Author Archives: Roy Baroff

Micromanager or Performance Leader?

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As the NC State Faculty & Staff Ombuds, I sometimes get visitors to the office who express dissatisfaction that their “leader” is a micromanager. I hear – “why won’t they let me do my job!!??” or “do they think I’m stupid” or “I’ve got these great ideas, but don’t get a chance to share them” and the list goes on.  And, you’ve perhaps seen the “Are You a Micromanger? Take the Quiz to Find out?” (here’s one from Inc. and another from thebalancecareers.com) This is where I started the thinking for this post. What does a micromanager do and are there some strategies to help shift this dynamic? I started writing and then I stopped and did what I routinely do with visitors to the ombuds office – can we reframe the situation? Can we think in terms of positive, constructive behaviors, or in terms of performance? Can we make it us versus the problem?  So, here goes a reframe.

In the context of this post it becomes not how to stop being a micromanager; instead, it is about how to be a performing manager or let’s call it a “Performance Leader.” Certainly much has been and will be written on this subject yet let me share a few ideas to get you (and maybe even your manager) started!

Here are several ideas about being a good manager from Art Petty, writing about “12 Ideas to Dramatically Improve your Performance as a Manager,” that seem to strike a positive cord.

Get up and walk around! Or, as Art calls it, don’t be a “bridge lizard” – meaning don’t sit at your desk, survey the scene from a stationary spot, and take potshots at folks that pass by. Put yourself (as manager) into the action and learn about your team and the work to be done and stop taking those potshots!

Increase the information flow.  People want to know how to do their job and, if the information, is available, they’ll use it. They will get the job done. Share information.

Change your approach to “trust.”  I think this is my favorite. Start with trust first. Give it to your team. While earning trust is also important, Art believes that if you give it freely first, then people will work hard to meet and exceed expectations and will earn it too.

So, if you are a manager think about the “frame” you use and consider taking some advice from Art and get off that bridge!  And, when you want some help thinking about workplace issues, GO OMBUDS!

From Great To Extraordinary – Leadership For All !

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NC State is currently in the midst of a major development effort (The Campaign for NC State) and with over 1.3 billion (yes billion) raised to date and with a goal of 1.6, it is well on its way to meeting its goal. GO PACK!  The campaign is about helping the university transform from Great to Extraordinary and I often think about this frame in my work as the NC State faculty and staff ombuds. How can NC State go from great to extraordinary as a workplace?

To be sure, there are many examples of extraordinary already in action across NC State from its Chancellor and Provost, administrators, faculty, staff and students.  However, for faculty and staff that access ombuds services, from their perspective, something is not feeling extraordinary; instead, they are seeking support and solutions to workplace issues, concerns, and conflicts. In my role as ombuds, as I help people engage with and navigate a situation, and, mirroring the campaign, I think – how can solutions help shift both the individual situation and the workplace to extraordinary?

One answer that will come as no surprise – it’s about leadership and how its framed and welcomed across the university. And, too be sure, there are many extraordinary leaders here at NC State as well as leadership focused programming. A recent training initiative developed by HR for all managers and supervisors – Management Essentials – captures the idea of supporting leadership throughout the institution.

I’ve also done some leadership work related to how people address conflicts both in the workplace and on sports teams (along with a colleague Bill Sanford of Team Achievement)  including research (What is Leadership?) supported by the National Soccer Coaches Association of American (now United Soccer Coaches). In fact, I’ve renamed one workshop I offer from “Conflict Resolution Skills” to “Conflict Leadership” – how people and teams deal with conflict are leadership skills.

Further, when I did sports related work, one stream of data indicated that team cultures needed support for leadership across the group. A team needed its formal leaders with defined roles and room for informal leaders, i.e., everyone to be leaders at different times and in different ways. It was this idea that seemed to shift teams from good to great to extraordinary. On the athletic fields we hear the idea of “stepping” up and that’s what we saw in extraordinary teams – everyone had the opportunity and support, the culture, to be a leader and step up their contribution to the team.

I think this can also fit in the workplace and it connects with a recent New York Times Opinion by Thomas Friedman “Where American Politics Can Still Work: From the Bottom Up” describing the city of Lancaster, PA, and its revitalized and vibrant downtown. Friedman explains how a group of community leaders formed without any actual authority and crossed political beliefs to generate positive and transformative change. Friedman quoted community activist Gidi Grinstien stating “what is saving communities today is leadership without authority.”

In other words, for a city to become extraordinary, it needs everyone to be leaders at different times and in different ways. This what I saw on sports teams and I think its true for a university. To be extraordinary, every faculty, staff, administrator, and student must be supported to be a leader in different ways and at different times.

I take this idea into my conversations with faculty and staff, that as we explore the issue that brought them to the ombuds office, we also explore how they can take steps to lead their own resolution effort.  This is the work of the ombuds. To help individuals, groups, and the university use a leadership culture, whether it be about stepping up or leading without authority, to transform issues, concerns, and conflicts into something extraordinary!

Next time you have an issue, concern, or conflict and you want to lead – GO OMBUDS!

National Academies of Sciences – Engineering – Medicine Supports Ombuds

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The National Academies Press recently published a Consensus Study Report titled “Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.” This report from the Committee on the Impacts of Sexual Harassment in Academia provides a comprehensive view on this challenging topic and also references and supports the role of ombuds offices.

The support focuses on the confidentiality of the ombuds office and on how it connects with the organization, i.e., set up outside normal structures.  “Reporting channels outside of the usual workplace hierarchy, such as an ombudsperson, who can receive reports of harassment but are not officially part of the Human Resources or management response to reports of harassment, can provide critical independent support to persons experiencing harassment.” (p 140) Further, the report highlighted  that “‘having a confidential place to go can mean the difference between getting help and staying silent'” (quoting from Not Alone – The first Report of the White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault, Office of the President of the United States, April 2014).

The report also concludes that “academic ombuds offices are one of the few places on campus that students [and others] can go to confidentially report an incident.”  Thus, the organizational ombuds office can serve a critical role in supporting all members of a community impacted by harassment concerns. And, because the ombuds role is impartial, the ombuds can support and assist all persons involved.

Not sure where to go for help, Go Ombuds!

Decision Making – Take the whistle out of the ref’s mouth !

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With the soccer World Cup starting in a few days (I’m a fan) and with the US not in action, I’ve been giving some thought to the larger context of the situation. I played soccer in high school, college, and beyond and have also served as a referee. And, as I think about the larger context of the Cup, I’ve also been giving a good deal of thought to some of the issues that are coming my way and how to place them within a larger context.

I’ve now had several faculty and staff members bring issues to me as a result of actions and decisions made that impact them, but, from their perspective, were decided upon without their input or a full awareness of the situation.  Visitors to the ombuds office claim that there was no effort to contact them, to get “their side of the story,” before a decision was made.  Or, I hear – “why wasn’t I consulted about that issue? I think I could have helped fashion a better result!”

In these situations, the overarching concern seems to be that decision-makers are acting too quickly or acting with only one “side” of the situation and without complete information. Of course, I don’t really know if the visitor perception is accurate (I typically only hear from one perspective); however, this idea of acting fast or first and then asking questions later, is something to consider.  How can decision makers determine that complete and accurate information is on hand? That all perspectives have been considered?

Let’s borrow an idea from the soccer referee – take the “decision making” whistle out of your mouth and put it in your hand!

The whistle in the hand is how soccer referees work (I’m a certified ref). The idea is that as ref you see “something” and the split second or two from the seeing, to bringing the whistle to your mouth, gives the ref that instant to think about the situation. Was there really a foul or, even if there was a foul, does the team with the ball have an advantage and instead of blowing the whistle and stopping play, I should let the play continue shouting – play on! This is quite different from basketball, football, and other refs who officiate with the whistle in their mouth. They don’t have time for consideration. They have to blow first with no questions asked later (except for certain replay aspects that now exist).  I think people making quick decisions or decisions without various information inputs is like having the whistle in your mouth. No time for thinking.

Instead, give yourself a moment to reflect on the situation from all points of view. Create an opportunity to pause, to make sure information, all or enough, is on hand or identify and ask additional questions.  Maybe even reach out to multiple individuals impacted by the situation, get their input, and then make a decision.  Take a step back and think about the situation from all possible perspectives. Is each one covered in some manner?  If not, don’t blow your whistle, hold off on making your decision, and give yourself the time to make a fully informed one.

Now let’s see what happens at the World Cup! Let’s all hope the referees make good calls!!!

Inside Outsider – The Independence of the Organizational Ombuds

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What makes an organizational ombuds office different from other available resources?  I often get this question and, in answer, I point to the IOA (International Ombudsman Association) Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice that include Independence, Confidentiality, Informality, and Impartiality. While some resources within an organization have some “parts” of these as features, only the organizational ombuds has all four as its core standards.

Today, let’s explore Independence.

The IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice state the following on Independence:

Code of Ethics –  Independence
The Ombudsman is independent in structure, function, and appearance to the highest degree possible within the organization.

Standards of Practice – Independence

1.1  The Ombudsman Office and the Ombudsman are independent from other organizational entities.

1.2  The Ombudsman holds no other position within the organization which might compromise independence.

1.3  The Ombudsman exercises sole discretion over whether or how to act regarding an individual’s concern, a trend or concerns of multiple individuals over time. The Ombudsman may also initiate action on a concern identified through the Ombudsman’ direct observation.

1.4  The Ombudsman has access to all information and all individuals in the organization, as permitted by law.

1.5  The Ombudsman has authority to select Ombudsman Office staff and manage Ombudsman Office budget and operations.

From a practical standpoint and for potential visitors to an ombuds office, the question of interest, is “where” does the ombuds report?  If the ombuds reports administratively to the “highest degree possible” within the organization, then the Code is met. The standards spell out other aspects to create separation between the ombuds and the organization served. This is needed to help the ombuds bring an outside view of organization to the issues brought to the office.  At the same time, the office also needs connection to the organization to be effective.

One ombuds described this as being an inside-outsider and I think in terms of being separate from and connected to the organization served. Both concepts are simultaneously in play and provide the ombuds with a point of view that can be helpful. Often people bring only one perspective of a situation to the ombuds; however, considering from multiple perspectives can provide multiple paths toward resolution. We so often only “see” things from one perspective – ours – while the ombuds can help find multiple different vantage points.

At the same time, in order to help provide these different points, the ombuds also needs some  understanding and knowledge of the organization.  For example, after discussion with the ombuds, a visitor might decide that existing resources of the organization may be helpful; however, they had either not considered the option or were unaware of how the resource worked before meeting with the ombuds. Providing this type of information helps people develop options and is an important ombuds function.

Thus, next time you want multiple points of view, go visit the ombuds, the organization inside-outsider!

IOA Conference Highlights – Robin Hood and the Boss Whisperer

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The International Ombudsman Association recently completed its annual conference with 400+ attendees (the largest conference to date) in downtown Richmond. There were many “highlights” to the conference and let me share a few.

One afternoon session led by Teresa Ralicki, CO-OP (ombuds at University of Colorado – Denver) and Adam Barak Kleinberger, CO-OP  (ombuds at Boston University) found us in Sherwood Forest where Robin, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and King Richard found themselves in need of ombuds services. It seemed they were’t getting along and needed a confidential, informal, independent, and impartial resource to help sort things out. Enter the ombuds! The session was done in “fishbowl” style with “actors” playing the roles while attendees jumped into the scene as ombuds. Teresa and Adam facilitated the start/stop action and It was both hilarious and serious work to help this band of merry folks. There was some excellent demonstration and discussion around ombuds strategy and tactics.

Another outstanding session was a plenary talk by Dr. Laura Crawshaw who founded and leads The Boss Whispering Institute that focuses on research, training, and coaching of the abrasive leader.  Dr. Crawshaw first defined what she means by an abrasive leader as “any individual charged with managerial authority whose interpersonal behavior causes emotional distress in coworkers sufficient to disrupt organizational functioning.” And, then she proceeded to explain why folks act in this manner, how they often don’t know they are perceived as abrasive, and how they can be coached and change to become better leaders and workers. I think King Richard, Robin, and the Sheriff could have used her help!!!

Finally, a highlight for me both professionally and personally was that I joined the IOA Board of Directors after being elected earlier in the spring. The IOA Board includes members from across the US and the world and we got right to work with a Board development meeting and interactions with members throughout the conference.

While there are even more highlights, I’ll save them for a later post. In the meantime, as two ombuds from a federal agency that will go unnamed explained – When you are not sure where to go, Go ombuds!

Ombuds Day – October 11, 2018 !!

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Well – it is “official” !!!  The American Bar Association Dispute Resolution Section (voluntary association of attorneys) has designated October 11, 2018 as Ombuds Day!

There was much talk of Ombuds Day at a recent Ombuds Committee meeting at the ABA Dispute Resolution Section conference last week in Washington, D.C. Here’s a photo of the group with Roy Baroff, NC State Faculty & Staff Ombuds (on the left facing you in the back row).

Look for future information for both local, state, and national celebrations.

It’s nice to know that we ombuds finally have our very own day!!

Set Your Next Meeting Up for Success !

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We all go to meetings and some are better than others.  What makes the difference? While  using someone to serve as meeting facilitator that’s not part of the group can be an excellent way to free everyone to fully engage in the meeting content, many groups don’t have such a resource.  (I sometimes serve as facilitator in my role as NC State Faculty & Staff Ombuds.)  What’s a group to do?  The answer is to come up with meeting guidelines.  I prefer the term guideline (it’s like the Pirate Code from Pirates of the Carrifian – “they’re just guidelines) to ground rule; however, many in the meeting facilitation field use the latter and here’s one skilled facilitator’s take on meeting ground rules.

Roger Schwartz wrote “The Skilled Facilitator” back in the mid 1990’s and has continued his work in the field including work on the concept of Smart Leaders. He suggests the following – (excerpt from “8 Ground Rules for Great Meetings” by Roger Schwartz, Harvard Business Review, June 2016)

1.  State views and ask genuine questions. This enables the team to shift from monologues and arguments to a conversation in which members can understand everyone’s point of view and be curious about the differences in their views.

2.  Share all relevant information. This enables the team to develop a comprehensive, common set of information with which to solve problems and make decisions.

3.  Use specific examples and agree on what important words mean. This ensures that all team members are using the same words to mean the same thing.

4.  Explain reasoning and intent. This enables members to understand how others reached their conclusions and see where team members’ reasoning differs.

5.  Focus on interests, not positions. By moving from arguing about solutions to identifying needs that must be met in order to solve a problem, you reduce unproductive conflict and increase your ability to develop solutions that the full team is committed to.

6.  Test assumptions and inferences. This ensures that the team is making decisions
with valid information rather than with members’ private stories about what other team members believe and what their motives are.

7.  Jointly design next steps. This ensures that everyone is committed to moving forward together as a team.

8. Discuss undiscussable issues. This ensures that the team addresses the important but undiscussed issues that are hindering its results and that can only be resolved in a team meeting.

Hope you have a great next meeting and let me know if I can help!

IOA Board of Directors Election Results

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The International Ombudsman Association (IOA) recently provided Board of Director election results. There were 6 seats open with a slate of 9 candidates. The candidates elected will step onto the Board at the IOA Annual Conference in late April. The newly elected Board members include Roy Baroff, NC State Faculty & Staff Ombuds.

The full list, plus one other candidate who was appointed to fill a recently vacated seat, includes three academic, three corporate, and one government ombuds:

Roy Baroff CO-OP                            North Carolina State University
Ruthy Kohorn Rosenberg               Brown University
Jessica Kuchta-Miller CO-OP         Washington University in St. Louis
Sana Manjeshwar CO-OP              Chevron
Reese Ramos CO-OP                      Sandia National Laboratories
Elaine Shaw                                    Pfizer
Ronnie Thomson                            Halliburton

Congrats to all!

Impact of Ombuds Office Highlighted

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The NC State Faculty Ombuds Office was profiled in a recent article jointly published by The Journal of the California Caucus of College and University Ombuds and the Journal of the International Ombudsman Association -“Ombuds and Conflict Resolution Specialists: Navigating Workplace Challenges in Higher Education.”  The article explores various ombuds practices and impacts on an organization based on research conducted by Nova Southeast faculty member Neil H. Katz and two of his graduate students Katherine J. Sosa and Linda N. Kovack.

The researchers identified three primary functions of an ombuds and/or conflict resolution office including (1) addressing constituent issues, (2) educational outreach, and (3) system review. In each area the ombuds sought to positively impact both the individual and the institution by providing ombuds services within a framework of independence, confidentiality, informality, and impartiality.

Overall the impacts were seen as positive and the researchers conclude that institutions that support ombuds and/or conflict resolution programs “are implementing ‘best practices.'”  It’s certainly the goal of the NC State Faculty & Staff Ombuds office to support constructive engagement around conflicts or issues of concern. And, doing so, may help all utilize best practices and promote a vibrant workplace.