Listen more

Two powerful words.  We all have heard the old saying, “God gave us two ears and one mouth…”.

Listen more.  Speak less.

I think the world would be a better place if we all listened more.  Listen to understand, listen to empathize, listen to educate, listen to resolve, etc.  The list goes on.  Marriage, kids, work, politics – listening more helps in every facet of our lives.  The person who speaks least benefits most and the person who speaks most benefits least because knowledge is power.  We are in an information driven world.  The more we listen, the more we learn.

How am I applying this in the workplace?  At Gannett, we’ve created a platform for listening and conduct monthly pulse surveys with quarterly general surveys.  We are increasing the number of focus group meetings to listen to the voice of our employees.  I personally conduct one- on -one meetings with the Top 100 leaders across Gannett. Our recruiting team, training team and HR business partners now proactively set up monthly/quarterly check-ins to gain feedback, ensuring that our teams are being heard.

Feedback is a gift a boss once told me.  Once we all cross the hurdle of self-denial and rationalization to actually digest the feedback and assume there is always a “bit of truth” in all feedback – we can then start to make change.  My function is a service function.  We are here to service the business – enable their success, remove obstacles and streamline anything not driving revenue or growth.  

As Warren Buffet said, “honesty is a very expensive gift, just do not expect it from cheap people”. Whenever and however you receive honest and open feedback, you should consider it a valuable gift.

Learning how to become comfortable receiving feedback is not only a crucial developmental skill, but a business imperative. The more feedback we have, the more valuable data we can collect and process.  If you hear four folks on your team compliment you on the color of the jacket you're wearing, then you know that's probably a good color for you (especially if you are color blind like me).  On a different note, if you hear from your team that you say, "ya know" too much when you present, then that becomes valuable feedback you can act on.  If you present a defensive barrier to people, where you resist their feedback, they will eventually stop giving you feedback. Which is actually worse as a leader, because you will have then modeled behavior to your team where they won't be open to hearing feedback themselves.  Additionally, we all have to filter and understand that not all feedback is 100% accurate, but in my history I would suggest it is almost always directionally correct.

The bigger role you have in your organization, and the more influence you have over things like promotions, merit increases and special projects, the more likely it becomes that you will find yourself surrounded by "yes people" - people who like to tell you whatever you think you want to hear. That's because you signaled to them that you don't like to hear bad news or criticism.  I like to ask, “is this what I want to hear or what I need to hear?”

This is the insincere and cheap feedback Warren Buffet was talking about. What you want to encourage instead is a culture of open and honest feedback without fear of reprisal.  Although it may become challenging to manage the troops when they point out the flaws of a leader, it certainly makes for better innovation and decision making.

I spoke to some of the processes Gannett is undertaking and I, personally, am working to improve my listening skills.  I had a member of my team speak about how we greet folks.  And when we say “hello, how are you?”, do we really mean it and do we stay engaged to hear the answer.  This has resonated with me.  So much, that I share it with you.  We often have so many rote behaviors throughout our day, that we miss these opportunities to connect.  I need to listen more intently.  If someone is willing to give me feedback, I need to listen and not interrupt, not prepare my rebuttal, not get emotional, not cut them off, not shut down.  Not saying I do this often, but I need to do it even less.  

I need to maintain an open attitude, ask more questions to clarify understanding, and thank folks for giving me their time and the feedback.  They must care if they are doing so.  How many of us would like our manager to tell us what we want to hear rather than what we need to hear?  Each of us wants to know the truth, no matter how difficult it is to hear.  But even though we want to hear honest and direct feedback, we generally don’t look on those occasions with much joy or pleasure.

As leaders (at every level), we need candid feedback about our performance (and our team performance) to improve. Feedback can illuminate our blind spots about behavior that we just can’t see without input from others.  Without accurate knowledge, we may adjust in the wrong direction, we may expend effort in the wrong places, and we may create even more distance between our intention and our actual impact on others.  As leaders, we need to listen to what is being said.  This doesn’t mean you have to accept it, or do it, but you do need to listen to it. 

Listen more.

Together.  We.  Win.

Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers

Give Balance…

As a follow up to my blog a few weeks back about achieving balance, I thought I would change “lenses” today and write about how to “give balance”.  And it may not actually be balance per se, it may be better self-awareness.  Or a combination of both.

Either way, in my opinion, it starts with modeling behaviors.  As an example, I had an out of office message a few weeks back that read like this:

“I will be out of the office participating on family vacation returning July 1st, 2018.  I will be enjoying time in the ocean with my family and will have limited access to, and will check email infrequently during the day.  If it is urgent please contact…”

A fairly straightforward out of office message.  I was surprised to read about ten different emails with responses like these sent back to me:

“OK, that is the best out of the office message. Hope you had fun at the beach! Aloha!”

“Dave- I love your out of office, specifying how you are spending your family vacation time in the ocean 😊”

Another leading by example moment is “leaving loudly”.  My team and I read an article a few months ago about the boss leaving the office loudly (EVERY day, PepsiCo chief executive Robbert Rietbroek asks his team to do one thing before they leave the office.) – meaning that you let the team know you are heading out for the day with a clear verbal goodbye like, “Have a great night, heading out to watch Jonny play lacrosse”, or “Have a wonderful evening, meeting my wife Nikki for a dinner date and movie”. 

I was a bit doubtful when I first read the article, but now my team calls me out if I do not announce that I am leaving.  It also reinforces that my family, friends, and activities are ALSO a priority for me.

Part of being a leader is your own EQ (emotional intelligence or emotional quotient).  Part of the EQ is understanding the rhythms, the nuances, and the quirks of your team.  As a leader, it pays off to understand who is a morning person, who is an evening person, who handles stress well, who is my detail person, who is my creative, etc.  Like a good sports coach, aligning the work plan to the skills of my team makes a big difference. (This is also important when you are pushing people outside the box for development).  It is important to understand how to assist teams in achieving their balance.

Another tip for me is to understand what is important outside of work for each member of my staff and to frequently discuss and support those activities.  Sometimes I need to say, “Pat, you have a basketball game to coach tonight, you need to get going.  Good luck with your game”. 

I think that there is a role for leaders to prevent burnout, but I think it's less about encouraging balance and more about trying to instill in our employees self-awareness to understand when they're pushing too hard or when they're pushing and they don't really want to be.  Sometimes I need to help them step back and truly understand priorities in life.  I often say, “are people going to remember that PowerPoint deck or the impact you had as a coach?”

As a leader, with our workforce today we need to encourage telework, changing up the work week, maybe work from home a day or two to mix it up a bit.  I have written about Wednesday Fun Day – which is our work from the office day (heck, if everyone is coming in to the office, let’s make it fun).  As a leader, I need to do this on occasion as well.  Keep it fresh for the team.  Surprise them.  Recognize them.

It can be a paradox: The more people work, the less productive they may be. In some weeks, somewhere along the way, my team can find themselves putting in 60 or 70 hour workweeks, giving up weekends and getting much less sleep. Yet it’s not necessarily making our team or the workplace any more productive.  In fact, it is usually the opposite.  As leaders we need to be aware of this (Hint, note email times).

A few simple discussions to have with your team can focus on pushing them to exercise one night a week, or attend Bible study, or dance class and forcing them out the door, or reminding them of late fees for childcare, or maintaining a fairly structured environment to work (when you hold meetings {nobody wants a Friday 5pm meeting}, when you have due dates and times, etc.), scheduling community involvement activities as a team, allowing your team to have a great time, to laugh (and if you can make them laugh at you is all the better), and be flexible with time-off for personal events that happen in life (deaths, divorce, pet issues, etc.).

Lastly, celebrate!  Sometimes celebrate with not only a day off but taking on their work as well for that day.  “Hey Kristy, I see you have been working hard on the Board deck, let me handle the legal audit and you take Friday off”.  Many times they will roll their eyes because they do not think the Boss can do the work as well as them, but sometimes you get lucky and they take you up on the offer.  Either way, the offer in itself is worth something.

Overall, it’s important to encourage your team to be self-aware about their own personalities and tendencies, as some people are more prone to imbalances than others. Through your words, actions, and example, emphasize the need to continually assess one’s goals to determine what brings satisfaction, inner peace, and their version of “balance”.

Empowering our teams to take control over their work and home lives can have a profound impact on their job satisfaction and performance. As leaders, we must give balance.

Together.  We.  Win.
 
Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers

RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.

Three words strung together to make a powerful statement.  Three words we never thought we needed to know in this context.

Annapolis.

Eleven staffers were in the newsroom of the Capital Gazette that day as the gunman rampaged through the building.  Five people died.  Surviving staff members trembled under their desks. The room smelled of gunpowder as police fearlessly swept in, less than two minutes after the first 911 calls. Some tended to victims, others began the search for the gunman.  My heart goes out to the families, the victims, the staffers.  Just a nightmare.  I still struggle to understand.  Our own company was shaken, as this act of violence was too close to home.

In an editorial Sunday, the Gazette said "it would never forget the avalanche of love. But sadly, the response was not all warm and fuzzy," the editorial noted:  "Here’s what else we won’t forget: Death threats and emails from people we don’t know celebrating our loss, or the people who called for one of our reporters to get fired because she got angry and cursed on national television after witnessing her friends getting shot." 

From the increase in mass killings to the “keyboard terrorists” – this seems to be the new norm … sadly.  We should not have to learn what to do in an active shooter situation, but we do.

For those of us who have responsibility for our employees and their safety, these events weighed heavily. If your teams have not conducted research on active shooter situations, ready.gov describes what to do in an active shooter situation.  Remember these three words:  RUN, HIDE, FIGHT.  From the website:

Be Informed

• Sign up for an active shooter training.
• If you see something, say something to an authority right away.
• Sign up to receive local emergency alerts and register your work and personal contact information with any work sponsored alert system.
• Be aware of your environment and any possible dangers.

Make a Plan

• Make a plan with your family, and ensure everyone knows what they would do, if confronted with an active shooter.
• Look for the two nearest exits anywhere you go, and have an escape path in mind & identify places you could hide.
• Understand the plans for individuals with disabilities or other access and functional needs.

During

RUN and escape, if possible.

• Getting away from the shooter or shooters is the top priority
• Leave your belongings behind and get away.
• Help others escape, if possible, but evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow.
• Warn and prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be.
• Call 911 when you are safe, and describe shooter, location, and weapons.

HIDE, if escape is not possible.

• Get out of the shooter’s view and stay very quiet.
• Silence all electronic devices and make sure they won’t vibrate.
• Lock and block doors, close blinds, and turn off lights.
• Don’t hide in groups- spread out along walls or hide separately to make it more difficult for the shooter.
• Try to communicate with police silently. Use text message or social media to tag your location, or put a sign in a window.
• Stay in place until law enforcement gives you the all clear.
• Your hiding place should be out of the shooter's view and provide protection if shots are fired in your direction.

FIGHT as an absolute last resort.

• Commit to your actions and act as aggressively as possible against the shooter.
• Recruit others to ambush the shooter with makeshift weapons like chairs, fire extinguishers, scissors, books, etc.
• Be prepared to cause severe or lethal injury to the shooter.
• Throw items and improvise weapons to distract and disarm the shooter.

After

• Keep hands visible and empty.
• Know that law enforcement’s first task is to end the incident, and they may have to pass injured along the way.
• Officers may be armed with rifles, shotguns, and/or handguns and may use pepper spray or tear gas to control the situation.
• Officers will shout commands and may push individuals to the ground for their safety.
• Follow law enforcement instructions and evacuate in the direction they come from, unless otherwise instructed.
• Take care of yourself first, and then you may be able to help the wounded before first responders arrive.
• If the injured are in immediate danger, help get them to safety.
• While you wait for first responder to arrive, provide first aid. Apply direct pressure to wounded areas and use tourniquets if you have been trained to do so.
• Turn wounded people onto their sides if they are unconscious and keep them warm.
• Consider seeking professional help for you and your family to cope with the long-term effects of the trauma.

People in this world of tragedy divide their lives into “before” and “after”: before they survived carnage, or lost a loved one, and everything after. They call themselves the “club no one wants to join,” but it is a group that keeps getting bigger.

My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by these mass tragedies.  But thoughts and prayers need to lead to real world action.  We all need to be a little more diligent, attentive and vocal in taking back our society and culture where our kids, our families, our neighbors can feel safe. Speak up a bit more, take a bit more action, do not be complicit.

Together.  We.  Win.


Dave Harmon
People Division
“Kindness is Currency”
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidharmonhr

Look for us on: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, The Muse, Glassdoor and USA TODAY NETWORK Careers