LEADERSHIP EXPERT HOLLY LANDAU DISCUSSES SOME COMMON EMPLOYEE ISSUES AND OFFERS ADVICE ON HOW TO OVERCOME THEM AND LEAD YOUR TEAM TO SUCCESS.
This article was excerpted from OPEN Book: Leadership. Find more information and resources from OPEN including a podcast featuring Holly Landau at openforum.com/leadership.
In these economically challenging times, employee engagement is absolutely critical to your company’s success. You manage things like your budget, your time, and your inventory. You lead people. Leaders influence, inspire and motivate others toward success. There are many styles of leadership but the common goal is always the same. Holly Landau offers some guidelines about some of most common employee challenges and suggests ways for business owners to establish, implement and sustain successful employee engagement practices.
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How do I guide and coach my employees without micromanaging them?
Let’s assume that your employees want to succeed. Let’s also assume that your employees have the basic training that they need to perform their duties successfully. Without the proper training, no amount of motivational support from you will push them toward improved performance. With the proper training and motivation in place, a powerful way to guide and encourage your employees toward improved performance is through coaching. Coaching is not directing, such as telling an employee to meet sales goals or clean up a spill in aisle five; coaching is positively supporting and encouraging employees who have the potential and motivation to improve. Your coaching statements should be empowering for your employees (in fact, a by-product of coaching is that you’re grooming the future leaders of your organization).
Coaching Statements:
“I’d like to raise your sales goal by 10 percent starting next month. What are your ideas about accomplishing this goal? What can I do to support you in reaching it?”
“I’ve got some ideas about how we can cut down on waste, but I’d like to meet with you to get your views. Let’s meet tomorrow at 3 pm to discuss your ideas.”
“I’m concerned that your team won’t complete your project this month. I’d like to better understand some of the barriers you’re facing. Let’s meet to discuss them and your ideas about how to meet your deadline.”
Holly Landau is the CEO of Landau Leadership, a consultancy that provides customized training and development solutions through an intergenerational team of curriculum designers, facilitators and leadership development experts located throughout the US.
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