Business owners expect a certain level of output from their employees, and they’re often challenged when the team doesn’t perform at that level.
These leaders often get frustrated that “nobody does their tasks correctly” or that their employees “aren’t worth the effort.” What I show them is that they can typically improve their employee performance problems by looking inward and adjusting their leadership strategy.
Leaders, if you are not receiving the outcomes you want from your employees, it’s probably a good time to assess your leadership skills. The business owner who clearly understands and accepts their strengths and weaknesses as leaders will achieve the greatest success — both in their business and in their employees’ performances.
The Challenge
As a leader, you create the environment that your employees will emulate. They follow your cues in terms of performing — or not performing.
Most employees I speak with actually want to do a good job and care about the success of the companies they work for. However, they feel that the leaders don’t provide clear direction or clear expectations about what they want to accomplish.
In addition, the leaders often will not let go of certain tasks or decisions that the employees feel they can handle; these leaders can sometimes be referred to as “Micromanagers” or “Directive Autocrats.”
Do either of these scenarios sound familiar?
The Micromanager wants his or her employees to make decisions, but when they do, criticizes the decisions they make, corrects their mistake, or takes the task back. In this scenario, what you are actually telling them is that you don’t trust them to make decisions, and that you’re not willing to provide them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.
The Directive Autocrat provides some direction on a project, but when the project is complete, it doesn’t meet the outcomes they expected. They criticize the employee’s performance, correct their mistake, or take the task back. In this scenario, what you are actually telling your employee is that it’s not worth their time or energy to take the initiative.
The Solution
Both situations portray a management quandary, where leaders want better performance from their employees and employees want to perform better for the leader; yet, there is a disconnection. The shift must start with the leaders.
Leaders need to learn to clearly communicate expectations and address employees at the time mistakes are made.
Making mistakes and missing the mark on outcomes are learning opportunities for both employees and leaders. Years ago, a mentor told me that if I was not making mistakes, then I probably was not making decisions, and therefore I was not learning and developing my skills. (Note: This is not the same as if an employee makes the same mistake over and over, and needs to improve their approach or skills.)
Leaders, when your employees make a mistake or are not performing at the level you desire, try the leadership approach that my mentor used: Ask them a few questions.
How could they have approached the task differently? What did they learn from their decision? How could you, as the leader, provide clearer expectations of the desired outcome?
The answers to these questions will help you determine what was missing in the process (communication, skills, or strategy) and ultimately what prevented the intended outcome from being achieved.
Bottom Line
Do you want your team to perform at the level you desire? Then adjust your leadership style by setting clear expectations. If outcomes are unmet, use the opportunity to ask questions and learn what you or your employee can do differently to achieve different results. Building a strong team takes patience, persistence, and clear communication.
This is another article in a series on Michael Gunther’s entrepreneurial story and how being raised in a large family and his belief in creating a growth company with a work-to-live mentality has influenced his career. To read the previous articles in this series, visit his blog at: www.Collaboration-llc.com.
Michael Gunther is Founder and President of Collaboration, LLC, a team of highly-skilled business professionals who are dedicated to assisting proactive business owners to build profitable, sustainable businesses through results-oriented education and consulting services. Learn more at: www.Collaboration-llc.com. Bottom Line is a regular feature of Simply Clear Marketing & Media.
