Managing People: Developing Your Team - Your Success is My Success is Our Success

One of the most satisfying things in life is the feeling of forward motion. No one likes to feel stagnant. Your team is no exception. Employees, no matter how much they like their current jobs, are typically looking for long-term career growth. In order to keep them happy, you have to constantly challenge them and provide opportunities for them to expand their skills. In order for the team to achieve its goals, each individual on the team must feel that their goals are being addressed and achieved in the process. Otherwise, they will quickly become disengaged.

Ideally, you want everyone on your team to care about what they are doing. In order to achieve this, you have to show them how what they are doing today will help them tomorrow. In this installment of the Managing People series, I'll show you how to do this.

Help them see why their work is important

Feeling important is a big part of job satisfaction. If your employees don't feel needed and their work isn't valued, they will lack drive. Show your team how their individual roles fit into the "big picture" of the business. Explain why and how their activities directly impact the success of the team and the company.

Answer the question: What's in it for me?

You, as the manager, must understand what motivates your team. You can't develop their skills without knowing what drives them to come to the office each day. Some will be solely focused on money (and that's okay!), while others will be interested in learning new skills and being promoted. Recognize that no two people are identical when it comes to motivation. Treat each person as an individual and cater to their needs. Use our Motivation Questionnaire to help guide you. This will also help you to determine appropriate rewards (discussed further in the final installment of this series).

Ultimately, you need to answer the question that every person on your team has: What's in it for me. At the end of the day, this is the bottom line for everyone. People want to know what benefit they get from doing something.

Support the person

Every member of your team has individual personal and professional goals. As a manager, you need to recognize those goals and support them. Below are a few things you can offer to help do this:

• Company provided training (if available)
• Company paid or reimbursed training such as private classes, workshops or conferences (if offered at your company)
• Time off for participating in outside training courses
• Mentorship and personal coaching
• Hands-on experience in specific areas of interest
  

Managers have the ability to really impact the lives of their employees. You can encourage them to stretch their wings and push towards achieving their goals, or you can stifle their ambitions by focusing solely on today's work and nothing else. What kind of manager would you rather be?
Show interest in the person

Too many managers ignore the fact that their employees have lives outside of the office. This means they move, have sick children, injured pets, broken vehicles, and dentist appointments. They are fathers, mothers, sisters, grandchildren, and friends. Pay attention to what's going on with your staff and if they need a little extra time to take care of personal business, allow for it when needed. Of course, no one wants to be taken advantage of, but a good manager recognizes that employees have personal demands as well as professional ones. There is a delicate balance that each of us has to maintain in order to keep life running smoothly. At times, life flows over into work time. Make your expectations clear (regarding timing and accomplishing tasks) but give your employees a break now and then. Show some sincere interest in helping them achieve that delicate work/life balance. They are more than just "worker bees".

Tomorrow, we'll be looking at performance issues - how to address them and get them resolved.