Yahoo! edicts and coping with big workplace change

Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer set the business world abuzz this week with her edict that Yahoo! employees will no longer be able to work from home. Many viewpoints from both sides of this decision have surfaced, with some considering her a hero while others reviling her for an apparent attack on work-life balance and other morale-killing signals it sends.

No matter how the issue is examined, Yahoo! employees affected by the decision are facing big change. Their lives will be disrupted and the way they work will be drastically different. Some might be considering whether or not they want to continue with the company. Before they make any drastic decisions there are some career coaching questions I would ask these employees to help them better come to terms with the change in front of them:

1. What does this change mean to you? I would have Yahoo! employees imagine themselves as a fly-on-the-wall in a room, observing how they cope with this decision. What behaviors are they noticing? What feelings are they experiencing? These observations will help them to understand what the change means for them and help them articulate their perspectives on the change.

2. What is hard to let go of? Yahoo! employees need to be direct about what they are ultimately struggling to let go of. Concerns about the commute, the alternate child-care arrangements, and the lack of work-life balance are really masks covering up underlying feelings of distrust, unfairness, and a lack of respect. This question elicits the surface "hurts," which lead to the feeling beneath. Articulating these feelings will enable them to spend some time with them, processing and contemplating.

3. How is your perspective serving you? All of our feelings serve us in some way, even feelings of anger, frustration, disappointment, and unfairness. Yahoo! employees need to get clear about how these  feelings are helping them, which may seem like a strange question at first but makes sense in the context of moving forward. When we understand our perspective and how it serves us we can decide whether to indulge this perspective or another one.

4. What's possible now? The decision to eliminate the work-from-home privilege has been made and there is no changing it. This question gives Yahoo! employees a chance to consider the future...a future they can create. Maybe what's possible is looking for a new job, or relishing the opportunity to create stronger collaborative relationships with co-workers. Some might view this opportunity to make their mark on the company or decide that a Silicon Valley job isn't for them. Possibilities abound through whatever the employee wants to create, so long as he/she is feeling empowered by the decision.

How would you approach a change like this in your workplace? Leave your comments below.

Reinforcing safe communication: last in a series

The ability to create and maintain a safe space where communication can occur uninhibited is a terrific workplace skill. After coming to terms with what you are up against and obtaining buy-in from your team to design a safe psychological space, the last step is to reinforce the behaviors that lead to unparalleled group communication. Regardless of your position within the organization, as a leader you have the ability to reinforce this new group dynamic, one that will enable quick cohesion and allow productivity to soar.

Step three: reinforcing safe communication
There are two distinct things you can do to reinforce the behavior that you want to see: mine for conflict and reaffirm others' behavior.

Mining for conflict
When you mine for conflict, you turn your listening up to a different level. You are not only hearing the words that are said but also the intent behind the words. Further, when mining for conflict you become acutely aware of the "energy" behind the words and the energy of the group. When someone answers with a response of "possibly," the person's tone of voice when giving the response speaks volumes to what they are really thinking. When mining for conflict, it is your duty to bring those issues to the surface and have a discussion with them in an attempt to get stronger buy-in from your group.

A great question to ask to mine for conflict is "why won't this work?" It forces the team to bring up what they are already thinking about: possible aspects of failure or what they are saying "yes" to or "no" to when making the decisions that have to be made.

Mining for conflict isn't a hindrance in that it brings up conflict; the conflict is already there. It just brings it to the surface sooner so that it can be worked through.

Affirming conflict
When conflict comes up, sometimes the discussion can get heated. Ideas clash and personalities can become forceful. So long as no one's character is being attacked and only the ideas and concepts are being debated, this is exactly what the group needs to happen. Thus, you are encouraged to - while in the middle of a debate with a group - to say "this is good. This debate is exactly what we need to have." This sends the message to group members that what they are debating are important things and that the conflict isn't something to shy away from: it will make the output stronger, and it will make the group stronger knowing that they can have these unfettered discussions with respect and in the interest of their goals.


Communication is an essential component of the workplace, but we do not often talk about what we mean when we say "communication." It's those unarticulated expectations and standards that can quickly derail communication. By intentionally designing a space of psychological safety and diligently reinforcing it, positive group dynamics are created and output soars while group members feel closer and stronger.

Assignment: in your next meeting, turn up your listening to hear what is being said behind the words: worries, intent, and other avenues for conflict. Further, ask the hard question "why won't this work?" to evoke an even deeper conversation between team members.

Designing a safe space for communication: second in a series

In my last post I discussed the importance of creating a safe space for communication as an important leadership practice, whether you are a front-line worker, a manager, or a senior executive. A critical component of developing strong relationships with others and a team-oriented work environment, psychological safety builds trust among and engages team members productively. Not every work culture embraces psychological safety, however, which is why it is important for leaders at all levels to know what they are up against (i.e. power dynamics) before setting upon this course. 

Once that dynamic is acknowledged, the leader needs to proceed to the next step: 

Step two: Designing a psychologically safe space

Designing a psychologically safe space does not happen naturally: it takes faith, time, and clear communication on behalf of the leader. The latter of the three is critical as expectations and group ground-rules should be considered, discussed and agreed upon.

A discussion like this can seem like a strange one, as many just assume and follow the common practices of organization culture (which are oftentimes harmful to psychological space). You, as a leader, should initiate the discussion to create this space.

To begin, ask the group for permission to address the topic, and articulate the notion that groups can oftentimes be waylaid by communication issues, and you wish to address them now before they can become problematic. Most will agree with you outright, and those that do not will be intrigued to listen further. 

Once you have the group listening, say that you would like to create a group space of safety, one where  anyone can communicate ideas that are considered positively or negatively by the group. No person is to be ridiculed, but no idea is to be free from discussion.

Another point of discussion should be the roles that group members play. Regardless of the organizational "rank" of the individuals in the group, the group's goals outweigh them. Thus, everyone in the group should have he ability to speak-up freely without fear of reprisal. 

After articulating your vision, practice what you preach by opening it up for discussion. What are you gaining by agreeing to this new way of working? What are you losing? To what level of responsibility is the group now aspiring?

When the discussion ends and the group appears to have come to a consensus on its norms and expectation in this new way of thinking, address one more aspect: the invitation. What you are asking them to do is to embark on something extraordinary...and different. Can they step into it? By accepting the invitation, they are making a commitment to do so and to take responsibility for what comes up.

Assignment: create a conversation patterned after the one above, one that designs a space of psychological safety. Discuss what happened in the comments section below. 

Communication and getting to the truth - one in a series

If you have ever been in a leadership role in your career - whether as a supervisor, unit head, project manager, or some other role where you are leading an initiative - inevitably a thought is going to cross your mind: am I being told the truth?

It's an excellent question...and one that can make or break a leader.

Creating an environment of psychological safety - where your team members can speak up freely about their thoughts and opinions on a topic and not fear condemnation or reprisal - is at the heart of outstanding group communication and being told the truth. Managers - from CEOs to front-line managers - struggle with this component of their jobs more than any other. It's one thing to make claims about wanting others' opinions to be heard, but it's an entirely different thing to create an environment where it is true.

Building a safe psychological space requires an acknowledgment of current organizational dynamics, a shift in perspective, intense intentionality, and constant reinforcement. In this series, I will delve into these different components individually and provide you with assessment questions or assignments to help you strengthen psychological safety for your work unit.

These steps can be helpful to managers, or to front-line staff who have the courage to talk with their supervisors about this important component of teamwork.

Step one: Acknowledge the power dynamic
Since most organizations are hierarchical (with a top-down reporting structure) and possess a culture (the rules - both written and unwritten - that dictate how communication is handled, tasks are accomplished, and where power lies) that reinforces the power of the supervisor, I believe the first and most critical thing you can do is to understand and acknowledge this, particularly if you hold performance review and/or firing power over your team.

Through understanding and acknowledgment, you become aware of what you are up against. Fighting hierarchy and culture is a difficult proposition. You could get some push-back from peers or from your supervisor. Further (and possibly even more daunting) you will be fighting with your more skeptical and jaded team members. They are not bad people: they likely have been hurt before by those before you who told them that the space they worked in was psychologically safe...only to be shown that it is not.

Creating a space of psychological safety can seem like an uphill battle and - at times - not worth it. But witness the output and dynamic of any high-performing group and you will see a space of extreme psychological safety.

Assignment: reflect on these questions before committing to creating a space of psychological safety:

• What is in it for me?
• What is in it for the team?
• What am I willing to let go of?
• What will I need to persevere against?
• How far am I willing to go?
• What are the benefits of doing this?

Create a Personal Change Management Plan to Reduce Stress

There is an old saying that the only two sure things in life are death and taxes. However, I think we can safely add change to that same list. Even if your spouse, your job, and your house stay the same, the world changes all around you.

Earlier in the week, I talked about setting goals and creating a plan to successfully accomplish your New Year's resolutions. Most of the time, these involve making changes in our lives. When we plan for change it is often easier to deal with and make adaptations. However, when change is unexpected we can experience stress that causes symptoms that manifest in our behavior, emotions, and physical well-being. Change and the uncertainty that comes along with it can produce stress.

Since we can not always anticipate change, I suggest having a change management strategy in place at all times. By making whatever preparations you can make in advance, you can learn to better "roll with the punches" that life throws your way. Here are some ideas to help you formulate a change management plan.

• Define your support system that consists of people you know and trust. Break down your support system into categories - such as family, friends, church, and professional organizations -  and then write down the names of all the people in each category. You will be amazed at how quickly your list of support resources grows.
• Communicate openly. Talking with someone you trust - someone from your support system - will help you function better under the pressure of change. Select someone you find inspirational and positive so that you don't need to shoulder this burden alone and keep it all bottled up inside.
• Clearly define your priorities and your goals. As I talked about in my post earlier this week, keeping your goals on paper helps you clearly establish your priorities and keeps you focused when you have a setback or experience unexpected change.
• Keep yourself healthy, no matter what is happening in your life. Exercise, healthy eating habits, and sufficient sleep are important ways to manage stress and deal effectively with change.
• Identify the problem that is causing you stress. Is it the loss of the job, the loss of the income, or the stress of going through an interview that has you most worried about your layoff? Once you know the source of your stress, you can evaluate your options and move toward finding a solution. Until then you are just spinning your wheels.