<![CDATA[DIFFERENT THINKING, DIFFERENT RESULTS - Loretta\'s Blog]]>Sun, 27 Apr 2025 01:52:05 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Dear Boss.   4 Steps to Ensure I Will Perform for You…]]>Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:41:34 GMThttp://www.askloretta.com/lorettas-blog/dear-boss-4-steps-to-ensure-i-will-perform-for-you​I’m not sure how much you know about me, so I thought I’d share four simple steps you can take to ensure I will perform for you – day in and day out.
 
And there’s a secret about these steps: if you STIC to these four steps you will get the work performance you want from me and I will get the respect and motivation I want from you.
 
Here’s the STIC:
  1. Share information
  2. Treat me fairly
  3. Invest in me
  4. Compensate me for a good day’s work.
 
Let me explain.
 
  1. Share information. I want to know what’s going on – more than you think I do. If you want me to be thoughtful about the job, if you want me to care about the company’s interests, clue me in. Please don’t decide for me what I care about or what I need to know. Make sure I know:
    • How the company makes money, who are our competitors, what markets we work in, what are the threats to our future success, and what opportunities you are working on
    • How is the company is doing now – share the financials, share the budget for our department, explain all the hidden costs I don’t think about
    • How my work fits in. I need to really understand how what I do impacts others in our department, in other departments, our customers, and the company as a whole. I need to understand the deadlines, the work flows, the risks of getting it wrong, and the benefits of hitting it out of the park.
 
And, please take this information-sharing one step further: ask for my input and ideas. You want me to be engaged – engage me. Talk to me. Listen to me.
 
  1. Treat me fairly. I need to know that you genuinely care about what's going on in my life. When I am deciding to come to work after a bout of chemo or a night in the hospital with a sick parent, I am more likely to make the effort to get to work if I feel empathy from you. If you can’t appreciate the challenges I face some days just to get to work, maybe I’ll just stay home. I don’t want to let you down or the team. I’ll push through my issues if I know you have my back.
 
And if I make a mistake, please tell me. I don’t want to be a screw up. Maybe I didn’t realize what I did. Help me be better tomorrow than I am today
 
  1. Invest in me. Provide the tools and training so I can be successful. And, give me opportunities to grow my skills, my knowledge, and my abilities so I can be more, do more, get promoted, lead a team, manage a project, handle a client presentation. This can be giving me the lead on a task, allowing me to run a meeting, approving time to attend a seminar, requiring me to get certified, paying for a class. Yes, these can all be risky; I may fail; I may leave the company someday. But you will have invested in me, you will have done the right thing.
 
  1. Compensate me for a good day’s work. I’m asking for a fair wage, decent benefits, and recognition for a job well done. I want to be proud of my work and the company I work for. Remember, I have friends; we talk about our jobs. How you treat me impacts the company’s reputation. Don't cheap out. Salary increases or bonuses show that you value my work. And benefits matter; I have a family to support. If you absolutely do not have the money, recognize me in other ways: a new title, a certificate of achievement, an opportunity for professional development, praise in front of the team, a celebration, a thank you card, a gift card.
 
Look, I’m not asking for the world here. Let’s call this what this is – quid pro quo – you STIC with me and I’ll stick with you.
 
And yes, it takes a little more effort on your part than you are doing now… but, think about it… in the long run you will get an employee who produces for you. How cool would it be if all your employees performed the way you want? Imagine that! A team engine firing on all cylinders.
 
You treat me fairly and I will perform at my best for you. Pretty straight forward, huh?
]]><![CDATA[Manage to the Individual, by Loretta Kuhland]]>Mon, 20 Feb 2017 18:26:18 GMThttp://www.askloretta.com/lorettas-blog/manage-to-the-individual-by-loretta-kuhlandI was talking with a CEO the other day who was brought in to handle a turnaround situation. As you can imagine, he is assertive, forthright, quick to make decisions, and has other characteristics of a change agent.

One of his new department heads could not be more different. She has 30+ years of service with the organization. She is new to a leadership role and promoted without the needed knowledge and skill set for success. She is thoughtful, calm, a slow decision maker, with low confidence in her new role. ​

As a consultant brought in by the CEO to get this new leader up to speed on her department, I offered the CEO some observations and suggestions for how to support and encourage the new leader to ensure her success. Early into our discussion the CEO defended his current approach:  “I don't treat her any different than I treat any other executive.”
“I treat all my employees the same.”

​The sirens were going off in my head. There it was. The out. The ‘she’s getting the same chance to be successful as the other leaders’ misnomer. He claimed that he had the same expectations for her, was giving her the same amount of his time, the same feedback, and the same push to excel. His style was his style. It worked with the others, why would he need to do something different for this leader?
 
Oh boy! Where do I start?
 
The: ‘I'm a jerk to everyone’ ‘I hold everyone to the same standard’ approach almost sounds reasonable. I treat everyone the same I don’t need to worry about discrimination claims. This logic is flawed for one very obvious reason: the individuals we manage are different people.

  • Employees have different skills and abilities – so how can the same level of time, support, and feedback achieve the same level of results?
  • Employees have different perspectives, sensitivities, levels of confidence – so how can one management style lead to the same results?
  • Employees are motivated by different things – money, benefits, accolades, achievement, status/title, a job well done, time with family – so how can one motivator work for all?
 
Have a Unique Approach for Each Individual You Manage
 
Back to our CEO. His new leader is somewhat paralyzed in her new role. And, she is intimidated by the CEO’s aggressive style. She doesn’t have the experience or tools to feel confident. If the CEO would spend more time with this new leader, explain his vision and concerns, encourage her to share her perspective and obstacles, recognize her achievements (though they may seem minor to him), support her in front of the other leaders, he will be freeing this leader to do more, to be more. She will have the confidence to speak up, to offer ideas, to take the risk to implement a needed program.
 
Over time the CEO can increase his expectations, but for now a more supportive and mentoring approach is needed.
 
Learn About the Individual
 
How do you know what your employees need to give their best? You want to learn about each employee on your team (and about your colleagues). Understand his/her skills, abilities, interests, goals, fears, what s/he avoids, what s/he is best at or likes to do, what motivates him/her. Learn about his/her personal life – family, hobbies, outside interests. Learn about the full person, not a caricature.
 
Yes, managing to the individual is complicated; it can seem overwhelming to think about different approaches for different employees. The upside is that the time you spend getting to know your employee and modifying your approach for that individual, is an investment in performance, in outcomes.
 
If you want a quick way to get to know your team members, there are a slew of tools (e.g., DiSC, Meyer’s Briggs) that explain different approaches and styles. For example, I may need to know how a product will be used; Joe may be more focused on the logistics of implementation; Sue might want to understand the impact for the customer. We all need different information to get us on board. Any tool that increases understanding between team members is smart to adopt. That said, tools are not a substitute for building personal relationships.
 
If you unlock the secret to maximize each employee’s potential – can you imagine what your team could achieve? This is your job as manager, as leader. One of your objectives is to get the most and best out of each member of the team, and to ensure that the team is working optimally.
 
Modify Your Management Approach

While it is wonderful to have standards and equity in how we treat our employees, we are all different people, motivated by different things, and needing different supports to be successful. Develop different management styles to tap into the diverse team of individuals you are leading.
 
Rather than treating everyone the same, strive to manage to the individual.
]]><![CDATA[Just Ask, by Loretta Kuhland]]>Mon, 13 Feb 2017 23:18:16 GMThttp://www.askloretta.com/lorettas-blog/just-ask-by-loretta-kuhland​Have you ever been offended because someone made an assumption about what you meant or what you wanted or needed? Of course you have. Have you ever made an assumption about what someone meant or what someone wanted or needed? Of course you have. 
 
By assuming you knew what someone wanted, did you ever deliver the wrong outcome?  Of course you have.  And, when our starting point is off, our response will also be off. 
 
There is another approach.  
Rather than starting with an assumption of what we know, we can start from a place of discovery. We can take some time to ask the other. As Stephen Covey* so aptly reminds us:  Seek First to Understand.
 
For example, you are getting nowhere with a customer. Maybe they are onboard with your offering, but they are concerned about how to pay for it. If you keep pushing on what you want to sell, you will not get to the root of the resistance. It helps to probe a little, dig deeper, really work to understand any push back.
 
Rather than assuming you know what a coworker meant, ask for clarification: “Tell me more about your concerns about the new product line. I’d like to understand what you are thinking.”
 
Rather than assuming you know what your customer wants, ask him/her what issues they are dealing with so you can tailor your offering to what they need: “What’s getting in the way of your success?"  “What problems are you encountering these days, or anticipating in the future?” “How can I help?”
 
Rather than imputing motive on someone’s behavior, ask him/her why: “Can you tell me why you left the meeting in the middle of my presentation?” [You can even add how that made you feel: “It felt disrespectful, like you weren’t interested.”]
 
Rather than assuming what your boss wants from you, ask for more details: “I want to be sure I give you the information you need in the format that is most useful, can you clarify how the information will be used, who will get a copy, when is it needed, any preferred format you have?“
 
Rather than assuming your staff made a mistake (and react with anger or disappointment) take a deep breath and ask what happened: “Last night we missed our deadline, what happened?”
 
I don’t know about you, but I am not always conscious of how what I say or do impacts someone else. That doesn’t mean my actions or words don’t have unintended consequences. Don’t assume someone meant to screw something up or to miss a deadline or to be disrespectful or to hurt you.
 
Ask questions to increase understanding. Not only is it okay, it’s better to ask and know, than to guess and get it wrong. 
 
* 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey, Free Press 1989             
]]><![CDATA[Transforming Conflict into Opportunity, by Loretta Kuhland]]>Wed, 08 Feb 2017 20:55:07 GMThttp://www.askloretta.com/lorettas-blog/transforming-conflict-into-opportunityThere are many obstacles that get in the way of success – business success, personal success. Some obstacles are easier to deal with; some we have less control over. Some we are aware of; some sneak up on us. For sure, avoiding obstacles doesn’t make them go away and doesn’t minimize their impact.

Here’s a different approach to facing obstacles - think of obstacles as opportunities.

Opportunities: to create something new, a chance to revise old processes, or a push to move forward. So, your equipment breaks down. Nuisance? Yes. Expensive? Yes. Delays? You betcha. All the downsides of this scenario are true… in the short term. But sometimes… broken equipment forces us to make a change we had been avoiding or to find different ways to achieve the same result.

One obstacle many of us avoid is conflict. Avoiding conflict doesn’t make it go away. Rather, avoiding conflict has an uncanny way of multiplying into other obstacles.
Let’s talk about why we avoid conflict and some tools for transforming conflict into opportunities.

Why Do We Avoid Conflict
There are many reasons we avoid conflict - e.g.:
  • Maybe you think disagreeing is disrespectful (or others do), especially with a boss or someone with more seniority or more knowledge on a subject, or with a friend
  • Maybe you take challenges to your ideas personally, feel hurt, withdraw
  • Maybe you don’t encourage others to disagree with you or to voice their opinions
  • Maybe you rush through discussions or don’t provide the other time to digest information
  • Maybe you assume you know/understand the other’s position, concerns, ideas or that you have the best idea.
 
For all these reasons, you avoid the discussion and lose the opportunity to work through your ideas fully and to discuss other options, concerns, and obstacles. You also miss the opportunity to get to know the other person/the people on your team.  And, as I was reminded of when reading HBR’s Jan/Feb 2017 edition when you work in a vacuum or are so sure you are right, you might be off solving the wrong problem.
 
I have a different way of thinking about conflict. I grew up in a multi-generational Italian family, the youngest of four. Everyone told me how to do things, so I learned that there were all different options. I learned that disagreement was inevitable. I never thought that it was a conflict if there was disagreement; I knew it was often a matter of perspective, experience, or ability. And I was lucky, we were encouraged to voice our opinions, to disagree.

Okay, differences of opinion at work may not be so simple to resolve or may not be able to coexist. Sometimes you have to agree on a path forward (e.g., on a software platform) because multiple options would lead to chaos and paralysis. 

On the other hand, if you and I don’t agree, we don’t have to view it as conflict. It’s just an opportunity to see the situation or the problem or the solution from a different perspective. And, that’s a good thing. I don’t see what you see and you don’t see what I see; we have different experiences, concerns, fears, skills, knowledge, etc.  Think of the old adage: two heads are better than one. How true that is. If you have ever collaborated you know how powerful two heads working together can be.

How Do We Get from Different to Agreement

So, how do we get from different to agreement? Shhh. It’s a secret technique known to the ancients. An approach used before computers, before email, before texting. It’s called dialog. It’s a time when information is shared and discussed.
​
The idea is simple, sit in a room (or get on the phone if geography is an issue, not just for convenience) and have an actual conversation where:
  • Differences of opinion are welcomed
  • You provide an opportunity for (ask) others to share how s/he views the situation, what is important to him/her, what are their ideas/concerns/fears, what do they recommend 
  • You don’t assume you know: all the answers, the best way, what the other thinks
  • You give discussion the time needed to work through other options, ideas, and concerns.
The result: all the players have given their input and are clear on the path forward
 
Language for Discussion

Here’s some simple language to use in a discussion:
  • I hadn’t thought of that… tell me more
  • I care about your opinion/concerns
  • What do you think about…?
  • What are you afraid of?
  • What do you think is missing?
  • What obstacles do you see?
 
What if you don’t respect the other’s opinion? All the more reason to ask for their opinion because they are sure to see the world differently and bring a perspective you don’t have. Remember, even the broken clock is right twice a day.

Ultimately, it might be your decision to make. Isn’t it best to make a decision with eyes open, with all the information available?
 
Conflict is definitely one of the obstacles we have control over. It is also an obstacle that when confronted creates opportunity - to create something new, something more complete, something multidimensional.
]]><![CDATA[Not getting the results you want from your Employees? 7 Steps to Create a Productive and Innovative Organization, by Loretta Kuhland]]>Mon, 23 Jan 2017 21:30:01 GMThttp://www.askloretta.com/lorettas-blog/not-getting-the-results-you-want-from-your-employees-7-steps-to-create-a-productive-and-innovative-organizationAre you busy tracking down the status of projects and work that should have been done?  Are you consistently disappointed with results taking longer than you thought? Are you chasing updates rather than being briefed on the status of projects? Do you wish your employees would take the lead?

How do you get to a place where your time is spent on strategic planning, motivating and guiding staff, building relationships with stakeholders… with time left for the gym and dinner before 9pm?
 
It really isn’t as difficult as you would think. But, it does take a shift in focus and a conscious shift in how you spend your time.
First, you need to invest time and energy to create a different work environment.  How?

  1. Communicate the vision for where you want to go and provide the roadmap for getting there (and do this more often than you think necessary)
  2. Share how each project - and each employee - contributes to the vision (and reinforce this message every chance you get)
  3. Be clear on what you expect regarding the work product, deadlines, how employees should handle questions, problems, ideas, and what you value, e.g.: collaboration, openness, a heads up if a deadline will be missed (if someone didn’t meet your expectations, discuss it to understand what happened, allow his/her to explain)
  4. Ensure employees have the knowledge, skills, ability, interest, and motivation to be successful. Hire with thought; provide orientation; provide opportunities to continue to learn and grow professionally
  5. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Talk with your employees – one-on-one and as a team – about what is going on, how they did, what you see, what you want.  Expect the same of all employees. Remember, some employees need more time to process and more time to discuss – give it to them! You need each member of the team engaged 100% because you base your expectations on that engagement
  6. Manage performance. Provide continuous feedback, timely and respectfully – for good work, for missed expectations, and for professional development; require all your managers to do the same. If the employee isn’t suited to the work or the environment, exit him/her respectfully.  [Note: this includes you; you need to be constantly evolving and learning as well so ensure you get feedback and have support]
  7. Be planful and organized, respecting everyone’s time – and expect the same from everyone, e.g.: good meeting and project management.
 
Once the expectations for the environment are out there, you need to nurture and deepen the work community you have created. This work is ongoing:

  1. Manage to the individual. Get to know each employee and allow him/her to get to know you, e.g.: check in with employees, ask how they are doing, let them ask questions, ask about their family and their interests, share a story of your own. Learn what motivates each employee. This time is an investment that will pay off 100 fold; you are building relationships and loyalties
  2. Don’t dictate and don’t punish! Learn to breadth; don’t react immediately and emotionally. Ask what happened. Employees who live in fear do not take risks/innovate; they hide. Use any detours, mistakes, and issues as a teaching moment. The goal is for the individual/team to learn for themselves and relieve you of the need to correct failed processes or develop better paths. Each problem is an opportunity to reinforce the self-learning and collaborative culture that brings innovation and success
  3. Address issues, timely – whether it’s performance, attitude, lack of resources. Don’t let things fester. The unattended doesn’t disappear; it magnifies and underminds
  4. Be as forthcoming and honest as appropriate. Lack of information creates a vacuum and wastes energies on rumors and suppositio
  5. Celebrate successes – little and big, work related (e.g.: meeting deadlines, new ideas, PR, promotions, employees going above & beyond expectations) and personal (e.g.: work anniversaries, weddings, babies). Use story telling along the way to reinforce your culture and to create bonds.
 
By shifting your focus to develop a living culture of trust and understanding, you will have created a work environment where all employees know what they need to do and why. When they don’t hit the mark, they are supported. When they do hit the mark, they are celebrated – as individuals and as teams. Employees will feel safe to work to their utmost and to take the initiative. Employees will be motivated to work for the vision.
 
It’s time. Stop complaining about what isn’t happening and create the work environment that innovates and follows through.  ​
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