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Leadership for the Frontline

Jason TurnerMidwest Training Resources

March 8, 2004APPA E&O Conference

Adam’s Mark Hotel , San Antonio, Texas

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Leadership Defined

Group Discussion

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Let’s Agree

• Leadership– Getting results through people…

• Management– Getting results through people and

other resources...

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How/Why are Most Leaders Chosen?

• Technical Skills• Tenure• Nepotism• Leadership Ability?

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In Reality, Three Types of Skills are Needed

• Technical• Human• Conceptual

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Technical Skills

• Nuts/Bolts of how the task(s) are accomplished– What you have learned up to now– Usually where frontline leaders feel

most comfortable• Some FL leaders struggle with “micro-

managing” team members because of their personal experience with the job

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Human Skills

• How to Create a Motivational Environment

• Communication, Coordination, Cooperation

• Seldom Taught Until A Crisis has Occurred!– Hired for technical skills, fired for

people skills

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Conceptual Skills

• Seeing the big picture– Leaders turn vision into reality

• Integrating, Linking – Knowing more about the organization than only what

my crew is currently doing

• Many FL Leaders Struggle with Becoming Members of Management and Representing the Company– When with management, speak highly of my team,

when with my team, speak highly of management (and their decisions)

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What about Decision Making?

• Programmed • Nonprogrammed

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Programmed Decisions

• Simple, recurring decisions with pre-determined solutions– Define as many as possible

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Non-Programmed Decisions

• Cause conflict, ambiguity, stress, poor performance and violated expectations– Many tend to exist in the area of

supervision

What are you doing to minimize the number of non-programmed decisions required of your frontline leaders?

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Key Roles of the Frontline Leader

• Provide Technical Assistance to Workers• Motivate Employees to Accomplish

Goals• Measure Performance

In other words, assign work and monitor performance.

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What Should the Manager do to Help the Frontline Leader?• Involve the FL Leader in higher level issues

– help develop conceptual skills and prevent sub-optimization

• Set non-technical performance goals, too– Assist in developing human skills

• Define core processes and responsibilities– Most decisions should be “programmed”

• Formalize training programs based on needed skill sets– For FL leaders and crew members

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Non-Traditional Skill Sets Needed for the FL Leader

• Understanding Technology• Change Management• Conflict Resolution• Customer Satisfaction• Employee Motivation

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Things the FL Leader Should do to Help

Themselves• Define Processes in written procedures

and work instructions– Drive out Tribal Knowledge and non-

programmed decisions

• Establish a formal planning process– write down team/individual goals

• Measure performance against stated goals

• Learn the basics of Management

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Textbook Management Responsibilities

• Planning: Defining goals and developing action plans

• Organizing: Structuring responsibilities and assigning resources

• Directing: Assigning work• Controlling: Verifying progress towards

an established goal– Coaching: Assisting others in reaching their

full potential

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Levels of Planning

• Vision/Mission• Strategic• Department Goals• Crew Assignments• Individual Behaviors

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Planning

• ENVISION DESIRED RESULTS• Is each management team

member consistently creating a shared vision that can be embraced by the team?

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Organizing

• Formal Task/Authority Structure– Who is the boss?

• Division of Work – Who does what, when, and how often?

• Staffing– Everyone should be in a job that needs

to be done and should be good at it.

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Directing

• Guiding and coordinating work activity, making sure people know what to do and how to do it– Explaining– Clarifying

• Remember: Telling is not training! Until competence is demonstrated training has not occurred.

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Guidelines For Assigning Tasks

• Clearly explain the assignment• Explain the reasons for an

assignment• Check for understanding by having

the employee repeat back or demonstrate

• Provide necessary feedback

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Controlling

• Evaluating performance and making course corrections

• Accessing success of plans• Appropriate Controls allow for an

Environment that Fosters Employee Motivation

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Establish performance standard

Monitor Performance

Take Action

Compare performance

against expectation

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Why Don’t Employees do what They Should Do?

• Don’t know what they are suppose to do• Don’t know how to do it• They think something else is more important• They think they are doing it• There is no positive consequence for doing it• There is no negative consequence for not

doing it

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Every Employee Should Know..

• What is the goal?• Am I making progress

• Sounds a lot like– Assigning work– Monitoring performance

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The Leader as a Motivator

What is Motivation?

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You get the best effort from others not by lighting

a fire underneath them but by building a fire

within them.

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An ounce of inspiration is worth a pound of control

Fed-Ex Slogan

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Hygiene MotivatorsFactors vs.

Rewards that impactjob dissatisfaction:pay & benefits

Rewards that increase job satisfactionincluding recognition, advancement opportunities, etc.

Motivation

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Good people need to be challenged. At the end of the day

they

want to feel good about having done something worthwhile.

They need to have a chance to achieve and to be recognized

for achievement. Furthermore, the brighter and more

dedicated

they are, the more they need to perceive at least some sense

of

control over their own work situation.

- James L. Lundy

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What do Workers Want from Their Jobs?

Managers Employees

Good Wages 1 5Job Security 2 4Promotion/Growth Opportunities 3 7Good Working Conditions 4 9Interesting Work 5 6Personal Loyalty to Workers 6 8Tactful Disciplining 710Full Appreciation for Work Done 8 1Sympathetic to Personal Problems 9 3Feeling “In” On Things 10 2

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You Get What You Reward

If you recognize and reward behavior, it will tend to be repeated.

If you ignore or punish behavior, it will tend to stop.

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To Give Effective Praise

• Give as close to the event as possible

• Be sincere and specific• Praise in person (face to face)• Be positive (leave out the “but”)• Praise progress toward desired

goals (shaping)

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In Closing, Leaders Should Remember...

• People like to feel good about themselves– Sense of achievement and recognition

• Success has been defined as the achievement of pre-determined goals

• Therefore, planning and goal setting are the starting points for superior performance

• How goals are established is at least as important as the clarity of the goal itself– This requires dialogues instead of monologues

• vision vs. tactics

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Questions/Comments?