Work Happy: What Great Bosses Know

When I’m teaching about leadership and change, one of the key change “accelerators” I invoke is communication. It’s a skill that many managers — even those in media — take for granted. At a time when emotions and uncertainty are high, when people are learning new things and letting go of the old, when people on the outside are questioning and the people on the inside want to believe they know the right answers — they turn to their leaders. Too often, they get management-speak that’s aimed at boardrooms, not boiler rooms, and certainly not to newsrooms filled with people who write for a living and know fluff when they read it.

I don’t know what lies in store for The Washington Post. Maybe one day journalists will be quoting this memo for stories about failed strategies. But for today, it stands as an example of what to say when you want a room filled with nervous employees to believe.

We began posting the podcasts in 2010.  It was the popularity of these brief, practical audio lessons that led to the book contract for "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW."

As of today, there are 129 different topics in the collection.  According to the statistics provided by the site, most people use their phones or iPads to download them.  When I wrote the book, I tried to use the same tone I bring to the podcasts.  Leadership shouldn't be a lecture when it can be a conversation.

If you'd like to download the "What Great Bosses Know" podcasts, just click on this link.

And if you have topics you'd like me to cover in future podcasts, feel free to send your ideas my way!

I define feedback as:

Information with Intent to Influence

Just think about all the things feedback can influence: productivity, quality, motivation, morale, team-building, relationships, and risk-taking. When you consider that, it's a shame employees say time and again that they're hungry for feedback but fail to get it.

In a column and podcast today for Poynter.org, I share advice on how to close the feedback gap.  Just click on this link -- and feel free to send me YOUR feedback! -- Jill

We know that most managers come to their jobs without training in having tough talks -- and few of us enjoy doing them.  When we ask a class who has a difficult conversation pending right now at work, the majority of managers raise their hands.

  That's not entirely surprising. People defer them for a variety of reasons: Not enough time to prepare, too much fear of doing it wrong, too little confidence that things will get better. That's why we practice them in our workshops and seminars, using real-world scenarios relevant to our participants' daily lives.  In fact, they dream up the case studies. Butch and I model a few at the start, then turn things over to other to give it a try.

  If you are one of those managers who'd like to get better at tough talks, you'll be happy to know that there's an entire chapter dedicated to the topic in "WORK HAPPY: WHAT GREAT BOSSES KNOW."

  I share a process for preparing, initiating, conducting, wrapping up and following up on difficult conversations.

  But I want to make sure that you are equally proficient at positive feedback.  It's the foundation of your strong relationship with staff and it establishes your credibility when you have to approach someone about a problem or concern. You're not just a negative nitpicker.

  You're a boss who never misses a chance to share information, reinforce effort, show appreciation, offer encouragement, deliver praise and happily celebrate your team's accomplishments.  At the same time, you hold people accountable and let them know where they stand.  So yes, there's a chapter on positive feedback as well!

  If you'd like additional resources, feel free to check out  the "What Great Bosses Know" podcasts on iTunes U. You'll find free podcasts on feedback of all kinds, along with a library of topics covering the everyday situations managers face.

There's also a free online course on Poynter's e-learning site, NewsU.  Just click on this link to get to my difficult conversations course.

  But even if you read the book, listen to the podcasts and take the online course, I strongly recommend that you test-drive a difficult conversation or two with another manager.  If the talk is especially serious or challenging, you might want to ask your supervisor to do a run-through with you. It may seem odd or even hokey at first.  But trust me, it helps you avoid surprises and errors.

  In fact, people tell us the tough talk practice is among the most useful and practical things they learn in our programs.  And it helps them become great bosses.

Q: In your book, you talk of the five "symptoms" of a healthy workplace culture. What are they, and what makes them healthy? A: In a healthy workplace culture: Employees know it's not a democracy, but their voices matter. When employees feel they can offer ideas and be heard, they are happier at work - even if they don't get to make all the final decisions.

That's important here, for sure, because public radio is built on ideas. But every good organization wants to capture and cultivate good proposals, plans, thoughts, suggestions. It works best when leaders understand how to cultivate great ideas. How to make it easy and effective to pitch, catch and coach them.

Some of our best ideas come when we’re taking a break from concentration. At least, that’s what recent research says. Since the concept for this column coalesced while I was sweating my way through a Zumba class, I’m prepared to believe it.

I’d been doing a lot of reading about the cultivation of ideas — especially the leader’s role in brainstorming, creativity and innovation. I collected insights and advice from all sorts of experts to use in my teaching. I wanted to craft a column, too, but kept debating with myself about the framing.

Not surprisingly, my breakthrough came when I stopped fretting and shifted my focus to enjoying some music and keeping pace with the class leader.

And here's a link to the full column and all ten tips.

Welcome to the Aarhus studios and offices of DR - Danish Broadcasting.

On a Friday morning in April, I spent the day there to teach about leadership and success. To say I was welcomed would be an understatement.  Take a look at the front door! That poster, announcing my morning talk to the full staff, was not only there, but everywhere around the building.

I had been asked to talk to DR employees about a successful, creative and competitive workplace, with both the joys and the demands it places on people. In fact, the talk was titled "Surviving Success."  The shot below is from the back of the gathering.  I'm that tiny spot in the front right corner.

Fortunately, English is a second (or third or fourth!) language for many Danes, because my Danish is quite limited.  It's so limited, I told the group, that I knew only a few Danish words: "tusen takk" -- which means "thank you very much" and "velkommen," which is "welcome."  But for this day, I had learned a new and very powerful Danish word.  Here it is:

Arbejdsglæde

The DR staff applauded my attempt to pronounce the word.  (Sounds like "ah-BITES-glay-the")  Later that day, I applauded their managers for their focus on leadership, during our daylong workshop.