What Managers Want from Employees
How would you describe the ideal employee? Go ahead and take a few minutes to think about this, and jot down some of your thoughts if you like. Managers seldom have the liberty of considering what kinds of employees they'd like to manage. Instead, as a manager, you typically inherit a work group whose members span the “Why is this person still working here?” continuum. Some employees barely do enough to count as contributors, working as though they're using teaspoons to dig their way through mountains of work. Others bulldoze right through, clearing multiple projects with apparent ease and even taking on the responsibilities of other employees in the process.
Most managers would be satisfied to manage a work group in which each employee completed his or her assigned tasks correctly and on time. This would allow them to be what they are — managers — instead of what circumstances often force them into — hall monitors, babysitters, scoop patrol. “If only these people would act like the adults they should be!” is a common manager's lament. Are your expectations simply too high? No. In fact, they might not be high enough. As a manager, you have the ability to shape the attitudes and behaviors of the people you manage. Don't misunderstand — you can't change them. True change comes from within. But you can set and model the standards of acceptability. (Are you reaching for your parent hat? Good!)
The tendency to use promotions as rewards has given rise to a concept known as the Peter Principle, put forth in 1969 in a book of the same title. In that book, Laurence J. Peter asserts that people rise through organizations to the highest level of their competencies. The final promotion a person receives is to a level beyond his or her competency, and it is at this level that the person remains. Though Peter's observation of this phenomenon was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, the Peter Principle has become part of the modern business vocabulary.
People establish patterns of behavior based on conformity. No one likes to be the odd one out. The department with one truly bad apple (or one outstanding performer) is rare; far more common is the work group bound together by mediocrity. The peer pressure that was so molding in high school simply metamorphoses into new forms in adulthood. If there are no incentives to complete work on time and correctly, nor any consequences for failing to do so, why bother? People need reinforcement to do the right things. Your job as a manager is to provide that reinforcement.
Articulate your expectations to your work group as a whole and to new employees who join it. Be specific but not restrictive, like so:
“I expect you to be at your work station and ready to work when your shift starts.” (Not “Everybody is to be sitting at their desks, pencils in hand, when the clock strikes eight.”)
“I expect you to complete projects by their deadlines. If this is not going to happen, I expect you to tell me about it as soon as it becomes clear to you.” (Not “For your monthly report, do an outline, then your research, then your draft, then your final.”)
If you want people to act responsibly, you have to give them responsibility — and hold them accountable for meeting it. Most people work best when they understand what you expect from them and when you expect it, as long as they have the necessary knowledge, tools, and resources to complete their assignments. If they don't, then the issue is not one of personal but rather organizational responsibility.
If there is a problem or things have gone badly, discuss the situation with employees without pointing fingers or placing blame. Focus on processes, not people. You can accept accountability without taking the fall; seeing you do this helps your employees see that they can do so as well.
Be generous and consistent with feedback and recognition. Some managers hold meetings at the end of the week to recognize completed work and discuss problems and challenges. This method holds employees accountable before their peers as well as before you, and it also gives them the opportunity to shine in front of their coworkers. Give credit to everyone who participates in bringing a project to completion, and compliment teamwork.
What if your employees consistently fail to meet your expectations? Ask another manager whom you trust to casually observe your work group and your interactions with employees at different times over a week or so, then give you feedback. Objective observation can reveal attitudes and behaviors that give messages counter to the ones you articulate. This is somewhat like watching yourself in the mirror or having someone play audience as you practice a presentation or speech. It's a method that performers, athletes, and others who are in the public eye use as one of the many tools to help them improve their abilities. Once you can see yourself as others see you, you can shape your behaviors to reflect the attitudes you want to convey.
