Working World

Issue 457

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September 21 -October 12, 2015 12 Working World l WorkingWorld.com FEATURE ARTICLE by Maxine Attong G etting your people to contribute more to your organization while simultaneously establishing stronger talent retention must cost a pretty penny, right? Not really, says corporate coach Maxine Attong. "You don't necessarily need to add expensive new ingredients to the stew, you just have to know how to use your ingredients better," she says. "A talented chef – or in this case, corporate or organizational leader – knows how to let an ingredient speak for itself, perhaps with just a touch of seasoning, or guidance." What is the guidance – competition or incentives such as bonuses? Not exactly. "Most employees want to have more input," says Attong, a certified facilitator and author of "Lead Your Team to Win: Achieve Optimal Performance By Providing A Safe Space For Employees" (www.MaxineAttong.com). "However, personal issues, fear of being laughed at or anxiety of not getting credit can stymie contributions from a leader's staff." If a leader can engender a real sense of trust, the organization will benefit both from the individual and the team's ingenuity. A reliable way of establishing a trusting climate is to make team members feel safe, says Attong, who offers five steps for doing so. • Share responsibility; practice "I" statements: With openness, encourage interaction by having team members and leaders enforce the rules and monitor the use of common space. When members break the rules, the team discusses the problems and decides on the sanctions and steps necessary to assist the member in following the rules next time. Speakers are discouraged from using the word "you." Instead, they use "I." This simple yet effective practice encourages personal culpability and discourages blame. • Consistency: Teams need to consistently follow the agreed-upon rules as they set the boundaries and the tone for relationships. Following the rules makes the behavior in the space predictable, which limits uncertainty and increases feelings of safety. Consistent application of the rules helps the team to increase trust as behavior becomes prescriptive and members know more or less what will happen in the room and how they will be treated. • Judgment: The members must feel that they are not being judged. If someone says that an idea is bad, the speaker will shut down and feel embarrassed. In the future that speaker will hesitate to give ideas, since he feels his ideas may not be good enough for the team. Less confident team members may refrain from presenting ideas if they are uncertain of the quality of the ideas. However, many ideas that may seem strange or unorthodox at first can wind up being some of the best. • Good intentions: Not all team members are effective communicators so it may be difficult for some people to frame and 5 Steps To Unleash Innovation & Improve Work Culture Investing In People Yields Exponential Rewards While it's not possible to anticipate every scenario, Quast says a little preparation can help you keep the anxiety level manageable.

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