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By James A. Baker
Author of The Anger Busting Workbook, a new release from Bayou Publishing
Founder
Baker Communications
May 2006
Years ago, Tommy Lasorda, Hall of Fame coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers, said this about managing one of baseball’s most famous franchises: “I motivate players through communication, being honest with them, having them respect and appreciate your ability and your help.” That advice was good enough to help the Dodgers win two World Series titles and a boatload of National League and Division championships during Lasorda’s 20 year career and it will help turn you turn out winners today, too.
It used to be that managing was mostly about hiring, firing, evaluating, setting schedules and making sure your group met or exceeded performance goals. However, these days, just like in baseball, managing is about coaching – that is to say, it is about helping your people become the very best they can be. Motivating and teaching (or training) are now the most prized skills for corporate America’s top managers.
If coaching is undiscovered territory for you, here are a few excellent tips to help you become the effective coach your people need you to be:
1. Demonstrate genuine concern in order to build lasting trust. Of course they agree with you and go along with your ideas! After all, you are the boss; they will do whatever they can to stay on your good side. But that doesn’t mean they really agree with you or support your agenda. Sincere support and focused dedication from your employees only come from one thing: doing whatever it takes for however long it takes to create genuine trust and respect. In a recent Gallup employee engagement survey, the item "My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person" turned out to be a key indicator of employee engagement. Take the time to really get to know your people ? as people. Ask good questions, be supportive, and go out of your way to treat them as real human beings instead of as cogs in a system. They will give you extra effort if you show them extra concern.
2. Take the time to understand, appreciate and make the best use of their abilities. Of course, we would like all of our employees to be excellent at every phase of the job (just like they would like their boss to be excellent at every aspect of their job, too). However, we all have strengths and weaknesses, and one of the worst mistakes that managers make is spending too much time trying to increase employee performance in areas where they have no interest or only low aptitude, instead of taking the areas where they are comfortable and gifted and helping them to get better! I’m not saying that you should not encourage your employees to use best practices in everything they do. However, if you have someone who is great at organizing, planning and administration, what value is there in pushing them into more face-to-face interactions with customers if they find that uncomfortable? Not only does this lead to one frustrated employee and plenty of confused customers, you also miss out on an opportunity to improve the efficiency of your organization. Trust me on this; your people will work harder and appreciate you more if you put them in areas where they feel confident and comfortable.
3. Make regular use of specific, timely praise. I think most managers understand that it is important to express appreciation to their employees. That is why it surprised me discover that, according to a recent survey, 65% of employees can’t recall receiving any positive recognition at work in the past year. I think that what is more likely is that managers aren’t very good at expressing recognition and appreciation in ways that actually make employees feel appreciated. Saying “Thank you,” and “Good work,” during the day-to-day interactions you have with your people is better than nothing. However, if you really want to boost motivation and morale,
? Set a specific time – call them into your office so it is obvious you are interrupting your schedule and making a special effort.
? Express praise and appreciation for a specific item – “Great job on getting those reports out yesterday,” or “I really appreciate the way that you always get your work in on time and that your quality level is excellent.”
? Offer some type of token of appreciation for exceptional effort – a bonus for big jobs, or at least a half-day of personal time off every once in a while for consistent quality. This is above and beyond merit raises. Employees expect raises for showing up and being faithful to the job. And they deserve that much, at least. Extra achievement deserves extra rewards, not just a pat on the back.
4. Avoid perfection: excellence is good enough. Cy Young won more baseball games than any other pitcher in the history of Major League Baseball. He also lost more games than anyone in history! Anyone can say “Hey, you dropped the ball,” after the game is over. The mark of a good coach is the ability to pick up a team member and help them get back in the game with confidence and enthusiasm. Failure is an opportunity to teach and inspire. Don’t blow it by griping and complaining over something that is already obvious.
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May Management Quick Tip of the Month – School is Always in Session One tried and true corporate motto is: If you are not growing you are dying. While this is definitely true for businesses, it is also true of managers. It is so easy to get in a rut; after all, you are covered up with work and deadlines and employee issues. You are lucky if, at the end of the day, you are not further behind than when you started! In this kind of climate, who has time for personal enrichment and continuing education? The answer is, you do, if you intend to keep succeeding in your current position. It isn’t all that tricky. Subscribe to management newsletters. Read at least one good book a quarter on something that will stretch your thinking. It doesn’t have to be a management book; it can be anything that will enhance your ability to be a more constructive, focused, well-adjusted person. And at least once a year, take some sort of a continuing education course that will give you a creative boost. When leaders go stale, team members go flat. Keep learning and growing, and the whole organization will grow as a result.
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