Beverlee Rasmussen CEC PCC There are lots of business books out there that try to answer the question, “How can a boss manage their employees? How does one effectively manage people?”
I say, don’t even try!
What? You know as well as anyone that people don’t like to be told what to do. Trying to manage another human being is difficult at best and likely impossible. Sound familiar?
Managing People
The truth is, there is no such thing as “effective people management”. Most of the time, the people aren’t the problem—it’s the business they’re brought into. You can change the people, but if you haven’t fixed the problem, the same thing will happen again. Managers need to focus first on systems. What system are these people working within that’s causing the problems? Maybe employees aren’t getting reports done on time, for example. You want something from your people, and you’re not getting it.
What else is going on? Make assumptions about the employee, and you may soon find yourself unnecessarily looking for a new one.
Making assumptions
A huge management trap is making assumptions about what others are thinking and feeling. It generally starts with your observations of a situation and often ends in frustration. Two perfectly competent team members, both with great intentions, end up at odds over how they experience the world.
Instead, create an environment where people can contribute their best every day. Develop managers that coach versus command. Pay attention to the whole system to create opportunities for improvement.
Systems reduce blame
Possibly the greatest advantage to a systematized organization is that the focus is on the process, not people being the blame for things that go wrong. When you shift the focus from blaming people to collaborating on developing world-class systems, you create a better place to work and everybody wins.
Feel free to share this blog with other small business owners. The more leaders who know this secret about “effective people management” the better the workplace will be!
Until next time, enjoy your Entrepreneurial Journey!
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