2. Working With People
What type of person are you when it comes to
working with People?
Are you the type of person that seeks input and
fosters a team effort - or one that directs from
your point of view?
How critical are the relationships that you
maintain with People - to what you do each day?
Does the relationship that you maintain with
People impact the performance that they provide
- either to you or to your organization?
3. Working with People
We all Work with People.
We do so in our every day life - whether on our job, at
school, or in the organizations that we belong to.
In doing so, some of us are very good at it.
Others struggle with such efforts.
For the majority of us - Working with People is critical
to what we do or for what we our responsible for.
This presentation is offered to provide ideas to
Others based upon what I found to be
successful in Working With People along my way.
4. Working With People
Be a Good Listener
Types of Communication
Trust Your People
Follow-up and Commitments
Being True
Saying the Same Message
Acknowledge and Thank
Assess Your Performance
5. Be a Good Listener
Being able to Work with People - requires you to
be a Good Listener.
What kind of Listener would you call yourself?
✤ Do you hear what people are telling you?
✤ Or do you hear what you want to hear?
✤ Do you talk more than you listen?
✤ Do you remember what people tell you?
✤ Do you follow-up on items that people will
expect of you?
6. Be a Good Listener
The type of Listener that you are - will often tell
People how well you will communicate and work
with them.
✤ Example - If you are the type of person that
talks more than you listen - more than likely
you are the type of person that is less receptive
to hear the view points or ideas communicated
by other people.
Another trait of a Good Listener is being able to
solicit the right information and hear what needs
to be heard - thereby being able to filter out the
“noise.”
7. A Good Listener...
Solicits and expects to hear the input of others
including their recommendations & concerns.
Hears what others are telling them.
Does not dominate the conversation.
Stays on message.
Does not allow their preconceived position or
belief - to influence what they hear.
Asks questions that will provide the right insight
in order to make the best decision(s).
8. Types of Communication
When you work with People - what types of
Communication do you have with them?
Are you the type of person that can instantly
make a person feel relax and trusted?
Or are you one that may put someone on the
defensive - which may impact the way in
which they communicate and work with you?
The type of Communicator that you are - will
play a major role in how you are able to Work
with People.
9. Types of Communication
The type of Communication that you use will
depend upon the specific circumstances when
Working with People -
✤ Directive - when you need to set a specific
direction or action, then you will use a one-sided
communication style.
✤ Joint Effort - when you need to work as a team in
accomplishing a goal, you will need to use an
open or two-sided format.
✤ Blended - is simply a combination of the two
formats above, and is often used by a
Workgroup Leader.
10. Types of Communication
One-Way Communication
Style: Lecture format, one sided view is expressed.
Advantages: Used when a specific point needs to be
made - or a specific direction needs to be set / followed.
Shortcomings: Does not permit nor solicits feedback,
input, or opposing points of view. Will not contribute
to a “Team Environment.”
My Recommendation: Use this style when you need to
direct an effort that cannot be waivered from. Do not
use this format if you need to get “buy-in” from those
carrying out the directed action.
11. Types of Communication
Two-Way Communication
Style: Open format, various viewpoints are both solicited
and expressed.
Advantages: Promotes a sharing of ideas; can be used as
a “sounding board”; allows participants to voice their
positions; and helps promote team “buy-in.”
Shortcomings: Can deter a specific action or direction if
relied upon too much; can add time to accomplish a task.
My Recommendation: Use this style when concerns,
recommendations, etc., need to be heard from those
carrying out workgroup responsibilities - and when a
joint effort is needed to accomplish an action.
12. Trust Your People
Trust Your People - pertains to both those that
you work with within your organization - and
outside of your organization.
Do you believe or maintain the position that no
one can perform a task as good as you can?
Whether you are a Leader of a workgroup or
one that relies on efforts of those outside of
your organization - it is essential that you
develop, have, and show Trust in People that
you work with.
13. Trust Your People
What does it take to have or show Trust in your
People?
Don’t micro-manage them.
Give them the ability and authority to carryout
their responsibilities.
Let your People have the time and freedom to
figure out their own or departmental problems.
Don’t penalize your People for stumbles along
their way - but help them to learn and become
better performers from such problems.
14. Follow-up & Commitments
One of the most important qualities in working
with People - is your Follow-up and
Commitments made to them.
Whether you are a Manager of a department or
one that interfaces with outside personnel -
your Follow-up and Commitments will impact
how well you Work with People.
Your action or inaction in this regard - will lead
to how well other People can trust and work
with you.
15. Follow-up & Commitments
Example: As a Safety Manager of a Plant, I
would frequently walk the Shop Floor and talk
to my People. In doing so, they would often
raise their Safety Concerns to me. I made a
point to note them down so that I could act on
them when I was able.
✤ Question - If I only heard their concerns and
did not act on them - what message would I
be sending them? If I only heard them and
did not act on them - do you think that they
would eventually stop expressing their Safety
and other types of concerns to me?
16. Follow-up & Commitments
My Recommendation - In working with People, if
carrying out your responsibilities calls for acting on
concerns, requests, and suggestions made by your
People -
✤ Make it a point to act on every one of them.
✤ If you are not able or choose not to, then provide
them the reason why you did not act on them.
✤ And do so in a timely fashion.
Following up on commitments you make to your
People - shows them that they are important to you
and that they matter to what you do.
17. Being True
Being True to me means -
✤ That you are the same person to different People.
✤ And that various People see only one you.
It is only human nature for us to act differently when
we are conversing with various types of People.
With family, friends, and People that we are
comfortable with - it is our tendency to relax and be
ourself.
But when it comes to Working with People - those that
we work with - should only see one You.
18. Being True
Example: You supervise a group of People. Some
are very hard workers and others do the
minimum required. You tend to “cut some slack”
with your hard workers - such as looking the
other way when they come to work late or take a
longer lunch.
✤ Question - With what group are you “truer” to?
My answer is neither group. You must learn to
be true to all of the People that you work with -
especially if you are one that supervises People.
19. Being True
Being True in working with People - will
definitely impact and influence People - on
how they work with you.
Words that come to mind that pertain here
include - Consistent, Trustful, Respectful,
Reliable, Open Minded, and Always There.
Being True to Me....means that you do or say
the same thing every time - especially when no
one is watching.
20. Saying the Same Message
“Saying the Same Message” - means exactly
that - “Saying the Same Message.”
If your responsibilities call for you to
communicate a message or provide direction -
the People that you are addressing - must hear
the same message.
Saying the Same Message - promotes
consistency not just from you as an individual -
but from what your People do as a result of
your message.
21. Saying the Same Message
Example: You are a Supervisor that needs to
pass on a new Procedural Directive to your
people. You are not able to address all of your
People at once - so you do so individually or in
groups. But as you do so, you receive blowback
from some of your People, resulting in you to
waiver on the Procedural Requirements.
✤ Question - What type of consistency would
you expect from such a message? If your
People converse - would they then think that
you are sending “mixed messages”?
22. Acknowledge & Thank
Acknowledging and Thanking your People is critical
in maintaining a Working relationship with them.
✤ Question: How often have you worked with
someone who has the habit of walking past
you and not acknowledging you?
✤ Question: Have you ever worked for
someone who only spoke to you when there
was a problem with what you did?
✤ Your Action: If you were part of the above -
what type of response did you give in return?
23. Acknowledge & Thank
Acknowledging and recognizing your People - makes
them feel accepted and part of your work group and
the efforts of your work group -
Try to acknowledge your People every day - BY
NAME - especially those that you work with each
day.
Check-in with your People frequently - don’t take
them for granted.
Recognize your People for what they do and/or for
what they have done.
✤ Include special recognition if appropriate.
24. Acknowledge & Thank
Make time for your People - have an “Open
Door” Policy.
✤ Note - That you must work at defeating your
People’s belief that you are too busy for them.
Don’t take credit for your People’s efforts - pass
on Kudos to those individuals so deserving.
Last and most importantly -
TREAT YOUR PEOPLE AS YOU WOULD
LIKE TO BE TREATED
25. Assess Your Performance
When Working with People - either in your
individual capacity or in a managerial capacity
- you should stop and assess your performance.
By stopping to take the time to assess your
performance - it will provide you you with the
opportunity to adjust your approach if needed.
And by doing so - not only could you be
improving what you do - but you could also be
improving what your People do.
26. Assess Your Performance
Questions that I would ask myself in this regard
include -
✤ Do my People feel comfortable with
approaching me with their questions and
suggestions?
✤ Do I hear what my People are telling me - and
do I act on their concerns, questions, and
recommendations?
✤ Do my efforts foster an environment that helps
my People better their performance?
27. Assess Your Performance
Questions that I would ask myself in this regard
include (con’t) -
✤ When I converse with my People - is it
normally one-sided communication?
✤ Do I take time and ask my People or my peers
on how I relate to them and do I ask them for
ways that I can improve my efforts?
✤ What one action can I take that will improve
not only my responsibilities - but those that I
Work with and may be responsible for?
28. Working With People
Working With People -
Is often not as easy as it sounds.
For some of us - it comes fairly easy. For others - we
may have to work hard at it and on a continual basis.
In closing I would like to stress 2 Key Points -
1. Your efforts in Working With People - should center
on maximizing their efforts via open communication
and making them feel part of your efforts / team.
2. Don’t assume that what you are doing works. Take
time to assess your performance and adjust if needed.
29. Working With People
I hope that this offering on
WORKING WITH PEOPLE
has given you something that you can
use for your benefit.
If you have any questions, comments, or
suggestions - please send them to me on
“LinkedIn” or to my home e-mail -
sdwiser@comcast.net