Issue 1 · Tuesday, 30 September 2008

Are you clear on what you want from the people you manage? Are they?

Have your expectations of your staff changed recently? Do you need something different from the people you manage? Do they know what this ‘different’ is?

What we want from the people we manage can change on a regular basis. These changes come about when the needs of the business change, the customer requirements change or the way we do business changes. When this happens, our view on what good performance looks like also changes.

Where things become tricky is when the people element of change is lost, when the new expectations of the business aren’t articulated to the people who need to know the most. What we do know is that one of the key things that people want from their manager is clarity, especially in times of change.

The challenge, then, is to ensure that on a regular basis we update that view of good performance and then communicate this to our staff. So far so good?

Here’s a simple three step process that enables you to check that you’re clear on what you want from the people you manage.

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People don’t actually like being managed, do they?

An interesting assumption I’ve heard managers voice again and again, is that people don’t actually like ‘being managed’ and, more specifically, that people don’t want to work with a manager who actively manages their performance.

Here’s how some of the managers I’ve worked with have put it:

I feel embarrassed about managing performance. Some of my staff are more experienced than I am and some are my friends. They won’t like it if start acting ‘all managerial'.

Won’t my staff feel patronised if I manage their performance – won’t they think I don’t trust them?

Well of course it depends on what ‘being managed’ looks like. Generally people don’t like being told what to do, being constantly watched, being constantly criticised (so that’s something you didn’t know then). But then again, that’s not effective performance management.

So what do people want?

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Joan Henshaw publishes her monthly Ladder newsletter for business owners and managers. If you want ideas on how to improve your practical people management practices, get your free tips now at www.ladderconsulting.com.

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