Every owner of any business wants to see an effective team that achieves the company's goals. There is a huge amount of information on the organization of teamwork, increasing efficiency, setting goals, monitoring, and motivating employees. They can create various trainings for their employees in an offline format, or they can create e-learning for business at various sites and improve the skills of their workers in conditions that are comfortable for them. And yet, what are the top 5 mistakes in employee development?
Mistake No. 1. Position of superiority in the team
You've probably met leaders with an attitude of superiority. This position is also called "I am OK, you are not OK." Such leaders point to the low level of qualifications, knowledge and skills of their employees, allow themselves to be dismissive and go beyond business communication. This can be similar to self-affirmation at the expense of subordinates. This is the path to the abyss, and talented, self-respecting employees will not be able to work with such a leader.
It is right to pay attention to your attitude towards the team. Do you believe in your employees? In their results and development?
Recommend to be in the position of "I'm OK, you're OK" with your team. Employees already understand that the leader has useful skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience. The way you communicate with your subordinates says a lot about you, your self-esteem, self-confidence, interest in the development and results of the team. Respect each member of your team, no matter what result he showed in the current month or how long he has been with the company.
Mistake No. 2. Inability to change leadership style
It is enough for one of your employees to set a task orally in one sentence, and he will get to work and complete it on time. And someone needs to explain the intermediate steps, control the process, correct and provide support. Some need more attention, some less.
Effective leaders with experience in managing teams do this intuitively. It seems that they know the approach to each employee and feel where and when support is needed. They seem to anticipate the thoughts and actions of their team.
But you can also meet managers who are not very happy with the results of their employees, for example, the fact that someone does the job quickly, and someone needs to explain the same thing several times. As a rule, this causes stress for both the leader and subordinates. Lack of understanding of the approach to their employees and the inability to be flexible is the reason for unfulfilled plans and unachieved goals. Knowledge of different leadership styles will help to avoid this situation. For example, the four Hersey-Blanchard leadership styles are:
- Directive - a clear statement of the problem with consistent instructions and specific steps. One-way communication with minimal involvement of the subordinate. Works with employees who do not have the necessary knowledge and skills.
- Mentoring - two-way communication, it can help with subordinates who want to learn and develop, and are already partially familiar with similar tasks. Instructions for the task are also given clearly and with deadlines. It is important to ask the opinion of the employee for his involvement.
- Supportive - for employees who have the necessary skills and knowledge, but they lack the confidence to do it on their own. A task is set, and the employee himself draws up a plan to achieve the goal, voices it and proceeds to implement it.
- Delegating - for employees with strong motivation, ability and confidence. The task and trust in the employee are voiced. He himself decides how to fulfill it, and seeks help from the leader only when necessary.
When you are about to assign a task to your subordinate, take a few minutes to analyze his skills and knowledge. Use these leadership styles for different employees, in different situations, and you will see how your team develops.
Mistake No. 3. Forcing Learning Without Value
More and more company owners and managers are interested in training their teams. This is good news as people develop, acquire new skills and improve their work. Employees who see themselves growing are much more actively involved in tasks. Pay attention to this.
The main mistake in the organization of training is its imposition without conveying value. For example, the directive wording "We have a training next Friday. Everyone to be. Don't be late." This is not the best way to get your employees interested in learning.
It is recommended to include the team as much as possible in the choice of the topic of the training, the format of training, as much as possible. The manager or HR manager can always make a survey and find out the opinion of each participant in the future training.
Mistake No. 4. Ignoring Employee Feelings
When we focus on team performance, we sometimes lose sight of people's feelings. Many leaders forget that they work with people, not with robots. Focusing on results is one of the key skills of every manager. But no less important is the control of the process - how your employees go towards their goals and how they achieve them. No one will deny that our state and mood affect performance. When something hurts, we are not 100% involved in the work. It takes away some of our energy and attention. The same happens with other important areas of life - family, personal life. We cannot ignore the feelings of employees and demand super-efficiency in difficult moments.
Mistake No. 5. Not Getting Regular Feedback
The idea that employees already understand how they work is wrong. You are probably familiar with the situation when the leader at the end of the month or year sums up the work of the team. Feedback becomes like a snowball. The manager talks about mistakes, recalls what happened in the past months or even last year, emphasizing all the mistakes of the employee.
If this conversation did not take place alone with the leader, but in front of the whole team? Motivation will be zero. A person wants to leave work as soon as possible.
Remember the golden rule of the leader - praise in front of the team, give negative feedback in private. This way you will focus the team on results and achievements. And about what can be improved, tell us in a personal conversation. Talk to everyone on your team at least once every two weeks for about 30-60 minutes. Give feedback on the work of employees, correct and emphasize success. Avoid mistakes in employee development and you will see the transformation and new results of your team.