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THE SEASONED THINGS THAT MAKE WORK LIFE SO MUCH BETTER! 8 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT I MAY 2013 icma.org/pm

Seasoned Manager

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THE SEASONED

THINGS THAT MAKE WORKLIFE SO MUCH BETTER!

8 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT I MAY 2013 icma.org/pm

Page 2: Seasoned Manager

By Quint Studer

t

TAKEAWAYS

> High-level leaders value certainskills in the people who work forthem—and those skills may not bewhat you'd expect.

> Being a great employee isn't justabout doing the work. It's aboutdoing the work and navigating theminefield of leader, coworker, andcustomer needs.

> When we're able to masterthe skills of the three worlds ofboss, coworker, and customer,everything in our life goes moresmoothly—not just from 8 to S butafter hours, too.

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N WORK, AS IN LIFE, WE

LEARN FROM TRIAL AND

ERROR: I WAS HAVING

PROBLEM A, SO I IMPLEMENTED

SOLUTION A AND IT DIDN'T WORK.

THEN I TRIED SOLUTION B AND IT

DID! NEXT TIME I'LL KNOW TO USE

SOLUTION B FIRST THING. AND SO

IT GOES, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, '

THROUGHOUT YOUR OAREER.

FORTY YEARS OR SO GO BY AND,

FINALLY, YOU'VE GOT IT ALL FIGURED

OUT-JUST ABOUT THE TIME YOU'RE

RETIRING. WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN

NIOE TO HAVE THAT VALUABLE

KNOWLEDGE AT THE BEGINNING

OF YOUR OAREER INSTEAD?PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 1 MAY 2013 icma.org/pm

Page 4: Seasoned Manager

The issues most people struggle

with have little to do with our technical

ability to do the work. It's all the things

that happen around the work. It's how

good we are at keeping projects moving.

It's how we exercise good judgment, or

negotiate conflict, or seek consensus.

It's whether we make life easier for our

coworkers or more difficult. It's how well

we can read and respond to customers'

unspoken needs.

When we're more effective at work,

everything changes. Leaders value us and

set us up for success. Coworkers like us

and want to help us. Customers like us

and keep doing business with us. All of

these condifions work together to make

us happy on the job—and when we're

happy on the job, we're happy at home.

This holds true whether you're the chief

administrafive officer or a member of the

local government staff.

Here are 12 secrets that experienced

managers know—secrets that anyone

of any knowledge level can use to their

advantage.

In the boss's mind, the ball is always

in your court. Once the boss gives

you an assignment, he or she may

mentally mark it off the to-do üst. (By the

way, if you're a manager, the governing

body of elected officials is your "boss"; if

you're an assistant manager or department

head, the manager is.) The boss may even

forget about it. It's up to you to do what

you need to do to move it forward quickly.

Never let yourself be the hold-up.

Check in with the officials regularly

so that they don't have to ask about

the assignment. If you hit a roadblock

and can't proceed until you get more

information, let them know—just be sure

you're not procrastinating.

Sometimes people let a few missing

details hold an enfire project hostage.

It's always better to complete chunks of

work and fill in the missing details later.

This is good for your workflow, but it

also reassures the governing body that

you're doing the best you can to keep

the project moving. It relieves a lot of

anxiety for everyone.

Leadership is exhausting and

ineffective. When you bring a

problem to elected officials, always bring

a solution. Leaders are like the rest of us:

overloaded and overwhelmed. Yet,

despite their already massive to-do lists,

employees habitually add their problems

to their piles. I call this the-boss-will-

figure-it-all-out mentality "park ranger"

leadership—and it's the least effective

way to get things done.

Think about it this way: If every

time you got lost in the woods, a park

ranger showed up to lead you out,

you'd never learn to find the way out

yourself. That's what many leaders do,

and it creates a situation where employ-

ees stop trying to solve problems. They

what this is and act on it. When you

know what matters most to each member

of the governing body—what the what is,

as I call it—then you can laser in on

meeting their needs in this area.

This is not sucking up, and it's not a

self-serving exercise. It's just being aware

of your own behavior and tweaking it to

create a productive working relationship

with elected officials. It's good for them,

it's good for you, it's good for everybody.

Knowing the why makes all the

difference. If you're not sure what it

is, ask. Let's say your local government

implements a major change in the way

resident feedback is captured and

processed. No one on staff likes the new

When peopla are using a governmentservice-especially if they're spending agood hit of money to do so-they worrythat they're making a mistake. They wantreassurance. Great managers and staff membersrealize this and provide it at every turn.

think: Someone up there has always

figured it out before, so they will this

time, too. But that's hard on leaders and

limiting for the organization.

When you bring a problem to the

bosses, also bring a solution. They will

appreciate your initiative and creativ-

ity. Also, you're closer to the problem

than they are so you can probably

come up with a better solution. If all

employees did this, the entire organiza-

tion would be stronger, more innova-

tive, and more resilient.

There is one thing that elected

officials might care about more than

anything else. Your job is to figure out

system. It's harder and more time-constim-

ing than the old way, and you've noficed

your staff members seem resentful. In this

example, the problem is that no one told

them why the system changed.

When organizafions implement

change, there's almost always a reason

why. But leaders may not always explain

that reason, and people almost always

assume the worst. Instead of getting

behind what seems like an arbitrary new

rule, they resist it.

If this happens, ask about the why.

You can tell others what you find out.

Not every organization understands the

value of transparency, but sometimes one

employee asking why can change that.

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There's no substitute for beingliked. Do you greet people with a

smile each morning? Do you bringbreakfast for everyone once in a while?Do you say happy birthday? Do youcongratulate staff when something goodhappens? There are a million little waysto contribute to the "emotional bankaccount" at work. These deposits have abig, big impact—and they reduce thepain of the inevitable withdrawals.

Go out of your way to make peoplehappy when you can, and they'll forgiveyou when you make a mistake. Thesethings are not that hard to do; it's just thatwe don't always think to do them. Whenyou start looking for ways to be a positiveforce in your staff members' lives, you'llbe amazed by how many there are—andwhat a difference they make.

Last-minute requests can derailyour day. Retrain chronic offenders.

Being a great employee means executingwell, meeting deadlines, and, in general,protecting your own "brand." Yet, it also

means stepping in and helping otherswhen they need your expertise. It's notalways easy to walk the tightropebetween these two realities—especiallywhen coworkers are constantly askingfor "five minutes of your time" (whichreally means 30 minutes or even longer).

When you're good at what you do,everyone wants a piece of you. That'swonderful, but it can also lead othersto take advantage of you, even if theydon't mean to. If you don't stop last-minute requesters, your own work willeventually suffer.

Hold up the mirror and recognizeyour role in the problem. What wepermit we promote. Usually, people findthey need to be more open about howlong a task takes and how much noticeis needed to get it done. When youeducate others, you not only relieve yourown burden; you also help others dotheir work better

• It's best to resolve staff issuesone-on-one. This is a tough one.

because people tend to avoid confron-tation. There are times when it's bestto go through official channels andinvolve HR. Yet many times an issuewith a coworker can be solved with aface-to-face adult conversation.Confronting others may not always beeasy, but it's a necessary part of clearand productive communication. Itbuilds healthy work relationships andshows a true sense of ownership.

0 'T'm sorry" are two of the mostpowerful words in the English

language. We all make mistakes. It's whatwe do afterward—after we've droppedthe ball or missed a deadline —that trulydetermines a manager's character Andit's what ultimately determines whetherthe people who work with the managerwant to help out.. .or want to help themanager out the door.

Apologizing shows one's vulnerabil-ity, which is a powerful trait. People fearthey'll be rejected if they show weaknessor admit that they failed. The opposite is

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1 2 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT | MAY 2013 icma.org/pm

Page 6: Seasoned Manager

true. It actually makes people like us. It

shows we're human, just like them.

0 Blaming, finger-pointing, and

badmouthing are deeply destructive

to your organization's image. It's harder

than ever to win residents' satisfaction

and keep them happy. These days,

everyone needs to be engaged in building

the organization's brand. That means it's

critical to convey belief in and respect for

your organization, its products and

services, and your staff with every

customer or resident interaction—and

when you're off the clock as well.

You may think you're building rapport

with an irritated resident if you say,

"Yeah, such-and-such department is really

disorganized, but don't worry, I'll take

care of your problem." Instead, you're

actually htirting the organization. Even

if the resident knows you and likes you

personally, he or she may never be happy

with you or your local government again.

Negative comments, even subtle

ones, make people uncomfortable. On

the other hand, they're drawn to positiv-

ity. People like positive interaction with

others, and they like hearing positive

things about what they're spending their

money on.

Anxiety keeps residents from

using government services. Do

everything you can to alleviate it, and

you'll see amazing results. When people

are using a government service—espe-

cially if they're spending a good bit of

money to do so, they worry that they're

making a mistake. They want reassur-

ance. Great managers and staff members

realize this and provide it at every turn.

That reassurance may mean "nar-

rating" the process the resident will

go through using a communication

framework I call AIDET® (the acronym

stands for Acknowledgement, Introduc-

tion, Duration, Explanation, and Thank

You). It may mean practicing good

communication techniques. It may just

mean saying something like, "I have one

resident who used this service and called

me back just to rave about it."

Anything you can say or do to help

residents feel good about their decisions

will have a big impact. Put yourself in their

shoes and think, "What would I want to

hear in this situation?" Then, say it.

"A little bit extra" goes a long

i way. Often it's the little things

that keep many of us coming back to our

favorite things, including stores,

restaurants, physicians, and so forth.

The same principle can apply to local

government. The best managers and

staff know that doing a little bit extra for

not only return to use the same service,

they recommend it to others.

It's a mark of maturity and profes-

sionalism to be able to respond selflessly

to customer complaints. It's a rare skill.

And in a time when residents don't have

to give you a second chance, it's a truly

valuable one.

Show Them HowI've worked with all kinds of employees

at all levels of leadership over the years,

and I've realized most people sincerely

want to do a great job. That's even truer

When you're good at what you do, everyonewants a piece of you. That's wonderful, butit can also lead others to take advantage ofyou, even if they don't mean to. If you don'tstop last-minute requesters, your own work willeventually suffer.

residents and customers—having coffee

and bagels waiting for a meeting, say, or

referring them to a government website

they may not know about—can build

tremendous good will. They take it upon

themselves to go the extra mile, without

being asked to do so or without worrying

that it's not in their job description.

Complaints are gifts. Handle them

right and customer loyalty will

skyrocket. Managers and their staff

members don't get defensive when

residents and customers complain. They

know they're hearing valuable feedback

that can help the organization improve its

service. They listen, they sincerely

apologize, and they take action to make

things right. Most people are quite

forgiving in the face of such a response—

and they're usually so impressed that they

with the economy the way it is. People

do realize they need to show value

quickly; they are aware that they need to

get better faster. It's just that they might

not know how.

If a manager tells his or her organiza-

tion's employees, "Here's how you can

do the best job possible and be a lot

happier in the workplace," the manager

will see amazing progress. I think people

already have the will. Once they also

have the skill, they'll be unstoppable. Rt/I

QUINT STUDER is the founder ofStuder Group®, Gulf Breeze, Florida(www.studergroup.com). StuderGroup® is a recipient of tine 2010Malcolm Baidrige National Quality

Award. Studer is the author of Tfie GreatEmpioyee Handbook: Mai<ing Work and LifeBetter (www.studergroup.com; Fire StarterPublishing, 2012, iSBN: 978-0-9828503-3-6,$28.00, www.firestarterpublishing.com).

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