WTF! Is It Ever A-OK?

WTF

What’s the go when it comes to profanities in your workplace?  Is a sprinkle of colourful language okay when you’ve got a point to make? Or do you have a strict policy in place, with swear jars for repeat offenders, even if it’s you?

Author of In Praise of Profanity, Michael Adams suggests that it’s a modern problem brought about by changing moral codes.  In an interview with the ABC, he says there are ‘just some moments in life where you reach a point of existential frustration, everything has gone wrong at once, and you search around for other words, but none will suit the occasion quite as well as a nice profanity’.

There are many moments in business when can happen, and some of us may vent our frustrations by letting rip. If you have a tight group of co-workers, it might be the case that that swearing within reason and context is accepted.  In an open plan workplace, where the audience might extend beyond close colleagues, then this might not be the case. And that could lead to offence taken, and perhaps even distress and disengagement. 

 

A CASE STUDY

A case in point is Mark Baldwin v Scientific Management Associate, which was brought before the Fair Work Commission.  It was alleged that Baldwin had used crude and profane language in a threatening manner towards his manager.  Baldwin’s manager had then become fearful for his own safety.  The Fair Work Commission determined that Baldwin had been fairly dismissed, and the termination was upheld.

This ruling highlights the qualitative difference between swearing in general terms verses swearing when it is specifically directed at someone - becoming highly personalised.

 

SET THE TONE 

Employees look to their leaders for direction, and follow your cues.  So, when you choose your words as a leader, choose them well.  Set the tone and create a culture that is aligned with best practice. And get it right every time.  

Hats off to you if you consider this important and have implemented a code of conduct covering profanities in your workplace.  Enforce it consistently and lead by example – set the tone yourself. 

If you have no policy, it could be time to consider one. Let’s be frank: it’s only worth implementing a policy if you agree that swearing is not condoned. Good policies take time and effort to develop. And they only have value if you have a ‘follow me’ attitude.  Without this, you can expect your employees to be dubious about your intentions - and the Fair Work Commission too.

  


USE DISCRETION

If an employee’s language is offensive and/or has the potential to offend or cause harm to others - it’s your obligation as the employer to step in, policy or no. To ignore it is to condone it, and that could lead to allegations of bullying.

 

CONSIDER THE CONTEXT 

If the proverbial has hit the fan and you’re dealing with an incident, you’re wise to consider all the circumstances. Context is key. If the incident is serious, talk to the employee. Gather all the facts and take time to consider the circumstances, before drawing any conclusions. 

Keep front of mind that modern workplaces are generally robust. The use of profanities - in general terms and in certain industries - is not uncommon. Consideration should always be given to the context of the discussion, as well as industry culture.

As an employer, it’s your job to understand these nuances. Some situations - especially the serious ones - should never be overlooked, while others may be collectively acknowledged as contextual. 

Determine what’s acceptable for your workplace - then go on to create a pleasant environment for all, by leading with the behaviours you want to be contagious. 

 

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Bring It on! Pioneering the Digital Revolution

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Times have changed.   We’re almost two decades into the new millennium and it’s clear that the labour-intensive, industrial, hands-on work we grew up watching our elders do has morphed into a highly automated, digitally driven activity and a whole new style of business.

Ideas are changing and with them our workplaces and roles. As we continue to live and work alongside each other in a collective of many generations, even putting a title on the complex jobs that some of us now do can be a challenge – as well as an indicator of how far the world has come.

Many small businesses are kick started with a simple concept. They’re built on a foundation of entrepreneurialism. Much of the personal time and cash resources sunk into them initially often go into branding – that most mysterious and yet essential requirement.  

Very often those taking the leap do so without the comfort of a salary, at least in the start-up phase. They might work from a home office, conduct virtual meetings and taking extended work calls during what should be family time. Such is the new norm. In these circumstances our work can be all around us and woven through our personal life. The olden days when your parents went off to work and you knew what they did there and then they came home again – are on the wane for many of us.

Instead of a simple job title, many of us now offer a thirty second elevator pitch when asked what we do for a living. Being part of this changing collective isn’t a simple matter! We brace ourselves to weather the judgements made by other people who can’t quite fathom what it is we do. Because there are those who still hold true that real work can only be the laborious industrial type.  

The elephant in the room? This type of venturing into the unknown is not actually new. Richard Branson and Oprah Winfrey built their careers on uninformed optimism, weathering opinions and complexity, at a time when their thinking was quite unique and progressive.  Little did they know that their endurance would become a game changer for how our future-selves viewed work and conducted business.


We are moving through this technological revolution with considerable momentum - the horse has well and truly bolted and we must stay in the saddle and hang on.  We must reinvent and digitalise, upgrade and adapt. We must better understand that exploring, trying new things and learning from our mistakes will eventually create a new balance and predictability. But rather than having the stable and linear career of old, we may have a handful of responsibilities we oversee throughout the day.

This cultural transition is a visceral experience for business owners, colleagues, parents and peers alike.  

It’s a good time for the curious, who ask the right questions of those at the forefront of contemporary thinking. Those questions, and their answers, lead to better understanding and our own growth, as people and as leaders.  We must draw intelligent conclusions on how the future economic world will look and how we can progress within it, leveraging all its opportunities and greatness.  

As we morph into this new age, it’s clear that some will continue to be at the forefront taking risks - just like Branson and Winfrey did. They may not have a job title that makes sense – other than ‘Pioneer’ - or have a role that even generates a regular income for a time. Some may lead a subsistence lifestyle to get by while growing their big idea. Others may have to push through negative critiques on their creative endeavours.  

Let’s salute their braveness! Because collectively we can all take direct benefit and make good of their pioneering in the new emerging world they are helping to build.

 

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Patience – a Tangible Tool in Your Management Kit

hashtag-hr---patience-in-the-workplace

Ever found yourself seated at the Board table but reflecting that it felt more like a circus tent?

Or at some point in the throes of day-to-day business, been overwhelmed by the sense that your workplace is actually a child care centre, and not the substantial business run by fully fledged adults that you had in mind?

Patience is a skill that’s tricky to master, and when your mother told you it was a virtue, she was thinking of your management career. Because it’s the number one tool in your leadership kit when it comes to navigating employee contentment, engagement and teamwork. Dealing with chronic under-performers, or misfits and mavericks who just can’t or won’t get along with the rest of the team, or reaching agreement when all points of view differ and won’t budge.

Resisting the impulse to react in the heat of the moment takes grit and determination. Sometimes it’s tempting to send those who are misbehaving back to their desks without supper.

So how to build the resilience – and patience – you need?

For the sake of goodwill, you must try, if only because it’s the right thing to do. You pay their salary, you recruited them, oversee the headcount. You must therefore master the art of patience in order to get the most out of your people.  

Creating an environment that sends clear messages of expectations is an absolute cornerstone. Get expectations in place, so that you don’t end up exploring them in retrospect.

That said, it’s never too late to change course - even when you are in the thick of a workplace tantrum. As the boss, you get to draw a line in the sand. Before it gets to that, try these four simple strategies to make patience a primary principle.

 

BREATHE

It’s a cliché maybe, but feelings of frustration bring about muscle tension everywhere – including in those muscles that engulf your lungs. So breathe! In turning your attention away from the frustration and onto your breathing, you help keep your brain fuelled with oxygen and on track to making calm choices. 

Don’t forget, our feelings influence our thoughts. So when you’re saturation levels are up and you’re good and oxygenated, your neurons at least have a fighting chance of working through the tough situation - with resilience.

 

LEAD

A calm and patient environment is only possible if you lead those around you with good intent and trust.  Show others that you’ve got the ability to be nice without expecting something in return – or calculating the leverage you’re gaining.

“When leaders inspire those they lead, people dream of a better future, invest time and effort in learning more, do more for their organisations and along the way become leaders themselves. A leader who takes care of their people and stays focused on the well-being of the organisation can never fail.” - Lt. Gen. George Flynn



PERSUADE 

Building agreement when points of view differ around the table can be tricky. This is when opinions are aired, tempers can flare and at least one patient influencer is essential. Sure, sometimes an authoritative approach or an executive decision may be required, but simply insisting it’s your way or the highway without bothering to get buy-in from your team can be really unsettling and it’s not necessarily the way forward. 

To get others to buy into the way you see things and reach agreement around the table, you’ll need to ask the right questions and point respectfully to the different viewpoints present. Asking your colleagues to think about things from other perspectives often allows them to arrive at the same conclusion – for themselves. This is the art of persuasion.  

 

CONNECT

The cornerstone of any leadership style is building great relationships and trust within a team. It motivates people to take on tasks that they may not otherwise want to do, and fosters a ‘follow-me’ philosophy. Be friendly, smile, give encouragement, converse and laugh.  These are all qualities that are appreciated, respected and often admired by those around you. 

By connecting, especially with those that you lead, you gain the leverage to handle those tough moments with the patience and grace required to defuse most situations.

 

Keep things meaningful and lead by example. Simple changes can really bring about big impact - so use these four strategies to get you out of the circus tent and getting the most out of your team.  

 

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Trying to Balance on a Tightrope of Complexity

Trying to Balance on a Tightrope of Complexity

Complexity in the workplace is brought about by just one element: us. If you’ve got people, you’ve got complexity. Employees, customers, peers, colleagues, leaders. Our unpredictable and occasionally thorny nature and dynamics between us can test our leadership in a different way from other operational challenges.

There’s no denying it’s a tightrope walk!

And if your own personal talents don’t extend naturally to managing the complexities of your people, well it can feel like a highwire act with a troupe of monkeys.

What’s worse, the dynamics we enjoy with family and friends differ enormously to those we have in the workplace, so you can’t fall back on natural intuition. It’s best to understand the distinction between interactions inside the workplace and out - and then develop meaningful strategies to deal with them. That way you encourage productivity, a healthy culture and a love for your brand.

People issues can nosedive really quickly, but these three simple strategies are guaranteed to help you stay aloft.

 

KNOW YOUR STAFF – BUT KEEP YOUR DISTANCE

Keep your interactions professional from the onset and set reasonable workplace boundaries. This helps eliminate distraction and keeps everyone focused on completing tasks. It’s true that some workplace relationships develop into personal ones over time. But as a rule of thumb, interaction between co-workers, supervisors, clients and customers should stop at the end of the working day.

Having different boundaries for different individuals or within the hierarchy creates ambiguity and misunderstandings too, so stay the line. Keep it clear for everyone at all times and don’t go swaying in the wind.

Knowing your staff means knowing how they stay on track and perform their best. Getting through the working day is a balancing act for them too. Notice the small things about their performance. Generally, people perform their best at specific times of the day; they get distracted by the same things; and they get back on task by consistent means every time. Know these things. What makes them teeter and what restores them?

In understanding these nuances, you’re able to plan and benchmark expectations. By being upfront and showing you understand how they best keep their heads up and their gaze frontwards, you’ll both be clear about the end-goal and relaxed about the journey.

 

GET TO GRIPS WITH NATURAL DIFFERENCE

Value the differences between individuals. We don’t all think the same way nor perform at the same level. (See a previous blog post on why this is a strength in your team!) Why is it you can email one employee with a list of tasks which they immediately jump to, but another needs more direction, dialogue and input from you?  For one the journey is a swift trot along a tight zipline. For the other it’s a wobbly affair requiring a safety net.

In Debra Worthington and Margaret Fitch-Hauser’s book ‘Listening: Processes, Functions and Competency’ (page 78-79), they discuss Cognitive Complex.  This is the means by which we perceive incoming messages, organize them and use them to interpret what is being said.  One individual may require information that is detailed, specific and complex. Another may need only high-level facts for the same task. This cognitive complexity is not related to smarts, say the authors, but rather our mental agility in organizing elements and making sense of tasks.

By adapting your leadership style to suit individuals, you create enormous opportunity to minimize performance based issues and variances in productivity. Some just need a longer balancing pole than others.


 

PERSUASION 

Building agreement when points of view differ around the table can be tricky. Sure, sometimes an authoritative approach or executive decision may be required, but simply insisting it’s your way or the highway without bothering to get buy-in from your team can be really unsettling.

To get others to buy into the way you see things, you’ll need to ask the right questions. Asking your colleagues to think about things - by asking the right questions - allows them to arrive at the same conclusion themselves. This is the art of persuasion. 

Management consultant Dan Pink says, 'The key here is that we tend to think that persuasion or motivation is something that one person does to another.' In fact, he says, the trick is to get the person to persuade themselves.

So pre-plan. Arm yourself with the right questions to build dialogue - and employee engagement.  Keep the conversation on track but be flexible in your approach. You may be surprised at the outcome, and perhaps even find a new way to complete the journey which you hadn’t even considered.    

Despite our complexities, there’s one thing we all share. We like to feel valued! Thank your staff often.  It’s an easy and cost neutral habit that genuinely encourages engagement and builds your reputation as a leader.

These simple strategies help avoid complexities in the workplace. Take the trouble to measure your leadership style against them and tweak it accordingly. It takes time, skill and effort to manage the skywalk that is running a business. So balance your complexities, stay smart, fleet of foot, and don’t take a tumble! 

 

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Keep Achieving! One Thing at a Time - Here’s Three Ways How

Keep Achieving! One Thing at a Time - Here’s Three Ways How

Cast your mind back to 1991, when Billy Crystal and Jack Palance went head to head in the blockbuster movie City Slickers.

Not many of us are mustering cattle in the wild west twenty-five years later, and our behinds probably still hurt just watching the movie, but its central drama still has huge resonance. And raises a chuckle.

Gary Keller, author, entrepreneur and cofounder of one of the world’s largest real estate agencies, recalls a pivotal scene from the movie in his bestselling book, The One Thing.   

Curly: Do you know the secret of life?

 Mitch: No. What?

Curly: This. [He holds up one finger]

Mitch: Your finger?

Curly: One thing.  Just one thing …

Mitch: That’s great, but what’s the one thing?

Curly: That’s what you have to figure out.

Keller reflects on why this struck a chord with him. ‘Where I had huge success, I had narrowed my concentration to one thing, and where my success varied, my focus had too.’  Concentrating on just thing at a time, even those itty bitty ordinary things, can make extraordinary things happen.

Best-selling author, global presenter and Smallville founder Andrew Griffiths and co-presenter Bree James ran a podcast recently on ‘Becoming More Productive in Business’.  In it, Griffiths observes that we are all time poor. The trick is to slough off all the things that are a distraction – and identify the one thing you can do right now at any given moment which will lead you on to success.

Keller and Griffiths both believe that good business is about investing your time and energy wisely and precisely – keep things moving, but don’t create a stampede.



Distractions can be hard to ignore – they’re made that way! Some of the biggest names have achieved success by designing the digital space to be deliberately inviting. No wonder we get distracted.

According to Keller, when we stay focused on exactly what matters the most at any given moment, that’s when real success becomes obtainable. If all your energy is channelled in one direction, things are achieved sequentially – one thing at a time.

So saddle up and let’s keep achieving with 3 key strategies:

 

1. BLOCK TIME

Schedule a regular appointment with yourself in which you prioritise and tackle the most important task on your list.

‘Think of it like going to movies. You’re there for ONE Thing—to see the film. Because you’re really clear about that, you turn off your cell phone, you grab snacks in case you get hungry, and you probably even make a pit stop before you go in. All this so you can have an uninterrupte experience.’

 

2. USE FIVE MINUTE WINDOWS

"Over the course of the day, I can get literally a hundred or more little tasks done in those five-minute windows," says Andrew Griffiths. Develop two lists - tasks which require a block of time, and tasks which need just a few minutes – before a meeting, between phone calls, before the teleconference, or when you’ve got a spare quarter hour.

 

3. SIMPLIFY

Make sure things get done efficiently.  If your computer takes 15 minutes to load, consider an upgrade.  If your interruptions are always for the same reason – approvals, social media management – think about automation.   What can be can be delegated? Is your five-minute list so long that a new resource is needed? 

Let’s finish on a high, by looking at one company that has done ‘One Thing’ really well.  Keller writes, ‘From 1998 to 2012, Apple’s ONE Thing moved from Macs to iMacs to iTunes, to iPods to iPhones, with the iPad already jockeying for the pole position at the head of the production line.’ Apple stand out. Their drive to deliver just one outstanding product at a time has changed the game. Sure, they brought out other popular gadgets, but those hummed along in the shadows.

 

Or as Curly would have said, ‘This cow’s having a baby. Now reach in and pull out the calf!’

 

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Get the Best #HR Content and Industry Thinking on the Go

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Did you know #HR Blog is on SoundCloud? If you’re always on-the-go or just prefer to listen to articles, you can subscribe to our SoundCloud channel and get our audio articles delivered right to your device. Whether you’re in the car, on a walk, or just taking a break, audio is a great way to get some valuable #HR content when it best suits you.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our SoundCloud channel and never miss another audio article.

Below are a few of our most recent audio articles for you to enjoy.

 

WHY COLOURFUL QUIRKS MAKE THE WORKPLACE A BETTER PLACE

 

4 WAYS TO LIFT YOUR MANAGEMENT GAME - THAT WILL COST YOU NOTHING

 

A WHOLE NEW SPECTRUM – BRINGING DIFFERENT SMARTS INTO THE WORKPLACE

 

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Here's 4 Simple Tips to Help You Become a Knockout in the Office

Tips

As the old saying goes: the squeaky wheel gets the oil. This is also true when it comes to identifying leaders in the workplace. Don’t sit back and let others surpass you. Instead, step up and stand out—in a positive way! It’s fine to get a little “squeaky” in your office in order to show others that you take your job seriously and that you are 100% committed. Here are four simple tips to stand out and become a knock out in your office.

1. USE YOUR MAGIC WORDS

 

2. PUT A SMILE ON YOUR DIAL

 

3. ROCK UP SOBER

 

4. GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR NEXT TEAM MEETING

 

And there you have it, four simple ideas to help you stand out in a positive way and become a knock out in your office. Do you have any tips? Share them with us in the comments section below.  

 

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Are You Ready to Make Your Business Boom in 2017? Tips for Good to Great!

Are You Ready to Make Your Business Boom in 2017? Tips for Good to Great!

Have you ever wondered why it looks so easy for some Small Business owners to achieve their business goals year after year? They get ahead faster and accomplish more than you, even though you work harder, longer and seemingly smarter. It’s frustrating, right?

Let’s make sure you take your Small Business from good to great by sharing these top strategies to make 2017 your best year yet.

Click here for your free e-book download, courtesy of the Founding Smallville Contributors.

 

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