Acronyms for Performance Conversations.

At a conference, I was asked to explain how supervisors can use different acronyms to remember critical performance elements during disciplinary conferences. First, I would recommend you write down the critical issues to be discussed. Most problems are not as easily resolved as they may seem. You have to drill down into the issue to find the root causes. Then you can start to make changes.  Develop your plan. Remember, during performance and disciplinary conferences you are holding people accountable for their actions; its not personal.  Stay professional, and remember during the conversation the other person will be looking to shine the best light on their actions, or in actions. Stay on course and set performance standards for the future.  Here are a few acronyms for you to use if you need them:

ACORN:
Accept conflict as inevitable

Conflict has negative and positive impacts

Opportunity to grow and develop

Responsibility and accountability crucial

Neutral actions by staying professional.

COPS:

Connect to the true cause of the problem.

Offer people an opportunity for explanation

Provide resolution and responsibility

Set standards and hold people accountable.

KRIPTON:

Know what happened

Responsibility for the problem

Information gathering is important

Prepare for the meeting

Target individual accountability and resolution

Ongoing evaluation

Now move on

WIG-SAPS

What is the true extent of the problem?

Identify all parties responsible

Gather information

Striate talk – we have a problem

Accountability for actions

Prepare to handle the responses professionally

Set standards for the future behavior

The biology of how we read impacts the way we see leaders

How is effective leadership reflective in the way we read? The question is actually very interesting, and one of those ah ha moments, where you see deeper into biology and psychology of everyday life. In the book by Susan M. Weinschenk “100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People”, she explores how we actually read through the use of saccade and fixation patterns. We don’t read smoothly and actually work through patterns. While we are reading, our eyes are using their peripheral ability to scan the letters coming up. So, we are interpreting patterns as information that we use to create images for what we are reading. We are so well tuned to figure out patterns, when reading words that are misspelled, we can instantly figure out what the misspelled word should have been: example wihch bird hsa hte sharp lcaws?  

So, what does my lack of proof reading have to do with leadership? Answer, everything! Everyone has said sometime in their lives, “I wish my boss would be consistent”.  Realistically, you want a great leader over a good leader. You want a good leader over a bad leader, right?  But, I bet you want a bad leader who is consistent over one that fluctuates from good to bad at the drop of a hat. It all comes back to consistency in action. If you have a great boss, you can prepare each day to have a relatively good day. If you have a bad boss, you come in, sit down, strap in, prepare for work, and sharpen your resume. It’s the boss that fluctuates that drives everyone crazy.  Your peripheral vision cannot read the pattern and prepare you for the future. It’s like a roller coaster ride through a dark tunnel. You never know what is about to happen and you don’t know if you are coming or going.

It is easier to improve a bad leader than an inconsistent one. Why, because the inconsistent one sometimes makes good decisions. They have to learn to look deeper into issues and how they would naturally react. Then, they have to learn which action they would normally do is correct. They have to relearn and apply new decision making patterns to become more consistent. Sometimes they become bad leaders, but that can be easily fixed. Hopefully, they become great leaders, and that should be reinforced. But it still comes back to how biology has helped us survive through the use of patterns.           

Riding the Wave of Engagement to Make an Impact

When we arrive at work each day, we unconsciously decide if we are going to be rolled, or ride, the tide of engagement. The other day, my officers left a nice picture on the board with rainbows and “Welcome to Phibbsville’. The officers and I understand that sometimes we are over whelmed by calls and crime, and occasionally feel we have too few officers. However, I try to keep them motivated and upbeat at every turn. I tell them, “Everyone Makes an Impact”.  Together, as a team we will make a stand and overcome!

It is all in the attitude you bring to new assignments, and your daily activities. I feel one must always try to create a vision for a team that resonates down to the individual level. Motivation should come from the top down and bottom up. Individual officers do extraordinary things that make everyone scream, “YES!”  If I‘m wrong in my philosophy and vision, the officers may take it as a joke and quite working hard, I lose, the city loses.

Last week, I gave the officers areas to patrol. Hard works can now focus their efforts and lazy officers can’t hide in the peripheries avoiding calls and responsibility.  They don't have to stay in the area the entire shift, but they are required to handle the problems in their areas.  “No Excuses Allowed”. The officers have embraced the idea. They like having the ability and responsibility to have an impact and focus on an area. Within the sector we have a “maintenance zone”, and area that is the key to the success or failure of the entire sector. Every officer in the sector is required to assist in the “maintenance zone”. As a team we help each other out in the individual areas; and, as a team we “all” maintain the zone.  With all changes, questions came up. I'm glad they could be resolved early.  I like to use examples from the book "It’s Your Ship". If you have ideas run with them. If you have problems in your area come up with an answer. I tell the officers to come up with something that has never been tried before. I will support you. If the officers plan fails, we’ll do an after action evaluation and see what went wrong. It’s about providing trust to let people stretch out and makes the difference. However, with trust comes responsibility and accountability for actions.

To get every shift and everyone on board, I have spent more time with the night shift than I can ever remember. This begins to build trust and I am hearing, "Lt we have your back."  That is enough for me. Those guys do have a tough job. They put the city to bed and wait for it to wake up in the morning. The patrol the areas in the mean time ensuring the citizens are safe. The officers then go to court and go home and sleep during the day. Some people love the night shift, others hate it, but together they get through.

The key to creating synergy in a 24/7 operation is to show each shift how their collective actions impact the all three shifts and sector effectiveness. By creating a unified vision and having targeted initiatives that all three shifts work shared responsibility. Together, we all share in the rewards and failures of our collective actions. There is now more efficient cross communication between shifts.  Officers are more willing to come in early, or stay late, to accomplish the mission and vision of the sector. They can do plain clothes assignments, or ride bikes, depending on what we are targeting.  The key is to get the individual excited to come to work. The individual impacts the team. The team impacts the shift. The shift impacts the sectors. Together, we make an impact to improve the communities.  Eventually, we all move on. I'm setting the stage for the next guy to ride the tide of engagement and knock it out of the box.

The First Week and Creation of Continuity

I have been in charge of my sector for a week. During the first week I found every shift, each shift has two platoons, had a different set of priorities and no common language to describe the areas of the sector they were sending their officers.Once The six platoons use different roads as boundaries for inner sector assignments.  There was no clear vision for all of the shifts to focus. This problem led to each shift, and platoon, looking out for its own interests.

So, I took the  map out and broke the sector into 4 areas. The boundaries I set were created by looking at both physical and psychological boundaries. I call  each onean  areas,  and have officers assigned to the problems in a specific area.  The areas are numbered by priority of assignment and and need for coverage. If I dont have enough officers on a specific day to cover all of the areas,  then I cut area 4, because it is a low priority area. Each officer will have a specific area to resolve community problems. I have not told the officers they have to spend their entire shifts in the area, but must  work on resolving community problems. This way, the officers can not say," I didn't fix the problem because I was running calls and couldn't do anything". Now, they spend their discretionary time in their area, or somewhere in the sector. They decide where they spend their time, but I hold them accountable for the results in their areas, and not except excuses.

I met with each platoon, and each shift, to tell the individula officer  my vision for the sector.  I want all platoons working together to accomplish tasks. I call it continuity of operations. Each shift helps the one who is going off and the next one coming on to accomplish sector goals. It is like everyone eats a meal during their shifts. During the shifts they are fixing the table, eating, or cleaning up. For example: the day shift must walk a specific area to deter drug deals and provide high visibility to the afternoon commuters. The evening shift would came in and do their own thing. Now, the evening shift comes in and sends someone  to the area  day shift was walking  and add 2 more high visibility hours.  So, the push goes on longer and the drug dealers who waited for day shift to leave before coming out have to wait till their buyers have left the area on their evening commutes to the suburbs. The evening shift sets up later in their shifts for the bars to open, and a whole new set of challenges begin. When the midnight shift comes in they now assist the evening shift with the bars. When the evening shift goes home  a continued presents is still made in the area. Before the midnight shift goes home, they ensure the downtown area is safe and they check the decks for people who come in and set up in hiding places to break into cars. When day shift comes out of roll call, they immediately head into the area cars get broke into and insure the offenders are not in the area. Later in the day, as the dealers come out  they shift their focus to that area. By blending all of the shifts efforts I can focus their energies. 

We all share individual areas of responsibility, then as groups, we all have an area, "maintenance area" where each officers is expected to spend at least 30 minutes. A 24//7 presents deters criminals and allows the area officer an opportunity to make community connections and resolve the problems. Then we have a focus area, an area in the sector crime is occurring. I shift officers around, and bring in specialized units. to resolve those issues.

By going to the midnight roll calls I can meet with the people who put the city to bed and protect it while it sleeps. They have an important job and no one of rank ever comes and tells them how appreciated the officers are. Well, that changed with me! Each shift, and platoon, knows how much I appreciate them. Each individual officers can, and has, made an impact on protecting the citizens of my sector.