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Supporting Employees for Success
Cathie Leimbach • October 27, 2023
Communicating your expectations to employees and ensuring they understand what you want them to achieve are not enough for them to succeed in your organization. Managers and supervisors in highly effective organizations often spend half of their work week supporting their employees.
- Be Consistent: Consistency in your messaging and expectations is crucial. Ensure that your team always receives the same message from you and understands what is expected of them.
- Encourage Feedback: Create an open and transparent communication environment where team members can ask questions, seek clarification, and provide input. This fosters a sense of ownership and engagement.
- Monitor Progress: Regularly review and assess progress toward the desired results. Adjust your approach as needed and celebrate milestones to maintain motivation.
- Provide Support: Offer the necessary resources, training, and support to help your team achieve the results. Address any obstacles or challenges that may arise.
- Lead by Example: Demonstrate the behavior and work ethic you expect from your team. Your actions should align with your words and goals.
- Acknowledge and Reward: Recognize and reward team members for their efforts and achievements. Positive reinforcement can boost morale and motivation.
- Be Patient and Persistent: Understand that achieving significant results may take time. Stay committed to the vision, and don't be discouraged by setbacks.
- Adapt and Learn: Be open to feedback and be willing to adapt your goals and strategies if necessary. Learning from mistakes and evolving is a sign of effective leadership.
Supporting one’s direct reports for success means serving their needs as they endeavor to meet workplace expectations. This includes reinforcing expectations, being available for two-way conversations, giving employees feedback about what they are doing well and support to be more effective in weak areas, and genuinely caring about your team members as valuable human beings.
What is one aspect of supporting your employees that you are doing well? What is one aspect that is a growth area for you to enhance employee and organizational success?
In today's busy workplace, asking good questions can make you better at your job. Open-ended questions—ones that need more than just "yes" or "no" answers—help you learn more and have better conversations with others. Research shows these questions really work. Gallup found that managers who use open-ended questions have 27% less employee turnover and 18% better productivity. These questions make team members feel safe to share their ideas. Harvard Business Review says that when bosses ask at least four open-ended questions in meetings, teams come up with 42% more creative solutions. By asking instead of telling, leaders get more ideas from everyone. McKinsey discovered that managers who are good at asking open-ended questions find 34% more opportunities for process improvement. These questions help spot problems and challenge old ways of thinking. These benefits go beyond just team conversations. The Journal of Applied Psychology found that salespeople who use open-ended questions with customers make 23% more sales. By better understanding what customers need, they can offer better solutions. Learning to ask open-ended questions isn't just about talking better—it's a skill that helps you succeed in all parts of work. Click here for more information.
Bad bosses aren't just a nuisance – they're an epidemic. A staggering 70% of employees report that problematic managers are commonplace in today's workforce. This reality has serious consequences for both workers and companies alike. What drives employees to pack up their desks? Unethical behavior tops the list, with 62% of workers citing it as a reason to quit. Following closely behind are hypercritical managers (54%) and those who burden their teams with unrealistic expectations or excessive workloads (54%). While some managerial shortcomings are merely frustrating rather than deal-breakers, they still damage workplace morale. Disorganized bosses frustrate 33% of employees, micromanagers irritate 29%, and unapproachable or inflexible leadership styles bother 27%. Perhaps most concerning is the communication breakdown: 72% of employees wish they could openly discuss workplace concerns with their managers, but 59% fear retaliation if they speak up. How might these issues be affecting your organization? High turnover rates don't just disrupt workflow – they devastate your bottom line. Between recruitment costs, training expenses, lost productivity, and institutional knowledge walking out the door, each departed employee can cost between 50-200% of their annual salary. Ready to understand what turnover is truly costing your company? Click Here for access to a free Cost of Turnover Calculator.
