To Debrief Or Not To Debrief


That is never the question because the answer is always “debrief”.

After every presentation, workshop, seminar, keynote or lunch ‘n’ learn I give, I always take a few minutes to ‘debrief’ the work I have just completed. Few professionals do this on a regular basis, yet the 10 minutes spent pays off over and over again.

1.  What did I like about my communication seminar this morning?

  • It was a small group – just 13 people
  • We were in a small setting – more intimate and personal
  • Most actively played along with the task assigned
  • People were interacting with me and each other
  • It was very smooth – no significant interruptions even as breakfast was being served
  • Some had questions for me at the end – they were curious and eager to find out more

2.  What will I do next time?

  • Reconsider that 7:30am start!
  • If it is a larger group, split them up for the task
  • Pretty much exactly the same as I did this morning

See? Simple, positive, effective debriefing.

Action – Do you debrief after different tasks or activities to improve your performance and skill? If not, why not? If so, is it working for you?

It truly is easy (as shown above) and oh so valuable (as shown by the fact that I’ve been in business for almost 20 years doing exactly this debriefing process and improving my business results every time).

 

Facilitating Employee Work Performance

key-lockAs a manager, have you ever wondered why you or your employees may be inconsistent regarding work performance?

You may be scratching your head…you have hired people who have the expertise necessary to perform the job; you have given your employees on-going feedback; and you have provided your employees with acceptable working conditions.  What more is required?

Consider the following:

Effective managers are aware of their responsibility to challenge and develop their employees to think and act for themselves.  As well, good managers are interested in developing their employees’ strengths. Managers who care about their employees and want their employees to succeed will find that their employees are happier and more engaged.

Here are 10 strategies that can help elevate how you are viewed by your employees, impacting their level of consistent work performance:

  1. Share your personal knowledge and experience. Employees want to hear about your successes as well as your failures. Your employees want to know how you mastered the necessary skills to do your job.
  1. Encourage employees to learn from one another. Managers who encourage and create mechanisms for employees to exchange knowledge among each other foster a trusting environment. As well, peer mentoring can be an effective way for employees to motivate each other.
  1. Provide time for one-on-one, two-way discussions. Giving feedback in meaningful, one-on-one, two-way discussions provides the opportunity for you and your employee to share observations regarding the work environment. These informal discussions demonstrate to your employees that they are important.
  1. Conduct formal performance appraisals. During a formal performance appraisal, don’t just assess your employees’ performance. Take this time to ask your employees about their career goals. While these discussions can occur at any time, the formal appraisal ensures that they do happen.
  1. Facilitate learning. Employees learn by doing and managers must find the time and techniques to facilitate learning. Not only can employees be encouraged to learn new skills, but they could expand their general business knowledge and embrace the organizational culture.
  1. Consider self-awareness training. Self-awareness is important for your employees’ personal development. It is my fundamental tenet that your employees’ depth of self-awareness equals your employees’ breadth of success. Science backs this up.
  1. Respect the need for daily recovery. When employees are able to ‘unplug’ from work, they return to work feeling more refreshed. Finding the daily balance between engagement at work and detachment while at home benefits all.
  1. Monitor the number of daily negative events. Daily work events and daily turmoil can drive the emotional states of your employees. It is important to keep the number of negative events down, in order to minimize negative emotional states.
  1. Go with the flow. Like you, employees experience concentration fluctuation and find that some days are better than others. These concentration fluctuations have been shown to increase creativity and performance. Unless it becomes a problem, go with the flow.
  1. Relinquish some job control. When employees feel that they have control over their job, they will optimize their work environment. Managers must encourage employees to keep stretching and learning; and allowing them to make some decisions. Empowered employees become self-sufficient and confident workers.

My Way Or The Highway

It’s almost impossible to go head-to-head with someone and change their mind. Why? Well, one of the biggest reasons is that you’re fighting what’s known as a “confirmation bias”.

As children, we’re curious – always asking lots of questions. Then when we hit the teenage years, we start turning off questions and start turning on statements.

Instead of being open and curious, we start looking for people and information that will validate and confirm the opinions we’ve made. We discount outside data that contradicts what we think. And we think we’ve got the answers all figured out!

So if you’re trying to influence people to change their minds, you will have an uphill battle because you’re fighting what they believe they “know”.

Action – The easiest way to deal with this is to find some mutually shared ideas with the other person as a stepping stone to concepts that may contradict their confirmation bias.

They Keep Interrupting Me!


The fact of the matter is you will get interrupted at the office. And it’s up to you to manage how and when others are allowed to interrupt you.

Action – So, establish some boundaries by classifying the type of interruptions you’ll allow into one of four categories:-

Class A interruptions are for issues you must be involved in. These are the only interruptions you’ll tolerate.

Class B interruptions are for issues that need less than a ten-second reply. People can bank up to 10 of these and meet with you once during the day.

Class C interruptions are for things that could go to someone else in the office. You do not have to be involved in everything.

And Class D interruptions are for things that could be resolved if people researched the information easily available somewhere else.

Remember though, this system is effective only if you apply it consistently and fairly.

Teacher, Teacher


William Arthur Ward said:

The mediocre teacher tells.
The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.

If we swap the word “manager” for “teacher”, what kind of manager would you be?

You’re a mediocre manager if you simply tell your staff what and when to do something.

You’re a good manager if you explain how something needs to be done but explanations actually stifle creativity.

And you’re a superior manager if you walk your talk in all your attitudes and actions.

However, you’re a great manager if you inspire others. Great managers open the floodgates of confidence, motivation and innovation for their teams by encouraging and coaching.

Action – I’m sure someone you know stands out as a great manager. How can you model their behavior and mindset?

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