communication

Why Catching People Doing Things Right Is the Best Way to Lead

/ Ken Blanchard

Catch People Doing Things Right, Martha Lawrence’s new biography about my life, is coming out on October 21. That might seem like an odd title for a biography, but I can see why Martha chose it.

I’ve often said that if I could hold on to only one of the leadership lessons I’ve taught over the years, it would be to catch people doing things right. Why? Because a person who works hard needs positive feedback for their efforts. Praise is inherently motivating and only takes a moment—yet it can make all the difference in how the worker feels about their day, their job, their leader, and their organization.

I once asked a young woman if she liked her boss. She said, “She’s okay. She seems to think I’m doing a good job.”

“How can you tell?” I asked.

“Well, she hasn’t yelled at me lately,” she said. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised to hear her response.

Poor Leaders Catch People Doing Things Wrong

In the past I’ve said to groups of people, “How many of you are sick and tired of all the praisings you get at work?” I would always get the same response—laughter. It’s sad how much time managers spend pointing out what’s wrong with people’s performance instead of catching them doing things right.

When I began studying leadership in the 1960s, very few people saw their manager as a friend or colleague. Bosses were widely regarded as people whose job it was to catch their workers doing things wrong. A leader would evaluate someone’s performance, reprimand them, demand they improve, and disappear until it happened again. When people heard the boss had a meeting scheduled, they knew they must be getting in trouble because that’s the only time the boss would ever show up.

To me, this sounded like the opposite of a motivational environment. I couldn’t help but think: What if things were reversed? What if the boss noticed people doing things right, praised their progress, and cheered them on?

Great Leaders Catch People Doing Things Right

Great leaders who want to encourage and motivate their people set up a positive cycle:

  1. A great leader catches someone doing something right and praises them.
  2. The leader’s praise helps the person feel good about themselves.
  3. People who feel good about themselves produce good results.
  4. A great leader notices when people produce good results.   
  5. See #1.

Think about a time when you were proud of something you did but nobody seemed to notice. How did you feel? Now think about a time when you did something well and were praised or otherwise recognized for it. How did you feel then? What was the difference between the two?

People never tire of being told they’re doing good work. It’s good for morale and engagement, and it leads to confident, empowered employees.

How to Give a One Minute Praising

One Minute Praisings—the Second Secret of The One Minute Manager—are a key component of catching people doing things right. An effective One Minute Praising reinforces the behaviors that move people closer to their goals. And it only takes one minute, if you follow these six steps:

  1. Praise someone as soon as you see or hear about praiseworthy behavior or work. Don’t store up compliments for later; unspoken praise is meaningless.
  2. In very clear terms, tell the person what they did right and be specific.
  3. Say how good you feel about what they did and how it helps others and/or the organization. Relate their good behavior to the broader picture.
  4. Once you’ve given the praising, pause to let the message sink in and to give the person a chance to feel good about what they did.
  5. Let the person know you would like to see more of the same behavior.
  6. Make it clear you have confidence in them and you support their success.

As an example, an effective manager could say, “George, I appreciate your sending me your weekly report on time. It provided accurate information and allowed me to meet my deadlines. Keep up the great work!” This praising clearly states the manager’s appreciation, which boosts George’s morale and helps him realize he is an important member of the team.

Extra Hints to Remember

The concept of catching people doing things right can work in many scenarios.

  • When was the last time you caught your boss doing something right? Just because someone is at a higher level doesn’t mean they can’t use some encouragement.
  • Express your appreciation to family and friends often. Acknowledging how much you care helps keep these important relationships close, healthy, and moving in a positive direction.
  • Want a self-esteem boost? Reflect on your own achievements and celebrate your wins! It will motivate you to set new goals for yourself.

Also, don’t wait until someone does something exactly right to praise them. Remember that exactly right behavior is made up of a series of approximately right behaviors. Praising someone’s progress encourages them and lets them know they’re going in the right direction. People shouldn’t have to be perfect to earn a little praise.

I believe most leaders genuinely want to manage people well, but many fall short of this goal. Leaders who catch people doing things right create a work environment where people are engaged and committed to doing a good job. Don’t forget that it only takes a minute to praise someone for a job well done. It could be the most important minute of their day—and yours.

These 5 Keywords Are the Key to Goal Achievement with SLII®

/ Ken Blanchard

This month we are excited to celebrate the release of the modernized SLII®, the update to our best-selling leadership development training program. We’ve always worked to keep SLII® relevant for today’s leaders, and this latest revision is no exception.

One of my favorite new modules in SLII® is about managers and direct reports sharing a new “shorthand” language of leadership using just five keywords, enabling them to have quick, effective conversations on the go. This is something that Vicki Halsey, our VP of applied learning, has been sharing in keynotes for years. I’m glad it has officially made its way into the program!

These days, leaders aren’t always able to sit down and have a detailed conversation with a direct report who might be struggling with a goal. Communication is more likely to happen via text: “Are you busy? I’ve got a problem.”

But when both people know the language of SLII®, they can use five keywords and have an efficient “shorthand” conversation about development levels, leadership styles, and fast solutions. The keywords are Goal, Competence, Commitment, Direction, and Support.

  • As you might guess, the keyword Goal is about the specific, trackable outcome the direct report is working toward. The Goal is the objective that needs to be addressed in the conversation.
  • The keyword Competence is about the team member’s skills and ability to achieve the Goal. Leaders can use this word in conversation to determine whether the person needs more supervision or is able to work on their own.
  • The keyword Commitment refers to both confidence and motivation. This word will come up in discussion regarding the person’s motivation on the Goal and helps the leader detect and address a possible lack of confidence or enthusiasm in the direct report.
  • Direction is the specific instruction or guidance given to a direct report, in an amount that varies depending on the person’s development level on a specific Goal. In conversation, this keyword helps leaders determine the amount of close supervision and assistance they need to give the team member for their current level of development.
  • Support, similar to direction, refers to a specific style of leadership given to a team member that matches their development level on their current Goal. Support involves the leader encouraging and providing information and other resources to help the direct report feel confident and empowered to achieve the Goal.

Leaders and team members who use this common “shorthand” language of SLII® are able to have a quick and productive conversation to diagnose the person’s Competence and Commitment on their Goal so that the leader can give the correct amount of Direction and Support, smooth out or eliminate the struggle, and cheer on the direct report toward Goal achievement.   

I think SLII® is such a wonderful way to lead people, and even after 45 years, it just keeps getting better and better!

Table Talk, Anyone?

/ Ken Blanchard

Early in our marriage, Margie and I realized how enjoyable it was to have people come to our home for dinner. Sometimes we would invite just a few close friends we hadn’t seen for a while; sometimes we would host family members from out of town; and other times it was great fun introducing neighbors who had never met each other and watching them become friends. As our organization grew, we became great friends with dozens of our colleagues and the dinner parties became almost legendary.

The fare at these get-togethers—everything from sandwiches to backyard barbecues to holiday feasts—was never the important part. It was the camaraderie—the joy of seeing old friends and making new ones.

Margie and I noticed something interesting early on. When everyone was seated at a big table, several small conversations would be going on at the same time. People would talk to the person on their left and the person on their right and that was about it. There’s nothing wrong with that, but we really wanted people to leave the party knowing more about each other than they did before they arrived. We figured out the best way to bring everyone together. It was simple.

At one point during the meal, Margie would give the person seated next to her a jar that contained several small slips of paper. Each person was asked to reach in the jar, take a slip of paper (no peeking), and pass the jar to the next person. When everyone had a paper, they discovered a question they would read aloud and then answer. There was no pressure—people could answer their question in whatever order came up. Some would need time to think about their answer and some just needed a few folks to go ahead of them (or maybe a little wine) to build their confidence. 

Every so often we would change the rules and give everyone the same question to answer. Each of these occasions was a memorable time. The questions and answers were more than conversation starters—they were glimpses of people’s thoughts, feelings, and memories that we may have never heard otherwise. The stories told led to other stories, comments, jokes, food for thought, and always laughter. 

Here’s a few examples of the questions we had for our dinner guests:

  • What’s your best birthday memory?
  • What have you learned this year?
  • What has brought you joy this year?
  • What are you looking forward to?
  • What is something you know to be true?
  • If you could have dinner with anyone, living or dead, who would it be?
  • What do you want to do in the future that you haven’t done yet?

But wait—this isn’t just for adult dinner parties. Anyone with school-aged children at home will find that letting the kids pick questions from a jar on family dinner nights is far more interesting, informative, and fun than making them answer the same “How was school?” questions every day. They might even want to make up their own questions and do this activity with their friends.

It’s easy to find websites with lists of questions for just this purpose. We’ve done some of the work for you by providing these links:

Having a jar of table topics on hand is never a bad idea. It’s a great way for everyone at any table to get to know one another a bit better. You just never know what you will learn!

Is Style 1 the Same as Micromanaging?

/ Ken Blanchard

We all know that when someone describes their boss as a micromanager, it’s not a compliment. The word conjures up a vision of a person feverishly working at their desk with a scowling supervisor standing over them, breathing down their neck.

Even though I just painted an unappealing picture of micromanagement, there are times when learners really do need both clear direction and close supervision on a task or goal. As part of our company’s SLII® training, we teach that people who are new to a task or goal need specific direction from their leader.

Think about a time when you wanted to learn how to do something new, like ride a bike or drive a car. You had never done it before, so you needed to learn everything. Someone had to show you and tell you what to do, how to do it, and when and where to do it. They also needed to observe your progress and give necessary feedback to develop your confidence and competence.

When someone has just begun to learn a task, in SLII® language we say they are at Development Level 1 (D1)—a stage we call Enthusiastic Beginner. They are excited about learning but they are completely inexperienced—they don’t know what they don’t know. An effective SLII® leader provides a matching Directing Leadership Style 1 (S1)—clear, specific direction. They tell the learner what the specific goal is and show them what a good job looks like by laying out a step-by-step plan on how the task is to be accomplished. The leader makes most of the decisions and the person they are leading is responsible for following their direction or plan. The leader provides close supervision and constructive feedback throughout this early stage of development. It’s easy to see how an Enthusiastic Beginner can really benefit from a “micromanager” on this task.

Do you know who doesn’t need to be micromanaged? A person working on a task they have done successfully before. A Directing leadership style would be a complete mismatch. Depending on their development level with that task, the person could benefit from a style that is more supportive or collaborative, or even a Delegating leadership style. An SLII® leader would work with the person to diagnose their development level on the task and then use a matching leadership style for the best results.

In the book Leadership and the One Minute Manager, which I wrote with Pat Zigarmi and Drea Zigarmi, we go into detail about the four development levels (D1-D4) and the four leadership styles (S1-S4) of SLII®. We highlight several directive and supportive behaviors leaders should use in different combinations to develop people’s competence and commitment and help them become self-directed achievers on each of their goals.

Keep in mind that we all are at different levels of development regarding each specific task we are working on. Because people’s development levels vary on different tasks, the best leaders know they must use “different strokes for different folks” depending on their competence and commitment on a task. They also use different strokes for the same folks on different tasks.

Leaders must learn how to flex their style to fit every situation. Too much direction is just as bad as too little direction, as these examples demonstrate:

  • An experienced and competent accountant is not happy with her Style 1 (Directing) boss, who squanders time trying to teach her how to create a spreadsheet the “right way.” Providing too much direction on tasks where a person is already competent feels like micromanagement.
  • An administrative assistant who has never spoken in front of a group is asked to give a presentation to the leadership team by his Style 4 (Delegating) boss, who then leaves him alone to figure out what to do. Providing too little direction on tasks where questions or problems may come up feels like abandonment or being set up to fail.

A leader who over-supervises or under-supervises by giving too much or too little direction can have a detrimental effect on their people’s development. That’s why it is so important for leaders to match their leadership style to each person’s development level on a task.

The best leaders know how to continually adjust their leadership style to fit each situation, helping to develop individuals who will ultimately achieve each goal and perform well on each task with little direction or support. Lao-tzu said it well:

“When the best leader’s work is done, the people say ‘We did it ourselves!’”

Helping People Work Through Disillusionment

/ Ken Blanchard

As leaders, we’ve all seen it happen: Your direct report starts a new project or task, filled with excitement about what they can achieve. While they may not have all the skills they need, they’re enthusiastic about learning what to do, taking action, and achieving their goal.

A few weeks go by. The next time you check in with your direct report, you discover that their progress on the project has stalled. As the two of you talk, it becomes clear that your direct report is finding the work more difficult than they thought it would be. They are no longer engaged and they’re having a hard time staying committed to the task.

In the language of SLII®, the direct report has become a Disillusioned Learner. This is a predictable passage along the journey from low to high competence. Yet many managers don’t know how to lead people at this stage.

Flex Your Leadership Style

The best leaders know how to flex their leadership style to adapt to the changing needs of their direct reports. Yet our research shows that 54 percent of managers use just one leadership style, regardless of the situation. So, in the case of our Disillusioned Learner, most leaders will default to a supporting leadership style, giving the direct report needed encouragement—but providing little help with working through the roadblocks. Some leaders will default to a directing leadership style, closely supervising every move—and undermining what little confidence the direct report has around that task.

Neither approach will be very effective. What the Disillusioned Learner really needs is a coaching style, delivered through coaching conversations that blend direction and support. Learning to be flexible can be a challenge at first—especially for leaders who have become accustomed to using a “one size fits all” approach.

Have an Alignment Conversation

To help the Disillusioned Learner, the leader’s first step is to partner with their direct report by having an alignment conversation. The purpose of this conversation is to clarify the goal or task, confirm the direct report’s development level on that task, and agree on the best leadership style for the situation. Remember:

Leadership is not something you do to people,

but something you do with people.

To give you an idea of what this looks like in the real world, let’s eavesdrop on a leader talking with a direct report during their regularly scheduled one-on-one meeting. As they talk, it becomes clear that the direct report is having trouble with one of her tasks.

“I’m just not feeling very confident about this,” she says. “To be honest, I’m not sure what to do next.”

The leader recognizes that these are the words of a Disillusioned Learner, someone who may have started the task with enthusiasm but is feeling discouraged after running into obstacles. As I mentioned earlier, a person at this stage needs a coaching leadership style, which is high on direction and support.

Having diagnosed her direct report’s development level, the leader now engages her in an alignment conversation, getting agreement on the coaching leadership style that she will use:

“Since you’re still learning and not feeling confident, would it be helpful if I provide you with direction and support?”

“Sure, I could use the help,” the direct report replies.

First, the leader provides some perspective and encouragement:

“Look how much you’ve already accomplished! You’ve made some good initial progress. I’d like to hear your thoughts and ideas as we work together on this.”

To provide direction, the leader offers continued training, instruction, or assistance in problem solving. Her directive comments might begin:

“Let me show you how to …” or “Here’s how you might want to approach this …” or “Here are some more resources/examples….”

To provide support, the leader asks questions, practices active listening, and offers praise and encouragement to help build the direct report’s commitment and motivation. Her supportive comments might begin:

“I know you can do this …” or “I’m confident you can do this …” or “I know this isn’t easy at first, but it gets better. Hang in there. I’m here to help.”

The goal of these coaching conversations is to build the direct report’s competence on the task and pull her out of her disillusionment.

Development Level Varies from Goal to Goal and Task to Task

It’s important to remember that development level applies to a specific goal or task, not to a person generally. For example, while the direct report in the scenario above may be a Disillusioned Learner on that particular goal, on a different goal she may be an expert—a Self-Reliant Achiever—able to achieve outstanding results without any direction or support whatsoever. At that development level she would need an entirely different leadership style—but that’s a topic for another blog!

If you would like to improve the morale and engagement of your people by learning to adapt your leadership style to their needs, I encourage you to take advantage of the many resources we have on our website. Our goal is to make work more inspiring, motivating, and meaningful for all.