My next meeting was to hear the other side of the story.

"I hear you are re-thinking your productivity bonus for the production crew?" I asked.

"You bet we are," Ralph stated flatly. "I know you just met with them. You have no idea what kind of havoc they created. It's bad enough we had to scrap an entire day's production run. Then they pulled all the inventory and re-ran everything, so I have a full crew here today with nothing to do. We are trying to get some more raw materials in, but we are having to pay a 30 percent rush charge. And to top it off, they knew they weren't supposed to work overtime, so they punched out. Now I have someone complaining to the Department of Labor that we forced them to work off the clock. What a mess."

"See what you started?"

"What are you talking about?" Ralph stepped back.

"That bonus you created," I replied.

"Nothing wrong with a bonus, I just can't believe what the crew did, just to get it," he defended.

"So, you set up an environment of distrust and now you can't believe how your game backfired."

"What do you mean distrust?"

"You decided to withhold $100 of their pay, because you didn't trust your team to do their best."

Ralph looked puzzled. "No, the $100 was a bonus."

"No, you were holding $100 of their pay, because you didn't trust your team to do their best," I repeated. "You set up the game, they were just playing it and you didn't like the outcome. By the way, they earned their bonus according to your rules, so you are obligated to pay it."

Ralph just stared.

From the Ask Tom mailbag:

Question:
I am trying to balance between when to fire someone and when to keep them on, because they know so much and it would take awhile to train someone new. It seems easier to keep them than to pray the new person will pick up what they need to know to do the position. Or if I know I am going to fire that person, how do I get them to impart the knowledge they have, into system write ups, without them thinking I am going to fire them? I hope this makes sense.

Response:
It makes perfect sense. The perfect sense is that you have a low trust environment and there are a lot of games going on.

First. When did you allow your methods and processes to be developed and not documented? Standard operating procedures are created for the reason you describe. Don't wait until you have a problem. Start now. Involve your team in the process. You might see changes in behavior when you focus them on "best practices."

Second. When did you decide that new team members should just "pick up" what they need to know? What happened to your orientation and training program?

This is not a question of balance. This is a question of appropriate managerial leadership practices. The good news is that you can start today, to make the necessary changes.

Next Monday is the Labor Day holiday in the US. See you all next Tuesday. -TF

"I understand that it would be helpful to know about Julio's value system," Nelson pushed back. "But what am I supposed to ask him. Are you honest?"

"My guess is that he would say, yes. Yes and no questions seldom give us much information that's really useful. And remember, this would be most helpful if it's about the work he is doing."

Nelson was still puzzled. "I am supposed to ask him how he values the work?"

"He won't understand the question if you ask it that way. Try these questions.

• Before we ship this product to the customer, what is the most important thing we have to remember?
• When the customer receives this product, what is the most important thing they look for?
• When we show up at the customer's location, what do you think the customer expects from us?
• Before we leave a customer location, what is the most important thing we have to remember?
• When you look around at your team mates, thinking about their work, what do you find most helpful to you?
• What do you look for in a new person joining the team?

"All these questions will give you insight into Julio's value system related to the work." -TF

"What's at stake here?" I asked. "You seem disturbed by this growing divide in your company, this sense of distrust. Though you may blame it on the economy, the seeds were sown long ago. You didn't see them, but the trust between managers and team members has always been troublesome. That's why there are so many consultants and books on management."

Lindsey grinned. "So, what can I say? What can I do, as a Manager, to create a higher level of trust?"

"I want to drive this discussion deeper," I started. "Because I am not sure if there is anything you can say that speaks louder than the managerial systems in your company."

"What do you mean, managerial systems? I mean, I know what a system is. But, do you mean we have systems that create distrust?"

"It's possible," I nodded. "Many companies, with the best of intentions, create people systems that work against, precisely, what they are trying to achieve."

"With this economy, I feel there is a growing lack of trust inside our company. There seems to be a growing divide between management and everyone else," Lindsey described.

"What do you see, that makes you say that?" I asked.

"Sometimes I think it is just grumbling in the hallway, conversations in the breakroom. I think people are withdrawing, looking out for themselves."

"People are always governed by their own self-interest. What is different now?"

"It's just an uneasy feeling I have," Lindsey replied. "I mean, I know we have had to make some adjustments, some layoffs, some of us, including me, have even taken pay cuts. It's been a tough time."

"What can we do, intentionally, consistently, to create an environment where trust can have a chance?" -TF