Best Practices_ Managing People_ Secrets to Leading for New Managers - Barry Silverstein [5]
THE BOTTOM LINE
COMBAT WANING ENTHUSIASM
To manage individuals most effectively, it is important to get off to a good start. Surveys of some 1.2 million employees at 52 primarily large companies found that a majority of employees are enthusiastic when they start a new job. But their morale declines sharply after six months and continues to do so for the next several years. Managers who foster good relationships with new employees have a much better chance of keeping them motivated.
SOURCE: “Stop Demotivating Your Employees!” by David Sirota et al., Harvard Management Update (January 2006).
Dos & Don’ts
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST
Great managers learn how to get the most out of their staff.
Do believe in a person’s ability to succeed and do the right thing.
Do listen responsively.
Do get out of your office—let your staff see that you care about them.
Don’t wait to act on a problem someone brings to you.
Do ask how each person is doing.
Don’t let people struggle—find out what you can do to help them do their jobs more effectively.
Fourth: Manage with compassion and honesty, instead of by fear or by creating uncertainty. Managers who are approachable, personable, and forthright have greater success than those who tend to be remote, tight with information, or unavailable. Adopt a more accessible management style and you will have employees who are happier and more likely to stay in their jobs.
Finally: Communicate the big picture, create a game plan, and set a positive tone for achieving a goal. If you can effectively present your vision to your staff and inspire them, they will want to join you in contributing to the team’s success.
SELECTING STAFF
How do you hire the right person for the job? You can remove some of the guesswork by creating a clear job description and instituting an orderly screening, interview, and decision process.
The Job Description
First, you must identify exactly what you need and define your requirements. Create a detailed job description that includes the job title, objective, specific responsibilities, and how the job fits into the organization’s reporting structure.
Red Flags
ARE YOU BEING COUNTERPRODUCTIVE?
Check yourself for these behaviors, which could make you counterproductive as a manager:
The cutoff–You impatiently interrupt people.
The false positive–You sugar-coat bad news instead of delivering it directly and honestly.
The shifty-eyed shuffle–You avoid making eye contact, or seem tense while speaking to an employee.
The dump and run–You tend to delegate a lot of work with little or no explanation.
Be as specific as possible in describing the qualifications and requirements for the job: number of years of experience, needed skills, education, particular traits (such as meticulousness or organizational skills), and special proficiencies (familiarity with a computer program, knowledge of a foreign language). Establish a salary range for the position.
POWER POINTS
JOB DESCRIPTION BASICS
Choosing the best possible candidate begins with a strong job description that includes all the essentials about the job:
Title
Job objective
Duties and responsibilities
Reporting structure
Salary
Experience and education required
Skills and proficiencies needed
Applicable qualities of mind
Intangibles
While deciding what your actual requirements are and what the job description should include, also give careful thought to intangibles. Think about your own management style and your company’s culture. Ask yourself what type of person would be the best match. Make a list of all the characteristics your ideal candidate for the position would have.
“You will be great exactly to the extent that you are willing and eager to hire people