Article by Melissa Chapman, She Knows Parenting Magazine

quoting Workplace Evolution Founder, Gayle Gregory

The suicide of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Massaschusetts high school student, has vast a bright light on the dire — sometimes fatal — consequences of extreme bullying. According to news reports, Prince was the target of self-described “mean girls” and male classmates who engaged in relentless name-calling, exclusion and harassment — in person, by text messages and on Facebook. Unfortunately, the school administration and staff failed to intervene in a timely manner. Many believe it was ultimately their silence and inaction that effectively allowed this bullying to escalate, with tragic consequences.  Read the article

by Meryl K. Evans, Editor, Professional Services Journal
People may struggle to stay motivated and positive with so much recession news hitting us from all angles. A top-down, because-I-am-the-boss-that’s-why approach could lead to pushback.

You’re the leader. As kids expect parents to set rules and stick by them, employees expect the same of leaders. “Rules provide a framework for how you operate and set you and your staff up for success. In addition, enforcing the rules helps your employees to view you as ‘fair,’” says Marlene Chism, communications strategist and the founder of Stopyourdrama.com.

“Rules that aren’t enforced make outlaws out of those willing to bend or break them (at least to those compliantly watching) and disengaged and disgruntled employees out of the ones too scared to buck the system. Both results are a huge loss to the organization’s productivity and overall viability,” says Gayle Gregory, co-founder of Workplace Evolution.

Several experts and successful leaders have plenty to say about how bosses can get everyone on board. Their advice centers on three actions:

• Communicate clear expectations.
• Be consistent and fair with actions and consequences.
• Realign the rules with help from the team.

Communicate clear expectations

Too many of us prescribe to the “Do as I say, not as I do” belief. As a result, expectations get lost in the clutter, and no one knows what you want.

“First (because you have not uniformly enforced your policies in the past), you must clearly communicate to your staff that things will change. Tell them WHY things must change: that it’s your job as the boss to ensure a safe, comfortable and legally compliant workplace, which results in better long-term performance for the company and better opportunities for the staff’s success,” says Juli Urken, president of Affluent Touchpoints Inc.

Be consistent and fair with actions and consequences

Chism gives good reasons for sticking to your policies and standing straight. “Once you allow a great employee to break the rule, you open yourself up for a not-so-great employee to take it a step further. You won’t have a leg to stand on if you aren’t consistent. Letting some bend the rules in an effort to appease them will leave others perceiving you as unfair. This creates unnecessary drama in the office.”

Without firm and fair policy enforcement, and applying policies equally to all situations, your company’s internal structure will fall apart. Like a spine supports the entire body, a weak structure affects teamwork and the team’s success.

One reader suggests reinforcing the policies by including them in performance reviews, which often tie in with compensation.

Realign the rules with help from the team

Gayle Gregory takes a different approach. She proposes you dump some rules.

“Most rules are designed for the exception, to stop something that happened once or that the organization is afraid will happen. Have a rule-burning party and let your team decide which ones to keep and which ones are bogus. It depends on what you want.

“Do you want free thinkers, or do you want people who think only inside the organization’s boxes? Free thinkers can’t remain creative and innovative when restricted, and they are the lifeblood — the good people — of the organization.

“The good news is that the rest of the team, those not so willing to bend the rules, just needs a little permission to start the flow of creative, out-of-the-box thinking, too. The bonfire will send a strong message, and you will be enforcing compliance from the inside out rather than outside in! That spells relief for everyone because they can find their spines when the rules are created through a shared leadership model.”

Urken adds, “If your organization has policies on the books in which you truly don’t believe, ask your legal advisor why such policies are important. You’ll likely discover exactly why the policies were drafted in the first place. It’s unlikely you’ll lose employees who don’t want to comply with the rules, because they’re aware that similar policies exist in every area of American business.”

After getting everything under control, call a meeting as Maria Marsala, chief business collaborator of Elevating Your Business, explains.

“Say that to run a well-oiled business, management created certain guidelines, some big, some small, that help your business grow. And it’s important that everyone follows them. I’ve been remiss in talking to people who aren’t following them — and you know who you are that bend or break them. BUT from this day forward, (state how you want them to behave). And if you do not follow the guidelines, (describe what action you will take).”

Be ready for initial pushback and resentment. Once that passes, the environment will be a sunny place again. Start a virtual fire! Once you do, your employees should feel new energy that’ll be contagious.

Meryl K. Evans is a senior editor at InternetVIZ and content maven behind The Compliance Advisor, Connected Digest, Email Marketing Insider and Professional Services Journal.

By Christine Kent

Speeches need to be upbeat, without sugarcoating bad news

When Sen. John McCain said in September that, “The fundamentals of our economy are strong”—just as the stock market was tanking and investment banks and insurance companies were collapsing—his poll numbers began to sink, never to recover. The incredulous media and the public couldn’t reconcile McCain’s words with the chaos that was happening in the financial world.

When times are tough, it’s natural for leaders to want to rally the troops with some hopeful and reassuring words. However, ignoring the grim reality doesn’t win over the listeners—it makes them wonder what planet the executive is living on. Likewise, a gloom-and-doom speech, even one that’s spot-on, will make employees, customers and partners less likely to stick it out during tough times.

How do speakers walk that tightrope between sugarcoating bad news, and focusing solely on misery?

“Employees know when they’re being snowed,” says Jake Wengroff, director of North American communications for consulting firm Frost & Sullivan in San Antonio. “They now actually welcome honesty, sincerity, and authenticity.”

So the truth may hurt, but much like ripping off a Band-Aid quickly, it has to be done fast or your listeners will suffer silently. Besides, says Nick Morgan, author of the forthcoming book Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, listeners are rarely in the dark about the bad news.

“The audience is always way ahead of you,” says Morgan, who’s also president of Public Words Inc., a communications consultancy based in Boston. “They’re already counting the corpses.”

Since there’s some level of knowledge about the bad news, get it over with.

“Deliver the bad news first,” Morgan advises. “It goes against what a CEO wants to do—they’d rather avoid it. Many of them have gotten where they are because they’ve made people happy.” And making people very unhappy by talking about layoffs, plant closings or reductions in benefits doesn’t make a CEO’s day.

Ideally, a leader has built up a reputation for being forthright and honest, so that when bad news is delivered, there’s a reservoir of trust, says Gayle Gregory, co-founder of Workplace Evolution, a workplace consulting firm based in Ridgefield, Washington.

“Employees are much smarter and savvy than many senior execs give them credit for,” says Gregory. “They know when someone is blowing smoke, and no speechwriter in the world can save an executive when the facts and energy don’t jive. Those same troops will know that something very different is happening when they hear the truth.”

And it’s never too late to come clean, she adds.

“If a leader hasn’t been forthcoming in the past, the road will be much bumpier,” Gregory explains, but that doesn’t mean all is lost. “When the groundwork hasn’t been laid in advance so that people are interested and willing to believe what you say, it isn’t too late. When the troops actually hear honest and responsible words, it will go a long way towards paving new communication possibilities.”

Chris Witt, founder of Witt Communications San Diego and author of Real Leaders Don’t Do PowerPoint, says that leaders need to convince audiences that they’re a part of the comeback.

“It’s your role as a leader to make me feel that I belong to a group that is worth belonging to,” says Witt. Using metaphors may be the best way to tell the story of how the organization will fight back against tough market conditions, Witt says—something like Rocky Balboa.

“It needs to be realistic,” Witt says of these tough-times metaphors. “And it needs to be somewhat optimistic. You have to give your audience a reason to hope.”

The best speeches about comebacks are based on storytelling, Witt says which means PowerPoint slides might be out of place. “People are already overwhelmed with information when times are bad—I’m not sure they need more data,” Witt says. “I would go light on the information.”

Cathy Wolfe, director of marketing services for Toshiba America Medical Systems, advocates following four rules when delivering a tough-times speech: Tell the truth, highlight positives, tell employees what the company is doing to address the challenges, and tell them how they can help.

“It’s not easy—you have to do this without scaring your work force,” Wolfe explains.

Her company’s executives have had to communicate these difficult messages, as the company copes with a challenging healthcare environment. “You can usually find some positives—for instance, maybe your market share has grown, even if profits haven’t.”

What you should and shouldn’t tell employees

By Karen Appold

Contrary to many opinions, there is no such thing as giving too much information, believes Gayle Gregory, co-founder, Workplace Evolution, Ridgefield, WA. “Today’s employees are savvy and intuitive,” she said. “They know what’s going on and even if they didn’t, 99 percent of organizational secrets have a way of getting out.”

Consider this scenario, Gregory suggested. If a building is on fire, it’s better to tell employees the truth. That way they can grab the appropriate bucket and help control the fire. It’s better to have them on board and in the know than standing around the water cooler worrying while the building burns down.

Simply put, deciding whether or not to be honest just adds gasoline to an already blazing fire, Gregory continued. Fear drives our need to hide details. “But anytime fear is in charge, the solution ends up being less than what is possible,” she said. “When we move beyond fear into a belief in each other, new solutions and potential emerge.”

Not giving employees access to everything is expecting them to contribute to something they don’t fully understand, said Jamie Showkeir, job title, Henning-Showkeir & Associates, Inc., Phoenix, AZ. “Unless there is a legitimate legal or ethical reason for withholding information, managers should be as open and transparent as possible,” he said. “Ideally, information should be dispensed as soon as possible through daily work conversations. Those who do the work need to be deeply literate about the business they are engaged in if they’re going to make good decisions that contribute to a business’ success.”

With all of this in mind, here’s how Gregory, Showkeir and Stacey Havel, director of public relations, Bernard Hodes Group, Fort Lauderdale, FL, suggest responding to the following scenarios.

Scenario #1: Your lab may be acquired by another lab.

Havel: The key to this scenario is it may be acquired. It is important to prevent the rumor mill from churning. So, if this is a legitimate situation, confirm with your manager before speaking with your team. When you speak with your team, make sure you provide them with only the facts.”

If you are asked questions you can’t answer, simply tell employees that you don’t know and will try to find out. Also, make sure that you keep your team updated on all developments as appropriate. Corporate communications, along with senior leadership, should let managers know what can be divulged. If they do not specify, however, do not assume that it is a “green light” to tell employees everything, especially in regards to layoffs, managerial realignments or hiring.

Scenario #2: Income is up 20 percent this year.

Gregory: Make sure you understand the profit and loss statement. Income is up. Is net profit up too? The more you can educate employees on reading balance sheets, understanding revenue and profit and the impacts of good and bad customer service on the bottom line, the better able they will be to understand and make sound business decisions. Will the increase in income translate into bonuses or pay raises? When you can explain the “why” and “why not,” people will listen. If you can’t, educate yourself.

Scenario #3: Income is down 20 percent this year.

Showkeir: This also presents an opportunity for employees to engage in a new conversation emphasizing solutions instead of blame. Traditionally, managers have viewed employees as needing to be shielded from this type of information. The organization, conversely, has seen managers as the individuals who need to provide answers and fix the problem. That fails to tap into the vast pool of creativity and talent within an organization and gives employees justification for sniping at solutions instead of being involved in resolutions. Engaging the entire workforce in looking for ways to increase revenue means everyone is looking for solutions.

Scenario #4: There won’t be any raises this year.

Havel: For more than a year now, there’s been a decrease in raises across most industries. If a freeze on raises hits your company, let employees know that this is an across the board freeze and a result of overall economic downturns, not oriented to individual employees’ performance. Not receiving a raise because of the economy is cause for concern for many employees and morale could be jeopardized. If this is the case, try to find some small, cost-effective means to reward employees such as a few extra days off or longer lunch breaks.

Scenario #5: The lab may be relocating.

Gregory: If employees know a move is imminent because you’ve been honest with them, they in turn will be honest with you about their decision to move with the business. For some, it may not make sense. Real numbers make it much easier to plan. Staffing and training requirements won’t be an unknown and you’ll know what you’re dealing with.

Scenario #6: You’re taking a leave of absence for an undetermined amount of time.

Havel: This is a time when you do not have to be specific about why you will be taking time off. It is not necessary to divulge personal information to your team. The only thing you need to say is that you will be taking time off to tend to personal business and have not determined when you will return. If possible, periodically check in via e-mail with the team and keep them updated regarding your return.

Simply Put

To summarize, good communication with your team requires three rules, Havel said.

1. Be honest and up front.

2. Never lie or assume.

3. Provide consistent communications to your team.

Gregory concluded with this final thought, a quote from Mark Twain: “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

Karen Appold is an editorial consultant in Royersford, PA. Contact her at KarenAppold@comcast.net or visit her Web site at www.WriteNowServices.com.