At the front-line simple things matter

Scott Constantine of Performance Link NZ shares a series of plain truth articles about creating a highly engaged workforce.

During this series it has become pretty obvious that managers have significant impact on the work-life of employees. Firstly, executive management set the scene with vision, direction, purpose and hopefully take an over-arching lead with respect to organisational culture. Then, in all but very small organisations, there are centralised forms of management which provide guidance, direction, policy, systems and process that shape the way in which the direct managers of people should, or must go about managing their team members. HR, Legal, and Finance departments are all examples of this. Then of course there is the influence of the managers who directly manage and lead people. Let's look at what this group of managers can do to influence employee engagement levels.

For great front-line managers, the path toward engaging employees and keeping them engaged begins with a few key philosophies. Enquiry, participation, ownership, and local action. This means taking the time to find out how the actual team members themselves see things, how they feel about things, what they see as important, guiding them to explore what things mean for them, helping them see how and where they fit into the organisation's vision and direction. It also means leading them and allowing them to take ownership for the things that they can improve for themselves at the local level of their team.

Here is a checklist for managers who directly manage and lead staff:

Am I providing focus and clarity?
Am I really coming to know each team member for who they are?
Am I really caring about each team member?
Am I truly listening?
Am I helping each to feel proud?
Do I help each to review and understand their contributions?

Am I ensuring that each is equipped to do their job properly ?
Am I helping each to see and appreciate the value they add?
Am I helping them to grow and develop?
Am I helping each to feel important?
Am I being trustworthy and helping to build mutual trust?
Am I providing each with the right level of challenge?

Checking in with each team member and their needs is an ongoing process. The great news is that so much of this can be discovered and explored in periodic one-on-one meetings, review sessions, informal chats, and also through periodic team meetings. This is not hard, and it can occur without centralised systems or processes, or other interventions. However it is not just a "tick the boxes" exercise. This process has to be heartfelt and regular if it is to build engagement. Aim for discussion around at least one of these areas in every one-on-one meeting.

The po!nt: "It is easy to overlook the basic principles of leading and developing people. At the front-line simple things do matter and the style, approach, and willingness of the employee's direct manager has a large influence. In addition to making sure the 12 items on the check list above, are on-going leadership action items, the key is to ensure high levels of employee participation and ownership in the process, while at the same time guiding employees to work out what they really need in order to be their best."

Vol. 2, No. 10 March 1, 2008