Management actions that speak louder than words
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Free Download - Career Tips for High Achievers Who Are Feeling Stagnant By Greg Schinkel |
Do as I say, not as I do. This doesn't seem to work in parenting and it doesn't work in business either. Communication, despite knowing it to be a problem, continues to be a challenge in most organizations. Typical results-driven managers mistakenly feel that once they have said something once, everyone should have heard and understood the message and be willing to implement immediately.
In the absence of plentiful and repeated communication, most messages in an organization are communicated non-verbally through the actions observed. In fact these non-verbal messages define the organization's culture over time.
Here we identify four management actions that transmit plenty of information to the organization about what is valued and not valued.
1. Who gets promoted
Promotion is the most visible way to recognize employee contribution and in the absence of regular praise and encouragement, it is one of the few tangible clues about what an organization values. If a person is promoted who is ruthless about pursuing results but leaves a wake of destruction behind them, the message is that results are more important than people. This can lead to demotivation for those who are more constructive as they come to the realization that the organization values them less. In the alternative, if a person is promoted because they say the right things to the boss but don't actually generate results, the message transmitted is to play political games. Action Tip: Promote the most capable individual who demonstrates the ability to get results while treating people fairly and consistently.
2. Who gets hired
When new team members are hired, what message is being transmitted? If an individual clearly does not possess the desired skill sets, an ability to learn the job quickly and the attitude to get along well with others, it can cause frustration in co-workers. The hiring decision reflects the values of the organization and the respect it shows to existing employees. A poor hiring decision causes employees to reflect on their own value and take stock of their future prospects for growth and promotion. Action Tip: Hire carefully and base the decision on attitude, experience and learning ability.
3. Application of Consequences
Good employees become demotivated when they see poor performing colleagues get away with poor behaviour and unacceptable results. Getting paid the same as another person who does much less than you do isn't a big incentive to succeed. An attitude of "why bother?" sets in and performance tends to gravitate to the lowest common denominator. Action Tip: Consistently address and weed out unacceptable behaviour and performance and your organization will attract and keep better performers.
4. Delegation and Development
A manager who does not delegate and develop employees sends a message that he or she does not trust the people who work for him or her to make decisions or solve problems. Many good employees and managers have left an employer because they were micromanaged and unable to use their abilities to their full extent. Action Tip: Take an objective look at your team and begin to challenge them until they demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that they cannot competently do what you ask of them. It is better to overload and challenge an individual instead of having them wither away their potential.
Management actions that speak louder than words - To learn more about this author, visit Greg Schinkel's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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