10 Steps to Be a Successful Manager, Second Edition by Unknown

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Language: eng
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Is fascinating, interesting, or unique

Makes things better

Creates a strong sense of urgency for something deemed

worthy

Improves relationships

Celebrates the best in people

Expands capabilities and confidence

Offers a worthy challenge

Is fun

Did you notice that I inserted the word worthy a couple times in Exercise 5-2? That’s an important distinction. Employees love a challenge and will pull into one as long as it represents something that is worthy of their efforts. If you double their production goals, thinking it is a good challenge, well then you won’t see much in the way of pull. Similarly, pet projects that seem like a waste of time to most people won’t get much pull. Compliance, perhaps, but not pull.

You can create more pull by making small but impactful changes to the things you already do.

Let’s use the example of your next team meeting to illustrate. Example 5-1 fills in the chart from Exercise 5-2 with ideas for applying the elements that improve pull at your next staff meeting.

Did reviewing Example 5-1 give you any ideas? Try going through the exercise with other situations, such as huddles, goal setting, rounding, or training. However, I’ve got a few caveats: First, although the focus of this step is on creating pull by igniting intrinsic motivation, I am not suggesting that accountability systems (extrinsically driven) are bad. We’ll discuss

accountability in step 6. It’s another tool that produces different, but also important, outcomes.

As managers, you have many tools.

Second, creating pull is not a science— if you do X, you will not always get Y. When it comes to engagement, you are not in control. Engagement is an intrinsically driven behavior that occurs when we pull ourselves into the work. But the situation that elicits pull for me might be different than what motivates you. And it might change. There are some common triggers and conditions that tend to evoke intrinsic motivation more often, and managers who use these will see more employee engagement. And there are common elements that make the difference for many of us.

Before you plan your staff meeting, huddles, one-on-ones, rounding, or work plans, review the management practices that create pull and determine ways you can make the workplace a bit more motivating. Small actions, practiced consistently, will yield better results than twice yearly grand gestures.

EXAMPLE 5-1

MANAGEMENT PRACTICES THAT CREATE PULL IN THE WORKPLACE

Workplace Element

At the Team Meeting

Celebrates the best in

Openly acknowledge people and groups. Use the meeting as a forum to

people

share recognition.

Is fascinating, interesting,

Share a video or short article about what’s going on that’s new and

or unique

amazing in your team’s functional area.

Evokes a sense of pride

Invite someone from another department or senior leadership to share

how the team’s work affects the community. Share what the

organization does that is best in class compared with competitors.

Makes things better

Dedicate a portion of the meeting to allow team members to improve

some aspect of their work that is troublesome to them.

Creates a strong sense of

Be open about potential ramifications for work issues. Share long-term

urgency for something

goals and where the market is heading.

deemed worthy

Improves relationships

Take time

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