Ask Lisa Questions Answered

Hello! I am back. While I was away, I got three “Ask Lisa” questions. Here they are with my responses. If you would like to ask me a question, you can click on the Ask Lisa link (right side of the blog) or click here.

Occupation: Operations Manager

Question: I am operations manager for a construction company as well as the only women in this work environment.  I am experiencing difficulty getting an employee (who is also a manager) to respond effectively to tasks I have assigned.   Time is an issue.  How can I get effective positive results???

Answer: You are obviously not influencing this individual and he is not hearing your request and/or not agreeing to comply. Influence is a funny thing. You have filters that cause your message to be delivered a particular way and he has filters that cause him to hear your messages a particular way. As the message goes from you to him, it can be distorted and changed. As hard as this may be, you need to figure out how to get the message to him as you intend it to be heard. I cannot tell you what you do or say here because I do not know what type of message will be most influential to this individual. The bottom line is, however, that if your messages are not working, you need to change them. I wonder if you are being resolute, clear, and strong enough? Is your manager in support of your efforts? How well are your position and responsibilities understood? You might also want to determine if you are triggering his uncoachability. Here is a post I did about coachability.

Sometimes the best approach is to be open and candid with the other person. Let him know you have a job to do and are interested in the ways you can best communicate to get the job done. Feel free to write back if you have more information you want to share about the matter. Good luck!

Occupation: Mail Clerk Support Services

Question: I’m having a heck of a time getting a job cause of this multitasking thing. Every time I’m in an interview they ask me if I can do something I’m not qualified and I don‘t get the job. Will companies ever wise up about how bogus multi-tasking is? Thanks.

Answer: The answer to your question is that it will take some time and most companies do not understand the downfalls of multi-tasking. In an interview situation, you may need to communicate that you CAN multi-task. Most people can multi-task, even if this is not the best way to get the work done.

That said, I did not get the impression that the problem is actually multi-tasking from this sentence: “Every time I’m in an interview they ask me if I can do something I’m not qualified and I don‘t get the job.” This statement makes me wonder if your barrier to getting a job is more about skills and qualifications. Multi-tasking is not something one is either qualified or not qualified to do. Anyone can learn to multi-task. If the problem is qualifications, then perhaps you need to broaden your skills.

Here are a few other thoughts:

1. If you are not getting job offers, you might need to work on your interviewing skills. Do you know how you are coming across during interviews? There are lots of resources on the web that have good tips and suggestions. You might start with Monster.com.

2. You might be looking for a position that is not a good fit for your interests and qualifications.

Good luck on your job search. Leave us a comment if there is more information that you want me to consider.

Occupation: IS Coordinator

Question: We have to write down one nice thing about each of our managers. I don't know our female HR manager very well, I do not like her either. I'm female as well. In the line of what can I say without it sounding bitchy.

Answer: Like or dislike is not the issue or question here. You have been asked to comment on a strength of this manager. Everyone, even the most awful boss, has some strengths and good qualities. I can think of a terrible manager (I called him Harry in my book) that I once worked with. Even though he was a bad leader and did not deserve his job, I could come up with a dozen nice things to say about him (that are true and do not compromise my ethics).

I think you are letting your emotions get the better of you here. Take the high road and acknowledge one of this manager’s strengths.

Thanks for your questions!

Comments

[Lee White]

Regarding Q&A#1: You mentioned the filters that exist between people that act as barriers to communication. I think it is important to remember that many of those barriers are inside our own heads in the form of mental models or prejudices. These different ways of percieving lead to different understanding of the "language" used. I just posted a similar thought, see trackbacks.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Lee: The filters I am referring to are most definitely in our heads. The filter is comprosied with our opinions, biases, coachability, feelings toward the person/situation, our idiosnycrasies, and our natural defenses. Thanks for clarifying and adding to that.