THEY WANT MORE WITH LESS!
We are in a new economy and the old way of managing people does not work. In the past, you could glide by with an abundance of employees and minimal people skills and still be considered a “good” manager. Today, staffs are smaller but the workload has increased. Instead of upper management understanding the dilemma and lowering quotas, they expect supervisors to not only meet the existing benchmarks but to go beyond and achieve more with usually half the personnel!
Of course I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. I recognize that you, as manager or supervisor in this new economy, have experienced higher stress levels and lower employee morale. In the past four years I have conducted over a thousand seminars across the country and have had the pleasure of working with 150,000 managers and supervisors in every kind of workplace; large and small corporations, small business, governments and other non-profit organizations. What they have made clear to me is that, what got you by a few years ago doesn’t help you now. Our personnel do not want to hear the old tired and stale techniques that we, so many times in the past, have relied on to build harmony and productivity in the workplace. Also, most of them resent doing the work of former employees that were let go during the recession. This mentality breeds pessimism and overall negativity. It is left up to you to fix these problems. I know that this situation seems daunting but take heart.
THERE IS HOPE!
There is a way to increase productivity in the staff, meet your goals and satisfy your boss without the backlash that most managers fear. According to behavioral scientists and the research done over the past 20 years, experts agree that we can dramatically increase production from our employees by the way we interact and influence them, in other words our people skills. These skills include a multitude of techniques developed by experts to help you interact with your staff in a way that produces the desired effect. For most managers the goal is to build productivity, increase morale and promote harmony in the organization. By earning a quality technique(s) you increase your skill in that area, whether it be delegation, leadership or say communication. The more techniques you know, the more skilled you are.
Through my experience, I have identified the top five skill sets that you, as a leader, can’t live without in this new economy. Better yet, by mastering these skills you can significantly increase productivity with the workforce you have, reduce your stress and actually enjoy coming to work again. Here they are…
- 1.Behavior Management Skills
The number one skill needed in our workforce today is the ability to manage our staff’s behavior. Most managers and supervisors do not know where behavior comes from; therefore, they don’t know how to alter it. In order to handle the emotions of our employees as well as ourselves, manage change in the workplace and eliminate unwanted negative behavior, you need to be skilled in the science of human behavior.
A manager attending one of my seminars asked me, “It’s a psychology thing, right?” to which I proclaimed “Absolutely!” Psychology is the study of human thought, it’s about why we do the things that we do. Don’t tell me you haven’t looked to at least one of your employees and wondered what was going on between their ears.
By learning behavior techniques you will be able to understand why your people act the way they do, and how to get them to behave the way you need them to act.
- 2.Communication Skills
There can never be enough said about communication skills; this skill set encompasses a large area of real estate when it comes to interacting with our staff. The fact is, “you cannot, not communicate.” In everything that you do, you are communicating to your employees. Only 7% of your communication is the words you say. Everything that you do to interact with your personnel starts here, in communication. Sure, HR will tell you what you can’t say, but who’s telling you what to say and in what medium to say it. By mastering communication skills you will be greatly enhancing your ability to manage your staff.
- 3.Delegation Skills
Delegation is more than just distributing work. Most managers & supervisors do not see the opportunity for development that has been presented to them. They see delegation as a way to get tasks off their plate. The problem is that about 30% of delegated task actually end up back on the manager’s desk! Managers & supervisors also have a very difficult time ensuring that the work is done right.
By learning true delegation skills and applying them, you get the monkey of your back. You learn how to present the task to your people in a way that is done on time and done right. You also learn the true meaning of delegation, which is to develop your team.
- 4.Motivation Skills
Motivation skills are usually a very good skill set to own, however in today’s economy it’s much harder to accomplish. There is something called “fake motivation.” You know what it is? It’s the motivation that most leaders try to use on their people. Your staff sees right through it and they know you are trying to motivate them, but you come off sounding insincere.
Real motivation is accomplished by using real techniques of influence and communication to motivate your employees to perform at the level you need to execute. Many managers complain how their people are not motivated; however, they simply don’t take the time to learn real techniques to solve the problem.
- 5.Building Self Esteem
2 out of 3 people suffer from low self-esteem. That means two thirds of your staff suffers from low self-esteem. Why is this important to you? According to the experts, if your esteem is high, your productivity is high. That means that two thirds of your staff are not executing tasks at the levels that they normally could achieve.
Building self-esteem in your employees is not as easy as complimenting them. People with low self-esteem have thoughts that are 85% negative toward themselves. A pat on the back will not change their inner voice. You must learn tried and proven self-esteem techniques to accomplish your objective which is to increase their self-esteem and as a result, increase productivity.
Become a Student of People
It is vital that today’s managers and supervisors be students of human influence. By learning how to relate with those that you lead, you can increase their output exponentially. Continuing your education in the field of human behavior use to be a luxury that only CEO’s and upper management could afford to learn; however, in today’s market it has become a necessity for every manager or supervisor to be skilled in the art of interacting with people. These five skills about are necessary to succeed as a leader in today’s economy. Face it; you have to become more, if you are going to work with less.
Jeff Compton
Jeff Compton is an Author and Professional Speaker. Jeff has conducted 1000 seminars in the past 4 years to over 150,000 managers & supervisors. Jeff teaches leaders how to successfully interact with their employees that promotes harmony in the workplace but better yet increases productivity. When managers and supervisors need answers they go to Jeff Compton. Jeff is truly America’s Management Go-To-Guy. You can reach Jeff at www.jcompton.com
