1 Leadership for the Frontline Jason Turner Midwest Training Resources March 8, 2004 APPA E&O Conference Adam’s Mark Hotel, San Antonio, Texas

2 Leadership Defined Group Discussion

3 Let’s Agree Leadership –Getting results through people… Management –Getting results through people and other resources...

4 How/Why are Most Leaders Chosen? Technical Skills Tenure Nepotism Leadership Ability?

5 In Reality, Three Types of Skills are Needed Technical Human Conceptual

6 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

7 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

8 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)

9 What about Decision Making? Programmed Nonprogrammed

10 Programmed Decisions Simple, recurring decisions with pre- determined solutions –Define as many as possible

11 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?

12 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.

13 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

14 Non-Traditional Skill Sets Needed for the FL Leader Understanding Technology Change Management Conflict Resolution Customer Satisfaction Employee Motivation

15 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

16 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

17 Levels of Planning Vision/Mission Strategic Department Goals Crew Assignments Individual Behaviors

18 Planning ENVISION DESIRED RESULTS Is each management team member consistently creating a shared vision that can be embraced by the team?

19 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.

20 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.

21 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

22 Controlling Evaluating performance and making course corrections Accessing success of plans Appropriate Controls allow for an Environment that Fosters Employee Motivation

23 Establish performance standard Monitor Performance Take Action Compare performance against expectation

24 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

25 Every Employee Should Know.. What is the goal? Am I making progress Sounds a lot like –Assigning work –Monitoring performance

26 The Leader as a Motivator What is Motivation?

27 You get the best effort from others not by lighting a fire underneath them but by building a fire within them.

28 An ounce of inspiration is worth a pound of control Fed-Ex Slogan

29 HygieneMotivators Factors vs. Rewards that impact job dissatisfaction: pay & benefits Rewards that increase job satisfaction including recognition, advancement opportunities, etc. Motivation

30 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

31 What do Workers Want from Their Jobs? ManagersEmployees Good Wages 15 Job Security 24 Promotion/Growth Opportunities 37 Good Working Conditions 49 Interesting Work 56 Personal Loyalty to Workers 68 Tactful Disciplining 710 Full Appreciation for Work Done 81 Sympathetic to Personal Problems 93 Feeling “In” On Things102

32 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.

33 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)

34 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

35 Questions/Comments?