Communication – The ABCs

Every Managerial position will have situations arise that force us to decide how much of the information that we possess should be shared with others, either our managers, peers or our subordinates. This is something that happens on a daily basis whether we are aware of it or not, and it is a critical part of our reputation in the workplace. As managers, and as our positions increase in responsibility, we must be more and more aware of how the information we share affects the people and business around us.

So many different aspects bleed into communication, your mood, your knowledge base, your opinion, your professional and personal experience, your religion or spiritual beliefs, your endorphin levels, and the list goes on. Our words tell others what is in our mind and heart. The more careful we are with words, the better chance we have of the most people having a favorable opinion of us. This is not to say we should hide bad news and negative information, but the way we present it will portray our comprehension and tact concerning its communication.

Much of the tone of our communication also stems from our opinion of the person we’re addressing. If we’re talking with the office gossip, we may be more shielded with our words and topics. If we’re talking with a close friend, we may say more than we really should.

As your responsibilities grow, so must your active decision to evaluate the information that you’re sharing with those around you. There are a vast number of topics and situations that arise in business, but all of the decisions you have to make about communication can be boiled down to these ABCs: Appropriate, Beneficial, Consistent.

On a corporate level, you can see these ABCs in the decisions made in all situations. Decisions that are made usually have to travel through different channels and departments answering these questions: Is the change or idea being proposed Appropriate under the law and ethical standards of the company? Does it Benefit the company and/or employees? Is it Consistent with the direction of the company and other decisions that have been made? These questions are a good foundation and framework to be aware of as you formulate your own ideas while navigating corporate mandates, directives, and higher-level interactions.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we answer these same questions on a smaller scale as we work every day. When we are confronted with a challenge, we develop a solution, and at some point we are, or we should be, distinctly aware of addressing each of these concepts.

Appropriate
We all have a general sense of what is legal and ethical. This is evidenced in the simple fact that our society has laws. We all know that there are right and wrong ways of doing things, and if we’re unsure, we should ask. So when you begin formulating a solution or response to a work situation, you are sending the decision formulation through your internal filter of what you believe falls within legal and ethical boundaries. Or you may consider something that falls outside of those boundaries, in which case your conscience is supposed to inform you that it’s wrong.
The basic questions you may find it helpful to ask are: Is what I’m proposing legally allowed? Can what I want to say be legally disclosed? Has what I’m contemplating been expressly forbidden by upper management or company policy? Is my communication suitable for the work environment?

Beneficial
This is the most familiar of the ABCs, though it can still be tricky to answer. This concept can be seen in every arena of communication in life. These same questions cross our minds when talking to friends and family, doctors, mechanics, law officers, etc. Is the information I’m sharing going to make the situation better or more bearable? Will my sharing this information have an effect on the end result of this situation? Do I want to communicate this for the benefit of others or just because I want to talk about it? Could the information that I want to share change again soon? Does the effect of the information encourage or discourage the hearer? How much will it impact the hearer on an emotional level?
These questions are crucial in maintaining healthy work morale. By being thorough in evaluating the benefits, we can more decisively choose the best time and amount of information to share. Our goal is not to hide bad news, but to always be truthful and not keep our employees guessing. Telling an employee, “Don’t worry about it,” or “Just get it done,” conveys secrecy and objectifies the employee. It leads to a poor work culture and lower productivity. There are times when the beneficial information is, “I don’t know,” or, “I’ll let you know as soon as I can.” These statements communicate truth, openness, and the fact that you’re willing, and even have a desire, to keep the employee updated.

Consistent
This is where emotional control and self-reflection are critical. We sometimes segregate information based on who we’re talking to. It’s understandable when talking to different departments, but if we share something with one subordinate and not another, we may be showing favoritism. Likewise, when similar situations arise, do we handle them based on how we’re feeling that day, or are we handling things consistently? Those whom our decisions affect notice our inconsistencies and this can affect the work environment and morale.
These are some of the questions to ask to evaluate your consistency. Is the information that I share going to be shared the same across all the affected employees? Am I able to treat this situation the same way next time it arises? Is what I’m divulging consistent with what I have divulged in the past? If I share this information, will I be expected to give more information next time? Am I able to deliver on what I say in the future? Will what I say be seen as gossiping? Am I giving everyone the same information?

Your ability to discern whether or not your communication is Appropriate, Beneficial, and Consistent will have a profound effect on how you are perceived by upper-management. The more successful decisions you make by yourself, the more valuable and favorable you become to the people around you. There will surely come times when you need guidance, but navigating those times will be made easier by asking questions grounded in these ABCs.

Practicality vs. Statistics

Every electronic interaction you have in larger retailers is recorded and used for statistics. There are statistics and studies for everything in retail. While I believe the studies to be largely accurate, I have to wonder if some stores are reaching a point of over-numbering. In larger corporations, there has become a reliance on statistics-driven decision making. People are sitting behind desks looking at reports and studies, and brokering deals with suppliers, then making decisions that affect the stores in their region without knowing the needs and situations of those stores.

Retail managers at the store level have lost much of their ability to control what comes into their stores. I worked in a store up in the mountains, but this store was in the same sales district as stores in the valley. So we would get products that no one would buy, like landscaping wood chips, and it was like pulling teeth to get products that were specific to our store, like tire chains.

While working on the retail front-lines, I would often hear that it was important to keep the shelves looking full. Notice that I say “looking full” and not “stocked.” I was told that research has shown that customer impression is somewhat based on their perception of in-stock. So if a customer goes into a store where there isn’t much on the shelf, even if they can find what they’re looking for, they are more likely to shop someplace else that has more on the shelves. Yes, Shoppers, the big retailers have your habits figured out and know how to squeeze every last penny from you when you enter their stores.

I was told the other day by a grocery clerk that they were told to make sure the shelves were straightened and neat before they could start stocking the shelves. He told me that this directive had come down from the corporate offices and had to be followed. In effect, those corporate managers would rather have products “looking nice” than for there to be more variety of product on the shelf.

While the focus on looking full and neat is a good thing to be sought after, it seems to be statistics-driven and near-sighted. If you step back and take a look, in a time of scarcity and supply chain shortages, the focus should be on getting product to the shelves and keeping the variety available. Priorities should be able to be shifted at the store levels and there should be an emphasis on training the managers to make decisions, not just follow orders. Larger corporations have shown through their actions that they don’t really want people in management who can think. Many have demanded a strict adherence to company directives no matter what accommodations specific stores may need. They want people in management who will follow directions and hold people accountable. If that’s all you aspire for in being “in charge,” then have at it.

Also, I see more and more people at the grocery stores scanning products with their phones because they are shopping for someone else. That hired shopper doesn’t care if the shelves are full and straightened. People are less engaged in “shopping” and tend to be more concerned with whether or not they can get the product they’re looking for.

Trends change, and technology drives much of this change. Statistics are gleaned and analyzed, but their relevance can be short-lived these days. The question is, “How much do you let statistics influence your course of action?” In retail, wanting the shelves to appear full because statistics say that that sells better was letting statistics influence too much. Statistics are only as good as their interpretation, and only last a little while before you need to conduct the same study to keep up with changes.

A good manager will look at a situation practically, make observations, look at statistics, contemplate their relevance, and make a decision. They will act and analyze again, keeping an open mind to change.

Always treat statistics as raw data, not a guide book.

Program Introduction, Taking Suggestions

In the last blog, Program Introduction Management, I talked about a locally launched program that flopped because the developer wouldn’t listen to those affected. There was one woman particularly affected by the system changes. She tried to bring the problems to the attention of management, but it came off as complaining. So much of our ability to effect change is our presentation. A good reputation and proper respect when speaking to people allows you to be bold and attended-to by higher management. The most adversely affected employee emailed the developer’s boss but was not listened to partially because of her reputation for complaining.

As managers, we know the employees who have that reputation and seem to do nothing but complain when you talk to them. You see them walking toward you and your instinct is to hide. You have to keep your eyes from rolling when they start talking, and it’s easy to smile and nod and tune them out. We must REFUSE TO BE THAT WAY! We have a responsibility to our company and to ourselves to find solutions and the best, most efficient way of doing things. Therefore, we need to root out any problems that may exist and create solutions. The nagging employee may just gripe, but look for truth. Be open to there being a shred of needed improvement to what people gripe about.

The best thing to do with those employees is to help them shape their complaints more constructively. Walk through this process with them: The employee comes and complains about something.
1. Ask them what is causing the problem. Seek to understand their perspective.
2. Ask them how they would fix it. Don’t tell them they’re wrong or interrupt them. If they offer a solution that includes other people changing their job duties, don’t try to explain why you think or know their solution won’t work.
3. Ask the employee with the issue to tell you how their solution would affect the employees around them. By having them answer this question, they may see that their solution won’t work or that it needs rethinking.
4. Ask the employee what stands in the way of this change. This question will hopefully cause some self-reflection as well as open dialog about improving procedures around the problem to see if the problem could be fixed with less extreme measures. It will give you a chance to express reservations and discuss the roadblocks.
5. If any changes can be made, make a plan and a timeline with the employee to try the changes. If not, express openness to further thought and suggestions.
6. Always follow-up with the employee! If changes were made and are working, show recognition and gratitude. If changes were made but aren’t working out, explain why you are reverting back. If their idea didn’t happen, you want to reinforce the fact that you value them and see if they have any new and different ideas on the issue.

This kind of process encourages that employee to think things through from a higher perspective. It will hopefully get them to think things through so when they come to you with problems, they will be able to suggest solutions right away. It will also improve their opinion of you as a manager because you listened and talked with them.

The follow-up is arguably the most important part. By following-up, you are showing them that you value them on an individual level. This does wonders for morale and your reputation. They may have not thought about their issue in days, and when you come and give additional productive feedback or ask if they have any new thoughts, it keeps the communication open and fluid. You want your employees to feel valued and comfortable coming to you no matter what.

When I stepped into a leadership role at the warehouse, I spent time getting to know the guys loading the trucks. They tended to be the older, more seasoned employees. Many of them had opinions about improvements. One common complaint was that they were told to start loading trucks too early. They said that there were not a high enough percentage of total pallets at the doors when they would start loading the trucks, so they struggled with weight distribution and it slowed things down. I thought it was a valid complaint, and asked how to solve the problem. Of course it involved the morning shift of the warehouse doing a better job preparing our shift. They realized that while that suggestion would be nice, we needed to try something different and something we were able to control on our shift. They suggested just waiting until there were more pallets at the doors to begin loading. The proposal sounded reasonable, and I agreed to try it out one day. We tried it, and it ended up not being as effective. As much as it might have been faster per truck, overall, the loading needed to begin sooner in order to get multiple trucks per loader done. I talked to them afterward and they agreed that that particular solution wouldn’t work, so we continued to keep our eyes open for other options.

Even though the attempted solution failed, it accomplished two things. First, the loaders stopped complaining about starting their loads early because the logic had been demonstrated concretely. Second, it showed them that I was willing to listen to them and work with them to try to make their jobs better. It was a productive exercise in building rapport with them quickly.

Not every idea has to be successful to help you improve working conditions. Just working together to try to solve a problem and being open to solution suggestions makes for a better environment and stronger team.