Are whiners wrecking your meetings? Too often, whiners cause weekly staff meetings to go off agenda and disintegrate. As a result, managers dread meetings, employees dread meetings—and worst of all—it keeps happening! Why? Because the whiners are being allowed to derail the meetings!

We have all suffered “Death by Meeting” (one of my favorite Patrick Lencioni books, incidentally): the meeting dissolves into finger pointing, filibustering, becomes a soapbox for underperformers to talk about all the reasons “it cannot be done,” or no one comes prepared with calendars and note taking capabilities. Others at the meeting understand that these are deflection tactics to take the focus off of the topic or person at hand. Personal accountability goes out the window.

Managers: the purpose of meetings is to discuss and decide. If nothing is decided, there is no purpose in having these meetings.

You are the meeting leader! Short of wearing a “no whining” button, what can a manager or company leader do to break the cycle of endless derailed meetings?

1. Hold one-on-one meetings weekly or every other week with each staff member. If your staff’s only opportunity to communicate with you is in a group setting, only the least whiny will resist their only opportunity to communicate up. Instruct employees to bring an agenda of topics, to test ideas, ask questions, etc.
2. Be a skill builder! Resist rescuing the whiner. It is not your job to solve the whiner’s issue. Ask how he or she thinks the issue should be approached—and why.
3. Set ground rules for all meetings. Whether for one-on-one or group meetings, get participants to agree on day one to parameters. These could include: “start on time and end on time,” “no cell phones or texting,” “no interrupting,” “no monopolizing,” and “no problems without solutions.”
4. Follow through. If the ground rules say, “no complaints without solutions,” stick to it. Remember, no whining!

As an organizational leader, the manager is responsible for keeping meetings on track and for ensuring that topics are covered in the allotted time. Managers should not be afraid of tough talk if it is needed. While it is best to praise in public and criticize in private, enforcing group norms or meeting ground rules should be public. Managers should remind the “derailers” of time and topic constraints. Most important, they should model desired behaviors—and not whine themselves.

Nancy S. Ahlrichs is strategic account manager at FlashPoint where she interacts with human resource professionals, executives, and business owners in order to understand their organizational needs. She collaborates with our other team members to develop appropriate consulting solutions and supports prospects throughout the sales process.

Image: Clare Bloomfield

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Recently, a colleague asked me what I considered the most important ingredient for ensuring project success. After some thought, I shared that communication is the most important component within any project. Successful projects require constant selling, updating, and explaining of the project to management, customers, and even the project team itself. While the bulk of this responsibility falls on the project leader, each person on the team must proactively communicate with all project stakeholders throughout the life of the project.

Provoked to thought on this issue, I used the ten statements below to assess how proactively I am communicating with my projects’ teams (1 = not at all proactive; 5 = very proactive). I definitely found areas for improvement. I invite you to do the same self-assessment—I am sure our teammates will appreciate it!

1. I share information openly and in a timely manner with the project team.
2. When personal conflicts arise, I directly confront them.
3. I take ownership for challenges that arise and do not look to shift the blame to others.
4. I see my role as a team player not only in the context of my project responsibilities; I look for opportunities to help others.
5. I not only identify project issues but provide suggested solutions in a timely manner.
6. I am always positive when it comes to talking about my team and the project.
7. I compliment other project team members on a job well done.
8. I compliment the project leader whenever he or she supports me or the team.
9. I invite candid feedback from everyone about my own performance in the project.
10. I always commit myself 100 percent to my project responsibilities and goals, and if my commitment begins to wane, I strive to rekindle it.

Bill Mugavin is a consultant at FlashPoint. He focuses his consulting in the areas of organizational performance, and leadership and management development.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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In part one, I shared that I often meet frustrated employees who wonder when normalcy will return to the post-recession workplace. My reply is simple: Cuts your company made to stay in business won’t be restored. This is the new reality. I tell them that it’s ultimately up to them to get things moving.

If we viewed our careers as the baton in a relay race, passing through many hands, we would work hard to cultivate relationships—to ensure that the baton doesn’t drop and that we have strong hands to carry us forward. Here’s an idea on how to put the relay back in your career.

List your top 50 relationships. Rank the depth of each relationship on a scale of one to five and do three tasks: 

1. Identify five people with whom you want to deepen your relationship—how will you do this?
2. Identify who is not on the list but should be as you consider your next career steps.
3. Determine if there are negative relationships on your list and decrease the time you spend with these individuals.

The next time you complain about your company, stop. Instead, spend that time cultivating your key relationships. By spending your energy on building your relay team, you’ll advance farther and faster than if you focus your attention on the company you work for and what it can or cannot do for you.

I don’t absolve employers of their responsibility to foster a great culture. To achieve excellence, companies must build systems and programs that connect their people, customers, and community. At FlashPoint I emphasize that organizations can build systems that foster communication, heighten performance, and much more. Balance can be achieved when employees work hard to build strong relationships and when companies do the same.

Krista Skidmore is cofounder and principal of FlashPoint.

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Recently my coworker Tam asked me if I had heard about the clerk who got fired from Harrods, the high-end department store in London. Harrods, Tam explained, has a strict dress code that requires female clerks to wear makeup. The woman refused and was let go.

I googled to learn more and found this article  on Inc. magazine’s website. It turns out the clerk, Melanie Stark, wasn’t actually fired but instead resigned. She says that though she had worked several incident-free years at the store without lipstick, blush, or eyeliner, last year managers began pressuring her to start making herself up. She refused to apply and, she says, started paying the consequences. Managers sent her home, hid her in the stockroom, and transferred her. Finally she quit, “exhausted, stressed, and upset.”

For its part, Harrods claims that employees receive the strict dress code (all 13 pages’ worth) before they sign on, and that though managers did talk to Stark about her appearance and lack of adherence to the code, she was the one who chose to end her employment, not Harrods. Regardless, the incident has raised eyebrows worldwide.

At FlashPoint we work with clients to develop policies, many of which pertain to employee behavior and end up in the handbook. The company dress code is often one of the stickiest areas, especially when it comes to professional or service-oriented environments, where the organization needs to portray a certain image to customers. It’s often hard to define just exactly what the “image” is, and if the company keeps things too general, employees often end up confused. Go to the other extreme, and the company can run into situations like the one at Harrods.

In this case, it appears that Harrods took a sensible approach, at least from an HR perspective. The company developed a very detailed dress code policy and gave it to employees up front so they knew what they were agreeing to. When Stark didn’t follow the policy, managers discussed it with her (though it seems they didn’t do so immediately, which they should have done; it might have prevented the situation from escalating). When she continued to shun makeup, they pulled her from the floor and assigned her other duties. For the most part, it appears they consistently played things by the book.

Yet something about this still seems wrong—that Harrods was being boorish. The reason, I suppose, lies in the 13-page dress code itself, and the fact that the department store tells women that they must paint their faces in order to be attractive and presentable to customers. While many people who shop at Harrods no doubt agree, others surely find this to be offensive (and even discriminatory) in the 21st century.

It is the right and responsibility of a business to know its customers and provide them with the service they want and expect—and this includes regulating how employees dress. But as society’s standards change, companies must always reassess and update their policies to stay current. Was Harrods being reasonable in this case? Or was it trying to force an employee to fit into an old-fashioned sense of beauty?

We know you have thoughts, so please share.

George Hanlin is a consultant at FlashPoint.

Image: Louisa Stokes

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For a number of years, FlashPoint has supported the WTHR Employment Opportunity Fair at the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration. This year, we’ll again consult with job seekers on building and/or improving their resumes. 

In preparation for the event on July 14, FlashPoint’s Andrea Moore will appear on WTHR channel 13, the Indianapolis NBC affiliate, to provide tips for attendess of the employment fair. Andrea will be interviewed today by Angela Cain at about 12:50 p.m.

Here are the top tips that Andrea will share about how job fair attendees can make a great first impression on potential employers.

1. Get Your Resume and Cover Letter in Order

• Do your resume and cover letter represent you well?
• Is your resume clear, concise, and focused?
• Does your resume emphasize the right skills based on the job you’re seeking?
• Is your resume accurate in terms of spelling, grammar, and punctuation?

2. Be Confident

• What are your key strengths?
• What are your limitations/areas for development and how do they impact your effectiveness?
• Smile and feel good about what you have to offer prospective employers.

3. Develop a 30-second Commercial about YOU

• Who are you, and why should a prospective employer consider you as a candidate?

The WTHR Employment Opportunity Fair is Thursday, July 14 at the Indiana Convention Center 500 Ballroom from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. To view the list of participating employers and find more information, visit WTHR’s website.

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Winners want the ball. Winners can work through pressure. Winners believe they are going to hit the shot. Why are they winners? They prepare more than the others! I have read nearly every superstar athlete’s book and with only one exception (Lawrence Taylor) they all discussed their unordinary preparation. Larry Bird used to hit every shot on the court AFTER a game so that when the time came during the next game he was prepared. Now let’s translate this for the business world.

Speaking publicly is feared above death. Speaking effectively is 75 percent of getting a job. Speaking probably has a larger impact on your career than any other trait. Yet we participate in meetings and we “wing it.” We think that a 30-minute presentation is quick and so we don’t prepare. Why? Only you can answer that question. For me, I don’t take a chance on any length presentation. I am frequently asked how I speak to groups of any size as if I’m having a conversation with my best friend. The answer is simple—I practice, a lot. Here are a few tips:

Preparing content:

• Focus on your first 30-seconds as the audience will use that time to determine if they are going to pay attention to you. Plus, avoid spending those valuable seconds talking about yourself (let your program bio sing your praises).
• Find average words and say the opposite. Avoid saying “good morning” or “well, let’s get started.”
• Use words that your audience will understand and avoid confusing them with difficult vocabulary and industry jargon.
• End with a bang! Tie your closing remarks back to your key messages.

Preparing for the presentation:

• Practice, practice, and practice some more. Practice in front of a mirror, in the car, while your kids are watching, or in front of a friend or co-worker.
• Anticipate questions from the audience and rehearse your response.
• Film yourself; as uncomfortable as it is, you will learn more from this exercise than any other practice method.
• Learn to tell stories effectively.
• Leverage your strengths by using your sense of humor, your wit, your charm, your ability to describe something effectively, or your story-telling ability.
• Greet every person as they enter the room. Personal greetings will make you more comfortable and will make audience members less likely to judge you (as you’ve already made a solid first impression).

Athletic coaches always say that pressure comes from lack of preparation. FlashPoint teaches the same thing in our presentation skills training. You can fool people on some things but public speaking is not one of them. I have received many funny looks while practicing presentations on the drive to a meeting. Turn off the iPod and listen to yourself. . .your audience will thank you!

Jeremy King is the Business Development Manager at FlashPoint.

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One of my roles at FlashPoint is to review and improve all the materials that we deliver to clients. Because of that, I think a lot about the messages we create and how best to shape them.

The other day I came up with a tip—“think small.” I know that seems rather unprogressive; after all, we’re supposed to have big, bold ideas aren’t we? But when it comes to communicating, sometimes we try too hard to say too much and end up muddling the message. So whether you’re developing human resource policies or procedures, creating employee communications, or sending a memo to your CEO, be sure to:

• Keep your audience in mind. Whom are you addressing, and what does that person (or group of people) need to know most? Focus on the essentials—the who, what, when, where, and why.
• Stick to your topic. Don’t get off on tangents.
• Keep your sentences and paragraphs short so they’re easily digestible. Consider using bullet points to break up information.
• Be direct. Use active voice.
• Share only what you need to. Consider other forums for providing additional information. (For example, you don’t have to put every policy in your employee handbook—put the basics in the handbook and provide more detailed statements through your intranet or via other means.)

We all know it—the world’s a busy place. We’re all flooded with all variety of messages, including reports, voice mails, text messages, and e-mails. We have so much information to wade through that we do everyone a favor when we indeed think small, keep things simple, and stick to the point.

George Hanlin is a consultant at FlashPoint.

Image: Michal Marcol

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A couple weeks ago my wife and I purchased a new car as we needed something a little more “kid friendly.” If you haven’t purchased a car lately, you’re missing the exciting conclusion of every sale—the sales person explaining the survey that you will receive and that if they score less than perfect it is considered a “failure.” Well, my salesperson will likely receive a failure score. Failure not because she approached us as we were still exiting our car or used old school negotiation tactics or because she was working three deals at once (no signs of a weak economy at this dealership)—failure because of a missed opportunity the next day.

Here is the story. Our finance company was closed on Saturday so we didn’t know our exact payoff amount on the old car. I estimated it and told them I could make up the difference. The next day, I received a call from my salesperson who informed me that I was a whopping $66 under the actual payoff and could she come by—today—to pick up a check. I shared with her that I rarely write checks and asked if I could give her cash or my debit card number. She eagerly agreed and, after getting the number, hustled off the phone.

After I hung up I started thinking. The dealership didn’t give me even close to what I wanted for my car, it had leverage on the price of the new car because it’s a hybrid, and gas is $14 per gallon (not really but you get my point)—they can’t just pick up the $66 tab? Really?

When I facilitate customer service training, I always say, “The customer isn’t always right, but they are always the customer.”  I have our salesperson’s business card but will I recommend her to any of my friends or colleagues? Probably not. Will I blast her company all over social media sites? No. Do I feel good about my experience overall. Not really. Do we love our new car? Absolutely.

Nordstrom has a loyal following (including me), largely because they give employees the ability to provide excellent customer service.  They realize that customers will come back and they will tell their friends.

I won’t buy another car from that dealership or that salesperson. I might be tough but I work hard to provide the best customer service that I can and I want others to do the same for me.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh?

Image: graur razvan ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Jeremy King, SPHR is the Business Development Manager at FlashPoint.

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Recently, I signed up to participate in a three-and-half-hour workshop. The workshop flyer described interaction and conversation facilitated by the author of a book I recently read; I was excited to share the many questions that had come to me as I worked through the book and discuss thoughts and ideas with other participants.

As I entered the room where the workshop was to take place, I appreciated the seating arrangement—a large circle of 25 chairs—as it was perfect for group dialogue.

Right on time, the author began with a story that quickly drew in the audience. He was still talking one hour and 15 minutes later when someone interrupted him and asked if we could take a quick break. After the break, we returned to the circle and he continued to talk for the remainder of the “workshop.” At the conclusion of his talk, he hurriedly took a couple of questions as participants were preparing to leave. I scrambled to review the questions I had brought with me, and yet, they no longer felt appropriate.

I found value in the content of the author’s message but it was not at all what I had expected. Had I planned to attend a lecture, my preparation would have been very different.

Andrea Moore facilitating a workshop

This experience was a great reminder to me of the importance of appropriately describing and marketing your event, whether it be a training session, workshop, presentation, or lecture. In our work at FlashPoint, we try to be descriptive of what we are doing. Here are two examples from the events page on our website:

Workshop:

FlashPoint is facilitating The Leadership Challenge® Workshop.

Presentation:

Jeremy King will present “Dealing with Difficult People”…

Tell participants in advance what they can expect. They are much better prepared and engaged when they know what it is they are attending.

Andrea Moore is a Senior Consulting Manager at FlashPoint; Andrea focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.

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My advice to all leaders: Spend less time talking about what’s going on in your life and more time talking about how you are reacting to your life.

I recently conducted a coaching session with the head of an organization, and he described to me his challenge in working through a situation that had had a dramatic impact on his company. When I asked him to tell me more about the situation, he noted, “I don’t really think the issue has anything to do with it. It’s not the issue that defines me as a leader; it’s how I react to the issue.” 

As this very insightful leader observed, the way in which you approach and react to situations defines them. If you’re like most leaders, you likely find yourself getting carried away or caught up in the content of your life, when actually the content is irrelevant. It is all one big storyline and you are the lead the character. Every situation and circumstance you find yourself in is actually neutral. The only meaning a situation has is the meaning that you give to it. So stop talking about the situation and start talking about what you are doing in relation to it. That is where the opportunity for growth and change can be found.

Andrea Moore is senior consulting manager at FlashPoint. She focuses on leadership development, training and performance improvement solutions, and one-on-one coaching.

Image: Stock.XCHNG

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