Are you getting the most out of your Staff?

If you manage people for a living you are likely bombarded with advice.  There are no end of books, videos, podcasts, web n r’s and yes, blogs like this one ready to tell you how to do your job.  It is hard to decide whose advice to take.  How do you make sure you are building a team for the long haul,  what do you need to do to fully focus their attention on the right things,  what do you do to make sure people in your employ are growing,  how do you lead effectively?  These are all good questions.   Sometimes the best thing to do is get back to basics and make sure you are applying the fundamentals.

What follows are ten things that you can do, so that your staff knows that you have their best interests at heart.

1.   Make sure your staff knows what to do:
This sounds incredibly basic but people need to know what you want them to do.  If your staff are not sure what they were really hired to do or what the best use of their time is, that is an issue.

2.   Make sure there is a career path:
People are goal seeking organisms, always looking to achieve more.  Make sure that your staff have opportunities to grow, while working for you.

3.   Give your staff the credit:
If one of your staff has a great idea, give them the credit. You will gain trust and build a loyal following.

4.   Roll up your sleeves and help them.
Nothing will build team morale faster than you getting in the trenches and helping them complete a project.

5.   Catch them doing something right:
Most bosses get this backward and think it is their job to catch people doing  the wrong behavior.  Start catching people doing something right and telling them exactly what they did right and you will be amazed how quickly performance improves.

6.   Never tell a lie and never gossip.
Your people should be able to trust you the way they trust their lawyers or doctors.  There is never any reason to tell a mistruth and if your staff confides in you, it is your job to hold that information in confidence.

7.   Expect greatness from your team:
This seems to be a lost art, I coach a soccer team and it is amazing how much better kids play when you tell them you are expecting them to be great.

8.   Tell them where they stand:
Give your staff honest, timely feedback: People should always know exactly where they stand. Don’t wait until January to give them a tough review.  You could have told them months before.  Your job is to fix performance issues, not to avoid them.

9.   Share your time fairly:
Managers have favorites, it is only natural to want to spend more time with people you get on with, or people you hired. But you have a team made up of lots of personalities and all the time they are on your team they deserve a fair rub.

10.  Tell your staff how to succeed with you:
Ken Blanchard says American management is like bowling with a sheet in front of the pins.  Staff rolls the ball, it goes through the sheet, you hear it hit some pins but you don’t know how many.  The only time they do hear is if no pins go down.  Blanchard calls this “Leave them alone, zap!” Don’t only deliver bad news, tell your people how many pins they knocked down.

Reach Stuart at 818-422-3626

You can find more sales insights at www.upgradeperformance.com