According to Workplace by Gallup®, economic growth has slowed and created low employee engagement. Loss of customers and profits. And poor management of people, resources, and revenues.
Building a profitable company requires bosses that engage their employees!
As a management executive, did you know:
- 82% of the time, bosses are chosen for the wrong reasons (e.g., technical ability, length of employment, likeability)
- Employees feel being unemployed is better than hating their jobs, and their bad bosses
- More than 75% of employees are quietly quitting (not engaged) or loudly quitting (actively disengaged), hurting profitability and customer retention
- More than 50% are not engaged and put in minimal effort to get by, blaming their bosses
“Employee engagement has an even stronger connection to performance outcomes during tough economic times.” (Workplace, Gallup®)
It’s why you need to hire, promote, and job transfer the right people into “boss” positions.
It’s Essential Bosses Improve Engagement, Productivity, and Profits
#1 Start with how you hire, promote, and job transfer people into “boss positions.”
Many employees want to be bosses since it means a bigger paycheck, perks, and title/status (and sometimes they want the power). The problem is that many people may know their jobs well but make poor bosses in your workplace environment for various reasons. Remember, not everyone is cut out for a boss/leadership position, so it’s important to provide alternative career paths to keep top talent. The question to ask: How can they continue to grow and be positive contributors to your business?
Example: A great salesperson was transferred into a boss position. It didn’t take long for employees to complain about her poor “boss style.” Instead of giving her back her former job, they fired her! She left and took several large clients with her!
Job fit is key! There are over 3,000 assessments published today. Yet, only a few provide valid, reliable, and predictive data. You and your company must see people for who they really are, not how they want to be seen. Clarity about the “whole person” is a crucial factor in your ability to develop great bosses. Otherwise, your training, coaching, and management efforts will be thwarted!
Here are questions to ask yourself about how you decide whom to hire, promote, or job transfer into boss positions:
- What objective criteria are being used to determine who will be a good boss?
- What predictive analytics are being used that provide objective, valid, and reliable data?
- Do they want to be a boss or have different career goals to pursue? (Hint: Ask them and listen to their response!)
- As a boss, are they open to developing better communication skills? (Hint: As a boss, communication skills become more critical.)
- Are they coachable? (Hint: A requirement for them to succeed.)
#2 Profitability requires accountability for how bosses build employee engagement.
Developing your company’s bosses needs a committed team of management executives, external executive coaches, and internal company mentors. Together they can ensure all bosses engage their employees daily. Failure to “check-in” will negatively impact retention, revenues, and results!
Do they:
Develop their team members? To engage employees, it’s important that your bosses ask for and listen to their team’s ideas before making decisions. Also, ensure bosses offer all employees challenging assignments that support their career goals.
Have tough conversations using compassion and experience? Too many bosses focus on likeability. It’s why they fear having tough conversations. While a damaging discussion with a boss can disengage the employee quickly, tough conversations done right ensure retention (e.g., eliminating bullies), revenues (e.g., meeting budgets and timelines), and results (e.g., resourcefulness and resilience).
Focus on results, not personalities? Each team member has natural strengths. Are your bosses building on these strengths? Also, ensure your bosses are not trying to fix a person’s personality (e.g., talks too much, dominates conversations). Instead, they need to provide all employees with appropriate skills training.
Acknowledge team members? This is crucial! Ensure your bosses are specific when praising their teams and acknowledging each and every team member’s contribution. (Hint: Listen to how they talk about their team members with you. It’s a reflection of how they communicate with their employees.)
Have 1:1 meetings weekly with each employee. Every employee needs the boss’s undivided attention. For best results, remind your bosses to turn off their gadgets, listen, and focus on one strength the employee can build on. Multi-tasking disengages employees!
©Jeannette Seibly 2023 All Rights Reserved
Jeannette Seibly is a champion for bosses and teams delivering intended results. Does your company or department have a persistent problem? With Jeannette’s depth of experience and wisdom, she guides clients through sticky situations and challenging relationships for dynamic results! Contact Jeannette for a confidential discussion.
A note from Jeannette about ensuring your bosses engage all employees: Did you know that 82% of the time, bosses are chosen for the wrong reasons (e.g., technical ability, length of employment, likeability)? In today’s workplace, hiring and developing bosses is crucial to ensure a profitable company with engaged employees. Contact me for a confidential conversation about hiring, coaching, and managing for profitable success.
The coach is in! Are you ready to build your confidence and success as a boss? Great bosses work with an experienced executive coach as a sounding board. I have extensive experience and wisdom in guiding bosses and leaders to hire, coach, and manage their teams to achieve unprecedented results. Contact me to learn more about my in-depth, one-on-one, customized coaching program. Remember, coaching speeds up your ability to manage as a great boss!
Bosses impact retention, revenues, and results each and every day by how they engage employees. To improve your bottom line, use the PXT Select to see the “whole person.”