Stress and Leadership

Workplace-related stress is a growing concern. The new millennium finds us with ever-increasing workloads, a decreasing workforce, and a climate of rapid change. Employees are being asked to do more than ever before in less time for less money. Job security doesn’t exist anymore, and increasingly jobs themselves are hard to come by. These and other pressures add up to increasing stress and strain being placed on employees, supervisors and leaders alike, which takes a toll on moral and functioning. Companies that take a proactive approach towards minimizing employee’s stress experience reap many rewards.

Some workplace stress is inevitable while other sources of workplace stress are avoidable. Stress management in the workplace is about helping employees to better cope with stressors that cannot be avoided, and about reducing opportunities for employee stress where that is possible.

Exercise and Relaxation

A good starting place for workplace stress management is to promote exercise and relaxation class opportunities within the workplace. Regular physical exercise benefits employee health in numerous ways, one of which happens to be making employees more resilient with regard to stress. Employees who exercise regularly tend to have more stamina, a more positive mood, are typically able to concentrate better, and generally are less susceptible to minor illnesses that can send them to the doctor. Relaxation programs including gentle yoga, meditation, breathing exercises, etc.) promote stress-relief by helping people practice maintaining a relaxed posture (physically and mentally) in the face of stress. Companies that don’t offer exercise and relaxation benefits should consider offering them, and employees who have such benefits should strongly consider taking advantage of them.

Daily Hassles

Workplace stress relief can also be greatly facilitated by helping employees learn how to deal with and better manage daily hassles. Some of the more specific factors that effect workplace stress, and which can be managed are:

· Difficult working conditions, (noise, lighting, etc.), shift-work, long hours, work-related travel demands, adaptation to new technology and just plain and simple work overload.

· Employees not really understanding their role and responsibilities within the organization.

· Dysfunctional relationships between employee and boss, employee and subordinates and employees and their colleagues, as well as relationships with customers/clients

· Concerns about job security, obsolescence, involuntary retirement, performance appraisals, etc.

· Dual-career couples/families keep the pressure up around the clock.

Considered broadly, these specific concerns reduce down to about seven common causes of stress in the workplace:

· Time pressures

· Loss of control

· Personal beliefs and style

· Getting along with others

· Dealing with change

· Physical and environmental demands of the job

· Personal habits that magnify workplace stress

The leadership role in managing stress

As an automobile owner you put oil in the engine to reduce strains on parts rubbing against other parts, in so doing, reducing stress on the engine and increasing the life of the car. The same attention to maintenance applies to your staff.

One way you can help your employees be less stressed is to be clear about what is expected of them. Be clear about each employee’s specific contribution to projects and set realistic deadlines. Establish mini-deadlines so everyone knows that projects are progressing on schedule. Dividing complex tasks into small steps makes it easier for employees to accomplish those tasks and to appreciate when they are behind or ahead of schedule. Smaller steps reduce stress for everyone.

Try to assign work assignments to people who are competent to complete them. One of the biggest wastes of time for everyone is for someone without the proper training to be given an assignment they do not have the expertise to complete. Keep your employee’s training up-to-date and reward them if and when they elect to gain more training on their own. Invest money in maintaining enough staff to do the jobs that need to be done well. Merely piling more and more work on your workforce will eventually result in failure for the organization. Give good employees the tools and support they need to make you and the organization successful.

Set a personal example of how one should behave at work. Employees should understand that when they are at work, you expect them to get work done. For example, Internet use during business hours should be confined to what is necessary to complete business or organizational tasks. It is not appropriate for employees to spend large amounts of time emailing, instant messaging or web-surfing on the company’s time. While it is wise to be supportive of employees, a manager does not have to put up with people playing while on the job. Reward employees for getting things done on time or before. Be alert to employees that tend to procrastinate and consult with them early about this tendency and the potential problems this behavior will cause for you both if it continues.

Take care of interpersonal disputes and employees that are seriously toxic to the environment quickly so they do not pollute the workplace. Encourage employees to make use of human resource and employee assistance opportunities if they need then and do not hesitate to make necessary referrals.

On the other hand, try to allow employees to feel like they have some control over their work environment. Get employees’ input when making decisions if possible as it helps them feel more involved and the work more relevant to them. Don’t micromanage. Employees who can work independently should be allowed leeway to do so (The ones who cannot work independently are the ones you probably are having to remind about the work ethic and not doing personal activities on the job). Reward creative and/or thoughtful recommendations from employees. In fact, periodically recognize all types of excellence in your employees. To create a less stressful environment the rule is to recognize excellence in a public way, but to voice displeasure with work and make corrections in private.

As far as the general work environment is concerned, decent lighting, clean air, a comfortable working temperature, and possibly very low-level calming music (without vocals) can help. If employees are in tiny cubicles try to size the furnishings so that they do not overwhelm the space. Try to provide for adequate storage of information and materials so that small spaces do not become so cluttered that they impair concentration and thought. Try to keep the noise level manageable and equipment in good repair.

The idea of enhancing the bottom line by laying off “non-vital” employees may be well intentioned but can give rise to a negative atmosphere of fear and uncertainty if handled poorly. While any organization may have to cut jobs under extraordinary circumstances, the more positive, creative organizations regroup very quickly after lay-offs and begin to reinforce a positive, externally-oriented perspective. Negative work environments rarely improve their productivity and negative organizations are seldom long-term successes. Businesses that think of employees as merely overhead find themselves cutting staff again and again and again without ever really resolving the underlying issues.

THE EMPLOYEE AND STRESS AT WORK

Employees can help themselves to better manage the common causes of workplace stress by trying some of the following:

Ways to Improve Time Pressures

One of the most important things that a person can do is to set aside 15 – 30 minutes a day to relax. There are many methods of pursuing relaxation, including but not limited to meditation, deep breathing practice, yoga or other mind-body exercises, and simply assuming a comfortable posture and listening to recorded nature sounds (ocean waves, rain, etc.) or peaceful music of your choice. Making time for a brief respite in the middle of your stressful day is the doorway to reducing stress in all areas of your life.

Another helpful idea is to always leave 10 or 15 minutes “early” when going to work, or to meetings, and to allow at least a 15 minute break between appointments whenever possible. It is amazing how much distress can be relieved by building these buffers into your schedule.

Try to overcome a tendency to procrastinate. Get yourself a scheduler and use it. Negotiate project deadlines at the beginning of a project and take steps to renegotiate deadlines immediately upon realizing that initial estimates were unrealistic. Break assignments into smaller parts and establish your own personal mini-deadlines for accomplishing them. This practice will allow the project to be completed on schedule. Actually write out your plan and begin with the part you like doing the least. It is a good idea to plan little rewards each step of the way (breaks, snacks, etc.). During the time you need to be working concentrate and focus on what you are doing and do your best work. When the day’s work is done allow yourself a little reward.

Be honest in recognizing just how much you can accomplish and try to respect your limits. Each of us has a limited amount of time, energy and capability (which boils down to training and experience). While it is important to keep growing and challenging yourself, it is counterproductive to take on assignments that are poorly defined or far beyond your competence.

Ways to Exercise Self-Control

We humans have a need to be able to predict stressful events and their eventual outcome. We want to have some control over what happens and we need and appreciate the emotional support other people can provide when we are facing stressful times. While we can’t always control our circumstances, we can always control our reactions and attitudes about our situation. One positive way to gain a sense of control is to give tasks 100 percent of your concentration and effort. Find value in the work you do and find ways to make it challenging. If you are involved you will feel much less frustrated and you will be too committed to what you are doing to feel bored.

Prioritize your goals for work and your home life. Do the things necessary to achieve your goals and also assume responsibility for unexpected serious matters. You do not have to accept all requests to be on committees or to be involved in dozens of groups that require large contributions of your time. Learn to politely say no when necessary. If you make exceptions do so in your personal life, especially in relation to your spouse, children and dearest friends. Few dying people wish they had spent more of their time working, but many wish they had spent more time with family and loved ones. Reach for your professional goals, but if you are blessed with a family and friends do not neglect them. Finding the appropriate balance between your work and personal lives can make you better able to contribute to both endeavors than if you emphasize only one side of the equation.

Ways to Compensate For Personality Pitfalls

Your personality characteristics can influence how easy of a time you have coping with work stress. Some people are driven achievers while others take a more laid back approach to life. Driven people are more likely to suffer health problems as a result of stress, and to find the work place more stressful than less ambitious people. The ambitious person’s expectations (and therefore the amount of stress they experience) become magnified when goals they wish to achieve are vague (like wanting to become “rich and famous”; this is a difficult to achieve goal because it is a moving target: How much wealth or fame is enough?). Ambitious people serve themselves by recognizing their driven tendencies and compensate for them with relaxation and reality testing activities that help them calm down and set more manageable expectations. Vague goals can be recast into clear and relevant objectives and plans. It is best to reexamine goals while in a calm state of mind—when you are neither panicked nor driven by uncontrolled ambition.

Another common work stressor is the fear that something you did or said will come back to haunt you. Most workplace fears are irrational and are a bit like many workplace anxieties, (e.g., they concern events in the future which are in reality not very likely to occur). Try not to waste too much time on minor issues that will probably never amount to anything. Keep an eye on your ego and any tendency to become inappropriately insecure. Instead, resolve to do your best to repair work relationships if they do go sour, and to not worry about what is otherwise out of your control. Instead of dwelling on these “could happen” scenarios, work towards developing a positive attitude towards your work, work relationships and yourself.

Take positive steps to manage your work-related fears. If your major fear is job-loss, or being ‘trapped’ in a job you do not find fulfilling, try saving money from each paycheck so that over time you develop a cash buffer sufficient to grant you the freedom to leave your current position, or survive a layoff. You might also find that making time to keep your employability skills up-to-date, and your network of business-related contacts well oiled pays off in less work-related anxiety and better sleep. Regarding work-related skills, take advantage of training programs offered through your employer and look for additional ones on your own. If catastrophe strikes you will be as ready as you could be. Knowing this can relieve an enormous amount of stress.

Ways to Get Along with Other People

A big stressor at work involves problems people have in relating with other people, whether bosses, subordinates, colleagues or customers. Some of the most common causes for these sorts of problems are competitiveness, anger, and envy (i.e., greed). Just becoming aware that such feelings could be motivating your current behavior can be illuminating. Having become aware of your perceptions and feelings, you are now in a position to alter how you are participating in the stressful relationship so that it becomes less stressful.

When it comes to dealing with an overbearing employer, an unresponsive subordinate or a tyrant of a supervisor the problem sometimes boils down to assertiveness issues (e.g., you end up being too passive or too aggressive in your dealings with others). Your human resources department or employee assistance program can direct you towards assertiveness training resources that can help you learn how to appropriately assert yourself in the workplace.

Ways to Deal with Change

Be willing to accept change because it is inevitable. Recognize that because the world is constantly changing, so too must the work world. New technologies and methods of getting things done are par for the course, necessary adaptations that employers make as they attempt to keep the business current and viable. Instead of griping about having to learn new things, do what you can to approach them with a positive attitude and an open mind, and don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it in getting started. You’ll be amazed at how accomplished you feel when you develop mastery of a new skill.

Sometimes work-related change means that your position could be consolidated or otherwise lost. Alternatively, your employment may require to you make significant life changes in order to keep your position. Any change that requires you to make major life changes would seem at first glance to be completely negative, but this is not always the case. In many cases, what seems to be all negative reveals itself over time to have positive aspects. You may find yourself in a new position that you enjoy more than before, or you may meet new people who become your friends. Giving inevitable change the benefit of the doubt; approaching it with a positive attitude helps you to cope better and more successfully than if you try to cling to a past that is no more. What you will gain is a certain calmness about the future because you are able to see its potential.

Ways to Manage Environmental Stresses at Work

There are many jobs that involve physical danger. Soldiers at war, policemen, firefighters, and miners know this all too well. Most of us, however, do not have to face the possibility of death in our daily workplace. Most modern physical difficulties are the result of jobs that require us to stand or sit all day while maintaining high levels of concentration, situations which are both tiring and repetitive. Customer or client-facing positions bombard us with customer’s physical and emotional demands and can similarly leave us feeling exhausted at the end of the day. Some jobs require repetitive manipulation of industrial machinery or computers, which can sometimes result in repetitive motion problems (carpal tunnel syndrome and similar difficulties). Whatever the stress and strains associated with a given position are, they are worse for people who work “graveyard” shifts. Working all night and trying to sleep during the day keeps people out-of-sync both physically and emotionally.

Although there will always be some aspects of the physical workplace environment that cannot be smoothed away, some things about the work environment or the way that the work proceeds can be changed for the better. Try to identify stressful aspects of your work environment that could, with a little attention, be made less stressful, and see about making those changes if possible. If your hands bother you after using the computer all day, ask your human resources staff about whether ergonomic adjustments for your desk and chair are possible. If the florescent lights at your workplace drive you bonkers, bring your own lamp or lamps to work. Consider an inexpensive “white” noise generating device to block out distracting noises. Another helpful option to reduce environmental stress is to listen to soothing, relaxing music (which contains no words) played at a very low, background level. If this is not possible try to learn to focus very intently on what you are doing, including listening to your own breathing. Slow, deep breathing can directly reduce the intensity of stress feelings because we breathe faster and less deeply when we are stressed. However you are able to achieve it, concentration can significantly reduce the environmental stress you experience.

There are other small ways you can reduce work-associated stress as well. If your work space is really small, try to see if you can’t have a smaller chair to sit in instead of a big chair. Keep your space very neat and add a few personal touches. Substituting caffeine-free tea, herbal tea or water for endless cups of coffee can also go a long way towards keeping you calm. Drinking water is useful in reducing stress because becoming dehydrated can make you feel lethargic and tired which leave you much more likely to feel stressed.

Ways to Make Your Lifestyle More Stress-Management Friendly

Do you not exercise regularly? Do you fail to get a full night’s sleep? Do you drink excessive amounts of caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea, soda)? Do you drink alcohol to excess? Do you fight frequently with your spouse or significant other? Are you having difficulty parenting your children? Most of us could answer yes to one or more of these questions.

Lifestyle habits such as not getting enough sleep, failing to exercise, or not knowing how to argue civilly with your spouse can make you more susceptible to stress at work. Your efforts towards correcting these problems and living a healthier lifestyle will go a long way towards making you more resilient, and capable of better handling workplace stress.

Living a healthy lifestyle takes discipline, and a sense of commitment, but it is really not all that difficult:

• Commit yourself to exercising three or more times per week for at least 30 minutes each time.
• Replace the junk food and alcohol binges in your life with fresh vegetables, lean meats and whole grain breads.
• Practice relaxation exercises: Find time at least once a week for a relaxing soak, or a game of golf. Take up yoga or Pilates or basketball. Take a meditation seminar.
• Train yourself to become relaxed through auto-suggestion: When you do feel calm start to recognize the sensation and repeat a word (such as “calm”) to yourself. Over time this word will come to elicit a sense of relaxation—just don’t forget to continue to think the word to yourself while you are in a relaxed state.
• Be conscious of your posture and physical carriage. Try to sit and stand straight with your shoulders back, down and relaxed. Consider taking up Yoga or Pilates (disciplines which will help improve your posture as well as improve your body strength, flexibility and resilience). Shake out your hands periodically to reduce stress in them and try to keep from gritting your teeth and furrowing your brow.

In short, there are many things that you can do to reduce workplace stress and they often have nothing to do with the workplace per se.

Don’t hesitate to use the human resources department at your workplace or your employee assistance program to help you deal with spousal and parenting issues, or problems with drugs, alcohol, information about smoking cessation, maintaining exercise programs, etc. If your workplace offers wellness opportunities try to take advantage of them. Take control of what you can and be the better for it. Positive action will make your life much less stressful at home as well as in the workplace.

Emotional Intelligence for Leadership

Emotions

Emotions are ancient response strategies which are hard wired into your body. They have evolved over millennia and are present in animals as well as humans. They enable fast decision making when there is not enough time for rational consideration.  As a faculty of the brain, emotions are extensions and extrapolations of the sensory apparatus and the inputs from our eyes, ears, nose, touches and tastes.  Emotions are written into our postures and facial expressions.  They serve a number of functions, not the least of which is the motivation for survival.

Emotions can be broadly described as being either positive or negative. Examples of positive emotions are joy, happiness and excitement. Examples of negative emotions are depression, anxiety and sadness.  In addition, all emotions occur on a continuum from low to high intensity. The degree of intensity of any given emotion is a measure of how motivating it will be.

Emotions signal something important and may communicate cultural universals. One such signal is a happy face. No matter their cultural differences, people from any part of the world all react the same way to a happy smiling face. In general people approach things that elicit positive emotions and retreat from things that evoke negative emotions.  Positive emotions have been found to motivate us to broaden our thinking, increase our repertoire of behaviors, see new connections and generate new or novel solutions to problems while inoculating us against negative events and people.  Negative emotions call for a change in the status quo. They shrink our field of attention to a more limited range and encourage us to respond in very specific ways. For example, emotions like anxiety orient people to danger so that they can avoid it. While there may be some harmful aspects to negative emotions these emotions can also be useful in enhancing our ability to think in practical ways by becoming more motivated.

Because of the instinctual nature of emotion, it is very difficult to communicate without revealing emotion, and many communication tasks get harder to accomplish when emotion is removed from communication.  It is far harder to get team members to work well together when they are required to suppress emotions; they can fail to bond and trust one another, and have difficulty reaching consensus, or feeling safe enough to share ideas.  Unemotional sales people fail to make the sale.  Trying to deny or disguise our emotions generally does not work very well and is fairly unnatural and difficult to learn.  While we may think that we can hide our emotions the truth is that we cannot do so as well as we think we can. Those people who do manage to succeed at hiding their emotions are typically best suited to positions that require competitive dealings with strangers (e.g., negotiators, con-artists, poker players, etc.)

Emotional Intelligence

Workplace Emotional Intelligence involves learning to identify and manage emotions for both personal and organizational effectiveness. While emotions are not typically thought of as a critical element in workplace success, they are far more important than a casual observer might think. An Emotionally Intelligent Supervisor is able to use emotions to enhance reasoning and problem solving and to make more accurate judgments about people and situations.

Management of emotions is not about refusing to deal with negative emotions. Emotional management in the workplace is about being maximally effective which requires accepting a full range of emotions in one’s self and in others.  Purely rational decision making fails to take into consideration the emotional impact the decision may have on other people which may result in the decision falling short of expectation or being difficult to put into action as conceived.  In fact, an attempt to engage in purely rational pursuits in the workplace (suppressing all emotions) can result in decision making errors as well as creating an atmosphere of mistrust.  Instead, it is better to make decisions based on both rational and emotional grounds by respecting the valuable information emotions convey.

While emotional gestures and expressions may be universal, there are a wide variety of societal rules dictating the appropriateness of emotional use. Every society has its rules about whether or not it is ok to display certain emotions.  The emotionally intelligent person tunes into these implicit rules and learns when particular emotional displays are appropriate and when they are not.  For example, within the business world there are rules for emotional display that are part of the hidden organizational culture.  In a very formal, upscale law firm partners and associates may be expected to behave with a great deal of emotional constraint. In contrast an advertising agency may encourage employees to openly display positive emotions.

Roles may also change based on gender. While men can be assertive and in-your-face, a woman who does the same is often considered to be too aggressive. On the other hand if a female expresses happiness in an ebullient manner her behavior is often judged as being girlish or “typically”female. This appraisal tends to result in her being considered too soft to be an effective leader. Men, meanwhile, can high five in the hall as much as they like with no consequences.  Even though these rules are not necessarily obvious or expressed in writing, they strongly influence the hiring of employees and how well employees and their work are accepted as a part of an organization, and because of this, an emotionally intelligent person will strive to map out these rules so as to use them to their personal and organizational advantage.

Basic Emotional Management Skills

Once a person agrees that emotions impart valuable information, the next question involves how to tap into this information. One way to begin to manage emotions is to explore your own emotions. You can start with these exercises.

• Pick an emotion that you are think you might tend to over-generalize or exaggerate and consider how you dealt with it in a recent situation.
• Upon reflection do you think it was reasonable for you to feel the way that you did?

• On a scale of 1 to 10 how strongly did you feel this emotion?
• How did the emotion feel physically? Did you feel tense? Hot? Cold? Did you feel weighted down or light and free? Did you feel depressed? Energetic? Tired? Drained?
• Do you often feel the way you did on this occasion?
• What kinds of things do you think about when you experience this emotion? What do you usually do to make the situation better?
• Do you have any ideas about why you feel as you do or any specific triggers that might illicit these feelings in you?
• How did you interpret the event? How do you think an impartial observer might have interpreted the situation? Do you think that it might be possible that your appraisal of the situation might be incorrect?
• Think of alternatives explanations for what happened. Are any of the alternative explanations reasonable?

Next think about your feelings and the likelihood you may feel this emotion in the future. Make a list of situations that might provoke this response from you; order them from situations apt to trigger relatively minor levels of the emotion to those that you feel would trigger a major emotional outburst. Think about how you might best handle each situation. Next relax deeply and picture yourself handling the least provoking situation effectively. Gradually work your way through your list, imaging yourself dealing effectively with each situation. Then relax a bit longer and tell yourself, “I can handle these situations.”

Next time you face one of your triggers take a few moments to breathe deeply and think of alternative ways to handle the situation. Remind yourself that you can do this. Then use the information the emotion gives you to help you better deal with the problem or situation at hand.

Emotional Intelligence for Supervisors

Emotionally intelligent leaders possess a great deal of empathy concerning what their employees are feeling.  In this case, having empathy means that they understand what their supervisees are going through.  Decisions may be influenced by this understanding, but they need be in no way determined by it.  Some of the questions that an emotionally intelligent manager should consider when dealing with the emotions of supervisees are:

• How do these people feel in the current situation?
• How are their feelings influencing what they think about the situation?
• Why do they feel like they do? How do I expect their feelings to change as various events unfold?
• Is there anything I can do with their emotions? Can I notice and include how they are feeling into my thinking and decisions? How can I stay open to the information in these emotions so that I can integrate that information into my own thinking and behavior?

With an enhanced understanding for emotional intelligence, a supervisor is ready to consider the major challenges of management and leadership. Some of these include:

• Team building

• Planning and decision making

• Motivating supervisees

• Imparting a vision

• Promoting and facilitating change(s) when they are necessary

• Demonstrating and encouraging the development and continuation of effective interpersonal relationships between management and supervisees as well as between supervisees.

An emotionally intelligent supervisor may have an advantage over their rivals because they are able to see the big picture, look at issues from multiple points of view, and do the right things to motivate others. These are the things that build effective teams and over time promote trust and a sense of belonging.

An effective manager should be able to optimize the quality of team interactions by resolving dissent, encouraging and using cooperative behavior, and encouraging productive team member interactions. An emotionally effective supervisor is comfortable letting team members take credit for positive outcomes while not necessarily blaming them for negative outcomes.

When it comes to motivating people, emotionally intelligent supervisors recognize that showing appreciation for others’ accomplishments and celebrating community efforts are beneficial in motivating people.

How is this accomplished?

In order to benefit from the information found in emotions expressed by supervisees, it is first necessary to identify all the emotions in play. Look to your own emotions for information. Use this information to clarify the situation and help you manage both emotions and the situation well.

For example, a subordinate’s productivity has taken a precipitous decline. You call the supervisee in to talk with them about the problem and they supervisee is very defensive and angry and almost tearful. How does this display of emotion affect you? Do you feel angry, perhaps put-off by their display of emotion? The supervisee in front of you has been with the company for some time but their current behavior has cost the company money. If you are angry you may be tempted to simply put the supervisee on a performance contract with termination a possibility if a quick turn-around does not occur. On the other hand, you sense that the supervisee is in serious emotional distress. Given the supervisee has a history of exemplary performance in the company you might want to consider a supervisory referral to human resources to see if the problem can be resolved. You ask a couple of “You seem” questions and the supervisee acknowledges that they are not feeling themselves but that it has nothing to do with work. You decide to offer the referral. The supervisee acts relieved at your offer and willingly agrees to your suggestion. You let the supervisee know you are concerned about them but that this is a serious work issue and you will be kept informed if they are keeping scheduled appointments with human resources. Slow but steady improvement follows. Since supervisors are not privy to the nature of the problem you may never know exactly what was wrong. However your ability to manage your own feelings and recognize those in the supervisee has resulted in ameliorating the productivity issue while keeping a good employee which has saved the company time, money and trouble recruiting and training a replacement.

In the scenario above the supervisor:

• Paid close attention in order to accurately identify their own emotions and moods while closely attending to those of the supervisee.

• Did not immediately put the supervisee on a performance contract which would most likely lead to the firing of the employee because of their own anger or discomfort with the employee’s emotional state.
• Observed the supervisee’s nonverbal behavior including facial expression, eyes, mouth, posture and gestures.
• Noted any discrepancies in verbal and nonverbal behavior and between the tone of what was said and the actual words.
• Asked the employee a few “You seem” questions to see if they understood what was going on with the supervisee.
• Remembered that two people in the office had expressed concern about the supervisee over the past couple of weeks.
• Decided to give the employee the benefit of the doubt and offered the human resources referral which was accepted with an eventual successful outcome.
• Made an emotionally intelligent decision even if the referral had not solved the problem because it demonstrated the company had shown a good faith willingness to work with the employee, reducing liability for them if the employee was eventually terminated.

Using Emotional Information

As you begin to try and utilize emotional intelligence it is a good idea to review how emotions tend to motivate us.

• Fear tends to motivate people to act now to avoid negative consequences
• Anger may motivate people to fight against wrong and injustice
• Sadness may motivate a person to request help or support
• Disgust may signal that you cannot accept something because it offends you on some level
• Interest may motivate people to be enthusiasm about exploration and learning
• Surprise often makes people pay attention to the unexpected which may be important
• Acceptance tends to enhance friendship bonds
• Joy tends to motivate people to repeat the event that caused the gratification

It is also useful to encourage emotions appropriate for situational goals. For example:

• Brainstorming is enhanced if participants are feeling happy
• Being somewhat fearful tends to focus a people or group to recognize possible problems and what might have gone wrong
• A neutral mood is helpful when setting long-term goals
• A happy, interested group is more likely to form a consensus
• Possessing a genuine interest in a project tends to foster the development of efficient  action plans, appropriate allocating of resources, realistic planning timelines as well as personnel and assignment designee choices
• A happy, enthusiastic mood provides momentum when implementing a plan
• A negative mood is helpful when evaluating possible issues during follow-up while a happy and positive mood helps the group stay motivated to keep going and to tackle obstacles.

Depending on the circumstances you find yourself in and how you are reacting to those circumstances, you are then in a position to use that emotion (e.g., by communicating it, or knowing when not to communicate it, by rewarding supervisees or withholding reward, by creating buzz or working to minimize it, etc.) for the good of your organizational goals.

Be respectful of supervisees or office support help. Express appreciation for good work and give criticisms in private. Be tactful and specific about things that need improving. While having a general open door policy can interrupt your concentration, having a specified day and time that team members or subordinates can come to you with issues may provide beneficial for everyone.

Emotional Intelligence for Employees

As an employee, one of the most important things to recognize is that your feelings, and those of your co-workers, can be very influential and powerful and that your collective current emotional state can alter your perspectives on issues or even cause you to jump to conclusions prematurely.  Emotional intelligence can help employees to better understand their own emotions and organizational expectations for appropriate emotional expression so appropriately expressed emotions can be better utilized for personal and organizational progress.  For example, emotional intelligence skills can benefit employees by making them better able to read their supervisor’s emotions so that that can choose the best approach to use when interacting with them.

As you begin to try and utilize emotional intelligence it is a good idea to review how emotions tend to motivate us.

• Fear tends to motivate people to act now to avoid negative consequences
• Anger may motivate people to fight against wrong and injustice
• Sadness may motivate a person to request help or support
• Disgust may signal that you cannot accept something because it offends you on some level
• Interest may motivate people to be enthusiasm about exploration and learning
• Surprise often makes people pay attention to the unexpected which may be important
• Acceptance tends to enhance friendship bonds
• Joy tends to motivate people to repeat the event that caused the gratification

It is vitally important that you pay attention to the emotions of colleagues. If a mood can set you up to react negatively to something it very well may do the same thing to others at your workplace. Try to be observant of others. Also pay attention to the day of the week and time of day. It is not a good idea to approach your superior about anything during times you know they are extremely busy, or at the end of any workday, especially Friday afternoon, while they are tying up lose ends trying to get out of the office. If you know your supervisor is under extra stress for personal reasons and is being short with you the best course is to ignore their tone unless it becomes a recurrent issue. Then make an appointment at a time of day that is usually less stressful for your supervisor and tell them that you are concerned that they do not seem to be happy with your performance of late and ask what you might do to change that. Chances are they do not realize they have been short with you and the matter can be quickly ameliorated.  If this is not the case, human resources may be able to help. While some people might look at these steps as “sucking up” to the boss, they actually have more to do with your own self-preservation.

Disputes between colleagues can make the workplace a very unpleasant place for everyone and where emotional intelligence can serve you well. This being the case, it is best for employees to remember that people they work with are not relatives or social friends and confidents. You are all employees of the company. Over time relationships frequently develop and it is tempting to confide personal problems and information to your “friends.” This is not always wise because you never know what might slip out or come back to haunt you at an inappropriate time. Employees that keep the office grapevine replete with suspense may enjoy the attention they receive, but over time they are only hurting themselves. If you have serious problems the resource to utilize is not a fellow employee’s ear, but rather the services of the human resource department and their trained professionals. These professionals will keep your problems private and offer advice that might alleviate your distress.

If you find yourself embroiled in conflict with a fellow employee, keep careful records of the problem behavior and turn to your supervisor or other company resource for help with resolving the problem if necessary. It is very easy to get involved in controversy, but much harder to deal with the issues that may result. Pick your battles carefully. You don’t have to let personal disagreements or personality clashes derail your career, but you also don’t have to lie down and take everything that is dished out. Make a habit of keeping accurate, dated notes to document your issues. Also make it a habit to go through the proper channels to handle disputes and complaints.

Office dating is another area of conflict where emotional intelligence is important. While these romances may sometimes flourish, they can also become difficult for a business if things do not work out. Think through what you might need to do if the relationship fails before you jeopardize your career. On the other hand, it may be that the relationship is more important than the job. It is always proper to try and be discreet and not let an office romance interfere with the business at hand. In short, pay attention to your emotions and feelings and observe and think about those of others. Then use the information you learn to make good choices about whatever situation comes your way.

Leading by Contingency: The Keys to Supervisory Styles

What is Leading by Contingency and What Approaches Have Been the Most Effective?

It has often been said that leadership effectiveness is dependent on responding flexibly to the demands of the situation. However, it is one thing to make this assertion, but much more difficult to isolate specific situational factors and then determine the best approach to leadership. Leading by contingency means using the right styles and tools based on the circumstances. There is no equation that can automatically yield an answer but there are guidelines that can be of value. There are a number of theories and each gives emphasis to at least one type of factor. However, none of the theories are comprehensive enough to stand alone. Factors like control, cognitive resources, readiness, trust, task structure, goals and resources must be considered.

The Control Factor

One approach, called the Fiedler Model, proposes that group performance success depends on the proper match between a leader’s style and the extent to which a situation gives control to a leader.

It is necessary to match leaders with situations in which their leadership style will work. Fiedler identified several contingency dimensions that describe situational factors which determine leadership effectiveness. These include:

· Position power – the amount of power a leader has over hiring, firing, etc.

· Task structure – how structured job assignments are

Fiedler asserts that task-oriented leaders perform best in situations involving high and low control while relationship-oriented leaders are most effective in moderate control situations.

Reviews of major studies testing the validity of this theory are positive. There is a good deal of support. The most important thing to learn from this theory is the importance of control.

Fiedler’s cognitive resource theory

Recently Fiedler and Joe Garcia reconceptualized the Fiedler theory focusing on the role of stress as a type of situational adversity and how a leader’s experience and intelligence influence their stress reaction. This refinement of the Fiedler theory is called the cognitive resource theory. In this theory stress is the enemy. Stress makes it difficult for anyone to think logically. The theorists conclude that intelligence correlates positively with performance when stress conditions are low but negatively when stress levels are high. The conclusion is that it is the level of stress in a situation that determines the importance of an individual’s intelligence or experience. While the focus on stress is valuable the cognitive resources factor must be viewed in a broader context. Under high stress preplanned and fixed solutions may be better. In lower levels of stress there is time and energy for problem solving. The most important contribution is the importance of cognitive resources.

The Readiness Factor

The Hersey and Blanchard’s Situational Leadership Theory (SLT) has been incorporated in training programs for over 400 of Fortune 500 companies. This theory is based on the assumption that the right leadership style is based on the followers’ readiness. Readiness refers to the ability and willingness to accomplish a specific task. The amount of control a leader needs to exert depends on the followers’ abilities and motivation. If followers are unwilling and unable to do a specific task a leader needs to give very specific and clear instructions and closely monitor performance. If followers and unable but willing a leader needs to emphasize the task to make up for the followers lack of ability and be highly relationship oriented to get the followers to buy into the leaders desires. If followers are unwilling but able the leader needs to be supportive and have a participative style. If employees are both able and willing then they do not require much from their leader and the leader can delegate more to the follower. The importance of this theory is the emphasis on the readiness of the follower.

The Trust Factor

The leader-member exchange (LME) theory assumes that because of time constraints leaders form a special relationship with a select group of followers. The selected individuals make up the in-group. The in-group is trusted and gets more than its share of attention by the leader and members are more likely to receive special privileges. Followers not in the in-group are considered to be in the out-group. They get fewer special privileges and less of the leader’s time, fewer rewards that the leader controls and have a more formal leader-follower relationship. The leader-member exchange (LMX theory) goes on to propose that the “in” or “out” relationship is relatively stable over time. Members to the in-group tend to have similar attitudes and personality characteristics which are similar to the leader’s or possess a higher level of competence than the “out” group. The approach of the leader is contingent on the level of trust. A leader is more likely to supervise the less trusted group more closely and delegate to the trusted in-group. The most important contribution is the emphasis on trust as a factor.

The Factor of Task Structure

The leader-participation model was developed by Victor Vroom and Phillip Yetton. This theory recognizes that task structures have varying demands for routine and non-routine activities and that the leader’s behavior must adjust in response to the task structure. Examples of the type of variables considered important are: the importance of the decision, the time constraints on the leader than may limit follower involvement, how effectively structured a problem is, and the importance of participation by followers as a tool for making a decision. The model is too complex and difficult to teach but it has the value of giving appropriate emphasis to the characteristics of the structure of the task .

The Goal and Resources Factors

The path-goal theory is the current most influential contingency approach to leadership. This theory was developed by Robert House. The fundamental core of the path-goal theory is that the leader’s job is to provide followers with the resources they need to reach the goals assigned to them. These resources include not only materials and supplies but also information and professional support along the way to achieving the goals. It is the leader’s responsibility to make the goal and its path clear not only conceptually but also by reducing the number of roadblocks in the path to the successful achievement of the goals.

The path-goal theory identifies leaders as behaving in four distinct ways. The directive leader keeps followers up to date on what is expected of them, schedules what work should be done when and gives specific guidance on how to accomplish the assigned tasks. The participative leader consults with his followers for suggestions which he uses before making decisions. The achievement leader sets challenging goals which followers are expected to acheive at their highest level of competency. The supportive leader, in comparison, is friendly demonstrates concern for their followers’ needs. Leaders are thought to he capable of being flexible and that the same leader may display any or all of the four leadership behaviors based on the particular situation. The path-goal model assumes two types of situational or contingency variables that moderate the leadership behavior. These are environmental variables beyond the leader’s control and certain personal characteristics of the employees. These include such things as locus of control, experience and perceived ability. Environmental factors determine what type of leader behavior is needed to maximize follower outcomes. On the other hand employee personal characteristics determine how the leader and environmental are interpreted.

 

What are the Implications of Leading by Contingency for Managers?

Leadership plays a major role in fostering group behavior because the leader usually provides the direction to attain goals. The better the match between the ultimate goals and the particular leadership style of the leader, the more likely a successful outcome. The approach the leader takes depends on these factors:

1. • Control- the degree of control that the leader has and the degree of control that the follower may have in the situation must be considered. If the leader has a high degree of control then the next question is whether that control can be transferred to the follower. When the leader has high control and that control cannot be transferred the leader should be very active and delegate very little. It may be more effective to do the job themselves. On the other hand when the follower has a high level of control the leader can simply define the outcome desired and delegate the task.
   • Cognitive Resources- while theories have focused on stress, the cognitive resources factor should be applied more broadly. The question is what does the leader know and what does the follower know about the situation. In many cases the follower may have greater knowledge than the leader. In that case the leader is wise to delegate and get out of the way. If the leader has a high level of knowledge the question is one of training. How quickly can the leader transfer knowledge to the subordinate?
   • Readiness- two aspects of readiness are ability and willingness. Ability involves not only the knowledge but also the level of experience the follower may have with the task. A follower may have the knowledge in their head but have little experience in the task. Thus the leader must take experience into account. Just as important, however, is willingness or motivation. If a follower has both the ability and the willingness the leader can assign the task and turn to other matters with little need for supervision.
   • Trust- when a leader is working with individuals in a group that is highly trusted then they can give greater latitude. The risk is that if the group is trusted for the wrong reasons and they do not have the ability or the motivation, then the result can be failure. One might very well modify the well known Russian proverb so that it says: Trust but verify the skill and motivational level relative to the task at hand.
   • Task structure- some tasks are simple and straight forward. The follower need only walk from point A to point F. When tasks are easily defined the leader can delegate and move on. Very complex tasks may be beyond the skills of one person and thus may require appointment of a work group with representatives from different areas.
   • Goals and resources- perhaps the most important factor of all in consideration of contingencies is the goal and the resources required to achieve the goal. When the goal is clear and the resources are available the leader can assign the job and move on to other things. However, often the mobilization of needed resources requires continued involvement by the leader.

While early searches for universal leadership traits has not proven to be very valuable, efforts to employ a slightly different framework have been more promising. There is not a fixed set of leadership traits. However, efforts using the Big Five personality framework have identified conscientiousness, extroversion, and openness to experience as relating strongly to leadership. More research on the contribution of the different characteristics could prove valuable/

The importance of relevant situation variables in the understanding of leadership has been well demonstrated and has been a major breakthrough in trying to understand leadership characteristics.

Is Leadership “Training” Worthwhile? The answer seems to be yes but with reservations. It is very common for companies to spend large amounts of money training leaders in workshops and retreats only to find participants drifting back into old patterns. It seems that training without on the job coaching as part of the follow through is of very limited value. Proponents of leadership training suggest that the multibillion dollar industry exists because it works. While agreeing that there are disagreements on an exact definition of leadership, proponents state that a leader exhibits leadership by their influence on ushering a group of people towards achieving specific goals. In reference to the effectiveness of leadership programs, proponents admit that they vary, which is to be expected, given how diverse the programs are. One of the reasons that different approaches may be needed is because people learn in different ways and that leadership programs should be careful in matching leadership-training opportunities to insure that they match the needs and learning style of their managers.

What are the Implications of Leading by Contingency for Subordinates?

.

What contingency means to you- if are lucky enough to have a leader that is flexible and changes their approach based on situational contingencies your job is to help them do so. That means an active communication process and dialogue about factors like control, cognitive resources, readiness, trust, task structure and goals and resources. The more you are able to evaluate yourself in reference to these factors and the better you communicate with your supervisor about these the greater the likelihood of success.

 

Negotiating level of participation- you will be better in negotiating your own level of autonomy is you can couch your position in terms of the key factors. Prepare yourself for any negotiations by doing your own homework about the match between the task and your own characteristics. Do not be defensive. It is in your interest to be given the authority and operational latitude needed to be successful. It would be better if someone else were assigned a job or project than to have lots of room to fall on your face.

 

Clarification of the task- be absolutely sure you understand the assignment. Do not leave success to guess work. Ask questions. Even better ask good questions. You might try to flow chart your understanding of the features and steps in the assigned task and then sit down with your supervisor and go over it. You might find it useful to ask others how they see the task defined just to check yourself. However, in the end it is the supervisors understanding that matters most.

 

Obtaining the information you need- information can be the most important resource of all. Ask yourself how you will go about getting the information you need to carry out the task and from whom you can obtain the information. Make a list of the items you need and then check them off as you get them. If possible before you begin sit down one final time with your supervisor and go over the information you obtained. Give your boss the chance to identify points of confusion or error.

Determination of your collaborators- complex tasks often require other people. Your job should include helping to identify who those people may be. Define your understanding of their roles. Be sure their supervisors understand what roles they will play and that they support those roles otherwise when you need them most they may not be available.

 

· Determining the priority and time frame- be sure you understand the priority your supervisor places on the task or project. Ask about deadlines and dependencies. Deadlines are the due dates. Dependencies are other work activities that are dependent on your work output. Ask yourself who will become upset if you do not keep to the schedules.

 

· Establishing the goals- never be satisfied with goals in people’s heads and not on paper. If your supervisor sets the goals then be sure to read them and ask questions. If you have been delegated the goal setting process then set the goals and review them with your supervisor.

 

· Project planning- if your tasks involves leading a project team the most important step is the planning. Ask your supervisor what role he or she may want to play in the project. If they ask you to develop the plan then do so but be sure to go over the plan with your supervisor.

If your supervisor employs leadership by contingency then you must be very active and you must make every effort to communicate. You must help your supervisor evaluate the factors that will determine the approach to leadership.

.