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Your People: Successful Employees
By Kathy Schultz
Successful employees: Who doesn’t want them? Who doesn’t wonder how to get them? My own formula is pretty simple: Hire good people, give them what they need to succeed, and get out of their way. Having said that, let’s look a little more deeply at what’s involved in each of these steps.
Hire good people: Most folks complain not so much about the people they hire, but more about the employees they inherit. It seems we’re committed to it being a selection of an excellent person when we made the choice.
And there are mismatches at times. But more often than not, I find this comes down to a matter of attitude — mine. If my attitude is that people want to succeed, then that is usually what I get. If my focus is on the good in people, then that is usually what people show me. It was a huge revelation to me the day I realized I couldn’t make my employees do anything — I could only create the environment that helps them succeed or fail. And this brings us to the next step.
Give employees what they need to succeed: This could be any of a number of things like resources, time, support, clear direction, information, follow-up, feedback, training or honesty. It varies by individual and by assignment.
It requires that I know employees, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and listen carefully to them. It means I have to be willing to tailor my approach to the individual and the situation they are facing. It means that I develop my own skills in coaching, delegating, listening. It means I have to develop some judgment around when to intervene and when to let people struggle through and figure something out on their own. It means when we are discussing problems, I’ve learned to ask employees, “What do you need from me?” And in a world where managers and supervisors think they are supposed to have all the answers, it means that sometimes the best thing I can do is be silent.
Get out of the way: Many of us have a hard time letting go. Yes, we want employees to succeed but in our timeframe, by our definition, in the way that we’d do it. The more I trust people to use their judgment and handle things, the more I’m shocked by how much I learn.
I’ve seen people go about doing something in ways that would never occur to me — and be wildly successful. I’ve seen people start things in ways that I was sure were doomed to fail, and discovered positive outcomes beyond anything I was hoping for. I’ve seen people accomplish more in less time than I thought possible. And always, I need to make sure that they get the credit and recognition.
Research has identified three areas where employers tend to underestimate what employees want: 1) their need to feel connected to, and competent in their work; 2) their need to strengthen their capabilities, develop themselves and build careers; and 3) their need for recognition.
But what employees are looking for isn’t always what we think they want. It turns out, the research says, that employees have a desire and a need to feel part of something bigger, and to have opportunities to make a valued contribution to the overall success of the company, the business unit, department or group. In other words, they want to succeed!
Kathy Schultz is the human resources manager for Pleasant Company in Eau Claire and is the director of finance and organizational structure for the Chippewa Valley Society of Human Resources Managers (CVSHRM) For CVSHRM meeting or membership information, contact Deb Svihovec at 834-8318 or debbie.svihovec@jabasgroup.com
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