Keeping Your Talented people, You’ll Need Them More When Recovery Kicks In.
People leave managers. People don’t leave companies. An interesting and much espoused theory. But is it true? What do you think?
The Theory X approach of Douglas McGregor to managing people, has, from what I have seen, been resurgent in under pressure companies, and with under pressure managers.
The life experiences of people managers, their beliefs, their life circumstances and other reasons, all contribute to the blend of theory X and Y that they engage in.
People Want To Use Their Strengths & Develop.
I would, as a leadership, management, sales and personal development facilitator, like to think that most people leaders would create work environments with a leaning more toward theory Y, and a belief that people can and want to develop.
However, my experience has taught me, that everyone is different; people have different needs, and skills and interests.
Therefore, there will be situations and people who need a blend and more of X or Y approaches. Carrot & stick works to an extent.
Role Clarity & Role Strengths.
The key learning point here is to get to know your people your people, to understand their needs, to engage with them so you can see what their strengths are, and how best to use them in a team role. By getting to know them, they will more likely respond and produce better work.
Fundamental knowledge of Flexible management practice and performance management allows us to understand that people have differing levels of ability and positive/negative attitudes to different tasks at work. We also know from Flexible Management, that people have differing levels of confidence and motivation on different tasks. This plays out, whether it is in a finance department or a sales department.
It is one of the biggest failures we have that people leaders fail to flex and get to know their people, so they can have high performing folk on the bus with them toward success.
Managing & Keeping Your Best People.
When the economy turns, as it will, you don’t want to lose your best people. If you take an X oriented approach too often, you will keep them only until they feel more secure in the future of the economy, and then they will be off. You will have put all that effort into developing them, but will have the cost and nightmare of replacing them.
Development is still required, but yet, there is ways to do it more cost effectively. We can help you with that.
Author
Peter O’Connor is the MD of Performance Partners Ltd, a Management, Leadership, Sales and Personal Development Facilitator & Trainer, based in Ireland, who works internationally.
Peter can be contacted peter(at)performancepartners.ie or on 353-1-2402255.
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