Two skills that managers of today’s workforce need to master
Few people have a solid understanding of the shifting role of managers in today’s workforce — or the specifics of what they need to do differently. Here’s what managers can do on a daily basis to engage their direct reports and achieve better results through their people. overseeing annual performance evaluations where employees are graded against one another. The shift from managing performance to developing it requires a new and different approach, one that replaces annual reviews with a regular cadence of personalized feedback to encourage continual learning and growth. At Energage, our decade of research tells us that managers play a critical role in helping employees become engaged with their work and building a healthy organizational culture. The employee/manager relationship is key to creating a positive work experience. So here are two things managers should do well, starting today.
Use Two-way Communication
Be more of a coach than a supervisor. This means conversations with employees have to change, focusing on desired future actions rather than dwelling on past mistakes. The frequency of these conversations has to change as well, to a regular cadence that promotes year-round engagement instead of an annual review. It’s a two-way dialogue, with the manager both delivering and requesting feedback from employees. But before any of this happens, managers need to take the time to understand their employees as people. Sure, they come to work to do a job and achieve their goals. But they also have a life outside of work. There may be personal challenges, financial burdens, school-age children, aging parents, sick pets. These issues can represent potential problems managers can’t be aware of — unless they know their employees on a human level.
Collaborate to Develop Talent
Managers don’t have to become best buddies with their colleagues. The point is to understand the motivations and drivers of the whole individual when assessing how they can contribute to the organization’s needs. These cues should help the manager develop a plan for each person, as well as identify areas requiring improvement or skill development. Today’s managers need to take a more collaborative role in coaching employees. Managers who are coaches are better able to cultivate and develop talent. Rather than simply directing the work of employees, today’s managers can — and should be — the catalyst for learning and change. When managers coach, they bring out the best in their people, they match employee interests to organizational needs. And they’re better able to unlock potential and inspire performance. Stephan Hagelauer is vice president of consulting for Energage, a Philadelphia-based research and consulting firm that surveyed more than 2.5 million employees at more than 6,000 organizations in 2017. Energage is The Denver Post’s research partner for Top Workplaces.