647: Holding People Accountable Without Authority, with Bonni Stachowiak
Sep 25, 2023
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Bonni Stachowiak, host of Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, shares strategies for holding people accountable without authority, dealing with workplace narcissism, and shifting focus to top performers. The importance of active listening and empathy, recognition of conflicts affecting productivity, and fostering collaboration through shared goals are discussed.
Recognize altitude differences and speak others' language to hold them accountable without authority.
Focus on supporting and motivating high performers, rather than solely addressing underperformers.
Deep dives
Holding Others Accountable Without Positional Authority
Lisa asks how to hold others accountable when she does not have positional authority. Bonnie suggests recognizing the altitude differences in what motivates people, understanding their intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, and speaking their language to influence them effectively. Making work visible through timelines or shared understanding can also help. Dave recommends focusing on good meeting practices to document action items and maintain purpose in conversations. Appeal to the nobler motive and bring stakeholders back to the big picture of shared goals to set a positive tone and encourage collaboration.
Dealing with Narcissistic Personalities in the Workplace
John seeks guidance on how to handle individuals with narcissistic personality disorder or high levels of narcissistic tendencies in the workplace. Bonnie acknowledges the challenge and discusses the continuum of narcissism, from healthy levels that can foster resilience and confidence to problematic levels that harm team dynamics. She suggests setting and maintaining healthy boundaries, managing one's own responses and reactions, and focusing on one's own energy levels. Dave advises not to fight or humiliate narcissists, but rather approach them respectfully and privately when addressing issues. He also recommends throwing them a bone or affirming their positive contributions, which can help ease tense situations.
Mediating Conflict Between Employees
Patrick asks about mediating a conflict between two employees and wonders how to determine when it's appropriate or productive to intervene. Bonnie emphasizes the importance of gauging the impact on performance, considering the affected stakeholders, and paying attention to power dynamics. She suggests using the team's purpose and values as a reference point and managing emotions, responses, and energy levels. Dave recommends a framework for mediating conflicts by asking about what has happened, the desired goal, and the options to move forward. He also advises modeling the desired behavior and mindset as a manager and setting an example of focusing on top performers.
Balancing Attention to High Performers and Underperformers
Priya expresses concern about organizations focusing more on underperformers rather than supporting and motivating high performers. Bonnie acknowledges this prevailing mindset and highlights the natural tendency to focus on what isn't working. She recommends shifting as a leader to invest time and energy in top performers and references resources like Gallup's 'First, Break All The Rules' and Ruth Gotian's 'The Success Factor' for guidance. Dave emphasizes the importance of managers prioritizing top performers and investing more time and attention in their growth and development. He advises against trying to change the entire organization's focus and suggests leading by example to demonstrate the benefits of focusing on high performers.
Bonni Stachowiak: Teaching in Higher Ed
Bonni is the host of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast, Dean of Teaching and Learning and Professor of Business and Management at Vanguard University, and my life partner. Prior to her academic career, she was a human resources consultant and executive officer for a publicly traded company. Bonni is the author of The Productive Online and Offline Professor: A Practical Guide*.
Listener Questions
Lisa asks about the best ways to hold others accountable when you don’t have positional authority.
John wonders about our perspective on dealing with narcissists in the workplace.
Patrick is curious how we might (or might not) mediate a conflict between two employees.
Priya notices the focus on underperforms in organizations and asks how this tendency might get shifted a bit.
Resources Mentioned
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People* by Stephen R. Covey
The Success Factor* by Ruth Gotian
The 6 Types of Working Genius* by Patrick Lencioni
Related Episodes
How to Handle a Boss Who’s a Jerk, with Tom Henschel (episode 164)
How to Influence Many Stakeholders, with Andy Kaufman (episode 240)
How to Benefit From Conflict, with Susan Gerke (episode 263)
How to Lead Meetings That Get Results, with Mamie Kanfer Stewart (episode 358)
How to Lead and Retain High Performers, with Ruth Gotian (episode 567)
How to Help Team Members Find the Right Work, with Patrick Lencioni (episode 610)
How to Start Better With Peers, with Michael Bungay Stanier (episode 635)
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