How to Tell a Manager Your Baby is Ugly Delivering the Tough Message

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How to Tell a ManagerYour Baby is Ugly
Delivering the Tough Message

• HPRCT, June 2008
• Presented by
• Dr. Tyrone (Ty) Tonkinson (Simple Approach) and
• Jeff Clark (Progress Energy)

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We try for this
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but sometime get this
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Overview

• The Challenge
• Assessment Tips
• Delivery Tips
• Final Thoughts

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The Challenge

• We want to find our areas for improvement before
• We have a significant event
• The problem is found by outside assessors
• Problems are difficult for people to accept
• We cannot improve if the decision-makers are not
  convinced to change something

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Assessment Tips

• There are a few things you can do to help
  yourself with the way you conduct your assessment
  work
• Extracting facts from data
• Use benchmarks
• Get the whole story

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Data

• Evidence Tangible items relevant to your
  investigation.
• Fact The description of a condition or situation
  using measurable or observable qualities,
  relative to known or defined standards. Facts are
  generally reproducible and/or involve a
  verifiable trail.
• Opinion An individual's mental conclusion
  regarding a condition or situation.

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What do you see?
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Try again - what do you see now?
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Last one - what do you see?
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Get the Whole Story

• How do we get the whole story?
• Think like an assessor gather readily available
  data
• Interview involved personnel
• Cross-discipline review
• What would this look like to an outside assessor?

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Delivery Tips

• The way you deliver the message will also
  influence the outcome
• Be factually accurate
• Describe the whole story with benchmarks
• Provide the good and bad
• Avoid strongly judgmental language
• Describe the consequences of not changing the
  areas for improvement

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Final Thoughts

• Who is the sponsor?
• Managers personality
• The culture
• Is this organization willing to hear the whole
  truth?

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Final Words .

• Any other questions or comments about the
  material?