Amidst all the hype and working environment transition, how much time are we focussing on employee development? As a leader it is imperative to recognise if employees aren’t growing and being challenged they become a turnover risk. Employees are one of your company’s biggest assets – particularly now in many industry sectors effective human resources are in greater demand.
If the timing is not conducive to promoting staff – there are ways to heighten morale, invoke resilience, optimise efficiencies and manage team performance to stay focussed. It is inspired with effective people management skills.
People management is different from performance management, in that it extends beyond considerations of employees’ work focussing more broadly on employees’ well-being.
Not everyone is a natural-born leader, and that’s OK. People management skills are a learned “soft skill” which influences productivity and is critical during periods of transition, and uncertainty. The strength lies in the ability to adapt to changing circumstances and know how and when to seize opportunities amid a changing landscape.
Coraggio highlights the following five transformational leadership people management strategies for successful change management to maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace. Leadership integrity sets a business culture precedent, leading by example.
Don’t leave things to chance - maintain a cultural growth mindset
When you adopt a growth mindset, you “walk the talk” setting a powerful example for your teams. Cultivating a company culture by exhibiting the same characteristics expected of others aligned around a common company goal and focussed on high-value work, facilitates successful people management, leading by example.
Effective managers exhibit approachability, implement communication transparency and proactively establish an atmosphere of trust to generate meaning towards a better future attuned to the needs of their workplace. Employees are not going to magically solve all their disputes. Human behaviour is shaped from various influences, therefore an effective leader understands every person behaves differently when faced with a particular situation.
Having a growth mindset means that you fundamentally believe that everyone has the ability to adapt, learn and grow into a better version of themselves.
Be relatable by centering on the humanity of others. Valuing individuality by being perceptive and empathetic to people’s emotions significantly influencers outcomes, resulting in engaged, motivated, high-performing teams.
Use the phrase “Is there anything else?”
As a people management leader, this phrase exhibits empathy and evokes employees to open up regarding issues, concerns or challenges they wish to share. Typically their biggest challenges are likely to come out first even if not explicitly included on a meeting agenda.
Unlocking the potential of every employee by framing questions and solutions in a way that assists employees gain perspective generates a mutual respect.
Building interpersonal relationships by exhibiting to employees you are operating from your sphere of influence is an effective way to connect and enhance greater employee respect and rapport. It is imperative you demonstrate a strong, stoic and resilient disposition, particularly during time of adversity and uncertainty.
Resiliency is about adaptability in this environment, as well as having a sustainable business for ourselves and for our clients. Arvind Krishna, Chief Executive Officer, IBM
Employees look to managers as a role model for workplace behaviour encompassing dynamic and flexible risk management to navigate an unpredictable future.
Coraggio’s, CEO, Richard Skarzynski cites,
“Rather than acting in a dictatorial manner, strive to empower your employees, as this can greatly impact your business’s bottom line and generate a positive company culture.
This shift in perception ensures managers focus less on controlling people and more on designing the work environment to lead to successful outcomes for the team and the company.”
Establish a sense of purpose and ownership
Purpose plays a significant part to ensure people are satisfied with their work, their contribution towards the bigger picture and what drives them to succeed and push themselves professionally.
Understanding employees key drivers enables management to guarantee they continually feel inspired and connected to their work to perform optimally, establishing a fortified culture. Human beings with strong emotional connections to company culture will enact these changes.
By generating a safe psychologically environment of trusting others with similar values rallying behind common meaning and purpose instils ownership of the company vision resulting in greater productivity and ensuing results.
The “straw man” does not facilitate growth – formal & informal structures work best cohesively
Employees require a balance of both praise and criticism in order to thrive. Delivering public and private praise are people management tools that build trust and heighten morale.
In the Katzenbach Center survey, 84 percent said that the organisation’s culture was directly related to the success of change management and 64 percent saw it as more critical than strategy or operating models.
Persuading people to change their behaviour won’t suffice for transformation unless structure, reward systems, ways of operating, training and development support their role.
Additionally, concise, consistent messaging is imperative for powerful and sustained change to transpire and this requires constant, clear communication.
Macromanagement is more effective than micromanagement
As a result of the shift many companies are adopting towards working from home, macromanagement is on the rise. Managers are stepping back with striking speed to empower employees the freedom to do their jobs how they see fit, framed around clear delineation of roles and measurable key performance indicators.
A recent Stanford study of 16,000 employees demonstrated those working from home were 13% more productive and their attrition rate was cut in half. When the experiment ended, the people who chose to stay home saw their productivity shoot up even higher. Other similar, smaller surveys have suggested as many as 77% of remote workers felt more productive while working offsite.
Tony Perkins, Director of People Smartz and Coraggio Member philosophy is that people drive results and cites,
“If companies identify the best match for available positions in terms of skill as well as the desired fit within their specific workplace culture, the structure of the working environment should be less relevant. Effective leaders recognise staff members do not all have the same backgrounds, personalities and personal goals. Some people thrive in a social workplace and others are more productive working from home without the commute to work and other stresses.
Additionally, good managers ensure employees have appropriate training and education suitable to effectively perform their job functions. This involves screening and hiring the right candidates and providing them with pre-employment instructions and onboarding procedures related to their position, the company’s vision and their role within the organisation.”
In conclusion, effective people management entertains varied perspectives, collaboration and resolves conflict within an effective teamwork environment. Employees feel free to work cohesively, contributing an exchange of ideas and develop additional skills to meet the requirements to future proof the business.
What is Coraggio?
Being a business owner can be challenging and may include facing unchartered territory. However, it doesn’t have to be lonely at the top. Making the right decisions for your business deserves more than the occasional conversation with a mate. It deserves to aggregate the experience and a shared knowledge of collective awareness from fellow executives.
Operating a company typically presents complex issues, sometimes on a daily basis. Imagine if you could leverage the experience from an extensive group of industry peers to improve your decision-making and future proof a sustainable business, whilst being held accountable?
Also imagine if you gained the peace of mind to seamlessly access these answers and navigate business challenges, simply by connecting with entrepreneurs and gaining knowledge from business leaders? This is the strength of peer to peer mentoring and impactful, meaningful relations.
Coraggio offers a mutual exchange of expertise, ideas and a support system enabling you to capitalise on a give-and-take dynamic amongst advisors who have walked the path before, mitigating risk to your business.
Leading business owners and entrepreneurs join Coraggio to become part of a highly effective business community facilitating leadership, guaranteeing accountability and sharing innovative ideas within a cohesive and confidential national network.
This mutual exchange of Member’s expertise tangibly results in sustainable revenue streams, increased cash reserves and productive outcomes to future proof your business.
Coraggio Chairs are industry leaders, Members are forward-thinking advisors and all Advisory Boards are dedicated to the ongoing success of their fellow Member’s businesses, offering Fearless Objective Advice – that’s the Coraggion Spirit!
Afterall, in the words of Henry Ford
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself”.
Would you like to be a part of this?
Become an integral Member of a confidential group of business owners sharing their insights and experiences for the benefit of your business? Imagine how your business would prosper from connecting with a broader community consisting of more than 400 high performing and driven industry leaders!
Explore Membership today! Find out how our proven program can assist you build a better business and become a better leader.