5 things managers should do (but probably aren’t)

Bosses want more, every manager wants more – and of course the team wants more too. These wants get expressed as a call for more output, accuracy, loyalty or whatever on one side, and more money or other benefits on the other.

There’s a limit to how far you can go with this, as some companies in the tech zones are starting to find out – if you give staff all the benefits they want you end up without much working time left in the week. 

So here are five things you should be doing as a manager to engage and motivate your team and get more back in return.

#1 Tell less, ask more

When you tell someone what to do you are working from your own picture of the world, and they obviously don’t share that picture – if they did, they wouldn’t need telling what to do in the first place.  The first step in getting a shared picture is to ask – and listen carefully to the reply – at least as much as you tell. Where there are inconsistencies, errors or holes in the two views of the problem, go on asking and listening until there is agreement.

Unless you do this you will probably be seeing the work in different ways, and trying to achieve different things, but once you have the same picture you will be more likely to have the same aims.

#2 Beware of language

We have our own flavour of meaning for most words, particularly the abstract ones, so it’s easy to think you mean the same as someone else when actually you don’t.  If you ever get the feeling that there’s something vague or obscure about the way someone is talking, insist on unpacking every term that is used into solid, everyday words that relate to real things.  In the end we want to know who is going to do what, by when, with what, and why will they want to do it.  No flowery language needed.

Once you start unpacking language like this you will be amazed to discover how much scope there is for people to have fundamental differences of understanding – but think they are on the same page.

#3 Look behind the words

Words are not the main way people express what’s going on inside them, and the feelings they try to convey are more important than the words themselves in any case. So think about what people are trying to express, even if it isn’t explicit in the language.  This applies particularly if they are upset, when words can become almost useless.

You might as well try to argue with your dog as with someone who is angry, but show them you understand what they’re angry about and dialogue can begin.

#4 Focus on the future

We almost always know when we have made a mistake, and most of us would like not to make it again.  Learning new behaviour is more useful than going over stuff that didn’t work, and being embarrassed isn’t conducive to learning.  So move on, ask for their picture of what happened and then move on to how it could work better next time, who would do what differently, what would it be like to be doing whatever-it-was in a way that worked really well, and what would that be like?

This reduces upset and focuses people on the desired behaviour, rather than leaving the dysfunctional pattern in their mind.

#5 Give credit

People need to know they have done well, it’s one of the reasons they work. I know the money comes in handy but, other things being equal, most people would prefer a job where they get regular feedback on what they’re doing well.  It doesn’t just give you a warm glow, it makes you more loyal, increases your chances of learning and growing in your post, and makes you more likely to be an ambassador for your company.

The sense of competence that comes from being acknowledged in this is one of the main factors that motivate people to work hard and enjoy their working life.

# More management tips?

If you want more management tips, take a look at Piers Bishop’s Bookboon eBook “Working With Humans”.

Give your managers a short cut to the most effective personal development plans and information that will quickly boost employee motivation, performance and results: simply click on http://www.performancereviewpro.com/bookboon-lp/