Just recently, an esteemed retail multinational (did I give away the clue?) asked me to work with them on creating a mentoring program for their Business Unit Managers. As I started to work on my framework I felt the need to share with you some of the insights I had while making this program. Though my subject matter was focused relatively on mentoring, one question kept popping in my mind that I am sure most of you would love to have the answer to:
How do I make my employees do what I want them to do?
Looks like a very simple question at hindsight.
Isn’t that in the Job Description?
Go ask HR dummy.
But most of the time the problem is we say something, and it totally gets lost in translation so much that the results are totally different from the original instruction. We say everyone wears white and one person or two wear red, or we say “Hep hep!” while some would say “Hooray!” Bummer.
Is it a case of bad communication, incompetence or learning aptitude? Did I say it in English, French or Swahili? Or is it a lack of common sense? (I mentioned common sense in a previous blog and it’s not very common believe me)
Well before you go banging your head on the wall thinking of what to do let me give you several tips on how to make your team follow your lead.
First, the contribution of any member of a team is influenced by two factors: Commitment and competence. Assuming that the reason you hired that person was based on their credentials (which opens a totally different topic all together, but I’ll save that for some other time) then I will be safe to believe they are competent. They probably have acquired the technical skills to fulfill the job requirements. So why then, can’t they deliver the goods? Take note I didn’t use “bring home the bacon” because 1.) I haven’t had bacon since sixth grade and 2.) Would you be happy if someone brought you bacon or a Baconator?
Let’s talk about commitment.
I can with all honestly say from years of being employed that commitment is a form of energy. It is the energy you put in to work extra hours, to come in on weekends or to continually polish that sales presentation. People have different energy levels when at work dependent on their levels of commitment. Some of us jump out of bed excited to face the day’s work while most of us are already spent even before punching in. So how do we raise our team’s energy levels thereby their commitment levels as well?
Let me tell you a secret.
Although there have been so many leadership and motivational philosophies out there on how to create excellent teams and organizations, I found one that constructs the backbone of all of them.
Ernest Becker wrote what I believe is the most important theory on motivation. He postulated that man is driven by an essential “Dualism” hence the name of the theory. He observed that man is motivated to perform by two things:
1.) the need to belong to a significant group and:
2.) the need to stick out and make his mark.
Though Becker’s theory looks somewhat opposing for saying man wants to blend in then eventually protrude it actually makes perfect sense! And this is where most companies miss out one of those characteristics or everything at once.
Following the theory of Dualism let me give you three steps in making your employees do what you want them to do based also on the process of mentoring:
1.) Begin with the end in mind what end results does the organization, management and employee
want to achieve? Are they aligned and balanced? Are they specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound? The essential first step of mentoring is to make each member of the team understand what they need to improve on, and the timeline in which to do it.
Are we working in an environment that projects excellence, integrity and innovation for everyone to see or do we cultivate mediocrity, greed and inferiority? Ask yourself “would I recommend to others looking for a rewarding career to apply in this company?”
Do we clarify and involve our team players in the goal setting process? How does your organization define achievement, and what are the criteria for reaching it? Make a checklist of skills, behavior and tasks to be completed on a specified time frame.
Are we as well clear on what we want to achieve or are our goals as clear as a Lindsay Lohan urine test?
2.) Play into their strengths the second part of the Dualism theory is one of the most important
motivational reasons for an employee. Some people resign from their companies because they feel they are underappreciated and under utilized. Do you establish a delegation system that maximizes the potential of your core players? And in the event that they perform within and beyond expectations, do you have a rewards and recognition program that ensure they stick out?
Another important factor in this piece of advice is the ability to provide constant feedback on their performance particularly for the Gen Y employees. For the older generations they can say while there’s no smoke there’s no fire but not for the Millenials who are more results driven and obviously more technological. The myths surrounding today's young employees are not always what they seem. Attitudes toward work, life, loyalty, and respect have all changed, but each is still considered valuable. In fact, some of the demands made by today's youth are creating positive benefits for employees in every generation.
Flexibilty and respect for the individual, as well as the organization, are good for everyone. Loyalty from younger employees, once earned, is long-lasting. The adjustments you make to accommodate the changing attitudes of today's youth will be returned to you tenfold with decreased turnover, improved morale, and measurable business results.
Once you do recognize their strengths, do you also offer regular training and growth?
Consistent with step # 1 providing vital pieces of advice towards improvement plays a huge role in a person’s strengths and career development.
3.) Evaluate then approximate There are several assumptions on why an employee is deemed a
problem employee. Most noteworthy are 1.) Lack of chemistry 2.) Mismatch in skills versus position and 3.) Lack of motivation.
Should you have steps 1 and 2 in place but still encounter dissent in some sectors, try to address the issues of chemistry and positioning especially with raw, talented newcomers. A notable observation about corporate cultures is that it is either created by the dominant founding members or influenced by the newer, younger subculture.
Evaluate which of the two are not the right fit then establish the amount of training, mentoring and guidance that person needs to eventually blend in. The amount of time and effort needed to develop each member depends on their experience, priorities, aptitude and willingness. Some may take much more time than others so be careful not to lose touch with your other priorities and members.
Most times people don’t do what we tell them to do because they don’t know what we want we want them to do. Being a manager, leader or friend is all encapsulated in the skills of mentoring, it is then our task to identify and connect with each of the three steps on how as Francis Kong would say:
“BE AN ENLARGER” (read here) http://franciskong.com/personal/become-an-enlarger/#more-1062
I don’t think anyone comes to work and say “How can I be a failure today?” or “How can I mope around noticeably to get that promotion?” It’s for us to sift through all that noise to find out.
Who knows? Maybe the problem is not them, it’s us.
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