THE SEASONED

THINGS THAT MAKE WORK

LIFE SO MUCH BETTER!
8 PUBLIC MANAGEMENT I MAY 2013
icma.org/pm
By Quint Studer
t
TAKEAWAYS
> High-level leaders value certain
skills in the people who work for
themand those skills may not be
what you'd expect.
> Being a great employee isn't just
about doing the work. It's about
doing the work and navigating the
minefield of leader, coworker, and
customer needs.
> When we're able to master
the skills of the three worlds of
boss, coworker, and customer,
everything in our life goes more
smoothlynot just from 8 to S but
after hours, too.
icma.org/pm
MAY 2013 I PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 9
N WORK, AS IN LIFE, WE
LEARN FROM TRIAL AND
ERROR: I WAS HAVING
PROBLEM A, SO I IMPLEMENTED
SOLUTION A AND IT DIDN'T WORK.
THEN I TRIED SOLUTION B AND IT
DID! NEXT TIME I'LL KNOW TO USE
SOLUTION B FIRST THING. AND SO
IT GOES, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, '
THROUGHOUT YOUR OAREER.
FORTY YEARS OR SO GO BY AND,
FINALLY, YOU'VE GOT IT ALL FIGURED
OUT-JUST ABOUT THE TIME YOU'RE
RETIRING. WOULDN'T IT HAVE BEEN
NIOE TO HAVE THAT VALUABLE
KNOWLEDGE AT THE BEGINNING
OF YOUR OAREER INSTEAD?
PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 1 MAY 2013
icma.org/pm
The issues most people struggle
with have little to do with our technical
ability to do the work. It's all the things
that happen around the work. It's how
good we are at keeping projects moving.
It's how we exercise good judgment, or
negotiate conflict, or seek consensus.
It's whether we make life easier for our
coworkers or more difficult. It's how well
we can read and respond to customers'
unspoken needs.
When we're more effective at work,
everything changes. Leaders value us and
set us up for success. Coworkers like us
and want to help us. Customers like us
and keep doing business with us. All of
these condifions work together to make
us happy on the joband when we're
happy on the job, we're happy at home.
This holds true whether you're the chief
administrafive officer or a member of the
local government staff.
Here are 12 secrets that experienced
managers knowsecrets that anyone
of any knowledge level can use to their
advantage.
In the boss's mind, the ball is always
in your court. Once the boss gives
you an assignment, he or she may
mentally mark it off the to-do st. (By the
way, if you're a manager, the governing
body of elected officials is your "boss"; if
you're an assistant manager or department
head, the manager is.) The boss may even
forget about it. It's up to you to do what
you need to do to move it forward quickly.
Never let yourself be the hold-up.
Check in with the officials regularly
so that they don't have to ask about
the assignment. If you hit a roadblock
and can't proceed until you get more
information, let them knowjust be sure
you're not procrastinating.
Sometimes people let a few missing
details hold an enfire project hostage.
It's always better to complete chunks of
work and fill in the missing details later.
This is good for your workflow, but it
also reassures the governing body that
you're doing the best you can to keep
the project moving. It relieves a lot of
anxiety for everyone.
Leadership is exhausting and
ineffective. When you bring a
problem to elected officials, always bring
a solution. Leaders are like the rest of us:
overloaded and overwhelmed. Yet,
despite their already massive to-do lists,
employees habitually add their problems
to their piles. I call this the-boss-will-
figure-it-all-out mentality "park ranger"
leadershipand it's the least effective
way to get things done.
Think about it this way: If every
time you got lost in the woods, a park
ranger showed up to lead you out,
you'd never learn to find the way out
yourself. That's what many leaders do,
and it creates a situation where employ-
ees stop trying to solve problems. They
what this is and act on it. When you
know what matters most to each member
of the governing bodywhat the what is,
as I call itthen you can laser in on
meeting their needs in this area.
This is not sucking up, and it's not a
self-serving exercise. It's just being aware
of your own behavior and tweaking it to
create a productive working relationship
with elected officials. It's good for them,
it's good for you, it's good for everybody.
Knowing the why makes all the
difference. If you're not sure what it
is, ask. Let's say your local government
implements a major change in the way
resident feedback is captured and
processed. No one on staff likes the new
W h e n p e o p l a a r e u s i n g a g o v e r n m e n t
s e r v i c e - e s p e c i a l l y i f t h e y ' r e s p e n d i n g a
g o o d h i t o f m o n e y t o d o s o - t h e y w o r r y
t h a t t h e y ' r e m a k i n g a m i s t a k e . T h e y w a n t
r e a s s u r a n c e . G re a t m a n a g e r s a n d s t a f f m e m b e r s
r e a liz e t h i s a n d p r o v id e i t a t e v e r y t u r n .
think: Someone up there has always
figured it out before, so they will this
time, too. But that's hard on leaders and
limiting for the organization.
When you bring a problem to the
bosses, also bring a solution. They will
appreciate your initiative and creativ-
ity. Also, you' re closer to the problem
than they are so you can probably
come up with a better solution. If all
employees did this, the entire organiza-
tion would be stronger, more innova-
tive, and more resilient.
There is one thing that elected
officials might care about more than
anything else. Your job is to figure out
system. It's harder and more time-constim-
ing than the old way, and you've noficed
your staff members seem resentful. In this
example, the problem is that no one told
them why the system changed.
When organizafions implement
change, there's almost always a reason
why. But leaders may not always explain
that reason, and people almost always
assume the worst. Instead of getting
behind what seems like an arbitrary new
rule, they resist it.
If this happens, ask about the why.
You can tell others what you find out.
Not every organization understands the
value of transparency, but sometimes one
employee asking why can change that.
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MAY 2013 I PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 1 1
There's no substitute for being
liked. Do you greet people with a
smile each morning? Do you bring
breakfast for everyone once in a while?
Do you say happy birthday? Do you
congratulate staff when something good
happens? There are a million little ways
to contribute to the "emotional bank
account" at work. These deposits have a
big, big impactand they reduce the
pain of the inevitable withdrawals.
Go out of your way to make people
happy when you can, and they'll forgive
you when you make a mistake. These
things are not that hard to do; it's just that
we don't always think to do them. When
you start looking for ways to be a positive
force in your staff members' lives, you'll
be amazed by how many there areand
what a difference they make.
Last-minute requests can derail
your day. Retrain chronic offenders.
Being a great employee means executing
well, meeting deadlines, and, in general,
protecting your own "brand." Yet, it also
means stepping in and helping others
when they need your expertise. It's not
always easy to walk the tightrope
between these two realitiesespecially
when coworkers are constantly asking
for "five minutes of your time" (which
really means 30 minutes or even longer).
When you're good at what you do,
everyone wants a piece of you. That's
wonderful, but it can also lead others
to take advantage of you, even if they
don't mean to. If you don't stop last-
minute requesters, your own work will
eventually suffer.
Hold up the mirror and recognize
your role in the problem. What we
permit we promote. Usually, people find
they need to be more open about how
long a task takes and how much notice
is needed to get it done. When you
educate others, you not only relieve your
own burden; you also help others do
their work better

It's best to resolve staff issues

one-on-one. This is a tough one.
because people tend to avoid confron-
tation. There are times when it's best
to go through official channels and
involve HR. Yet many times an issue
with a coworker can be solved with a
face-to-face adult conversation.
Confronting others may not always be
easy, but it's a necessary part of clear
and productive communication. It
builds healthy work relationships and
shows a true sense of ownership.
0
'T'm sorry" are two of the most
powerful words in the English
language. We all make mistakes. It's what
we do afterwardafter we've dropped
the ball or missed a deadline that truly
determines a manager's character And
it's what ultimately determines whether
the people who work with the manager
want to help out.. .or want to help the
manager out the door.
Apologizing shows one's vulnerabil-
ity, which is a powerful trait. People fear
they'll be rejected if they show weakness
or admit that they failed. The opposite is
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true. It actually makes people like us. It
shows we're human, just like them.
0
Blaming, finger-pointing, and
badmouthing are deeply destructive
to your organization's image. It's harder
than ever to win residents' satisfaction
and keep them happy. These days,
everyone needs to be engaged in building
the organization's brand. That means it's
critical to convey belief in and respect for
your organization, its products and
services, and your staff with every
customer or resident interactionand
when you're off the clock as well.
You may think you're building rapport
with an irritated resident if you say,
"Yeah, such-and-such department is really
disorganized, but don't worry, I'll take
care of your problem." Instead, you're
actually htirting the organization. Even
if the resident knows you and likes you
personally, he or she may never be happy
with you or your local government again.
Negative comments, even subtle
ones, make people uncomfortable. On
the other hand, they're drawn to positiv-
ity. People like positive interaction with
others, and they like hearing positive
things about what they're spending their
money on.
Anxiety keeps residents from
using government services. Do
everything you can to alleviate it, and
you'll see amazing results. When people
are using a government serviceespe-
cially if they're spending a good bit of
money to do so, they worry that they're
making a mistake. They want reassur-
ance. Great managers and staff members
realize this and provide it at every turn.
That reassurance may mean "nar-
rating" the process the resident will
go through using a communication
framework I call AIDET (the acronym
stands for Acknowledgement, Introduc-
tion, Duration, Explanation, and Thank
You). It may mean practicing good
communication techniques. It may just
mean saying something like, "I have one
resident who used this service and called
me back just to rave about it."
Anything you can say or do to help
residents feel good about their decisions
will have a big impact. Put yourself in their
shoes and think, "What would I want to
hear in this situation?" Then, say it.
"A little bit extra" goes a long
i way. Often it's the little things
that keep many of us coming back to our
favorite things, including stores,
restaurants, physicians, and so forth.
The same principle can apply to local
government. The best managers and
staff know that doing a little bit extra for
not only return to use the same service,
they recommend it to others.
It's a mark of maturity and profes-
sionalism to be able to respond selflessly
to customer complaints. It's a rare skill.
And in a time when residents don't have
to give you a second chance, it's a truly
valuable one.
Show Them How
I've worked with all kinds of employees
at all levels of leadership over the years,
and I've realized most people sincerely
want to do a great job. That's even truer
W hen y ou ' r e g ood at wh a t y ou d o, ev er y on e
wan t s a p i ec e of y ou . T h a t ' s w o n d e r f u l , bu t
i t c a n a ls o le a d o t h e r s t o t a k e a d v a n t a g e o f
y o u , e ve n i f t h e y d o n ' t m e a n t o . If y o u d o n ' t
s t o p l a s t - m i n u t e r e q u e s t e r s , y o u r o w n w o r k w i l l
e v e n t u a l l y s u f f e r .
residents and customershaving coffee
and bagels waiting for a meeting, say, or
referring them to a government website
they may not know aboutcan build
tremendous good will. They take it upon
themselves to go the extra mile, without
being asked to do so or without worrying
that it's not in their job description.
Complaints are gifts. Handle them
right and customer loyalty will
skyrocket. Managers and their staff
members don't get defensive when
residents and customers complain. They
know they're hearing valuable feedback
that can help the organization improve its
service. They listen, they sincerely
apologize, and they take action to make
things right. Most people are quite
forgiving in the face of such a response
and they're usually so impressed that they
with the economy the way it is. People
do realize they need to show value
quickly; they are aware that they need to
get better faster. It's just that they might
not know how.
If a manager tells his or her organiza-
tion's employees, "Here's how you can
do the best job possible and be a lot
happier in the workplace," the manager
will see amazing progress. I think people
already have the will. Once they also
have the skill, they'll be unstoppable. Rt/I
QUINT STUDER is t h e f o u n d e r o f
St u d e r Gr o u p , Gu l f Br e e ze , Fl o r i d a
(w w w . s t u d e r g r o u p . c o m ). St u d e r
Gr o u p is a r e c i p i e n t o f tine 2010
Ma l c o l m Ba i d r i g e Na t i o n a l Qu a l i t y
Aw a r d . St u d e r is t h e a u t h o r o f Tfie Great
Empioyee Handbook: Mai<ing Work and Life
Better (w w w . s t u d e r g r o u p . c o m ; Fire St a r t e r
Pu bl i s h i n g , 2012, i SBN: 978- 0- 9828503- 3- 6,
$28. 00, w w w . f i r e s t a r t e r p u bl i s h i n g . c o m ).
ic m a .o r g /p m
MAY 2013 I PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 1 3
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