10 THINGS EVERY NEW MANAGER NEEDS TO KNOW
Allowing people to make decisions and take action is key to unlocking great
performance. Yet, many managers resist providing employees autonomy, clinging
instead to command and control.
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And why wouldn't they? They are accountable for
their team's performance, so of course they want to
retain control. However, tightening the reins will result
in lower-quality performance in the long run and may
even cause real trouble for the manager.
Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth
About What Motivates Us, says that we are wired to be
curious and actively engaged.
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Watch any small child
explore his or her world and you will know that this is
true. If we, as adults in the workplace, are passive and
inert, it's because someone (a command-and-control
manager) or something (excessive rules, policies and
procedures) has taught us to be that way.
In such a controlling environment, people cease to
care. They may even adopt "learned helplessness."
When they have no control over their situation, they
begin to behave in a helpless manner and may give
up trying to make things better for themselves. If they
have not succumbed to such helplessness, they will
leave, taking their skills and talents with them to find a
manager who will let them have a say over decisions
that affect their work.
If you're fearful of introducing more autonomy, here
are some ways to ease into it.
• At the very least, ask your team for their input on
work processes and procedures. They are the
subject matter experts and should be treated as
such.
• When you give an assignment, whenever possible
let employees decide on the "how." Explain why they
need to do the job and then let them figure out how
to do it.
• In preparation for your performance year, work
with your team to define the right performance
outcomes, and then let each person find their own
route toward those outcomes. Scary, yes, but it's a
powerful motivator. Just be rigorous about defining
outcomes, and make sure they know what great
performance looks like. Then trust your team to
achieve those outcomes.
Management should be about creating the kind of
place in which people are inspired to do their best
work, not about command and control. So, step out
of the way. Provide your team with the knowledge,
tools and support they need to do their jobs, and then
let them do it!
GET OUT OF
THE WAY
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