Lean Tip #2596 - Push Employees To Their
Attainable Limits.
Although you don’t want to overwhelm employees,
you should push them to the edge of their comfort zone. Bored employees are
much more likely to disengage—they need to be challenged to grow. Identify each
employee’s experience and skillset, and have them take on new tasks or
assignments that help them expand. Be available and willing to help when
questions arise.
Lean Tip #2597 - Encourage Employees to Learn
From Others.
No two employees are exactly alike. They come
from different backgrounds and have varying personalities, strengths, and
weaknesses. Have them interact frequently so they teach each other new skills
or approaches. Simply connecting employees with their peers opens new
possibilities and creates a more connected workplace.
Lean Tip #2598 - Don't Do Employees' Work For
Them.
When you notice an assignment is proceeding
slowly or heading in the wrong direction, you might be tempted to take it into
your own hands and simply complete it yourself. This might be beneficial in the
short term, but employees need to learn through trial and error. Instead of
taking the task off their hands, teach them how to handle the situation by offering
guidance.
As you coach employees and provide feedback,
it’s critical that you instill them with confidence. Look for opportunities to
recognize employees for strong performance and extra effort. Acknowledging
employees’ contributions boosts their confidence and sets them up for
success.
Lean Tip #2599 - Tolerate Occasional Failure.
Sometimes, things don’t go according to plan.
Mistakes will be made and deals will fall through – it’s just a part of work.
But how you respond is what really matters. Don’t accept failure and move on,
because this can create a lower standard for performance expectations. At the
same time, don’t crush employees for their mistakes. Instead, have them explain
what went wrong and explain how they could have executed better. Remain
positive and solution-oriented.
Lean Tip #2600 - Ask How You Can Help.
Good coaches don’t just throw their players into
a competition and say, “figure it out.” They’re actively encouraging and
searching for solutions to help athletes succeed. Let your employees know they
can come to you with questions or concerns. You’re there to help them, and they
should feel comfortable asking for advice and or assistance.
If you hope to get everyone pushing in the same
direction, you need to show them where to go. Goals are the most clear and
effective way to do so. Sit down with employees to create personal goals that
help them develop and further their careers, as well as goals that will
contribute to the benchmarks of the team and the organization as a whole.
Lean Tip #2601 - Ask Guiding Questions When
Coaching
Open-ended, guiding questions lead to more
detailed and thoughtful answers, which lead to more productive coaching
conversations. As a manager or leader, it is critical that you develop strong
relationships with your employees. This will help you determine if your
employees are curious, have the capacity to perform and improve, and what kind
of attitude they have towards their work.
This is where communication skills and emotional
intelligence really come into play. Managers must guide conversations both by
asking questions and listening, not by giving directives. Employees learn and
grow the most when they uncover the answers themselves.
Lean Tip #2602 - Recognize What’s Going Well
Coaching well requires a balance of criticism
and praise. If your coaching conversations are completely focused on what’s not
working and what the employee has to do to change, that’s not motivating, it’s
demoralizing.
Your recognition of the things your employee is
doing well can be a springboard into how they can build from that to improve.
We’re not talking about the compliment sandwich here, though, because that
coaching technique often devolves into shallow praise that comes off as
insincere.
Giving compliments that you don’t actually mean
can have a worse effect than not giving any at all, so take the time to think
about specific things that are going well, and let your employees know that you
see and appreciate them!
Lean Tip #2603 - Listen and Empower Employees
Coaching requires both encouragement and
empowerment. As a manager and a leader, your job is to build one-on-one
relationships with employees that result in improved performance.
Your employees are likely to have a lot of
input, questions, and feedback. It’s important for them to know you care enough
to listen to what they have to say, so encourage them to share their opinions.
Some employees will have no problem speaking
their mind, while others will need a LOT of encouragement before they share an
opinion with you openly. Once they do open up, be sure to respect those
opinions by discussing them, rather than dismissing them.
Lean Tip #2604 - Coach in the Moment
If an employee comes to you with a question
about a process or protocol, use this opportunity to teach them something new.
If you’re not able to stop what you’re doing right away, schedule time with
them as soon as possible to go over it.
Better yet, keep a weekly one-on-one meeting
scheduled with each employee so you can go over questions and issues regularly,
while maintaining productivity. Coaching employees with a goal of improving
performance means making them a priority each week!
Lean Tip #2605 - Commit to Continuous Learning
Make a commitment to improve your own skills and
competencies. If you’re not continuously learning, why should your employees?
Lead by example and your team will follow.
Show that you are interested in their success
(why wouldn’t you be?). Ask questions about where they see their career going,
or how they see their role evolving in the company. Even if they don’t have a
plan laid out yet, these questions will make them think about their career and
what they want to accomplish within the organization.
Show your employees that you don’t just want
them to do better so you look better, but that you’re actively interested in
their career, accomplishments, and professional success.
Lean Tip #2606 – Empathy is Essential for
Leaders
For leaders of the current workforce, empathy
is essential. Here are three key reasons why empathy is so important for
leaders: 1) the increase in the use of teams 2) the rapid pace of globalization
with increased cross cultural communication and 3) the growing need to retain
talent. Empathy also enables leaders to create environments of open communication
and feedback, understand and navigate the problems employees face, validate
what their employees are going through, and anticipate the needs of teams.
Lean Tip #2607 – Put Yourself in the Person’s Shoes.
It’s easy for us to comment and judge. We can
say “This is no big deal” or “I don’t see why you feel this way” or “You’re over-reacting.”
However, put yourself in the person’s shoes and walk a mile. Maybe they are
undergoing great pain and difficulty. Maybe they are experiencing deep problems
from other areas of their life. Maybe there are little issues that led them to
behave this way. Without knowing the full details of a person’s problem, how
can we make a conclusion? Imagine you are the person. Imagine going through
this problem right now, and try to understand things from their perspective.
This will allow you to connect with their emotions and perspective better.
Lean Tip #2608 – Acknowledge the Person’s Feelings.
One of the biggest problems I find in
communication is that many people don’t acknowledge the other person’s
feelings. Acknowledging means to recognize the importance of something. So for
example, someone says “I feel so frustrated with X.” Acknowledging this feeling
means saying, “Why are you frustrated?” or “I’m sorry to hear that. What
happened? “On the other hand, when you brush off or dismiss that emotion (e.g.
“Relax,” “What’s the big deal?”), or you try to avoid the topic or say
something irrelevant, you are not acknowledging — or respecting — their
feelings. Think about emotions as the connecting point in a conversation. How
you respond to an emotion is central to whether the person continues to share
or closes off. When someone expresses an emotion, like “I’m sad,” “I’m angry,”
or “I’m frustrated,” acknowledge the emotion. For example: “I’m so sorry that
you are feeling this,” “This must be really frustrating,” or “What happened?”
Lean Tip #2609 – Master the Art of Asking
Questions
Exercising empathy for coworkers means not only
being a good listener but also asking the right questions to get to the root of
your colleagues’ problems.
When you ask thoughtful questions of your
coworkers, you’re basically saying, “Okay, I hear you. What can I do to help?
How are we going to take care of this?”
Questions asked of your employees should be
specific rather a blanket, one-size-fits-all response. Workers deserve to have
their concerns heard and understood.
Lean Tip #2610 – Accept That Empathy Doesn’t
Happen Overnight
Your quest for a more empathetic workplace is a
marathon, not a sprint.
Learning how to develop empathy skills such as
patience, keen listening, and asking thoughtful questions takes time. The more
you interact and become comfortable with your team, the easier it becomes to
show them compassion.
Don’t let one bad experience or toxic coworker
wreck your otherwise positive outlook, either. Consistently showing up and
responding to coworkers’ concerns will ultimately lead to empathy, influence
and respect. Once you’ve kindled positive relationships with your coworkers,
everyone else in the office will be more likely to return the favor.
The end result? A connected, compassionate
workplace.
