Can you adapt?

Can you adapt?

This week in my leadership class, I read a very interesting chapter on adaptive leadership. The chapter discussed how well a manager is able to get his or her followers to adapt when faced with obstacles, changes, challenges, or problems.

As I read the chapter, I mentally assessed my own abilities to encourage my followers to adapt to changes and thought about the creative methods I often employ when I really want their buy in without me having to do a lot of “selling”. After completing my own mental evaluation of myself, I thought for quite a long time about how unadaptable I am as an employee. While I have always been a person that has been eager to take on new and challenging tasks and assignments, I have also been one who fears changes.

Part of my fear is rooted in my need to be in control. When the outcome of a situation cannot be reached by me directly, I develop a sense of anxiety, which in the end makes me less productive. As I thought more and more about this, I realized that in order for me to overcome this inability to easily (and willingly) adapt to new changes, I have to learn to trust my supervisor’s leadership. After all, when I am employing changes within my departments, a lot of the presentation to my team includes several reminders of their ability to trust me.

This mental contemplation helped me to not understand myself, but to also understand what my staff maybe experiencing when I am presenting changes to them. I had never considered that they may also be dealing with anxiety and fear, as I have always assumed that their lack of enthusiasm about some changes was rooted in their dislike of learning new things. If I am honest with myself, sometimes I just am not mentally in a place where I am ready to learn new things either.

I have learned this week that adaptive leadership requires a leader to be able to help people change which may include helping them to understand the reasons why changes are needed. This should also include the honest conversation about how rocky the road of change may become. The leader must be proactive, strategic, and thorough in his efforts to motivate his team. The leader’s behaviors are most important when demonstrative adaptive leadership.

In the majority of my situations, I now realize that I did not have confidence in my leader, and feared that he may not have known what he was doing or where he was actually leading our team. His behaviors were convincing that he believed in himself and he was unable to answer many of the questions asked of him when changes were being brought down the pipelines. This left me fearful of my own abilities to perform well, because I did not feel as if I was receiving adequate guidance from my leader.

Keeping this in mind, I understand even more now, the importance of ensuring that my behavior demonstrates confidence so that my staff can feel safe in knowing that I am leading them down the right paths. This also builds trust. If I am able to prove that I know what I am doing as their leader, they will be more confident in following my leadership.

Similarly, I have to also keep in mind how much support I must give to those who are hesitant to get on board as well. As much as I feel that I need support in similar challenging situations, I have to also ensure that I give an even greater amount of support to my followers, since I know firsthand how difficult it may be to adapt to new changes.

In order to support and build staff confidence, a leader has to demonstrate that he is knowledgeable, experienced, and most importantly not afraid. The leader must show confidence in order for his followers to have the same. Being available to provide guidance and direction to employees also makes them feel more comfortable and helps to build trust that as they head down the road of the “unknown” that they know you have their back and that you will not stand by and just allow them to fail. After all, the fear and anxiety associated with change derives from the fear of failing.

Adaptive leadership requires the leader to know ins and outs of the game plan prior to giving it to his followers. He should be prepared for questions and show enthusiasm about the changes being made. Building trust and confidence are the key factors in successfully assisting followers to adapt to changes. If a follower is not able to trust their leader, and does not have the confidence that their leader will lead them in the right direction, then he will most likely not be able to perform at his best.

Servant Leadership  

These two words coupled are becoming more common and more popular among business leaders in Corporate America. Before 2016, I personally had never heard of servant leadership. As I began advancing in my own career, I began hearing the two terms used together as a pair more frequently. The terms signify a type of leadership that puts others first. The term “servant” can be defined as a person who performs a duty or service for other people. The term “leadership” if often defined as the position or act of a leader. Together, these two terms refer to the leadership style where leaders serve their followers.  

I have been reading a book for my leadership class titled, “The Learning of Love: A Journey Toward Servant Leadership”. This book was written by William B. Turner of Columbus, Georgia. Part of the reason why I have this book to begin with is because I attended a workshop many years ago where it was being given out for free.  Because I am also from Columbus, Georgia I thought I would give the book a read. This book has given me a great viewpoint to servant leadership and helped me to better understand the intention of this leadership style.

In the book, Turner describes how he had great role models who were leaders in his family. His father and grandfather were known in Columbus for running successful million dollar companies such as the W.C. Bradley Company and Columbus Bank and Trust (CB&T) which was later renamed as Synovus Financial Corporation. His family was well known in the Columbus, Georgia area and were successful in completing numerous community projects. In this book, he describes servant leadership as the leader being at the bottom in an effort to support those individuals who actually perform the work. I enjoyed reading this book because as a successful owner of many businesses, he gave all of the praise to his workers and made them feel as though they were of such value to his company.

As I read this book, I have to compare the information to how much of a servant leader I currently am to how much of a servant leader I wish to be. By reading this book and taking in the information I am learning from my leadership class, I have realized that I am not that much of a servant leader as I desire to be. When I completed the Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SQL) this week as a homework assignment, I was a little disappointed at the results. The result revealed to me that I lack in my efforts to give back to the community and in the area of empowering others. Because my results were what I considered to be low, I have made these two areas goals of which I plan to advance in.

As I look at my current role, I can clearly see how I lack in empowering others. The textbook from my leadership course defines empowering as the freedom to be independent. The book suggests that managers empower their subordinates when they allow them to make decisions on their own and have their own level of control. I struggle with this greatly. The managers that report to me are responsible for making decisions regarding the lives of young adults. If the wrong decisions are made, the result of making a poor decision could mean citations, fines, or even program closure.

I have never worked under the leadership of anyone who has exhibited this style of leadership so I have not been able to witness firsthand what this may look like or even feel like. I am a believer of treating employees well, so learning to demonstrate servant leadership will not be that hard of an adjustment to make. I also believe that when employees are treated well, they are more likely to become devoted to the work they perform and will most likely demonstrate loyalty toward their teammates or supervisor.

Servant leadership will help companies with retention and with motivating employees. It is a method that supervisors could use to boost employee morale. It makes the employee feel valued and like what they offer to the company is appreciated. It puts the supervisor is a very humbling position. This makes the employee feel like an equal when working with their superiors on assignments. There is a huge difference in feeling like you are working with someone versus when you feel like you are working for someone. When you feel that you are working with someone, you feel that you are an equal part of the team and that your contributions are significant toward the end result.

Servant leadership can also be viewed as a biblical principal. Below are a few scriptures from the Holy Bible that support the servant leadership style. Below the scriptures, you can also find a short Biblical video clip on Servant Leadership.

Matthew 20:26
It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Matthew 23:11
The greatest among you shall be your servant.

Mark 9:36
Then He had a little child stand among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them,

Mark 10:43
But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant.

Mark 10:44
and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all.

Luke 22:26
But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.

Servant Leadership (short video)

Motivating Followers - Can you do it?

Motivation
The dictionary defines motivation as “the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way”. As a manager in the workplace, it is often quite difficult to identify these reasons. Sometimes, the employee may not even know what motivates him or her. In my Leadership course this week, we explored the Path-Goal theory which contends that followers motivation is believed to be dependent upon the leadership style and behaviors of their manager.

I want to discuss this theory a little more in detail. This theory suggests that motivation plays a major part of employee performance. It also suggests that the leader’s behaviors plays a major part in employee motivation. The Path-Goal theory defines four leadership behaviors that impact the productivity of employees or followers. The behaviors are directive, supportive, participative, and
achievement oriented. I believe wholeheartedly in this theory and believe that I have been able to switch between these styles in different situations in my current role. To help readers of this blog to understand and identify the differences of each leadership behavior or style, I will share examples of how I have exhibited each behavior in different scenarios that occurred in my workplace.

Directive Leadership
This leadership style gives clear instructions to followers and includes exactly what is expected of them.

Example: In my role as a senior leader, I have five middle level managers that report directly to me.
They have been reporting to me that there are issues with hiring staff to fill the currently vacant positions for hours that are needed on the weekends. The example I would like to share of how I demonstrated directive leadership is that I advised the manager of the direct care staff to develop new staffing patterns that would consist of schedule changes to cover the hours that are currently vacant. This could mean developing 10, 12, or 16-hour shifts on the weekends with fewer hours during the week. This could also mean that she conduct a series of group interviews directly instead of waiting for Human Resources to do them as a way to expedite the hiring of new staff. The decision and method of solving this problem was left completely up to the manager. I advised that I would be available to help problem solve if she needed me and gave her 30 days to come up with a solution to this issue.

Supportive Leadership
This leadership style ensures that the follower’s well-being and human needs are taken into consideration. Managers are friendly and approachable when exhibiting this style of leadership.

Example: I manager Case Managers who are responsible for conducting admission meetings with new youth being placed in our programs. The admissions process usually takes about three hours to complete. As a child caring institution, we are expected to accept admissions 24 hours a day. The Case Managers conduct meetings and meet with youth daily and throughout each day. When an emergency admission occurs, I make sure that I am supportive of the Case Manager in the best way that I can. Sometimes, I will conduct the admission for them. I might also just assist them with the paperwork or intake process. Other times, I have adjusted their upcoming deadlines to accommodate for them having to conduct a last minute and unplanned admission. When an admission must occur after hours, I make sure that I stay as late as they do so that it does not feel that they are left there
while the rest of the office is gone home. I adjust my duties and become an assistant to them during the admissions process, while allowing them to still take the lead on the admission but also showing them that I am there and that we are a team.

Participative Leadership
This leadership style allows followers to have input toward important decisions.

Example: Last week, I met with the Program Coordinator and discussed the need for staffing
assignments to be changed. One of our program has youth who are housed in three separate cottages. Each shift has one supervisor assigned to oversee the operations of all three cottages. This method of operating has presented many challenges over the last few years. One of the suggestions I made was to hire a third supervisor and assign one supervisor to each cottage. The supervisor would work a split shift so that first and second shifts have supervisory oversight. Before making this change, we sat and had open discussions with the two current supervisors to hear their thoughts about the suggested change. They provided their input and suggestions of how to implement such changes and
ensure that the plan was successful. We took their ideas and suggestions into consideration and made final decisions based on their feedback of where they felt staff should be assigned and how the new way of operating should flow.

Achievement Oriented Leadership
This leadership style challenges staff or followers to work to their full abilities. This style sets high
expectations and then motivates staff to meet them.

Example: Case Managers are responsible for caseloads of twelve youth. Each youth must remain current on their medical and dental appointments. They must attend school daily. The case manager is responsible for ensuring that appointments are met and that the youth attend school every day. They must also conduct two face to face meeting with the youth and hold a monthly meeting for each youth that includes all parties involved in the youth’s case. This is a lot of work! I have set expectations that there must be 100% compliance in each of these areas, since  these are areas where the state of Georgia also expects there to be 100% compliance. To assist them with meeting these goals, I meet weekly with them during supervision meetings and check in with the progress for the month. I often try to give them suggestions on how to increase productivity so that they are sure to meet these monthly goals.

I believe that the use of these four leadership behaviors are surely to motivate youth. The theory
states that the style used may work for one situation but not necessarily all situations. A leader must know which style to employ and when to apply it.

Leadership & Retention

This week, I reviewed an article titled, Leadership’s Role in Employee Retention. I found it to be an on time read for me because retention is an area of leadership where many leaders seem to struggle, including myself. The article suggests that retention is related to ineffective leadership. It suggests that turnover can be decreased by managers developing active relationships with their subordinates. By doing this, staff feel like they are a piece of the overall picture. The belief is that the influence that a manager has over his or her subordinates is the reason that the staff either stays or leaves their job.

I can totally agree with this viewpoint. As I was reading the article, I began to reflect on the relationship that I have with my manager and how it influences my performance. I then began to think about previous managers I have had and how the relationship might have impacted my performance in previous roles. I can agree with this notion because when I felt that I have a positive and active relationship with my supervisor, I went over and beyond, as I felt like my role was more of partnership with my manager. When I felt like I was just a subordinate to my manager, although in a leadership position, I found that I was less enthused and often felt like I was working to earn or keep a position within the company, which lead to continued feelings of exhaustion and stress.

The article also contends that it is important that managers ensure that their staff fit the roles they are assigned. Turnover is directly related to inadequate staffing if staff are put in roles or given assignments that they may not have the abilities to effectively perform. This might also be seen as a setup for failure if there is not sufficient training being provided along with the expectations of assigned roles. The matching of the staff and the role is the responsibility of the leader. Although the staff has a small responsibility in communicating whether or not they feel if they can perform adequately in the role they are assigned, it is the overall responsibility of the manager and a good manager will ensure that the person fits the role.

I believe it works against a company’s goal, vision, and mission to place employees in positions in which they have not proven to be capable of performing. The employee will not gain satisfaction from this type of ineffective leadership and will not work for a long period of time in a role of which they feel inadequate to perform. A satisfied employee will work harder and longer for a company and will most likely only leave the company if their personal lives begin to conflict with the job. Ensuring employee satisfaction is one of the best ways to retain staff and improve retention and turnover rates.

When an employee has a good working and active relationship with his or her manager, they are able to communicate more effectively. Effective communication allows for the employee and manager to exchange thoughts, ideas, and opinions about not only the work being performed, but about their professional relationship as well. When an employee can communicate effectively with their manager, they feel as though they are being heard and that together, they are contributing to the overall mission of the organization. This type of relationship gives the employee a sense of belonging and they see themselves as a piece of the puzzle. When employees feel like they play a significant role in the overall operations, they are more likely to remain with their company.

Keeping the goal of reducing turnover or improving retention in mind, managers should aim to ensure that they are actively engaged with their employees. They should hold one-on-one meetings with them and make sure that they feel included in improvements and changes made to better the work place. Managers should make an effort to let the employee know that their “piece of the puzzle” is essential to the success of the work environment and to meeting the company’s goals. When the employee feels valuable, they find satisfaction and see themselves as an important and relevant partner. They feel like they are an asset and worth something to the company and to their manager.

The overall message I received from the article was that staff want to be appreciated, feel included, and be satisfied with what they contribute to their employers. When they receive these important components, they will be less likely to leave their employers for reasons other than those that are beyond their control. They not only want to fit in at their workplace, but they also want to feel like their role is significant to the success of the company. They also want to feel like they have a good working relationship with their managers and they value each other. They active relationship piece is important because this is what motivates the employee to exceed performance expectations for their manager.

Reference:

Covella, G., McCarthy, V., Kaifi, B., & Cocoran, D. (2017). Leadership's Role in Employee Retention. Business Management Dynamics, 7(5), 1-15.

Perspective Taking: A Lesson Learned

Perspective Taking

In my role at my place of employment, I am responsible for overseeing the operations and administrative duties for group homes that provide services to youth ages 14 – 18. These youth have been identified as having severe emotional and behavioral challenges. The group homes are secured locked settings that limit free access and movement of youth and provide staff complete control over the living environment. The youth we service have experienced a significant amount of trauma in their pasts and as expected, they act out their feelings through aggressive and self-injurious behaviors. Because their needs are so severe, the guardians and placing agencies have decided that they require a living environment that provides maximum watchful oversight.

In my role, I supervise five middle managers who collectively supervise about 50 other individuals. The goal of each of the programs is to ensure that the youth we accept into the program are able to learn independent and daily living skills so that they are able to successfully transition back into the community. My expectation is that all staff, on every level, conduct services in a manner that ensures and takes into account the safety and well-being of the youth first. Some of the challenges that the middle managers face is that not all staff view safety and well-being the same way. Many of the staff do not have children of their own and some have never worked with youth with such severe needs; therefore, they lack the knowledge and understanding that is required in order to make sound decisions that are in the best interest of the youth and in line with the program’s goals.

Staff are trained to monitor and control their assigned environments. Staff engage daily with the youth and are able to quickly build a rapport. They begin to bend on the rules and underreport incidents as a way to “help” the youth and to show “compassion”. Staff misunderstand their roles and begin acting more like friends to the youth, failing to realize that the youth need consequences to their actions, structure, and guidance. By lowering their expectations for the youth, the staff are showing the youth that their behaviors are acceptable and that there is not a real need to change.

I had to learn to take the staff’s perspectives of their roles into consideration when trying to assist their managers in coaching them. They fail to realize that the youth have not had consistency, stability, structure or adequate parental guidance for most of their lives. They spend so much time with the youth that their boundaries and roles become blurred. They see their leniency as a way to help the youth move through the program, when in actuality, they are failing the youth.  Instead of addressing the staff’s underperformance, I had to spend time with them and observe their interactions with the youth. I began having brief one-on-one meetings with most of them in my efforts to understand why it appeared that they could not meet the expectations of their roles. I gained a lot of understanding by taking this step and helped me to shape my thoughts about the performance. There is a genuine concern for the well-being and safety of the youth and I can ascertain that the staff really do mean well. From the managerial standpoint, their behaviors look as if there are boundary issues and that the staff are unable to meet the expectations of their roles.

Perspective taking means that you are able to understand the perceptions or viewpoint of others, even when it may be different from that which you have always believed. This was an important lesson I had to learn. I have not always possessed the ability to take other’s perspectives into account and was used to only seeing things in the way that I believed to be right. If the performance of others looked differently that what I believed it should, then that person’s performance was wrong. It was not until I learned how to “put myself in others shoes” that I learned the importance of taking others viewpoints into consideration. It helps me to understand matters from a different level and teaches me to be more subjective.

In the situation described above involving my workplace, it is essential that managers be able to understand the perspectives of the staff. Although their perspective on their roles with the youth hinder the achievement of the youth’s program goals, the overall goal of ensuring safety and well-being is still achieved. In a sense, the staff are also exhibiting perspective taking by putting themselves in the shoes of the youth that they serve. Perspective taking is a great trait to possess because it also serves as a way to build relationships.

Below is a one-minute Youtube video that gives a quick example of how important it is to take the perspectives and considerations of others into account.

Superheroes Social Skills - Perspective Taking: