Using Positive Communication

The data, particularly from the leader journals and officer interviews, indicates that leaders used positive communication strategies in a number of different ways. Leaders and officers also experienced positive communication and appreciation from senior Customs managers for the work they were doing in such unprecedented circumstances. Although the continuous natural disaster events created a degree of commonality of experience amongst leaders and officers, it also created an operational environment of significantly increased processing complexity and risk. The disrupted operational and community environment increased the potential for certain sections of the international criminal fraternity to take advantage of the disruption and attempt to bring in prohibited substances or materials and/or attempt to enter New Zealand, illegally under various guises of earthquake recovery activities. Therefore, the environment and the opportunity were open for the leaders to affect performance for the better. There was heightened importance in Customs work and there were opportunities for positive communication to reflect that. As one leader commented:

Our work is important and everyone has a role to play, we have different roles but they are all important in doing what we do. I really emphasised that for the guys.

(Leader J).

I like to compliment people when they do a good job that’s important. (Leader G) Findings from the interpretative analysis of the leaders’ experience indicate that for many leaders, there was a fundamental change in how they recognised and endorsed positive performance and in how they addressed non-performance, particularly with a number of individuals in their teams. The leader focus was on using descriptive rather than evaluative statements describing the performance or behaviours desired, rather than stating what they

124 did not want. Surprisingly, all of the leaders, either at the interview and/or in their journals, described instances of applying supportive and descriptive communication to address performance issues and inappropriate behaviours. Excerpts from leaders show that they did use supportive and descriptive communication:

One of the things I recognised was that persons such as [name of officer] whose normally getting a lot of negative – it’s easy to concentrate on the negative so there was a total change of thinking. While he doesn’t directly report to me, I did on occasions, when he‘d done something really well or [was] doing something on a regular basis, I actually gave him positive feedback and whether that’s doing the daily diary for us or preparing it so we could just go and put the jobs in because they change a lot with flights and stuff, who’s present and stuff, and I would say to him

[name of officer] I really appreciate this or I’ve missed you when you’ve been away on holiday and having to do this. So I appreciate that sort of thing and you could actually see him similar, like [name of officer], who wasn’t one of my PMI ones

either, but I noticed and gave her some good feedback. Then I noticed that she was taking the initiative for example when SmartGate was opening. She thought the control room needs tided up so at 4 o’clock in the morning she went up and tidied the control room up because the Comptroller [chief executive] might walk up there and he might see it – that sort of thing. So it was definitely positive in peoples’ motivation and stuff like that. You could actually see improvements. (Leader D)

[name of officer] is quite a de-energiser in the team, so over the last couple of months I have focused on the positive with this officer and given her positive feedback about work undertaken and also discussed future opportunities with her in a positive manner. There have been noticeable changes in the officer’s attitude since that time, however, it will be important to maintain the positive leadership principles otherwise I suspect that the attitudes may revert back. (Leader B)

Non-performance, um, I addressed the problem exactly as it was and then I

encouraged the person that they have skills and the abilities to do better. They knew they had a problem and I had recognised it. I encouraged them they had the strengths and abilities to do better. (Leader F)

125 From the researcher’s observations, it was also apparent that leaders were actively addressing performance, and in particular addressing habitual non-performance and inappropriate

behaviours within their teams. For many of the leaders, this was both challenging and rewarding. One leader explained their experience as follows:

Whilst [I have] always done the positive side of things whilst it has always been there for leadership, you have also got to think of dealing with issues when they arise … dealing with performance issues and the main one that I did, whilst it was not an ideal situation that I had with [name of officer], I still I did it and I felt better for doing it …I think I have been dealing with those [performance issues] better. (Leader B)

It was interesting to note that leaders were also giving positive reinforcement to each other. Two examples of this come from a leader e-mail and from a leader journal:

Hi [name of colleague] I note that I have received a number of informative and professional e-mails from [name of officer] over the last few months. It would appear that [name of officer] has really stepped up and [is] showing definite signs of

leadership and responsibility. Full credit to him (and you). Regards, [name of leader]. (Leader I)

Both [name of colleague] and [name of colleague] volunteered that they had both observed positive signs from [name of officer] following my meeting of the 10th November 2010. (Leader D)

In addition to addressing performance related issues using descriptive and supportive communication, evidence confirms that leaders also used it consistently to recognise and reinforce positive performance. They used it to describe the performance wanted and to convey gratitude and appreciation for good work and positive behaviours. This claim has support from leaders’ journal comments and e-mails sent to officers:

Minister’s visit next day and also the Comptroller [chief executive] attending. Explained the importance of this visit and the overall positive place we want to show them. Team worked well together to tidy up work area. Bit of push back by a couple of

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team members, I utilised the rest of the team to carry these people forward and to help. (Leader H)

Verbal thank you to the staff for staying for the late flight; finished at 04:15 a long night. (Leader C)

E-mail sent to [name of officer] letting her know that I was extremely impressed with the effort she put into profiling when rostered as rover last Friday. Her effort was rewarded with one of the many passengers she risk-assessed fitting the [name of operation] profile. During the afternoon, I also observed her with the vacuum cleaner (Briefing room and Cloakroom) and attending to the dishwasher and general tidiness of the lunchroom. I commended her on her attitude and told her to keep up the good work. With only having cleaners on and off at the moment because of everything happening appreciated her initiative in doing this, really helpful and not like [name of officer] at all. (Leader G)

[Name of officer] an e-mail to acknowledge your excellent work in searching

passenger [name of passenger]. Your feedback, conclusions and decision making last night were impeccable. You demonstrated concern for the passenger’s well being

[sic] while not losing sight of the opportunity to achieve a positive outcome. This was all achieved despite the late hour, i.e. 03:50 hours. (Leader D)

Many of the officers who received such feedback from leaders responded positively. This in turn had the potential to provide positive reinforcement for the leaders for their behaviour in recognising officer contributions. Examples of feedback received from officers and noted in leader journals and e-mails are documented below:

Hi [name of leader], Thank you very much. It was nice to get in to my e-mails and find a nice welcome!! I have loved being over here and enjoyed the new learning curve very much. It certainly is a very different environment over here and I’ve enjoyed going out and about on jobs …. Kind Regards, [name of officer].

Hello [name of leader], I just wanted to say THANK YOU for letting me search [name of passenger] the other day. You might have thought I wasn’t capable of searching

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the pax [passenger] alert first but you believed in me. You told me that I was doing good during the search and at the end not only once but a few times. Thank you once again [name of leader], [name of officer].

Thanks [name of leader], that’s so nice to read such nice comments and I am very

appreciated [sic] for your e-mail. Kind regards, [name of officer].

A journal note from one leader recorded their acknowledgement of positive feedback from an officer as:

Positive response from [name of officer] saying both [name of another leader] and my e-mail [sic] gave her a “lift” to start the day. (Leader C)

Officer interviews validated positive communications from leaders, both verbal and in e- mails, either to individuals or to groups to recognise specific positive contributions. Examples of this include the following:

Definitely talking to us more and just little things like giving us a comment when we were working, a lot more praising us for our work, especially when we had had a hard shift, you know, lots of upset paxs [passengers], grieving parents of the students killed in February, that sort of thing. Much more of that, did notice lots more, “thank you” and “appreciate you doing that,” sort of thing, definitely. [Officer J]

I was asked to come up with a few ideas about the sort of things to motivate people in a more enforcement manner and to work a bit harder. It was quite good and we took the opportunity to run a few minor operations on night shift and I think everyone sort of basically resolved to doing their ARs [alert reports] on the work queue and that seems to have carried on. We don’t have ARs sitting on the work queue now. That is different, it is still going on. It’s become a bit of a habit, people just do it now.

(Officer B)

In addition to positive changes in leaders and officers, several of the leaders considered that the overall workplace environment had changed in a positive way. The following leader comments validate this positive change:

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I think positive reinforcement definitely helps in creating a positive, happy

environment. In the beginning, I did it positively as a thing I thought about and then it probably came [became] habitual I think. (Leader G)

Being overall able to see people blossom and learning and become more positive, that’s what I enjoyed seeing. (Leader F)

When asked if this had continued, the leader response was clear:

My word, yes. (Leader F)

In essence, both leaders and officers noticed a positive difference in the workplace and were able to describe these differences. This provides confirmation that the leaders intentionally used positive communication – in particular, descriptive and supportive communication strategies. As the study progressed, leaders received increasing amounts of positive communication from each other, from their officers, and from senior Customs managers. These actions, in turn, positively reinforced the way in which the leaders were working and the operational results they were achieving.

These findings clearly indicate that the leaders applied positive communication strategies to reinforce the importance of the work, to encourage high performance, and to address non- performance. The driving purpose for the leaders in implementing CPLM was to improve operational performance. Despite the unexpected workplace environment, the achievement of the eight operational measures remained a key focus. The outcomes for the eight measures leaders set for their Everest goal are presented next.