Managing Employees

You job description states you need to manage employees….yet how much can you actually manage?   To lead effectively, you will need to focus your attention on what you can actually do.   So I ask…what performance or behavior can you manage with your employees.

Management and motivation are used together…a strong manager motivates the performance of an employee.  

What is the meaning of motivation?   (Merriam-Webster): 1 a : the act or process of motivating b : the condition of being motivated 2 : a motivating force, stimulus, or influence (as a drive or incentive).

Unless you have been working alone all your life you quickly realize that not all people get along with each other.   In managing employees, you will have the opportunity to run interference between two employees who are in conflict with each other.  There are endless reasons why people challenge each other, and you are required to develop conflict resolution skills in order to diminish internal squabbling.  We can’t make everyone look and act the same but we can help employees learn to deal with differences in the workplace.

How you communicate will determine how successful you become in business.  Communication is critical in interacting with others, providing direction or feedback to your employees or presenting a business idea.   Strong leaders know that how they communicate affects the outcome.

No one is perfect at communicating and we generally have a certain style that we revert to in our communication.  Communication is both verbal and non-verbal and the non-verbal messages are read more often than verbal. Check out this site and take a quick test:  Communication Styles    There is no judgment here…rather give some time to recognize the style you use most frequently and how it could potentially affect how your manage your employees.

Employees leave for many reasons and some of them can be beyond your ability to manage.  Yet studies indicate that one of the main reasons for leaving is because of their relationship with their supervisor/manager.    Since you manage employees, this is important information for you to consider regarding your performance. 

The Most Important Reason

I’ve been in HR for many years and have found these two points to be significant in the turnover of a company.

You have one or a team of employees that you are responsible for managing.  You are busy handling the various business and employee issues that cross your desk…without giving much thought to how you handle them.  You probably make many of your decisions automatically and aren’t aware of how your decisions affect your employees.  Your management style is critical for the stability and growth of your business.  

Your personality traits work for or against you depending on the individuals you are managing.   That’s why it’s important to know your style of management.  This way you can effectively manage different types of people for the overall effectiveness of your business.