Give Your Staff A Spark
By Michael Mink, Investor’s Business Daily
Effective leadership can result in a stronger bottom line and account for up to 70% of an employee’s job satisfaction. With that comes increased productivity and better employee retention.
To be a supervisor who brings out the best in people, incorporate the following:
Be clear. Communicate company goals, says Peter Stark, co-author of “The Only Leadership Book You’ll Ever Need: How to Build Organizations Where Employees Love to Come to Work.”
Stark suggests a litmus test: “Ask (employees) on the front line what their three to five goals are and how their goals align to the (company’s) vision. When people are clear on the bull’s-eye, they will be much more productive and efficient.”
Always train. Be supportive of employees when they aren’t living up to their potential. Bob Nelson, co-author of “Ubuntu!: An Inspiring Story About an African Tradition of Teamwork and Collaboration,” says leaders should focus on what employees learned, rather than on what they did wrong.
“If you punish and embarrass them, you will crush their willingness to take a risk or trust their best judgment in the next situation,” he said, adding that much goodwill can be compromised with “a single action, snide comment or discourteous tone.”
Hank Moore, author of “The Business Tree: Growth Strategies and Tactics for Surviving and Thriving,” says most workers who don’t perform up to standard aren’t fully informed. “Ninety percent of mistakes are made because of wrong instructions. Failure to communicate and provide training on the front end proves (costlier) to business in the long-run,” he told IBD.
Set a hands-on example. Great leaders, Nelson said, “are known for rolling up their sleeves and digging in as called for, and such efforts endear people to you as you model the role you expect every member of the team to take.”
Listen. Focus on what others are saying, Nelson said: “Collect the facts as they are best known, and then be decisive about acting on the situation.”
Give credit, take responsibility. When legendary football coach Bear Bryant was once asked his secret for winning games, he said, “When we win, the players made it happen; when we have some success, we did it together; and if we lose, it’s all my fault.”
Challenge people. Don’t limit employees to their job titles.
“Encourage them to think of ways to improve their work or come up with new solutions and products that will make the organization even more competitive,” Stark said.
Reward great performance. Make top-performing employees feel valued for their work.
“Ensure that the highest performers earn the best wages when compared to others who do the same type of work,” Stark said.
It doesn’t always have to be about money, says Nelson, who also wrote “1001 Ways to Reward Employees.” His advice: Ask employees what they value most, then match the reward to achievement.
When leaders stay focused on positive management practices, Stark said, “the result will be employees who feel they are treated fairly, feel valued and have higher levels of trust with management. The outcome of these positive feelings is higher retention levels with a greater number of employees saying, ‘I love my job,’ (which is) priceless!”
This article was originally published in Investor’s Business Daily. Read the original article here.
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Filed Under: In the News, Peter's Blog on May 12th, 2010
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