Self-Devpt. Nuggets™

Do you want your employees/team members to work in your organisation as if it was theirs – with unrelenting passion and dedication? If yes, this article explains simple zero cost steps you can take to make that happen. Practical ideas that will enable you get better performances from them perpetually.

Preamble

In 2000, while still employed as a Shift Brewer in Guinness Nigeria, Benin Brewery (Edo state), I wrote a nine (9) page paper titled “Summary Highlights of a Proposal on Implementation of Benin Production Department’s Vision for Year 2000 and Beyond”.

Our boss, Greg, requested all team members write ideas they had.

I’d always been (and still remain) an ideas person. So, I wasted not time in sending mine in 😉

What I share in this article is based on excerpts from that paper (which I’ve kept with me till date).

1. Give Them Freedom to Succeed

You must find a way to make your people willingly take up more responsibility, for the jobs they do, without seeing it as extra work.

This is the key to getting improved productivity without having to spend more.

In order to make the above happen, it’s crucial that you create an atmosphere for creativity to flourish.

You can achieve this, by involving employees in taking crucial decisions about issues concerning the way they do their jobs.

Additionally, make constant effort to get their contributions towards solving problems affecting their jobs.

2. Thank and/or Reward Them When They Do Well

If you’re not thanking and rewarding your employees/team members, you’re hurting your business or organisation.

Even more importantly, you must ensure those who do well get recognised/rewarded accordingly!

This would stimulate further creative endeavours, and the rub off on others members.

In his book on the 100 club concept, Daniel Boyle wrote:

“…Let’s learn to say thank you to our men for:

1. Being on time always

2. Showing up at work

3. Putting in effort continually

4. Doing the jobs for which they are paid without complaining”

Bear in mind that rewards you give, will – quite often – not need to be monetary!

Countless studies have shown that most employees prefer non-monetary compensation from their employers.

In fact, some can be as simple as a commendation letter signed by a superior, or the CEO!

3. Ask Them “What Happened?” – Not “Who Did It?”

You must create an atmosphere of trust and appreciation in the organisation.

How?

By letting your members see that you’re ready to allow them make mistakes – and that you will support them to learn how to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

So, it’s not like you’re inviting people to cause anarchy by making careless mistakes. Instead you’ll be acknowledging that they are human and may periodically get things wrong. That’s why your support system will be aimed at helping them learn how to get things right more often.

You will let employees know the above, so that when anything goes wrong, those responsible will feel safe enough to own up.

They’ll thus get to learn better ways to do their work.

Consequently, recurring human errors will be eliminated, or drastically reduced, in your operations and processes!

To succeed with the above, you must habitually focus on WHAT went wrong, and WHAT DID IT, and not WHO did it!

Many employers make mistakes look like unforgivable sins.

As a result, their employees – out of fear – unconsciously learn to hide their mistakes.

In the long run, the company suffers, since those errors pile up till a catastrophy occurs!

To paraphrase Daniel Boyle, the mentality of “shooting the messenger” must be done away with. And our employees/team members must be made aware of this, so they can do their work without fear.

Final Words

The above list is not exhaustive. In my year 2000 proposal paper, I actually outlined a total of 11 points.

However, the 3 discussed above, are those I consider most critical for people management success.

They are simple, but require diligent commitment to implement.

Most workplace leaders will need to change their thinking habits about how to handle employees, to make effective use of these strategies.

Those who succeed in doing so, will have great employee performance stories to tell.

I know this because I successfully applied these same ideas in different leadership positions back in paid employment.

From when I worked as a “hard-charging” shift brewer/bottling line manager, till I became departmental head – where “softer” people management skills mattered.

Constant use of the above principles, frequently enabled me get superior results, from my team members.

As a CEO, or executive/manager in an organisation, you can improve your chances of people management success, by adopting the same strategies.