"Start with good people, lay out the rules, communicate with your employees, motivate them and reward them. If you do all those things effectively, you can't miss."
-Lee Iacocca
-Lee Iacocca
Yesterday, Promotional Consultant Today shared the scenario of Mike, a newly appointed CFO who identified three critical categories of employees. He determined the right blend of employees and right action steps to optimize the performance of his team. In part two, Promotional Consultant Todaydefines these three employee categories and shares tips for managing these groups.
Critical People.These can be obvious—the real superstars who consistently under-promise and over-deliver, but they can also be not-so-obvious, those quiet achievers or steady Eddies. They may also be those staff members who hold important intellectual property or jobs no one else wants to do. They may have great customer relationships or know a lot about the organization itself. In any case, you don’t want to lose them. You should prioritize your time so that 80 percent of it is spent dedicated to these people for three main r easons:
Critical People.These can be obvious—the real superstars who consistently under-promise and over-deliver, but they can also be not-so-obvious, those quiet achievers or steady Eddies. They may also be those staff members who hold important intellectual property or jobs no one else wants to do. They may have great customer relationships or know a lot about the organization itself. In any case, you don’t want to lose them. You should prioritize your time so that 80 percent of it is spent dedicated to these people for three main r easons:
- Allowing them to mentor with and learn from you will help them grow and develop in their own careers.
- If you don’t give them the time and attention they deserve (and may crave), they may not understand how important they actually are, which can lead to frustration, hurt feelings and even a sense that they aren’t appreciated.
- The third reason was discovered by the Gallup Organization. Their research showed that if managers spent 80 percent of their time with the top 10 - 20 percent of their staff they would become even more productive and engaged.
By spending more time with your critical people, you will increase productivity, manage your time effectively and have more engaged staff and increase retention rates.
Squeaky Wheels. At the other end of the spectrum you have your squeaky wheels. It’s often said that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” but in a business environment, it’s a recipe for poor management, high staff turnover and low productivity.
There are a couple of types of squeaky wheels: the high-performers who are also high-maintenance, and those who squeak because they present either a performance or a behavior issue. Spending an overabundance of time with these employees will become problematic and, again, sends the wrong message to staff.
Should you just ignore them? Possibly—but in a business setting, a more proactive approach can be beneficial to the collective team. There are three scenarios you can use:
The Fat Middle. People in this category comprise the remaining 60 – 70 percent of your workforce. Miraculously, when you devote the majority of time to your critical people and avoid the urge to grease the squeaky wheels, the fat middle takes care of itself. The good ones desire to feel the inclusion and attention they see managers giving to the critical people. They tend to become more engaged and to develop more quickly, especially if the manager empowers the critical people to help train, mentor and motivate the fat middle.
By identifying and classifying the types of employees on your team, you can improve the overall direction of your company.
Source: Kim Seeling Smith is an international human resources expert and author of the forthcoming book, Mind Reading for Managers: 5 FOCUSed Conversations for Greater Employee Engagement and Productivity. With her expansive knowledge of human capital practices in today’s market, Smith helps companies build healthy work environments and increase employee engagement and productivity in our digitally connected, globally oriented world.
Compiled by Cassandra Johnson
Squeaky Wheels. At the other end of the spectrum you have your squeaky wheels. It’s often said that “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” but in a business environment, it’s a recipe for poor management, high staff turnover and low productivity.
There are a couple of types of squeaky wheels: the high-performers who are also high-maintenance, and those who squeak because they present either a performance or a behavior issue. Spending an overabundance of time with these employees will become problematic and, again, sends the wrong message to staff.
Should you just ignore them? Possibly—but in a business setting, a more proactive approach can be beneficial to the collective team. There are three scenarios you can use:
- Hold a formal conversation to set clearer objectives or key performance indicators, and give them the necessary training required to help them accomplish more and hold them accountable for doing so.
- Determine their internal motivators and use those to inspire them to a higher level of performance or better behavior.
- Move them on. Let them squeak on someone else’s bus.
The Fat Middle. People in this category comprise the remaining 60 – 70 percent of your workforce. Miraculously, when you devote the majority of time to your critical people and avoid the urge to grease the squeaky wheels, the fat middle takes care of itself. The good ones desire to feel the inclusion and attention they see managers giving to the critical people. They tend to become more engaged and to develop more quickly, especially if the manager empowers the critical people to help train, mentor and motivate the fat middle.
By identifying and classifying the types of employees on your team, you can improve the overall direction of your company.
Source: Kim Seeling Smith is an international human resources expert and author of the forthcoming book, Mind Reading for Managers: 5 FOCUSed Conversations for Greater Employee Engagement and Productivity. With her expansive knowledge of human capital practices in today’s market, Smith helps companies build healthy work environments and increase employee engagement and productivity in our digitally connected, globally oriented world.
Compiled by Cassandra Johnson