The Long, Hot Summer: Chilling Out With the ALT Skills

Summer vacations are a time to de-stress and re-energize, to enjoy relaxing time with friends and families in order to return to work refreshed and renewed and able to be productive and creative. Yet many people are feeling more stressed than usual this summer because of the challenges in our economy. The unprecedented high price of oil has raised the cost of many of the things we used to take for granted, and has increased the level of anxiety about the future. The stock market is a roller coaster, taking our emotions up and down with the Dow Jones.

Given the state of the economy and the market, your customers may be more anxious than usual, and therefore calls may be more challenging for your employees. In stressful times customers need more empathy, more support, more help finding solutions.

Like most challenges, this is an opportunity for you as a leader to stretch and rise above the difficulties. First, recognize that your employees may also be feeling some of this stress and anxiety. In order for them to reassure customers and solve their problems, employees also need empathy, encouragement, positive reinforcement, and solutions. The ALT skills(tm) <sup>can provide you with the tools to lead in stressful times.

Empathy</sup>

• ^{During your one-on-one conversations with employees, take a couple of minutes to sit back and ASK relaxed, informal open-ended questions about how the employee is doing.} 
  

• ^{Make sure that your body language conveys the message that you're interested, patient, and caring. Relax, keep an open posture, and maintain genuinely interested eye contact.}
  

• ^{Observe the employee's body language for signs of stress or anxiety.} 
  

• ^{LISTEN with genuine curiosity, and remember to paraphrase and probe.}
  

• ^{Express empathy appropriately to convey that you care about the person.}

^{You seem pretty stressed over this.
I can see that you're feeling some anxiety.
I understand that this is a difficult time for you.}

^{Encouragement}

• ^{New employees are already dealing with the stress of learning new information and processes, as well as anxiety about the state of the economy. They need reassurance, support, and guidance. This is a time to use your TELL skills to help them gain confidence and optimism.}
  

• ^{Tenured employees, even though they may have weathered economic downturns in the past, still need leaders who acknowledge the challenges but keep them focused on the positives.}
  

• ^{During difficult times, you can lead effectively by helping employees remember the important service they provide to your customers. Help them remember that they can go home every day knowing they provided valuable services to customers.} 

^{Positive Reinforcement
Now, more than ever, seek out opportunities to "catch someone doing something right."}

• <sup>The key is to be very specific not just to say "good job." 
  
  You very patiently worked with that upset customer to reassure her that her concern was being addressed and resolved. You were empathic and never got frustrated yourself.
  
  You took ownership and followed up on that issue promptly so that the root cause was identified and resolved.
  
  I was impressed with how you drew on your knowledge of our business to help the customer understand his options.
  
  You really demonstrated team spirit when you pitched in, without being asked, to help John on that issue.</sup>

• <sup>Be sure to refer specifically to (1) the positive behavior, and (2) its impact on the customer, on the business, or on the team.
  
  As a result of the way you handled that call, the customer felt that somebody at our company really cared about her as a person. You represented our "brand" very well.
  
  Getting at the root cause of that issue enabled us to prevent that error from happening in the future. That makes our process much more efficient, saves our company money, and improves our quality.
  
  Helping John out also helped the team deliver outstanding service to our customers and helps us stay focused on why we're here and what we have to do to be successful.</sup>
  

• ^{Give positive reinforcement with a smile on your face and in your voice. Your voice and your facial expressions must convey the full force of your genuine appreciation.
  Be sure to say "thank you."}
  
  
  

^{Solutions
Just as stressed customers want solutions, so also do stressed employees. Stress often prevents us from thinking clearly about the issues we face. Employees may feel frustrated, blocked, and helpless.}

• ^{The ALT skills are precision tools to help employees} 

<sup>- Gain perspective
- Explore options
- Make decisions</sup>

• ^{When you ASK open-ended questions and LISTEN with empathy, employees can often discover their own solutions. By owning the solution employees will feel empowered and less stressed.}

^{What are the issues that are important to you in this situation?
What options have you considered?
What other options can you think of?
What would you think of trying (x)?
How would you go about that?
What steps can you take right away to begin to put this into motion?
How can I support you in this?}

<sup>What about your stress?

Managers certainly aren't immune to stress. And we know from the fight-flight syndrome studies that stress especially prolonged stress -- narrows our perspective, saps our energy, shatters our patience, and greatly constrains our creativity and resourcefulness. 

Daniel Goleman, the researcher who has written many books on Emotional Intelligence, claims there is an undeniable link between a leader's emotional self management and his or her ability to achieve financial success. In his book Primal Leadership, Goleman says:</sup> 

^{The leader's mood and behaviors drive the moods and behaviors of everyone else...The leader's mood is quite literally contagious, spreading quickly and inexorably throughout the business. The leader's mood and behaviors drive the moods and behaviors of everyone else...The leader's mood is quite literally contagious, spreading quickly and inexorably throughout the business.}

<sup>Goleman's conclusion is that a leader's first responsibility is to be aware of and manage the impact of his or her mood on others, before moving on to other critical responsibilities.

Easier said than done, but essential nonetheless. One of my first bosses told me years ago that "being a professional" means doing the unnatural thing. What that means is that professionals (effective leaders) can't just do what comes naturally-- they have to discipline themselves to do the right thing. They have to project a positive mood even when they "naturally" feel stressed and anxious. 

So here's the opportunity for you to show the stuff you're made of. First, manage your own stress so that you can spread a positive mood through your team. Then, engage your employees in conversation and help them navigate these challenging times by using your ALT skills(tm) to provide empathy, encouragement, positive reinforcement, and solutions.</sup>