Closing the Loop

Volume 7: The Final Step of Redirection

Good morning! Wow, I guess being retired it is easy to lose track of what day it it! Sorry for the delayed post, but I will keep it succinct.

There’s an old phrase that speaks to our need for attention as human beings. It’s a variation of a sentiment often attributed to Oscar Wilde:

“We’d rather be praised than persecuted, but rather be persecuted than ignored.”

Meaning any attention is better than no attention, but if it’s always negative or for “doing something wrong”, as bosses, friends, parents, etc., we are reinforcing negative behavior.

Think about the following scenario. You are having a party and parents can bring their small children so they don’t need a sitter. The play room is set up for the kids to hang out. After an hour you and another parent go to check on the kids, they are all playing well together and behaving perfectly. First instinct? “Shh, let’s be quiet, don’t bother them, they are being good.” So you go back to the party and an hour later you hear a ruckus coming from the playroom. You guessed it, we storm in to quell the uprising and voila! Attention is now given. Maybe this started cause the kids were bored, or maybe, just maybe, one of the kids knew that to get mommy or daddy’s attention, they needed to act out.

So how does this translate to work? I am a big believer that human nature doesn’t change, our needs may be satisfied in different ways, but the need itself is constant.

I’ll use a simple example that I witnessed during my days in food service. A co-worker, who was fairly new, was slicing some Provolone cheese on a slicer. Two days in a row she was done slicing pretty quickly and on the second day she asked the manager what was her next task. The manager assigned her some additional tasks and went about his day. Later that day he noticed that the cheese was about 1/4 inch thick, way too thick for cost purposes. (and for melting in a customer friendly time!!) He managed the situation well, telling her no one must have shown her the correct setting for the slicer. (First step, well done!) He then proceeded to print off the slicing guide for all items needed to be sliced. Imagine that, somehow it “disappeared”. (Step 2, well done Mr. Manager!) He even demonstrated slicing the Provolone as a teaching moment for this associate. (Step 3, he’s on a roll!!)

The next day the associate was back to slicing, referencing the slicing guide and chuckled that it takes longer to slice the cheese when done properly! Our manager walked by looked at what we were doing, didn’t say a word. Step 4? #epicfail That’s where closing the loop was neglected. He missed the opportunity to say, “Hi _______, you are doing that perfectly, I really appreciate you taking the feedback so well and making the needed corrections!”

A few more days went by with no acknowledgement by the manager. The associate said to me, “I guess the only time you get noticed around here is for doing something wrong, eh?” I didn’t know how to answer, but I did think about, “Shh, let’s be quiet, they are being good….”

Always remember to redirect privately and praise publicly to create a positive and engaging environment. We all want attention, make sure it’s the good kind.

Thanks for reading, have a wonderful Thanksgiving. As Cheryl Crow sang in Soak Up the Sun:

It’s not having what you want
It’s wanting what you’ve got

Be kind to everyone you meet. Until next time……………No Lip Service