by thepeopleplan | Jul 24, 2013 | culture
Our prior article “What Drives Engagement?” listed the top 10 engagement drivers.
Two areas impact employee perceptions of their relationship with the supervisor (category 3):
1. Good relationship with supervisor
According to author James Robbins in his book “9 Minutes on Monday,” trust is the key component in a good relationship with your direct reports. He suggests a weekly “walkabout” to spend a few minutes talking informally with one team member to discuss something personal (not about work!) to show that you care.
2. Input into decision-making in my department
You don’t have to abdicate a decision to employees to get their input and improve their perceptions of “having a say.” Read our related post about “Total Reward #5 Autonomy” that shows a graph of the continuum of decision-making involvement
Three steps you can take NOW to improve employee perceptions of their relationship and role with (you) their direct manager:
- Schedule a time each week to do your “walkabout” to chat about the personal life of one employee.
- Find one moderately important decision you need to make soon, hold a meeting where you outline the issue and ask everyone to give input, discuss the ideas without “shooting them down” (you can share your thoughts and why you are considering this approach), and be sure to thank everyone for their contributions.
- After you have made the final decision, communicate this with your reasoning, again with recognition and appreciation for everyone’s input.
Article for more reading:
How to be a Better Boss in 2013 by leadership expert Jack Zenger (great tips here based on study of thousands of managers rated by their employees!)
by thepeopleplan | Oct 27, 2011 | culture, job fit
The top person of an organization has a range of possible roles and background, such as a seasoned executive, a third generation business owner, a manager who started at “the bottom” and worked her way up, a new entrepreneur, or the managing partner in a partnership. (Titles might be CEO, President, Owner, Executive Director, Managing Partner, or General Manager)
I am often asked from business owners or top managers “what should I spend my time doing?”
Many have heard how they should work “on the business” not “in the business.”
This means that the top manager does not spend very much time (less than 20% is ideal) on direct or administrative work that should be delegated to staff.
Here is a list of typical functions and essential duties for the Top Manager of an organization.
[If you are not very knowledgeable in these areas or do not have strong competencies in strategic thinking, planning and project management, I urge you to hire these skills sets in your management team and / or find advisors who can provide the expertise and direction your organization will require to survive and thrive.]
Top Manager Duties
1. Set Direction
Provide strategic direction for organization, provide leadership and oversight of management team to implementation of short and long-term goals to achieve strategic objectives.
2. Administration
- Establish and implement departmental policies, goals, objectives, and procedures, conferring with managers, staff, board members
- Appoint department heads or managers and assign or delegate responsibilities to them
- Direct, plan, and implement policies, objectives, and activities of organization to ensure continuing operations, to maximize returns on investments, and increase productivity
3. Evaluate and Re-direct
- Analyze operations to evaluate organization performance and staff in meeting objectives, and to determine areas of potential cost reduction, program improvement, or policy change
- Confer with staff members, managers, consultants, board members to discuss issues, coordinate activities, and resolve problems
- Direct and coordinate an organization’s financial and budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments, and increase efficiency, prepare budgets for approval, including those for funding and implementation of programs
- Monitor industry and market conditions and trends, product innovations, and competitors’ products, prices, and sales
4. Oversee Departments and Functions
- Delivery and distribution of products/ services
- Sales and marketing
- Finance and accounting
- Human resources
- Information technology
Image courtesy of Nongkran_ch at FreeDigitalPhotos.net