by Stephen Rice — Last month my friend Ted told me that he was quitting his job after nine years. It seemed his new boss could not relate to the staff. He referenced tendencies like always working with his door closed, little or no interaction with the staff, no staff input and incredibly poor communication skills. Sounds like a very likeable guy, right?
Every leader faces undue pressure today. You know the cry, “Less people and more demands to get the work done.” In my travels I witness many leaders that are passionate about their work. They are incredibly competent and well learned. The problem is that they are not nearly as passionate toward the people they lead. There’s an old saying in the Human Resources universe, “Employees leave managers, not companies.”
Many of these trends have been around forever, but in recent years leaders have become more results driven and less employee driven. I often argue that leaders actually do care but have never learned the proper protocols for employee interaction and development. Let’s change that perspective by reviewing how leaders can better connect with the employees they lead.
Employee Development is Critical for Growth
I have analyzed more than 200 performance management programs and less than 10 percent of them have an employee development component. Companies spend countless hours developing the perfect performance evaluation instrument but virtually ignore employee development. While a performance appraisal is valuable and critical for letting employees know where they stand compared to what is expected, it merely provides a retrospective analysis of the past. Employee development is a focus on the future and how a leader and the employee can collectively work towards maximizing their potential. A development plan is about skills development. It’s more of a prospective analysis of what needs to be done in the future to make an employee more valuable to the organization. It has nothing to do with new performance goals but rather actions that can be implemented to better prepare an employee for the future. Leaders are evaluators during appraisal time but become coaches and mentors with employee development initiatives.
Focus on Real Motivators
Many leaders suggest that increased compensation, better benefits, more perks and new job titles actually have a long-term impact on employee motivation. Noted psychologist Fredrik Herzberg dubbed these company hygiene factors. Studies have proven that these factors have little or no positive impact on improving employee satisfaction. In fact in one study, only 19 percent of employees admitted to being more motivated by the presence of hygiene factors.
If you want to create real impact, try recognizing employees for the effort they put forth and not just the results. Their journey is what creates the actual results. Show appreciation for what employees do every day. Thank them for working hard. And make it sincere. Employees can spot insincerity a mile away.
Provide opportunities for increased responsibilities when possible. Change the game plans and create new forums to increase overall efficiencies. This essentially re-energizes employees and helps foster their own internal motivation. And once that happens they won’t have to rely on their leader to do it.
Make work fun and enjoyable. Did you know that more than half of your employees are looking for a better job this very moment? How much of that has to do with the daily drudgery of routine that is unfulfilling and monotonous? Effective leaders keep it fresh.
When you take a look at these motivators you may conclude that the cost of implementation is virtually nothing. All it takes is time and a commitment to get better as a team. Yet some leaders would rather fight to increase the 401(k) match thinking that is what will turn morale around. Dedicate some quality time on the REAL motivators and you will see changes like never before.
Maximize Contribution and Satisfaction
While we all would like to suggest that our employees perform at a level of maximum contribution, we would readily admit that employees actually perform at various levels. The same goes for satisfaction. Some employees are very satisfied while others loathe their job. Effective leaders understand this and work hard attempting to identify how employees feel at work, not only their tangible performance.
So if I asked you on a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being the most effective) to rate your employees in terms of overall contribution, could you do that? My guess is that you most likely could. And if I asked you to rate your employees on the same 1-10 scale in terms of their level of satisfaction on the job, could you do that? Many leaders have a tough time doing this simply because they are not in tune with how employees feel about what they are doing at work. They are more focused on results. And yet, satisfaction is a major driver of contribution.
The challenge here is to constantly be aware of where employees live. That becomes the basis for developing new initiatives to increase satisfaction and contribution. But remember that every employee has a different starting point. That’s precisely why employee goals need to focus on what is more important, increasing satisfaction, contribution or both.
Create a Synergistic Work Environment
Ever wonder why the most talented team rarely wins the Super Bowl or World Series? It’s the team that functions best as a unit. A team that helps each player performs their best. Work is no different. The best leaders work on team-based environments every day. They ask for fresh ideas. Mere talent means nothing. I have a daughter in her sophomore year in college. She’s currently interning at a record publishing company in downtown New York, doing mostly grunt work. But yet she is asked to attend every staff meeting to listen to new company strategies. And she is often asked for her input. Priceless!
Spend Quality Time When Recruiting
Leaders need to remember that they are in the recruiting business for life. There needs to be a constant charge to hire the best talent. The pitfall to avoid though is to refrain from hiring employees based on your own values and behavior. Effective leaders welcome a diverse group of employees that think differently and maybe even look different. Learn to embrace differences and change. Resumes mean little or nothing. Ask yourself, “How does this candidate fit the job specs?”
The reality is that leaders have a tough job today. Their bosses and bosses’ bosses are placing extraordinary demands on the need for results. So it’s easy to see why they have precious little time when it comes to connecting with employees. But the results are so much more debilitating when leaders are too work driven and not employee driven enough. Change the way you lead and you will change the way your team performs.
About the Author: Stephen Rice is Founder and President of PerforMAX, Inc., an employee development company based in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey. For more information on his programs and services visit www.performax-inc.com.