Managing Bytes

Performance Reviews - Be Prepared

2009-02-18T07:14:00.001-05:00

Liz Ryan writes in "Be Prepared: Annual Reviews Will Matter in '09" how potential future downsizing should make workers ensure that are prepared for the 2009 performance reviews. She offers some great tips about documenting your contributions and ensuring your manager is kept up to date on how you are contributing to the organization's success and adding value.

Based on my experience, workers that take the time to thoroughly document their performance are a minority. With the changes in the economy and resulting impact on companies business performance, it's essential that workers take a renewed interest in the organization's strategy and how it impacts the customer base as well as your own business commitments.

There are a number of tools available for documenting your activities. Choose one that works for you. I personally favor Microsoft's OneNote 2007. More importantly, when you document an activity make sure you state what the impact was either on your ability to provide new services or perhaps how it saved the organization money or increased customer satisfaction.

As always, my mantra is that you have no control over what a company will do in the future regarding your job, however, you DO have control over your own actions and preparation for improving your marketability to others.

Bobby

Accountability: Are You Part of the Problem or Solution?

2009-02-13T06:49:00.004-05:00

How many time have you heard excuses for a project not being on schedule or perhaps a report being late? Probably more then you care to think about it. The Rainmaker Group, in their blog, writes about restoring personal accountability in the workplace.

Managers sometimes think this is a prevalent issue in the workforce today and lament that today's workers just lack personal accountability. You could be part of the problem. As the leader of your organization, regardless of the size, you play a crucial role in establishing and driving a culture of personal accountability. So what can you do about it?

Recognize the signs that personal accountability may be lacking in your employees.

Excuses offered instead of solutions or workarounds to problems.
Constant complaining about other people or groups impeding progress.
Waiting to be told what to do instead of displaying initiative.
Doing the bare minimum to get by.
Asking or expecting others to do things that you should be taking care of.

The bottom line is that personal accountability starts with YOU! Take the time to give this topic some thought and how it applies to your situation. Make personal accountability a core value and don't just "talk the talk," but make sure you lead by example. Think about it this way: would you want a team of people that had your work ethic?

Make sure you check out the article by the Rainmaker Group. Good stuff!

Helping Your Employees During Troubled Times

2009-02-09T04:19:00.000-05:00

As a manager, one of your responsibilities is helping your directs navigate a course through the troubled economic times we’re all experiencing. Even if they still are employed don’t assume that they aren’t affected by the layoffs happening everywhere. Everyone can attest to knowing a relative, friend, or coworker that is scrambling to find another job and make ends meet at home. So if you’re a manager, you may be (or should be) asking yourself, “how can I help my team?” I’ve listed some thoughts I’ve had on this subject below. This is not an inclusive list but points out some of the ideas that have helped me in the past.

Honesty – this is not a time to spout a corporate line that all is well. In a global economy, EVERYONE and EVERY COMPANY is affected by marketplace conditions. Occupations such as healthcare, long thought to be immune to recessions, are being affected. Doctors and nurses are being let go because of the inability of people to pay their bills. Let your directs know that what their status is based on the information you have. Every employee wants to know where the organization stands. If you don’t know, say so.
More communications – Do you want to minimize gossip in the workplace? Then have more communications whether it’s an organizational meeting or one on one meetings. I recommend both. Keep the workers up to date on what is happening and what steps are being taken by senior management. Use the one on one’s to see if they have questions or need clarification on certain points. Get to know your employees better. Find out more about how they have been personally affected by the recession. You may not have an answer to all their situations but by actively listening, you show that you are concerned about them not only as workers but as individuals.
Self Development Plans – In my experience, employees rarely took enough time to develop a well structured self development plan. Even with an emphasis on submitting an annual career development plan, few people would take the time to develop a decent plan that can help them prepare for their next job. I always taught my directs that their only security is in their ability to perform. With the recent layoffs occurring, I sincerely hope that employees will take a renewed interest in improving the depth and breadth of their skills. As a manager, you have a responsibility to help them. This doesn’t mean that you write the development plan for them. But you can listen and offer helpful suggestions. In my opinion, this also requires you, as a manager, to take a broader view of their development. As a valued resource, you naturally want to help them succeed within the organization. Sometimes, it is necessary for an individual to leave the organization to get additional experience and continue their development. If you truly care for an individual, you will not hold them back. For me, it’s putting the individual first. The organization will survive.

Feeling Distressed About Workplace Layoffs?

2009-01-28T08:19:00.005-05:00

With the onslaught of company layoff's recently, many of my past associates have expressed concerns about their situation at work. Although upper management tries to quell the rumors with reassurances of security, when a layoff occurs it's only natural to think about your own situation and wonder if you could be next on the list. So what are some steps you can take to help alleviate this fear in the workplace?

Your only security is in your ability to perform. Recognize that companies, regardless of what they say, cannot offer job security. Companies will do whatever it takes to survive.
Being in debt makes you a slave to your job and reduces the options you may have after being laid off. Make sure your personal finances are in order and that you could survive if your income stopped. If you've run up a lot of credit card debt start taking steps to eliminate your debts. A lot of fear comes from wondering how you are going to continue debt payments after being out of work.
Dig out that resume and make sure it's updated with your recent accomplishments. Note the keyword here, accomplishments. Many people often write a boring resume that lists responsibilities. Make it action-packed! Instead of saying, "Responsible for organization operating budget," turn it around and say, "Managed organization budget and reduced operating expenditures by10%."
Make continuous learning an integral part of your life. In the hustle and bustle of work, it's easy to ignore your own personal development. In these times you cannot afford that luxury! Whether it's improving your current skills or learning something new, make this a priority in your life. A favorite question I would ask when interviewing job candidates is, "what have you done to improve yourself since joining company X?" More often then not, the candidate would mumble a lame answer.
Have a backup plan in place. Don't wait till the axe falls to start thinking about what you need to do. Go ahead and think about a worst-case scenario happening and what you would need to do. Do NOT dwell on this occurring. It's sensible to plan for different scenarios that may occur in your life. You don't want or need to spend all your brain cycles on these scenarios though.

Feel free to share some other ideas you may have to deal with fear in the workplace. Don't be shy! Your comment may just be one someone else needs to make a difference in their lives.

Layoff Survivors Having Post Traumatic Stress?

2009-01-26T04:54:00.004-05:00

Guilty and Stressed, Layoff Survivors Suffer, Too, by JoNel Aleccia, discusses how surviving a corporate layoff affects those employees remaining behind. Common symptoms include:

Increased stress because of picking up additional workload and wondering if you will be next.
Decline in morale
Lack of security and confidence that their job is safe

As a corporate manager I have had to lay people off and now, this is the second time that I have been laid off. Of the two, I would prefer to be the employee getting laid off.

When I'm the one getting laid off, I know my personal situation, my strengths, weaknesses, and have already formulated plans on how to recover. When I have to lay an employee off, I don't know how prepared they are for a life turning point of this magnitude. You can read their emotions very clearly in their eyes and often it's a gut wrenching experience for both of you.

Being laid off, I'm free to choose my next path and there is no feelings of survivors guilt, wondering if I'll be next.

Laid Off After 15 years

2009-01-24T23:10:00.000-05:00

Well, it happened. Rumours had been flying about layoffs at Microsoft for months. It finally came to pass Thursday. I was one of 1400 people whose positions were eliminated. Still another 3600 to go over the next 18 months.

I came around the corner and stopped at my door suddenly as my manager was there sitting down with tears in her eyes. Across from her, sat the HR representative. My immediate thought was "oh, crap." I sat down and they proceeded to let me know my position was eliminated. The rest of the meeting went quickly with references to the severance package. Like many others in a similar situation, I couldn't help thinking about what am I going to do. Fifty four years old and earning a a very good salary as a manager of field escalation engineers.

My manager and HR urged me to go home and return the next day to go back over the severance package. I drove home slowly, chain smoking cigarettes. Mary, my wife, was out visiting our grandson and daughter in law. I chose not to tell her that morning as I wasn't sure of her reaction and she has a heart condition. On the way home my daughter called to see how I was doing. I gave her the news and suggested her family come over to the house that night for dinner. It was great to have the kids come over and "circle the wagons."

All in all, I know I'm going to be ok. I'm taking some time to decompress and give some serious thought as to what is next in my life.

How to Self Destruct as a Manager

2009-01-04T09:06:00.000-05:00

There are many ways to sabotage your success as a manager. Many of these factors are under your control while other factors may be attributed to external forces. Listed below are ten ways (not inclusive, I’m sure there are many more ways to screw up) that can have negative consequences for you, your direct reports, and others that have to work with you.

Doesn't communicate

Ignores direct report development

Ignores their own development

Let's their hidden agenda drive their action

Ignores the business needs of the organization

Apathy

Plays favorites

Refuses to consider other perspectives

Treats people as commodities

Work-life balance is non-existent

These factors are not listed in any order. It may be worth your time to scan these and see which one(s) stand out in your mind. Feel free to reply with other ways you have seen managers impact their performance.

I'll treat each of these factors in more detail in upcoming posts. Thanks!

Are You Expendable?

2008-12-30T07:52:00.001-05:00

Too many people lead their professional lives in a dark closet, refusing to acknowledge that companies cannot provide people security. As a mentor told me early in my career, “your only real security is in your ability to perform.”

Do you think that you couldn’t be laid off? Hours cut back? That you can continue doing business as usual and that this recession doesn’t affect you? WAKE UP! This is the time when you need to critically examine the value you bring to the organization or your customers, if you are self employed. Ask yourself the following questions. Answer honestly and you may gain some measure of self-awareness that allows you to build a development plan to strengthen your marketability.

Are you viewed as an active contributor in your organization or “are you along just for the ride?” Workers that stay on mute or shrink back from voicing their opinions rarely get noticed. Employee engagement isn’t just a buzzword. It’s an absolute necessity that organizations have each employee contributing to solving today’s problems by generating ideas and thoughts.
What tangible results have you achieved? You don’t get points just for putting in 40+ hour work weeks. You’ll be viewed as much more valuable to the organization if you can state the results you achieved AND how it impacted the organization.
Do others know about your accomplishments? If you’re not meeting with your manager on a regular basis to discuss your performance and accomplishments, you are doing yourself a disservice and setting yourself up for a fall. Don’t assume that other people will notice if you just keep quiet. In today’s hectic environment, it’s not uncommon for managers to be pulled in multiple directions to the point where they are also overwhelmed and can’t keep track of your contributions. Don’t leave this chance.
What have you done to improve your skills? Are you keeping up with advancements in your field? Are you pursuing additional certifications or perhaps a graduate degree? If you are not striving to improve yourself, others will pass you by.
Are you perceived as a cynic or a grump in the workplace? Especially in stressful times, people want to be around positive workers, not around people who are likely to dampen the mood of the workplace.

There are many other factors that go into deciding who’s expendable. Some are not in your control but you CAN take charge of your life and make a conscious decision about your own fate.

Welcome to Managing Bytes!

2008-12-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Managing Bytes! As a front line manager in a large corporate environment, I am subject to catching flack from the bottom as well as the top. I've had the opportunity to be managing people for many years and will be posting my observations as well as things that have worked well for me as well as things that didn't work. I believe in continuous learning so feel free to add your own thoughts and comments. Thanks!