Tweet

Are we having the right conversations with those we lead?

Written by: Juliette Robertson

Article Overview: Business and Executive Coach Juliette Robertson (Sydney Australia) challenges those of us leading marketing and sales teams to consider if we are having the right conversations in order to get the best results. When things go wrong and emotions come into play in the workplace it’s a sure signpost to take stock, stop and question what’s really going on. It’s time to change the conversation. Changing the conversation does not mean avoiding the topic. It simply challenges us to look a little deeper at what is really causing the problem. And below the immediate problem lies a host of process and relationship solutions to consider.

Are we having the right conversations with those we lead?

Are we having the right conversations with those we lead?

Recently I saw a very angry marketing executive going head to head with a young direct report in one of those gold fish offices that leave little to the imagination.
Although their words were muffled there was little doubt who the boss was, who was in charge of the conversation and who would have the last word. I wondered if those near and dear to the executive would have been proud to see her management style or how her direct report viewed her skills.

In our marketing profession the technical mistakes made by our staff are often VERY public. A small careless error can be viewed by perhaps hundreds of thousands of campaign recipients and waste thousands of dollars. Mistakes can be not only embarrassing but have political and legal ramifications. And subtly but very powerfully, errors of execution can unfairly sway research results, public opinion, social views, because unlike many other professions, what we do, is in the public domain and seen by many. The responsibility to get it right is paramount.

When things go wrong and emotions are raised, how easily we are seduced into having conversations of war, to take the high ground and win at any cost. But are we having the right conversations to bring about the best outcomes in those we lead?

The opposite extreme is the marketing executive who hides his/her growing frustration with staff non compliance, poor delivery, and skill ineptitude, complaining to everyone but the staff member. Why? Often because of a reluctance and inability to deal with the conflict.

As marketing executives we are also leaders of people and I believe we have a responsibility to find the best outcome for both the organization and our teams. This outcome is rarely found in conversations of war or games of hide and seek. I truly believe our staff deserve much more from us and so do our peers.

So are we having the right conversations to get the best results? I fear not.

Wise mentors tell us that when emotions come into play in the workplace it’s a sure signpost to take stock, stop and question what’s really going on. It’s time to change the conversation.

Changing the conversation does not mean avoiding the topic. It simply challenges us to look a little deeper at what is really causing the problem instead of focusing on the content.

And when we look deeper, we may begin to see the processes that are causing the problems that make us so angry. Addressing processes is a VERY different conversation to a conversation of war or hide and seek. It’s a conversation about what’s causing the problems, understanding the existing rules and regulations that are hindering instead of assisting our staff do and be the best they can.

How often do we see campaigns go off the rails because the call centre was uninformed, poorly trained or the mail house sent the wrong collateral? How often are advertisements or brochures printed with errors because of poor QA processes? How often are our web sites giving out-of-date information, or we mail deceased clients? Let’s face it - errors will always occur but more often than not, the cause can be found in our own failure to ensure the processes were created and managed well.

Conversations to understand and improve marketing processes contain constructive questions, not angry incriminations. They invite ideas and feedback, not defensive explanations.

And when we look deeper still, and if we are very courageous, we may begin to see the relationship issues that are causing the problems that make us so angry. And acknowledging addressing our relationships with our team members is a VERY different conversation. It’s a conversation about “I’ve noticed that you and I don’t seem to be speaking the same language these days. Why is that?” It’s a conversation about “I feel you don’t respect my judgment the way you used to. Is that so? “It’s a conversation about “I feel that I can’t rely on you the way I used to because of your performance lately and that’s really disappointing. What’s driving that?”

What would it be like for a brand manager who been evading questions and hiding poor research results to be privately talked to about trust and honesty rather than demands and threats?

Or the fast track, gung ho web master who was making web decisions beyond their authority to be spoken to about respect for others judgments and knowledge?

Or the disinterested marketing assistant to be spoken to about reliability and unused potential?

“Oh too soft” or perhaps “too hard a conversation to have?” “We’re not their mothers”. True enough. But if we are honest, every one of us knows that the people we would go to the ends of the earth for are not those who lost control of their emotions or hid their truth from us. It was those who took us aside and spoke honestly and directly one-on-one about what they really saw, what they felt about us and invited us to deliver to our higher potential.

In the long run, choosing to have the right conversation will reap the best results for the organization, our own marketing departments and get the best performance from those we lead. And isn’t that what we really wanted all along?

Juliette Robertson

Related Articles
  Adjusting Your World
  You Are Either Influencing or Being Influenced
  Can you describe the strategy for your business growth in 6 words?
  How not to avoid tough conversations
  The Three Conversations of Leadership: Management Leadership Training

Article Tags: conflict, leaders, processes, staff conversations, wise mentors



Related Forum Posts
EvanCarmichael.com suggestion - Maybe I missed it but I would like to suggest that a Blog be created to support the Forum. The idea is that in the blog you put in snippets of some of the biggest conversations with a 'read more' link to the forum itself. Setting up the Blog and clipping some conversations onto it wouldn't take very long.
9 Lies that are holding you back - I've picked up this book to assist me with my conversations when coaching business clients and I've found it to be quite enlightening as distinctions are made. The book is titled "9 Lies That are Holding Your Business Back..." by Steve Chandler and Sam Beckford (aka Small Business Millionaire). I'll use this post in two ways: 1. To highlight A Lie 2. To help me internalize the concepts by writing about it in my own terms/understanding so that I can use it in future conversations (yes, I'm feeling a lil selfish and want to take you guys along with the journey) first post to arrive shortly on the First chapter: Lie#1: I Just Need to Know [i:23sag391]How[/i:23sag391] to Do This"
Re: What is your EVE Ratio? - Hi GT, Thank you for posting this. Like Michelle, the hard part is applying everything. I admit that mine is balanced, with entertainment on the lead, but with a very small lead. I was on a lecture last week, and one of the teachers said: it not the amount of knowledge you have, it's how you use it every day. So true.
Re: Who are the best entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter? - Hi All, Just landed here from Twitter! (I am @4_walls). As the underlying philosophy of social media is "open, random, supportive", I personally see little point in trying to target people for their apparent interests. You don't really know what they are interested in other than the 140 words on their profile, nor do you know who they know! I follow people based on the consistency and value of their Tweets. I am totally allergic to spam and therefore avoid people who post links back to sales or data capture pages, and who do not engage in conversations. Twitter is a two way channel of communication, and I look to see who engages in conversations, and who consistently shares valuable information. My favourite entrepreneurs? @nicktadd @pennypower @mjamme @john_corey
Re: Kevin's Case Study #6 - Marketing an information resource? - Hey Sebastian, Congrats are starting to think beyond whats currently being done. My question is why do you want to get away from lead generation if that is where you make your money. What if you just because THE SOURCE for lead generation and high value content/information? Then you'd get more business because franchisors would HAVE to be listed with you.... J


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Are You An Accidental Consultant?

Setting Goals for your Home Based Business

Leading from Authenticity is a Beautiful Thing

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.