Eat Waffles, Don’t Be a ‘Waffler’

Posted on March 15, 2016 by

 

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I always have an introductory phone call with a prospective client to learn about their challenges. The information I gather in these calls is what helps make training and coaching highly valuable for the prospective client. Rather than me delivering a generic program, I tailor and customize all workshops according to the client’s needs.

This new project was to deliver a training and a coaching program for a team of senior managers in a division of a global technology company. The first call was with Jenna*, a senior manager. The purpose of our call was for Jenna to provide information about the company culture and the desired outcomes for the leadership training and executive coaching. She was my contact person.

I’ve done many of these calls before in my business.  I always start with asking questions to get a clear understanding of what the challenges are. To Jenna I asked, “What are some of the biggest struggles for this team?”

“Hmmmm, I guess that…that probably depends on each person’s roles and responsibilities.  But you know, I don’t really know for sure.”

OK. To myself, “How could you not know? It’s a small group of six and you work with these team members every day.”

I had learned from talking to my Human Resources contact within the company that this team was suffering from a couple of serious issues that impacted its performance. They had poor communications between team members and there was a lack of trust between older and newer employees.  So, I asked Jenna if she would be willing to identify what types of communication and trust issues the team seemed to be facing.

“I am not really sure. I can’t think of any real problems, we all seem to get along and really like each other.  Let me think about this and check with the others.”

Understand that at a first go around, it’s difficult for some people to open up. After all, I was an outsider. I decided to try a different approach with her.  Even with promise of confidentiality, it may have been too early for her to trust me enough yet.  I then asked,  

“Jenna, let me ask this in a different way. If you were to look ahead a year from now, what would be different about how the team communicates and gets along?”

And once again, her answer surprised me.

You know, before I answer this, I’d really like to ask Jake (her boss) and hear what he thinks.

I had my answers, even though Jenna never really answered my questions.

I confirmed that Jenna was what I call a ‘waffler’.

She was not a junior manager or an admin in charge of organizing the workshop. She wasn’t new to the company; as a matter of fact she had been there for over 15 years. Why did she have a difficult time having her own opinion or making a decision? After all, she was a senior manager with significant responsibility running logistics. What happened to her confidence, decisiveness and her courage?  How did she become a ‘waffler’?

After this conversation with Jenna, I again spoke with my Human Resources contact. And here is what she confessed:

This division has a culture of fear, of being risk takers and a fear of “getting it wrong”.  People were worried about negative feedback. No one wanted to get “caught” doing things wrong.  Because of that, a lot of people feel very uncomfortable making decisions for themselves. You see a lot of meetings behind closed doors, people whispering in the halls, lots of procrastinating, no accountability and defensiveness. This division has had a history of division leaders that used fear and manipulation to manage the division. Minor mistakes were reasons for poor performance reviews and even termination. 

That was the answer. The prior management had been ‘waffle makers’.

Jenna was a result of poor management over the years. Because she had achieved a senior manager role early in her career, I could only imagine that she must have had confidence, courage and been decisive at some point.  My job was to help her find those qualities again.

Fast forward a year, and not only was I able to help Jenna, but was able to get the team back on track to improve trust and increase performance. It is still a work in progress, but Jenna and her team mates are more confident and decisive than when I first asked my questions.

I see this situation in companies happening often. People enter a company with confidence and courage, they then become more competent over time, and somewhere along the way, they turn into ‘wafflers’.

Remember, we don’t get waffles without waffle makers.

Once you notice that you might be turning into a ‘waffler’, start thinking about what you can to stop the behavior. If you are a leader and start noticing signs that your team isn’t meeting its goals, they are indecisive or procrastinating or are pointing fingers….they could be turning into ‘wafflers’. Try to determine what you can do as a leader to stop being a waffle maker.

How have you ever overcome being a waffler or dealing with waffle makers in your career? Let us know.

*Names and company information have been changed to protect confidentiality of clients.

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