How Is Your Intent Aligned With Your Impact by:Sue Edwards
"But I didn't mean to hurt him!" Those of us who are parents have heard our
children use these words all too often in the midst of rousing horseplay. Inevitably we respond with something like, "Of course you didn't, but you still need to say you're sorry. With our children, we try to convey the difference between what we intend and the resultant impact of our actions. We explain that even when we don't plan to harm others, sometimes they end up getting hurt by what we do. Unfortunately, this is an insight that often gets lost in our working lives.In recent coaching discussions with a number of my clients, this has been a common theme. Several have been addressing the challenge of distinguishing between what they intend and how they are actually perceived.
Michel* is a very caring and compassionate manager. His direct report, Karly* is a very career-minded individual who is eager to be promoted to the next level. Michel has been reluctant to give Karly negative feedback because it might be hurtful to her. The irony is that while Michel means well, he has ended up doing a disservice to Karly because the behaviours that she has been exhibiting are limiting her opportunities for career advancement. Clearly this has a far more harmful and longer-term impact than immediate pain of a tough conversation that might help Karly to modify her approach.
Another executive with whom I've worked, Tina*, had prided herself on protecting her direct reports from excessive demands from head office. She also shielded them from having to give presentations, involving significant preparation time, to the head of the division. When I asked Tina how her "protection" was serving her direct reports, particularly the manager who was being groomed to be her successor, she was startled into seeing the impact of her actions in a different light. Tina's intention was noble to enable her direct reports to get on with the demands of their position unburdened by additional requests from head office. Yet, in doing so, Tina was not equipping her successor for the demands of his future position.
Coach's Question #1: How are you trying to "protect" someone at work and in doing so potentially doing them a disservice?
Seeing the difference between our intentions and our impact is often a matter of stepping into the other person's shoes to have a fresh look at how we are viewed. Barry* is a very endearing and compassionate person in one-on-one relationships. He leads a large department with numerous direct reports. The supervisors reporting to Barry were seeing him as cold and brusque. In trying to deal with the heavy demands of his job and remain as objective as possible in dealing each individual, Barry had pulled back from spending much one-on-one time with the supervisors reporting to him. They ended up seeing Barry having no interest in them. Once Barry recognized the difference between how he wanted to be seen as a leader and how he was being perceived, he was able to start mending relationships, spend more one-on-one time with his direct reports and leverage his time better by getting more accomplished through others. Over time, his image as a leader shifted dramatically.
To assist employees in discovering how they are perceived, many organizations implement 360-degree feedback processes in which input is solicited from an employee's boss, peers and direct reports. For some, the feedback can come as a shock. When employees review the reports from such assessments, a common reaction is to deny the results by saying "see, they don't know who I really am.I'm not like that". Stepping back, of course, we recognize that in our working lives, our intentions are not enoughit's what people see and perceive that counts. When who you are is not aligned with how people see you, there is a critical disconnect that needs to be examined.
Coach's Question #2: What do you do to obtain feedback on how you are perceived?
A final example of the importance of aligning intent with impact is looking at communication within organizations. Issues related to communication are some of the most common causes of annoyance and confusion at work. It seems that the childhood game of "broken telephone" is all too often replicated in our workplaces. What we intend to say is not the same as what people hear. It's as if we expect people to read our minds. George Bernard Shaw noted that, "The greatest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished". When discussing communication challenges, some clients will look at me with wonder asking, "What is it about these people that they don't hear what I'm saying?" Eventually they are able to look at the repeated pattern and see their own role in ensuring that the impact of their communications has the desired intent.
Coach's Question #3: What can you do to check in on what people are actually hearing you say?
OVER TO YOU for a self-reflection exercise.
What do you need to do over the next 2 months to create better alignment between your intent and your impact?
I'm interested in hearing your stories about how you have achieved this alignment or where you have noticed others around you wrestling with this challenge. Send me an email with your feedback or questions to sue@development-by-design.com
* all names and identifying details have been changed to protect client confidentiality
About the author
Susan Edwards is President of Development by Design, a Business & Leadership Coaching and Human Resources Consulting firm. Her Coaching clients are high potential leaders and profitable business owners who are redefining the terms of their success and taking their impact to a new level. She consults to Fortune 500 companies and smaller entrepreneurial organizations who are also committed to creating extraordinary impact with their customers, employees and shareholders. One of the niches of her practice is supporting new leaders and senior professionals in successfully transitioning into new organizations and "clearing the 90-day hurdle". She is authoring a self-coaching workbook to support people in effectively navigating this transition. Visit Sue at http://www.development-by-design.com The Importance Of A Stop Loss by:Steven Anthonis The Importance of a Stop Loss by:Steven Anthonis What is a Light Bulk Wholesaler by:Troy Breitmeyer Modern Managers Need Leadership Skills by:Mihaela Lica How to Find the Best Low APR Credit Cards by:Morgan Hamilton The Offer's On The Table by:Esther Smith Adsense, Yahoo Publisher, and starting a Home Based Business by:Chuck Crawford Ask the Expert: When do I Refinance My Home? by:Jay Popejoy Affiliate Profits Are Making Millionaires by:Steve Pike Why outsource to India? by:Harjeet Singh Small Changes To Your Resume Can Make A Big Difference by:Scott Brown Understanding Your Florida 2005 Property Tax Bill by:Daniel Weiss Descriptive Terms in Real Estate Ads - More Definitions by:Raynor James