Last week I spoke to a group of high school students who were planning to enter the workplace directly from grade 12. I thought I would share some observations with listeners who might also benefit:

- First Impressions are crucial – most people still judge a book by it’s cover so make sure you set yourself up for success – look clean and professional – not necessarily suit and tie – just presentable. Even when dropping off your resume, look presentable. Be on time for the interview. Use a firm handshake to convey confidence. Smile and be warm and open.

- Prepare for the interview – know about the company and have a reason for applying to them. “I need a job” is not a good reason. Make an observation about the company and why it is a good fit with you. Have a few questions in mind to ask – ask about the interviewer and their job path. Ask about the types of projects, assignments that might be available.

- Build rapport and communicate well – Use your body language and tempo to show the other person you are like them. Communicate clearly and with confidence. Avoid up inflections.

- Explain why your background and unique qualities are a good fit. Just giving them the facts isn’t going to make the case to hire you. Link your experiences to benefits from them hiring you. I believe in hard work, being on time and getting the job done.

Upcoming courses: On May 7th we have Advanced Communication – Persuasion Dynamics. And as a special pre-announcement – I will be holding a 2-day Leadership Boot Camp for only 25 people on June 3rd and 4th at the Windsor Club. Listen for more details next Monday. www.LeadershipWizard.com

Sometimes managers can get lulled into complacency thinking that just because employees keep their heads down and keep their thoughts to themselves that they are happy, when in reality they may be masking disatisfaction.

Q: How do you identify a passive person?

A: A passive person is actually defensive, it’s just that they choose to defend themselves by blending into the background. You can often sense their avoidance – lack of eye contact, never either overly supportive or overly critical. Often rather than telling you something to your face, they will try to get another person to relay the message. This kind of triangulation is not good for healthy relationships.

Q: How can a passive person become more constructive?

A: First a defensive person must begin to think better of themselves. Often there can be a lack of self-confidence so realize that you are a good person with a valuable opinion. When you feel yourself stepping back, decide to step forward instead and say what’s on your mind. Do less hinting at what’s bugging you and be more direct.

Q: What should a manager do with a passive employee?

A: A manager should look for signs of avoidance and in a low key way, ask for input and feedback. Take extra time to consult with employees before ramming an idea or decision through. Unless you get commitment, assume that some people are not buying in. Ask them what reservations they have. Boost confidence by offering deserved praise.

Two upcoming courses: Speaking for Success on April 29th and Advanced Communication – Persuasion Dynamics on May 7th. Visit www.LeadershipWizard.com to register now.

I get called in to troubleshoot problems in organizations – sometimes its coaching for a manager, sometimes its restoring harmony between feuding employees.

One thing I find fascinating is talking with an employee who has become a problem when in the past they have been a good contributor.

Q: What causes good employees to cross over to the dark side?

A: It can be a few things – an employee became resentful because a promise was made and not kept, changes were made to the job without consultation, a good employee was expected to do more work than a weaker counterpart.

For some employees, something in their personal life may change – a financial crisis, health problem, relationship breakdown – and this personal uncertainty gets carried into the workplace.
For other employees they get transferred into a position they can’t be successful in – and so their performance deteriorates and they get defensive and start to misbehave. Sometimes the people in a department have a breakdown in their relationship and an employee turns negative.

Q: Do some employees hide being disgruntled and create the illusion of happiness when they really have given up on the job?

A: Yes, and in fact management could believe everything is fine when it isn’t. In some organizations, the employees have given up hope and essentially retired in place – they are still working but their motivation is to just make it until their pension kicks in.

Q: So what should leaders do to fix and prevent this type of problem?

A: First, realize that the problem needs to be addressed. Talk with the employees who have turned negative and ask them why. Decide what you can and cannot do to fix the problem. Use constructive leadership techniques to ensure expectations are clear, people are given feedback and then revisit the issue to see if it has improved. Prevention involves using proactive and positive leadership techniques as a leader.

Two upcoming workshops – April 29th Speaking for Success and May 7th Advanced Communication – Persuasion Dynamics – www.LeadershipWizard.com

Sometimes managers will tell me that they find it difficult to deal with conflicts between two employees – because of the conflict, the employees don’t work well together and the manager may find that flexibility is dimished because they have to keep the employees separated.

So the question is – what should the manager do about this?

First, realize that employees not willing or able to work together is a performance problem. If the manager ignores the problem and keeps people separated, he or she is allowing the performance issue to continue.

Ask each employee to meet with you one on one and say that you know there were issues in the past and that now you require the employee to put the past issues behind them in order for the team to maximise performance. Ask for their commitment – Can I count on you? If necessary describe the consequences of the issue reemerging – possible discipline.

Then as an option, consider bringing the two employees together for a last discussion. Say that you have met with each individually and now together repeat the need to put past differences behind them, that you are counting on them and that there are consequences of the conflict reemerging.

If employees refuse to work together it can be grounds for dismissal and you should talk to the HR department for clarification.

Two upcoming courses in Windsor – Speaking for Success on April 29th and Advanced Communication and Persuasion Skills – May 7th. Go to www.leadershipwizard.com