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I recently counseled a client through a difficult human resources issue. Like most human issues, it was not cut and dry.  I spent weeks evaluating, assessing and analyzing expectations, responsibilities, processes and performances. What I discovered is that while there were very clear issues, the exact cause of them was unclear. Hearts were in the right place, but there was still an insurmountable disconnect.

To help me get to the root of the issue – to uncover the exact point of disconnect – I tried to break  down the process of constructive criticism reception and resolution. Here’s what I came up with.

Resolution Process

1. Sincere listening and open-minded reception of concerns.
2. Sincere desire to understand expectations related to those areas (e.g. “What do I need to do differently?”) and resolve any disagreement or ambiguity.
3. Initiative to seek tools and counsel that help equip the individual for making changes related to areas of concern.
4. Raised consciousness and heightened sensitivities when operating in areas of concern.
5. Humility and ownership of mis-steps along the way (e.g. sincere apologies, “I’m working on this and appreciate your help and patience”).
6. Solicitation of and gratitude for counsel and feedback throughout the process.
7. Although resolution of the concern areas may never become second-nature to the individual, he or she demonstrates an awareness of blind spots and a reflexive adjustment that helps compensate in a healthy and positive way.

After outlining this process, I was able to pinpoint exactly where the breakdown was occurring. The employee in question was receiving the constructive criticism positively; that was not disputed.  But the train derailed quickly after that.  The employee showed little to no initiative in seeking tools or counsel to help equip her to make the changes expected and required for her to be successful.  Her colleagues expected her to operate in the territory of Steps 4 and 5, but she never progressed past Step 2 in the above process. The result was a tense and emotionally-charged workplace.

Takeaway:

• Sometimes in order to identify the cause of a problem, we must first put the problem in the greater context of a process. Pinpointing exactly where the breakdown is occurring in that process allows for a surgical solution.  Surgical solutions are more efficient and effective (and tend to result in less pain and bloodshed).
• I have long said that Initiative is not something you can teach another person.  People either have initiative, or they don’t. Those who demonstrate initiative typically make exemplary employees; those who don’t tend to be a drain on an organization. Discerning initiative should be a top priority when interviewing prospective job candidates.

Carol Reeve, strategist
Girl on the Roof

(or Event Objectives)

I led a marketing workshop recently for Knoxville Leadership Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports other area nonprofits through education, partnership development, organizational assessment and other resources.

After the workshop I conducted a group exercise for Executive Directors of current KLF partners in the Center for Communities program.  The EDs gathered into groups of about 4 people and were given the following scenario and questions…

You are the executive director of a nonprofit organization that provides literacy services in Knoxville.  Your event committee chair is new to the organization but eager to help.  She has asked you to attend the first committee meeting to set things off on the right foot.

1. How do you determine the objectives for the annual event?  Collectively with your breakout team, identify the primary, secondary (and optional tertiary) objectives for this hypothetical event.  This is for discussion purposes only; there is no wrong answer.
2. Based on those event objectives, determine the target audiences (identify primary, secondary and optional tertiary) for this hypothetical event?
3. How would you go about crafting a message or messages to motivate the target audiences?  Together, with your breakout team, develop a core message/call to action for the event.
4. Are there any sensitivities, terminology or other circumstances that you need to be mindful of when crafting this message?
5. Now that you understand your event objectives, your audience and your message, provide a brief outline of the marketing elements/initiatives you would use to promote the event and the specific call to action for each audience.  (Think before, during and after the event.)

Although the workshop that came before this breakout session was described by one witness as “a firehose of information” (based on time limitations) that left attendees a little stunned, it was in the breakout session where the application really sunk in.  I am a firm believer that every nonprofit event should have a specific objective (if multiple objectives, they should be prioritized) and a specific target audience (likewise with prioritization).

When these talented Executive Directors stepped out of their own shoes and into a fictional pair (an organization with a different mission and target audience) they began to see how important it is to determine the objectives and target audiences of the event.  The resulting event plans were very impressive.  More importantly, these professionals learned something tangible. If the only sip they got from the fire hose was the need to determine an audience and objective for an event, my time with them was well spent.

When you consider your organization’s next event, the first step should be to determine the objective of the event (Is it fundraising?  Awareness?  Recruiting volunteers?).  While you can accomplish all of these objectives (if you’re really good!), prioritizing them will make decision-making and messaging much easier.  I serve on a pretty high-profile event committee in Knoxville. Recently we were presented with a fantastic idea that would have made for a very entertaining evening.  But when we stepped back to evaluate if this new event format would accomplish our objectives, the answer was an overwhelming NO.  It was a good idea, but it would not have given us the results we wanted or needed.  Because we had the objectives already determined, we were able to turn a subjective decision into an objective one (and I’m glad we did).  The clearer the target, the easier it is to hit it.

Once you determine the objective of the event, then think about how you are trying to reach to accomplish that objective.  Mentally surround the issue with every profile of person who is connected to it.  For literacy (a cause I selected because currently no KLF partners have that as their primary mission), they came up with educators, school administrators, county officials, retirees (grandparents), etc.  That was just the top layer; when encouraged to go deeper, these leaders added more and more to the invitation list for their fictional event.

Once the objectives and the target audience are identified, it’s all about the messaging.  If you know WHAT you are trying to communicate (the objective) and WHO you are trying to communicate it to, crafting a message that motivates and calls people to action is within reach. Now that is strategic planning!
Carol Reeve, Girl on the Roof

When I facilitate a planning or positioning session, I clearly communicate the objective of the session, in writing, in advance. I state a clear agenda. I document on flip charts every thought and idea that is expressed. I later record all of those thoughts into an electronic document that I circulate to all who attended the meeting. Why? Because people pay me for results, and I am committed to providing them.

Unlike many facilitators whose solitary role is facilitation (and then they pass the baton and step aside politely), I hold tightly to the baton and keep running. It’s my job to distill what I learned in that session into something that benefits the bottom line of an organization.
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While not a specific resolution kind of gal at New Year’s, I do decide on a theme for the coming year.  It functions more like a mindset than a hit-or-miss goal.  For example, rather than pledging to lose x number of pounds, in 2009 I decided simply to live healthier.  That started in January with regular exercise and buying organic where possible. In 3Q09, I cut high fructose corn syrup from my diet. In 4Q09, my “living healthier” barometer led me to a decision that resulted in dramatic stress reduction.

I remember only a few themes from the last 15 years.  “Get organized in 2005” stuck with me, and I recall shopping for attic-bound clear plastic tubs on 1/1/05.

This year my theme doesn’t have the advantage of approximate rhyme, but I figure if I “publish” it, perhaps it will benefit from greater longevity.  My 2010 theme is (drum roll please)… “Lighten Up. Smile More. Speak positively.” I will need your help with this, so please hold me accountable.

What revolution do you need in your life?  What mindset will serve as your barometer for the coming year?

The ocean has long been a solace for me, so I am extremely fortunate to have parents who live on the coast. Long walks on the beach bring me clarity that I don’t find elsewhere. It is by the water that I most feel the restorative presence of God.

I mentioned in a previous blog posting that my daughter and I recently discovered the Beachcomber’s Trifecta (star fish, sand dollar and conch).  But there was another treasure — a large, broken, worm-holed piece of a shell — that got my attention.  It was pretty ugly, really.  But what impressed me about it was how large the original shell must have been.  When I picked it up, I said aloud, “This was part of something greater.”

Part of something greater.  Isn’t that what we should all strive to be? At times, we may look at our own lives and feel beaten up, broken-down and worm-holed. Perhaps that’s because we are not supposed to be alone. We are part of something greater.  And it is only when those beaten up, broken-down worm-holed pieces join together that we are collectively what we were created to be… and we can together do what we were created to do.

What is the “something greater” that you are supposed to be a part of? Someone may be looking for you.

Carol Reeve, Girl on the Roof