Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Reader Question: Dealing with a Micromanaging Peer

This question was submitted by a reader at the Fast Track blog:

I’d like to get your input about how to deal with a coworker who micromanages laterally. I am a manager, and one of my peers, another manager, often takes it upon herself to tell the other managers how they should run their departments (even though we haven’t asked and it’s not within her realm of responsibility). It doesn’t happen all the time, but every few months or so she’ll go on a tirade and drive all of the managers crazy. For example, she’ll get on a dress-code policy kick and scrutinize every article of clothing staff wear, and then send repeated emails to department managers saying that it needs to be dealt with. The most recent time this happened, when I went to check on the “offensive” clothing, they fell completely within the code — perhaps she just didn’t like what the person was wearing?

She tells us which staff members need disciplining (when they don’t), tells us how to deal with clients, recites well-known procedures to us over and over, and will even go so far as to reorganize our service desks because she doesn’t like how they look! And I don’t mean just a little — I’m talking moving computers to a completely different location, and leaving post-it notes everywhere about why something isn’t right or shouldn’t be the way it is.

Usually I try to see where she’s coming from and consider whether she has a valid point, but often it’s just trivial things that don’t matter or don’t make sense. I’ve tried ignoring her, giving in to her, and being firm and telling her why my department chooses to do things a certain way and that we won’t be changing it. Nothing seems to help. I think she acts this way because she cares about our organization and likes to see things run smoothly, but it’s too much at times, and ultimately not her responsibility. Our organization functions well and overall our staff have good morale. I am perfectly capable of handling my team and, if I do say so myself, do a darn good job of it. How can I get her to back off when she gets like this?

Here was my advice:

I think it’s time you had a formal sit down with the micromanaging peer.  Ignoring her might be the path of least resistance, but at this point it sounds like her behavior is negatively impacting the productivity of your team – and this is a problem that’s yours to remedy.

Ask her to lunch.  If it isn’t completely out of the ordinary, go offsite so you won’t risk being interrupted or joined by another teammate.  Tell her there’s something important you need to talk to her about, and preface the discussion with a comment along the lines of what you said in your e-mail to us:  “I admire how much you care about our organization and I know that you want to see it run smoothly.”  This will help to mitigate her natural response (i.e. defensiveness) to what you’re about to say.

Next, tell her that while you appreciate her input on your team’s discipline, dress, etc. you are capable of managing these issues yourself and that you’d prefer it if she would confine her improvements to her own group.  Use a “this is what’s best for the organization” type of argument, such as “Right now my staff feels that it’s getting confusing cross-direction, and their work is suffering.”  Try to be assertive rather than wishy-washy.  You are a manager for a reason and your judgment should be trusted.

If this doesn’t work and she continues to interfere and wreck havoc around the office, you should talk to your boss on the down low.   Just remember to be solution-oriented and bottom-line focused in your comments, as the last thing you want to do is come across like you are whining or complaining.  You are not a tattletale and this is not a mere personality conflict.  Be clear that you are genuinely concerned that because of this woman’s actions, the organization is not operating as optimally as it could be.

For guidance from Fast Track's other amazing experts, check out the full post.

What No One Tells You About Getting Raises

According to Tribe HR’s  Pay Raise Index, women received more pay raises than men during 2012, but men earned larger pay raises. TribeHR analyzed salary and workplace recognition (“kudos”) data from 20,000 employees at 2,200 small to medium-sized companies between Q1-Q3 2012, and found that, 7.4 percent of women received raises while only 6.2 percent of men received raises.

Overall, the Index reported that average salary increase for employees at small and medium-sized businesses grew by almost 11 percent between Q1 and Q3 2012. The size of the average salary raise grew from 8 percent in Q1, to 13 percent in Q2, but then dropped to 11 percent in Q3.

Peer Recognition: An Under-the-Radar Influencer

More interestingly, however, the study also examined the correlation between salary increases and employees who had received documented recognition for a job well done. It found that 85 percent of documented recognition was given by peers, and that employees who received recognition from peers were two to three times more likely to earn a pay raise.

So it’s recognition from peers rather than recognition from managers that matters most.  Go figure.  In any case, it has always been important to purposefully raise the visibility of your terrific contributions within the organization.  But given this new information, it’s now essential.  If you want a raise this year or next, it’s up to you to document as much positive feedback from your peers as possible.

How do you do this?  Find out more over at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

The Solution for People Who Suck at Sales

Some of you know that I’ve been spending the last year honing my sales strategies, and boy has it been tough.

See, I’m not in a situation where I’ve traditionally had to sell.  My first book, They Don’t Teach Corporate in College, was released to great media attention and sales while I still had a full time job.  If someone read the book and came to me asking if I could speak at their event or consult for their organization, that was gravy.  I already had money, and I didn’t need them.

Then, however, I left the stable job and started my own business.  At first things were okay, because I was still getting a lot of inbound inquiries.  Incredibly, I still had enough to keep me busy through the first two years of the recession.  But in early 2011, something shifted.  My pipeline dried up, and I suddenly had to go out and proactively interest potential clients in my offerings.

I got turned down a lot.  I’m still getting turned down a lot.   It’s nothing personal.  I’m just “not in the budget.”  I’ve thought long and hard about why this is the case, and I’ve concluded that even though my services solve a critical workplace problem (brain drain caused by Boomer retirement, retention of skilled younger employees), my prospects don’t yet view this problem as a priority.

According to Eric Slife of SalesGravy.com, the primary reason prospects reject sales proposals is that an offering is not tied to their Critical Success Factors (CSFs), or things that keep the business afloat.  In a down economy especially, companies will do what they have to to protect their CSFs, and everything else will fall by the wayside.

We are all salespeople to some degree.  Even if you’re not selling a product to an outsider, chances are you still have to sell an idea to an internal constituency or a promotion to your boss.  Given that, I thought it would be helpful to share some of Slife’s tips for mapping your offering to a CSF and increasing its priority:

Change the perception of your offering

Too many salespeople are still selling value added benefits and opportunities.  Unfortunately, that’s not what’s making people pull the trigger on decisions now. Your prospects are focused on lost sales, lost profits, and surviving.  In other words, fear is their number one motivator.  You need to position your product or service in such a way that brings some peace of mind to your prospect’s worried state.

Head over to Intuit's Fast Track blog for lots more!

How to Avoid Self-Destructing on Foreign Soil

On April 20, 2010, the oil rigger Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, causing the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.  After the explosion killed or injured 28 workers and released 4.9 million barrels of crude oil, the gushing wellhead was finally capped. British Petroleum (BP), the multi-billion dollar oil and gas company, was indisputably responsible.

Instead of expressing true remorse and compassion for the disaster, then CEO Tony Hayward committed a series of cultural gaffes that enraged U.S. citizens and lawmakers. For instance, well before the Gulf crisis was resolved, Hayward proclaimed that he “wanted his life back.” Then, as efforts to plug the leak continued feverishly in the U.S., he casually took in a sailing race with his son off the Isle of Wight in the UK.

Hayward’s American Disconnect

This behavior was consistent with Hayward’s work/life balance philosophy.  He once said publicly that he didn’t work weekends and took all of his holidays no matter what.  What the British Hayward failed to realize was that most Americans don’t necessarily agree with this point of view. It is the American way to take responsibility for one’s mistakes and do everything you can to remedy a bad situation. Until the problem is solved, free time does not exist. Since Americans were affected most when Deepwater Horizon exploded, many wanted to see Tony Hayward on a boat participating in the clean-up.

Although much of his business is conducted in the U.S., Hayward did not demonstrate strong global competence. His lack of understanding regarding how the crisis would be received in the U.S. led to a backward slide of goodwill and a plunging stock price for BP. That summer, it would also cost him his job.

To find out how you can avoid a Tony Hayward-like PR catastrophe, read my advice over at the AMEX Open Forum.

 

Talking Your Manager into Flextime

Happy New Year, everyone!  It's "Reader Mail" time! 

I’m a manager in a small department and have to get approval of flexible schedules for staff from my Boss.  Boss wants everyone to be at work during normal business hours, doesn’t like flexible schedules, and sees all requests as the same (trying to get out of work).  Yes, I’m confused about this thinking and believe Boss doesn’t really understand flextime and its advantages, but I’m wondering how to best discuss this.

Boss tends to overreact whenever I bring up the topic and gets into the issue of “not trusting the employee to really work and not goof off.”  I see a request to temporarily change a schedule by arriving earlier and staying later on some days and leaving early on other days because of family schedules/child care issues to be different from a request to work at home on certain days on an ongoing basis.  The first example involves working all hours at the office for a limited amount of time and the second example involves working some days at home with no finite term, but Boss lumps all these requests together and denies all of them.  Any suggestions or advice on how I can approach the subject and try to get Boss to logically consider these requests?

For answers to this quandry from four career experts including me, check out the full post at the Fast Track blog.

Coming Up with the Idea is Only Half the Battle

Life in a large organization isn’t always easy for people who want to solve problems.  Usually, the issue isn’t coming up with a solution.  Rather, it’s convincing other people that the solution is viable and should be implemented.  And whether you’re sitting on a blockbuster idea yet or not, now is the time to consider your strategy.

Build Your Reputation in Advance

In order to diminish the perceived risk of an unusual or out-of-the-box idea, the person proposing it has to be a proven entity.  That means that you’re established at the organization and have done well there.  Your boss trusts you and you are on the short list of employees with whom everyone wants to work.  You are known as the one who pitches in during a crisis, and the one who is a champion of smart internal initiatives.

For many more ideas on selling your ideas to the higher-ups, read the full post on the Fast Track blog.

How to Disagree with Your Team

Imagine that your manager has called a team meeting to discuss an issue that is critical to the future of the group.  You walk into the conference room with hesitation.  You know by talking to other people that your opinion on how to proceed diverges considerably from that of the majority.  You don’t want to make waves unnecessarily, but you also feel strongly about your point of view.  What should you do?

First, don't assume you have to capitulate.  The fact that your co-workers are agreeing on a decision doesn’t make it the correct one.  Actually, blind group think is one of the worst things about collaborative work environments.  Although it may be uncomfortable to do so, sharing an enlightened alternative is your responsibility as someone who has the best interests of the organization at heart.

How else can you extricate yourself diplomatically?  For more suggestions, have a look at the full post on the Fast Track blog.

 

A Good Negotiation Means Pushing Back

I am not a good negotiator.  At all.  I have half-heartedly tried to improve over the years, but I admit it – what I need is a real kick in the pants.  That’s why I was so glad to read Selena Rezvani’s new book Pushback, which offers a solid four-step model of negotiation that’s easy to employ in our everyday work lives.

The first step is to prepare psychologically.  Understanding our own feelings, disposition, strengths, weaknesses, and style is an often overlooked or de-emphasized part of the negotiation process but self-understanding can help you better regulate your demeanor during an actual negotiation, among other benefits. If negotiations feel confrontational or uncomfortable to you, understanding the roots of your discomfort with negotiating and pushing back can clear the fog and allow for forward movement. Having a good picture of your existing strengths and style can help you identify different strengths to build up and new styles to try on, adding to your repertoire of skills.

For the rest of Selena's steps, please check out the full post at the Fast Track blog.

How to Enact Change in a Bureaucracy

Have you ever tried to drive in Los Angeles?

For those of us who have, changes to the notoriously frustrating transportation infrastructure have been a long time coming, but how do you enact change in a government entity that seems like the very definition of bureaucracy?

Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough and her firm, KH Consulting Group, recently worked with Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel to review the city’s transportation structures and recommend reforms. The ultimate goal was to reduce congestion by building highways, promoting alternative transportation, implementing traffic management technology and facilitating the use of bicycles.

For all of the details on how Gayla's team navigated the bureaucratic waters of LADOT and how you can enact change in your own bureaucracy, check out my Culture Beat column at the AMEX OPEN Forum.

How to Be Diplomatic

Diplomacy is not just for world leaders and college-level debate teams.  If you work with other human beings, you need this skill today.  The hallmark of the diplomatic person is assertiveness, or readily expressing your views while respecting the opinions and dignity of others.  Diplomatic people recognize that they are most likely to get their own needs met if they can communicate their goals without evoking hostility in the other party.  These are the individuals who can come out of necessary and frank conversations with their reputation intact.   Let’s look at how they do it:

They approach negotiations from a win/win perspective

In his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey says that if you want another person to cooperate with you, first analyze what he wants and then communicate how working with you can help him get it (i.e. you win, and they win).

They problem-solve rather than spar

Diplomatic individuals lay out the scenario calmly and solicit the other person’s help in finding the best solution.  They listen carefully to the other person’s feedback without interrupting and ask questions for clarification.

They are tolerant of opposing points of view

 Diplomatic people respect that they may not always see eye-to-eye with other people, so they don’t waste time and energy forming judgments about their co-workers.  In conversations in which a fundamental difference of opinion is at play, they use facts to support their ideas and use non-accusatory language such as “I think that…” or “it seems that...” rather than “you think that…” or “you always…”

They use positive body language

  Diplomatic people maintain an even, audible tone when they speak.  They relax their body and keep an appropriate distance away from the people with whom they’re conversing.  They always make eye contact.

Of course, you can control your own behavior, but you can’t control other people’s, so you must be prepared to react professionally when someone attacks you.  The key is not to let yourself get angry or upset, because goading you into a shouting match is exactly what the other person wants.  Instead, stay calm, hear the person out, and be empathetic to her point of view.  If she says hurtful things you know she doesn’t mean, try not to take them personally, for you may not understand where these comments are truly coming from.

Can’t keep from losing your cool?

Pay attention to the signs that you’re about to blow (hands shaking, tears pricking at your eyes, etc.).  Then, politely excuse yourself and say you’ll talk to the person another time.  If you’re on the phone, it’s even easier.  Just say that you need to take an urgent call and request a follow up conversation later that day. Your efforts at diplomacy will be much more effective after you’ve both had a chance to cool down.

Be proactive

If you know there is a particular situation that gets to you, practice how you will respond the next time it rears its ugly head.  And if you find a specific person difficult to deal with on a regular basis, schedule a lunch or a meeting and ask him frankly how the two of you can work better together.   A compromise or a sacrifice might be necessary, but being perceived as the bigger person can only help your reputation in the office at large.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.