Friday, July 30, 2010

Know Your Staff

By : Christina Dumeng

There is no doubt that managers know a lot. After all, that is why they were hired to be managers in the first place. Undoubtedly, knowing the ins and outs of the company are important, but what about knowing the ins and outs of your staff. Do you know them as well as you know the policies and procedures of the company? Interpreting rules and regulations, being technically savvy, and having people-skills are great characteristics to possess as a manager, but they are not enough to be considered an effective manager.

The role of an effective manager is to ensure that both the company's objectives and employees needs are equally being met. The crux of a manager's job is to develop and prepare his/her employees for future roles in the organization. However, in most instances, employee development is left by the wayside, as the manager is solely focusing on meeting the objectives of the company, while indirectly letting the needs of the staff go unmet. Thus, when employee needs are not met, they become dissatisfied. When they become dissatisfied, both morale and productivity plummet. In severe situations, they are terminated or quit with resentment. All may have been avoided if their needs had been met.

Striking a balance between managing operations and managing people is critical to the overall success of the company. Luckily, company objectives are given to the manager. They are clear, precise, and most likely written out in a strategic plan; however, employee needs are not something that can be looked up in a manual. They must be learned over time. Just like a good marriage, a healthy relationship is necessary. Take time to invest in developing a rapport with your employees. Meet frequently with them one-on-one. Be genuine. Learn what they like and what they don't like. Identify their strengths. Learn what drives them, what motivates them. Then, take what you have learned and use it to their advantage. Give them assignments that match their needs with company objectives; or offer a "thank you" if you learn they need encouragement.

Undoubtedly, developing a rapport has many benefits, but more importantly learning from employees through dialogues will assist the manager in knowing his/her staff in order to meet company objectives and employee needs simultaneously; thus creating win-win situations.

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