Huwork

Category: Managing Others

  • Don’t let power corrupt you

    In Harvard Business Review’s October 2021 issue, the topic of exploiting POWER was explored. This reminded me of an interview I did with UC Berkeley psychology professor Dr. Dacher Keltner when the #metoo movement was getting underway. Dr. Keltner has done extensive research on the concept of power and has published a book called “The Power Paradox”.

    What is the POWER PARADOX? It is the irony that most people gain power by advancing the interests of people within an organization or a social network, but then get sidetracked by their own DESIRES and SELF INTERESTS. This can lead to unethical, impulsive behavior that lacks empathy and humanness. In other words, they miss the fine line between using power for good, and using power for self interest.

    How does this happen? Individuals usually learn how to manage power by observing those above them. If they work for someone who often abuses power, they are more likely to end up learning those bad behaviors themselves. They may even determine that this is the new normal (sigh). 

    One idea coming out of Dr. Keltner’s book on how to counter abuse of power is to align as a team about what a CULTURE OF RESPECT really means. And I’m talking about going beyond the list of generic values, like inclusivity, on a plaque on a wall. That’s a start, but aim to get down to the actual BEHAVIORS you want to see. For example, at Kaiser Permanente these behaviors include: you don’t swear at your subordinates and you don’t interrupt them. The takeaway –  make talking about expected behaviors and use of power part of the conversation that happens at work.

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • Exploring other career options?

    According to recent statistics, 70% of the workforce is actively looking for a job change. That’s a HUGE number!

    For managers, luckily before an employee starts an active job search, there are subtle signs of disengagement:

    • Change in attitude – negativity, critical of the team/company/position

    • Change in activity – reduced productivity, different work habits

    • Breakdown in communication and/or relationships

    • Apparent complacency, lack of enthusiasm, waning commitment, withdrawn 

    If you are a leader and are beginning to notice any of these behaviors, don’t delay! Have a conversation with your employee immediately. Share some of the behaviors you have noticed and inquire as to  “what’s up?” You may also ask if they feel they are adding value, what do they need at work, what are their growth plans?

    On the flipside, if you are the person exploring other career options, I’m speaking on a career panel Tuesday, November 16 to support women who are in a job search, contemplating a career change, or feeling burnout from work/family demands of the past 18 months. You can learn more and sign up here.

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • How to take the PULSE of a meeting

    Hallelujah! Warm weather has officially arrived in Denver, and I have a bad case of spring fever.  Zoom meetings definitely seemed more appealing when it was cold out. Whether you are attending a meeting online or (gasp!) in-person, do you sometimes feel you are on a different wavelength than the other participants? That maybe you are zigging, while others are zagging? I recently had this happen when I was zeroing in on the details of an upcoming workshop, while my business partner was looking broadly at the overall structure. In short, it got awkward. 

    I wish I had heard of Linda Liang’s PULSE method, to actively read a room when attending a meeting. I’ll be using her PULSE framework to “size up” the room from now on, and encourage you to as well. Don’t let its simplicity fool you. It’s a powerful, quick framework.

    P= What is the PURPOSE of the meeting/event? Is there an agenda? Is it buzzing, somber, joking, nervous?

    U= What is the UNDERLYING APPROACH? Is it focused on the details or the big picture? People or task oriented? 

    L= Is the meeting more LEADER-LED, with one person mainly talking, or TEAM ORIENTED, with people taking turns and equally contributing?

    S= Is the pace of the meeting SLOW OR FAST? 

    E= What are the EMOTIONS of participants? How are people looking and feeling? Are they quiet or talkative? What is the “tone” of the room, and what does it tell you? 

    To be more effective during meetings, aim to mirror the “style” of what is going on. Clearly, I missed the “U”, or “underlying approach”, part of this framework with my business partner. In hindsight, it would have been helpful to discuss expectations for our discussion and make sure we were aligned. I’ve already found Linda’s PULSE framework uber-helpful. Try it out yourself and let me know if it helps you as well.

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • Returning to a new “normal”

    Your organization is probably thinking about returning to the office, using a hybrid approach, or perhaps working from home permanently – all of these bring opportunities to think about new and better ways of working.  

     The 60-30-10 rule for effective teamwork, discovered by researcher J. Richard Hackman, states the following about a team’s success: 

    • 60% depends on prework, or activities before the actual work, 

    • 30%  can be linked to the initial launch (or relaunch) of the team, and

    • Only 10% is dependent on the day-to-day teamwork

    Anytime there is a major change to the team: new location, major project, new team members, I encourage you to hold a brief 60-90 minute launch session with the team. It can even be spread out over two sessions. But it’s critical that every single team member is present.  

    Using the image of a funnel – starting wide, then narrowing down,  include at a minimum in your agenda:

    1. VISION: Everyone must be crystal clear where the team is headed. Discuss where the team fits in with the broader company vision and the team shared goals.

    2. ROLES:  Everyone needs to have a shared understanding of how each person fits in and a frank discussion of potential obstacles.

    3. RESOURCES:  What resources are needed? (information, budget, people, etc.)

    4. NORMS: How will team members interact? What are the communication expectations, such as responses to emails in ”X” hours, process for raising issues, what mistakes are acceptable, what mistakes are unacceptable, etc.

    Use the (re)launch as an opportunity to get people excited, build trust, and bring focus back to the team’s goals.

    For more ideas, please join me on April 23 for Coffee and Conversation: Make Work More Human, to explore what it takes to be a human-centered organization. We’ll talk about behaviors and practices that are going well in your organization, and things that you’d like to see changed. 

    I invite you to take HuWork’s Human Factor Assessment ahead of time to highlight the areas where your company is shining and think about changes to consider putting in place – whether you are working as a people manager, an individual contributor, or influencing change as an HR leader or consultant.

    To join this virtual conversation on Friday, April 23 at 12pm MDT, please click here to register. I will email the Zoom link the day before the event.

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • Manage your sticky situations

    Business management pioneer Peter Drucker’s philosophy was “before you can manage anyone else, you have to manage yourself first.” I come across this so often in leadership coaching sessions, that I refer to it as a person’s “sticky situations.” Sticky situations are ones where you are not showing up as your best self, ones where you feel stuck, and ones that unfortunately repeat themselves. 

    Some sticky situations I have heard from Clients recently include: getting stuck when pitching an idea to senior leadership, not stepping up to make a decision when the boss isn’t in the room, and keeping emotions in check when being asked hard questions about the team’s performance.  

    These sticky situations hold my Clients back from being the leader, team member, and human they have the potential to be. Here’s one process I utilize in Client sessions to get to the other side of these sticky situations:

    1. Identify your most prominent sticky situation 

    2. Identify the opposite situation, where you are “flowing” and able to show up as your best self

    3. Understand the parameters that allow you be your best self

    4.  Recreate those parameters for your sticky situations

    For example, if a sticky situation for you is pitching an idea to senior leadership, think of times when you are able to pitch your idea with full confidence and charisma. For one client, he realized he was able to show up as his best self when he had a prior relationship with the people in the room. He began to reach out to people who were going to be in the meeting ahead of time. A virtual coffee, asking a question on Slack, looking them up on LinkedIn to see if they had common interests or backgrounds. This eased my Client’s tension and freeze response once the meeting came around.

    Learning how to manage your “sticky situations” can have ripple effects, allowing you to be your best self both professionally and personally.

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • Inspiring Others

    in·spi·ra·tion /ˌinspəˈrāSH(ə)n/:  the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something.

    Some days are easier than others to find your own inspiration. If you are in charge of inspiring others to action, it can feel that much more overwhelming. I recently gave a guest lecture at Wharton on the topic of how to inspire employees. 

    Here are my three key takeaways:

    1. CONNECT: find ways to meaningfully connect with your team members one-on-one. Ideally, at least 15 minutes weekly.

    2. ASK: don’t assume to know what motivates and what gets in the way for someone else. Ask each person. Perhaps in the weekly one-on-one mentioned above.

    3. ELEVATE: you can teach skills and knowledge, but you can’t teach a strength. A strength is an activity that you look forward to, feel energized by, and feel proud about afterwards. Focus on each person’s strengths, and you crowd out their weaknesses and elevate their work experience.

    And once you do the above, do it again! As Aristotle said, “Excellence is not just one act but what you repeatedly do.” 

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • You know BFF, but do you know BIFF?

    Do you find that hostilities are on the rise? Like a pressure cooker, this pandemic has built some tension in relationships. Whether it’s with a roommate or spouse with the increased time spent together, or with your boss or a coworker who always takes a contrarian opinion.

    I’d like to suggest an alternative way to de-escalate tension that a counselor recently shared with me – B.I.F.F:

    – BRIEF: Keep it short. To do this, you may need to pause for a few seconds to collect your thoughts before responding.

    – INFORMATIVE: Use data, information and history instead of emotions or opinions, 

    • Example: “Based on history, this Client seems to value innovation and has been receptive to ideas in the past.”

    – FRIENDLY: Ramp up the empathy and stay friendly in a light way. I’ll admit this is hard for me when I feel attacked, especially when it is about a core value or a part of my identity, but what helps is naming the person with a light humorous name, such as “Contrarian Kelly” and remembering the person’s comments really have nothing to do with me at the end of the day. It is their own perception of the world and their circumstances that leads them to lash out in this way.

    • Examples: “Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this.” “I’m glad we have an environment where we are not all expected to think the same.”

     – FIRM: Respectfully stop the back and forth. Find a way to end the conversation in a way that allows you to maintain your respect without completely cutting off the other person.

    • Examples: “We are not going to see eye-to-eye, but I value your friendship and am glad we have lots of other things we can connect over.” “I’d like to sit with your ideas and circle back with you after considering all the variables.”

    To bottom-line it, keep your responses to hostile conversations brief, informative, friendly, and firm. If you try this technique, drop me a note to let me know whether it helped or not.

    Warmly, 

    Bijal

    The intent of these emails is to provide different perspectives, ideas, and insights as you navigate the path forward for yourself, your team, your organization, and your family.

    Click here if you were forwarded this email and would like to sign up to receive my emails. You may unsubscribe at any time.

    Bijal Choksi, MA, CHPC, ACC

    bijal@huworkteam.com

    Follow HuWork on LinkedIn

  • Onboarding Remote Employees

    Are you onboarding new hires remotely? It’s even more important to be intentional about how you onboard employees when you can’t do it in person. Last year I wrote about the 5 things managers need to get right about onboarding. Here, updated for today’s remote environment:

    1. Connect with your employee before her first day. Send the sort of welcome letter you’d like to receive. Could be an overview of the team and challenges/opportunities, or a handwritten card expressing your enthusiasm for her start. It’s a nice touch to track down some company swag and send to her house.

    2. Ask an experienced employee to be an informal buddy. Choose someone with a keen sense of your culture and a good attitude. Not you. Encourage new hire and buddy to meet over video and ask buddy to introduce new employee to others and invite her to virtual activities. This relationship should last for the first few weeks.

    3. Provide a first-day welcome that builds community and belonging. Start with an announcement that includes her professional background + some details about her interests. Plan a virtual lunch or happy hour with the team and have everyone share their role and a few details about their lives outside of work. Then set up 1×1 video meetings where she can get to know her most important stakeholders. Debrief with her after these meetings to help her put things in context.

    4. Plan a series of learning sessions. While customer visits and site tours are out for the time being, think about the video assets you have: what’s on YouTube or your company intranet that she can watch + discuss with her buddy? Video from a recent all hands meeting? Recording of a quarterly investor call? Video of a manufacturing facility that was produced for last year’s leadership offsite? Dig up these gems to help her get the feel of the company when she can’t see things in person. Here too — don’t leave it to her to watch/read this important stuff by herself. Create a way for her to discuss with a colleague so she retains and contextualizes what she learns.

    5. Create experiences that last beyond the first day (and week). It’s impossible for people to absorb everything they need in a day or a week. Create a program that supports her through her first 3-6 months. This isn’t just a schedule of activities. Talk with her about what she observes, what she is learning, what ideas she has, and help her connect them to her role. Use your network (and your manager’s) to intentionally introduce her to people she may have met in the cafeteria, but obviously won’t meet in her own kitchen.

    Most companies haven’t done a good job onboarding employees in our normal work environment. Doing things right virtually can be a differentiator for you. Plus, as I said last year, onboarding employees in this way is simply more human: if we remove all the silly bureaucracy we have come to expect in the corporate world and imagine how we would like to be welcomed to a new group, we imagine something much closer to this than what we’re doing today.

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