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Articles
Productivity - Don't Manage People, Encourage
Insight
Productivity. Managers are expected to manage their staff for
optimal productivity. In some industries that means staff leveling or
sending hourly employees home if the workload is slow that day. In
some industries that means constantly measuring the output
against the costs - sometimes to the hour. And in some industries
it means doing a quarterly analysis on profit and if the numbers are
not on a positive upwards trend, it may mean a reduction if force is
inevitable.
How did we get to such a model? In the early 1900s – the
Industrialist Era, people were paid for their physical labor and
measured against how fast they could produce. Shifts were twelve
hours, labor laws were nearly non-existent and a handful of people
became millionaires off the labors of thousands. With the advent of
electricity and machinery by the mid-twentieth century much of the
work was shifting to more process and systematic based work as
opposed to hard labor. Tasks were repetitive in nature: data entry,
machine operation, office work. Managers at this time managed
process. As time went on there were many more “requirements” to
each step in the process, some forced on workers by governmental
oversight, some were industry standards and some of the
mandates were company based. As long as workers followed the
steps laid out by the manager, they were productive.
In the recent past much of what used to be processed based has
either been computerized or out-sourced to the lowest-cost country.
By 2005, 40 percent of employees were considered to be
knowledge workers. That number jumps to 100 percent for mid-
level managers and higher. The manager of today is being paid to
think and motivate. Yet many management models are still based
in the process era. Couple this with the work style difference
among the generations and you may find that instead of a
productive workforce, you have cynicism and frustration.
If you want to transform people’s performance, especially the worker
of today who has seen what happens to people who give their life to
a company and are laid off when their pay reaches a certain level,
you have to understand them as knowledge workers: give them the
tools they need to do the job, afford them opportunities to grow
professionally have fun and give them lots of feedback. Encourage
insight.
Ways to Encourage Insight:
1.) Create a No-Blame Environment. Your work culture should be a
safe place – where people are not afraid to share what they are
thinking and admit mistakes. If a mistake has been made, the goal
is how to make it right and what process change needs to occur so
as to not repeat the mistake again. Mistakes are blessings.
Reward people for bringing them out in the open.
2.) Ask questions that make people reflect. Whether an error has
been made or an achievement has been accomplished, ask these
questions to teach employees how to grow their insight capabilities:
1) What did you do well and what did you discover about yourself as
a result?
2) What are the highlights and what did you learn?
3) (If something went well) How can we do more of this?
4) What impact do you think this had on (specific) others?
5) What would you change and how?
6) What is your goal for this project? How will this tactic meet that
goal?
3.) Listen. Listen for what is going on with the other person. Are
they conflicted? Confused? Considerate? Focused? How can you
help them see how their behavior is affecting the project? Affecting
other people? When a co-worker is telling you what they are doing,
listen to see how you can help and ask them, “How can I help you?”
Listen to understand the problem from an outside perspective and
then ask them to tell you the problem from another person’s
perspective.
4.) Expect positive change and highlight it every time you see it
occur. Give specific positive feedback. At your meetings and face
to face encounters point out others accomplishments and thank
them. Be specific in your praise. Saying, “You’re doing a good job”
is not enough.
Leaders listen for potential. If you are not measuring and
monitoring how people are growing professionally, you may easily
get trapped in the maze of focusing on their problems and the
problems with the project. The people around you will show
positive change when you expect it from them. To help people
develop insight and grow, encourage them to think less and reflect
more. Start now!
Get Mary Lee’s free tip sheets on “Feel the Fear – How to Build Self
Confidence” and “Replace the Mad Hatter with Your Personal Plan”
at http://www.startingovernow.com/Articles-and-Tip-Sheets.html.
Email this information to a friend. Follow Mary Lee’s tips on Twitter
at StartingOverNow.
Mary Lee Gannon is an executive coach, personal turnaround,
leadership and productivity expert who went from being a stay-at-
home mother with four children living a country club life to the reality
of a difficult marriage, divorce, homelessness, and welfare. As a
guest speaker, she demonstrates how she went from an earning
capacity of $27,000 to president and CEO. Her book "Starting Over
- 25 Rules for When You've Bottomed Out" is available in
bookstores and online. Email Mary Lee at info@StartingOverNow.
com.
Insight
Productivity. Managers are expected to manage their staff for
optimal productivity. In some industries that means staff leveling or
sending hourly employees home if the workload is slow that day. In
some industries that means constantly measuring the output
against the costs - sometimes to the hour. And in some industries
it means doing a quarterly analysis on profit and if the numbers are
not on a positive upwards trend, it may mean a reduction if force is
inevitable.
How did we get to such a model? In the early 1900s – the
Industrialist Era, people were paid for their physical labor and
measured against how fast they could produce. Shifts were twelve
hours, labor laws were nearly non-existent and a handful of people
became millionaires off the labors of thousands. With the advent of
electricity and machinery by the mid-twentieth century much of the
work was shifting to more process and systematic based work as
opposed to hard labor. Tasks were repetitive in nature: data entry,
machine operation, office work. Managers at this time managed
process. As time went on there were many more “requirements” to
each step in the process, some forced on workers by governmental
oversight, some were industry standards and some of the
mandates were company based. As long as workers followed the
steps laid out by the manager, they were productive.
In the recent past much of what used to be processed based has
either been computerized or out-sourced to the lowest-cost country.
By 2005, 40 percent of employees were considered to be
knowledge workers. That number jumps to 100 percent for mid-
level managers and higher. The manager of today is being paid to
think and motivate. Yet many management models are still based
in the process era. Couple this with the work style difference
among the generations and you may find that instead of a
productive workforce, you have cynicism and frustration.
If you want to transform people’s performance, especially the worker
of today who has seen what happens to people who give their life to
a company and are laid off when their pay reaches a certain level,
you have to understand them as knowledge workers: give them the
tools they need to do the job, afford them opportunities to grow
professionally have fun and give them lots of feedback. Encourage
insight.
Ways to Encourage Insight:
1.) Create a No-Blame Environment. Your work culture should be a
safe place – where people are not afraid to share what they are
thinking and admit mistakes. If a mistake has been made, the goal
is how to make it right and what process change needs to occur so
as to not repeat the mistake again. Mistakes are blessings.
Reward people for bringing them out in the open.
2.) Ask questions that make people reflect. Whether an error has
been made or an achievement has been accomplished, ask these
questions to teach employees how to grow their insight capabilities:
1) What did you do well and what did you discover about yourself as
a result?
2) What are the highlights and what did you learn?
3) (If something went well) How can we do more of this?
4) What impact do you think this had on (specific) others?
5) What would you change and how?
6) What is your goal for this project? How will this tactic meet that
goal?
3.) Listen. Listen for what is going on with the other person. Are
they conflicted? Confused? Considerate? Focused? How can you
help them see how their behavior is affecting the project? Affecting
other people? When a co-worker is telling you what they are doing,
listen to see how you can help and ask them, “How can I help you?”
Listen to understand the problem from an outside perspective and
then ask them to tell you the problem from another person’s
perspective.
4.) Expect positive change and highlight it every time you see it
occur. Give specific positive feedback. At your meetings and face
to face encounters point out others accomplishments and thank
them. Be specific in your praise. Saying, “You’re doing a good job”
is not enough.
Leaders listen for potential. If you are not measuring and
monitoring how people are growing professionally, you may easily
get trapped in the maze of focusing on their problems and the
problems with the project. The people around you will show
positive change when you expect it from them. To help people
develop insight and grow, encourage them to think less and reflect
more. Start now!
Get Mary Lee’s free tip sheets on “Feel the Fear – How to Build Self
Confidence” and “Replace the Mad Hatter with Your Personal Plan”
at http://www.startingovernow.com/Articles-and-Tip-Sheets.html.
Email this information to a friend. Follow Mary Lee’s tips on Twitter
at StartingOverNow.
Mary Lee Gannon is an executive coach, personal turnaround,
leadership and productivity expert who went from being a stay-at-
home mother with four children living a country club life to the reality
of a difficult marriage, divorce, homelessness, and welfare. As a
guest speaker, she demonstrates how she went from an earning
capacity of $27,000 to president and CEO. Her book "Starting Over
- 25 Rules for When You've Bottomed Out" is available in
bookstores and online. Email Mary Lee at info@StartingOverNow.
com.
StartingOverNow.com
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Get Mary Lee's FREE
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Wheel of Fortune
Spin on Balance" by
clicking here. Mary Lee
Gannon's work as a
newspaper reporter,
trade association
executive director,
public relations
consultant,
entrepreneur, and
hospital foundation
president and CEO are
the basis for her free
e-newsletter with tips on
"Starting Over."
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To chart your road
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click here for FREE
"Worksheets and
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FREE resources on
this site are:
* Starting over in
their career or
personal life
* Empty nesters
* Entrepreneurs
* Networking
* Job Seekers
* Starting all over
again
* Going through a
divorce
* Looking for career
opportunities
* Seeking FREE
career advice and
education
* Finding mentors
* Setting new life
goals
To chart your road
map to success
click here for FREE
"Worksheets and
Articles."
Turnaround Solutions for People & Organizations
Whether you are an executive who is "stuck," your company needs
better productivity, or you are in a life transition you represent the
people and organizations Executive Leadership Coach Mary Lee has
helped. Learn how to clarify direction, create strategy, upgrade skills,
optimize your environment and wipe out fear and doubt. Make it fun =
get more done!
Mary Lee’s strategies from her book “Starting Over” helped her in her
own transformation from stay-at-home mother with four children living
a country club life to the reality of a difficult marriage, divorce, poverty,
welfare and then on to president and CEO. Eliminate self doubt, under-
performance, money fears, relationships woes, and negative influence
so that you may soar. Then lead others to improve their lives and your
business. Start now! For a FREE introductory coaching session via
phone contact info@startingovernow.com.
Whether you are an executive who is "stuck," your company needs
better productivity, or you are in a life transition you represent the
people and organizations Executive Leadership Coach Mary Lee has
helped. Learn how to clarify direction, create strategy, upgrade skills,
optimize your environment and wipe out fear and doubt. Make it fun =
get more done!
Mary Lee’s strategies from her book “Starting Over” helped her in her
own transformation from stay-at-home mother with four children living
a country club life to the reality of a difficult marriage, divorce, poverty,
welfare and then on to president and CEO. Eliminate self doubt, under-
performance, money fears, relationships woes, and negative influence
so that you may soar. Then lead others to improve their lives and your
business. Start now! For a FREE introductory coaching session via
phone contact info@startingovernow.com.
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FREE Resources
to help you:
1. United States of America's
primary source on career
information:
www.onetcenter.org
2. Wage Estimates
www.salary.com and Bureau of
Labor and Statistics
3. Organize Your Job Search -
Post a Question etc.:
www.cvtips.com
4. Starting Over After Divorce:
www.womansdivorce.com
5. Starting Over for Women:
www.makingbreadmagazine.co
m
6. Self Improvement:
www.selfgrowth.com.
7. Job Postings, Resume
Advice and Resources:
www.careerbuiler.com
8. Templates for: business
plans, competitive analysis,
start up costs and more:
www.score.org/business_toolbox
.html
9. Federal/Sate/Local
Government jobs:
www.USAJOBS.com
10. U.S. Government's Free
online courses, webinars and
podcasts for workforce
development:
www.onetacademy.com.
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbok 2008-09 by Bureau of
Labor and Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.ht
m
to help you:
1. United States of America's
primary source on career
information:
www.onetcenter.org
2. Wage Estimates
www.salary.com and Bureau of
Labor and Statistics
3. Organize Your Job Search -
Post a Question etc.:
www.cvtips.com
4. Starting Over After Divorce:
www.womansdivorce.com
5. Starting Over for Women:
www.makingbreadmagazine.co
m
6. Self Improvement:
www.selfgrowth.com.
7. Job Postings, Resume
Advice and Resources:
www.careerbuiler.com
8. Templates for: business
plans, competitive analysis,
start up costs and more:
www.score.org/business_toolbox
.html
9. Federal/Sate/Local
Government jobs:
www.USAJOBS.com
10. U.S. Government's Free
online courses, webinars and
podcasts for workforce
development:
www.onetacademy.com.
11. Occupational Outlook
Handbok 2008-09 by Bureau of
Labor and Statistics:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.ht
m
| Mary Lee Gannon is interviewed on Mind Your BIZness |
Listen to Mary
Lee's interview
"From Welfare
to CEO" on the
Renee Bobb
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Lee's interview
"From Welfare
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Renee Bobb
Show on
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Radio.com.
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Executive Leadership Coaching - Productivity Solutions for People and Organizations
Executive Leadership Coaching - Productivity Solutions for People and Organizations
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Mary Lee Gannon's
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