Getting paid on time doesn’t make an employer stand out - nor should it: it’s the bare minimum. A hygiene factor.
But what about hygiene factors from an employer or colleague’s point of view?
What are those basic things that every employee should just do?
Here’s what I’ve come up with...
Read MoreMost managers give feedback and delegate by saying some version of “This is what you should do” - and perhaps add “It’s what I would do in your shoes and I’m basing this on years of experience.”
The problem? This doesn’t motivate or reach most people. Especially these days.
It might have worked on you early in your career, but early-career you is not who you are managing today.
Fortunately, Ellie Hearne knows just which questions to ask.
Read More“I delegated, the work was on track to come back late - so I did not wait. I did it myself on time. It’s what the client expects.”
“The assignment landed on my desk with a few small errors and an omission. I gave it a polish before it went to the CEO.”
“This kind of thing keeps happening - rushed, sloppy work… So I told the employee how I’d handle it if I were in their shoes.”
Ostensibly, this is great. Each of these leaders wants the work to be done well. They are accountable. They are invested. So they do the work well or they tell the employee how to do it well.
The problem? These are short-term fixes - and they don’t usually address the underlying issue.
Read on, for a better approach.
You don’t have to have been a leader for long to have experienced the “whack-a-mole” side of the job.
You fix one problem, another surfaces.
You make a positive change for the team, but a few members grumble.
You invest in one part of the business - and risk emptying the coffers for another.
In this piece, Ellie talks about unintended consequences - and what to do about them.
Read More
