WHAT RAISING A TEENAGER AND RUNNING AN ORGANIZATION HAVE IN COMMON

By Bruce L. Katcher, Ph.D. President, Discovery Surveys, Inc.

Raising our 15-year old daughter is a constant challenge. As those her age are prone to do, she has perfected the art of exploiting our weaknesses as a parental team. For example, if my wife says she can't have a sleepover at our house because her room isn't clean, she will then come to me and ask the same question (not mentioning, of course, that my wife has already said no). She knows that on some issues, I'm the softy, while on others, my wife is less firm. She also knows that the probability of her receiving permission is much higher if she confronts us separately rather than simultaneously. To her, we're just an ineffective management team that doesn't have its act together.

My wife and I have learned (the hard way) that we need to discuss her requests and agree what we are going to say to her before giving her a decision. We know that this is the only way to properly enforce the rules and provide her with the confidence that our decisions are reasoned, rather than random and contradictory. We believe that by presenting a consistent, unified front, she will have a greater respect for us and confidence in the wisdom of the family rules. She will believe, rightly or wrongly, that there is indeed order to the universe and become, we hope, a better-adjusted adult.

Organizations face a similar problem.

THE PROBLEM

Only half of all employees say the senior management of their organization is working well together as a team. When senior management fails to present a reliable and well-thought out front to employees, the workforce loses confidence in the leadership and direction of the organization. For example, I have worked with clients where the senior management team was constantly bickering, genuinely did not like each other, and even openly spoke ill of each another to employees. They were constantly trying to take the organization in different directions and rarely agreed on anything. Needless to say, these management teams had a difficult time running the organization, instilling employees' confidence in their leadership, and maintaining a productive workforce.

In one research organization I worked with, the VP of Sales and the VP of Operations could never see eye to eye. Not surprisingly, the employees in their respective departments were constantly battling each other as well, often because they were receiving conflicting decisions from above. Employee morale and motivation declined in these departments. Nobody knew who was really in charge and what decisions really mattered. Many good employees quit.

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WHAT TO DO

1. Recognize that Your Employees Are Watching

   Management needs to be aware of the consistency of the decisions and communications they convey to employees. Employees are sensitive to differences in opinion within senior management and will often read more into them than is warranted. While some differences are important, if management provides mixed messages to employees, it will always have negative consequences.

2. Use a Facilitator

   There are many excellent facilitators who can help management teams reduce conflict, get on the same page, and present a unified voice to employees.

3. Change the Key Players

   Sometimes oil and water are just not going to mix no matter how much you shake them. The CEO or President must be prepared to make radical changes when the senior team cannot work together well. Sometimes the problem is actually the CEO. There are many excellent executive coaches who can help.

4. Present a Unified Front Even if There is Disagreement

   For the sake of the children (in this case your employees), it is important to present a unified front even when you disagree. It is better to provide employees with strong and clear messages then contradictions. Public relations and communications professionals can be very helpful in positioning management, especially in larger organizations.

CONCLUSION

Don't give inconsistent messages to your employees about the direction of the organization, what decisions should be made, or what assignments should be carried out. Recognize that a consistent, cohesive voice from senior management to employees is critically important. If you can't reach agreement on important issues, call in a facilitator or an executive coach.