We are sometimes called upon to rally our peers and teams to something that we already know won’t be popular. It’s not a fun feeling and challenging for sure.
One of our Intentional Leader clients recently reached out with that type of challenge. The following situation is based upon his situation. Details have been changed to maintain confidentiality.
“Last Thursday, my director made the decision that we were going to work a half day on Saturday. Since it was a last minute decision, it did not go over well with many of the effected teams. I was given the task of organizing the work and communicating the decision with directors and managers (who were not happy with me).”
“In order to try to avoid this “last minute” issue in the future, I suggested to the head of operations that we automatically plan to work a half-day on Saturday. The agreement would be that if Saturday work is not needed, we would let everyone know by Thursday at noon. The decision would be final.”
“I am now heading a meeting with managers, directors, and other company leadership to come to an agreement on how to move forward. After this past Thursday, I know people are upset and may be resistant to my suggestions.”
“How do I approach this sensitive subject of taking people’s off time and convincing other managers, directors, and supervisors to motivate their employees to go along with it?”
This is certainly a challenging situation. The following are the approaches I recommended to him:
- Show up to these discussions with a genuine interest in what others have to say and how they are feeling and be in the mode of asking questions. Even if the direction for the group is already determined. Allow folks to speak, listen, acknowledge what you’re hearing and ask follow-up questions so that you convey the message that you’re with them, they are important and they have a say.
- Remember that you’re there to serve them and the organization and not to necessarily please them. Not everyone will be pleased with the outcome. Go in with an attitude of “It’s not about me” and “I’m here to serve.”
- Define the bigger “why” or purpose of the whole discussion and why working on Saturday’s is important. Don’t stop at the first “why”. With every answer you get ask the follow up…”why is that important?” Ask it up to five times. The goal here is that everyone will agree on the “why.” An example of the five “whys” might be…
- “We need to catch up on production” – Why is that important?
- “Our customers are depending on the delivery” – Why is that important?
- “Their customers need the product.” – Why is that important?
- “It’s cough and cold season” – Why is that important?
- “Our product is an affordable option for families with sick kids”
- Have the group define success with the question, “What does success look like?” Work with them to create as clear a picture as possible of this outcome and even a timeline for when this outcome will be achieved.
- Once you have the above two agreed upon, then you can go into the “how” of getting to success. If the “how” remains the same (i.e. working a half day on Saturdays), go into your agreement setting process. Questions like, “What do you need to commit to it?” or “What support do you need to make it happen?” (Email support@brilliancewithincoaching.com to request an awesome resource on creating agreements like this)
Leading can be rewarding and fulfilling and it can also be tough. Unfortunately, too many leaders aren’t willing to do the hard stuff. How about you? What “hard stuff” have you done recently and what advice do you have for others who might face a similar situation? Share your comments below.
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