Surviving Poor Management 9: Rumor, Innuendo, & Secret

This continues our series on how to survive poor management at work and grow

Elaine started her career working for a private company in the greater Los Angeles area. The owner of the company fostered distrust and contention among his employees. He would pit them against one another to see which one would perform best. He criticized and spread rumors about his employees. He approached Elaine to assert herself more in the office because the manager was incompetent. Unbeknownst to her, the owner had approached her manager encouraging him to keep Elaine in line because she was too uppity. The owner thought it would stimulate greater productivity. Instead, production dropped, profits fell, and both Elaine and the manager left the company.

Importance of Transparency and Credible Communication

Studies substantiate that companies with transparent lines of communication fair better than companies based on rumor, innuendo, and secrets. Stephen M. R. Covey’s excellent work The Speed of Trust highlights that lack of trust cost companies millions of dollars. Trust literally speeds production, profits, and results. Many organizations found communicating openly with workers about profits, production, and challenges pay financial dividends.

Consequences of Rumor, Innuendo, & Secrets at Work

When rumor, innuendo, and secrets replace official communication in a company terrible things happen. For example,

• Informal communication supersedes official communication as a form of trust
• Good employees choose not to work at a company that fosters those practices
• Employees who enjoy the environment stay and do you trust them
• Production and morale suffer from lost time trying to discern what is really happening
• Trust in management, trust in co-workers, and trust in communications evaporates
• Some employees ostracize other employees leading to greater distrust and confusion
• Law suites filed by employees against employers for hostile environments

Compensating for Rumor, Innuendo, and Secrets

• Keep open communication with management, co-workers, and others
• Do not participate in sharing rumors or innuendos about others
• Kindly confront rumors, innuendos, and secrets with those being discussed
• Establish guidelines, policies, and procedures that foster transparency

Monday we review the impact of high turnover, low morale, and poor performance on your job

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 8: Always Analyzing No Action

This continues our series on how to survive poor management at work and grow

Pauline became the leader of a global nonprofit organization. She found herself, for the first time, in a position to define the vision and direction of the organization. She was a careful, analytical person who wanted to do what was right. She compensates by both waiting for someone to tell her what to do, and consistently analyzing every strategy or direction without taking action. The operational staff await directions that never come.

Importance of Balancing Analysis and Action

Great organizations take the time to analyze their market, their strategy, their competitors, and their processes. They compare their findings with their desired objectives and decide what direction they will pursue.

Having established their vision, defined their positive direction followed by their don’t-do list, great companies act. They implement the processes that will allow them to achieve their goals most effectively and efficiently. They also evaluate performance of the company to benchmarks and established metrics.

Their analysis of these performance indicators provides data to refine, not redefine their processes and strategy. Jim Collins describes this ability to refine, yet continue, continuing the flywheel.

Consequences of Analysis Paralysis

Good companies do not allow their analysis to prevent action. They recognize that continual analysis hinders employees from moving forward. Employees second guess what they should do. They wonder what they should stop doing. They worry about their jobs. As a result, they stop working, awaiting further direction.

Another consequence of constant analysis without moving to action: people fail to act. Lack of action creates a vacuum. Employees try to fill the vacuum. As a result, the organization moves in multiple directions.

Another consequence occurs if the analysis reverses direction two or three times. Reversals in direction create further confusion and missteps.

Compensating for No Action

• Reason to yourself what to do and move forward, ask forgiveness if needed later
• Learn what to do by maintaining closer relationships with management and others
• Stop worrying and continue doing your job

Friday we explore consequences of rumor, innuendo, and secrecy replacing formal channels

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 7: Negative Directions

This continues our series on how to survive poor management at work and grow

Andy worked for a company that had gone through multiple changes in the last ten years. A recent merger with another company coupled with a retiring CEO triggered a fourth strategic change in three years. For four years, upper management gave directions outlining what not to do, instead of a strategy outlining that they wanted people to do. Years of being told what not to do created confusion and decreased productivity throughout the company.

Importance of Giving Positive Directions

Management’s vision for the future of the company normally creates directives outlining the action needed to implement the vision. Guidelines, policies, and procedures provide workers with clear instructions and tasks.

Employees act to implement the strategy through the instructions they receive from the company. Management may evaluate how well the strategy creates the desired result by measuring both the action and consequence of the action.

Jim Collins taught in Good to Great that corporations must define what not to-do. Don’t-do lists follow defining the hedgehog concept which defines the one thing, the organization does consistently and repeatedly.

In other words, organizations define what to-do before they define what not-to-do.

Consequences of Giving Negative Directions

Poor management consistently issues directives outlining what not-to-do without defining what they want employees to-do. Telling people what-not-to-do without filling the void with positive directions instructing them what they should do, creates a vacuum. Vacuums must be filled.

Workers will begin to fill the vacuum with their own ideas and creations. Their actions generally will not satisfy management, who may not even know what they want to happen. As a result, the organization pursues an undefined path—or more accurately multiple undefined paths—as employees define their own way.

Compensating for Negative Directions

This is a very difficult problem to survive. The easy solution also creates the negative consequence—you define for yourself what you should be doing.

The difficult solution involves asking management questions, that probably will irritate them, to define positive directions.

Wednesday we describe impacts of constant analysis with little action or follow-through

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 6: No Plumb Assignments

This continues our series on how to survive poor management at work and grow

Angie learned how to play the political game in her company. She recognized that her company only had five levels of management. This left little room for advancement. She also realized that the culture of the company did not give plumb assignments to the most competent team members. She saw that management gave plumb assignments to the employees who seemed to curry favor the most with key managers. She observed that management formed project committees to analyze directions and strategy. Committee assignments went to the favorites. Not the most productive workers. So, she curried favor, never objected to poor management, and toed the corporate line. She soon received plumb assignments to key committees.

Importance of  Appropriately Awarding Plumb Assignments

As companies compressed their layers of management in the late 70s and early 80s, the concept of upper promotion decreased significantly. Fewer layers of management equaled fewer promotion possibilities.

Being assigned to crucial project teams replaced upward promotion as prestige indicators. Good management assigns employees with the best credentials and experience to the best teams to utilize their skills and contributions most effectively.

Well managed organizations may also use plumb committee or project teams to reward excellent performance, especially if the team assignment involves travel as a benefit.

Consequence of a Spoils System

Many businesses use a spoils system that gives the best, most visible assignments to friends and cronies of the boss, regardless of their contributions or performance.

The spoils system creates several consequences:

• Workers focus on currying favor with the boss rather than performing well
• The same people contribute to all the assignments limiting diversity of opinion or vision
• Personalities, rather than competence, sway the direction of the company

Compensating for No Plumb Assignments

You may need to compensate if you find yourself not getting good assignments or recognition:

• Cultivate better relationships with management
• Communicate your return on investment and accomplishments
• Let your mentor guide you
• Ask “How can I help?”

Monday we highlight how directives focusing on what not to do sap employee direction

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 5: No Respect for Employees

This continues our series to help all of you working under poorly managed companies

Angela worked for a company that emphasized recognizing the good things that employees do on the job. They practiced Ken Blanchard’s advice to catch your workers do something good. The praise and recognition inspired all the staff to work harder and perform even better. In addition to the praise, the company recognized employees with financial rewards for jobs well done. One year, the owner of the company divided $10,000,000 worth of the profits among all 560 of his employees. You can imagine the dedication and loyalty the verbal and financial praise generated in employees.

Importance of Praise and Recognition

Many authors exhort the benefits of praising and rewarding employees. Ken Blanchard highlighted it in The One Minute Manager. We also recommend The Carrot Principle by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. They appropriately sub-titled their book How the Best Managers Use Recognition to Engage Their People, Retain Talent, and Accelerate Performance.

The Carrot Principle encourages companies to recognize employees in the way that they will accept the recognition most. Some people do better with

• Public recognition: put their name on a plaque, acknowledge their effort in public meetings, or give them the employee of the month parking stall
• Private compliments in letters or cards and private conversations
• Tangible recognitions like medals, gift certificates, or crystal trophies

Consequences of Disrespect and Criticism

Continual criticism coupled with lack of praise

• Depresses employees
• Kills company morale
• Creates an environment of distrust, doubt, and hesitation
• Leads to long-term production decreases
• Leads to subterfuge, distrust, and disloyalty
• Drives the best employees to find new jobs

Compensating for Disrespect and Criticism

You will need to find support to compensate for a continual barrage of criticism and negativity. You may find the support through:

• Other employees who also seek praise and approval
• Friends and family who will give you positive feedback
• Colleagues at professional or trade associations
• Connections on LinkedIn (though do not share negative comments about management in social media)

Friday we highlight how to get recognition and plumb assignments from poor managers

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 4: Poor or Unrealistic Metrics

This continues our series to help all of you working under poorly managed companies

Sean sold computer printers for a nationally recognized brand. His clients included the biggest companies in his sales district. He developed excellent relationships with his clients that generated great sales and revenues. His sales, however, created a problem for him. The company doubled his sales expectations and bonus structure. In addition, the company moved three of his largest accounts to a national sales desk. The combination of doubled sales expectations coupled with losing his biggest accounts, drove Sean to seek employment elsewhere.

Importance of Clear and Realistic Metrics

Management establishes how they will measure your productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, and quality.

• They expect you to achieve the metrics they establish
• Corporation’s stocks lose value ($) when the company does not meet projections
• Good management uses nationally established benchmarks and prevailing metrics to establish their own metrics
• Good companies tie raises and bonuses to performance metrics
• Achievable standards and metrics motivate workers to perform well

Consequences of Poor or Unrealistic Metrics

Unfortunately, many companies only establish productivity standards. Then, they wonder why efficiency, effectiveness, or quality fail. Poor or unrealistic metrics can create several negative consequences:

• Lower morale trying to achieve unachievable standards
• Decreased motivation when salary raises fail to compensate adequately for significantly increased performance to achieve performance metrics
  • 2% pay increase for 15% increase in productivity
  • 2% pay increase for staff while management receives 14% raises
• Lost respect and confidence in management for establishing poorly-planned metrics
• Wasted time and effort pursuing metrics that lead in the wrong direction
• Decreased quality or effectiveness as workers rush to meet unreasonable production goals

Compensating for Poor or Unrealistic Metrics

You may need to try several options to compensate for unrealistic metrics that affect your pay, performance appraisals, and promotions. Not all of them will work:

• Research national benchmarks and share them with management
• Create personal metrics that lead in the right direction
• Accept metrics set by management and the consequences of failing to achieve them
• Find a new job

Wednesday we highlight the consequences of disrespecting or undervaluing employees

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 2: Lack of Unifying Vision

This continues our series on how to survive poor management at work and grow

Lauren worked in a division of a global company that experienced 5 directors in 4 years. The company split the division between two departments and spun the domestic portion into a new another department. The division experienced three major strategic direction changes in four years. In this environment, nobody seemed to know where the organization was heading. Performance in the division  plummeted. The executives couldn’t understand why.

Importance of Management’s Vision

Management researchers all concur on the importance of management’s vision for the organization. Stephen R. Covey taught the effective people “begin with the end in mind.” Jim Collins described that level 5 leaders create disciplined thought around a hedgehog concept and a stop doing list.

Vision allows all workers to see what the organization will become and the path it will take to arrive at that envisioned  state. The clearer the vision, the easier to move the current reality to the desired reality. Moving the entire organization in the same direction toward the same goal accelerates change and enhances the probability the organization will achieve the desired goal.

Some companies use mission or value statements to verbally express their vision. Others create videos and downloads to visually generate the vision. Training, newsletters, posters, pictures, and web sites highlight the vision.

Consequences of Lack of Vision

Unfortunately, many organizations fail to create a clear vision for their employees. Many only define their “stop-doing” list without to-do’s. Eliminating efforts without defining the positive initiatives or actions creates a vacuum and can lead to lower morale or lower productivity.

A lack of vision, especially coupled with restrictive mandates, can also

• Create confusion
• Perplex the staff
• Drain energy from the organization
• Lose time, money, and results

Compensating for a Lack of Vision

You may use several tools or techniques to compensate for management’s lack of vision:

• Ask questions of managers and others to glean whatever information you can
• Review the corporate memory to find clues
• Create a vision yourself

Friday we highlight how confusing and cross-directed information creates misunderstanding

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Surviving Poor Management 1: Overview

This begins a new series to help all of you working under poorly management

Jolene worked as an executive secretary for a small import/export company. She worked hard, kept the office running smoothly, well-organized and productive. Her boss seldom complimented her or recognized her work. Instead, he would expect her to work extra without paying her. He expected her to be in the office first thing in the morning and not leave before quitting time. Yet, he seldom arrived on time, left early most days, and played golf 2-3 times a week. In addition, he failed to give her a raise in four years. She asked us for advice on what to do.

Evidence of Poor Management

A large percentage of the work force do not enjoy their job. They work in tough situations with supervisors who manage poorly. You may work for large companies who take the employees for granted. You may work for small businesses who overwork their employees because everyone is overworked. In addition, pressures to increase profits, dividends to stockholders, and compete with global companies affect everyone in the company.

Some simple symptoms of poor management include:

• Lack of unifying vision or cause to inspire employees
• Confusing or even cross-communication leading to misunderstandings
• Poorly defined or unrealistic performance measurements
• Lack of respect or praise for employees
• Some employees get recognition and plumb assignments, most do not
• Directives focus on what not to do, rather than encourage good things to do
• Constant analysis and theory, but little action and follow-through
• Rumor, innuendo, and secrecy define normal channels of information
• High turnover, low morale, and poor performance

You can read more at the following links:

• 10 signs of incompetent managers
• 10 Signs You’ve Got a Bad Boss
• Five Critical Management Derailers: Symptoms and Remedies

Ways to Cope with Poor Management

You can cope with poor management in a variety of ways:

• Accept the situation and obey directions
• Try to change the situation and improve the work environment
• Gripe and complain to everyone
• Leave

Wednesday we continue our series by exploring how the lack of vision affects the work

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

August Unemployment Report & Part-Time Jobs

This post will examine some of the unspoken aspects of Augusts report on employment

Erica worked for a retail company in the western United States. She worked 40 hours a week and enjoyed her job very much. She earned a little above minimum wage. The company did not offer medical benefits, but provided an educational reimbursement program that paid for her to earn a certificate as a phlebotomist.  Unfortunately, before President Obama delayed the requirement for companies with more than 50 employees to provide health insurance to all full-time employees, her employer reduced all sales associates hours from 40 to 28 hours a week. Erica lost 27% of her income.

Why Do We Believe Their Numbers?

The Department of Labor released employment numbers last Friday. We find troubling elements of the report and want to shine a light on some issues.

The report stated “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in July, and the unemployment rate edged down to 7.4 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment rose in retail trade, food services and drinking places, financial activities, and wholesale trade.”

We find two major problems with these statements:

• The industries with the largest increases—retail, food service, drinking, finances, and wholesale—do not pay high wages. In fact, most pay just above minimum wage
• The report states employment increased by 162,000 BUT
  • Later it adds “Total nonfarm payroll employment for May was revised from +195,000 to +176,000, and the change for June was revised from +195,000 to +188,000.”
  • This pattern of declaring semi-optimistic gains in the month, but then downgrading them months later when no one is watching troubles us. Why should we believe these numbers?

Hidden Causes of the Increase in Part-Time Employment

They reported “The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased by 0.1 hour in July to 34.4 hours.”

Many full-time workers in retail, education, and food services lost 11-15 hours pay a week to avoid providing medical benefits demanded by the Affordable Healthcare Act.

Monday we begin a new series about how to find satisfaction in poorly managed companies

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Equality of Opportunity & Upward Mobility in America 4

This concludes our series of a recent study that will help you improve your income

Lorna lived a life of poverty with her two children. Her rent subsidized apartment was in a very distressed area of the community. Lorna entered the circles initiative in her local community. She took an 18 week class teaching her how to get ahead. Then, they assigned 3 middle class allies to meet with her 1-2 times a month for 18 months. Soon, Laura started achieving her goals. She earned her GED. She got a driver’s license. She found a job with a company that would pay for her to attend training to certify as a nurse’s assistant. She found new housing and moved out of poverty.

How Circles Mirrors Harvard’s Study

Circles, a national initiative to eliminate poverty, incorporates many of the corresponding elements of Harvard’s study on Upward Mobility. The Circles Initiative

• Educates people in poverty the written and unwritten rules of society
• Provides a weekly environment for people in poverty to associate with people from the middle and upper class
• Identifies middle class and upper class people to serve as allies who help the circle leader achieve their goals to improve housing, employment, education, and money management
• Connects the circle leader with resources and information from the community to help them list themselves out of poverty

All of these steps mirror the factors identified by Harvard’s study:

• Strong education K-12 programs in the community
• Large middle class populations without a high population of highest 1% population
• Lack of segregation between living of poverty and middle class populations.
• People in poverty and middle class interact together
• Strong religious communities and families

Circles successfully helps people out of poverty. They understood the principles before Harvard published their results.

Education and Upward Mobility

We must increase educational support. The study

“We found significant correlations between intergenerational mobility and income inequality, economic and racial residential segregation, measures of K-12 school quality (such as test scores and high school dropout rates)”

Friday we will discuss findings of the July unemployment report form the Department of Labor

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Equality of Opportunity & Upward Mobility in America 3

This continues our review of a recent study that will help you improve your income

Robbie grew up happily in a family consisting of his two younger brothers and widowed mother. His father died when Robbie was 6 years of age. They barely knew they were in poverty. His mother worked hard to instill a love of learning and growth. She taught them the essence of the American dream. In addition, Robbie grew up in a strongly religious community of many faiths. Many neighbor families provided additional support, encouragement, and hope. As a result of all this support, Robbie studied hard, earned scholarships for college, and graduated from Chicago Law School. He served as a judge and taught at law school. His brothers also excelled and moved up.

Drawing Some Observations, Not Conclusions

The Harvard Equality of Opportunity Project’s report on Upward  Mobility emphasized they did not imply cause and effect from their study.  They highlight that their findings only identified correlations between cities. So, we restate that our musings today only reflect observations. We do not assume to share conclusions.

Socio-Economic Correlations Related to Upward Mobility

Cities with higher opportunities for upward mobility shared several characteristics. They had:

• Upward mobility appears in cities where upper, middle, and lower classes live together in closer proximity.
• We worry that the shrinking of the middle class and the further polarization of the classes has already reduced environments for further growth and upward mobility. Fewer and fewer neighborhoods share a broad socio-economic foundation.
• The rich continue to put their children in private schools, gated communities and compounds, and more elaborate vacations.

Strong Support Structures Lift Upward

Two other correlations for upward mobility dealt with the religious and strong families. Once again, we do not draw conclusions that religious upbringing or having two parents creates opportunity for upward mobility.

But decreasing family structure and religious commitment or faith reduce this correlative opportunity. Imagine the consequences of losing religious communities or strong families if they discover they do contribute to your upward mobility.

Wednesday we will continue our analysis of Harvard’s study on upward mobility

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Equality of Opportunity & Upward Mobility in America 2

This continues our review of a recent study that will help you improve your income

Ruth wanted a better life for her sons and daughters. Her immigrant parents raised her with values and especially a work ethic. They tried to give her the education that would create opportunities for improvement. But, they couldn’t afford to send her to college. They sent her to a technical school that prepared her to work as a medical assistant. She instilled a love of education in her children and provided for them to go to college. All four children worked hard. All four moved out of poverty and into the middle class.

Study Does Not State Causes

Wednesday we shared the findings of a recent study done as part of the Harvard Equality of Opportunity Project on upward mobility. You may try to seek a cause and effect relationship within the study. The researchers, however, caution against jumping to making those conclusions. They wrote in the findings section of the report:

“We caution that all of the findings in this study are correlational and cannot be interpreted as causal effects. For instance, areas with high rates of segregation may also have other differences that could be the root cause driving the differences in children’s outcomes. “

Correlations Found in the Study

The researchers continue their findings by sharing (bullets added for clarity)

“What is clear from this research is that there is

• Substantial variation in the United States in the prospects for escaping poverty
• There are some areas in the U.S. where a child’s chances of success do not depend heavily on his or her parents’ income.
• Understanding the features of these areas –and how we can improve mobility in areas that currently have lower rates of mobility –is an important question for future research that we and other social scientists are exploring.
• To facilitate this ongoing research, we have posted the mobility statistics by area and the other correlates used in the study on our website”

Monday we continue examining the results of the study and their effect on your improvement

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.