What is Upset Math?

Many arguments and misunderstandings in the workplace can be tied back to a simple idea: Upset Math. This occurs when someone in the heat of an argument or discussion, grossly overstates a number or concept.

"You're late to work all the time," you might hear when in reality, it's only happened a couple of times. But one of those occasions may have come at a bad time for the other party. Suddenly the issue is magnified and you may feel like you're standing in front of a dam of complaints that is about to burst. Is it better to stay quiet or set the record straight?

Sometimes Upset Math occurs when a person of importance in an organization makes a comment that, in reality, bears no basis on fact. Suddenly a remark like, "Your sales team failed to reach its goal because we had two full moons this month," is universally accepted. Perhaps this is a way to cover up the fact that the recession is cutting into business and there's nothing to be done about it. That's a frightening and hard thing to face rather than letting some quirky event take the blame. But will this illusion serve your company?

If Upset Math becomes a part of your organization, your team could be in trouble. It distracts from real problems and solutions. It encourages blame and backstabbing. Here are some tips to keep in mind if you are a victim of this behavior.

It's very hard to argue with someone whose argument has no basis in fact. Before long these things become shouting matches. It's never good to be a part of one of these. Resist the urge to fight back at that moment.

Go and do your homework. Check the facts and figures. Do they support your claim?

Present your findings. If you are correct, be gracious. Say that you wanted to dig deeper into the situation and this is what you found. Don't say, "I told you so and you were wrong." That could give you a reputation for being right all the time, which would make you guilt of Upset Math.

Could Favors Kill Your Career?

Is it me or are there two kinds of people in the world when it comes to favors? Those who ask for favors and those who end up granting them.

On the job, the person who asks for the favor sometimes takes advantage of the one helping out.

Let's say Jimbo asks his colleague, Bob, to help him put together handouts for a meeting.  Jimbo is asking for the favor so he can leave work early to go to a football game.  Bob ends up staying late, working on the handouts but he leaves the job feeling good, knowing that he helped out a co-worker.

The next day, Jimbo approaches Bob and says that the handouts were supposed to have been put together slightly differently and as such, they were out of order.  Bob remarks that he followed Jimbo's instructions precisely.

Jimbo snaps at Bob when he hears this and says, "You really need to pay more attention to what you're doing.  You really let me down."

Bob feels horrible.

Unfortunately, this is a common situation in the workplace. Someone asks for help but then is upset when the help given is not judged to be satisfactory.  Some might call this ungrateful behavior, like a person who is openly disappointed in a birthday present they receive.

In this case, I'm not worried about Jimbo.  He's a lousy coworker who has no right to complain about someone helping him out so he can go to a football game.  Regardless of the outcome, the handouts were his responsibility no matter who did the actual work.

I am worried about Bob.  It's likely he will be blamed for the outcome instead of being recognized for helping a colleague as well as staying late to get the job done. He tried to be a "go getter" but will likely be perceived as the "fall guy."

In the future, Bob will think twice before granting another favor. He'll keep these things in mind:

1. Is the person asking for help someone who has helped him in the past?
2. He will make it clear to all that while he will help, he is not the person ultimately responsible for the outcome.
3. People like Jimbo don't see what they're doing as being wrong.  Bob pledges not to let his nice guy instincts allow others to get special treatment.

Workplace Communication: A Fitness Lesson

In an exercise class, the role of the instructor is very important. Not only does that person need to tell people what to do but they also need to make sure that the group stays on task.

Recently in a spinning class, the instructor had everyone doing jumps on a count of eight.  So you'd be seated for eight and then stand and climb for a count of eight.  This would repeat for the length of a song.

Everything was going well until the instructor had to briefly leave the room.  Suddenly, the group, which had been perfectly coordinated, now was out of step.  As time passed, the situation continued to get worse.  No one was on the same count anymore and you could tell that people were becoming frustrated and confused.  All of this from just not being able to do things according to a count of eight.

In the business world, making sure that instructions and procedures are followed can carry a higher price than just breaking a sweat.  Employees like to know what they are supposed to do but they also need to be occasionally assured that they are performing up to expectations.

When was the last time, you restated the importance of a goal or the reason why a procedure needs to be followed a certain way? If you're not doing this, don't be surprised to find out that your team has started to make changes in the way things are done. Sometimes these changes may be for the better.  But without your oversight, these changes could undermine your brand, your customer service, and ultimately your bottom line.

Related Posts
Do Managers Ignore Workplace Talent?
Workplace Communication: Giving Feedback
Reputations & Perceptions

Workplace Communication: Giving Feedback

In your job, you may be required to give your staff negative feedback on their performance. It can be a tough thing as well meaning advice can often be lost in a sea of hurt feelings. With office harmony in mind, here are some things to remember the next time you try to help someone improve their performance:

Is the criticism fair? Are you focused on the outcome of work or the person who did the work. There is a difference between saying, “You did not achieve your performance goal,” and, “You’re a lazy bum who can’t get the job done.” One can start a discussion, the other is more appropriate when ending a career.

How would you react? While it can be dangerous to assume that everyone will react the same way you will, it can be a good thing to keep in mind. Remember, your goal is let the other person examine what went wrong and figure out how to prevent future problems. It’s very likely that her or she already knows that they performed below expectations. Your goal should be to refocus them on success.

Don’t go “bad cop.” If you interrogate the employee like a tough police detective, they may become so flustered that they won’t be able to think. The discussion could escalate into an argument. That doesn’t serve your big picture needs, unless you plan on firing them. If you don’t, then you want to empower the employee.

Try to start a discussion through the use of questions. Ask them how they could reach their sales goal by saying something like, “What do you think would be a good way to make sure that you reach your next sales goal?” Along those lines you may want to also ask, “How can I support you better so that you’ll achieve your goal?” You want this to be an exchange of ideas that ultimately gets the results that both parties want.

Is there a next step? After you’ve had a good discussion, make sure that you’ve outlined a next step that builds upon the discussion you’ve just had. This helps ensure that your employee won’t fall back on old behaviors that didn’t work and instead will be focused on making a positive change.

Give the Gift of Your Attention

How many misunderstandings do you experience in the workplace or at home because you weren't paying attention to someone? Perhaps this happens with a particular person who has a different communication style than you. I can get impatient with people whom Jerry Seinfeld might term, "long talkers." These people take forever to get to the point. Their information is good but I just have a hard time consuming it.

We all bring certain expectations and baggage to conversations and sometimes they interfere with the communications process. The added stress and confusion doesn't serve anyone. So for the next week, try an experiment. Identify the person who you tend to tune out and when you talk to them, give them 100% of your attention. Block all distractions, other than ones that would endanger you (like a warning about a fire or a runaway bus). Pay attention as if you're flying the space shuttle and ground control is giving you critical reentry data.

I think you'll find that by doing this you may eliminate some of your communication problems. Sometimes it's about showing the other person that you're interested in what they have to say. Simply putting them at easy may make them stop their annoying behavior, like taking too long to get to the point. It's a gift of respect that produces positive enforcement.

The Gas Can Mystery... Jumping To Conclusions

Today I saw a truck pulling a trailer make a left turn. The trailer was filled with all sorts of gas powered landscaping tools. It’s a familiar sight in South Florida but then something unexpected happened. As the trailer was turning, a large can of gasoline fell off the truck and landed in the intersection. I’m guessing that it hadn’t been tied down properly.

The truck continued to drive down the road, the driver unaware of what just happened. There was no way to signal him.

Now I can only guess what happened next. The landscaping crew will likely arrive at their destination and discover they have either no gas or not enough. This will likely lead them to some conclusions:

The gas tank was stolen.
The tank was filled but left at the gas station.
The tank fell out of the truck.

If it was me, I’d probably think the first two were the most obvious choices and the last was unlikely because it’s seems hard to imagine. I might act act on the first two theories and blame someone or myself for something that didn’t happen.

Every day in the workplace we come to a lot of conclusions even though they may be based on a small amount of data. Those decisions can be colored by our attitudes and experiences. But sometimes, the unlikely is the actual occurance.