Why Honesty Is the Secret Ingredient of Successful Organizations

 

Be Current, But Be Brief

The “dump truck” approach—when people have avoided an issue so long, they have a long laundry list of complaints to dump on their victims—should be avoided whenever possible. Instead, make things easier and resolve problems faster by addressing issues as soon as they arise.

This should be done in a “short and sweet” manner, free of the emotional load that can damage professional relationships. When confrontational conversations must take place, calmly and clearly state the issue at hand and its impact, and give no more than three examples of when it occurred. When there are more than three examples of unacceptable behaviors, or more than one issue needs to be resolved, conversations are long overdue.

Don’t Sugarcoat the Issue

Instead of trying to cushion confrontational situations with compliments or small talk, tell colleagues or employees what’s at stake and review the steps required to address the issue together. Always opt for being direct with employees and coworkers so that everyone has a clear action plan.

For example, rather than saying, “We’re a bit concerned about your attendance rate, so please do what you can to remedy it,” say something like, “Our records show that in the past two months, you’ve been absent five times. This exceeds the three personal days we allot to each employee, and any additional days you take off will be docked from your salary. Should you exceed eight days, we’ll have to let you go. Please let us know if there’s a personal or medical issue causing these absences so we can figure out the best way to address it.”

At the conversation’s conclusion, restate the next steps to ensure all parties are on the same page.

Keep Positives and Negatives Separate

There are few scenarios more off-putting than using the “sandwich” approach to confrontation. The “sandwich” occurs when a manager begins a conversation on a positive note, slips in the real problem—the zinger—and concludes the conversation with another compliment. Such interactions are not only confusing, the next time an employee receives a compliment, they will anxiously anticipate the hidden issue that will be brought up.

Give staff members the opportunity to bask in their accomplishments by focusing only on the positive when it is warranted. By doing so, when there is something positive to communicate, recipients will completely hear and appreciate it. During the occasions when a negative issue needs to be addressed, employees will be able to focus on the problem and potential resolutions without having the issue muddled with a “compliment sandwich.”

Use a Social Networking Approach

While most organizations desire to be transparent, they too often get caught up in the frivolous need to be politically correct and not offend employees. Nothing could be more counterproductive. In actuality, the type of communication employees actually desire more closely resembles social networking—a candid, running dialogue between managers, employees and coworkers.

SOURCE:softwareadvice.com