Winning Moves in the Workplace

Bill Merck is ex-military and former higher education professional

An ex-military platoon leader and higher education professional — nearly four decades worth — talks today about some military mindsets that are beneficial in the civilian world, how to influence and improve morale in the workplace, what allows this to happen and finally, understanding relationship dynamics and how to interact successfully with company executives.

Bill Merck is the author of, “So, You Want to Be a Leader: Secrets of a Lifetime of Success,” and this Communication Intelligence feature hits on the above-mentioned points that he writes about in his book.

Merck begins by talking about what a leader can do for his people that they may find uncomfortable or upsetting now yet will benefit them and the organization later.

“….mindset in the military is the concept that when stressed, people can rise to the occasion and do more than they ever thought they could,” he says, which is important because, “Every organization will, at some time, face extreme stress.

“It is important in those times for leaders to inspire their followers to rise above what they believe to be their limits when facing a crisis.”

There is also Murphy’s Law always lurking and with which to contend with, which is, when something can go wrong, it will.

“Any leader needs to be conscious of this likelihood and be prepared to creatively work through problems with a plan when they arise,” Merck has learned. “I am aware of a motto attributed to the Marines: ‘Adapt, improvise, and overcome.’ This is a good mindset for leaders in the civilian workplace,” too he recommends.

Morale is crucial in organizations and that critically-important responsibility starts and ends with leadership. Influencing morale and improving it can be overlooked or challenging tasks at times.

“Good morale is essential for any organization to reach its full potential. Effective leaders who are intent on maintaining or improving morale understand the basic expectations of employees and they strive to meet them,” Merck says.

“These basics include an employee wanting to work with people who treat them with respect while they, in turn, want to work with people they respect. Employees want to do meaningful work, be informed, have their good work recognized and appreciated, work in a safe environment and be compensated fairly.”

Morale requires regular forward thinking.

“Something else a good leader will do for morale when introducing new projects to the workforce is to be prepared ahead of time with answers to the obvious questions staff will have,” Merck advises. “What is the objective and will they understand it? Why is it worthy of their effort? Will it inspire a desire to be included in the effort?”

Then there’s the question that often isn’t answered for employees or even asked, yet always thought: “And it’s critical to know what you will say when asked ‘what’s in it for me?’” Merck says.

Morale is not only implementing certain communication and actions it is knowing what to steer clear of communicating and doing.

“Other qualities of a good leader having a positive effect on morale include avoiding some common mistakes,” Merck says, listing, “Micromanaging, taking credit for the work of others and failing to recognize their staff’s significant achievements in a public way. These mistakes are morale killers,” he warns.

Yet there is an intelligent, better way.

“If members of the workforce know their leader is open to listening to problems they have, understands and respects their differences as human being and is interested in their welfare, their morale will be lifted,” Merck states.

“And this may seem counter intuitive,” he adds, “employees respect a leader who is willing to fire employees for cause. Everyone has a job to do and success is often contingent upon teamwork. If a member of the team is consistently not carrying their share of the load it puts an unfair burden on the others.”

Dissatisfied employees might not always be easily noticeable but often there are signs, Merck says.

“You’ll recognize when they are unhappy because you’ll hear them grumble and lament about the unfairness of the situation. If you recognize what is occurring and after appropriate attempts to improve the lagging member’s performance, fire that employee, the others will see you as fair and looking out for the welfare of others on the team.”

The outcome, he forecasts: “Soon enough, morale will be improved.”

This is not a skill that everyone learns, applies, observes, tests and masters. I asked Merck, how morale building and improvement can become a more predictable reality.

“It’s difficult to teach someone empathy,” Merck says, “it is something that is a part of a person’s character and values.  I know this sounds bleak, but improvements can be made. If the CEO and others at the top of the organization recognize how important it is for the leaders throughout the organization to have character traits that serve to build morale, they should look for them in the work histories of those being considered for hire.

“If the CEO mentions, in company-wide meetings, the achievements of particular units in the organization, coupled with praise for the outstanding morale of the unit, other leaders in the organization will take note and want to learn the ‘secrets’ of that success,” he suggests.

“Still, it takes a leader wanting to help their staff be proud of their work, and look at their accomplishments as part of a career, not just a job—as all part of building good morale.”

Relating to the top leader in an organization is a topic that Merck wanted to discuss in the book. What he communicates may not be palatable to everyone yet could prove to be insightful and helpful as to how many executives think and what they value.

“An obvious first tip is to know what your boss wants and then do it,” he begins. “I believe it is a fair assumption that your boss has a greater span of responsibility than you. That means your boss is juggling more problems than you are, they have greater demands on their time and they likely work more hours, nights and weekends attending work-related events than you do. These events often require your boss to make formal presentations and serve as the company’s public face, too.

“Your boss will appreciate your understanding of the precious nature of their time during work hours by not abusing the time you have in their presence,” he contends.

As an example, Merck speaks to his experiences in higher education.

“Here are some tips from my experience working with my bosses in three different universities. If I had some time-sensitive information needed by my boss between the times I had standing meetings scheduled, I would first determine if it was something I could share with their chief-of-staff so it could be communicated in that manner.

“As an alternative, if it were something brief, I sometimes gave the information to their executive assistant to pass on. If those avenues were not appropriate, I would seek an unscheduled meeting. This course of action meant going to the boss’s executive assistant for access.”

He elaborates about interacting with this particular key professional and how you can use it to your advantage, especially when you have something vitally important to communicate and want face-to-face time.

“Keep in mind that the executive assistant was seated just outside the bosses’ office and served as a gatekeeper — and all of them take that job seriously. It is smart to develop a good working relationship with the gatekeeper.

“If they see you are respectful of the boss’s time and you show up with a real need to speak with them, your chances of access are greatly improved,” Merck says.

Do this well consistently and the payoff could be significant, he suggests.

“Eventually, you will find that your success with unscheduled access will improve greatly.”

There is another little tip he believes can work well in your favor.

“When you go into the boss’s office, don’t sit, but stand, relay what you came to say and prepare to leave,” Merck says. “If the boss wants to talk more, they will let you know and you can go from there.”

By remembering your boss is human, someone can increase the likelihood of them not immediately dreading an interaction.

“When you have established the relationship I just described, occasionally drop by with a piece of good news. You don’t want to be seen as someone who only comes by when there is trouble or bad news. That is not helpful,” Merck recommends.

It’s wise to know what to present and what not to when it comes to representing your leader.

“If part of your responsibility involves making presentations to your boss’s superiors—and often this will be a board of directors—never present anything that will surprise your boss,” Merck stresses. “Always keep the boss apprised in advance of your intentions in a board meeting.”

There is more when it comes to communication. What Merck says next will seem like common sense yet as the saying goes, “common sense is not so common.”

“A further tip has to do with communication methods. It’s best to never send anything controversial, secret, or even sensitive, to your boss in an email or text message. You can’t predict who will have access to your communications or how they will use it,” he warns. “Those pieces of correspondence are out there forever. If you are writing a report for the boss or the board, keep in mind that it could be read by anyone, not only your intended audience.”

Another set of eyes, another perspective can act as insurance for your professional well-being.

“It is a good practice to have a trusted source on your staff read your drafts before they are finalized. This is not only to edit them for grammar and clarity but to alert you about anything that might be misconstrued in a negative way, or if you inadvertently are giving out sensitive information that is not for public consumption,” Merck says.