In
our last few issues, we’ve discussed the current
state of the economy and the fact that obtaining skilled
workers is more difficult as Baby Boomers retire, fewer
people are available in the overall workforce, and unemployment
is hovering at or near all-time lows. Since there
isn’t much you can do about the unemployment rate
or the number of people retiring, let’s concentrate
on something you can do something about—your own
department.
Your
long-term success may be determined by the people you
manage and the teams you assemble, organize, and develop. Look
over your staff, evaluate its strengths and weaknesses,
and determine if you’ve been able to attract and
retain the top performers in your industry. If
not, the first person who may need to change their thought
process is you!
In
our last issue, we discussed the attitude of making employees
your allies and working together toward established and
agreed upon, measurable goals. Let’s explore
some of the specifics of how to do that.
Within
an organization, you are given performance targets to
achieve and numbers to reach.
You know that you need the best staff working for you in
order to achieve your group goals. Following the logic
of looking for top performers, the first question to ask
is, “Why would a top person want to work on my team?” That
question gives you a great perspective on how your department
is organized and whether or not you can attract top people.
A
manager vs. a leader
What kind of a manager are you? What is the
difference between management and leadership?
It’s been said that a good manager enforces policies,
rules, and details so that goals can be achieved. A
leader, on the other hand, inspires people to be responsible
to create and expand their positions, enabling them to achieve
set goals and beyond.
Employment
Guru Dale Dauten’s most recent book, How Gifted
Bosses Hire and De-hire Their Way to Success, details
what it means to be an exceptional manager (or should
we say leader?), what he terms a “gifted boss.”
While
interviewing top managers around the country, Dauten noticed
that they still had turnover. Some of their best
employees were leaving for great jobs, while some less
talented people were leaving “because the gifted
boss was escorting them out, usually with such grace that
they gladly moved on to a position better suited to their
gifts." This, in Gifted Bosses, is called “de-hiring.” And
as Dauten sees it, “with firing, struggling or difficult
employees are being told to leave. With de-hiring, those
same employees are invited to stay, but only if the conditions
are right for the person and the team.”
Establishing
a standard of what Dauten calls “GEO” (Great
Employees Only), a gifted boss supports his team and
establishes a high level of accomplishment and achievement
for all the people on that team.
If
you have a person who is not happy and you can’t
salvage them as a productive employee, then do all you
can to assist them in finding a better position where they
will be happier. This involves no blame or fault finding,
but an honest effort to support them in what they enjoy
doing. If you have a sincere desire to help them,
you can save your relationship, and if they can transfer
to another group within your company, you can also retain
a happy employee. In addition, you’ll also
open up a position in your organization that can be filled
by a possibly outstanding person.
Surprisingly,
Dauten also noted that the gifted bosses he observed
were not brutally demanding bosses, firing anyone who
made a mistake, but “lovably demanding bosses” who
looked out for and genuinely cared for the people working
for them to ensure they were where they wanted to be. So,
to have “leadership success,” 90% of what
you do is hire and de-hire, while the other 10% is to
inspire the team you’ve developed. This goes
well beyond production meetings designed to push the
numbers in your department, but rather involves an understanding
of each individual and what’s important to them,
as well as working with them to achieve their goals.
Blow
past your goals for 2007
So, how do you bring exceptional people into your department? Very
simply, you get what you deserve! You need to be the person
who will attract those people, and you need to develop an
organization that provides opportunities for people to excel. If
you’re satisfied with an organization that does average
work and has a level playing field for all employees, you’ll
attract average people. If, however, you make it your
goal to have outstanding opportunities for stellar people,
those people will be drawn to your organization. Performance-based
pay, to some degree, assists in attracting top people, but
you also need to be the manager who appreciates what people
can contribute and then support them in their efforts.
Another
benefit to developing an organization that exceeds its
performance goals is that your group begins to gain a
positive reputation within your company. Second, the
accomplishments of individual members, the group overall,
and you as a manager will earn you bragging rights, as
well. And finally, it also enables your group to attract
even more top performers, each with a passion to succeed. This
process perpetuates itself, and your success becomes
contagious!
Treating
employees as allies is the first step toward building your “dream
team.” Becoming a gifted boss and leader is
next, and creating the proper environment, one that attracts
top talent, will enable you to realize the full potential
of your employees and their ability to work together. If
done correctly, you won’t just meet your production
goals for 2007; you’ll blow right past them. And
in the process, you’ll be cultivating the type of
work atmosphere and environment where excellence is the
rule, not the exception.
(While
attracting top performers begins with you and your
ability to create the right team and an attractive
environment for star candidates, there are also other
factors involved in the equation. If you truly
want to become a company where top performers clamor
to get in the door, you must be versed in the “WIIFM” principle—more
specifically “What’s In It For Me?” In
next month’s issue, we’ll examine this
principle and discuss ways you can use it to ensure
that your team is composed of the people you need to
take your production, and your company, to the next
level.)
©
Copyright 2007
We’re Planning Newsletter Topics for 2007
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