What kind of a manager are you? Do you prefer the carrot or the stick?
For you sticks out there, there's nothing better to use as a model than the great scene from the movie Glen Garry Glen Ross when Blake says to his sales team, "We're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired. Get the picture?"
For your carrot types, there's Brian Tracy, author of 50+ books on motivation and management, the latest of which is called Full Engagement! Inspire, Motivate and Bring Out the Best in Your People (Amacom).
The real secret to getting the most out of your workers is...get a notepad and pen so you get this all down....be nice! Did we need a book to tell us this? Maybe we did. We have all worked for companies in which the boss or manager was anything but nice. We've all worked for bosses who were raving lunatics. And maybe you are a raving lunatic and your employees absolutely hate you. I have worked for my share. One who couldn't speak a sentence without dropping the "F bomb." Another who was such an ego-maniac that she had to remind employees, almost daily, about the value of her stock holdings. Another who was so tense and humorless that the entire office became infected with misery.
Sound like you?
Take a deep breath. Tracy has some advice. First of all, smile! "When you see someone for the first time each day, smile at that person." Seems obvious, but how many managers don't do it (maybe even you)? Ask questions. "How's everything going? How are you feeling?" And really be interested in the answer. Listen. And don't interrupt when your people are talking to you. Be polite to your staff. Treat them "as if they are talented, intelligent and accomplished." (If they're not all those things, why haven't you fired them?)
If you need some reeducation to start acting the part of a manager who motivates others, Tracy has a basic but valuable outline on how to maximize your talent. Among his principles:
- Be Clear: How many managers have you known who give ambiguous direction (or none at all)? Often this is because they have no idea what to do themselves and are hoping their staff can figure it out. This isn't fair. If you're the boss, it's up to you to set expectations without any ambiguity.
- Be Competent: You have to lead by example. If you're using your staff to cover up your own incompetence, it's obvious to everyone and no one will respect you.
- Be Focused: If you're scattered as a manager, you reflect your disarray on others -- that's very demotivating. People should know what's important to you, because you live it.
- Have Integrity: Your reputation is your currency to get things done. Damage it and risk losing the allegiance of your people.
Tracy has delivered a book that's incredibly basic and obvious in its lessons, but it's worth looking at because managers these days are so consumed and busy, often with the most ridiculous things, that the obvious gets overlooked.