What type of employee are you?

Over my career, I’ve had all different types of employees. Some have been very independent while others need a great deal of attention to perform. While everyone needs direction, not everyone needs a detailed to do list. Understanding what your employee needs is key to both their and your success. On the flip side, you need to understand what kind of employee your boss wants you to be. What does s/he respond to- your independence or your attentive behavior?

I prefer a team that is more independent than not. I consider my leadership role as the conductor. I make sure the team all knows where we are going, following the traffic signals and remove any potential obstacles that get in their way.  What does that mean exactly? I can help an employee problem solve to a resolution they might not have considered. Or if a team member is taking longer than expected on a project because they don’t have all the information they need, I can make a couple calls to uncover the missing data.

Where do I draw the line? Interpersonal conflict. I am not a therapist, counselor or parent. I will not step in the middle of a conflict between teammates. Each employee is responsible for their own relationships. I once had an employee, Jack*, in a conflict with a coworker. He didn’t feel as though Sally* respected him. Jack asked me to “tell Sally to respect me.” I almost rolled my eyes. If you have gone to your boss and said something like this, I want you to think about how immature that sounds. This employee just told me he can’t earn a coworker’s respect and wasn’t up for trying to fix the problem on his own. Admitting you don’t have a great relationship is one thing, but wanting your boss to fix your problem is a whole other issue. What would I have responded better to? “I don’t think Sally respects me because she didn’t get me the project completed on time as I requested. I feel like I have tried several things to build the relationship, but nothing is working. What are your thoughts on how I can change the situation?” This is something that would have worked with me. I could brainstorm with the employee. Maybe share observations about his behavior that could be creating the problem. My goal would be to give him the tools to solve his problem on his own. Think about your boss, what message you are sharing and consider his/her response before having the conversation. On the flip side, I know many bosses who enjoy handling their team’s interpersonal problems.

How do you need to change your approach to match your boss’s preferences? What is your style? How do you communicate your style with your team?

*Names are changed to protect the privacy of employees

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com. 

Interview feedback

I recently interviewed someone for an open position I had. I’ll call this candidate “Susan” for the sake of the candidate’s privacy. Susan had a great background and had many of the skills I needed for the role I was trying to fill. I was excited to meet her in person. Once Susan came into the office, it quickly became apparent that Susan was one-dimensional in her career. She had worked for the same company for twenty years and didn’t have an opinion or skill set outside of that particular company’s methodology. I pushed her with several questions to think differently. Unfortunately, Susan seemed trapped in her old company’s paradigm. Susan had been laid off from that company over a year ago. She had nothing to fill the gap on her resume and continued down the only path she knew.

Although I didn’t hire Susan, I did provide Susan with feedback. How many other job opportunities had passed her by because she didn’t get that direct feedback? As a manager, or potential employer, how does it benefit you to not give feedback? How can feedback help both you and the candidate? What is your track record with difficult conversations?

For more information about career coaching go to www.katekibler.com

Don't be a wimp

I used to be a wimp. As a young person, giving feedback on performance or interpersonal issues made me uncomfortable. If someone did something I didn't like, I would let it slide unless it was a big issue. As I matured, I became a little braver. The real turning point for me was a leadership development class I took. My boss at the time strongly believed in leadership development and sent all of her direct reports to this course. I wasn't so excited about a class like this. What could they teach me in a week that would change the way I think, work or lead?

I went to a week-long Leadership Development Program (LDP) at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) in Greensboro North Carolina. There were several modules to the program including giving and receiving feedback, coaching, gaining perspective, and more. The ones I mentioned are the ones that remain top of mind years later. For me, the most transformative session was the one regarding feedback. I learned how to give and receive feedback objectively and without emotion. This skill changed my career and the careers of those around me for the positive. Objective, constructive, honest feedback can transform a team or organization. Obviously people like positive feedback. What has surprised me is that people appreciate negative feedback as well. After seeing the effects for all of these years, I would not classify myself as a feedback-a-holic.

For more information on CCL’s programs, go to:http://www.ccl.org/Leadership/

Learn more about the fashion industry from Career Coach Kate Kibler at: http://www.katekibler.com.