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KNOWING YOUR EMPLOYEES' GOALS IS THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS!
Posted by randy on: 2005-11-07 11:04:35
KNOWING YOUR EMPLOYEES' GOALS IS THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS!
Olivia Stefanino
Mark knew that his senior managers were doing all that was
expected of them. And yet he was also firmly convinced that they
were doing no more than was expected of them.
Disappointed at their lack of commitment, Mark had booked an
appointment with me to see if he could get to the root cause of
the problem. Even before he had sat down, Mark had begun to
share his troubles. He had set up his book-keeping practice
nearly eight years ago - and thanks to his hard work, he now
employed 11 staff at his busy practice.
Three of those staff had been with him since the early days -
and Mark had rewarded them for their loyalty by promoting each
of them to senior management level. Also, he had reinforced his
gratitude by giving them a shareholding in the business - not
only as a "thank you" - but also as a means of encouraging them
to work hard in the future too. His theory was that - with
shares in the company - his senior managers would have even more
incentive to work hard.
However, for reasons that he couldn't fathom, Mark's plan had
seemed to backfire. I asked Mark to outline his long term plans
for his business - and he quickly replied that he wanted to
"sell up" within the next 15 years, so that he could take early
retirement. "And," I gently responded, "What do your colleagues
want? What's their long term view of the future?"
Mark looked at me blankly, not thinking for a moment that his
colleagues' views would be any different to his own. "They all
stand to do very well out of the business being sold - so their
views aren't really relevant." I was beginning to sense where
the problem lay - and suggested to Mark that perhaps his
colleagues felt that he viewed them more as a "means to an end"
rather than as people in their own right. Mark looked stung -
but I remained silent, allowing him to think through my words.
Wriggling uncomfortably in his chair, he asked me to elaborate.
"Do you know what's important to your colleagues - not only
their hopes and fears - but also their goals?" Mark shook his
head. "Sadly," I continued, "you're in good company. A recent
survey we ran showed that fewer than 1% of employers knew their
staff's goals. And yet when you think about it, as well as
fulfilling themselves through their labours, people generally go
to work to earn money to seed fund their own lives. If you don't
know what someone's goals are - you can't possibly know how to
motivate them."
Looking rather sheepish, Mark acknowledged that he had withdrawn
emotionally from his colleagues - partly because he was
disappointed in them and partly because he had recently met the
woman of his dreams and fallen in love.
"I guess I don't socialise with everyone at work as much as I
used to - and maybe people have taken that to mean that I no
longer care about them. But actually, nothing could be further
from the truth. I thought that by building up the business and
then selling it, I was doing right by everyone. Also, I knew
that if a larger company wanted to buy us out, then they would
take on the existing staff for a number of years - because
without the staff, there isn't much of a company to sell!"
Mark acknowledged that he hadn't shared fully shared his plans
with his staff - and he also admitted that he hadn't asked them
about their aspirations either. Recognising that he needed to
put things right, he asked me what he should do.
Mark began to nod when I suggested that he plan an "away day"
for the whole senior team. "It doesn't need to be exotic,
although I am sure that they will appreciate being away from the
office, in a nice hotel. I suggest that you have an agenda for
the day - perhaps even headlining the event: 'The future - our
vision'".
I explained that everyone needed a chance to have their say -
and that he might do well to start the proceedings by
apologising for not having done this exercise before. "An
apology will go a long way - and you need to reinforce your
commitment to every member of your staff."
Wishing him luck, I also gave Mark a handful of notes, together
with some tips for ensuring that his team-building event was a
great success.
About the author:
Olivia Stefanino is a leadership development consultant and
executive coach, who works with blue chip organisations, SMEs
and individuals. To find out more - and to download your free
e-booklet "128 ways to harness your personal power", visit
www.beyourownguru.com
В© Olivia Stefanino 2004
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