Managers don’t manage things; they manage people. The definition of management is accomplishing a task through other people. So many managers I have met believe that they tell their employees what to do, but that the folks in the human resources department should just come in and clean up the mess if the employees don’t cooperate.
Not so fast. To be an effective manager, you must master the skills that allow your employees to see you as someone who cares for them, but expects them to be the professional they portray themselves as being.
The most common reason employees leave a company is dissatisfaction or outright conflict with their direct supervisor. Your job is to retain these employees while at the same time keeping up production and quality standards. So how can you do this?
Start by treating your employees like the professionals you want them to become. Recognize their contributions often and immediately upon discovery. This is not an easy task to master, but it is the vital first step in turning around a problematic operation.
Determine whether you are portraying a demeanor that says, “I know you will do the job properly.” Your tone of voice, body language, and the things you say to each employee and others must display that you will accept only the best from someone and that you know they intend to deliver their best. This will take practice, and you will make some mistakes along the way, but eventually your staff will come to accept your view of them as valuable contributors to your company’s success.
The second part to treating your staff like professionals is to recognize their contributions. This requires being aware of the work they are doing and immediately recognizing them for their achievements. Positive reinforcement should be used when their work is a step above their usual output in quality, timeliness, or quantity. Seemingly small gestures of appreciation keep a positive feeling in an employee’s mind, such as
saying ‘thank you’ to someone who brought you a fax that you had not been expecting, but needed to see as soon as it arrived.
You may not realize it, but your employees are aware of your needs and moods and key off of both. They will stay out of the way if you demonstrate anger or frustration, possibly keeping vital information from you for fear of having this frustration directed at them when they are attempting to inform you of something. Because they are watching you, they are in a unique position to help you when you need it, and will often do so without being asked. It is at these times that you must recognize their efforts. To do this effectively, you must be aware of what they are doing so that you can recognize when they have done something for you, and you must take swift advantage of the opportunity to thank them. Doing so will come across as sincere to that employee. Timing is the best demonstration of your sincerity. The closer to the event, the more genuine the praise feels to your staff, and the greater the value an employee will place on it.
Along with the positive reinforcement tools I have described above, you need to have a well thought out job description for each person/position that you manage. This job description should include the standard duties of the position, any production volumes expected, and any quality requirements for the output of this position. Your document also should include the reporting structure, and a statement that it is not an all-inclusive description, but one that is subject to change by management as the business requires.
This job description is very important because it spells out the expectations of this position in clear quantifiable language. A bullet point like, “Produces 45+ units per day with a quality level of 95% accuracy or greater” leaves little question of what is expected. Unfortunately, many companies are doing away with performance-based compensation packages that are tied directly to this description. One way an employee used to gain a feeling of success was to see a bonus in his paycheck that directly related to exceeding production and quality expectations. You must find creative ways to praise these achievements when they occur or the positive behavior that you desire will not sustained.
As the manager, you can have the fantasy that the person that was put into this position is able to meet the minimum acceptable levels of performance; however, the reality is that you will have to do some initial and remedial training during this person’s tenure with the company. A well thought out training plan with modules that can be taught as stand-alone courses or as part of the initial training program will be required to create and maintain a solid understanding of the principles and functions of the position. Seek out the help of your company trainer and/or human resources team for materials and training for yourself in this area.
In some companies, where all of the employees are in the same area, a professional trainer performs training. In other companies with branches spread out over long distances, the manager is expected to perform the training. It is up to you to know what resources are available and to use them effectively, whether there is a professional trainer available or not.
A question I am often get asked by supervisors is, “What do I do when I have trained and retrained an employee, given thanks and praise when appropriate, and still they are not performing up to the standards of the position?”
The fact is some people are not properly suited for the positions they hold. They get into the position because they have the proper credentials on paper, or because they performed well in another position in the company, or just because of a poor hiring decision. However this employee ended up in your department, you now have a decision to make. Is this person salvageable, or does he need to be dismissed?
Part of your responsibility as the manager or supervisor is to practice consistent documentation of your efforts and the resulting performance of the employee so that your managers can properly assess the actions of the employee in a clear, unbiased manner. Your company should have guidelines as to what is to be documented and when, and they will require that this documentation be submitted for review prior to taking any type of job action with a problem employee. Check with your supervisor and human resource professionals for guidance in this area. Documentation can be in the form of reports you submit to your superiors, emails, journal notes, formal memos or anything that states your efforts to train, coach, and counsel this employee, and their resulting performance results.
Remember that dismissal is not the only answer in many companies today. There are often reassignment options available, depending on the employees demonstrated skill sets. Your documentation can aid in making the correct choice for this employees future, as well as the company's. If this problem employee can be moved into an area that better fits his interests and abilities, it is a win-win situation for both parties. Use the insights you have gained to help this employee. You will gain the respect of both that employee and your managers, and you will go home at the end of the day with a feeling of accomplishment and a certain amount of job satisfaction.
About TML Business Services LLC
TML Business Services LLC has over 27 years of senior management experience and more than 12 years of strategic business analysis and project implementation experience. We have been providing risk analysis and software integration services to business and government agencies since 1998 and are available to discuss your needs with you. No two engagements are alike and using our proven methodology, we can provide the level of service your company is seeking. Contact TML Business Services LLC today and get started on a path to realizing your company's vision!