Setting Clear Expectation for Employees

Unclear or misunderstood expectations can lead to a drop in performance, along with conflict between a manager and a team member. Although no one likes a micromanager, most employees appreciate knowing they are on the right track. Setting expectations and communicating employee responsibilities to each new hire can have a long-lasting effect on your business. However, a study by Gallup shows that nearly half of all U.S. employees don’t know what’s expected of them at work.

Here are some tips for setting expectations and finding meaning at work for new and existing employees:

1. Connect Individuals to the Big Picture

Numerous research studies indicate that employees are more likely to find meaning at work if their job helps them achieve some longer-term goals. Typically, this involves a leader understanding the far-reaching goals an employee wants to achieve and helping them see how their work is contributing to that.

It is important to articulate a common goal, not just to harness the collective energy but also to help people build a connection between their work and the organization’s highest aims. People need to know how their work connects to the organization’s vision and what’s in it for them.

This requires reconstructing day-to-day work to the organization’s objective, helping employees understand how a series of low level tasks are related to the bigger picture.

2. Identify Meaningful Progress

We need regular feedback to inform us how we are tracking to motivate us to stay the course. Many of us need to feel that we are making progress and that our work is contributing to something important. Measurement and feedback provide an important sense of momentum which is, critical to increasing performance and motivation.

At work, a lot of measurements can be meaningless for individuals. Help your employees measure what matters to them. Work with them to uncover what makes them feel successful at the end of the day or week. Communicate regularly to employees how far they are expected to go and keep them informed of progress along the way.

Research shows that when people know exactly how they were progressing they have the best performance and least stress.

3. Connect Your Team to the External Customer

Ultimately, organizations have to solve customer problems to stay in business. The reality is you can’t make good customer decisions if you are siloed. Yet, the customer can often get forgotten about as an organization becomes larger. It is important to help your people understand how their work benefits customers.

The best method to do that is for employees to hear firsthand from customers how the organization’s product or service improves their life.

It’s important to help your employees think about who would be worse off if they didn’t do their job.  Reframing for who your work matters can be a powerful motivator to improve our results.

Employees feel most appreciated when you help them feel connected: to purpose, accomplishment, and one another. Communicate their exact role in your organization’s greater purpose—how they make a difference and contribute. And how they fit into their teams and the broader organization. When employees connect to organizational purpose, great work, and their teammates, they feel a higher sense of belonging at work. Successful companies show employees how their efforts play a part in something much bigger than themselves, so they feel more valued by their leaders and by their organization.

Not All Judgement is Bad

The instinct to judge; it's a common reflex we all possess. We're hardwired to evaluate and assess the people and situations around us.

Judgement is a hard-wired mechanism for survival, a natural instinct, and a defense mechanism. Most of us partake in constant judgment of people’s clothing, judgement of people’s words, judgment of people’s actions. However, more often than not it consumes so much of our mental energy unnecessarily.

Judgement seems to be inherent to us humans… Judgement is not always bad, judging people can be a gift when it prompts self-reflection and growth. Constructive judgment can highlight areas for improvement, inspire empathy, and foster deeper understanding of ourselves and others. It serves as a tool for personal development and building healthier relationships, ultimately leading to greater self-awareness and fulfillment.

Here are some of the benefits that can come from our judgments of others…

Self Awareness

Our judgments offer valuable insights, revealing areas in ourselves where we can nurture love, acceptance, and reconciliation. They illuminate opportunities for personal growth, expansion, and release, paving the way for forgiveness and authentic confidence.

Constructive Feedback

When we are busy judging others and we don’t have to deal with ourselves. Feedback is a powerful tool for growth, both personally and as a leader. Invite others to share their thoughts and observations with you. Once you begin listening to learn about another, wonder focuses your attention, and you feel appreciation for another’s experience. You experience empathy; a state of understanding and respect. Put yourself in the shoes of those you lead and imagine how they might be experiencing the challenges they face. Instead of feeling defensive, let empathy stimulate how you respond and act. Remember, feedback is a precious gift that will propel you forward when you open and receive it fully.

Expanded Compassion

When we’re being judgmental, it can remind us about the importance of compassion – for ourselves and others. The things we judge in others (which are always things we judge in ourselves consciously or unconsciously) are simply things we don’t have much compassion for. We can use our judgments as opportunities to expand our capacity for compassion, one of the most powerful emotions we can express and experience in life.

There’s nothing wrong with us being judgmental, it’s a normal aspect of being human. And, while judgments can and do cause a great deal of difficulty and pain in our lives and relationships, especially if we stay unconscious about them, we can use our own judgmental tendency to actually create the kind of life and the kinds of relationships we truly want. There are advantages in our judgments, if we’re willing to do the work necessary and confront them and ourselves with ruthless compassion and vulnerable truth.

Why Being Respectful to Your Coworkers is Good for Business

In “Why being respectful to your coworkers is good for business,” leadership researcher Christine Porath shows how small acts of respect can boost your professional success. Her informative TED Talk explains how rudeness can have a very real, measurable effect on your team’s listening, productivity and motivation. She shares some insights on the performance of different leadership styles, and some tips on how to become a leader who is able to lift others up and provide them with the respect they need to succeed.

“Who do you want to be? It's a simple question, and whether you know it or not, you're answering it every day through your actions. This one question will define your professional success more than any other, because how you show up and treat people means everything. Either you lift people up by respecting them, making them feel valued, appreciated and heard, or you hold people down by making them feel small, insulted, disregarded or excluded. And who you choose to be means everything.”

Incivility affects your business's bottom line. How? Because how you treat the people you work with and the customers you serve impacts how they interact with you. At the very least incivility demotivates the people around you, makes it hard for them to buy into why they should be working with you and, at worst it turns people way. Incivility could literally be the single biggest driver that is sinking your business. In this TED Talk you’ll see that it literally pays to be kind in your business.

My favorite part of the video is there’s empirical data that supports that nice guys (and gals) don’t finish last. It’s the leaders and business owners that demonstrate civility consistently who prove to be the most impactful leaders in their organizations. I absolutely love this! It’s not about how well your sales funnel works, the colors you choose, or any other tactic; it’s about how you treat people that matters most when it comes to finding success.

Delegation vs Empowerment

As a business leader, you have a responsibility to develop others, leverage your resources, and create an environment that engages people to volunteer their commitment. These are traits of a good leader, and one of the most effective tools you can use to fulfill your responsibilities and allow others to contribute is delegation and empowerment.

Delegation and empowerment are two ends of a continuum that leverage resources, develop others, and allow people to feel as if they are contributing.

The key difference between delegation and empowerment comes down to one important factor: who is in control, or how much autonomy does the individual have in the job.

“To delegate” is to deliberately assign a defined task, mission, or function to a specific person or entity, normally a direct report or subordinate.

“To empower” is a broader term that conveys giving or allowing others the freedom to act with little (or any) prompting, direction, or supervision. It also includes providing additional tools to enhance a person's capabilities.

There are three factors you must consider when deciding if you want to delegate or empower: knowledge, skills, and abilities. The more competent and experienced the team member, the more you can empower them to take ownership of the task and exercise more control. On the other hand, for less experienced team members, more direction and control may be required to ensure successful completion of the task.

The amount of control and autonomy required to complete a task is an important factor to consider when deciding whether to delegate or empower. Tasks that are very prescribed may not provide many opportunities for empowerment, but there may still be some aspects that can be delegated to team members to develop their skills and provide additional support.

Another important factor is the amount of control and autonomy that a leader is willing to give when deciding whether to delegate or empower. Unfortunately, some leaders have a tendency to micromanage everything and everyone, feeling that they must be involved in every decision and activity.

Leaders who micromanage may feel that their team members don’t have the necessary knowledge, skills, or abilities to complete tasks successfully without their guidance. However, this mindset can be counterproductive, as it can stifle creativity and innovation, demotivate team members, and limit their potential for growth and development.

Moreover, micromanagement can be a drain on a leader’s time and energy, leaving them little time to focus on strategic initiatives and higher-level tasks. It can also create a sense of distrust between the leader and their team members, eroding the team’s morale and productivity.

Your job, as a leader, is to develop others, leverage your resources, accomplish the work, and create an environment that engages people to volunteer their commitment. You can do this by giving people appropriate levels of control and autonomy with delegation and empowerment.

Delegation and empowerment creates a sense of ownership and responsibility within your team. It allows your team members to take the lead in their assigned tasks and work towards achieving the desired results. This, in turn, leads to increased productivity, better teamwork, and improved morale.

Delegation and empowerment also help in developing your team members’ skills and abilities. As you delegate tasks and empower them to make decisions, they gain valuable experience and knowledge that will benefit them in their career growth.

Moreover, by delegating and empowering your team members, you as a leader can be free to focus on strategic initiatives and higher-level tasks. As you delegate more tasks, you free up your time and energy to focus on more significant issues, such as planning, strategizing, and creating new business opportunities.

Delegation and empowerment are powerful tools that can help leaders leverage their resources, develop their team members, and create an environment that fosters engagement and commitment. By understanding the differences between delegation and empowerment, leaders can determine when to use each one and how to apply them effectively.

Understanding Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation in Your Employees

What motivates your employees?

A key component of leadership is motivation and how different techniques can be used to motivate and engage employees. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation refer to the forces that drive behavior. Internal motivation arises from within, while external motivation comes from outside forces.

Intrinsic motivation is when you engage in a behavior because you find it rewarding. You are performing an activity for its own sake rather than from the desire for some external reward. The behavior itself is its own reward.

Extrinsic motivation is when we are motivated to perform a behavior or engage in an activity because we want to earn a reward or avoid punishment.2 You will engage in behavior not because you enjoy it or because you find it satisfying, but because you expect to get something in return or avoid something unpleasant.

Of the two types of motivation, intrinsic motivation tends to be the strongest motivator over the long-term. Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations can be helpful if you understand how to leverage them for employee professional development. Many people think intrinsic motivation is the most desirable of the two, but both have their strengths if you know how to take advantage of them.

Intrinsic motivation isn’t possible in every situation due to human nature. No two employees are precisely alike in what motivates them and what brings them satisfaction in the workplace. Not all intrinsically motivated individuals will apply those skills in their workplace, either.

While it’s true that employees do benefit from a bit of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation comes in to offer something extra. These incentives — whether it’s a special perk, a bonus or something similar — can push your team forward. Offering the chance of rewards or praise can get them to complete tasks they weren’t initially interested in or level the playing field for all employees to participate and move your department or company towards the same goal.

Generally, managers should utilize extrinsic rewards when they need to motivate their team to take on new responsibilities or learn new tasks. Try not to rely on extrinsic motivation for everything, as that can create the unrealistic expectation that there will always be this kind of reward.

It’s possible to influence intrinsic motivation, though it’s not as straightforward as offering an extra day off for the highest performer on the team. Personal preference means that some people will never grow interested in a topic or want to pursue continuing education, no matter how much it can benefit them in the workplace.

But that’s not always the case. Some extrinsic motivation, such as recognition for a job well done or delivering positive feedback, can be utilized as tools to inspire intrinsic motivation. This also has a positive effect on employee motivation. 

Rewards used to inspire extrinsic motivation can encourage intrinsic enjoyment of the task over time. However, too many extrinsic rewards can have the opposite effect, leading employees to rely on them to stay motivated.

Both extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation drive human behavior. There are several key differences between motivation that comes from external rewards and the kind that is driven by an individual's genuine interest, including the influence of each type on a person's behavior and the situations in which each type will be most effective.

Understanding how each type of motivation works and when it is likely to be useful can help people perform tasks (even when they do not want to) and improve their learning.

Five Tips For Keeping Your Talented Team Satisfied

An interesting survey carried out by market research firm Ipsos in 2022 found that around 76% of employees were satisfied with their current jobs. However, the same survey found that 58% were either actively looking for new positions or were open to new opportunities.

What this shows is that many people are actively looking for improvements and meaningful changes in their current working situations.

As managers, what does this mean for us? What can we do to ensure our teams are fulfilled and willing to contribute their best efforts to the roles they are playing? Here are five tips:

1) Put quality of life as a priority for team members

Yes, compensation is still important, but be aware that employee well-being and other benefits play a vital role in the overall satisfaction of people in the workplace. You want to ensure you understand what team members value most in their jobs. Dan Pink wrote that, after the key issue of compensation was dealt with, the three main drivers of motivation are a) Autonomy (having the ability to do the job in the way they want to do it), b) Mastery (the ability to get better at doing stuff), and c) Purpose (Working for a company that has an inspiring reason for existing, so people feel they want to be part of something bigger and better)

2) Agile working practices

People have emerged from the pandemic with different priorities and a changed perspective on what ‘work’ is about. We need to assess what these changes are for our business and its implications for future work.

Companies that have become more agile in their processes will attract the talent needed to take them onto the next level of competition, so think how you are embracing agile thinking in your areas of responsibility

3) Encourage autonomy and flexibility

Another way to keep your team engaged and satisfied at work is to encourage autonomy and flexibility. You can do this by giving them the freedom and responsibility to make decisions, manage their time, and choose their work style and location. Autonomy and flexibility help your team members feel empowered and trusted and allow them to work in a way that suits their preferences and needs. They also help you promote innovation and creativity and adapt to changing circumstances.

4) Build opportunities for career progression

The younger generations (generically speaking) have a much greater emphasis on where their job is taking them, career-wise, than previous generations. Think of this as ‘progression’ rather than just ‘promotion’. Being able to assist team members in their development and growth will not only help them, but also you as a department and company. The ‘power skills’ that will be needed in the future include things like quality communication, leadership, critical thinking, agile thinking and problem-solving. The more you immerse your teams in these key future skills, the greater their propensity will be to see their futures at your company, rather than having to move on to achieve them.

5) Build relationships and culture

A fifth way to keep your team engaged and satisfied at work is to build relationships and culture. You can do this by creating opportunities for social interaction, collaboration, and fun, such as team meetings, events, or activities. You can also foster a sense of belonging, identity, and purpose, by sharing your vision, values, and stories, and by involving your team in decision-making and problem-solving. Relationships and culture help your team members feel connected and engaged and create a positive and supportive work environment.

Managing teams is difficult work.  It requires commitment to the team and being both intuitive and a good listener.  It requires excellent communication skills, and a lot of patience. By focusing on employee retention, organizations can achieve increased performance, higher motivation and improved outcomes.

Teach Them How To Fish

There's an old saying, usually attributed to Confucius, that goes something like "Give a man a fish, and you'll feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime." There's an important life lesson in that simple statement. Some people translate it conceptually into something like "Education is the most important thing you can give someone to better his circumstances." For me I don’t believe this gets to the heart of the matter.

The translation I like goes something like this:

Give a man the answer, and he'll only have a temporary solution. Teach him the principles that led you to that answer, and he will be able to create his own solutions in the future.

It's considerably less catchy, of course, but I think this is the true meaning of Confucius’s statement.

Suppose a employee comes asking for information that they could easily collect themselves if they are given the right training and have the necessary skill set. However, you decide to give them that information because you believe it is faster and easier than trying to teach them how to collect that information. You have given him a fish.

FAIL.

Sure, you were able to help that person by solving their problem at the moment, yet you lost time. You were ineffective. Switching costs stole your efficiency.

Why is this considered a fail? If you provide all the answers and solve all the problems, you are not helping the business. If you are the person that is always providing information and yet there are others around you that could support it with the right training and experience, you would be better served to spread that wealth by teaching them how to fish.

We need to transfer knowledge or skill from a single person to others. We need to share that information. We need to train others. Turn them into teachers and allow them to teach others within your organization. They need to teach others how to become as good as they are at that particular role so they can grow and become bigger and better at what they do for the company.

The next time you are learning a new task or a new activity, something that no one else has done before, take the time to find a peer or subordinate that can help you with learning. They can grow alongside you building that new skill. They can share the burden of how that particular process works. In that effort, you are building relationships because relationships matter.

You are also teaching them how to fish.