When You're Right, You're Right! It's That Simple.

 Special announcement: The 2010 Leadership & Career Planning Event in Toronto at The Westin Harbour Castle on May 25th, 2010. Go to www.thinkworknotjob.com for more information.

People often get into the swing of things at a new job after learning the rules, or 'guidelines', as it were. After a while, they may begin bending the rules because that is what is happening all around them and they think it's okay so long as others are doing the same, which is a sure sign of impending derailment of the company train.

Let's face it, rules are rules and they were implemented for a reason, so you either stick with them or you formally discuss the problems with them and how these rules must change in order to reflect the changes that are occurring within the company. Rules can't be broken simply because somebody does not see the value in them and has discovered a better way without letting anybody know.

Sticking to the rules

There was a story of a young security guard who was trained by his company to work a graveyard shift as access control while sitting at a desk all night. The main doors could only be opened with authorized card keys and all of the incoming phone calls were dealt with in the exact same manner as per the standing orders, which were current.

A phone call came in one night from an executive burning the midnight oil in the building and the security guard followed protocol, which is to never volunteer your name unless the person calling identified themselves first. The executive failed to identify who they were but kept asking for the guard's name, unsuccessfully, and eventually became irate. To punish the guard for not giving up their name, the executive stated that they would go straight to the site director in the morning and complain about the guard. The guard took note of the incident immediately after and went on with their shift. 

In the morning, the director arrived and wished to speak with the guard, who was just finishing work. The director explained the situation and said that there was nothing to worry about because the guard's actions were directly in compliance with the standing orders and a true testament to the high level of service the security company provided to the building management. The executive was warned that security was tight for a reason and that should have been proud of the service they had just received because the night watchmen could be trusted to secure the building over night.

Breaking the rules

On many occasions, rules, protocols and standing orders are broken because a hot new talent decides they have to transcend the antiquated restraints of yesteryear. It can happen with a new team leader or a new employee, but the result can sometimes be catastrophic and when it is traced back, people wonder how it could have happened. Upon discovery of what went on,a company is forced to have an emergency meeting so the problem can't happen again.

There is a story of how a lax system can cause confusion and chaos for a new team leader and it involves the gradual changing of staff and inevitably, the gradual changing of an entire program. In the company I am referring to, the staff changeover was fairly high mostly due to the fact that people stopped believing in the company and so did not take it seriously.

The programs for each department were clearly laid out in a general meeting one year and each department had to follow the program with minimal changes, if any. If there were any changes, they were to be discussed with the department manager and officially adjusted. Four years down the line, there was a lot of staff changeover and no new meetings at all, which resulted in some departments doing the same work as others, without anybody realizing it!

When it was discovered that there was a lot of crossover between departments, the new general manager wanted to know how it happened. In a small meeting with one of the departments, a worker calmly explained that the program they were working by was the original program template for all departments, but that new staff began to change things due to a lack of proper leadership; without any straight answers or general meetings, they were forced to work on their own. This was backed up by showing the manager the minutes from the original meeting, years before.

The final ruling

Rules, protocols and standing orders are made so that everybody knows what is going on and how a company is supposed to operate. They can be viewed as a conductor's baton, pinned to a wall for everybody to see or placed in an official booklet that everybody has access to. Rules can be changed as a company grows, but changes should be official and open to discussion.

Avoiding very costly mistakes in any organization is not that difficult if everybody is on the same page (of the rule book) and exceptional levels of communication are maintained.

For more information, consider attending The 2010 Leadership & Career Planning Event in Toronto at The Westin Harbour Castle on May 25th, 2010. Go to www.thinkworknotjob.com for more information.

The Walls Have Ears, So Speak Accordingly

I have been informed by a few people and news articles that there is spying going on in some workplaces, including employers being able to monitor phone calls and emails. Not only that, some nearby workers take sound bites from hearsay by the water coolers and lunch rooms. It should be no surprise that there is very little privacy any more - unless you stay in the bathroom all day.

First of all, you don't know who is 'keylogging' your computer habits or listening into or recording phone calls, so it should be no surprise that it may be happening to you at work and it appears to be a trend in this information age.

Scanning the airwaves
I once knew a guy who had a radio scanner and he could pick up transmissions from cell phones and two-way radios as well as land-lines, so long as a cell phone was connected to it. He couldn't do anything with the information, because it was unethical and illegal, but his scanner was bought legally, so he could still listen in whenever he wanted. Many neighborhood converstions were there for his listening pleasure.

Big brother is watching, but not speaking
It should be noted that many authorities who spy on the public, looking for the bad people, but seeing what the good are up to, are often not allowed to use the information they collect. They are really looking for bad stuff, but can stumble on just about anything with the right tools.

So, there are eyes and ears everywhere.

The problem with gossip at work
People tend to gossip about negative situations at work because dirt is much more interesting than purity. If we did things perfectly correct every time and wore a perfect smile, people would make fun of you because you are perfect. But, there's no such thing as a perfect world.

People 'want the dirt' because it makes the workplace more interesting and breaks up the monotony. So, monotony appears to be a problem. I'd rather hear about an advancement someone has made to a process to make work easier and to progress rather than hear about everybody's dirt.

But, dirt is not always dirty!
Dirt, monotony and compromised productivity make for a poor workplace. Instead of spreading problems around, perhaps people could discuss problems and perhaps suggest improvments, rather than waste time gossiping for the sake of gossiping.

Dirt is a sign of entropy and if treated as such, it can be fixed IF those directly involved are willing to take the initiative. If your kitchen is filthy and you never clean it, it will take longer to cook your dinner. Cleaning is simply and so obviously a way of maintaining cleanliness. As a restaurant employee years ago, we were constantly reminded to 'clean as you go', but I'm amazed at how many workplaces don't think about their staff in the same way.

How to keep the dirt clean
There are a couple of things anybody could do at work to avoid animosity and turn gossip into constructive criticism. Because we are very emotional beings, these steps may require some effort to implement. Here they are:

1) ALWAYS communicate as if you are going on record. I carefully craft my words when communicating in different work environments and speak as if they are standing right in front of me. I imagine their face when reacting to what I say and expect to turn a scowl into a smile by what I say. It simply works because it forces you to be professional, sincere and pleasant. I write emails the same way. This step can help you avoid getting fired as well.

2) Offer suggestions for improvment. After discussing the problems, offer solutions with whomever you are talking to so you can have an intelligent conversation.

3) Communicate with those directly involved. Think about how you are going to bring up the topic before you do it and consider all outcomes, then be sure to bring your solutions to the person in question. He or she might initially be upset, but the outcome should be positive. If not, go higher; some people just cannot be reasoned with by peers - they need to hear it from higher up. BUT, never threaten them with an ultimatum, just mention you would like to help resolve the problem.

4) Sensitive or private information should either be challenged or ignored. You can ask the 'reporter' where they got their information, but you may never be able to say anything about it ever again. Also, be careful of who you discuss it with - some information should just be left alone.

Help promote a healthy workplace by cleaning up the dirt as you go, or leave it in the sandbox.

What to do When You Like What You Do, But don't Like What's Around You (A Case Study in Conflict Resolution)

I Like what I do. Well, good for me, right? But, there are times when I run into problems at work I wish would just dry up and blow away. Pressure from deadlines & scheduling, and problems with new team members who don't fully know the workings of the organization can create overwhelming feelings for almost anybody. Although I am generally an effective communicator, I sometimes need to come up with custom solutions to unique situations as they arise.

Poor interdepartmental communication can be very frustrating to deal with on a daily basis, especially when a new person takes over an existing position and they make questionable decisions right off the bat, without getting to know the people they affect when they make those decisions. Perhaps it's a case of the new person not being fully trained or perhaps they want to introduce new policies to demonstrate their value, leadership and initiative.

Recently, I found myself in a situation where the protocol had changed without me being informed. This lead to feelings of resentment and inferior teamwork but I didn't let it get to the point of poor productivity, although even that crept in a little bit on it's own as a result. The initial problem was that of poor communication which had a domino effect on my livelihood, including major scheduling problems and fewer opportunities; not to mention reduced profit. A revolution was indeed in progress.

A few months went by as I maintained a very patient appearance in order to identify what the actual problem was and to remain rational about the whole thing so I could solve it effectively on my own. All too often, I've seen people react very impulsively in similar situations only to make matters worse - something I've trained myself to avoid from many years of field work. To me, this situation was like a puzzle I had to solve rather than get frustrated and throw the pieces on the floor in a fit of rage (rash decisions are often a bad idea as very little can be learned from them).

After careful analysis, I decided that the best thing to do to maintain a high level of professionalism and effective teamwork, was to approach the person and tell them face to face how the new policies they chose to introduce were affecting me and how I was used to a certain way of working with the company. It is important to know that I did so in a very rational manner, while showing I was serious about my work (any flaring tempers would have ruined the whole situation).

My goals were simple: get them to understand my situation on a personal level, comprehend my way of thinking and work with me to provide solutions to the situation. The result: success! By communicating rationally, I discovered what the real problem was and I was able to work out a solution which I was happy with. Teamwork has since improved a great deal.

I should note that a formal meeting was planned to help resolve the situation, but it never happened. So, I took the initiative to solve the problem myself. I can't say that this way of approaching a problem is the solution for every work-related issue, but it sure beats letting problems fester. Also, note that I have been practicing and evolving this way of approaching problems at work for over 20 years. My goal has always been to have a great team to work with no matter where I am working and I have always found ways to maintain a highly effective team, whether I was boss or not.

If anything can be learned from this blog entry it is this: finding a solution to a work-related problem means properly identifying the problem and communicating, on a personal level, with those who have created the problem; and don't always wait for a formal meeting.

If the situation cannot be resolved and you can't work like that, it may be time to make a change or the unresolved issue will probably fester, possibly leading to jadedness, animosity, lowered productivity, poor teamwork and low staff morale. If you're going to work anyway, why not try to improve a work situation rather than let it go downhill? It's important to like what you do or do something you like to do.