Managing Employees: A Guide to Getting Things Done

By Leif H. Smith

Today’s managers are tomorrow’s leaders. Their job, no matter the industry, is to make certain that things get done. However, seldom do you find managers that are effective at doing so. What results for the company that hires ineffective managers is lost productivity, confusion, and general employee ineptitude.

The following are tips for managers of any level, and in any industry. Follow them and your work productivity will increase by at least twenty-five to fifty percent.

1. Know your employee “types”

In order to become a more effective manager of your employees you must first understand that your employees are a varied and diverse group. They need to be managed as such. Failing to understand this basic principle will result in one thing: your demotion. Therefore, you must first understand the types of employees you are working with. Some generalized personality descriptions include:

A. The General: loves to be in charge, to feel important, to be in the middle of things. Plans to move up within the company.

B. The Mouse: quiet, behind the scenes, appeasing with others. Avoids conflicts, goes along with everyone else’s opinion. Seeks to keep a low profile above all else.

C. The Cheerleader: full of energy, extroverted, is a walking banner-display for company values.

D. The Rebel: loves to be contrary. Points out others’ flaws, values own opinion above all else (without regard for competence). Bristles or pauses when given directives.

E. The Transient: Moves from job to job, career to career, without much planning. Does only what is expected of him or her. Invests little of self in company values and activities.

2. Focus on situations to teach

As an effective manager, you must learn to find “moments” or situations that are crucial to teaching and influencing your fellow employees. Behavioral principles teach us that learning occurs most quickly when reinforcements or punishments are applied as close to the intended behavior’s occurrence as possible. As a manager, it is important that you understand that your ability to influence others will be tied to your ability to use work situations as teaching tools. Maximizing use of these situations will allow you to effectively induce change, on a greater scale, and much more quickly. How do you do this?

A. Find moments when your employees are being successful, and let them know you noticed. Praise them in the presence of others.

B. Notice when your employees are uncertain, confused, less-than-confident, and jump in and assist them. Model what you expect from them in those situations.

C. Immediately address behaviors that are contrary to company policies or productivity, such as rudeness to customers, bad manners, improper dress, etc. Be firm, and stern, address the individual privately, letting him know that he needs to remedy the situation immediately.

3. Macro-manage

The more you micro-manage, the more your workers will resent you. Really. Those managers that feel they have to have their hands in everything are as bad for a company as having a customer service representative that is rude and unhelpful. Why? Because the more you micro-manage, the more you are sending the message that you don’t believe that your employees can get the job done. It’s similar to a baseball manager having a pitcher warm up in the bullpen while the closer trots out to the mount to finish off a close game. Keep your hands out of unnecessary tasks and situations, and allow your employees to do their jobs.

4. Be creative

Effective managers are good at dealing with unforeseen events and situations. They do this by staying flexible in their approach to dealing with others, and by keeping an open mind. Some general ways to be more creative in your problem-solving skills might include:

A. When dealing with a General, seek to allow him to take center stage whenever appropriate with tasks. By doing so, you will be meeting his need to feel important and worthwhile, while simultaneously improving the odds that the task will get done.

B. When dealing with a Mouse, seek to build his confidence. Appeal to his need to avoid conflict as a noble trait, and reinforce individuality and autonomy at every opportunity. Seek to keep him separated from Generals as much as possible.

C. To best deal with a Cheerleader, never douse his passion. Put him in situations where his energy and people-skills will be most effective (dealing with customers and customer complaints). Praise him early and often. Hire two Cheerleaders for every Mouse on your staff.

D. The best way to deal with a Rebel is to not engage in battles with him, for that is what he is seeking. Instead, fail to reinforce his rebel behaviors (voicing displeasure, complaining, etc) by making an example of him in front of others. This will only reinforce his role. Behaviors that are not reinforced eventually extinguish due to lack of utility.

E. To deal effectively with Transients, minimize their role in important company roles and tasks. Transients are here-today, gone-tomorrow types, so you must be certain to appeal to their self-interest if you expect them to invest any amount of energy in improving the corporation’s bottom line.

The bottom line with regards to being creative is this: If you focus on improving productivity and worry less about how that will happen, you will become a better manager. Stay flexible.

5. Be human

The most important and oft-overlooked principle in becoming a better manager is to be human. Show your employees that you have a soft side, that you enjoy good jokes, that you make occasional mistakes, etc. The more you do this, the more your employees will feel they can relate to you. The more they can relate to you, the better your chances that you will be able to influence them in your role as manager.

Leif Smith, Psy.D., President of Personal Best Consulting, LLC, has worked with athletes and coaches from The University of Iowa, The Ohio State University, and the College of Wooster. He specializes in improving performance and production, and has also worked with corporations such as America Online. Subscribe to the free monthly email newsletter, "Personal Bests: Techniques for Living an Extraordinary Life" when visiting his Web site at www.personalbestconsulting.com.

Published in Networking Today, July 2004