Employee Engagement

3 Keys for Bringing Out the Best in People

Bringing out the best in people is the essence of effective leadership. Although there are many important competencies required for effective leadership, there are three essential behaviors which play the greatest role in bringing out the best in people. These three keys are: Treat People Like People, Treat Adults Like Adults, and Show Appreciation. Let me explain why…

Treat People Like People
The issue here is the importance of treating people like people rather than like “things”. When a leader regards the members of their team as people, they acknowledge that everyone – regardless of position or tenure – has hopes and dreams, fears and stresses. They understand that people generally want to do a good job. And when results aren’t what the leader expects, he or she addresses the issue as one person to another, rather than to dish out a “scolding” or respond in a manner which treats people simply as an “asset” or a “resource”. In effect, good leaders treat people like they themselves want to be treated.

The adage, “Things get managed. People get led,” is true. The statement is an acknowledgement that people have feelings and respond accordingly. A leader who treats people like “things” lacks empathy. The consequence of leaders treating people in an impersonal way is that they’ll get a level of response from people, but not nearly the response and results they want.

In order to bring out the best in people, treat people like people.

Treat Adults Like Adults
The issue here is the importance of treating adults like adults rather than like “children”. A leader treats people like children when he or she insists that things be done their way. (“Do what I say, because I’m the parent, that’s why…”) A leader treats people like children when he or she micromanages. Micromanaging sends the message that a leader doesn’t trust the quality of a person’s work, their creativity, or their judgment. And when a leader lets people know they’re not trusted, the team quickly learns not to trust their leader.

In contrast, leaders who treat adults like adults grant plenty of autonomy. They also get to hold people highly accountable. When a leader grants autonomy, he or she communicate that they trust people to be professional, hardworking, and responsible. It shows that they trust their judgment and that they trust the work will be done as promised.

In order to bring out the best in people, treat adults like adults.

Show Appreciation
The issue here is the importance of appreciating the efforts people make rather than taking their efforts for granted or offering insincere recognition. The need for the esteem and respect of others is a key element of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

It’s fairly self-evident that having one’s effort taken for granted can be disheartening. If a leader wants people to do and be their best, it’s important to demonstrate that he or she values them. That much is clear. But there is a difference between appreciation and recognition, and the distinctions are important to understand. Recognition is often provided under the guidelines of a recognition program which defines the parameters under which a person is entitled to some form of recognition.

On the surface, this seems like a reasonable approach which would encourage best effort. But there are two fundamental problems with recognition programs. The first problem is that a “structured” approach becomes impersonal and somewhat insincere. Recognition ends up bestowed upon someone because the program dictates that recognition be offered. The second problem is that recognition is offered to acknowledge a person’s achievement rather than their effort.

Most people want to be appreciated for their efforts more so than for their accomplishments. Appreciation is generally personal and heartfelt, given from one person to another. And it’s often spontaneously shown as a response to the effort someone put into completing a task. It is an expression of gratitude for someone’s effort, and its impact is immediate and long-lasting.

Telling someone you appreciate their effort in completing a project over the weekend has a far greater impact than offering a token of recognition for the end result. Plus, the degree of appreciation expressed is generally in direct proportion to the effort and/or sacrifice made by the person.

In order to bring out the best in people, show sincere appreciation for their efforts.

Eliciting excellence is the essence of exceptional leadership. If you want exceptional results, treat people the way you’d like to be treated, grant plenty of autonomy, and show sincere appreciation

The Hidden Cost of Quiet Quitting

Quiet quitting is one of the issues being talked about on a regular basis these days. It’s where someone becomes disengaged at work but doesn’t actually quit. Instead, they show up every day and do what’s asked of them, but nothing more. They basically do just enough to keep from getting fired. The Gallup organization estimates that quiet quitting comprises as much as 50% of the workforce in many companies! Obviously, this behavior curtails productivity, slowing a company’s growth, and causing lost revenue and profits.

But there is another, more expensive cost to the organization. And this cost is not obvious at first. It’s hidden until it reveals itself, which by then, is too late to fix.

It causes your best employees to quit.

Let me explain the dynamics and what you can do about it.

Typically, most organizations who have an intentional culture (meaning a culture that’s by design rather than by default), value things like professionalism, showing mutual respect, having integrity, being solution-oriented, and being collaborative. When a leader and/or an organization tolerates the behaviors associated with quiet quitting, it undermines the culture of the company.

Doing the very minimum is not only lazy, but it’s unprofessional. Professionals don’t need to be told in detail what needs to be done. They want to do a good job and will usually do whatever it takes to ensure the work gets done accurately and timely. But, when a leader tolerates a poor work ethic, it sends the message that there’s no need to work hard. Doing the minimum has no negative consequence.

Additionally, in order to meet deadlines and the needs of the organization – because the quiet quitters are slowing progress – the better, more engaged, more professional team members end up working harder to pick up the slack. After all, that’s what professionals do – whatever it takes to get the job done correctly and on time.

The consequence of all this is that many of your best employees will either become quiet quitters themselves or will quit and find a company who has a better, more positive culture.

So, how do you address and reverse the whole situation, so you avoid losing good employees and re-engage the quiet quitters?

Your initial instinct might be to take a harder line with quiet quitters and require them to step up their game or get fired. But this approach would be misguided. And it’s misguided because:

Quiet quitting is a symptom, not a problem.

When you take steps to address a symptom, it usually makes matters worse. The key, therefore, is to identify the underlying problem causing quiet quitting. And that brings us back to the well-known phrase: People don’t quit companies, they quit bosses.

Quiet quitting is caused by the way they are treated by the people who lead them. If people are treated like things, engagement drops. If adults are treated like children, engagement drops. If people are not treated with respect, engagement drops. If leaders lack integrity, engagement drops. And if leaders are unappreciative, taking people for granted, engagement drops.

Most leaders want to do a good job and want to be an effective leader, yet many fall short. They usually fall short for one or more of these reasons:

1. The skills needed to lead aren’t the same skills that got them where they are.
2. Many leaders model the same poor behavior they saw in the leaders who proceeded them
3. Regardless of intellect, education, or years of experience, we all have blind spots and can’t see what we’re missing.

The key, therefore, to reversing quiet quitting and all its implications, is to improve the effectiveness of the leaders and managers. Let me know if we can help you improve your team’s leadership effectiveness.

How Great Leaders Bring Out the Best in People

Great leaders bring out the best in people. In fact, that’s what makes them a great leader. They bring out the best in their team, they bring out the best in their organization, they bring out the best in their vendors, and they bring out the best in their customers. The art of leadership is learning how to bring out people’s best.

Here are five things a leader must do if he or she wants to be truly effective:

1. Treat People Like People
If you really want to bring out the best in people, you need to treat them like…well…people, rather than things. When we interact with people without compassion, empathy, or understanding, we’re relating to them as things.

The consequence of treating people like things is that you’ll get compliance, but not commitment. In contrast, when leaders regard people as people, they recognize that everyone – regardless of position or title – has hopes and dreams, needs and desires, goals and aspirations, fears and stress, and strengths and weaknesses.

A leader who regards people as people adopts an attitude of being of service to them. He or she helps them to be their best, to correct mistakes for the future, and is empathetic towards them and the feelings they have.

Leaders who treat people like people bring out the best in them.

2. Treat Adults Like Adults
If you want to bring out the best in people, you also need to treat adults like adults. Unfortunately, leaders often fall into the habit or pattern of treating adults like children. What constitutes treating adults like children?

When a leader micromanages people, he or she is treating them like children. When a leader doesn’t trust his or her team to follow through and act responsibly, he or she is treating them as children. When we micromanage people, it demonstrates a lack of respect and trust. It sends the message that we don’t trust them to do what needs to be done and don’t trust their judgment.

Why would a leader treat an adult like a child? The most prevalent reason stems from the flawed perspective that if people aren’t told what to do, they will do the least amount of work possible, doing just enough to keep from losing their job.

In order to treat people like adults, we need to eliminate the false perception that people will do as little as possible if left to their own initiative. Most people truly want to do the best job possible and take pride in the work they do.

An effective leader ensures that people have the right tools, the appropriate skills, and the proper judgment to do their job effectively. Then, the leader can confidently delegate tasks and hold people accountable for getting their work done accurately and in a timely manner.

Leaders who treat adults like adults bring out the best in them.

3. Earn Trust and Respect
The importance of earning the trust of the people you lead is well accepted yet still remains an issue. Trust is earned through having integrity and is absolutely essential for keeping people engaged. A leader who lacks the trust of others has a difficult time influencing and inspiring them. It’s not simply a matter of being honest, nor is it a matter of not being dishonest. Our integrity is reflected in what we do and who we are. People assess us by our words and actions over time (although a single negative event can change that opinion instantly). We don’t earn trust by how we act during major events, but rather how we act in everyday situations. Our words and actions will carry more weight and have greater impact if we’ve earned the trust (and respect) of others in advance.

The level of trust and respect given a leader by his or her team determines—to a great degree—the lengths people are willing to go for them. A leader who has earned a high degree of trust and respect creates a loyal team. A leader who has earned trust and respect gains the ability to greatly influence the actions and performance of his or her team. And a leader who has earned trust and respect will be more easily and more quickly forgiven for mistakes they make. And we all make mistakes…

Respect, like integrity, is one of those things that no one argues against. Yet not every leader earns the respect of his or her team. If a leader wants to be influential and bring out the best in people, he or she needs to have the respect of those they lead. There is a big difference between compliance and commitment.

We earn respect by showing respect and we demonstrate respect by how we interact with others. We show respect to people when we give them our full attention. It demonstrates that we care about their ideas and concerns and that we feel what they have to say is valuable. People can also feel they’re not respected when they’re spoken to in a manner that either minimizes them or makes them feel they and their ideas are being dismissed.

Leaders who earn the trust and respect of people bring out the best in them.

4. Show Appreciation and Recognition
In order to bring out the best in people, people need to feel valued. And in order for people to feel valued, a leader must show appreciation for their efforts and recognize them for their accomplishments. Being taken for granted is disheartening and demotivating, but it frequently happens in the business world, nevertheless.

Some leaders adopt the attitude that people are paid to do a job and therefore the payment of a salary is sufficient appreciation and recognition for their work. While it’s true that people have an obligation to do good work in exchange for fair pay, people are still people. They have emotions, pride, fears, self-esteem, and a desire to please.

Recognition is typically offered as a reward and acknowledgement for an accomplishment. Public recognition boosts a person’s stature within an organization and enhances their self-esteem.

Appreciation, on the other hand, is generally shown in response to the effort someone makes, rather than an accomplishment. Sincere appreciation is generally spontaneous and heartfelt – given from one person to another. When we show appreciation for someone’s efforts, it communicates that we respect and value them.

Leaders who show sincere appreciation for people bring out the best in them.

5. Develop Compelling Strategic Initiatives
When leaders develop a strategic initiative that incorporates a compelling reason, it tends to bring out the best in people. People do their best when they’re inspired by and aligned with the work they’re doing. When people are working on an initiative that matters to them, they’re engaged and enthused.

When an initiative matters to people, they invest their discretionary effort in developing creative solutions and overcoming the inevitable obstacles that present themselves.

People will give (and be) their best for something they believe in. Accomplishing a meaningful initiative is personally and professionally fulfilling. Effective leaders provide a reason to accomplish something. They understand that an initiative without a “why” is simply a goal – and no one gives their all for a simple goal. A good strategy addresses an issue or problem and provides a direction for the company. It also provides a compelling reason for the initiative (a cause, a philosophy, a passion), creating a desire to achieve it.

Leaders who help people stretch and use their creative abilities bring out the best in them.

5 Strategies for Becoming an Inspiring Leader

For years, leaders have asked me how to motivate people. Regardless of whether you’re talking about large teams or small teams, sales teams or project teams, the answer is the same. You can’t motivate people.

Motivation comes from within and people are either self-motivated or they’re not. It’s one of the main reasons that only a handful of people respond to sales promotions or contests. Only the people who are driven by money will respond, while the rest won’t.

The most effective means of spurring people on to better performance and greater results is by inspiring them. In contrast to motivation, which comes from within, inspiration comes from others. The dictionary defines inspire as “To exert a stimulating or beneficial effect upon, or to arouse with a particular emotion.”

We – as leaders – inspire people by who we are, by what we do, or by what we did.

Why strive to be more inspiring? Here are some notable benefits of being an inspirational leader:

It elicits an emotional response
It creates the desire to accomplish or achieve something
It sparks the imagination as to what is possible
It creates belief
It creates enthusiasm
It creates hope
It creates admiration
It creates respect
It causes people to want to emulate us

When people are inspired, they aspire to reach new heights/goals and resolve to overcome obstacles, challenges and fears. They begin to dream bigger and regain hope that they can achieve those dreams. And when people are inspired by you, they make an effort to emulate you, they strive to be respected by you, and they become willing to align themselves with your passion, vision, or cause.

As you can see, the impact of being inspiring is significant. Of course, the big question is how to become inspiring. What transforms a leader into an inspirational leader? Here are five strategies for becoming a more inspiring leader:

Never miss the opportunity to share what you’re passionate about. People are attracted to and respond to leaders who are passionate about something. When a leader is passionate, people will follow then and be inspired by them.
Use stories to make your point and paint a picture. People relate to stories and analogies, and when told effectively, will evoke an emotional response. Stories can be very inspiring.
Share past challenges that you’ve overcome. It doesn’t have to be a major life altering challenge; it can be any kind of physical, mental or emotional challenge you overcame which made a difference in your life. People are inspired by those who overcame adversity.
Set an example of high integrity. Do what you say you’re going to do. Show up on time. Return phone calls and emails. Finish projects on time or ahead of time. And don’t be afraid to let people know when you’ve gone out of your way to do what you said you would do. People are inspired by leaders who earn their trust and respect through their actions.
Let others know what matters to you. Become clear on the values that matter most to you. Reflect throughout the day as to whether your actions are in alignment with those values you say matter. Leaders who live their values inspire people. (Conversely, saying one thing but doing another is not very inspiring.)

If you want to move your team into high gear, forget about trying to motivate them and instead, focus on becoming an inspiring leader.

Recognition is useful, but not as much as…

It’s widely accepted that an important part of any employee engagement strategy is having a recognition program. People want to feel valued and acknowledged for their work, so organizations implement recognition programs to accomplish that by offering awards, plaques, mugs, pins, gifts, certificates, and/or bonuses. All of those things are nice and the concept sounds good – except for one thing.

Recognition is only marginally effective at improving employee engagement if not also accompanied by the practice of showing appreciation. Recognition and appreciation are both important, but each has a different dynamic and should be used for different purposes.

Recognition programs are great for publicly acknowledging and drawing attention to accomplishments. Public recognition boosts a person’s stature within the organization and enhances self-esteem, both of which improve engagement.

But the impact of recognition programs is limited. It’s limited for two important reasons. The first reason is that although receiving a reward as recognition for accomplishment is welcomed, studies have shown that once rewards become expected, they no longer motivate and often produce declining results. The second reason for recognition having only minimal impact on engagement, is that it’s generally given to acknowledge an achievement. And the reality is that much of what we achieve on a day-to-day basis is routine and not especially noteworthy.

Appreciation on the other hand, is generally shown in response to the effort someone makes, rather than an accomplishment. Sincere appreciation is generally spontaneous and heartfelt – given from one person to another. When we let people know we appreciate their efforts, it communicates that we’re grateful for their efforts, and that we respect and value them. The impact of showing appreciation is immediate and long-lasting. When a person’s efforts and sacrifices are appreciated, self-esteem rises and consequently engagement and loyalty rise as well.

Recognition and appreciation each have a place in making a difference with people, but appreciation’s impact is stronger than recognition’s and has a more positive impact as well. Additionally, the opportunities for showing appreciation are more numerous and more frequent than those which deserve recognition.

In order to bring out the best in people, get into the practice of showing sincere appreciation.