According to researcher Shaun McCarthy, nearly half of the bosses in a study of 1,000 Australian organisations, failed to notice good work by employees. Further, 63% said managers took little or no corrective action when someone was under performing. Only 36% were praised when they were performing particularly well.
The 12 month long study was recently presented at the 5th Australian Conference on Culture and Leadership in Sydney. McCarthy said the survey reinforced the idea that workers were managed by 'exception' rather than 'excellence'
"If I manage by 'exception' it means I manage by what goes wrong and you'll get no praise for doing a good job, but you'll find out if I'm not pleased with what you've done," said Mr. McCarthy.

Does this means we are on a downward slide? That depends. I do believe that we get what we focus on. When we focus on all the negatives they seem to grow (even faster!). Conversely, start to 'count your blessings' and life takes on a different hue. If the organisations in the study want continuous improvement they don't have much chance with managing by exception. Dr Edward Deming (father of Total Quality Management) was always encouraging leaders to 'be hard on the system and soft on the people'. When something went 'wrong' it was an opportunity to change the system so that it could work properly. Dumping on the staff only causes discontent and further problems. But managers can't afford to say nothing. Feedback is crucial. What they pay attention to is also crucial.

A more useful approach would have the managers asking evaluation questions such as, 'What do you like about what you did? or 'What's working well?'. This can be followed by, 'What would you do next time to improve performance or make it easier?' These questions build on what works and also open up the conversation about what could change. Staying 'on track' means continual reflection on both aspects - what is working and doing more of it combined with refining and changing to meet new conditions. For further reading see 'Enlightened Leadership' by Oakley & Krug.

As a facilitator, I have often been called into organisations to help shape the attitudes of staff. Personally, I think the attitudes of mangers are more important… and influential. One of the biggest stressors for employees is the relationship with their direct up line boss. If it is robust and healthy, increased productivity is a natural by-product. But if it is antagonistic, destructive or unduly critical the results can be disastrous.

So what has all this to do with you? Obviously there are aspects we can all take into our own workplaces and there are ways we can all contribute. One of my favourite programs I offer to business is called 'Attitudes of Excellence'. Conducted either as a half or full day program, it is full of ideas and methods for managers to take charge of the direction of their team. It includes: playing for win/win, knowing the difference between perfection and excellence, effective communication skills for managers, being teachable and creating the space for the heart to grow. By the way, creating the space for the heart to grow isn't an invitation for wimpy, soft management. It's about making use of your teams' best attributes. But you can't use them if you don't know what they are. If you are curious, please email me for more details.

Additionally, it is an opportunity to reflect on how we manage ourselves. A wise friend of mine would always ask his kids just before bedtime, 'And what was the best part of your day?' No matter how good or bad the day was, this question prompted their minds to sort through all that happened that day…..and left them with an opportunity for a good night's sleep. Now that's always a blessing!

You are welcome to reprint this article as long it remains unaltered and contains full attribution as follows:
© by Bill Lee-Emery 2004
http://www.altitudealliance.com
email: bill.lee.emery@gmail.com