JWI505 Strayer University Penny’s Performance Video Review https://youtu.be/_7CEmBZyGF8
https://time.com/4242854/trust-in-the-workplace/
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-break-bad-news-your-boss-jack-welch/?trk=prof-post
As you saw in the Penny’s Performance Review video, employees do not always understand they are not meeting expectations until it’s too late.
Scenario: The performance of your top employee has recently slipped. You had a conversation with the employee to address it. The employee improved for a period of time, but slipped again. Now your boss has noticed, which questions your leadership. You do not want to terminate this employee because you know the value of this person and his/her work, and you trust and respect this employee; however, you are starting to look bad.
It is time to take action, so you schedule a meeting with the employee.
Part One: Discuss your strategy (supported by sources) for the meeting, including:
How will you use candor to make your point clear during the conversation?
How will you remove your own personal emotion from the conversation, while still maintaining empathy and trust with the employee?
Considering the course materials for this week, what techniques for building effective working relationships will you employ, and why do you choose these techniques?
Part Two: Write a brief dialog recording the conversation between you and this employee that demonstrates your use of the strategies outlined above. JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
Lecture Notes
WEEK 4: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
Reaching Out, Building Relationships, and Making Connections
What does it mean to engage someone? It means reaching out and connecting with them. When you are
human and real to someone, when you are actively present and listening, you demonstrate respect. This is
the most effective way to receive respect in return. It’s also the first step toward building lasting relationships
that produce collaborative results in the business world. None of your colleagues will want to work with you
in the future if you do not engage them sincerely and openly.
As a leader, you own one hundred percent of your relationships. You don’t have the luxury of waiting for
other people to give you fifty percent of the relationship, to meet you halfway. If you want engaged
colleagues and collaborators, you must take responsibility for the relationship, giving it one hundred percent
and owning the accountability for it. If that relationship isn’t what you need it to be, if you’re not fully engaged
with that person, it’s not their responsibility. It is yours as a business leader.
Now, this does not mean that you are doing all the work. It doesn’t mean carrying around your less-thanengaged coworkers, in the hope that they will eventually see the light, if you let them use and abuse you. It
does mean, however, that you must be fully committed to growing the relationship. If the other person won’t
make the effort, it doesn’t matter. You must take the steps needed to inspire them, to motivate them, and to
build a strong interaction with them.
Why is this important? As a leader, your success soars or fails based on the strength of your relationships
with your colleagues. These are your collaborators, the people best positioned to support your goals and
make them happen. People will engage with you, follow you, and be inspired by you, based on who you are,
not just what you do. Who they are and what they do isn’t your responsibility; you can only lead by example,
openly and generously. One way to do this is to develop and maintain empathy in all of your business
relationships.
Empathy
Empathy is the ability to see and feel what another person is experiencing from their perspective. Empathy,
in the business world, could be referred to as a soft skill. Cultivating empathy, however, is often one of the
most difficult tasks a leader faces, far more important to leadership than the technical skills that leader
already knows.
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JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
Lecture Notes
The stronger your relationship with someone, the more likely they are to work diligently with you toward a
shared goal. The better you engage someone, the more earnestly they will strive to contribute to objectives
you face together. To build that relationship, you must connect with that person. The key to that connection
is empathy, making empathy a critical leadership communication skill.
Empathy is also important in handling emotionally charged, often difficult conversations. If you can recognize
the source of someone’s emotions, you can more easily relate to them and achieve a win-win situation. For
example, if a team member becomes agitated when discussing a major change to a corporate procedure,
having the empathy to grasp why the employee is so passionate – for example, because that employee
originally designed the procedure and feels personally invested – could help you achieve a win-win position
through shared understanding. Something as simple as, “You did such great work on the procedure
originally, I know you’re the right person to help us through this update” could make all the difference in
navigating a tense situation.
It’s important to note that empathy is not problem solving. We may rush to a problem with a solution, but this
presumes the person with the problem does not know how to solve it, or is not capable of solving it. A
classic piece of relationship advice doled out by columnists is that sometimes, your spouse doesn’t want to
hear solutions. Sometimes, your spouse just wants to vent and have you listen supportively. This is a classic
example of the problems caused by a failure to listen. Instead of connecting with your spouse and offering
moral support, which establishes trust and builds the relationship between you, you try to solve the problem
and make it go away. Solutions have their place, but empathy helps us connect to those who are
experiencing problems in the first place.
We’ve been taught that bringing a solution to someone else is bringing value to them. As leaders, however,
we need to focus first on how we can connect to others, how we can build confidence in them, how we can
coach them to problem solve, and how we can support them in generating their own ways forward. This
builds a stronger team and stronger relationships. Demonstrating empathy in that way more deeply engages
with the person you are coaching and supporting. You will, in turn, be able to call on that person in the future
to collaborate with you and support your shared goals.
To show empathy for someone, we must fully understand what motivates them, what excites them, and what
discourages them. In so doing, we demonstrate that we care enough to check frequently on their motivators
and demotivators. This mutual respect helps engender better, stronger, more earnest support for the
organization’s objectives. You can demonstrate empathy in any context and on any occasion. You don’t
have to like someone to empathize with them. You simply have to understand them. The more you can step
into someone else’s shoes, the better you can understand what drives their behavior and what the
alternative solutions to a problem might be. The more views available to you, the more possibilities for
connection are available, and the greater the possibilities for alignment and results. In other words, the more
empathy you have, the more brains you can get into the game in your organization.
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JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
Lecture Notes
Vulnerability
Imagine that a team member comes into your office and explains to you that she has doubts about the
solution chosen for a high-risk project. She has been tasked with implementing key elements of
management’s strategy to bring the project to fruition. You have faith in the solutions chosen, but you need
her buy-in to get her best and most enthusiastic efforts. Do you:
A. Tell her that the strategy has been chosen by management and she will have to execute it despite
her doubts?
B. Explain to her that you, too, had initial doubts about the chosen strategy, sharing with her the
supporting case made to you by your own manager, when you brought those questions to them?
The obvious answer is choice B. Sharing with your team member that you, too, had doubts, and explaining
how those doubts were allayed – and offering the reasoning through which they were resolved – has three
effects:
•
It demonstrates vulnerability in sharing your very human feelings of doubt
•
It fosters empathy by showing your team member that you had similar feelings
•
It develops trust between you because you were willing to share that vulnerability, while also helping
your team member through her doubts
Sharing yourself like this is one of the most authentic ways of connecting with others. When credible leaders
communicate their mistakes, their weaknesses, or their fears, and when they do so with empathy, it draws
other people to them. Our vulnerabilities do not make us lesser leaders. They make us more human, which
makes us more real and more connected to those around us.
Take, for example, a social media gaffe. Let’s say a company insensitively uses a trending Twitter hashtag
to advertise its product, only to find that it has offended a great many people – this happened to a famous
pizza company when its social media personnel used a domestic violence hashtag without realizing what it
meant. If the CEO of the company offers his heartfelt apology, says that, hey, he’s kind of stupid when it
comes to social media, and promises to be better in the future, that is a much more real, human, and
vulnerable response than deleting the tweet and firing the social media manager responsible.
Admitting your vulnerability is much more likely to achieve the desired results. It demonstrates that no one is
perfect, that we don’t believe ourselves to be better than others. Strategic, judicious use of vulnerability also
moves teams and organizations to be more candid, more open, and more transparent. When a leader
shows a willingness to be candid and vulnerable, others in the organization will follow that example. They
will be more likely to acknowledge what is working and what is not working, admitting their own mistakes,
missteps, and vulnerabilities in the process. This will lead to improved relationships and stronger
connections, which will produce better processes and faster problem solving.
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copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 505 – Lecture Notes (1194)
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JWI 505: Business Communications and Executive Presence
Lecture Notes
The Burden of Communication as a Leader
As leaders, we are always being watched. What we say – and what we do in support of what we say – is
tremendously important. We must constantly focus on honoring others, respecting their value and their
contributions. We must be candid, showing that we are authentic and open and that we value transparency.
Our words and deeds must be congruent with each other and with our mission.
Consider how you connect with others. Purposely and authentically practice these methods consistently.
This may sound like a burden. It is not. It is a beautiful opportunity to connect with others, to build
relationships, to inspire your colleagues, and to produce a stronger, more adaptable organization that is
better positioned to win.
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copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
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9 -4 1 5 -0 3 0
REV: JANUARY 21, 2015
MODULE NOTE
Building Effective Working Relationships
Introduction
Have you ever avoided a difficult conversation with a colleague? Have you ever walked out of a
meeting and asked yourself “How many times do I have to repeat myself; why doesn’t (s) he just get
it?” Have you ever left an encounter with your boss feeling completely demotivated: miserable about
yourself and your career?
Poor interpersonal relationships are easy to recognize. Building healthy ones takes effort and care.
As you become a leader and manager, building effective interpersonal relationships with peers, direct
reports and supervisors becomes essential for getting things done well and on time, feeling
personally fulfilled at work, developing those around you and making career progress. Conversely, a
manager’s inability to effectively manage one-on-one relationships both inside and outside his/her
organization often results in poor performance, low job satisfaction, poor morale and decreased
opportunities for advancement for the manager and for those around him/her.
But all too often, managers treat working relationships as a by-product; side-effects that just
happen as a result of getting tasks done. This note introduces a framework for deliberately building
effective interpersonal relationships. First, we will define the necessary attributes of these
relationships. Next, we will discuss common barriers to effectiveness. Lastly, we will provide tools
to build and maintain these relationships.
Assess: How effective are my interpersonal relationships?
The first step towards acting deliberately in your relationships is to assess how effective they are.
Effective interpersonal relationships at work have three important characteristics: mutuality,
resilience and multiplexity. These are attributes that managers should strive for in all relationships,
albeit in different ways for each relationship.
Mutuality Effective relationships are mutual: they are two-way streets. In effective
relationships, people have mutual trust, built upon (1) clear, mutual expectations, (2) mutual learning
and (3) regular, open communication. In non-mutual relationships, people feel they are being taken
advantage of: they feel they give time, effort and resources without receiving enough in return.
Mutuality does not mean the two people in a relationship are similar or equal. Nor does it mean that
both people share everything. Rather, mutuality means that both parties are committed to working
This module note was prepared by Professor Lakshmi Ramarajan to aid students in Leadership and Organizational Behavior Fall 2014.
Copyright © 2014, 2015 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-5457685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www.hbsp.harvard.edu. This publication may not be digitized,
photocopied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted, without the permission of Harvard Business School.
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Module Note—Building Effective Working Relationships
together and therefore give resources to and receive resources from the relationship. Resources can be
instrumental, such as time, expertise or influence, or psychological, such as feeling supported or
energized by another’s presence.
Resilience Effective relationships are resilient; they survive and adapt in good times and bad.
Negative experiences, such as failure, and negative emotions, such as guilt, jealousy or anger, are part
of life, including organizational life. In effective relationships, people do not avoid or suppress these
negative experiences. Rather, they can express both positive and negative emotions safely. When
conflict and disagreement erupt, or when circumstances change and external challenges pressure the
relationship, effective relationships survive and can be repaired to face future challenges together.
Multiplexity Effective work relationships serve multiple objectives and needs. There are at
least two objectives in any work relationship: (1) work objectives – those that address the task
requirements required for both parties to perform their work; and (2) relationship objectives – those
that address the emotional and psychological needs of each party, such as feeling understood, valued
and respected. In multiplex relationships people do not separate these two objectives. Rather, they
share both instrumental resources, such as sharing expertise or access to funding, and psychological
resources, such as conveying encouragement or seeking support, to meet these dual objectives.
Five common signals that you are in an ineffective relationship
Just as healthy work relationships share characteristics in common, so too do poor interpersonal
relationships. These include:
Mistrust. A lack of transparency and/or the deliberate withholding of information.
Emotional Conflict. Frequent arguments that involve personal animosity and placing blame.
Miscommunication. The perception of being constantly misunderstood; avoidance or silence.
Mistreatment. The perception of being at someone’s mercy, experiencing unfair assignments
or rewards, and feeling unable to protect or defend yourself from abuse.
Stagnation. The feeling that you can’t grow, learn or try new things, and are stifled, bored or
depleted of energy and enthusiasm for your work.
These symptoms often appear together and create great turmoil in your relationships at work,
taking a high toll on both you and your organization. Because relationships are dynamic, it is
important to assess the effectiveness of your relationships at work on a regular basis.
Once you have assessed your relationships, the next step is to diagnose the underlying causes of
ineffectiveness so that you can eliminate or circumvent these problems. All too often, people attribute
poor relationships to personality differences and miss opportunities to transform poor work
relationships into effective ones. Below we turn to the barriers to interpersonal effectiveness.
Analyze: What are the barriers to interpersonal effectiveness?
There are two fundamental components of interpersonal relationships that are under our control:
how we act towards others and how we see or read others’ actions. Both components are driven by a
combination of forces: structural forces that arise from our context or environment; interpersonal forces
2
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Module Note—Building Effective Working Relationships
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that arise during an interaction; and personal forces that arise from our own unique backgrounds and
experiences. Each of these forces can present barriers both to how we act in relationships and how we
see others and interpret their behavior.
Structural barriers to effective relationships in organizations
Structural barriers are created by the organizational context. Often, they are the conditions that
exist before you even walk in the door of an organization: they are independent of who you are or
what you bring into the organization. Three key structural barriers in organizations are: (1) formal
power (2) formal systems and (3) differences in group membership.
Formal power Formal power is the ability to dispense rewards and penalties, such as
compensation, job assignments and career opportunities. When you have formal power, people are
dependent upon you. When you don’t have formal power, those with formal power have a legitimate
way to control outcomes that are important to you.
Managing down Let’s start with the perspective of a manager holding formal power. Formal
power may inhibit that manager’s ability to build relationships with subordinates and manage down
effectively. First, the experience of power causes people to be less sensitive to others’ input and
perspective: they are less empathic and alert to others needs and views 41. Second, even when they
are open and attuned to others, those in power may find it difficult to get honest opinions and elicit
disagreement. This may not be the result of overt actions by the manager that instill fear in others, but
simply self-censoring on the part of the subordinates because they worry about negative
consequences19. Third, those with power may consciously or unconsciously desire to maintain their
power. For instance, they may withhold valuable information from subordinates or resist asking for
help in order to maintain their authority and control. However, in doing so, they deny themselves
key t…
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