Our first salon November 5: What role does honesty play in organizational life?

Our first salon on November 5th will discuss the role that honesty plays in organizational life. These questions will serve as a starting point for our discussion:

• What role does honesty play in organizational life? 
• What is organizational honesty? 
• What action taken or not taken by your organization or someone in it would cause you to quit your job? 
• What is your “ethics line” and what is it for others in your organization?

Join us on November 5th at the ODDA office. To register, contact Joan at (203) 288-6688 or email jdcampbell@odda123.com. For more information, visit our website to read or download an overview.

ODDA introduces its 2010-2011 schedule of OD "Salons," gatherings for managers and leaders to explore common issues.

As leaders and managers, we spend much of our days dealing with the most pressing project or demand, occasionally taking time to think about strategy. We rarely have time to examine our underlying assumptions about organizational life or look at our conceptual models. Yet these assumptions and models drive our daily behavior, in turn creating experiences for those who work in our organizations.

Organizations are community creators and they have a profound influence on how well the world is moving toward a place of greatest good for the greatest number. In all three sectors of the economy (public, private, nonprofit), non-governmental organizations can move the fastest to make policy changes and choices that improve people’s lives.

How can we do that better? How can we better understand what it means to be a “good” organization? One way to do so is to stay in dialogue with other managers and leaders. Having regular discussions, in which our thinking is challenged and grows, is key to finding new and better ways to have a positive impact on our organizations, the people in those organizations, and the world.

To that end, Organizational Design & Development Associates will be hosting a series of organizational development “salons” – each formed around one question which a small group of managers and leaders will explore together.

For a schedule and list of topics, visit our website. If you can't attend, you can follow our report on the discussions, including comments from participants, here on our blog following each salon.

What is the most difficult aspect of managing?

Managing those you supervise, managing those who supervise you, managing people across teams, functions and throughout the organization -- which aspect of managing do you find most difficult? Why?

Management Muddle: How Do I Help My Manager Manage Better?

How do I help my manager manage better?

How does one effectively navigate a direct supervisor who is non-responsive to your needs? I have spoken with him directly and nothing has changed in spite of his claims to the contrary. I have a review coming up soon and he always asks “what can I do better as a manager?” I always offer the same response with some action items and they go for naught.  As an aside, I am still able to function in my current role effectively, however my concern is my upward mobility given his indifference.

Signed,

Muddled Manager

Dear Muddled Manager:

I commend you for retaining your fervor for learning and developing, even when it is not supported, and I urge you not to give up!

There appear to be two issues here: one is his improvement as a manager and the other is his support of your career. These are different issues, and you may achieve better results if each is approached separately. Your performance review is an appropriate venue for discussing your career direction in the organization, but perhaps a separate conversation would be more effective to discuss “what he can do better as a manager.” 

Three questions come to mind in exploring your dilemma:

1. Do you believe your supervisor really understands what you are requesting?
2. Does he/she sincerely want feedback to become a better manager?
3. Is he/she capable of providing what you asked for?

Do you believe your supervisor really understands what you are requesting?

Is your request too general? Do each of you interpret differently what you are asking for? You say that you always give him the same response when he asks what he can do differently to be a better manager. Can you express your request in a different way? For example, some people take action when given specific suggestions regarding changes to job tasks, while others respond better to suggestions regarding behavioral changes. It is important to understand how he/she best accepts feedback, and deliver it in that manner. 

Does he/she sincerely want to become a better manager?

Do you believe your supervisor’s request for feedback is sincere? Is he/she invested in helping you develop so that you can achieve the upward mobility you desire? Ideally, a good supervisor should be invested in developing capacity. He/she should be promoting education, skill development and career fulfillment and also challenging people to ensure the organization develops future leaders. If this is not happening and you are hungry to be the best you can be, it is important to begin considering other opportunities where the supervisor and environment will help you develop.

Do you believe your supervisor is capable of providing what you asked for?

As in any relationship, the other person isn’t always capable of providing what we need. If your supervisor is not capable of this, is there someone else in your organization that can provide what you require? Is your organization committed to developing its employees? For example, if your need is not job-specific, but you would like a mentoring relationship, is there someone else in the organization you could approach? 

Several books that might be helpful for you to read are:

Lead Your Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up, John Baldoni

Difficult Conversations: How To Discuss What Matters Most, Stone, Patton & Heen

Crucial Conversations: Tools For Talking When the Stakes Are High, Patterson, Grenny, McMillan & Switzler

ODDA offers coaching and management training services to organizations; for more information visit the Management Training services page on our website.

Remember to follow this conversation for additional comments and suggestions, and please feel free to write the "Management Muddle" group again.

Best of luck,

Sandra LaJeunesse, Senior Associate, ODDA and Partner, Odyssey Consulting

Laura Freebairn-Smith, Principal, ODDA

Also take a look at these additional resources:

“Crucial Skills”, a blog by the authors of Difficult Conversations, Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler.

“Brazen Careerist,” by Penelope Trunk offers this post, “7 ways to manage up.” 

Management Muddle(TM) is a registered trademark of Laura Freebairn-Smith and Organizational Design and Development Associates.