Monday Mentor-Week 19-The Mechanics of Tone Setting

Good tone setting requires a couple of basic behaviors and skills that are applied on a consistent basis. Some leaders utilize these skills on almost a naturalized level, while others must embrace the skills on a more mechanical level.



The first step of good tone setting is the initial greeting of team members. For most environments that is the “good morning” at the start of the work day. To pull this off correctly, the greeting must sound sincere, upbeat and not, on any level, forced. The great tone setters will also include some relational dialog about family, interests or just the drive to work.


One epiphany moment exists in the initial greeting of team members. Leaders have a significant choice at the start of each day. On one side they have their office or cubicle where all of their work lives. New email, yellow sticky notes, files and stuff. On the other side is the team. You know, the people who do the work so you can be the leader.


When a leader chooses to take a few minutes and go to the office prior to greeting team members, they are telling the team that, at best, they are secondary in importance. Don’t be naïve. Your team notices that choice.


Another great tone setting skill is to demonstrate interest in team members. One of the many tests that we often administer in leadership training is to quiz the depth of knowledge about team members. Most leaders can recite the family composition of team members. Some leaders can talk about the interests, passion points and motivations of team members and a few can provide insight into location of origin, pets or other details.


A leader’s ability to show interest is a powerful tool. When you are able to follow-up on a sick spouse, inquire about the results of a soccer tournament or check on vacation plans, team members feel connected, respected and valued. Those are the team members that will work harder, faster and stay with you longer.


Another weapon in successful tone setting is the ability to laugh and lighten the mood. We always do serious work but often take ourselves too seriously. When the leader laughs, especially when times are challenging and tough, the team will respond in a very positive manner. Tense people do not work well and are not very productive and that message of tense is set by the leader.

Leading in 2010-From ASTD

To effectively motivate and lead people as the market recovers over the new year, leaders should focus their efforts on four critical qualities. First is transparency.

Employees are extremely skittish due to growing unemployment, so it is important that leaders be open with employees. A good strategy is to hold town hall-style meetings where employees are encouraged to ask any question, and leaders answer honestly and openly.

Second, it is important to make employees feel appreciated. Let your best employees know just how much they are valued, which will keep them motivated during difficult times. Third, show respect for your employees, their jobs, and their skills.

The days of one-size-fits all jobs and inflexible hours are over. Modern workers want to be treated as individuals, and will stay longer in a job that is designed for his or her unique needs and skills. Fourth, be as honest as possible. As the economy recovers, employees need to know that rewards will return. Having an honest conversation during difficult times will make leaders more credible as conditions improve, provided organizations promise to deliver on their promises of rewards for loyalty and hard work during difficult times.

Read the entire article at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/08/AR2010010803780.html

From Business Week: The No-Cost Way to Motivate

Again, some familiar sounding stuff to the people who have attending our Tone Setting, Coaching and EQ 2 programs.

A manager's genuine interest in employees' lives pays off at every level, in every job
By Patrick Lencioni

"Now listen to me, all of you. You are all condemned men. We keep you alive to serve this ship. So row well, and live." Those were the words of Quintus Arrius in the movie Ben-Hur. And while he was speaking to Roman slaves, one can almost imagine a modern version coming from a manager today. "O.K., people, you all know that unemployment is at a 50-year high. You're lucky to have jobs. So work hard, and no more complaining."

Lost amid the justifiable concern about the 9.7% of U.S. workers who are unemployed is the well-being of the other 90.3%, many of whom are miserable. They feel they're out of options and that management has little incentive to make their work lives more meaningful.

Read the rest of the article at: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_40/b4149084766472.htm