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On The Bricks

July 18, 2018

As an employee, there are always things that we dislike about our boss. Because our boss is human and they don’t think exactly like we do. There is another aspect to this situation. Most people have no idea what it is like to be a boss. The responsibility. The demands. The questions and situations that do not have happy answers. They are real.

We need to be employees that consider what our boss has to do. And we need to be nice about it. And as a boss, there are ways to get the best out of people. The best bosses are not necessarily the smartest bosses. The best bosses are not necessarily the hardest working bosses. They are the ones who know how to get the most from their employees. And that has never been a whip that does that.

I read in the April 2018 Toastmaster magazine about the I.N.S.P.I.R.E. feedback model. Because all fantastic bosses listen to feedback from their peers, their bosses, and their employees. This method is supposed to help draw attention to performance issues, encourage mutual discussion, and confirm commitment to new behavior with short, specific conversations.

INITIATE. Initiate the conversation respectfully. Feedback is best received when you’ve been welcomed to provide it. Initiate conversations as close to the moment of concern as possible. Example: “I need to talk with you today. Is this a convenient time or would you prefer this afternoon?”

NOTICE. Share an observation about a behavior. “In listening to your calls, I’ve noticed you struggle to connect with the customer.”

SPECIFIC SUPPORT: Provide specific, supporting evidence you can actually see, such as, “When the customer told you he was calling to disconnect his line because his spouse had died, you said only that you would be happy to disconnect the line. You did not show empathy.”

PROBE: After you present the situation, the other person needs a chance to talk. As a question in a neutral, curious tone to allow them to share any relevant information. “What happened?” works and allows the person to share information or to own the situation.

INVITE: Once they had a chance to share their thoughts, invite the employee to solve the problem. Start with a review of the expectations and then, “What are your thoughts on how we can resolve this?”

REVIEW: As one or two open – ended questions to check for understanding, and then one close – ended question to secure commitment. Like “How would your results be better if you did that every time?” and “Is this your commitment going forward?” Ask the employee to review their specific commitment, “Let’s recap what you’ll do next time, when you’re faced with a similar situation.”

ENFORCE: Enforce the behavior and why it’s important while reinforcing your confidence that the employee can do this. “I appreciate you taking the time to make this happen” or “Thank you for your work and commitment.”

Seems like good advice for all of us. In work. And with our family.

Hope to see you at the Fajita (chicken), Margarita (virgin), Loteria (bingo) night on July 22. It’s $10 a plate with the proceeds going to Main Street Guymon and the Loteria cards are $1 a game, with ½ going to the winner and ½ to Main Street Guymon. The fun starts at 4 and ends at 7 pm. It takes place at the RC Party Room, 5th and Main.

And Friday evening is our Summer Aggie Family Pot Luck and Game Night with the OPSU Football players who are here this summer. If you would like to join, bring some food and your favorite game. We meet at 6 pm at the OPSU ballroom. For more information call Melyn at 338-6246.

See you on the bricks!