New Year,
New View
(By Melinda
Pittman)
The new
year is here, but have you considered different ideas and
new ways of thinking to help you become more successful in
2007? The race
is on, the goals have been set, the challenges are before
you, and yet you find yourself with the same staff of
employees as last year. So how does it
look? Or like
Dr. Phil says “So how’s that working for you?” I think we’d all
like to do better at life and at work, but how can that be
accomplished?
Some might
find that everything looks great, but others may not be so
sure. So here’s
a challenge: “How do you view your current staff/employees
so that the outcome of your objectives for this year exceed
your expectations?”
That’s right, just looking at the same situation and
the same people in a different manner can help you to reach
your goals and even surpass
them.
Your employees as
‘allies’
This
concept may seem a bit foreign, but try viewing your
employees as “allies.”
Allies don’t even have to like each other, but they
can have a common purpose or goal. They might have
different ideas, opinions, and philosophies that don’t
always line up, but allies will work together for the
purpose of helping the team. Thinking of your
employees as allies WILL build your
team.
As
employment guru Dale Dauten states in his latest book,
How Gifted Bosses Hire and De-Hire Their Way to
Success, “There is a commitment not just to an
employment relationship, but to one another, to a lifelong
alliance to talent.”
This alliance and this bond between employees can be
created in all industries, from Healthcare to Manufacturing
to Information
Technology.
Here’s a
suggestion that will help you to build a team of
allies. Spend
time with each individual, but not inside the confines of
the office.
Take them out to lunch. Something happens
when people share a meal together, in this case, something
that will help to build unity and trust. Depending upon the
size of your staff, this could take a while, but what you’ll
learn along the way will be
incredible.
Ask them
how they’re doing (and listen carefully to their
answer). Ask
them about their family, their spouse, their children,
etc.
Eventually, progress to business-related questions,
such as, “If you could change one thing about your situation
here that would make you more productive or happy, what
would it be?”
Some of the answers you receive might deal with the
need for more flexible hours, more autonomy in their current
position, more training, additional tools, a change in role,
or even a transfer to a different
department.
In
addition, ask them about abilities you might not know about,
talents they may have but aren’t using in their current
position.
Perhaps you’ll discover hidden talents in the areas
of writing, organization, analysis, technical abilities,
etc. Discover
the strategic and creative traits of your existing
employees, and you may well discover their motivation! Utilize their
talents to fill in the gaps, and watch the energy build with
your team.
You’ll never know unless you ask. Present these
questions in a casual fashion, however. Don’t make it seem
as though you’re unhappy with their present
performance.
Express
interest in their personal situation, as well as their
professional situation, and how you can help to improve
both. By doing
this, you’re showing that you want to invest in them as
employees, which is very important. Not everybody is
looking for more financial compensation. Most people want to
feel as though they are a valuable part of the team and that
they can contribute to a winning
effort.
And
remember, in addition to creating a situation where
employees are happier and more productive, you’re greatly
improving your company’s retention rate at the same
time.
Putting together
the pieces
Be sure to
write down all of the information that you gather from these
informal lunch sessions. This information,
most of which you probably weren’t aware of beforehand, is
crucial to your future success. It contains the
pieces of the puzzle, and putting those pieces together in
the correct fashion can unlock your team’s true
potential.
Here’s
another tip, one geared toward giving you more flexibility
to put together the best puzzle possible. If you have an
employee who would be better suited in another area of the
department or company or who would be better suited to
part-time hours, hire a contractor or temp worker to fill
the gaps and relieve the pressure. Considering the big
picture and how much more productive your team will be, this
is a wise (and in the long term) low-cost investment that
can pay big dividends.
According
to the December 28 issue of Kennedy’s Recruiting
Trends newsletter, “When it comes to reduced load
arrangements, there are several key benefits that your
company may reap [from hiring contractors], including
greater productivity, less turnover, cost savings, and
co-worker relationship development.” Utilize contractors
and temporary personnel for not only these issues, but also
to help combat employee burnout. (If you have
specific questions regarding the hiring of contractors, I’d
be happy to answer them for
you.)
Anybody can
transform a group of employees into a team of
allies—executives, directors, managers, supervisors,
etc. If you can
build a united front with your team members, you’re well on
your way to eclipsing the goals you’ve set for yourself in
2007.
Let’s make
it the best year yet!
(Once you
believe you have the correct pieces, you’ve assembled those
pieces correctly, and you have a definite plan of action,
then what? How
do you implement your plan and how do you work toward making
your employees true allies? In next month’s
issue, we’ll discuss some of the ways you can accomplish
this, as well as the long-term benefits associated with
maximizing the talents, abilities, and potential of the
employees you currently have on your
team.)
© Copyright
2007
