By Christine Corelli
Throughout my career as a speaker, consultant and trainer, I have discovered attitudes and behaviors on the part of management that can seriously impede an organization’s success. Although many of these are not blatant, their impact is inevitably poor morale, disgruntled employees, low productivity, dissatisfied customers, and a stressful working environment.
Your main purpose is to help lead your organization into a more successful future. You can excel as a manager by being proactive and avoiding mistakes managers make that can reduce productivity and profitability and create unengaged teams.
Mistake #1. Failure to lead by example and to recognize that to motivate people to follow your lead, you must first gain their respect.
“You can buy a person’s time. You can even buy their skilled muscular motions per hour.
But you can’t buy their loyalty or the devotion of their hearts and souls.
These you must EARN.”
Clarence Francis
Mistake #2. Failure to ask questions and to listen.
Regular internal meetings, employee focus groups and leadership advisory councils are always a good idea. In addition, you also need to get out from behind your desk and talk “one-on-one” with managers, supervisors, employees, salespeople, and other professionals in the field.
Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. You’ll discover ideas, solutions to problems, and opportunities that, if acted upon, will improve your operations. You’ll find new ways to handle procedures, policies, employee morale, and customer care. This will, in turn, help you increase sales. Make it a habit to ask questions, such as:
• “How’s your job going?”
• “Have you had any problems or issues I should know about?”
• “What are customers telling you?”
• “What would you recommend?”
• “What are your thoughts?”
• “Is there anything I can do to help you?”
• “How can we solve this together?”
• “Do you have any ideas?”
• “Are we doing our part to help you keep your customers?
• Is there anything I should know about? ”(Ask this often – one on one!)
As you listen, be sure to use your ears and your eyes. Does their body language reflect that they mean what they say? If not, you need to gently probe with questions, such as those that follow.
Questions…
• “Can you tell me more?”
• “What, exactly, do you think happened?”
• “What do you think might be holding things back?”
• “Do you think someone dropped the ball?”
• Be responsive
Keep this in mind. If your corporate culture encourages employees to come forth with problems and solutions, you need to be responsive to them. If you don’t listen, your people will stop sharing their thoughts. Even worse, you will end up managing people who are like robots—going through the motions of their jobs without putting their hearts and souls into their work. Why? Because they feel they don’t have a voice in what is happening around them. They will believe that if they talk, no one will listen.
• Take a personal interest
Remember, it’s critical to always take a personal interest in your staff. Even something as simple as asking, “How’s your family?” will let someone know you care about them as individuals.
• Take twenty
Too busy? Too much on your plate? That goes without saying. Most professionals today have too much to do. If you can find just twenty minutes a day to talk one-on-one with people, you’ll see how it will make an impact on those you lead. You’ll also demonstrate “hands-on” leadership!
• Take what your customers say seriously
Customers are the lifeblood of your company. Make habit to ask questions, such as:
• “How’s your business doing?”
• “How has our company been taking care of you?”
• “How is our product / service performing for you?”
• “Do you have any questions or concerns?”
• “Is there anything more we can do for you?”
• “How’s your family?”
Remember: When it comes to your staff and your customers,
“Quality Relationships Breed Long Term Profitability.”
• Stay “You Focused”
Perhaps you’ve noticed that all the questions I recommend have the word “you” in them. This demonstrates that you genuinely care about the person you are talking to and what his or her issues might be.
Mistake #3. Failure to communicate effectively.
Failing to keep your people informed with honest and “open” communication will not help you to excel in your managerial role. You must clearly articulate and communicate the following:
• Expectations
• What direction the company is headed and WHY
• Why you must institute change, and why everyone must do things differently from the past
• What you expect, want, and need from them
• Why it’s going to take the whole team to make it happen
• How “territorialism” will hold the company back
• How each and every one of them plays an important role in the success of the company
• What you can and cannot do for them
• How “together” you can accomplish your goals and that you are there to roll up your sleeves
//to help them do it
• Why you need them to put forth their best performance each day
• Why it’s important to have their input and ideas
• Why they must believe in the company, its products/services/ people and themselves, and
that YOU believe in it.
• Why they must believe you can accomplish your goals, and if you don’t, it won’t be for lack
of trying your hardest
• How much appreciate their hard work, even if you don’t tell them every day.
Mistake # 4. Failure to motivate without fear
Motivating by fear is a technique that, thankfully, went out with the typewriter. Yet, I still hear people complain about bosses who make them feel as though they are working with an ax over their heads. Many people I interview also tell me they feel underappreciated. Motivate your people with dynamic leadership skills. Bring out the best in them. Recognize, reward, encourage, appreciate and coach them. Think back to your school days. Wasn’t there a teacher who inspired you to reach your full potential? Help your staff reach theirs. Energize them with positive energy, and keep them inspired. The key to keeping people motivated is to
“Make people feel they are working WITH you, and not for you.”
Give credit where credit is due. Make sure your employees feel that they are a critical part of your company. Show them you care as much about them as you care about your profits.
Mistake #5. Failure to check your assumptions
You will be making a big mistake if you simply assume that your people are doing the right thing. There’s a wide gap between micromanaging and making the broad assumption that everyone knows what to do and is doing it right.
It’s your job as a manager to stay on top of things and oversee what your people are doing. If you don’t, and simply make an assumption that everything is running smoothly, you could be in for trouble. If a problem occurs, you will take the heat for sure. This is especially true if there are legal ramifications. Always explain that you are not trying to micromanage and that you trust your staff, but, because you are ultimately accountable, you need to keep a close eye on what is going on. In reality your staff will thank you for it. They will expect and appreciate your involvement—as long as you allow them freedom and are not too heavy-handed.
Mistake #6. Failure to encourage creativity
I’ve seen many managers destroy creativity by shooting down ideas or not involving their people in decision-making. Today’s workers need to stay creatively charged. If they aren’t engaged, they will not be as productive.
Ignite the fire in them to use their own creativity to come up with solutions to problems and ideas on how to meet your goals. In addition to one-on-one contact, create an interdepartmental task force. Include individuals with diverse talent and styles; this diversity will stimulate discussion and energize the group. You’ll be pleased with the strategic ideas these task force groups will come up with.
Another way to kill creativity is to fail to eliminate “dead weight” or settle for mediocre performance. In today’s highly competitive and fast paced environment, you cannot afford to settle for mediocre players on your team. Confront under performers and help them to “step up to the plate.” If you don’t see a change, eliminate them from your team. Coach your average performers, and ignite the fire in them to put forth more effort. Rally your high-performing achievers to your side and let them know how much you appreciate them. Strive to surround yourself with high-performing Achievers. Then, you’ll see creativity soar.
Mistake #7. Failure to train and develop people
You simply can never assume that people will automatically possess interpersonal skills, know how keep their subordinates motivated, and know how to best serve customers. This is a major mistake. If you do not train your people in customer service, leadership, sales, communication, and critical thinking, and teamwork, the competencies within your organization will decline. Encourage professional development and make training a high priority in your company. It is not an expense, it’s an investment.
Mistake #8. Failure to follow your best instincts
Ultimately, you cannot be successful as a leader if you do not recognize and follow your own instincts. Tailor what is best for your employees based on what you yourself would expect from a manager. Create the kind of environment where you, yourself, would like to work. Be the kind of person who leads by example—is dedicated, remains above pettiness, appreciates others and has a superior sense of integrity. Tall order? Not really. Always do what’s right. Let your instincts serve as an excellent guide or your future success.
“It’s not what you eat, but what you digest,
that makes you strong.
It’s not what you read, but what you remember,
that makes you learned.
It’s not what you earn, but what you save,
that makes you rich.
It’s not what you profess, but what you practice,
that gives you integrity.
Practice integrity.”
Anon.
Being in a management position is never easy. For now, simply ask yourself this question: Would you work for you?
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Note: Bring your management team to Christine’s training program –
What Every New and Seasoned Manager Should Know
Obtain insights from top performing companies, and Christine’s experience working with management teams.