(Please contact ECM Expert Change Management if you,
or someone you know, would like to discuss the above.
Speaking Topics:
Bob’s recent and planned speaking topics include:
• Financials, Strategic Thinking and Change Management
• Maximize the results of your Consulting by Managing the Resistance to Change!
• Managing People’s Acceptance, Adoption, and Sustainment of Change
• Developing and Implementing Strategic Ideas; From Seeds to Harvested Results
• The Critical Requirement for Leading, as well Managing, Change
Bob Dodge can be reached at 303 550-0101
bdodge@expertchangemanagement.com
Visit www.expertchangemanagement.com for more information about ECM
and to manage your subscription to Get Acceptance, Get Results! news
Expert Change Management
April 16, 2010
Get Acceptance, Get Results!
Management's Role in Creating Engaged Employees and Loyal Customers
In my last two newsletters, "The six dollar haircut and the letter", and "Employee engagement and customer loyalty", I began to write about the importance of management having a relationship with their subordinates. (If you did not get my drift, it is not HR's job to do this; it is leadership and management's job.) I wrote that without this relationship it is very hard to know what they see that stands in the way of your employees' productivity, not to mention their customer satisfying behavior and their own loyalty. It seems very simple doesn’t it?
I think that is the point. I have talked with several people recently who stress keeping things simple, or merely helping their managers improve how they manage. I am also aware of a very simple model provided by Managing People Better www.managingpeoplebetter.com/mpb/default.html.
The base model
Managing People Better identifies two skill sets essential for managing people well: Requiring and Relating. The relating part sounds similar to my messages; without a relationship, we are challenged to know what employees are thinking. We don't get the benefit of their new ideas or suggestions. Merely removing them because "they are difficult" does not help either. Like customers, employees’ thoughts and attitudes drive their behavior. But what about this requiring part? What is that about?
Applying the model
I have considered Managing People Better’s model and pose some questions for my readers’ consideration:
Requiring:
•
How are your managers at being clear about what they need their employees to do? Do they really know what is valued by their customers?
How are your managers at being clear about what they need their employees to do? Do they really know what is valued by their customers?•Do people leave their conversations with management wondering what exactly was meant?
Do people leave their conversations with management wondering what exactly was meant?•Do your managers help people understand their priorities and how they will measure performance?
Do your managers help people understand their priorities and how they will measure performance?•Do they insist that their people do excellent work, asking them to redo it when it is not, while instilling the discipline to find the root cause of the problem and eliminate it?
Do they insist that their people do excellent work, asking them to redo it when it is not, while instilling the discipline to find the root cause of the problem and eliminate it?•Are your managers consistent (individually and collectively) about their vision, objectives, strategies, methods and the consequences for performance?
Are your managers consistent (individually and collectively) about their vision, objectives, strategies, methods and the consequences for performance?You get the drift here; can you see how the above might impact employee engagement, productivity and customer satisfaction/loyalty? Do you see how this might affect their willingness and ability to change?
Relating:
•How are your managers at being willing to listen to others, to learn from others, while at the same time being firm when the situation calls for it?
How are your managers at being willing to listen to others, to learn from others, while at the same time being firm when the situation calls for it?•Do your managers know how to be most effective in communicating with employees?
Do your managers know how to be most effective in communicating with employees?•Do your employees feel heard; like they might actually have something of value to offer?
Do your employees feel heard; like they might actually have something of value to offer?•Do your employees feel micromanaged, ignored or coached and encouraged? Do they know you care?
Do your employees feel micromanaged, ignored or coached and encouraged? Do they know you care? Can you see their perspective relative to their daily work and/or the changes they must make? Don’t you think you should?
I just recently learned that a friend is about to resign from her position, because a new manager has come in making changes without learning why things work the way they do. Apparently she enforces company policies on a very selective basis; confusing and frustrating the team. Her new boss will likely lose the entire team over what seem to be very legitimate issues.
I remember having a discussion with my manager years ago. I was sharing my thoughts about how I was managing my people, and my recommendation for a particular situation. He not only did not take my advice, which would have been OK, he did not even let me finish my thought; did not even listen to me. Do you think I felt valued, energized or even engaged in that particular activity? If you were my boss, would you care how I felt? If you knew how it would affect my ability to do my job, you would. He later begged me to stay with the company when I resigned. I swear I did not write the letter in "The six dollar haircut and the letter", but I could have…
