Take Care of Your Team

Source: ConvergenceCoaching, LLC Inspired Ideas

The following includes excerpts, reproduced with permission, of a blog entry by Krista Remer.

I feel strongly that a supervisor's approach to his or her staff relationships makes all the difference in their employees' job satisfaction and career progression, and ultimately in the amount of turnover the firm experiences.

Here are a few starting places for anyone who manages others:

“Own” employee management – top to bottom. When we talk about “ownership,” it means being completely responsible for the outcome of the “thing” you own. With regard to employee management, this includes performance management, career guidance, goal setting, and day-to-day assistance. Your role as manager is to help your employees succeed to the best of their abilities in their roles.

Set expectations up front. When your team members don't know what is expected of them, they have no choice but to “make up” the rules. If they aren't meeting your expectations in a certain area or areas, have a gut check first to discern whether or not you made your expectations clear to them.

Be honest. It's important for managers to be honest with their employees and have conversations about their concerns – versus a common mistake of avoiding “hard” conversations and simply giving up on the employee without gaining the complete picture.

Listen to input. You may “know best,” but be careful not to steamroll and stifle feedback from your team. Be open to suggestions or feedback about policies, procedures, or the “standard” way of doing things.

Have empathy. Even if your personality is not naturally empathetic, work to look at each situation from the other individual's viewpoint. Employing empathy can take patience and practice, but it will be worth the additional insight you'll gain and also likely lead to better relationships with your staff members.

For the complete blog entry, read “People Management 101.”

From Convergence Coaching, LLC Inspired Ideas, May 9, 2012, http://blog.convergencecoaching.com.