The Downward Spiral:

1
The Downward Spiral

• Don't Set Yourself up for Failure with Your Boss
  (or Your Client!)

Presented by Rob Orr, SPHR HR Consultant
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Were running as an economy at 30 efficiency
Curt Coffman Employee Engagement Global Practice
Leader, The Gallup Organization HRMagazine,
February 2004
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When people need help getting a job done, they
will choose a lovable fool over a competent
jerk.
Tiziana Casciaro Miguel Sousa Lobo Competent
Jerks, Lovable Fools, and the Formation of Social
Networks Harvard Business Review, June 2005
4
The environment has changed

• Technical skills not as critical for executives
• Actuarial integrity less valued
• Focus on profitability
• Capitalism è demutualization, non-paternalistic

Source Sim Segal, FSA, MAAA Deloitte Consulting,
LLP - used with permission
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Session Objectives
By the end of the session, you will be able to

• Identify the specific problems Actuaries face
• Identify cues to watch out for
• Recognize how Actuaries might contribute to the
  problem
• Identify steps to take to turn the situation
  around

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Agenda

• Review purpose and desired outcomes
• Difficult Bosses Difficult Clients
• The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome
• How Individuals Contribute
• Taking Responsibility
• Summary

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Your Difficult Boss / Difficult Client

• Use the worksheet to describe a difficult boss
  (or client) that you have known.

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The Difficult Boss / Difficult Client

1. Negative, mean spirited
2. Autocratic
3. ______________________________
4. ______________________________
5. ______________________________
6. ______________________________
7. ______________________________
8. ______________________________

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The Set-Up-To Fail Syndrome

• Widespread
• Insidious Pernicious
• Based on Common Wisdom

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Common Wisdom

• Three Groups
• Stronger Performers
• Weaker Performers
• Deadwood

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Different Strokes for Different Folks

• Bosses consciously treat stronger and weaker
  performers differently
• Stronger performers get autonomy
• Weaker performers get help
• Deadwood gets ignored (or an invitation to
  leave)

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The Downward Spiral
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General Session Actuarial Communication-Is
Anyone Listening? If They Are, What Do They Hear?

• Communication (how to deliver the tough
  messages)
• Opinion changes (are they effective enough?)
• Actuaries' images and roles in organizations
• Peer reviews
• Actuarial standards
• Professionalism
• Backbone

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Labels, Biases, Misperceptions

• Having formed an opinion, our minds draw on all
  possible evidence to support it. When confronted
  with evidence that contradicts our viewpoint, we
  overlook it or denigrate it, or find some other
  way of writing it off. That way we can cling to
  our original opinion as though it were a
  universal truth.
• Francis Bacon, 1620
• (updated language byManzoni Barsoux.)

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How does this start?

• Loss of Confidence in Subordinates

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Triggers of Lost Confidence

• What would you say?

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Triggers of Lost Confidence

• Disloyalty
• Complaining
• Negative attitude
• Low engagement or energy
• Low-self-confidence

• Insensitivity to signals
• Know-it-all
• Disrespect for Bosss time
• Blatantly political
• Extrinsic motivation
• Trying too hard

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Perceiving Performance

• What about objective performance measures ?

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Perceiving Performance
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Source Sim Segal, FSA, MAAA, Deloitte
Consulting, LLP- used with permission
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Actuaries have lost industry dominance

• Fewer actuaries in C-Level positions
• Highly-technical actuaries not fast-tracked
• Reserved for those presentable to C-suite
• Fewer automatic promotions upon ASA, FSA
• Narrower roles, fewer opportunities

Source Sim Segal, FSA, MAAA, Deloitte
Consulting, LLP- used with permission
22
In-Groups and Out-Groups

• 80-90 of managers have sharply differentiated
  relationships with subordinates.
• In-Group members have close partnerships as
  trusted assistants.
• Out-Group members have low-quality relationships
  as hired-hands.

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Performance Perceptions

• No correlation between objective performance
  relationship quality1993 Duarte, Goodson,
  Klich
• Very high correlation between liking and
  in-group status1990 Wayne Ferris
• Boss expectation in 1st week a better predictor
  of in-group status than actual performance at
  end of 2nd week1993 Liden, Wayne, Stilwell

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The Self-Reinforcing Dynamic
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Reality

• Good people can quickly end up with bad labels.
  That neednt be a problem. The bosss inaccurate
  label becomes a problem because it is so hard
  to change.
• Jean-François Manzoni Jean-Louis Barsoux
• The Set-Up-To-Fail Syndrome

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Are You in the Out-Group?

• Lets take a look!
• Refer to the answers on Your Difficult Boss
  worksheet

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Your Difficult Boss

• In small groups, share
• the situations you described on page 5
• the factors that contributed to the situation
• Agree on the common factors( Write on page 20.)

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What is there in your approach or way of
managing the situation that might be contributing
to the problem or getting in the way of its
resolution?

• Peter Block
• Flawless Consulting, Second Edition
• 2000, Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer

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Cues for Subordinates

• Attribution of negative personal characteristics
• Tendency to reduce contact with Boss
• Diminished self-confidence
• Hyper vigilance of Boss behavior
• Takes feedback with a grain of salt
• Tendency to bring up the past
• Reputation as the person most likely to disagree
  with the boss
• Tendency to engage in covert lobbying

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The Difficult Boss

1. Negative, mean spirited
2. Autocratic
3. Stickler for details, intolerant, impossible to
   please
4. Intimidating, treats people as resources
5. Unrealistic
6. Stubborn impossible to influence
7. Manipulative
8. Meddlesome untrusting

1. Control freak micro manager evaluative
2. Uncommunicative aloof unsupportive
3. Weak, prone to favoritism low performance
   standards
4. Impatient temperamental unpredictable
5. Ignorant bureaucrat clueless defensive
6. Stifling my development

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The Great Boss

1. Development-oriented
2. Intuitive decisive
3. Has high expectations and aspirations
4. Driven
5. Demanding has high aspirations
6. Single-minded focused
7. Politically astute
8. Helpful caring
9. Encouraging coaching informed close to the
   pulse

1. Thoughtful, busy
2. Allows self-discovery
3. Passionate incisive mercurial (at worst)
   impulsive
4. Realistic better judge aware of
   interdependencies victim of a poorly sold change
5. Considerate letting me recover

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The Observed Behaviors

1. Giving critical feedback
2. Making a unilateral decision
3. Instructing work to be redone
4. Imposing discipline
5. Setting stretch targets
6. Sticking with a doubtful course of action
7. Sending mixed signals
8. Giving unsolicited advice

1. Asking specific questions
2. Delaying response to proposal/ request
3. Not condemning a big mistake
4. Losing temper in public
5. Resisting a proposed change
6. Giving a routine assignment

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Perception is Reality
Action Intent Boss sees Boss infers
Discounting feedback Effectiveness Ignored feedback Anti-learning, lacks potential respect
Bringing up the past Avoid repetition Water under the bridge Lacks judgment maturity
Holding ground with Boss To be heard Challenging, foolish resistance Lacks judgment, self-control discipline
Covert lobbying To make things better Personal betrayal Lacks loyalty and integrity
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Cues for Subordinates

• Attribution of negative personal characteristics
• Tendency to reduce contact with Boss
• Diminished self-confidence
• Hyper vigilance of Boss behavior
• Takes feedback with a grain of salt
• Tendency to bring up the past
• Reputation as the person most likely to disagree
  with the boss
• Tendency to engage in covert lobbying

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Taking Responsibility

• Stop digging
• Start talking
• Accomplish some tasks

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Taking Responsibility

• Stop digging
• Get your job in order
• Get your head in order
• Dont rush it
• Start talking
• Accomplish some tasks

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Taking Responsibility

• Stop digging
• Start talking
• Increase contact with boss
• Make it easy for the boss
• Invite your boss to a meeting
• Have a new conversation
• Accomplish some tasks

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Taking Responsibility

• Stop digging
• Start talking
• Accomplish some tasks
• Maintain your own self-confidence
• Fight the urge to withdraw
• Dont overreach

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Things to Remember

• Know when to hold em, know when to fold em.
• There is no one to blame.
• Let go of expectations of your boss.
• Offer the benefit of the doubt.
• Produce hope, rather than pursue it.

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The Set-Up-To Fail Syndrome

• Loss of Confidence

• Widespread
• Insidious Pernicious
• Based on Common Wisdom

41
The Downward Spiral

• Don't Set Yourself up for Failure with Your Boss

Presented by Rob Orr, SPHR HR Consultant