintain success, however your

company defines it, by getting the best performance possible out of your people - yet you have to operate within often difficult and demoralizing policies,

procedures and guidelines established by senior management.

Moreover, middle managers are generally the most under-supported and under-developed segment of employees. Unless you work for one of a handful

of forward thinking companies, the types of management training and mentoring you will receive is not the kind you need. So called "management

academies" or corporate universities frequently teach skills that are too basic to help you be successful or are not customized enough to address the

specific problems you face.

As a group, new or middle managers are typically the most difficult employees to train or help. There are several reasons for this. First, you are working

so hard to do your job, the cost of slowing down long enough to get some training feels too high for you. Secondly, managers, particularly newly

promoted managers, have a difficult time asking for help or admitting to their own weaknesses. Whereas senior managers generally have the credibility

or self-assuredness to admit to their shortcomings and weaknesses, many middle managers feel that admitting to their weaknesses is an admission of

incompetence that could be a career-limiting move. Unless you work for a senior manager with antiquated notions about leadership, or if the culture of

your group, department or company uses internal competition to motivate employees, admitting to weaknesses is generally not a bad idea. Think of it

this way: there are two types of middle managers, those who are aware of their weaknesses and those who are not.

Research shows that you are more likely to be successful as a manager not by fixing your weaknesses, but by understanding and working around them.

Time and time again, we have seen managers gain the support and recognition they deserve by being genuine and humble instead of arrogant or fake.

Through our work with managers in a variety of industries across North America, we have observed the management habits of thousands of successful

middle managers. We have distilled them down to the following successful practices:

Understand and Negotiate the Right Management Contract

In other words, if you don't think the job you've been promoted into is possible, either don't take it or renegotiate the scope of the job. This is hard for

ambitious managers to do. When asked if they can be effective in a new management position, most managers feel pressure to answer "yes" with

confidence and self-assurance, even if they have doubts. Accepting a position that is virtually impossible to be successful in does not help the company

you work for and it certainly doesn't help you. Better to make sure the job is one that is both attainable and doable, albeit ambitious.

The reverse may also be true: the scope of a management assignment may be too limited and the newly appointed manager may need to re-negotiate a

position with a bigger scope.

In either case, the universally successful management practice is to consider an assignment as a "contract". Each contract needs to have clearly defined

success and failure criteria assigned to it so that the manager can measure their own success and to adjust the scope of the assignment to ensure its

success.

Be Yourself

A common mistake of newly appointed managers is to assume that they are expected to act differently now that they manage others. While there is

some truth to this notion in terms of behavior, successful middle managers find it is important to continue to be the same person they were before the

promotion. Develop a management style that fits with who you are as a person; don't try and behave like someone else. If your natural approach is fun-

loving and less serious, find ways to manage that way. If you are more serious and impersonal in the ways you interact with others, don't assume you

have to change personalities to be successful. Managers are promoted based on the judgment of others, and that judgment is based on what was seen

in you before you were promoted. If you attempt to completely change your approach or style, you are less likely to be successful.

Listen

Listen to what your employees are telling you. Listen to your customers. Listen to what your superiors are telling you. And listen for what is not being

talked about. Check the accuracy of your listening when you're not sure what you are hearing by feeding it back to the people who are talking to you.

Contrary to popular opinion, managing is less about telling and more about listening. Effective listening managers help their employees solve important

problems by allowing them to talk through the problem. More often than not, employees can solve problems on their own once they fully understand the

problem. Listening allows people to "hear themselves think" and, then, to develop solutions.

Don't Badmouth One Group to Become Accepted by Another

A temptation of new managers is to develop kinship with the employees they manage by talking negatively about senior management, other groups

competing for resources or the policies and guidelines established by the company. "Bashing" one group to get closer to another group is a bad idea.

Employees need to know how to manage their frustrations, not gossip about them. Managers who bash management offer an interesting model: if they

don't respect management, but do nothing to change management - and they are managers - whom can the employees rely on? Managers need to set

an example of how to deal with difficulty. If their example is to critical of others behind their backs, they can assume at some point their employees will

do the same to them. Finally, undue criticism destroys accountability and creates distrust. Employees need to be coached and encouraged to work out

problems, not blame others for them.

Be a Role Model

Assume you are always being watched, even when you would prefer not to be, by the people who report to you. Humans learn first by imitation; your

reports will pick up on and follow your behavior. If you want people to admit to mistakes, show them how to do that by admitting to your own. If the

honesty and integrity of your employees is important to you, work to make sure your actions line up with your words. Conversely, don't assume that

everything you do will be copied. Being a role model alone isn't enough, but successful managers remain aware of the example they set for their

employees.

Rely on Your Ability to Support, Not on Your Ability to Do Successful managers need to make a shift from being "Doers" to being "Supporters". Many

managers are promoted because of their excellent grasp of a function or job, but as managers, they are expected to help others develop their skills, not

to do the job for them. For many, this is the most difficult management practice to develop. Teaching others how to perform a job better or differently

requires a totally different skill set than simply doing the job yourself. Learning to follow through on delegated tasks is a form of support that employees

need in order to ensure success. Delegating, including following up with every delegated task, is a critical management practice.

Give Up the Illusion of Changing Anyone Except Yourself

Humans change of their own accord, not because someone else wants them to. This is an unassailable truth about human nature and the sooner a

newly appointed manager accepts it, the better. Managing or leading people doesn't mean changing them to suit the needs of the leader; it requires

leaders to change themselves to suit the needs of the people they manage. Leaders influence change in people by building on their strengths and

candidly discussing what they perceive as their weaknesses, but no one changes anyone else, ever. If you want someone to behave or act differently,

change the way you approach them or work with them.

Blow Your Team's Horn, Not Your Own

When a team succeeds, managers sometimes feel unacknowledged for their role in helping the team achieve results. If acknowledgement as successful

manager or leader is important to you, resist the temptation of blowing your own horn. Instead, find the glory of your team's success and be humble.

Assume that anyone who really understands the art of leadership will see your contribution to the effort. Conversely, when a team fails, take all the heat.

After all, you were leading them, weren't you? And you agreed to take on the job knowing the restrictions of it, right? Taking the heat and passing on the

credit builds your credibility with those above you, even if it doesn't always feel good.

Focus on Your Team's Strengths

Research into what makes groups of people successful shows conclusively that managers and leaders get further by accentuating the positive attributes

of team members than by working on their weaknesses. If you understand that people only change when they decide to change, this concept should

make sense. Successful managers don't work too hard at changing the bad habits or behaviors of their employees; they find ways to build on their

employees' innate skills. Focusing on strengths does not mean you need to turn your back on all of the unproductive or negative behaviors of your

employees, but you do need to distinguish between those traits that can be changed from those that cannot be changed. Invoke the Serenity Prayer

from Alcoholics Anonymous: "God give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know

the difference." Limit your focus on "fixing" to those things that are completely unacceptable, and have the courage to put your energy into finding and

bringing forth employees' strengths.

Take Charge of Your Own Growth

It is not your employer's responsibility to make you a better manager, it's yours. If you wait for someone else to show you how to improve, you might be

waiting a long time. And, as we've said, the only person who can change or improve you is you. If you want your manager to manage you better, show

them how to do so. If you want more feedback on your performance, go ask for it. If you need more guidance or mentoring, go find a mentor. Employers

can send you to training or hire a coach for you, but how much you grow or improve is totally up to you.

Be Patient

Change takes time. When people work towards changing their own performance, it is not uncommon for Herculean internal effort to show-up as

incremental visible improvement. Telling people they aren't changing fast enough in hopes of accelerating their development usually has the opposite

effect. Be patient, particularly with yourself. Experience is a great teacher, but it often takes a lot of it before people understand how to apply it. There are

ways to accelerate this process, but pushing people is rarely the answer.

Work on Your Emotional Intelligence

Best selling author Daniel Goleman popularized the concept of "emotional intelligence" (how people handle themselves and their relationships) as a

critical set of competencies that distinguish the most successful leaders and managers. Goleman identifies five dimensions of emotional intelligence:

Self Awareness - knowing enough about our own internal triggers, hot buttons, personality weaknesses and strengths to talk about them openly and

comfortably. Self Awareness is the cornerstone to developing emotional intelligence.

Self-Regulation - the ability to regulate and control one's own behavioral responses to situations and events.

Empathy - the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and see things as they might see them.

Motivation - Having a passion for achievement and self-improvement.

Social Skill - being sensitive to human dynamics and the feelings of others in how we interact with them. Social skill is where emotionally intelligent

leaders get to practice all of the preceding emotional intelligence skills.

Developing emotional intelligence is a lifelong journey. The most successful managers not only work to develop the people who report to them but also

have embarked upon their own journey of self-development.

Tell the Truth

Overwhelmingly, research shows that the single most important attribute a leader can demonstrate to those they lead is the ability and willingness to tell

the truth. Whether the truth is good or bad, pleasant or hard-to-hear, hearing it usually helps people find their way through chaos and uncertainty.

Furthermore, the most important kind of truth to tell is the truth about oneself.

Don't Manage, Lead

The old familiar notion of "management" as oversight of work processes is outdated. Increasingly, people are both able and required to manage

themselves. The pace of the typical work-a-day world and the volume of work to be done make traditional management impossible. However, it is

possible for managers to give their employees what they most want and need -- leadership. Under leadership, we include creating and communicating a

plan for achieving group goals; unwavering commitment towards those goals; dedication to the work and the people performing the work; and the ability

to prioritize tasks and follow through on assignments of each team member.

Leadership and management are far more complex than the 14 practices above. However, we have found that these key concepts are enormously

helpful to those who are starting to hone their skills as leaders and managers.

Learning to lead can be pleasant and painful, frightening and invigorating, rewarding and frustrating - all at the same time. The only certainty is that how

you lead will be remembered. For better or worse, your leadership becomes part of the legacy you leave behind in your job, your community and your

life. Every action you take contributes to that legacy, every day. Have fun, give it your best and enjoy the space between a rock and a hard place. It's

where diamonds are made!

Ways to Increase Communication Between Managers & Employees by Lisa McQuerrey, Demand Media

Developing multiple communication channels ensures everyone is on the same page.

Related Articles

Value of Employee Communication Sessions Employee Performance Checklist for Managers

How to Increase Your Value With Better Communication Skills at Work

Barriers to Communication for Managers

What Are the Two Ways of Communication in the Workplace?

Different Ways a Manager Can Communicate With Employees Ongoing and open communication between managers and employees can help keep professional objectives clear, projects focused and potential

workplace conflicts from getting out of hand. When expectations and issues are regularly discussed by managers and employees in both formal and

informal settings, all team members have a better understanding of the status of the work relationship.

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Hold Regular Staff Meetings

Regular staff meetings provide an opportunity for employees and managers to collectively discuss issues related to ongoing business operations.

Managers should develop a written meeting agenda, with the input of employees, and distribute it in advance. This allows the opportunity for all potential

issues and topics to be discussed and gives employees time to review the agenda and prepare for the meeting. If it becomes apparent an agenda item

is better suited to an individual or small-group setting, table the issue and reschedule a meeting for the appropriate parties.

Conduct One-on-One Meetings

Some communication is more appropriately discussed in a one-on-one setting between a manager and an employee. This includes issues related to

discipline, complaints, conflict resolution, and compensation and benefits. Additionally, one-on-one meetings between managers and employees give

each party the opportunity to privately discuss personal goals, objectives and topics not suited to group debate.

Related Reading: Employee Performance Checklist for Managers

Have an Open-Door Policy

An "open-door policy" describes a manager-employee relationship in which the employee has an open, standing invitation to approach the manager with

questions, concerns, complaints and comments at any time. This management approach lets employees know their concerns are valued and that the

manager is always available and willing to communicate. This management style can have a positive impact on morale and employee performance.

Issue a Regular Update Memo

Distributing a daily or weekly memo about projects, announcements and deadlines keeps employees and managers on the same page about what’s

happening in the office. A memo can reiterate key elements of staff meetings, provide notice about upcoming vacation days, business events and

important timelines that need to be met.

Put it in Writing

Any time an important interaction takes place between a manager and employee, the results of the communication should be documented in writing by

the individual who initiated the meeting. For example, if a manager holds a one-on-one meeting with an employee to discuss a salary adjustment, the

manager should follow up the meeting with a written statement to the employee outlining the terms of the salary change. Following this approach

ensures that everyone is operating with the same information and expectations.

References (1)

The FrontLine Supervisor: Helping You Manage Your Company’s Most Valuable Resource, Employees