How to Get the Best out of the 3 Types of Employees you have.

The North American culture that I work in presents unique opportunities and challenges to leaders in managing the different types of employees most leaders have on their team. Take a read of the following and ask yourself how many of each do I have on my team? Then read on for some suggestions on how to best manage them.

Managing Heroes

You have to love Heroes. The biggest danger trap leaders fall into in managing Heroes is they get so busy managing their other employees that they forget to occasionally look their Heroes in the eye and say the two words that would keep them motoring along: "Thank You".

Ask yourself: When is the last time I recognized the contribution of someone I appreciate because I can count on them and they don't require high maintenance? What can I do and/or say in this coming week to remind them that they rock?!

The misperception that some leaders get of their Heroes is they don't need anything. As to my point above, everyone needs feedback and so don't forget your Heroes.

There is something else they desire: Learning Opportunities. Not that they need it to do their current job but their life long learning attitude craves it. Learning opportunities come in many forms: workshops, webinars, memberships but also in the ability to mentor and train people on their team. Your heroes want to help you make your teams as successful as possible. As a speaker/trainer I can tell you the intrinsic reward of empowering others is that you learn so much (if not more!) from the stories they give you. Ask yourself: what learning opportunities can i give my heroes in the coming year? Where can I empower them to rub off on & empower their teammates through coaching & mentoring?

Managing Phantoms

Here is an area where I believe the North American Culture I live in and in general love is dangerous. Not to fit everyone in a box but in general North Americans value independence in people. The Cowboy culture you experience in Alberta for example has less to do with the hat (my hair doesn't let me wear one!) and more to do with an attitude and set of values that says "Just don't get in the way of my hard work and success". That valuing of people who aren't afraid to go to tough places and work hard to achieve success is shared in most regions of our continent.

Personal Confession: I too love and value it. I was raised with the theme song of God Bless a Child that has their Own.

But you need to know that for all its good, it can be deadly to organizations in terms of motivation and performance capacity/results.

Here's why: Because we value independence we expect it from others. When we don't get (i.e Phantoms don't always act as independently as their Hero siblings) we don't like it and it can lead us to be quick to judge.

We judge them as entitled. We judge them as non-motivated. The list goes on...

The dangers with judging someone is this:

1. The second we judge we stop listening. There is nothing they can do to turn our impression around. If they take strides we won't see it. If we don't see it we won't reward it and they'll resent it. Judgment creates an atmosphere with a white elephant in the room that while not always called out is always felt. Ironically the lack of engagement it produces from a leader towards an employee creates a self fulfilling prophecy: They will become totally non motivated and totally reluctant to giving you initiative in their work. Who ultimately caused it? The Leader.

The lack of initiative is and is not a personal choice. Let me explain! Yes they are choosing not to show initiative in their current behaviours but it is not usually a conscious choice though. It subconsciously presents itself out of the past environments that molded that employee expectation of the right thing to do.

Examples: Some of you were raised to do as you are told and thus wait to be told. Some of you took initiative in the past, put yourself out there and got slaughtered for it. The lesson it taught you: NEVER AGAIN. Is that the sign of a bad person? Absolutely not!

Leaders that speak new vision into their employees are powerful in trending your Phantoms into your newest Hero. If their present behaviours are molded by what they've seen, their future behaviours can be molded by what you help them see.

Talk about the vision of potential you see for them. Talk to them about the patterns of behaviour you'd like to see down the road and how it could benefit them. Take a genuine and passionate interest in their success and in the areas you agree create a real plan to get there. It may require some hand holding up front (Wax On Danielson..aka Karate Kid), but the sooner you commit to and do that, the sooner you'll see them independently showing initiative in the areas that will make them top contributors.

Managing Stones

Stones are great people in disguise. Totally reluctant to any commitment their attitude has usually been molded by hurts/anger in their personal life or past work experiences.

The Biggest Don't Do: Don't make them attend a workshop or webinar or help group hoping it will fix them!

That is an odd piece of advice from someone who holds workshops & webinars :O) but it is true; you'll be wasting their time and your money.

They need to want the help first.

My experience with Stone's is that the way to love them is to clearly communicate your expectations of behaviour and the consequences for both meeting and not meeting them (the story of the carrot & the stick) and let them choose their fate. 90+ percent of them in my experience will choose the stick but it might be the best thing that ever happened to them!

Why? Usually Stones need to hit a wall to crack open the tough rock like exterior they've surrounded themselves with to protect against further disappointment and/or hurt.

Loving a Stone is never setting them up to fail, but letting them do so if thats what they choose hoping that the consequences will finally make a difference in their life. Why? Because under the rock there is a GREAT person.

Leaders care about people because commitment to goals in the workplace is usually stronger to a person that it is to a number.

The strategies for each type of employee are different. I hope this can help one or two or more leaders out there.

Keep being awesome!

David

David Benjatschek is a sought after Thought Leader / Author / Speaker / Trainer in the area of Performance Management. www.authorenticity.com for more info on how to bring him to your company. Check out the "Power Essentials to Building Performance Capacity" workshop in Calgary on Thursday March 21. A full day of powerful learning & tools to build environments that help employees prosper.