Manager-employee relationships are powerful. They help drive strategy, get the necessary work done and shape workplace culture. In addition, the relationship an employee has with his or her manager has a significant impact on an employee’s work experience and the extent to which an employee is engaged in work. What can managers do to impact employee engagement?
Great managers seek first to understand and connect. They routinely reflect upon the strengths and weakness of their connections and ask themselves, the following questions:
- Do I genuinely care about each person on my team?
- Do I make an effort to get to know them?
- Do I demonstrate care and concern through my day-to-day interactions with them?
- Do I take the time to start conversations with my team members?
Great managers help their teams make the link between their work and the work of the company. They make sure that they are clear on the linkages and set goals for their teams that help move the company forward. In my experience, the vast majority of employees come to work wanting to contribute. Great managers know this. They know that what they have to do is set the stage: define objectives, set deadlines, ask questions, gather feedback, and drive strategy.
When a problem arises, a great manager will coach their team members through the problem by asking the right questions. The types of problems where a manager must assume responsibility and take over are the exception. The majority of issues can be solved by the individual employee with guidance provided by the manager. Examples of solution-focused and supportive questions are:
- How is your progress on your task? What can I do to help?
- What is the biggest challenge you are facing right now? What can we do to resolve it?
- What solutions have you considered? How will taking these actions make a difference?
Great managers support the development of their teams’ skills. They do this through the work they assign and by providing honest, sincere, and useful feedback. When I refer to feedback, I’m not talking about completing a performance appraisal form. I’m talking about the day-to-day conversations that managers have with employees about work—as it happens. These one-on-one discussions lead to a shared understanding a person’s interests, strengths, and areas for improvement—and how to best to utilize their strengths on the job.
Great managers create an atmosphere where conversation, learning, and growing are embraced, not feared. Great mangers, themselves, are fully engaged.
Have you had a great manager? How did this person impact your engagement in your work? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
In our next blog, we will look at what employees can do to impact their own level of engagement.
Great article Liza and so true! I once had a director who worked in a different city but he made it a point to check in regularly, not with an agenda, but with genuine interest in our successes and challenges since we had last connected and to find out if there was anything he could do to support our team. He was genuinely pleased at the individual successes that contributed to the growth and success of our operation and made a point of recognizing both individual and team effort. He offered thoughts, guidance and constructive feedback but did not micro-manage. He was a pleasure to work with and we remain in touch to this day.
Thanks Leanne. You give a great example of what a difference such relationships make in our experiences of work. I’m not surprised that you are still connected.
A great summary of some of the key elements of work that great managers do on a regular basis. I particularly like the section on developing the skills of their employees. Regular conversations, recognition of work well done, help provided where required and opportunities to grow and expand horizons are more important than the formal performance appraisal process.