Do Your Employees [Heart] Their Jobs?
February 15, 2011
Creating Meaningful Work to Inspire Best Performance
Do your employees remember to pack their hearts when they’re packing their lunches? Are they merely going through the motions at work? Feigning “connection to the work” while in reality spending more energy avoiding trouble versus willingly contributing their personal-best?
As the leader or manager, how do you create “meaning” at work?
Do They “Get It?”
Have you heard the story about the custodian in a large federal complex in the suburbs of Houston?
He was going about his duties one day when a group of “suits” entered the building where he was working. One of the executives asked the custodian, “So what do you do here?” The worker smiled and replied genuinely, “I help put a man on the moon.”
The VIPs were heading into a meeting with NASA officials that day and happened to run into this dedicated gentleman who truly “got it” — he fully understood his role. It wasn’t simply about cleaning toilets and mopping the floors. His work had true meaning. Because he was faithfully on the job every day, he helped create a spotless, VIP-visit-worthy space where other employees and visitors could enter and concentrate on their work at hand… putting a man on the moon.
This gentleman “got it”… Not only about the organizational impact of his role, but the greater effects on a nation and perhaps the world. Without him, dignitaries and decision-makers would be greeted by unsightly workspaces, leaders and workers alike would be distracted by and frazzled by trashy offices and unsupplied restrooms. Not at all what one would expect from the nation’s space agency.
Sometimes we get lucky and hire that golden employee who just gets “it” and lives “it” day in and day out. More often than not, however, employees need reinforcing communication around why their job, indeed why they are important to the purpose of the organization. It’s not so much that we hire duds but that in the course of staying busy, doing our tasks as managers and employees we lose sight of the bigger “why.” It’s that old idea of not seeing the forest for the trees. We get stuck in the weeds and forget why we’re working so hard to create a path through them.
Exemplary Leaders Encourage The Heart
Kousez and Posner’s decades-long research into what inspires employees and creates a “personal-best leadership experience” (that is the experience an employee has with her leaders) offers empirical proof of what it takes to inspire meaningful work. From their The Leadership Challenge, 4th Ed. they point out the Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership.
Of the Five Practices resulting from Kousez and Posner’s research, this one — Exemplary Leaders Encourage the Heart — in particular speaks to creating meaningful work. To summarize and add my own editorial comments and personal examples…
Genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward. Best leaders want to provide a climate in which people feel cared about and genuinely appreciated by their leaders.
One of my “personal-best leadership experiences” was in the job where I stayed for more than 8 years despite knowing there was something missing (function/strengths misfit… but that’s a topic for another post). It’s true that people leave or remain because of people more so than the work.
One example that will stay with me as long into the future is one of my compassionate Vice President of Marketing who genuinely cared about me and my experience as a new mother seven years ago. It’s tough if not seemingly impossible to put one’s child in the care of others to return to work but we do it. My VP at the time was already a mother of two and understood the gamut of emotions I was having about returning to work. I couldn’t not, from a financial standpoint, but oh boy were those first delicate weeks’ commutes filled with tears. The conversation I remember specifically was her telling me to take as much time as I needed and could afford… that time with a first baby in those first precious months needed to be cherished… that the company would survive without me. I think I took an extra couple of weeks off at her urging and some of my most treasured memories of early-morning play time with my now first grader happened during that brief window.
That VP showed she cared and cared deeply which drove my enthusiasm for for working for her much more than the work itself.
Gimmicky, feel-good events are quickly forgotten, so forget the Hawaiian shirt days and show them you genuinely care.
It’s part of the leader’s job to show appreciation for people’s contributions and to create a culture of celebrating values and victories.
As a young manager I was guilty of often forgetting to stop, breathe and take a moment to celebrate the small victories that my direct reports and I accomplished. Like getting a 100+-page catalog to print despite major roadblocks… closing out the year with more sales through direct marketing than the previous year… launching a new website that created back-office efficiencies… and probably countless others. With some time and experience managing direct reports — and remembering my own less-than-exemplary leadership moments from the earliest days of my career – I did remember, sometimes, to thank them.
Have you had one of those “You know you’ve nailed it when…” moments as a manager? One of my few such experiences actually came as a shock to me. It was when I made an effort to personalize my gratitude in giving a small “thank you” that I figured this one direct report in particular might like. He commented on the small gift so enthusiastically, reporting just how much it meant to him. Who knew that something as simple as an e-gift certificate for music downloads for the ever-plugged-in production manager would have such an effect. Huh.
Leaders also know that celebrations and rituals, when done with authenticity and from the heart, build a strong sense of collective identity and community spirit that can carry a group through extraordinarily tough times.
Before during and in the aftermath of 9/11 I worked for an international tour operator. The year that followed was extraordinarily tough for the many not the least of which was the travel industry and anyone remotely connected to it. We had several tours in progress when the planes hit and had staff and passengers stranded in various corner of the world for days before flights resumed and we could get everyone home. When the last tour manager arrived safely at home and the last passenger was met by relieved family members, we celebrated. Not with a big inappropriate party or other raucous event but by rallying behind one another in the face of chaos and terror, sharing our stories and experiences, finding and telling the “good” that came from tragedy. In those moments executive management stepped quietly aside and allowed leadership from among the ranks to stand up, shine and demonstrate community.
Ideas for Action
Lastly, let’s get practical with just a few questions to consider as you work toward helping your employees create meaning at work…
1. Connect individuals to the bigger “why.”
What inspires you? Gives you passion? What would inspire your employees and direct reports? In what ways are you working together to create the bigger “why”, the purpose for your organization?
2. Personalize recognition.
How are you currently recognizing individual achievement and contributions to your organization’s purpose? How do you equip managers to reward, recognize and thank employees for a job well done?
3. Reiterate the significance of each role.
How often to you reiterate the organization’s larger purpose? then remind each individual contributor how they in their roles help achieve that purpose? Annually in the all-staff meeting and in the performance review? Quarterly at management reviews? Monthly in the employee online newsletter? Or weekly/daily in informal conversations about the work at hand?
4. Celebrate.
How do you celebrate team or organizational wins? Annual bonus? Cost of living wage increase? Or something more personalized to each contributor?
For Further Reading
Short but sweet summaries and articles to further the point.
The Leadership Challenge, 4th Ed. – executive summary
Leaders Create Meaning, by Robert Whipple, Roberts Wesleyan College
The Importance of Doing Meaningful Work – from Forbes.com
What Makes Work Meaningful? – from PsychologyToday.com
Recovery-Proof Your Team in 2011
February 1, 2011
Keeping Your Best Talent from Jumping Ship in 2011
According to a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) press release, the majority of the Human Resource (HR) professionals and managers surveyed agreed that employee turnover will rise significantly as the job market continues to improve.
56% of HR professionals surveyed agree that turnover will increase. Not might. Will.
If organizations intend to keep their best employees from jumping ship, retention efforts need serious attention. Now.
In addition to running MPOWER Consulting, I am Managing Partner and Director of Homework of Masse Family Enterprises (i.e. wife and mom at to my great family). In that position, I had a recent “retention lesson” that is absolutely applicable to the workplace.
First, a Little Backstory
Just this weekend I was helping my first grader with a report on Neil Armstrong that he will present before his class this week. How excited I was that he selected a true American hero as his subject. I jumped right in to help and before you know it was micromanaging the whole show.
With my son’s “help,” I emailed the offices of The Space Foundation (HQed right here in Colorado Springs) and asked for “props” we could borrow. Mission accomplished: my 7-year-old has a large, colorful poster of the famous photo of Buzz Aldrin suited up standing on the moon with Neil Armstrong’s reflection in his helmet; a stack of books we used for reference for dates and more; a “footprint” lapel pin of the first, one small step for man; and a NASA-logoed lunch bag that proudly carries his peanut butter sandwich and applesauce today.
Next step, filling out the homework paper with the content of his presentation. Oh, my son will deliver a Nobel prize winning report of literary perfection! Well, let’s at least make it interesting for a class of fidgety first graders.
We establish ourselves at the kitchen table and set to work. And it all goes downhill from there.
Micromanaging At It’s Finest
I want him to add more content for the “WOW” factor; he’s content with a few sentences that answer the question to stay precisely on point. I suggest he repeat the celebrated words Neil Armstrong made famous upon setting first foot on the moon; he agreed but reluctantly. I pushed to hurry up and get it done so he could play; he was visibly tired and needed a break.
He was frustrated at me for “bossing him.” I was weary because he didn’t want this to be the report I wanted it to be and wasn’t sitting still long enough to just get it done. I was not paying attention to the way he wanted to do his homework. We were not working together. And I was spending more time outlining “better ways” to do it versus praising him for doing it well his way.
At the very least, we needed a change of scenery. I asked where he’d like to sit. “On the couch.” Off we went, smoke clearing, frustration calming. He finished the written portion and when asked if he wanted to practice the obvious answer: “No.” He was done. “Disengaged” to say the least.
Creating Disengagement
Could you blame him? As the “manager” I assumed we shared the same vision for his report. I pushed for him to do it the way I would have done it. I forgot that he mainly needed me as a resource, to help read complicated websites and other resources to get essential information. And along the way neglected to tell him what a nice job he was doing.
Bad… bad manager. I created disengagement and of course the little project that was supposed to fun “Mommy & Son” time not only took longer than needed but put an emotional dent in our quality time. We were not as productive as we could have been, not as efficient, and the results… while the report is “effective” in the sense that my boy does have a presentation to deliver this week our relationship took a minor, yet hopefully only momentary, blow. What do you think he’ll think and do the next time he needs my help on his homework?
Leaders and managers, the lessons from my mistakes are undeniably applicable to the workplace. There IS a better way.
1. Respect ‘em.
It starts with understanding employee needs from every perspective. Not just the over-emphasized tools and resources or even how much of your time they may require. Most importantly, it begins with understanding their unique modis operandi or M.O. – literally what their brain needs conatively in order to do their best for you.
Managing “Fact Finders”: They need and naturally uncover all the relevant facts, figures and data. Give them time to research and prioritize the necessary details that ensure they will give you the most strategic decision.
Managing “Follow-Thrus”: They need and naturally create order and systematic approaches. Empower them to create a solid plan that keeps the project organized and expertly managed. They will actually see it to completion.
Managing “Quick Starts”: They need to experiment as they are natural risk-takers. Give them leeway to brainstorm ideas, jump in head first to try out a few, learn from their mistakes and suggest creative ideas for new projects or new ways of tackling strategic goals.
Managing “Implementors”: They are your “hands-on” employees. They need to and naturally create quality, long-lasting solutions. No thrown-together shoddy craftsmanship allowed. Give them time and resources to test their ideas and plans before rolling out the final version. Never have to “go back and re-do” again because the first implementation was the right implementation.
In other words, don’t do what I did with my son. Rather, understand the way THEY work best and let them do it. When employees are given tasks and activities that are a mismatch in terms of how they naturally solve problems, make decisions and take action, managers and leaders are forcing them to work against what is natural. It takes longer and the results often don’t meet expectations.
Multiply this by the number of individual contributors to calculate the cost loss of productivity in an organzation. Conversely, when you have the right employees in the right roles (that is, a role that allows them to do what they do best naturally) imagine the organizational cost savings and increased earning potential resulting from measurably higher productivity.
2. Train ‘em.
Of course there are cases where tasks must be accomplished in a specific way… to meet quality standards, ensure personal safety, guarantee efficiency. Invite employees, based on their natural inclinations as outlined above, to be partners in creating those solutions, empowering them to contribute their personal best (again, based on above). Then train them – and train them to train others effectively – on these best practices for reaching the common goal – be it improved quality, personal safety, higher efficiency.
And by all means, train managers to manage. A vastly different skill set than any “technician” role.
In other words, again, don’t do what I did with my son and expect him to do it my way without talking to him first about what his ideas were for how we would get the project finished. We did not agree ahead of time to how we would work together resulting in wasting time being frustrated.
Multiply that by the number of employees and teams in your organization to calculate the cost of lost efficiency. Ouch. On the other hand, when a true culture of collaboration exists – we agree on the goals, define clearly how we will work together toward that end, and we rely on one another for what each does best – how much more efficient (and therefore cost effective) we are.
3. Reward ‘em.
As managers and leaders we are quick to correct “bad” behavior. Reprimands, development plans, official warnings are all to be documented, in fact.
As parents, however, praise seems to come a little more naturally (indeed, I hope… “When you cleared the table, it really helped make clean up faster, and we got to play your game sooner!”). How often is this same idea forgotten in the workplace?
Especially after surviving the economy of the past 2+ years, employees are feeling overworked, undervalued and just plain ol’ disengaged. Rightly or wrongly, their perception is their reality, and many are ready to jump ship. In a January 2011 survey conducted by Harris Interactive in conjunction with CareerBuilder North America, 76% of the 3,900 employees surveyed indicated they were ready to leave current jobs for the right opportunity. Is their mind 100% on the work at hand?
More surprisingly, rewarding them with more money was not what would keep them on board. 68% reported that affordable benefits were more important than salary.
In fact, more money is rarely the answer for keeping best employees, especially when they feel disengaged.
Published in 1999, a study by Kenneth Kovach of George Mason University compared employees’ ranking of what they wanted from their jobs with what their bosses thought was important to the associates. “Good wages” was fifth for employees after the more important:
- Interesting work – interesting to them not the manager; in my view interesting = a good fit based on M.O. + “meaningful” to the individual
- Appreciation of work – a simple, inexpensive “thank you” may suffice; thank you note, family pack of movie tickets, gift card for lunch to a favorite restaurant, an extra vacation day…
- Feeling “in on things” – knowing what the rest of the organization is up to… breaking down the silos as it were… and, they may surprise you with creative solutions to challenges outside their job descriptions
- Job security – how much more engaged they are when they don’t have to worry about their basic needs?
Again, lessons from the homework assignment… Only when I saw that my son was completely disengaging from the work, did I bother to make changes to how we were working together. In the end, “good job!” praises flowed but was it too late?
I made it up to him with a matinee showing of “Megamind” and Whoppers. It wasn’t too late for us.
Organization leaders and managers take heed: Work now on creating respect, getting the right people in place and training them, then rewarding them with what’s meaningful to them so it’s not too late to keep your best employees from jumping ship.
Tuning In to Your Organization’s Greatest Asset
January 19, 2011
Empowering Employees to [really] Participate in 2011
The idea of “employee engagement” isn’t foreign yet it seems that few organizations give the idea little more than lip service. In a recent Financial Times post, one CEO makes clear the business value of an engaged workforce.
To illustrate his underscoring the bottom-line importance of an engaged workforce, consider this. Think of the potential damage to the brand of and customer loyalty for an organization in which customer service is delivered by disengaged — or worse yet disgruntled — workers who don’t care about the mission or vision much less the product or service or even customers. What will the “customer experience” look like? And in a recession (recovery?) consider how especially detrimental the effects.
Conversely, think of the different experience a customer will have with an organization whose employees are truly “engaged” and not just willing but enthusiastic to participate and be fully present in their jobs. A much prettier picture, non?
Now, is it easy to achieve a fully engaged workforce? Nope. Is it worth it? Well, are higher productivity, increased efficiency, more effective results and higher profits “worth it?”
Focus on Them in 2011
Engaged employees who participate, collaborate and produce results through true teamwork are valued not only for the fact that they are warm bodies completing tasks day in and day out. They valued for what they uniquely bring to the work of the organization, given opportunities to use their brains and participate in tackling real organizational challenges (you did hire them because they were smart, right?) and enthusiastically fulfill their role in pushing the business forward.
Align Employee Strengths with Business Objectives
Managers and leaders select people for what they bring to a role and to the enterprise and for how they personally can help an organization achieve its goals. Then, in too many cases, on day one instantly forget why they’ve hired them… for their natural talents, skills, knowledge, experience… and treat them like minions who must be given direct orders and micromanaged at every step.
The formula is actually quite simple.
- Pinpoint the global organizational goals and objectives.
- Then hire the right people to accomplish those goals, not just for performing mundane minutia.
- Create a clear vision for that role’s importance in meeting the 30,000-foot objectives.
- Guide the employee in contributing her personal best every day.
- Constantly make a clear connection between her individual contribution and the organization’s ability to achieve its strategic objectives.
And it starts with getting not only the right people on the bus, but the right derrieres in the right seats to drive organizational success.
Re-Evaluate Role Fit Enterprise Wide
Organizations preparing for or recovering from downsizing, reorging, “right-sizing”… whatever we call it… tend to reassign roles based on “proximity.” Think about it… a marketing department has been “downsized” and now the golden-girl graphics guru suddenly inherits trade show logistics responsibilities because one of her colleagues who was let go once owned that piece of the marketing pie. “Well, we all have to pitch in now,” is not an uncommon managerial response.
Agreed… but how much more effective the results of the work if we considered first
- Recording and analyzing the strategies and activities necessary to achieve business goals.
- Comparing that to the inventory of employee strengths (see above).
- Inviting employees to participate in defining new roles based on maximizing the talent within the organization (vs. assigning by proximity).
Which methodology – roles according to strengths vs. proximity – will surely result in increase collaboration, higher participation and plain ol’ better business results?
Otherwise, Suffer the Consequences
New claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected [in December 2010] to their lowest level in more than two years, suggesting the labor market recovery was gaining strength.
~The Economist, Dec. 30, 2010
In addition, several surveys point to a trend in growing dissatisfaction among American workers. The reality of the job market of the past two years, however, has allowed the “You should just feel lucky to have A job” brand of management to rear its ugly head. However, Employees previously afraid to jump ship are going to turn their attention to the improving job market to find an employer who does value them and their participation.
When they do, say buh-bye to your highest performers and hello to increased personnel costs in selection, hiring and training.
Creating Your Human Resources Plan: An Interview with Business Strategist Mark Bittle
February 4, 2010
I recently sat down with Mark Bittle, founder and owner of Progressive Impact, a strategic planning consultancy dedicated to the success of small businesses. His new book (Spring 2010) walks business owners through a comprehensive yet easy-to-follow process for completing a thorough strategic plan for success. Our conversation revolved around one piece of the strategic puzzle: the Human Resources Plan.
Q&A with Mark Bittle, Owner, Progressive Impact
In your new book People Who Know How, Will Always Work For The People Who Know Why! you encourage small business owners to have a Human Resources Plan. What are the elements of a Human Resources Plan and how does this fit into the business’ overall strategic planning?
Human Resources is the essential stuff that makes your organization go around, and there are many elements to address when developing this type of plan: Hiring, firing, employee development, training manuals, recognizing your employees, as well as having on file the appropriate paperwork for each person who works within your organization. The Human Resource plan is not something that business owners can afford to do without.
Developing a business through the creation of an active strategic plan must include plans for developing the people within an organization. Aren’t the leaders, managers and employees the ones that help you to accomplish the goals of that strategic plan? Sharing the values, vision, mission, and goals with players within your organization makes it easier to find the right people, put them in the correct seat, on a bus that is going to a purposeful destination.
Having a human resources plan, employee handbook, and updated training materials has alleviated many time bombs in the organizations in which I have coached. This specific plan in and of itself helps to increase the efficiencies and productivity of everyone working “in” the business, and, when done effectively, will increase the profitability of the organization.
What would you say is the worst thing small business employers can do when hiring new employees?
That’s easy… not taking the time to screen them… not only for their skills (via the resume) and personality and attitudes (behavioral interviewing) but also for their “fit” for the job (how they make decisions, solve problems, take action… that is what they bring to the game and what they need to be successful). Small business owners are not experts in all areas. They are doing what they do best, and at some point they decided to take risks to start their own business. Hiring the wrong person is an expensive risk I encourage business owners never to make.
“The biggest fear that most managers have is
to train their employees so well that they will leave.
While my biggest fear as a leader is to
not train my staff and have them stay.”
When a business, especially a small business, hires new employees, it is much easier to train and retain those that are a good fit, than those who are put in the position as a placeholder until something better comes along. I cannot emphasis enough the importance in making sure that organizations take the time to put the right people, in the correct seats, on a bus that is going to the same destination. [Read more about the cost of a bad hire here.]
How important is management training — that is, training managers at all levels in the art of motivating direct reports to perform at their highest level — in the Human Resources Plan?
It is imperative that there is a training and development program. For example, understanding the difference between “managers” and “leaders” is an important distinction that can be addressed with training when the right people are in the right seats. Managers are those who are put in a position to make sure that things get done according to goals and objectives. Managers essentially work “in” the business. Leaders are the visionaries that work “on” the business to shape those goals and objectives, and are able to put together groups to move the organizations forward. A key idea of course is that “managers” can also be “leaders” when trained well.
How important would you say is the relationship between the manager and direct reports to the success of any small business?
Establishing effective group dynamics is often overlooked when hiring people, and is certainly under-appreciated within many organizations. Having positive relationships, understanding the different ways we each communicate and recognizing the value each member of a diverse team brings to the game helps to increase productivity and efficiency as well as to foster a healthier working environment. Intentionally creating an “engaged organization” will have a great effect for every business’s bottom line.
And what about professional development for employees and teams? Is this relevant in the Human Resources Plan?
Everybody wants to be national champions, but nobody wants to go to practice. Hiring a “coach” for the team’s development can often accelerate progress within an organization. Professional development helps on so many different levels including but not limited to the following: employee retention, speed of innovation, customer satisfaction and proactive decision-making. I personally allocated up to 3% of my gross revenue towards professional development, and the results are amazing. Hiring an objective professional to come in and help to overcome personnel challenges and shortcomings is an essential tool that should be considered.
Employee Engagement: Games We Play
September 22, 2009
So many give great lip service to the idea of getting the right people on the bus. But then what? How much time is spent getting the right people in the right seats based on what they bring to the game? Oh, not important in this economy? Wait… is employee engagement… just a game?
Wearing ‘Em Out?
You’ve seen it. The player drops in the coins, eagerly presses START and the ball appears. The player slowly pulls back the plunger and POW! it slams into the pinball propelling it into the game. It ricochets wildly, bouncing off bumpers, careening into drop targets. Lights flashing, bells ringing, music heralding points, points and more points! A popper shoots the ball out in the direction of the middle lane, drawing it down… down… down toward the inevitable end…
One down. Two to go. An exhilarating game. Unless you’re the ball. Sure, the frenzy can be energizing… for about 5 minutes. Is your employee engagement strategy like pinball or…?
Or Leveraging Strengths?
Or is it more like… chess. Individual contributors working together to move forward directed by a singular goal. It’s a complex game which the player leads leveraging each piece’s unique qualities to meet the ultimate objective.
Each piece knows its role, what the player expects of it and the value it brings to the game. Using its natural movements and relying on other pieces to fulfill their roles. Each with an important role to play. All working strategically toward the same goal.
OK, OK. Sure the analogy’s a little silly. But you know exactly what I’m saying. Here’s the real game-ender: Engage ‘em now or lose ‘em later. And here’s the data to back it up.
How to Keep ‘Em
Let’s get practical. A few key steps to keep employees engaged in tough times:
Focus on Natural Strengths vs. Proximity
You’ve downsized, rightsized and have asked employees to supersize their jobs as a result. This as a great opportunity to actually get more done with fewer people. Take a good hard look at the total value each employee brings to your game: their skills, instincts and natural talents. Be open to shifting job responsibilities based on these versus simply giving assignments to the next closest cubicle-dweller to that guy you had to let go. And by all means, ASK THEM for their input. If their work is comprised of things they are naturally good at doing they will get more done. Again, Gallup studies show that employees who are given the opportunity to do what they do best are 6 times as likely to be engaged in their jobs.
Personalize Recognition
Now more than ever you need to demonstrate — genuinely, authentically — that you care about your employees as human beings. They’re working tirelessly for you; how will you let them know you appreciate all their efforts? Give the working mom a Friday afternoon off for pampering or extra family time. Supply the Starbuck’s junkie with his fix for the day with a $5 gift card. A simple thank you note may make the biggest impact. The point is: make it meaningful to each individual and make sure the appreciation is indeed genuine. One-size recognition does not fit all.
Don’t Manage. Coach.
A favorite resource is Unleashed! Expecting Greatness and Other Secrets of Coaching for Exceptional Performance by Gregg Thompson. It teaches how to put the needs of the other person first and coach them for exceptional performance. Traditional managers direct tasks. The manager coach manages for results, allowing employees some freedom and flexibility in how the work gets done.
Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.
Check in with employees… often. More often than usual especially if your organization has gone through significant changes (lay-offs, reorganization, leadership change, etc.). One-time message delivery will not stick so if you’ve told them once, tell them at least another dozen if not 100 times. Remind them why you each come to work every morning, reiterating through words and actions that it’s all about the mission of the organization. Deliver bad news compassionately but purposefully. Always answer “why” and “what’s in it for me.” Ask for feedback. Involve them in the conversation. You never know what time-, resource-, money-saving ideas are just waiting to be discovered.
So… ready for a game of chess?
The New Rules of Leadership and Management
August 12, 2009
Today I bought and started reading The New Rules of Marketing & PR. Yesterday I attended a talk on “Generations in the Workplace.” And now you’re thinking: What the &#@! does one have to do with the other?
The Connection
The last sentence on page 26 of The New Rules gave me an a-ha that made that connection for me:
Content drives action.
The sentence prior to that reads:
Great content in all forms helps buyers see that you and your organization “get it.”
If we replace just a couple of those words and put the two back together:
Great content in all forms helps employees see that you and the organization “get” them. [Leadership] content drives [employee] action.
The New Rules of Leadership and Management
Here’s where the generational thing comes in.
It’s the online Gen-Xers and Millennials who are driving that “content” also be the new rule of leadership and management.
The old rules of one-way “push” marketing and advertising aren’t working with these generations of consumers who demand informative, authentic and interactive content to make buying decisions. Just as the old rules of management and leadership won’t work with these generations as employees. Maybe it’s because the one-way “my way or the highway”/”because I said so” management style reminds questioning (sometimes referred to as cynical) Gen-Xers of their mothers who didn’t care if their children had opinions. And, the Millenials won’t even hear these managers because as kids these employees grew up with constant “Good jobs!” and getting trophies even for coming in last. Where’s the praise in “Do it or else.”?
Content is King
So, the “content” of successful leadership according to these generations, to which they’ve grown accustomed as online consumers, is treating them as unique individuals who demand interaction and authenticity. So to paraphrase the New Rules of Marketing and PR in the context of New Rules of Leadership and Management, I offer:
Inspire Millennial and especially Gen-X employees to design the content of their individual work, empowering them to do what they each do best every day. That’s strengths-based management!
Engage these employees in the content of the organization’s vision, mission and objectives. Help them see how essential their individual role is in achieving organizational goals to give them the meaningful work these generations crave.
Individualize communication content so these employees know you are speaking directly to them. That’s when they’ll know you appreciate them for what they bring to the game.
That’s when they’ll take action and follow you. Because content drives action.
Performance Management: 5 Steps to Stop the Insanity
June 9, 2009
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
~Albert Einstein
Stop a second and think. Does this quote apply to the way you lead and manage your direct reports?
Is the “traditional management” method (a.k.a. “my way or the highway”) working for you? Seriously… what are the results this produces? Outcomes I’ve seen mostly include dissatisfied, disengaged and un-empowered employees. Not to mention frustrated, exhausted and overworked managers. Exactly who is this good for?
STOP THE INSANITY!
The “my way or the highway” management technique may work for a time. But for long-term success I say it’s time to try something different. I worked with a group of managers on performance improvement and management issues in which one manager could not understand nor grasp why his direct reports couldn’t just get off the dime and get the work done. He talked a long time about he just wished his team would hurry up and do the work (a.k.a. use his work style), how he couldn’t understand why it took them longer to “get it” (a.k.a. apply his modus operandi), and how frustrated he was that they still couldn’t produce better results under his “management” (a.k.a. why the same ol’ same ol’ wasn’t working). Oy.
The Manager’s True Duty
The primary job of any manager, regardless of which rung you occupy on the company ladder, is to provide your employees with the tools, training and room they need to do their work. Otherwise, why not just go ahead and do it all yourself? Oh, you’re trying to do that now, you say, because you’re afraid it won’t get done correctly? How’s that working for you?
For those managers who are trying to same techniques over and over expecting different results, I challenge you to try these five steps to create a more productive workforce… and less stress for yourself.
1. Set the Bar High & Measure
We will strive for that place where the bar is set. Think about it. When we set goals and expectations high and hold ourselves and our teams accountable, we accomplish more. As a manager, when you continually accept mediocre results as the norm that’s about all your team will produce. Invite your team into the conversation about goals. Be clear about what is expected of them, how you will contribute, how you will measure success. Then do it. Revisit your goals and where that bar is set on a regular basis and don’t be afraid to adjust as necessary. But keep it high and watch new and improved outcomes replace mediocrity.
2. Uncover Hidden Talents
You’ve set the bar, detailed your goals, discussed how success will be measured. But it’s easy to pigeonhole employees based on job descriptions and lists of duties and responsibilities. They may even be highly skilled at doing what the job description says. And traditional management will keep them there as long as the results are, well, OK. What if, just what if, you considered who the right person was for each task based on their natural talents? Eureka, now that’s different! But how do you uncover those talents? For starters, Kolbe Wisdom™ helps us understand how each of us naturally solves problems and takes action. Uncover your employees natural instincts (their unique MO) and put them to work using those innate talents. When you try it, think you might get different results? In fact, I guarantee if you take time to uncover hidden talents and make assignments based on who can accomplish each function most naturally (and efficiently), you will get different — better! — results.
3. Assess Roles
You have your goals, your metrics and now understand who can get the work done most efficiently. Uh oh… you think some people are in the “wrong” roles? Can you ask them to do a different job than what they were hired to do? And you might have to spend time building new job descriptions? Yes, yes and yes. Consider who is the best person to play each role to get the work accomplished most efficiently based on their strengths and talents. When they work against their grain, so to speak, it takes more energy and produced more stress and less-than-best results. Rearrange roles to make the best use of those talents and *poof* you will have more productive, more engaged employees. Yes, it takes a time investment up front. But it will make your job easier in the end. Did you hear that? It will MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER to have the right people in the right roles. How? Because as you put the right people in the right roles, your team will be more productive (get more done), more efficient (more done faster) and more effective (produce better results). Why wouldn’t you try that?
4. Empower Them
Ask them what else they need to get the job done to meet the goal you’ve established together. Then listen… really listen to what they need and work with them and other leaders to give them what they need — training, tools and room to experiment and make mistakes. When you do this you will be creating a culture of empowerment and begin to give decision-making skills and power to employees. Now that IS different.
5. Move It or Lose It
Set the goals, uncover hidden strengths, put the right people in the right roles, give them what they need to get the job done… then GET OUT OF THE WAY. Imagine a day when your direct reports aren’t coming to you to make every single decision no matter how small. Will you be less frustrated, less exhausted? Maybe even more productive yourself?
Seriously, man: stop the insanity! You’ve been banging your head against a wall, losing your mind long engough.
