Managers, get your team to play together

Many of us at TBC are ready for some football, and with both the NFL and college football seasons just around the corner we are pretty excited.

Since we’re in a football state of mind, let’s talk about teamwork.

Football is a great display of how teamwork can be effective and produce measurable results. Without teamwork, the players will typically lose the game. If the team works as one cohesive unit, it will result in a victory more often than not.

In the business environment, many managers strive to make teamwork a core value in the organization’s culture because the success of projects often depends upon how well a unit works together.

Still, whether it is a professional sports team or a small group at the office, just because individuals happen to be on the same team does not mean they play well together.

When people come from all over the country and have various backgrounds and beliefs, there are going to be conflicts, and some people will just not like one another.

In this case, we are discussing minor annoyances and disagreements among team members at work. If there is more serious activity taking place such as discrimination or sexual harassment, you, upper management, and HR will need to take action.

Anyway, it would be nice if your team at work could just get along and work in perfect harmony, but if you think that is always guaranteed to happen – you might be a bit delusional.

Take, for instance, the classic scene in Remember the Titans where Denzel Washington, head coach of the high school football team, says to his team, “I don’t care if you like each other or not, but you will respect each other.”

That quote is very true. Respect among team members is a key component in how the team works together. And your job as manager is to ensure that your team actually sees themselves as just that – a team.

There may be several issues that are already integrated into the group, but with consistent action and sound leadership, you’ll help improve the team’s dynamic.

A good question to consider as a manager: does your group have a defined purpose, goals, and vision? If the answer is no, you need to make a change to get your team to produce better results.

One way to move your team in the right direction is to schedule weekly or biweekly one-hour team building sessions. These sessions can serve as the perfect time to set measurable goals and to make sure these goals are set in harmony with one another and are mutually supportive.

During these sessions, you need to push communication among team members. When communication is encouraged, the sessions can help team members share information and expertise, along with resolving differences, holding each other accountable for their deliverables, and recognizing and rewarding each other for a job well done.

Look for ways to empower the team to contribute at higher levels through providing special assignments, constructive feedback, and targeted development opportunities. Encourage cooperation, rather than competition, between team members.

All of those initiatives will help inspire a culture of respect. Once respect is established, the team will work that much better together, and start producing improved results.

If competitive football players can learn to respect one another, your team at work can as well.

What advice do you have for teams to play well together?

Just say no: avoid being a yes-man or yes-woman manager

“Sure thing.”

“Not a problem.”

“We’ll start that right away.”

“Yes, my team can take care of that.”

All those are frequent phrases heard in the workplace. When something urgent comes up and needs to be taken care of as soon as possible, it is a manager’s duty to try and ensure the task is accomplished. 

However, when you start to say ‘yes’ to everything without a filter and never turn down anything from upper management, you’re in danger of becoming a yes-man or yes-woman. And that is not a good thing.

A yes-man refers to someone of unquestioning obedience, one who slavishly agrees with a superior.

Keep in mind a yes-man manager may not actually upset upper management and executives. Maybe the person is seen as a ‘makes it happen’ kind of manager.

But then again, while the yes-man manager may be extremely accommodating, they may also clam up in meetings, avoid conflict at any costs, and fail to take a stand on important stakeholder issues.

In other words, upper management may like the eager to please manager but they probably don’t respect that manager. And when it comes to promotion time, they will pick a manager that shows a little backbone, doesn’t avoid confrontation, and is skilled at making tough decisions.

It gets worse. When you adopt a yes-man attitude, it doesn’t just serve as a potential setback in advancing your career, but it can also directly impact your team and their level of engagement with the company.

For example, upper management comes to you asking if your team could add more tasks to a project. Without getting into details, just understand that it is a pretty unreasonable request for you and your team, and will mean working tons of overtime and having to work weekends.

Though deep down you realize this request is asking too much of your team, you simply smile at the upper management and say, “my team will take care of that.”

With that one sentence, you just frustrated and disengaged your entire team.

When you are in charge of a project, you are aware of what tasks must be accomplished for completion. The general rule is if more tasks must be added in, the deadline will shift. Forcing your team to cram more tasks into the same deadline will pretty much guarantee subpar work, along with team dissatisfaction with you and the company.

This is when you need to learn to say no every once in a while. For instance, if the project deadline absolutely cannot budge, say no to the additional requests or at least schedule those tasks for another time.

We’re not advising you to go from yes-man to no-man, but adding the word ‘no’ to your vocabulary could help you be a more effective manager. 

The most effective managers are the ones that serve as an advocate for their team. These kinds of managers are likely to manage accountability and expectation in a clear and non-defensive manner. Their team trusts them and relies on their fairness and directness in situations.

If you feel you might be guilty of acting as a yes-man manager, we encourage you to find out about the training and development opportunities available in your organization.

What are other ways yes-man managers can learn to balance when to say yes and no to upper management?

Managers need to understand numbers

Some people choose a career path almost purely based on one idea - to avoid working with numbers on a daily basis. They prefer working with the people side of business rather than the numbers side.



That’s all well and good but once you become a manager, you simply can’t ignore the financial drivers of your company. But some managers do, and as a result they can’t read a balance sheet or properly calculate ROI of endeavors. More often than not, they are probably pretty clueless on what their company’s CFO is talking about in meetings.



However, the only thing every company regardless of size has in common is numbers. So, whether you like it or not, finance is the language of business.



In fact, we find that fiscal management is so important that it is a dimension measured in some of our 360 Feedback. Demonstrating financial expertise adds value and credibility to decisions, plans, and understanding of organizational complexities.



According to the book, Financial Intelligence: A Manager’s Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean, accountants typically rely on estimates, assumptions, and judgment calls. It is vital for managers to know how those sources of possible bias can affect the financials and that even sometimes those numbers can be disputed.



Your job duties might not specifically state a need to use finance, but a reluctance to understand the financial side of business will only hurt you in the long run.



For instance, if you depend too heavily on the analytical expertise of others, it will not allow you the opportunity to fully integrate financial and other business factors into your decision-making process. And if you're intimated by financial complexities it may grant you a reputation for making poor decisions. Sounds scarier than working with numbers every now and then, right?



As a non-financial manager, you still need to take the initiative and increase your knowledge of business and financial measures and use it to inform your decisions. As we stated earlier, finance is a language, so commit to learning this language.



We won’t leave you hanging – here are some tips to follow:



·Consider taking a course or workshop on financial analysis. The widely available course, "Finance for Non-Financial Managers," may be helpful.



·Ask a colleague whom you respect as an expert in financial measures to be your mentor.



·Build positive working relationships with your accounting and finance contacts.



·Get to know the organization’s key financial indicators, such as net income, cash flow, and earnings per share. Learn the meaning of each indicator, how it is calculated, and why it is important. Identify the ways in which your unit contributes to these indicators. Determine whether your unit is measuring the activities that contribute most to the organization’s success in terms of these indicators.



Remember, if you take the time to learn the financial side of business, you might be able to put in your two cents worth at the next meeting with your company’s CFO. Wouldn’t that be nice!

Managers need to develop organizational sensitivity

Betsy dislikes her coworker, Jon.

One day in the office, Betsy whispers to another coworker that she thinks Jon is weird and standoffish.

Jon overhears the conversation and is surprised to find out Betsy feels that way about him. He doesn’t know how to react so he just stays silent.

However, he can’t shake off that comment and begins to feel uncomfortable at work. His productivity at the company starts to decline, even though he was typically a top performer.

Maryanne is Jon’s manager and she notices his work is slipping and he’s quieter than usual. She’s been meaning to talk with him about it, but been too busy to schedule a sit down talk with him. 

After feeling increasingly more dissatisfied at work, Jon starts sending out his resume to other companies. He eventually gets a job offer, and leaves the company.

Betsy is happy, but Maryanne is distraught, confused, and now has to go through the process to hire someone to replace him.

If Maryanne had taken the time to find out what was bugging John, she might have been able to keep a top performer.

Productivity suffers in workplaces characterized by criticism, gossip, and a lack of teamwork, according to a new Right Management poll of 1,404 HR professionals and senior business leaders.

The survey find that 61 percent of organizations suffer from negative behaviors that, in turn, makes employees struggle to focus on their work, with 36 percent saying negativity sometimes impacts productivity. Only 3 percent say their employees are staying positive and not affected by negativity.

If negativity catches hold in an organization, it can become contagious. This negativity emerges itself in sarcastic remarks, lack of productivity, and other behaviors. And it is hard to stay motivated in that kind of work environment. 

You don’t want this negativity to result in turnover, so it is crucial for managers to be aware of what is going on within their group or organization. Managers can’t afford to turn a blind eye toward internal politics and complex interpersonal issues. 

And while the reality is that not everyone will like one another, the manager needs to ensure that everyone at least respects one another and finds a way to work as a team.

This is why organizational sensitivity is a key managerial trait. Here are a few ways to develop it:

• When people seem to be experiencing low morale or having difficulty, talk with them to find out what is going on. Sometimes people will not want to say much, but they will appreciate that you noticed and showed concern.
• Identify and prioritize longstanding or unresolved conflicts within your team. Develop a strategy to address them. People may welcome the opportunity to talk openly about issues that have been simmering and will have excellent ideas for solving them.
• Notice if there are things in the work environment that you can change. Not all problems require financial or upper-management solutions; many can be resolved through addressing them creatively.
• Ask your employees what you can do to be a better leader or a better boss for them. Implement some of their recommendations to show that you take their input seriously.

What are your thoughts about this? How do you handle workplace gossip?

Some managers aren’t ready for the role

Lots of employees complain about their bosses. After all, if your company has at least one employee, they are probably going to have a complaint. These complaints about managers can be simple frustrations to full-on discontent.

But what if the manager secretly agrees with some of these complaints?

A new survey from CareerBuilder asked more than 2,480 employees and 3,910 workers to rate their company’s leaders. Among the managers that were surveyed, 26% said they weren’t ready to become leaders when they first took the job.

Why are some new managers not ready for the role and responsibilities that come with the job? Well, some managers have been promoted as a way to reward and encourage high performers. Sure, these employees may have contributed to the bottom line, but it doesn’t mean they will automatically become a great manager.

Many times these managers do bring a specialized talent to their new position, but they need to broaden their competencies in order to become models of leadership for the whole organization. They have to grasp bigger picture issues and motivate teams to tackle problems.

Without proper transition into the role, the organization could lose a great individual contributor and gain a mediocre manager. And a mediocre manager could eventually become ineffective at motivating and engaging employees.

New managers need the appropriate tools and training to help fully understand their new role. One tool to aid in this transition is the 360 feedback process.

Candid feedback on one's management competencies gives the new manager clarification on their role, as well as what behaviors need to continue, be stopped, or be changed.

Making use of such feedback can be a powerful development tool for leaders who are looking to mitigate any weaknesses and capitalize on strengths. Both positive and negative feedback can help leaders improve their performance.

Instilling a feedback culture is one way to soften the transition from peer to manager.

Now it’s your turn, what tips do you have for new managers?