competency

Good day, team.

The subject of commitment keeps coming up in my coaching sessions lately, so I thought I would offer some thoughts on the topic this week.

Many years ago, I participated in a management training called “Situational Leadership.” The course introduced me to the idea that a person’s work life is really made up of two things: commitment and competency. At any given time, in any situation, you can diagnose how well team members are doing based on how committed they are to the work and how competent they are in performing that work. This idea makes sense to me. In coaching others, I can plainly see that, in some cases, people love the work they do and need little or no motivation from their manager to continue doing it.

However, there are some tasks that people don’t enjoy at all, and they often need an extra push from their manager to get them done. When faced with these tasks, people frequently get stuck and their competency decreases. But when doing what they love, the same people sail right through an assignment and even ask for more of that work when they are done.

Consequently, managers need to provide different styles of management depending on what their team members are doing. If a person’s commitment level decreases, he or she probably needs more emotional support. If his or her competency flags, he or she most likely needs more direct instruction.

Through my coaching experience, I have seen how important it is for managers to be versatile in their management styles. The most successful managers first observe how their team members are doing and then use the style that gets the best results for each individual team member in each particular situation. Managers who fail tend to use the same style over and over again and aren’t observant or versatile enough to change how they manage others.

The worst managers judge their team members based on only one or two situations and then label them as being either uncommitted or having low competence, if not both. These managers have difficulty seeing their team members in any other light, and the individual is then doomed to fail. I have heard some managers make comments like, “He’s always so slow in getting stuff done,” or “Why doesn’t he communicate more effectively with others? No matter how many times I try to help him, he just doesn’t get it!” These comments are red flags to me.

I have learned that in the areas of commitment and competency, it’s fairly easy to direct someone to be more competent. If you want someone to use a computer more effectively, you can sit down with them and direct them through step-by-step instructions. But getting a team member to want to learn how to use the computer — or increase their commitment level — is a different matter. Management by support is much more difficult.

Lack of versatility in an individual manager’s style extends to the teams they manage. Most teams tend to take on the personality and behavior characteristics of the person who leads them, so when a manager lacks versatility, the team does also. Eventually, these teams are unable to commit, and ultimately, people disengage. Without an emotional connection to the project or the manager, people lose the energy it takes to get results.

In “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” Patrick Lencioni gives excellent descriptions of teams that fail to commit and those that commit. Here’s what he says:

A team that fails to commit …

Creates ambiguity among the team about direction and priorities
*

Watches windows of opportunity close because of excessive analysis and unnecessary delay
*

Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure
*

Revisits discussions and decisions again and again
*

Encourages second-guessing among team members

A team that commits …

Creates clarity around direction and priorities
*

Aligns the entire team around common objectives
*

Develops an ability to learn from mistakes
*

Takes advantage of opportunities before competitors do
*

Moves forward without hesitation
*

Changes direction without hesitation or guilt

This week, if you manage others, ask yourself if you’re versatile in your management style. Do you direct people when they need it? Or do you offer them more emotional support when their commitment wanes? Do you know how to diagnose how your people are doing in any given situation? Do you see what’s really challenging them? Do you know when to let them do what they love with only an occasional check in to make sure they’re on track?

Read through what Lencioni says about committed teams and ask yourself in which category your team falls into. If you’ve never taken a management course that gives you more tools for dealing with your team members, sign up for one. We don’t automatically have these skills — we need to learn them.

If you’re not a manager but work for one who continues to use the same style over and over again, try being more clear about what you actually need from him or her. Do you need more clear instruction or do you need some extra encouragement by being told you’re doing a good job once in awhile?

As Lencioni points out, successful managers ensure team commitment by taking steps to maximize clarity and achieve buy-in. Ask yourself this week how committed you are to what you’re doing. If you’re into it, then keep going. If you’re not, find out what you need to do to reconnect to the work within yourself. And if you’re managing others, be versatile enough to see what the team needs to succeed.

Have a good week,

Kathleen

Kathleen Doyle-White

Pathfinders Coaching

(503) 296-9249

Good day, team.

Last week, a client of mine sent me the following sentiment: “You would be a good person to be with in a foxhole.” I think this is one of the best compliments I’ve ever received. It means much to me to be seen as reliable and trustworthy, and these words could not have said that any better. So I decided this week’s challenge would be about trust and how we gain the trust of others.

I’ve had an opportunity to share the trust equation with many of you over the years, but I will mention it here for those of you who are not familiar with it. Basically, it says that trust = reliability + competency + intimacy, divided by self-orientation.

When an employee at eBay first introduced this equation to me, I was put off. The notion that trust could be reduced to a simple equation seemed impossible to me. How could you take such an emotional subject and use math to describe it? But over time, I’ve turned my thinking around. Much about this equation is spot on in terms of how we learn to trust the people we work with.

When getting to know the people, we first tune into how reliable they are. It’s as simple as seeing that they routinely show up on time for meetings. Or maybe if they are going to be late, they send a text or call to let you know that they’re running a bit late. Either way, we begin trusting others by seeing how reliable they are.

Second, we want to know that our co-workers can do what they say they can do. That’s competency. If I say I’m a coach, am I capable of doing my job? When you work with other people on a team, their abilities are key to the team’s success, and you want to know that they can do the job they’ve been assigned. If not, the entire team suffers.

The third component of the trust equation is intimacy. This part is tougher to define but my view is this: Intimacy develops when you know someone has your back and you know he or she won’t speak poorly about you when you’re not around or when the fur starts to fly. Intimacy grows when you know you can meet with someone one on one and tell each other the truth, no matter how bad it sounds or how embarrassing the situation. This kind of emotional intimacy between team members is irreplaceable; it creates a bond between people that is worth its weight in gold.

So, if these are the components of trust, what does “divided by self-orientation” mean? Self-orientation, as stated in the trust equation, refers to the way a person orients him- or herself in relation to the team as a whole and each team member individually. Team members who are totally self-oriented are focused on their own individual benefit. These people are only in it for themselves and their personal gain. They really don’t care about the team or their fellow team members. As long as they get what they need, they’re fine. This phenomenon will break trust in an instant. Even if a person is reliable, competent and able to be intimate with you, you will not trust him or her if you have an inkling that he or she is only doing all these things for personal benefit. Conversely, if someone is not always reliable or competent or isn’t able to be intimate, we will trust him or her if we believe that in their heart of hearts, they really want what’s best for their fellow team members.

All trust is challenged over time. So, how do we ensure that the trust we build remains a constant in our friendships and working relationships? We do this by coming back to the trust components that reaffirm the relationship. We remain open and willing to have the hard conversations. We tell the truth, no matter what it sounds like. We reach out and ask for help when we need it. We continue to respect each other by being willing to come back to the table, whether we agree or not, and listen. We ponder what our co-workers propose even when we are opposed to what they’re saying. We do not speak poorly about them with others. We are not afraid to let them know how much we care about their well-being and how happy we are to be on the same team with them.

This week, think about who’s in the foxhole with you. When things heat up, who’s right there with you? Who’s willing to stand by your side when you’re not popular or politically correct? When you’re suffering through a difficult time with a project or another co-worker, who’s willing to listen to your woes and able to be honest with you, even if you have a hard time hearing it? Look at your own reliability, competency and intimacy factors. Are you trustworthy? Do others see you as a team player, someone who lives the phrase, “all for one and one for all”?

We were not put on this earth to be alone. Our ability to trust each other is a key component to our happiness as human beings as we try to live together. Work to be reliable and competent and then extend yourself to others to create intimacy. You may just find that as you do so, others will trust you even more.

Have a good week!

Kathleen
Kathleen Doyle-White
Pathfinders Coaching
(503) 296-9249

Tag: competency

6/27/11 “Commitment”

5/9/11 “Building Trust”