We’re in the heat of August, the most challenging time of the year for portable restroom operators. Most of you still have a month or more of long construction routes during the week and a hectic special event and party schedule on the weekends.
Last Thursday your drivers were in the middle of a 12-hour shift when three orders for the weekend came through, meaning one of your crew was going to pull double duty making deliveries all over the county. Meanwhile, the trucks have been run hard all summer long and the AC went out on one of your busiest rigs. And it’s going to be 92 degrees tomorrow.
You have to take on the work when the phone rings, so your employees are going to have to suck it up and get things done. It’s at times like these that nerves become frayed, and sometimes things get said that you – as the salesman, supervisor and manager – might regret later.
FEAR KILLS INITIATIVE
You mean well when you rally the troops and hand out marching orders to get everything done. And even if you aren’t raising your voice or being critical, there are subtle ways you may be striking fear in your employees. So says Christine Comaford, a consultant who helps companies with human resources communication.
A few weeks ago, a publicity pitch came across my desk for Comaford’s new book, Smart Tribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together (Portfolio/Penguin). You’d probably be surprised how many books are published every year aimed at helping business owners and managers like you improve communication skills … or marketing, efficiency, branding, self-reflection or even office feng shui. I receive press releases on these books almost daily; some of them have good advice to offer, while others present a convoluted message that I, frankly, can’t comprehend.
However, some of the ideas taken from Comaford’s book struck a chord with me, especially when I think about PROs working through the most challenging days of summer. When you’re up to your eyeballs in work, it’s probably worthwhile to take a 10-minute break and reflect on how you’re communicating with employees. Comaford lobbies for softening your leadership style, trying to find positive ways to get your team to work together during difficult times and meet workplace changes with acceptance.
Here are three of her tips for effective communication:
Let employees figure out how to meet a challenge
Rather than always telling workers how they should fix a problem, encourage them to find their own solutions. Comaford says this will transform your employees from order takers into innovators, and help your company grow. She says engaging them in problem solving gives employees a sense of safety, belonging and mattering.
“Start inquiring and see what happens. After you do this a few times with someone, she’ll start expecting you to ask questions instead of give orders,’’ Comaford explains. “She’ll start coming to you with ideas, seeking feedback and validation. And after a few of these sessions, she’ll come to you saying, ‘I have a plan, here it is, and speak now if you aren’t OK with it.’ Finally, she’ll stop coming to you altogether.’’
Establish a rapport with employees before giving heavy feedback
When you’re always barking orders, employees will see you as the enemy and retreat into a self-preservation mode. Their priority will be reacting to your authority in ways that help them keep their jobs, not grow in their positions and become valued team players. To reduce the threat they feel, ask “Would it be helpful if?’’ questions about changes you want to see rather than making clipped pronouncements. Tell them, “I need your help,’’ when you want them to take on more responsibility.
Make employees feel good about change
If you’ve been a boss for any period or time, you understand that it’s human nature to resist change. If you start a meeting by saying, “There are going to be a lot of changes around here,’’ get ready for questioning, doubts and withdrawal. Comaford suggests replacing the word change with growth, and explaining that new initiatives are simply improvements over the way you’ve done things in the past.
“By the way, resistance isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” she says. “It’s just the first step on the organizational path. But once you can clear the resistance hurdle – and it will go fairly quickly – you’re well on your way.”
BACK ON THE ROUTE
The busy weeks ahead can make or break your revenue projections for the year. This is your equivalent of the week before Christmas for retail stores. If you find non-threatening and creative ways to motivate the crew, they’ll tackle the heavy workload with teamwork and solve day-to-day challenges before you even know about them. Comaford says it’s a reachable goal.
“All leaders want to outperform, outsell, and out-innovate the competition,” Comaford says. “And most of us have teams that are quite capable of doing so. We just need to stop scaring the competence out of them.”
