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The 60-Second Consultant

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Newsletter Archive

#4: 9 April 2008

Donald Trump and the Dusty Laborer

By Timothy Bentley

Three luxurious condo towers are under construction, overlooking the blue ocean north of Miami.

On the hoardings against the sidewalk, an immense sign advertises "The Visionaries" who were wise enough to invest in the apartments.

You can recognize their enormous photographs from blocks away: Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and others.

At that spot, at four o'clock every afternoon, something quite remarkable happens.

Ironic Juxtaposition

Hundreds of construction workers stream out of the half-complete buildings to wait for a bus and go home. They stand exhausted, hardly speaking, with their hardhats, dusty clothes, and empty lunch buckets.

They're tiny, compared to the clean, fresh Visionaries above them in their suits and ties. But these anonymous laborers, mostly black or Hispanic, whose photographs will never appear on a hoarding, are also potentially the visionaries of the towers.

We'll return to them in a moment.

Feedback Does Change The Picture

People sometimes ask me and my colleagues, with apprehension, whether 360-degree feedback might provide some dissatisfied worker the opportunity to hurl abuse at the boss. Could it undermine the very structure of the workplace, the respect, the deference, that holds people metaphorically under their bosses?

The answer is that in extremely rigid workplaces, such a possibility exists.

In settings where truth cannot be told without repercussions, frank feedback can change the equation. Wherever people's wisdom has been ignored, dialog can shake things up. The towers of power will not tumble, but they will be changed.

Which is exactly why progressive companies use 360-degree feedback. They want to encourage the free flow of ideas. They want their leaders to understand how effective their efforts are, not just hear easy platitudes.

They value a workplace of continuing growth. They trust an open atmosphere, where information flows freely, not restricted to certain authorized channels.

They recognize that such a workplace has a major competitive advantage.

They also realize that those who best know the skills and weaknesses of managers are often the very people who report to them.

Feedback Trumps Rigidity

Glance again at the construction workers, as they clamber into the bus, looking forward to a cleansing shower and dinner.

Most of them would never think to abuse Mr. T or Mr. C., their Visionaries.

But if someone offered them an opportunity for anonymity, they might be willing to say whether their leaders appear to understand the needs of the work site.

Whether they are treated decently.

Whether they are safe.

Whether anyone listens to their suggestions for improvement or greater productivity.

Feedback can help towers rise a little faster. It can increase their profitability. It can improve the quality of workmanship, meaning fewer costly complaints later.

And it can increase the satisfaction of labor, both for workers and for bosses.

That's how the construction workers can be truly visionary.

#3: 26 March 2008

Well-Meaning Company Shoots Manager In Foot

By Timothy Bentley

A few years ago, a leading company asked us for help with their 360-degree feedback process. To everyone's surprise, it was neither lifting morale nor inspiring the participants. Quite the opposite.

The company had invested generously to design the perfect feedback system. The crowning glory - supposedly - was that it delivered the final report directly to the employee's desktop, thus maintaining perfect confidentiality.

And that was the problem.

Picture it. The report arrives on the employee's screen: beautifully-designed, comprehensive, and frank. This is a pure and private moment for reflection.

Happily, the feedback reflects the employee to be a smart and skillful worker.

But on page 9 there's a comment from a peer, who says the employee's communication skills need work. It's an honest observation, delivered without hostility.

Guess which piece of information arrives like a kick in the stomach? Which opinion keeps the employee awake that night?

Over the next few weeks, for no obvious reason, the employee's morale slips, and productivity slides. Depression sets in, accompanied by anger. "I bet no one else got such a bad report." "Who said that about me, anyway?" "If they don't think I can communicate, that's their problem."

It's an over-reaction, of course. But it's all too human, and when people are isolated, entirely predictable.

Fortunately, there is a readily available solution. No more direct-to-desk delivery.

Ditch the exaggerated privacy. Make sure everyone receives their 360 report in the company of another human being.

The ideal person to hand over the report might be an experienced 360 coach, or an HR, OD, or training specialist.

But in many organizations, that job belongs to the boss. She or he asks a few straightforward, positive questions. "So, how do those comments in the report strike you?" "What areas do you think you need to work on?" And "What are you already doing really well?"

Employee and manager spend a few minutes creating a self-development plan for the year to come. The employee exits the debrief with a sense of support and self-confidence.

That's the kind of human encounter that determines whether the 360 process provides a bullet in the foot, or a dynamic boost for everyone.

#2: 12 March 2008

The Law Of Two Slips

By Timothy Bentley

The weather during the past few weeks has been icy and mean.

I was out for my usual morning walk, striding along with great confidence, when suddenly I found myself on my hands and knees.

I think of myself as a pretty stable guy, so I didn't enjoy that closeup view of a slippery sidewalk. But I brushed myself off, and kept going.

Three days later, I was walking down our frozen back lane. A car was backing toward me, but the driver spotted me and stopped. Good thing too, because next moment I was lying on my side on a treacherous stretch of ice.

The driver put her head out the window and asked, "Are you OK?"

"Oh, I'm fine," I replied cheerfully, as I struggled to my feet, not far from her back wheels.

Learning Gradually

Physically, it was true: I was fine. But inside, I was mad!

Why did it take two hard falls, negative feedback from my sore wrists and hip, plus a close encounter with the back end of a car, before I adapted my over-confident gait to my wintry circumstances?

And what, you might be asking, does this story have to do with 360-degree feedback?

Well, there is no doubt that you will get abundant positive results from your very first use of 360. Many participants will study their reports and make positive changes right away.

But there are plenty of people in your organization who, like me, have to receive feedback two or three times before insight entirely overcomes their obstinacy. It takes a while to recognize that they can make changes, and be the better for it.

Consistency And Growth

360-degree feedback is not a flashy, one-time intervention. To get full results, it needs to become part of the culture, part of the organization's strategic plan.

Only then, will all the benefits of feedback become available to your participants. Relationships between key players will become more trusting and supportive. The entire organization will function at a higher level.

As in any human development process, you have to be committed for the long haul. It's a law of nature.

Me? It took two slips, but I've learned to walk more sensibly. (And I'm sure looking forward to springtime!)

#1: 14 February 2008

360 And Backfire Shock

By Timothy Bentley

Remember the last time you heard a car backfire? It probably scared you. "Who's shooting at me?" People have the same kind of fear about feedback.

We've all seen individuals suddenly, without warning, explode at someone with whom they're upset. If that's feedback, it certainly gives feedback a bad name. It's frightening.

So if you're planning to bring 360-degree feedback into your workplace, there's reason to wonder whether people will embrace it, or run for the hills.

The key answer to that concern is two words: executive leadership.

Feedback Vs Culture

Let's face it, frank feedback is not valued in every organization. It feels safer to tell people whatever we guess they want to hear. If we see an individual going off the tracks, it's tempting to avert our eyes and say nothing.

And it's definitely more comfortable not to hear loud scary noises from other people about changes they think we should make.

That's why organizations formalize feedback. It allows them to control it, with feedback coming from only one direction, from responsible manager to subordinate.

When you invite feedback from all directions, it can be a shock to the organization. People get anxious about what they will hear.

Responders worry about crossing the thin line between honesty and brutality. And they wonder whether they'll be punished for being frank.

Ask Your Leaders To Lead

So if you want employees to give their trust and dedication to feedback, your leaders must put their reputations to work.

They should take every opportunity to explain that feedback is not the flavor of the month, but a policy that will make the workplace more productive and satisfying.

Generally, 360-degree feedback is most successful when the first people to use it are the executive group. That provides more credibility than a thousand well-crafted memos.

And when leaders talk about their own experience with feedback, it has tremendous positive power: "I got feedback from the people around me. I thought it would be upsetting. But they told me honestly where I needed to improve my skills, and now I'm working on it."

Hearing that, even employees who are easily frightened by loud noises, are likely to give 360-degree feedback an honest try.

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