When Incivility Darkens the Workplace

When incivility occurs in the workplace a steep price can be paid if it’s not dealt with. Incivility takes many forms in the modern workplace: rudeness, obnoxious behavior directed at another, undermining, being disrespectful, ignoring people’s opinion, etc. If not addressed this type of behavior can take a personal toll.

Recently I interviewed a senior director who was the brunt of another’s rude, inappropriate behavior. His failure to address the problem eventually led down a long tunnel of disengagement and his eventual removal from the position. Although happy to move on the “victim” spoke of how ruminating on the incident, prevented him from putting it behind and lead to a greater feeling of insecurity, lower self-esteem, and a heightened sense of helplessness. Job performance suffered. So, when told by the CEO that he was being let go he was only too happy to be out the door.

I’ve found, and others agree that the best results are when you tackle bad behavior head on and not necessarily bringing it to the attention of the HR department, where the usual response often falls short…that’s not to say you wouldn’t report a bullying workmate but the best results dealing with a rude or obnoxious co-worker often come from being responsible, proactive and taking the lead.

Before confronting a rude co-worker, ask yourself these three qualifying questions:

1. Do you feel safe confronting this person?
2. Was the behavior intentional?
3. Was this the only instance of such behavior from him or her?

If you’re able to answer ‘yes’ to all three, then you should address the issue directly. Use this checklist to ensure that you

1. Prepare for the discussion.  Think about a good time and a safe environment in which you’ll both be comfortable. Consider whether you need others present or even a moderator. 
2. Rehearse your ideas with someone whose feedback is trusted. Ask that person to role play the perpetrator, complete with temperament. 
3. Be aware of nonverbal communication.  This includes posture, facial expressions, gestures, tempo, and especially tone of voice. People practiced what they will stay far more than how they will say it. However, word typically convey far less than does the way they are delivered.
4. Proceed with the goal of mutual gain.  During the talk focus on the behavior not the individual and how the specific behavior harms performance and working relationship.
5. Prepare for an emotional response.  If the perpetrator starts to vent, it’s best to listen, try to tolerate it. It may lead to a more productive place. Use words like, “ I understand” and “I get that.” Admitting blame where appropriate may also be helpful. 
6. Be an active listener.  Paraphrase what you hear and repeat it back. Ask for clarification; be humble to gain likeability and credibility. 
7. Focus on establishing courteous norms for the future.  Agree on how you’ll interact going forward so that there is no degraded performance. Follow up with a summary of agreement via email.

Incivility exacts a steep price. As in my example, although somewhat extreme it lead to job change. Using the above 7-point list will help you deal with incivility issues head on.

Five R’s to Retain Employees Forever

Clearly, for employees to safely make a long-term commitment to an organization, the employer will need to give them good reason to stay. Employers need to advocate proactive efforts by to establish a culture that builds strong relationships with their employees — the kind that speak to a lengthy commitment, and perhaps even a commitment for life. 

What can an employer do? Here are the "5 R's" of employee relationships:

1. Responsibility. Show your employees you trust them by giving them responsibilities that allow them to grow. Encourage them to gain new skills. Provide ample continuing education opportunities. Hire from within wherever possible, and give generous promotions at appropriate times.

2. Respect. Employees want to know they are respected and appreciated. As the saying goes, people may readily forget the things that you said, but they will always remember the way you made them feel. Many workplace legends are built around the horrific things weary and stressed-out managers said or did. But if managers make it a priority to show outward respect for employees on a regular basis, it will lead to a strong and enduring workplace culture as well as positive experiences and memories that they will never forget.

3. Revenue-sharing. Tie a part of your employees' wages to the company's performance. This will align their interests with the company's revenue and profit goals and will serve as an inherent incentive to stay with the company as it grows. By making the fixed cost of payroll inherently more variable under differing business conditions, you can make your company more resilient and agile, while also treating your employees exceptionally well.

4. Reward. The rewards you give your employees should speak to their emotional needs and should go beyond their monetary compensation. Recognition in front of the company, company and department parties, service projects, lunches with the boss, logo clothing, handwritten notes, etc., can all contribute to the positive culture of the company and can be good morale builders as well. 

5. Relaxation Time. Be generous with time off. Despite the hard economy, provide sufficient time for sick days, family vacations, new babies, etc. Pacing workflow can be highly beneficial to enduring employee relationships. You should expect and even demand high-quality performance, but it is unreasonable to expect a continual level of pressure at 100 percent. Allow employees the chance to catch their breath from one assignment to the next with the help of team-building activities or mini break periods over the course of the day. 

It is important to remember that a long-term commitment requires effort in both directions. While it's fully understandable that most organizations look askance at perpetual "hoppers," remember that if you expect and hope that employees will make and keep long-term commitment to your company, it will be equally vital that you give them good reasons to stay.

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How to Be Extraordinary as a Leader

I owe any success I’ve had in business leadership and management to a few amazing people I worked for over the years.  These pillars modeled-the-way for me and saw enough in my abilities to spend time providing close-in coaching and helping me see for myself what they saw in me.  My relationships with these leaders helped forge my core beliefs related to being a great leader; for that I will be eternally grateful.  Here are those beliefs that make up my core value-set on how to be extraordinary in business.

Belief #1.   Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield.

Average leaders see business as a conflict between companies, departments and work groups. They build huge armies of "troops" to order about, demonize competitors as "enemies," and treat customers as "territory" to be conquered.

Extraordinary leaders see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. They naturally create teams that adapt easily to new markets and can quickly form partnerships with other companies, customers ... and even competitors.

Belief #2. A company is a community, not a machine.

Average leaders consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs. They create rigid structures with rigid rules and then try to maintain control by "pulling levers" and "steering the ship."

Extraordinary leaders see their company as a collection of individual hopes and dreams, all connected to a higher purpose. They inspire employees to dedicate themselves to the success of their peers and therefore to the community–and company–at large.

Belief #3. Management is service, not control.

Average leaders want employees to do exactly what they're told. They're hyper-aware of anything that smacks of insubordination and create environments where individual initiative is squelched by the "wait and see what the boss says" mentality.

Extraordinary leaders set a general direction and then commit themselves to obtaining the resources that their employees need to get the job done. They push decision making downward, allowing teams form their own rules and intervening only in emergencies.

Belief #4. My employees are my peers, not my children.

Average leaders see employees as inferior, immature beings who simply can't be trusted if not overseen by a patriarchal management. Employees take their cues from this attitude, expend energy on looking busy and covering their behinds.

Extraordinary leaders treat every employee as if he or she were the most important person in the firm. Excellence is expected everywhere, from the loading dock to the boardroom. As a result, employees at all levels take charge of their own destinies.

Belief #5. Motivation comes from vision, not from fear.

Average leaders see fear--of getting fired, of ridicule, of loss of privilege--as a crucial way to motivate people.  As a result, employees and managers alike become paralyzed and unable to make risky decisions.

Extraordinary leaders inspire people to see a better future and how they'll be a part of it.  As a result, employees work harder because they believe in the organization's goals, truly enjoy what they're doing and (of course) know they'll share in the rewards.

Belief #6. Change equals growth, not pain.

Average leaders see change as both complicated and threatening, something to be endured only when a firm is in desperate shape. They subconsciously torpedo change ... until it's too late.

Extraordinary leaders see change as an inevitable part of life. While they don't value change for its own sake, they know that success is only possible if employees and organization embrace new ideas and new ways of doing business.

Belief #7. Technology offers empowerment, not automation.

Average leaders adhere to the old IT-centric view that technology is primarily a way to strengthen management control and increase predictability. They install centralized computer systems that dehumanize and antagonize employees.

Extraordinary leaders see technology as a way to free human beings to be creative and to build better relationships. They adapt their back-office systems to the tools, like smartphones and tablets, that people actually want to use.

Belief #8. Work should be fun, not mere toil.

Average leaders buy into the notion that work is, at best, a necessary evil. They fully expect employees to resent having to work, and therefore tend to subconsciously define themselves as oppressors and their employees as victims. Everyone then behaves accordingly.

Extraordinary leaders see work as something that should be inherently enjoyable–and believe therefore that the most important job of manager is, as far as possible, to put people in jobs that can and will make them truly happy.

5 Practices and 10 Commitments for Leadership

In The Leadership Challenge, James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner write about the five practices and ten commitments for effective leadership. Their work has stood the test of time. While the context has changed over the years, the content of leadership hasn’t.

 Key Take Aways

Here are my variation of the themes and key take aways:

§  Lead by example. Set an example for others to follow. Practice what you preach. You reap what you sow. What you do comes back to you. Those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Take a stand. Stand for something. Find your unique voice.

§  Create an inclusive picture. In Steven Covey terms, these would be avoiding the "scarcity mentality". Have an abundance mentality. At work I see turf wars when there’s a scarcity mentality. The solution is to frame out a bigger space where everybody gets to play.

§  Practice continuous improvement. The Japanese term is Kaizen. Focus on small, incremental improvements. Build momentum from small wins. Start with something small. Success snowballs.

§  Lift others up. In Covey terms, this would be help others find their unique voice. Find the good in others. Leverage the unique values that others bring to the table.

§  Live with passion. Link passion with results. Celebrate the small wins. No good deed goes unrewarded. What goes around, comes around. Stop and smell the roses.

 Leadership in Action

Kousez and Posner write:

"The Leadership Challenge is about how leaders mobilize others to want to get extraordinary things done in organizations. It’s about the practices leaders use to transform values into actions, visions into realities, obstacles into innovations, separateness into solidarity, and risks into rewards. It’s about leadership that creates the climate in which people turn challenging opportunities into remarkable success."

 The Five Practices of Leadership

Kousez and Posner identify the five practices:

1.     Model the Way

2.     Inspire a Shared Vision

3.     Challenge the Process

4.     Enable Others to Act

5.     Encourage the Heart

The Ten Commitments of Leadership

Kousez and Posner identify the 10 commitments:

1.     Find your voice by clarifying you personal values.

2.     Set the example by aligning actions with shared values.

3.     Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling activities.

4.     Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

5.     Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve.

6.     Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes.

7.     Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.

8.     Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion.

9.     Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence.

10.   Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.

 Practices and Commitments

Here are the commitments mapped to the practices:

Model the Way

1. Find your voice by clarifying you personal values. 
2. Set the example by aligning actions with shared values

Inspire a Shared Vision

3. Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling activities. 
4. Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations.

Challenge the Process

5. Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow and improve. 
6. Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes.

Enable Others to Act 

7. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. 
8. Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion.

Encourage the Heart

9. Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. 

10. Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community.

Get the Book

You can get The Leadership Challenge on Amazon:

Unleashing Excellence: How to Be an Outstanding Call Center Leader

Are effective leaders born or are they developed? That question has been debated in thousands of books, articles, speeches and forums. While there are some characteristics effective leaders may have acquired early in life (I don’t believe they were born with them); I also believe that leadership skills can be developed later in life. And these skills aren’t based on personality or charisma, nor are they dictated by a person’s Myers-Briggs profile. No matter their style, effective leaders do three things very well.

1. Effective leaders Operationalize the Call Center's Mission. 

The organization’s mission is at the core of the effective leader’s actions. Whether the mission is to Create Happiness (Walt Disney World); to be Ladies and Gentlemen Serving Ladies and Gentlemen (Ritz Carlton); or to Refresh the World  (Coca Cola), effective leaders keep the mission in front of their employees throughout the hiring process and new hire and ongoing training, and they see every communication opportunity as one more tool to keep the mission on the radar.

2. Effective call center leaders involve the call center employees in the forward movement of the organization.

There may have been a time when the leader had the answers to every business issue that would arise. The leader had formal authority and was usually an expert in all phases of the operation. Due to changing customer expectations and competition, those days are over. Today's call center leaders must rely on the skills of a facilitator and call center idea champion. The effective call center leader sees call center representatives as partners in coming up with new ways to delight customers.

3. Effective call center leaders make excellence non-negotiable. 

Lack of accountability in the call center is the number one reason many (or most) organizational improvement initiatives fail to achieve their desired results. When call center leaders look the other way when a call center representative performs in an unacceptable manner, even the best improvement plans begin to collapse. One of my favorite leadership quotes is:

Intolerable performance exists when intolerable performance is tolerated.

An important behavior of effective call center leaders is that they never let the coaching moment go. If there’s a call center performance issue, they handle it without delay. A related behavior of effective call center leaders is that they never let the recognition moment go. They let strong performers know that their call center performance is truly appreciated.

While there are certainly other qualities effective call center leaders demonstrate, I believe these three provide the foundation for excellent leadership performance. Call center leaders who excel in these areas lead high performing teams that deliver superior results.

Make an honest appraisal of your own call center leadership performance. Ask yourself:

·         Do my call center representatives see me living our organization’s mission and values every day?

·         Do I refuse to compromise on our call center’s commitment to excellence? Is call center excellence “non-negotiable?”

Most of us must admit that we have room for improvement in each of these areas of call center leadership performance. Admitting it is the first step. The next step is to make a commitment to raise the bar of your own leadership performance in the call center and take action. Leaders who truly unleash the excellence of their organizations are those who see every day as an opportunity to become a better call center leader.

Performance Tune Up for Your Service Team Engaged, high-performing service agents are the dream of every manager. Yet there's always a wide range of performance from high, to average, to low. If agents perform essentially the same job, why does their performance vary so much? When agents are measured against the same metrics, why do some agents excel while others lag behind? Obviously, the answer is that each agent is a different person—and each person brings his or her unique experiences and expectations to the job. If we recognize and accept these differences, and focus agent onboarding and development around these differences, then we will achieve performance gains faster and more successfully. A personalized performance “tune up” for each agent can raise the bar and optimize results. Without a doubt, what can drive top performance is a tune up based on what is relevant to the specific needs of each individual. A NASCAR race team would never consider performing the exact tune up for every car. Instead, the right adjustments and corrections are unique to each vehicle. Some cars need more, some less—and some don't need a tune up at all. And it's the same for agents. To be effective, service agent tune ups must be relevant to each person's specific performance levels and needs.    To help your team reach peak performance, tune up your agents with these 5 easy steps. 1)  Dust off the job description. We all have job descriptions, right? Unfortunately, job descriptions usually sit on a shelf or in a file never to surface again from a new employee packet. The job description sets the foundation for performance. It establishes common expectations for every agent. While the job description cannot guarantee performance outcomes, it is the best starting point for tuning up your team. So, don't let the job description sit on the shelf. Dust it off, and start putting it to good use! 2)  Calibrate expectations. For an effective tune up, make sure agents are all “on the same page” when it comes to performance expectations. The job description is a great place to start. Still, the job description may mean different things to different people. If this happens, each team member's response will be different—and so will their performance. A key element of an effective team is how they communicate and how they understand what is communicated. Agents need a common and consistent way to discuss and evaluate performance.  When discussing performance with your team, does each agent understand what is expected? Ask questions and check to ensure that every agent understands performance and job expectations in the same way. 3)  Diagnose current performance. While there is no substitute for day-to-day coaching and performance management, there is also a need for diagnostic tools to benchmark current performance and competency levels. In other words, before starting the actual “tune up” you need to know what to tune up. So, what is the best way to diagnose and benchmark your agents? There are a lot of available options including peer surveys, self-report, customer ratings, performance metrics, skill assessments, etc. Use tools that are calibrated to the specific competencies identified in the job description. Even more critical is to choose tools that provide an objective and independent measures of performance. Why is this important? Because subjective measures (such as surveys) are dependent on the perspective of the rater, so that personal biases and personalities influence the ratings.  Objective performance measures (i.e., performance metrics and skill assessments) are more consistent, accurate and reliable. The more precise you are in diagnosing agents' performance, the more effective their tune up will be. 4)  Create a plan of action. With an accurate diagnosis of each agent's strengths and improvement opportunities, you are now ready to create a tune up plan for your team. The goal is to create a plan of action for each agent—not generalized across the team—but specific and relevant for each person.  The key is to make it practical. You can include on-the-job activities, online learning, company training, etc. Whatever you choose, be sure the activities, priorities, timing and expectations all tie directly to the objective diagnostic evaluation. 5)  Implement the plan. Equipped with a personalized plan for every agent, the tune up can begin.  Each agent has a personal plan. Not only do they have a clear understanding of expectations, but more important, they now buy into the plan because it is designed specifically for them.  The plan becomes a great discussion document between agents and supervisors.  This goes a long way toward removing wasted training and development time and expense.  Agents are getting exactly what they need, and as a result, they are more receptive to learning.  What better way to achieve employee engagement and peak performance than to give each agent a personalized plan for success? By now you may be thinking, “This sounds great, but who has the time to put it into practice?” Or, “Seriously, is it even practical to customize tune ups for each agent?”  Absolutely.  The good news is that the costs associated with personalized tune ups are very low, while the return value—in employee engagement and improved performance—is very high. Here’s to getting your team firing on all cylinders! Contact me directly for a copy of my Performance Appraisal tool.

What to do When a Customer Turns Abusive

A recent incident with one of my support experts reminded me that we do little to arm our agents with the tools to handle abusive clients. Some customers go beyond angry and become abusive. They might start the call in abusive mode, or might escalate to being abusive from mere anger. Sometimes if you don't tell them what they want to hear, they become abusive. Being abusive is defined as verbally threatening, using foul language, and emotionally out of control. When you've used your best skills at defusing the angry customer and the customer is still out of control, or if the customer begins the conversation in an abusive manner, it’s time to utilize some specific steps for managing the customer's behavior. It's also time to protect yourself. It's more likely the customer will become abusive with call center help desk agents, as the contact is more anonymous.

Here are specific steps call center professionals can use to control poor behavior by the customer:

1. Personalize the conversation. The less personal the interaction, the more likely it can escalate out of control. As soon as you perceive the customer's anger might escalate out of control, and you've tried your well practiced defusing skills and nothing works, it’s time to use the 'personalize the conversation' strategy. Call the customer by name, and refer to their company by name. Restate your name, and remind them that (your company name) wants them to be satisfied. “Marge, at XYZ we’re here to help you. Please call me Ted. I’m on your team ready to assist!”

2. Declare your intent and boundaries. Remind the customer you want to solve the problem. Let them know you can solve the problem only when the language is appropriate, and demands are reasonable. You should never allow the customer to continue if they're using inappropriate language, or if they're totally out of control. Nothing will be accomplished, and they'll sabotage your efforts to stay composed. They'll lose respect for you, your help desk, and the company for allowing the situation to continue. If they cannot maintain enough control to conduct a reasonable conversation, it's time to switch strategies.

3. Transfer the call. Whether you transfer the call to a supervisor or to another help desk agent, the customer has the opportunity to regroup. When you transfer the call, tell the customer you've done all you can, and its time for them to speak with another agent who will now handle the problem. This serves notice to the customer that they cannot continue to abuse you, and that behavior will be interrupted. When the second help desk agent handles the customer, typically the customer will try to appear reasonable and soft spoken.

4. Discontinue the call. If there's nobody to transfer the call to, or you've been the recipient of the transferred call and the customer is still out of control, it's time to end the cycle. Remind the customer you're there to help, and also willing to discuss a solution in a reasonable manner. Let them know your company wants them to be a satisfied customer, but also does not allow help desk professionals to continue in abusive conversations. Ask them to please contact the help desk at another time, and tell them "I am now terminating this call."

Remember the customer behavior has nothing to do with you, so don't take it personally.

So You Want to Be An IT Star

Success is not easy or simple. Even in the best of times, workplaces are fraught with changing conditions, political jockeying and limited room for advancement. And these are not the best times. Yet some IT staff manage to get noticed—and in all the right ways. What are the secrets of their success? How do some IT leaders manage to shine? Beyond the basics—energy, enthusiasm, passion for the work—four important behaviors can help catapult you to success.

Be good to your end users. First things first: If you want to get ahead, don't make people feel stupid. This advice can be especially important for IT folks, whose technical expertise can create a danger of doing just that.

People outside of IT won't necessarily understand tech speak, so you need to present information in a manner so they understand technology and what it provides to the company. You need to be able to translate technical information to them in the manner they can understand and assimilate and in a way that shows the benefits to the big picture.

Understanding how technology fits into users' lives is key to creating innovative IT solutions. Thinking hard about how to help someone else understand what you're saying may seem obvious for important presentations; doing it day in and day out may prove more challenging. But don't dismiss those small, cumulative interactions. In those daily interactions lie many opportunities for you to distinguish yourself by your energy, enthusiasm, and likability. This way, when a more senior job opens up, the support to put you in the position is there—not just from your boss, but also from other senior leaders. To make sure your likability quotient is high, focus on being open-minded. Make it a point to really listen to what someone is saying and process what you're hearing. Doing so conveys respect, and you also are likely to develop solutions you wouldn't have otherwise. End-user problems—large and small—are opportunities to build relationships that can advance your career. It's all in how you handle those situations that makes the difference. Don't make an end user feel dumb for not understanding; make them feel good about coming to you and asking what the problem is.

Go beyond the walls of IT and learn the business. IT leaders who want to move up must become business-savvy. Not just so you can talk the talk. Without understanding business users' work lives, it's impossible to deliver optimum technology solutions. I credit much of my own success with understanding how IT fits into my end users' work processes. It is a basic business truth that IT staff who want to climb the ladder must also become intricately involved in other areas of the business. It’s critical to educate your end-users on technology. My philosophy on the subject to my staff is clear: get involved with business users; go door to door and meet with them and their teams. I want my team to "give the customer some tool they may not even have thought of, that they can look at it and say, Wow, I'm glad we came to you." That's only possible if you understand how other groups are run and the challenges they face. Developing such a rapport also helps discourage the tendency of business users to create a shadow IT department. Key point: if you don't solve their problems with good solutions, they will go around you!

Understand the organization's structure and goals. If you want to move up the ladder of success, you need to create strategic IT. To do that, you need to know what top management values. Every company has a culture and those cultures reward different things. Key to moving ahead is knowing what to prioritize. This means, for example, knowing which projects to volunteer for and how to promote them to those above you. Knowing what the business defines as valuable is increasingly important the higher up you go so you've got to understand goals, and how IT can be used to achieve those goals I recommend not just looking for ways IT can create value but also being responsive when opportunities present themselves. One place where this comes into play is the IT budget. Managing IT like a P&L is key to moving up in the organization. IT should be adding value and helping differentiate the business. However, that's not possible if an IT leader's goal is simply saving money. Build into that budget what you need to do to create value.

Build Trust with your boss Trust is the glue that binds relationships together inside and outside of work. Without it, moving up is virtually impossible. And honest communication is a huge part of building trust with your manager. Share the good news—and the bad. Avoid the temptation to sweep bad news about a project or assignment under the rug. You may think you're sparing your boss but my experience has been that it's better to overshare than to undershare. The trick lies in knowing when and where to share information. Sit down and talk to your manager about how to communicate when problems come up. Most leaders don't like when information feels filtered, like something is being hidden but want to know what's going on. The last thing anybody wants is to be broadsided. Information sharing, when it comes right down to it, translates to respect. I think that it's very important to use chain of command in place and not circumvent your manager. It's his or her job to make you look better to the organization. And if you don't have that kind of trust you should look for someone you could have that with.

Creating Help Desk Superstars by Tailoring Learning Systems

Although there are many learning styles, my experience with developing people over the last 25 years reveals that three styles predominate. These three are not mutually exclusive; certain employees may rely on a combination of two or perhaps all three. Nonetheless, staying attuned to each employee’s style or styles will help focus your coaching.

First, there’s analyzing. Paul S. is an analyzer. He understands a task by taking it apart, examining its elements, and reconstructing it piece by piece. Because every single component of a task is important in his eyes, he craves information. He needs to absorb all there is to know about a subject before he can begin to feel comfortable with it. If he doesn’t feel he has enough information, he will dig and push until he gets it. He will read the assigned reading. He will attend the required classes. He will take good notes. He will study. And he will still want more.

The best way to teach an analyzer is to give him ample time in the classroom. Role-play with him. Do postmortem exercises with him. Break his performance down into its component parts so he can carefully build it back up. Always allow him time to prepare. The analyzer hates mistakes. A commonly held view is that mistakes fuel learning, but for the analyzer, this just isn’t true. In fact, the reason he prepares so diligently is to minimize the possibility of mistakes. So don’t expect to teach him much by throwing him into a new situation and telling him to wing it. As expected, I’ve found that this style conflicts in a help desk environment where ‘in-call’ training is prevalent or the norm.

The opposite is true for the second dominant learning style, doing. While the most powerful learning moments for the analyzer occur prior to the performance, the doer’s most powerful moments occur during the performance. Trial and error are integral to this learning process.

Jeffrey L. is a doer. He learns the most while he’s in the act of figuring things out for himself. For him, preparation is a dry, uninspiring activity. So rather than role-play with someone like Jeffrey, pick a specific task within his role that is simple but real, give him a brief overview of the outcomes you want, and get out of his way. Then gradually increase the degree of each task’s complexity until he has mastered every aspect of his role. He may make a few mistakes along the way, but for the doer, mistakes are the raw material for learning. Where ‘in-call’ training is the status quo for new hires, the doer is willing and able to pick up calls on his first day. Having a support system that fosters success for the doer ensures a win-win for both him and the clients he helps.

Finally, there’s watching. Watchers won’t learn much through role-playing. They won’t learn by doing, either. Since most formal training programs incorporate both of these elements, watchers are often viewed as rather poor students. That may be true, but they aren’t necessarily poor learners.

Watchers can learn a great deal when they are given the chance to see the total performance. Studying the individual parts of a task is about as meaningful for them as studying the individual pixels of a digital photograph. What’s important for this type of learner is the content of each pixel, its position relative to all the others. Watchers are only able to see this when they view the complete picture.

If you’re trying to teach a watcher, by far the most effective technique is to get him out of the classroom. Take him away from the manuals, and make him ride shotgun with one of your most experienced performers. Your phone system in the help center may have an option that allows one agent to listen to another and if you are using a remote desktop tool that software may allow sharing of support sessions between clients.

To ensure that everyone on your team contributes at their highest possible level, you as the leader must recognize and adjust for unique learning needs. Meeting the needs of your new hires may require tweaking the environment but your success as a manager will depend entirely on your ability to do this.