People Strategies: Employee reactions to issues vary by experience

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Linda Bower is a speaker, executive coach and human performance improvement consultant in Rogersville.|ret||ret||tab|

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Three hikers are resting on a log in the Missouri Ozarks. At once, they see an adult pygmy rattlesnake approaching them. This happens to be a highly poisonous re-introduced species that is protected from human harm. As hikers, they know this and begin to act accordingly.|ret||ret||tab|

The first hiker sits still, points and says, "Look, isn't that a pygmy rattlesnake?" The second hiker is long gone, screaming through the woods with his backpack trailing behind. The third hiker captures the snake to take a closer look, having handled snakes for many years. |ret||ret||tab|

Same day; same log; same snake: three reactions. Why do we seem to assume that employees will react to the same information in the same way? I've seen untold numbers of managers announce promotions, new structures, change initiatives and the like; all the time expecting employees to react the same and, by the way, positively. They never have and they never will, so let's understand what's happening.|ret||ret||tab|

Preferring to cite sources, this is a model I learned from Larry Wilson, founder of Wilson Learning Corporation, many years ago. I think he created it, but frankly I'm not sure where it came from. I know it as the, "A-B-C Model." |ret||ret||tab|

Let's use this model and look at the hikers reacting to the snake as if it were in slow motion. |ret||ret||tab|

The snake's arrival was an "activating" event. The hikers were minding their own business and did not request the snake's visit. Their environment suddenly changed when the snake entered it.|ret||ret||tab|

The activating event triggered each hiker's "beliefs" about snakes. The first hiker was knowledgeable about snakes from hiking extensively and felt neutral about seeing the snake. |ret||ret||tab|

The second hiker feared snakes and felt completely out of control of his terror for them. |ret||ret||tab|

The third hiker grew up handling snakes and always wanted to see the famous pygmy rattler.|ret||ret||tab|

"Consequences" resulted from each hiker's beliefs about the activating event. One hiker sat still, one ran and the other captured the snake. |ret||ret||tab|

Here's the key: if you want to change consequences, then you have to change beliefs. If you or your employees are not behaving the way you want, then you must peel the onion layers back to look at individual beliefs. |ret||ret||tab|

Consider practicing self-management skills if you are interested in changing your reactions to situations. My favorite tool comes from Wilson Learning. It's called Stop-Challenge-Focus. Let's apply it to our snake story. |ret||ret||tab|

Let's assume that the second hiker is trying to deal with his fear of snakes so that he may hike more comfortably. His goal is to see a snake and be still. This is exactly the scenario when employees fear change, for example. |ret||ret||tab|

They may never be able to embrace it, but they may be able to learn not to run away from it in order to work more comfortably.|ret||ret||tab|

If our hiker had learned to use the Stop-Challenge-Focus model to deal with his fear, he would have stopped himself before leaping from the log. He might have backed up a few paces before he realized he moved, and that's OK, as long as he goes to the next step challenge.|ret||ret||tab|

Our hiker has stopped and now challenges his beliefs about snakes. He sees how the other hikers are reacting and asks himself if he really has reason to fear the snake. He is standing a safe distance, he isn't poking at it with a stick and he isn't backing the snake into a corner. He realizes that he is safe and now he can focus.|ret||ret||tab|

Our hiker consciously decides a reaction to the snake when he focuses on the situation without overwhelming fear. He decides to stay where he is and watch the hiker capture the snake. In his own time, he approaches the captured snake and admires its beauty and history.|ret||ret||tab|

Try to stop yourself from responding the next time you receive an e-mail with a "tone," or a blockade from the old guard, or an unreasonable budget request. Challenge your beliefs and focus on the reaction that is appropriate for the situation. |ret||ret||tab|

Managers who understand human behavior at this level are greatly advantaged in the workplace. They structure their communication to anticipate possible employee beliefs and the behavioral consequences of those beliefs. |ret||ret||tab|

One way that Wilson Learning put this into practice for itself was to accompany all announcements with a frequently asked questions section. Anticipate employee reactions by converting them into question format; then answer the questions. |ret||ret||tab|

It is not rational to assume that employees will react the same way to the same information. Give them the information they need to manage their own beliefs. |ret||ret||tab|

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